PROLOGUE: IN THE BEGINNING
7990 B.C. on the Earth Realm calendar
Free Realm of Edenia
Queen Sindel, a slender, almost fragile woman, stood on the balcony of her palace, which rose high like a giant stalagmite over the Great Plains of Edenia. With her dark eyes she watched over the balustrade. From a distance she could hear the roaring sound of a waterfall. Way down beneath the decorated balcony the dewed grassland began to shimmer in the first sun light of the day.
It was very early in the morning. Suddenly a cool wind came up and blew through the queen's hair. But the chilling temperature didn't bother Sindel at all. She enjoyed watching, as the rising sun chased away the twilight of dawn and brought back the large variety of colors to the world. There was nothing else a human eye would have enjoyed more.
"A realm like in a fairy tale," Sindel thought by herself.
She wished she had more time to enjoy the wonderful sight. It has become a daily ritual ever since she was crowned queen, to stand on the balcony of her palace and to wait for the sun rise. But there were tasks a queen had to fulfill, a queen who reigned a whole realm on her own.
One of her main tasks was to maintain the relationship to the huge neighboring realm Outworld. Back in the days, when the king still was alive, they always shared their duties. While it was the duty of the king to represent Edenia's interests, Queen Sindel stood by his side as the royal councilor and gave him advices on all main questions. She followed him onto every public assembly, but always kept her presence in the background.
But now, the king was dead, he died after many long years of illness. It was then that all tasks passed down to the queen. From time to time she was asked if she wanted to marry once again; and there were many in the rows of the aristocrats who would have immediately made a proposal, for Sindel was doubtlessly a woman of captivating beauty. She had long black hair that reached far down her back, her light-colored skin was smooth, and her oval face was combined with cheek-bones, which were rather clear-cut for a woman. Her graceful appearance would show kindness and strictness at the same time.
But she never took into consideration to marry once more. She was proud to be the one and only queen upon the five known realms, who reigned a realm all by herself. Although there were times, when she considered her duties as strenuous or even tiresome, she still had to admit that this was her imagination of a fulfilling life.
"Edenia is ruled by a queen. And one far day, when I'm called to the Elder Gods, there will be once more a queen who reigns over Edenia," Sindel thought. Before the king deceased, Queen Sindel gave birth to a daughter. Princess Kitana was still a child, who just past her tenth birthday, but in a few years Sindel would send her to a special academy where she received lessons about government laws and negotiation strategies.
"Mylady, a visitor just arrived," said a female servant who just entered the private chamber. "He awaits your majesty in the audience hall."
Sindel turned around and scrutinized the servant with a quick glance. Her uniform was flawlessly clean and without any wrinkles. Her hair was tied to a pony tail, her face didn't show any emotions.
"Who is it?" asked Sindel.
"It's Lord Feron, Ambassador to New Realms," answered the servant.
"Tell Lord Feron that I'll go see him in just a minute," said Sindel.
"Very well, Mylady," said the servant. She bowed and then left the queen's room.
Ambassador Feron didn't come very often to the royal palace, for he lived quite far away. But when he came, he always brought some interesting news along. Sindel was curious to find out what it was this time.
As announced Lord Feron, the Ambassador, was waiting in the audience hall. Feron was a small man, not much bigger than the queen. His hair was short cut. He wore a black coat of weatherproof material. In comparison to it, his face seemed pale, almost white. His eyes looked tired, as if he hasn't slept for nights. His cheeks were sunken in, as if he hasn't eaten anything for days. He tried hard to keep his stance up straight, but the consequences of his strains could not be overseen.
"You look pretty exhausted," said Sindel "You didn't have to come here all by yourself, there are easier ways to reach me. A letter for instance would have sufficed."
"This I am fully aware, Mylady," said Feron "but in this case I had to come here personally. I have something to discuss, and it's of major importance..."
But the queen didn't seem to listen. His speech was suddenly interrupted. "Tell me, Lord Feron, how is your daughter doing?"
"Eh... I beg your pardon?" Feron was slightly confused, he didn't expect the question. "My daughter? Well, she's fine, thank you for your regards."
