LLL- So I finally started playing Mortal Kombat X and Ermac is my happiness. I just wrote this because if I lose one more night of sleep I might die. My writing helps me sleep. Literally. And some things I need to get off of my chest. You can judge me but only slightly. You may also make requests.

I don't own any Mortal Kombat anything. Except merchandise. I own merchandise. I paid for it.

The skies around him are dark as he floats in front of the temple, meditating. The grey clouds block any possible stars but it isn't as if his eyes are open anyway. He has them closed as he tries to concentrate his energy to a specific point. Most people see darkness when they close their eyes, but he gets the dark green haze of the souls within him. There are occasional memories and flashbacks of those tortured souls in the war. Then there are... others

"I'm hungry!"

*sigh*

"We don't eat."

"I miss the taste of fried beetles."

"Shut up, it's been close to five years since we last ate."

"It's so dark. Why are we out here so late?"

"I'm wondering that too."

"My leg hurts."

"WHAT LEG?"

Ermac takes a deep breath in a more desperate attempt to calm them. Sometimes they are serious. Other times they get just plain bored.

"All of you hush." A more serious tone sets over Ermac as a superior soul takes him over. Suddenly, he is angry and on the verge of a rampage. "We are compact in this pitiful state for a reason. That is why we are who we are. If we were not like this, then we would not be strong. That is why we are many."

Images of mass death through a battle field flashes through Ermac's eyes. Pools of blood decorate the ground and fire rages buildings. Screams echo through his ears. His eyes snap open but he can still hear the cries. He falls out of the meditation to his knees in sudden pain and claws at his chest.

"What are we reaching for?" The dominant soul jeers. "We have no heart!" He then scratches at his head. The black bandages are being held to his head by the force of the souls. The pain is almost as if the energy within him is overloading.

Something. He has to kill something. Smash something. Anything.

With a jolt of energy, he leaps into the air and roars at the top of his lungs. Just enough power is released through this to calm him. He levitates back down to the ground breathing deeply and pissed.

"Are you alright?"

Ermac turns around and sees Raiden walking towards him from the inside of the temple. Ermac bows is head slightly. "We are fine."

Raiden looks around the outdoor area of his temple and sees that anything ceramic has been smashed to bits. There is fire burning on the ground from the flame holders being shattered. He looks back at Ermac, who has not taken his eyes off of him, and nods. "Ok then."

Ermac suddenly feels his mind being pulled. "We are being summoned." He looks off into the distance.

"What is it?" Raiden asks.

"We are being summoned."

He raises an eyebrow. "Summoned by who?"

"Soleanna."

"Oh really. It's been a while since we have heard from her, but If she is calling on you so spontaneously something might be wrong. I hope it isn't what I feared before seeing her off all those months ago. Go to her but don't exert too much energy and report back immediately."

"We do not take orders, but we shall return."

"She must die. "

"Kill her."

"Soleanna is a threat to us."

"We kinda like the girl."

"She WILL die." The dominant soul demands over the rest. Ermac releases a deep breath in an attempt to blow off the sudden anger. "We will return in one piece. You investigate."

With that, Ermac rises and shoots off into the sky as nothing but a green blur. Raiden looks after him, curious of the vessel of souls. Ermac flies at high speeds, still feeling the summoning.

"We must make a portal to get there faster."

"It will take days at this rate."

"We should not go to her. We answer to no one!"

"We will use up too much energy with a portal."

"It's in earthrealm so it won't be much trouble."

Ermac silences as many souls as he can, taking in consideration those who are dominant. A dominant soul gives an answer but this force isn't angry or aggressive. It's soothing and confident. "We will use a portal. It's the best decision. We must get to her as soon as possible."

Ermac stops flying, the force of his halt creating a boom in the air. He focuses his energy to his hand, desperate souls flying around his body within his control. With a roar, he releases the energy while focusing on Soleanna's call. A green and black portal swirls before him. This is not a technique he has known long. Raiden showed him how to hone his transportation ability. Now, with much power, he is able to transport longer distances. This should take him to Soleanna. He flies through the portal and on the other side is light. He looks up at the sky and sees that it's blue.

"Ermac!"

He turns his head at the sound of his name and his eyes are drawn to a light skinned female. Her face holds distress, but slight relief upon seeing him. "You summoned us? What is wrong?"

She wraps his arms around him in a hug. He's slightly shocked by this and his souls run haywire. They float viciously around both of their bodies.

"Kill her now!"

"She is attacking. Take her out."

"This wench."

"She is like us. She is many."

"It's just a hug."

"Screw hug. This is an attack of constriction."

"SILENCE!"

Ermac grunts, trying to contain the panic and pushes her away. "You summoned us," he repeats. "What is wrong?"

She points back at the floating house. It is levitating, violet souls surrounding it. Under it, in what must have been the basement, is a swirling red portal. It is very spiratic and unstable. Ermac floats towards it.

