Weary travelers often stumbled through the tangles of the forest and found refuge within the calm walls of the Shaolin monastery. On any given day, the grounds served as an oasis of quiet tranquility that acted as the only safe haven in the miles of impenetrable forest of the Hunan province.
Today was not one of those days.
Anybody even remotely familiar with the usual serene atmosphere of the monastery would have been puzzled, to say the least, at the sight of dozens of harried monks sprinting around the grounds in frantic search for something (or someone, as it was safe to assume there were few material possessions about which the monks would be concerned). What made the sight especially unusual was the fact that they were active at the normally dormant hour of twilight. Silhouettes of anxious Shaolin students dashed along the walls and ground, their paths illuminated only by dimly-lit lanterns, if they bothered to carry even that.
"Master!" came a cry in the midst of the confusion. The abbot turned to see who had addressed him.
"Have you found anything?" the elder monk asked his student, turning his attention away from the others, who continued in their scatter-brained search.
Kung Lao paused to catch his breath briefly. As he stood up, the faint light from the moon and a lantern on a wall nearby revealed his exhausted appearance; his hair, normally slicked down as a result of wearing his hat so often, was disheveled and hung in his line of vision. However, despite the fatigue evident in his face, the Shaolin warrior's eyes remained alert.
"We looked in Liu Kang's room again," he informed the elder, holding out a piece of paper. "Turns out he left this."
The abbot took the scrap from the younger monk's hand and squinted as he attempted to make out the message in what little light was available. Even though he struggled, he could make out his student's handwriting.
'You will hear from me soon. Liu Kang.'
The head monk closed his eyes and gave a controlled sigh. Although an outsider would have interpreted the action as a sign of the elder's incredible self-restraint and peace of mind, if this was his reaction to a missing student, Kung Lao recognized it for the signal of internal turmoil that it truly was.
"What do we do, grandmaster?" Kung Lao asked worriedly, concerned for his friend's well-being. However, even in his nervous and sleep-deprived state, he stopped when he saw his teacher's hand go up to silence him, the older monk having sensed something that Kung Lao did not.
The other monks nearby continued to dash about in the search for their fellow Shaolin, but many soon came to an abrupt pause as they, too, perceived a change in the atmosphere. It was then that Kung Lao became aware of the disturbance as well; the air became tinged with the faint sensation of static, prompting many to look upwards towards the drained morning sky. Although they could not see anything, their general premonitions had been correct, confirmed by a dull roll of thunder that sounded from off in the distance.
The abbot looked back down independently of the others and turned around as reflexively as if someone had called his name. Having seen nothing above, Kung Lao followed his master's gaze to a spot somewhere behind the former, where the Shaolin saw a pair of glowing white dots, staring the two monks down.
"Good morning, Lord Raiden," the abbot greeted the thunder god politely, despite the stern look the latter wore and much to the surprise of Kung Lao, who in his disoriented state had not been able to recognize his mentor as quickly as he normally would. The younger monk shook his head to clear the drowsiness out.
"Raiden!" Kung Lao cried as his senses returned to him, if only slightly. "We need your help. Liu Kang just went…"
"Missing," Raiden interrupted calmly, walking over to the two of them. "I know."
It was only then that Kung Lao became aware of the bundle Raiden was carrying in his arms, which in addition to the fact that his teachers were both unusually calm, only served to confuse the exhausted monk even more.
"Then why are you…?" Kung Lao began to ask in exasperation, until he got a clear view of what it was that Raiden had brought with him. Even as the sun struggled to fight its way over the horizon, it gave Kung Lao enough light to notice a crop of black hair sprouting from the linen blankets. Seeing his student trying to make sense of what was buried in the fabric, Raiden grudgingly held the bundle lower for Kung Lao to see. It took a minute for the latter to make sense of the fact that he was looking at an infant; however, this only earned a raised eyebrow from the tired Shaolin monk, as he simply wondered why his master was holding a baby. He looked back up to Raiden for clarification, the sleep already beginning to weigh down his eyelids. Raiden's scowl remained etched into his expression.
"I found him," Raiden explained flatly.
It took another moment for Kung Lao to make the connection. Eyes growing wide, he looked down at the child again and recoiled in horror as he recognized his former friend wrapped in the blankets.
"What happened?!" Kung Lao cried out, the increasingly bizarre nature of the situation taking its toll on the tired warrior. Both Raiden and the abbot immediately commanded their student to lower his voice, reminding him not to disturb the infant Liu Kang, who was resting quietly in the thunder god's arms.