"I seem to be a little bit forgetful these days," said Sindel "What was her name again?"
"Her name is Tanya," Feron answered, though he was a bit puzzled. He couldn't imagine that the queen had really forgotten her name. She and the princess were born in the same year, only two months apart.
"Tanya," repeated Sindel thoughtfully "what a beautiful name!"
"My late wife chose the name," said Feron. He seemed to get a bit sad at the remembrance of her.
"I'm sorry," said Sindel. She fell silent for a few seconds, then she said: "You know, I would like to hear more about Tanya. We should continue our conversation while having breakfast."
"I don't mean to show any disrespect, Mylady, but there are these important matters that need to be discussed. There is no time to waste."
"Having breakfast is no waste of time," Sindel said smiling. "And by the way, if you die from hunger, you won't be able to tell me the message anymore, right?"
Before Feron could answer anything, Sindel had already rung a bell. Almost immediately after, a servant entered.
"You have a wish, Mylady?"
"Yes, tell the kitchen to prepare breakfast. And... Lord Feron is going to join me."
"Very well, Mylady," the servant said and left the audience hall with a bow.
Only a few moments later Sindel and Feron were conducted into the dining room by two servants. There they found a richly set table. There was a basket with fresh bread, in addition there was butter and a great variety of cheese and pâté. On a smaller table was a basket with all kind of fruits. A pot with steaming coffee was placed next to it, and its fragrance filled the whole room.
The queen and the ambassador took seat opposite to each other, and while they enjoyed the breakfast, they continued their conversation from earlier. It was then that Sindel learned that Tanya was very much interested in history and ancient documents. She also had a certain talent for languages.
"Well, it seems that she will maybe become a historian or a translator one day," said Sindel.
"No, Mylady," answered Feron "she will most definitely become either one."
They both laughed over his joke, then Feron turned serious again.
"Mylady, I would now like to talk about the matter I came for," he said.
"Right," said Sindel "So what is it?"
"I have the information that the emperor of Outworld is gathering a huge army at this very moment. Their intention is to attack and conquer Edenia," Feron said.
Sindel put down her coffee cup and looked straight into Feron's eyes. Her expression was anxious. "I have to admit that this is completely new to me. None of my spies has spotted anything suspicious during the last few months."
"Your spies won't detect anything because the emperor knows very well to operate from the hidden."
"May I ask then from where you received your information?" asked Sindel.
"A few weeks ago I was visited by one of the emperor's generals who wanted to defect. And then I started a few researches on my own, I can confirm his information."
"Well, it is no secret that it is the emperor Onaga's greatest desire to conquer Edenia and to claim it as his. Nonetheless he should know that such an act offends the rules of the Elder Gods. They would definitely stop his ambitions. That is why I wouldn't take his attempts too seriously."
"Yes, but something obviously changed. Shao Kahn, the general who informed me, told me that Onaga has found a way to deceive even the Elder Gods themselves, so that they would not intervene this time."
"It would be bad, if it indeed came to a war against Outworld, really bad," said Sindel thoughtfully. For a short while she fell silent. "Before I make any decisions, I need proofs for Onaga's action, and I need them fast. Bring me the results of your investigation as soon as possible. For my part, I will sent out more spies, if you tell me, what they should look for. It would also be helpful if you could arrange an encounter with this general, Shao Kahn."
Ambassador Feron bowed. "Of course, Mylady. I will do what I can."
After Feron was gone, Sindel returned to her private room. She felt uncomfortable and in need of fresh air. When she stepped out on her balcony, the sun was covered by dark clouds, as if they knew about the coming events. A harsh wind made the queen shiver.
"Something is going on. Whatever will happen next, it could be the end of the world as we know it," she thought before returning into her room again.
7983 B.C.
Princess Kitana flinched, when she first heard the long and bloodcurdling scream, and shortly after a heavy bump onto the floor. Almost immediately after there was a big commotion outside the palace. Quickly she closed the book about ancient Edenian history, which she had been reading, and ran out of her room, across the large main hall to the entrance of the palace. When she arrived there, she found almost every single servant standing there in a chaotic formation. Some of them were crying, others had a totally shocked expression in their faces, unable to move anywhere.
