Krataxus

Krataxus, formerly known as Kratus, is a Toa of Darkness and Fire and a commander of the Temporal Empire.

Originally hailing from Kraka Minor near Dracia, Krataxus was created as Kratus as a Ta-Matoran, and was a successful explorer near his local village. When the Fall of Dracia occurred, he remained on Kraka Minor, not knowing what was to come. When a local Turaga emerged mysteriously, he offered the young Ta Matoran a Toa Stone. The Ta-Matoran became a Toa and became his local village's protector.

On a day in the field, he found Fairon lying unconsciously on a hill near his own island, and he took the Toa of Light to his local Turaga. His Turaga called him in and introduced him to Fyxan, Acritus, Shadon, Lev and Aquila, and warned him and the Toa of Light that they were to go on a mission.

In the mission that followed, Kratus was mired by Darkness and eventually, giving in to the Darkness powers to rid himself of the visions that were being planted, he betrayed his Toa team and turned to Darkness. Renaming himself Krataxus shortly after the Universal Paralysis and the Collapse of the Nui Tower of Time occurred, he started serving the Primal Beast under the banner of the Temporal Empire.

Early Life
Krataxus originally came into existence shortly after the end of the Second Great Infinus War as a Ta-Matoran named Kratus, on the planet of Kraka Minor in the Realm of Light. Besides these details, not much is known about his early life up until the Fall of Dracia. When Dracia did fall, though, and a black hole came into existence near the small planet, the small planet started being torn apart slowly, turning into large fragments in an atmosphere instead of a single piece of rock.

The young Ta-Matoran established a village for himself and several others, where he welcomed refugees. On one occasion, he welcomed a mysterious Turaga who became his mentor, into his village.

Discovery of Fairon
The Ta-Matoran was quick to notice that the Turaga was not a normal Turaga, and the wise one taught the young Matoran tricks and tips in living on a planet that was not to last very long in its existence anymore. It is during this time, that Kratus was also given a Toa Stone when the Turaga offered him one.

Becoming a Toa of Fire changed his life considerably, from a passive Matoran life to the active life of a Toa. He became the protector and guardian of the few Matoran still living in his village, and worked solely in service of the Turaga.

In this time, the young Toa of Fire discovered a mysterious being suddenly appearing on top of a hill, unconscious. He asked the being who he was, and the being responded frightened at first, but later on introduced himself as Fairon, a Toa of Light. When Kratus asked for more information, the Toa of Light could not give any, though, and stated that he did not know where he came from or how he had arrived there.

Confused, the Toa of Fire took the Toa of Light to his local Turaga, who sensed great powers with the Toa of Light. The Toa of Light was then healed and rested in the village for a short while, until the Turaga arrived in the middle of the night to wake up Kratus and take him to his own house, where Fairon was already waiting.

Mission to the Nui Tower of Time
The two were informed about what the Turaga referred to as "a great danger haunting the universe again", though the Turaga refused to address what the danger was at first. He told the Toa they needed to unite in a team with five other beings and set course for a location he referred to as the Nui Tower of Time. He revealed that the Nui Tower had been significantly damaged, and that it threatened to collapse if nothing was done against it.

The two Toa, confused, asked the Turaga what the Tower was, and how they were going to be the ones to resolve it. He informed the Toa that, using the Crystal of Time, which the Turaga owned, they could resolve and restore the damage done to the Tower. He also informed the two that they need not search for their team. He then introduced the two to five beings: Aquila, Jareroden, Fyxan, Lev and Shadon, and informed them that he had trained those five to become better warriors and to be ready for the mission.

The Turaga then let the two Toa undergo extensive training, in which they were put into fights against several dangerous creatures as well as missions that could otherwise have been very dangerous, if not fatal. They were also to undergo extensive fitness training, which they did with pride. Lastly, they were trained to work together with one another and with the rest of the team, and to resist possible temptations to turn to Darkness or give in to their fears.

Afterwards, the Toa were finally revealed their vehicle: the Titan-I Battleship, with which they were to travel to the Nui Tower. He warned the Toa that the battleship was not a toy, and revealed the controls of the battleship, its trans-warp systems and the general workings of the battleship.

They were then given the coordinates of the Nui Tower of Time, and given the Crystal, after which the Turaga told them to be careful and watch one another's back. He wished them luck, and then the Toa finally left off using the spaceship, travelling into the universe for the first time in his life.

Descent into Darkness
Kratus and the rest of his team arrived at the Nui Tower of Time, and were at first amazed by the hugeness of the structure. The team also suddenly felt the pressures of the undertaking they were about to go through at the Tower.

Landing near the Nui Tower itself, the team started ascending the stairs leading to the entrance slowly, and were attacked by several creatures they could not bring home. Fyxan, who had already been an experienced warrior before that, revealed these creatures were the Undead, the remnants of a heart that has been engulfed by Darkness, and he warned that they should be wary of the corrupting powers of Darkness in these parts.