"It just appeared," another voice says. Ermac turns to see another earthrealmer standing near Soleanna.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Andy."

"This is his house," Soleanna answers. "Do you know what this is?"

"This power. It is familiar. We know it but we do not know why."

"It's Shao Kahn."

"No, we are Shao Kahn."

"I sense Shang Tsung."

"It wants her. Give her to it! Throw her in."

"The portal is here because someone powerful is trying to get into Earthrealm. They are looking for something." Ermac concludes, putting all the thoughts of the souls in one sentence.

"But why here?" She asks. "I left Outworld a year ago to live a normal life and now this might hurt my friends. Why?"

"It wants you. Looking for you."

Soleanna's eyes widen. "Who?"

"We sense many, but Quan Chi is great."

"I thought he was banished by Raiden. What the hell is going on?" She sighs brashly, rubbing her dark hair back. "I need to speak with Raiden."

"Then we shall return," Ermac nods.

Soleanna agrees and looks at her friend. "You're coming with us."

"What!? I can't."

"You need to or you will die. Trust me."

He looks back at his floating house. It's the first time he's seen anything like this. He's seen it in video games, movies, and anime but for it to be actually happening is frightening. Finally, he nods. "Ok."

Andy looks up at Ermac. "What are you?"

"We are many."

"What?"

Soleanna sighs, placing a hand on Andy's shoulder. "Just save yourself the time." She walks in front of them both and faces the house. She closes her eyes and exhales deeply. Her feet leave the ground and violet souls fill and surround her. She lifts her arms and her hands glow. The souls dance aimlessly around her body.

Ermac watches her. She is like him, filled with corruption and confusion. But she is different. How?

"She is many."

"She is competition and must die."

"Her souls are corrupt."

"We remember her. She in an ally."

"She is an obstacle."

"Kill Her!"

Ermac grabs his head with one palm, causing Andy to look up at him. His green eyes then burrow down into the young male and Andy steps a few inches away. Ermac's attention goes back to Soleanna as she compresses the portal. She grunts against the pressure of the souls. "Ermac. I need your help."

Ermac flies over to her and shoots a blast that narrows the portal down a few sizes. With that, she is able to conceal it and dispel it. The purple souls are flying rather far away from her body, farther than Ermac's would from him. One of the souls collide with his body and a few of his souls become defensive.

"An attack."

"Her souls are not in her control."

"It was soft."

"Be quiet. Her souls are not as we. They are weak! She will fall by our hand."

She then lowers the house back to its original position. When the task is complete, she turns back around. A smile is on her face but she soon falls to the ground. On her knees, she grunts brashly and claws at her head, messing up her hair. Andy becomes worried and starts to walk over to her. His actions are stopped and he feels as if bugs are roaming through every part of his body. He looks at himself and sees that he is glowing purple. Violet wisps are coming out of both his arms and legs. He gasps, wanting to flail, but doesn't have any control of his limbs.

"Stay away," Soleanna breaths. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Ermac floats towards her, ignoring the raging protest of hundreds of souls. "Do you need aid?" He reaches his hand down to her and she looks at it with surprise.

"Who cares."

"We don't know where the care is."

"Do you feel it? There is care somewhere."

"This emotion is nostalgic."

"We like her."

The dominant soul speaks over all. "She needs us. We will help. She is like us."

Soleanna grabs Ermac's hand and the souls pulse around it. She can feel the resistance of his souls pressing onto her hand but only squeezes his hand tighter. All of the violet souls that were with her have shot back into her chest like bullets and her eyes have returned to their normal dark hue. "Thank you," she speaks. "Now we need to get answers."

"We must return to the Temple of Raiden."

"Is that where you're coming from?" She looks at Andy and sighs.

"He needs to come with us so we can't use a portal. I'm not sure how it will affect him."

Ermac side glances at Andy.

"Earthrealmers are disgusting."

"He looks like a worthless weak piece of meat. We could kill him with no difficulties."

"Why must he come?"

Soleanna steps up. "His life might be in danger because of me. I'm not leaving him alone until I know he's completely safe."

"We shall fly." Ermac hovers a few more feet in the air.

Soleanna looks at Andy. "This will feel weird but you need to endure it."

He nods and violet souls surround him. He levitates into the air with her. She looks at Ermac and grabs onto his hand again and nods. With that, the three begin flying. After only 100 miles she sees the strain in Andy's face against the high wind and altitude. They have only been flying a 100 miles an hour, if that. She suddenly stops and Ermac looks back.

"Why is she here?"

"We fly alone."

"This is an emotion. She is concerned. Remember that?"

"Emotions? Pfft. More like distractions! They are not needed in battle."

"You can't handle this. I'm going to try else but you will have to bear with the discomfort until we reach our destination because even I can't stand going this slow." She drifts back and fires an array of souls at him. They cover his entire body and he flinches.