"What happened?" Kitana asked a female servant, the first one she met. But she received no answer. The servant was like petrified. Kitana pushed her roughly aside and made her way pass more and more deranged people.
"What happened?" she asked time after time. No one answered her, until she saw the reason for their peculiar behavior with her own eyes. Someone was lying in the grass. It was a woman. Her body was so terribly distorted that it looked like a big puppet, which was thrown away carelessly by a girl, after she had lost her interest in it. Next, Kitana saw the blood on the ground, there was blood just everywhere. And finally, after what seemed an eternity, the princess recognized who it was. It was Sindel, her mother, the shining queen of Edenia. She rushed forward, stumbled and crashed on her knees, but she didn't pay attention to the pain. She closed her arms around the body, ignoring the blood which soaked her blue dress, turning it darker, almost black. She pressed the body hard to her own, as if the queen could be revived only by her embrace.
But no matter how hard she hugged the body, it would make no change.
No miracle occurred.
Sindel was dead.
"What the hell happened?" Kitana asked again. Her voice was shaking and could hardly be heard.
"She stood on her balcony, just like every morning," finally someone answered. "And then she just jumped off." After a short pause he added: "I'm sorry, Mylady."
"It's okay," Kitana said quietly, wiped with her hands over her eyes and slowly stood up. It was then she realized that Shao Kahn has appeared. He must have gotten out of bed not long ago, he just wore a bathrobe and walked barefooted. And it was the first time for many of the servants to see his face which was hidden behind a skull shaped mask most of the time.
"Kitana, are you okay?" he asked. His voice was unusually kind.
Kitana looked into his eyes, but they were just as hard and cold as always. There were no emotions in them, not a single bit.
"Yes, I'm fine," she answered with a tired tune.
"Are you sure?" asked Shao Kahn.
"Look, I just want to be alone now, please!"
Shao Kahn stepped aside and let the princess pass. She returned to her room and sat back down at her desk. She grabbed the book she was reading earlier and tried to continue, but the attempt was in vain. Tears came to her eyes, making her vision blurry. Suddenly she felt an uncontrollable anger swelling deep inside her. In fact, she knew the reason why her mother ended her life. She knew whose fault it was. Shao Kahn was the one to blame, but it was not only him. Lord Feron, the father of her best friend Tanya, was just as guilty as her stepfather. Kitana felt a hatred towards these two people so strong that it almost ripped her apart. With one single move of her arm she wiped over her desk, making everything on it fall to the floor. Finally she couldn't resist her tears anymore. She broke down and cried.
It all began with a simple conversation between Lord Feron and Queen Sindel. She decided then to meet Shao Kahn, the general who wanted to defect. So Feron arranged an appointment between them. All information Feron had gathered seemed to be true, Onaga was indeed putting up a large army to conquer Edenia. Shao Kahn, while most trusted by his lord, convinced the queen that a war could only be won with a preemptive strike. When asked about his own motivations Shao Kahn for defying Onaga, he told about the oppression of the people of Outworld, that the emperor enslaved many people and let many others starve in the cities. At least that was what Shao Kahn said.
Sindel accepted Shao Kahn as an ally. Together they carefully planed their moves and attacked Onaga's army. Eventually the Edenian forces won. Onaga himself was killed by an unknown attacker during the chaos. But Edenia paid a high price for the victory. Many cities were devastated, and many men and women lost their lives in a war which raged for almost four years. Nonetheless Sindel and Shao Kahn were celebrated as heroes who have freed Outworld from tyranny. Soon after they both married, and everything seemed to work out fine... at first.
But as the days passed by, Shao Kahn revealed his true intensions. He actually was worried about the people of Outworld just as much as Onaga. What he really wanted was to become emperor of Outworld himself. His true intention was to become emperor of Outworld himself. With his scheming he reached his aim, and he achieved even more. By marrying Sindel he now also was rightful king of Edenia. With the help of a mysterious artifact he found in Onaga's palace he began to merge Edenia with Outworld. Sindel was aware of his doings. She tried to defy him, but found herself helpless in front of him.