The team slowly entered the Nui Tower of Time, before feeling the ground shake violently, forcing the team to hold on to something. They faced more Undead in the ground floors of the Tower and each floor as they ascended. As a result, each flight of stairs upwards was a nightmare to climb, filled with fear and Darkness.

They also began experiencing visions of Darkness and hearing voices that did not actually exist. Jareroden reported seeing visions of his own mentor on Estron being killed, Fairon reported reliving a mysterious moment in which he was falling into a blackened abyss, while Fyxan reported seeing his master, Hendrax in a fight with Zirix before the Fall of Dracia. Lev reported how he envisioned Fyxan being killed by Zirix before Zirix wanted to execute him, while Aquila reported how she envisioned the planet of Dracia being torn apart by the black hole and never seeing her home again. Shadon reported hearing voices telling him that he was guilty for the Fall of Dracia and guilty for not stopping Zirix when the latter wanted to become Combat Master.

As they continued to ascend and fight more Undead, the visions of each of the lot got gradually worse. Kratus constantly envisioned how Fairon wanted to betray the team and was actually a creature of Darkness, trying to usurp the powers of Time for his own goals. He was also led to believe that Fairon wanted to enable an apocalyptic event to happen if they were to reverse the damage to the Nui Tower of Time. He also reported hearing Fairon's voice say "I will end you" over and over again.

The further they ascended and the closer they came to the black hole and reversing the damage done, the worse Kratus' mood grew, and the more paranoid he grew of his fellow Toa. Eventually, when they were near the summit, and Fairon asked if he was alright, he snapped and descended into a fiery rage in which he attacked Fairon and accused him of only doing it to be able to usurp the powers of Time for his own goals. He accused the Toa of Light for being a danger to the universe and for not helping the mission, which the Toa of Light vehemently denied.

In the resulting fight, the rest of the team intervened as well on Fairon's behalf, leading Kratus to believe they had been brainwashed by Fairon as well. He stalled the progress of the team's ascent upwards in such a way that they no longer had any time to rescue what little was left. The Nui Tower had become more and more damaged in the days before, and the last day when Kratus snapped, the black hole finally started tearing away at the essential parts.

Kratus and the team, still in the middle of the fight they had, did not realise what was going on, until Lev screamed that the Tower was about to collapse on itself. Shadon blasted the ceiling away, nearly killing the enraged Toa of Fire, and the rest of the team made their way out hurriedly.

While the black hole continued tearing away, Krataxus finally made his ascent to the summit. The Crystal of Time in his hands, he stared into the black hole briefly, and laid down the Crystal, instead giving in to the powers of Darkness. There, on the summit, the powers of Darkness started engulfing the Toa of Fire while tearing away the final parts of the Altar of Time.

In an immense explosion and noise, the final protective layers of the Nui Tower of Time were destroyed, and the flow of Time was stalled. Kratus kneeled for the Darkness, and renamed himself Krataxus, refuting the weakness of his former self and stating that he was a new, stronger being. The Primal Beast, appearing before the Toa, threatened to destroy the Toa, but the Toa instead offered himself as servant to the Primal Beast, stating that it was his goal to hunt down the traitors to universal stability. The Primal Beast accepted the offer, on the terms that the Toa be completely loyal, which Krataxus accepted.

Servant of the Temporal Empire
Coming soon...

Abilities and Traits
Being a Toa of Fire, Krataxus has elemental Fire powers, allowing him to create, absorb, and utilise Fire while practicing his forms of combat. His Turaga subjected him to combat training, meaning he has at least basic combat skills. His original swordsman skills involved using his fire sword to cut through things, but later on, when he gained a new sword, he utilised his elemental powers and his sword simultaneously.

Since accepting the Darkness in his heart, the Toa of Fire has also gained control over Darkness powers, giving him the ability to temporarily blind beings, to open portals of Darkness, to summon the Undead and control them, and corrupting one's heart. A unique ability of his is imbuing his Fire powers with Darkness, creating what is sometimes referred to as Dark Fire, coloured purple.

Mask and Tools
It is unknown what mask Krataxus is wearing. What is known is that, while still a Toa of Fire, he utilised a sword of fire, which combined to form a sword and a shield at the same time. After turning to Darkness and becoming mutated, he gained a new sword which he currently still uses.

Personality
As Kratus, Krataxus was a proud and noble Toa, considering himself to be a protector of the universe and responsible for guarding what was right in the universe. Though proud, he was by no means arrogant or hateful. Since turning to Darkness, though, Krataxus has become more paranoid and less trusting of individuals. He retains his pride, though, and believes that pitiful activities like gladiator arena's are not worth his time and below his standard. He also takes great pride in being a servant of what he views to be universal justice.

Trivia

 * He was mostly inspired by Riku from the first Kingdom Hearts game.

Appearances

 * Dark Future