"I...I can hear whispering," he breaths.

"Deal with it." She then looks at Ermac. "Let's go now. Full speed." A smirk then spreads across her face. "If you can keep up."

He takes the challenge seriously. "We are stronger than you."

"We'll see about that. If your souls are on par with mine." Soleanna's eyes glow violet through Ermac's green ones.

"She is challenging us. Kill her."

"She is our acquaintance."

"She is our enemy."

Soleanna takes off like a jet, Ermac on her heels. They must be going close to 300 miles an hour now. He uses the speed to blow off the steam of his bickering souls. She reaches out her hand and blasts a portal through air and soon they pass through it. As they do, their bodies jolt. They stop moving and fall onto a hard surface. Andy is hunched over, vomiting.

Ermac looks up, his souls swirling. He sees that they have arrived at Raiden's temple. Soleanna used her energy to make a portal as they flew. Raiden stands in the outdoor area where they landed with Kenshi at his side. Andy sees the thunder god and his eyes widen with amazement.

"I...I know you."

"I cannot say the same. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Raiden reaches down his hand to the slightly sick male. Andy grabs it and struggles to get to his feet.

Kenshi and Ermac have acknowledged each others presence.

"The martial artist."

"The man of many. We do not like him."

"He is cocky. He is nothing like us. Show him that we are the real masters."

"He taunts us with his eyes."

"Idiots, he's blindfolded."

"Ermac," Kenshi addresses, "it's been a while."

"So it has."

"How've you been?"

"We prosper in earthrealm and outworld as we please."

"That is good. Raiden speaks highly of you."

"As he should."

Their attention is brought to Soleanna when she gasps for air. She is on the ground, souls running rampant around her body. Ermac kneels onto one knee and observes her obvious pain.

"She is weak. Kill her now."

"Kill Raiden too. We never liked that bastard."

"Take over earthrealm while we're at it."

"Help her."

"Who died and made you king?"

"HELP HER!"

"Kill her."

Ermac grabs at the hood on his head, clearly distressed. Andy is tempted to walk forward but Raiden places a hand on his shoulder and shakes his head. Ermac looks at Soleanna as she tries desperately to control her souls. Ermac grabs the smaller flesh hand and squeezes it in a poor attempt to ease her pain.

Soleanna's glowing eyes find him. It is as if he is searching her violet eyes for an answer. For her soul. She knits her fingers through his. Each purple soul slams back into her chest until there are no more. Ermac resists the screaming of his many souls. How? He has no clue. Never has he attempted to resist since Shao Kahn created him. "You are many," he speaks. She sits up and gets to her knees with much effort so that they are almost face to face.

"And you are mine," she grins. She puts her head to his. He is looking into her face. Her eyes are closed and he can feel the skin of her forehead against his bandages. The bandages cannot be removed from his head, but oddly, he can finally feel them for the first time. He can feel a sensation other than pain against his skin. Silence. The voices are gone. This is a euphoria he's only experienced once before, a year ago. The souls. They are quiet. He can talk.

"Why did you make a portal? You knew this would happen."

"I'm weak." She huffs. "I couldn't fly here the entire way. We would have had to stop after another hour and I didn't want to hold us up. The only other option was a portal. I knew exerting that much energy would negatively affect me but I can handle the pain of my souls by now."

"You are foolish."

Andy watches the two, on the ground, foreheads together and fingers locked. "What is their relationship?"

"A vessel with thousands of souls and an earthlander who acquired hers only 2 years ago. I am not lying to you when I tell you it's a long story," Raiden says. "I recall Ermac's creation. Soleanna endured a similar pain. They are both cursed with souls that are no their own. Both of them were quite evil forces to reckon with."

"It's strange to seem him without that ominous green glow. I have been graced with the dreadful opportunity to battle Ermac in the past," Kenshi adds. "And I can truly say I never thought I'd see Ermac's true soul. I was almost convinced he didn't have one." Small white souls surround them and vanish one by one.

"It's always been there," Raiden reassures. "It just needed a gateway."

"I wouldn't call this a gateway."

Raiden is surprised by this statement. "What do you mean?"

"Soleanna isn't so much pulling his soul forward as she is pushing the others away. Ermac's souls feel threatened by her and they have good reason. She is exposing them to peace and they are disappearing from his being. Pain, suffering and darkness are what gives Ermac his power."

"What about her?"

"Her souls are increasing in power. Her own soul is still stronger than ever. Since her power comes from other souls be attracted to her, she could overpower Ermac's souls and kill him by mistake."

"WHAT!?" Hearing these words, Soleanna pushes Ermac away and the green souls burst into the air around him like a spontaneous combustion.

Raiden studies his now hostile acquaintances. "So, that's what Quan Chi is after."

LLL- Well yeah. I know this is strange... but yeah. I'm a writer and strange is all I can really do. Plus I love Ermac. Review if you love me. Or don't love me. Whatever