All this Sindel tried hard to keep hidden from Kitana. But when the young princess grew up, she learned about the truth. And besides, there were things one couldn't hide, not even from a child.
When Kitana recovered, she picked up her things from the ground. Still she had this image of her dead mother in front of her mind's eye. Her distorted body, the purple dress which was her favorite, the blood which appeared so intensively red compared to her hair which was white like snow...
Suddenly Kitana felt that there was something wrong. When she saw her mother the last time it was at the night before. Until then her hair still was black and perfectly dressed. It must have changed its color over night. Kitana rushed out of her room. She had to see it one more time, she had to convince herself that it wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her.
But when she arrived at the entrance area, she saw that the body wasn't there anymore. All servants had returned to their jobs, as if nothing ever happened.
A few men in dark blue robes were standing at the spot where the body has been. Kitana knew who these men were. They called themselves "Clerics of Chaos". They were brought in by Shao Kahn and worked for him. Kitana had no idea, what exactly their job was, but she didn't like them, and in this moment she hated them even more.
"Where is my mother?" she asked the first one she saw.
"His majesty ordered some of his Shadow Priests to bring her to her private room," the man answered. He had his cape pulled deeply down to his face, so that Kitana could hardly see his eyes. "But I must warn you, if you want to see her. Her room is well guarded by Shadow Priests. They won't let anyone pass."
"Then I'll just have to distract them!" Kitana replied.
With big steps she ran up the big staircase, crossed the long upper hallway to the end. There was the door to her mother's room. But other than told, there was no guard to be found; the door wasn't even locked.
"So much for the orders," Kitana thought by herself.
When she entered, she saw Sindel lying on her bed. Her hands were folded across her chest, her long white hair were combed straight down her shoulders, her eyes were closed, as if she was sleeping peacefully. Seeing her like this made the tears return to Kitana's eyes. She knelt down by her side, took her hand and cried silently.
Suddenly she heard steps coming closer. When she turned around, she saw Shao Kahn standing in the doorway behind her. He was now dressed in a silver-gray shirt, a pair of dark red pants and heavy leather boots.
"You really shouldn't be here," he said. His voice was totally calm.
"What happened to mom?" asked Kitana. "Why is her hair all white?"
But Shao Kahn ignored her questions. "I'll have a horse prepared for you," he said instead. "Go for a ride, the fresh air will do you good. Come on, let's go."
Together they left the room. That was the last time for a very long period that Kitana saw her mother. Many centuries later she would learn about the true plans Shao Kahn had in mind, how he wanted to use the queen to reign over all realms, even over the Mother Realm.
But that is another story.
Two weeks laterFeron, the Ambassador to New Realms, was sitting at the small table, when Tanya entered. She carried a plate with some steaming bowls on it. Of course Feron too had servants to prepare every day's meals, but on this day he has sent them home earlier. That was nothing unusual to Tanya, he always said he liked the food the most which she prepared. She didn't know if it was the truth or if he just said it to flatter her. But he really seemed to enjoy Tanya's meals, and that made her happy.
"So, what do we get today?" he asked.
"Your favorites," Tanya answered. "Rice, pork with vegetables in a spicy sauce and squids with black beans."
"You don't have to trouble yourself so much," said Feron
"Nonsense, it was no trouble. Cooking is fun!"
She sat down at the table. Together they ate silently. There was a time when Feron talked a lot, and they had quite a few interesting conversations. But since the war began, he closed himself more and more. And after the queen died, he hardly talked at all. After a while Tanya began to feel uncomfortable.
"Is something wrong, father?"
"No, everything is fine," Feron answered hastily. "It's very delicious, like always."
"Well, that's not what I meant," said Tanya.
Feron fell silent for a while again. "Once there was a man, who believes that his doing is right. He believes it so much he is ready to risk everything. But in the end it turns out as a mistake..."
"Everybody makes mistakes sometimes, right?"
"You're right," said Feron. "But what if it was a really big mistake?"
"Wait a second, you mean the thing about the queen, don't you?"
"You know, it has haunted me ever since," said Feron. "I was the one who gave Shao Kahn the chance for his uprising. I have awoken a war, but what for? Just for one tyrant to be replaced by another one. And now even the queen is dead, the only person who was able to keep the balance. Now Shao Kahn can do anything he sees fit."
Being ambassador also gave Feron the knowledge about Shao Kahn's ambitions to become the ruler of all realms. But he could only to talk about it with her daughter, for he always had to fear that someone else could betray him and denounce him in front of the emperor. A severe punishment would doubtlessly have been the consequence.
"You're too hard to yourself," said Tanya. "No one is able to foresee the future."
"But I'm the ambassador," said Feron. His voice was getting louder. "I could have acted wiser. I should have known that power is something dangerous. It darkens the hearts and poisons the souls, and there is no one who can resist."
"But power can be used to do something good, right?"
"Do you really think so?" asked Feron. "Well, maybe you're still to young to understand it..." He put down his rice bowl on the table and stood up. "Thank you for this splendid meal, my dear."
"But you haven't finished yet," said Tanya.
"I'm very tired today," Feron said. "I'd like to rest now."
Tanya watched her father leave the dining room. Somehow he seemed to have aged a lot. His body was sunken together, and his movements were very slow. After a while Tanya heard the door of his sleeping room closing.
Tanya tried to continue eating, but her head was full of thoughts and unanswered questions. She couldn't find peace of mind, so she stood up and walked over to her father's room. When she knocked at the door, she received no reply. Carefully she opened the door, and what she saw, took her breath away.
Feron sat in the middle of his room, with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He has taken off his shirt and put it neatly folded on his bed. All around him there were candles lit, which gave the room a yellowish, flickering gloom. In front of him, on a silver plate, lied a hunting knife with a long obsidian blade.
"Father? What does it mean?" asked Tanya. "What are you doing?"
Slowly Feron opened his eyes. "Too many people died because off me," his said with a calm voice. "I will only be able to atone my sins by committing Hara Kiri."
"No, don't do it! I beg of you!" Tanya said. Tears rolled over her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Tanya, but I have no choice," Feron took the knife with the dark blade with both hands. He held it so tight that his knuckles turned white. And then he spoke one last time: "May the Elder Gods forgive my deeds, because I cannot."
"No!" Tanya screamed, but it was no use. Feron stabbed the obsidian knife deeply into his abdomen, and with a quick movement he pulled it up towards his heart, before he sank down like a heavy flour sack.
Tanya couldn't remember anymore what happened next. She could only assume that neighbors rushed in when they heard her screaming. The next thing she recalled is that she woke up in a huge, soft bed in the Royal Palace, which was so far away from home.
That was when Kitana, the young princess and her best friend Tanya found themselves on the second funeral ceremony in one month. Shao Kahn ordered a decent burial on the Aristocrats' Cemetery as an appreciation of Feron's work in life time. After the ceremony both girls separated themselves from the others and went to a place where they were alone. They sat down on the lawn, leaned on each other back to back and told themselves stories about the relatives they just lost. They didn't stop until there were no memories left untold.
"I'm very sorry for what happened," said Kitana after a long break.
"You don't have to be," said Tanya. "We have both lost someone we loved very much."
Kitana nodded silently, not realizing that Tanya couldn't see her.
"If you were given one wish, no matter what it is, what would it be?" Tanya asked after a while.
"Well," Kitana was thinking for a few seconds. "I wished there would never be war again, anywhere."
"That's a nice one," said Tanya. "I like it."
"What about you?" asked Kitana. "What is your wish?"
"I wished I had the power to change the world" said Tanya without hesitation. "Then I could make it a place without war. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"Well, if that is what you want, then you will need powers equal to the Elder Gods. That's a bit scary."
"If that is what it takes, why not?" said Tanya.
"I think that's what you call heresy," Kitana said, laughing out loud. But then she realized that Tanya wasn't laughing with her. "You weren't serious about it, were you?"
"I was," Tanya replied. "Never been so serious before."
"Well then, goddess," said Kitana and stood up. "Let's head back before they start looking for us."
The two girls ran back, side by side, towards the descending sun. The thin clouds above them glowed in a red light, as if Vakron, the god of fire himself, had lit them up.