"He was left at the temple this way," Raiden told them in a low tone. "And I have reason to believe Omegis has something to do with it."
Even the abbot looked surprised at this, for he had not heard of the sorceress for years, decades even. To hear that she was still in China, and nearby, no less, came as a shock to both him and Kung Lao, who was busy examining Liu Kang in his new state.
"What do we do?" Kung Lao asked as he continued to look at Liu Kang strangely, possibly doubting that this was truly his friend. Still, he could not deny that the features did resemble those of a younger version of the former champion. Realizing that he had not gotten an answer, Kung Lao looked back up to Raiden, whose expression had not changed since he had arrived, observing Liu Kang as his eyes brimmed with a dull light, a sign of the thunder god's irritation.
"Raiden?" Kung Lao asked, wondering if maybe his teacher was just as tired as he was. "I asked what we are going to do. Have you found anything else out?"
"No," Raiden replied bluntly. Kung Lao expected him to elaborate, but after realizing that that was all the answer Raiden would give, he gave the abbot a look and tried again.
"Well," he said unsurely, "What have you done since you found him like this?"
"Nothing," Raiden responded again, in a matter-of-fact tone that caught Kung Lao off guard. The latter's shock was evident on his face as he registered his teacher's nonchalance on the matter. Before he could ask anything again, Raiden abruptly shoved Liu Kang into his arms.
"He is your issue now," Raiden told Kung Lao as the Shaolin tried to catch his friend, for Raiden had retracted his arms so quickly that he had almost dropped Liu Kang in the process. Kung Lao looked at his teacher in alarm for his complete disregard for Liu Kang's well-being.
"Lord Raiden," the abbot interjected, seeing the confusion on his pupil's face and realizing he needed to act as mediator. "Please, calm down. This is not like you. Besides, what are we to do with an infant?"
"That is your problem to sort out," Raiden snapped back coldly. The crackle of distant thunder sounded, a sign that the deity would be on his not-so-merry way out soon. "Tend to him as you were before."
"We weren't taking care of a baby before!" Kung Lao cried, exasperated and still holding Liu Kang in his arms. Miraculously, throughout their entire dispute the baby champion had not even stirred from his quiet slumber, nestled in layers upon layers of fine, cushioning silk.
"Figure it out," Raiden retorted through gritted teeth. As the thunder crescendoed into an ominous warning, a signal of the god's waning patience, the abbot realized he had to act quickly before Raiden was gone.
"Lord Raiden, wait!" he cried out, almost reaching out to grab the thunder god's forearm, but at the last second Raiden's reaction and the monk's own self-discipline and sense of etiquette forced him to retract his gesture. He tucked his outstretched arm ignominiously back into his sleeve before speaking again.
"Please do not be offended," he continued in a low voice, pausing to make sure his uncharacteristic outburst had not disturbed Liu Kang. All the while, Raiden continued to stare at his inferior with a heated gaze, his eyes blazing with annoyance and standing out strikingly against the deep blue shadows of the early morning.
"We are not suited to take care of… the child at the moment," the monk continued nervously, yet still holding his composure.
"Nor am I," Raiden answered him, dangerously calmly. Kung Lao looked with worry between the two as he continued to hold his friend awkwardly.
"If you wish, we can try to look for Omegis," the abbot offered. "However, that will not leave us any time to tend to Liu Kang."
The elder monk hoped that his suggestion would at least force Raiden to calm down and think. Fortunately, although his eyes still glowed with impatience, Raiden seemed to mull the monk's offer over.
"We do not have the resources," the abbot added in an attempt to further convince the fuming deity. At that moment, a small hiccup sounded from the blankets, instantly causing all three to look to the tiny creature swathed in the linens. Stirring, but still quiet, the infant Liu Kang wriggled before settling back into his slumber, unperturbed.
The abbot took the opportunity to steal a quick glance from Raiden. Although it was unclear in exactly which direction it was that the thunder god was looking, it appeared that Liu Kang's interruption had stalled him, giving him more time to consider the monk's plea.
After a long moment, Raiden turned his head in the abbot's direction, his jaw tight. With a heavy heart, the latter began to fear that Raiden had decided to disregard his advice.
Raiden closed his eyes in frustration, temporarily removing one of the only sources of light from the courtyard. Dipping his head in either resignation or acceptance, the abbot didn't know which, Raiden kept his eyes closed as he offered an outstretched arm to Kung Lao.
The exhausted warrior looked unsurely from his teacher to the abbot, silently pleading the latter to instruct him what to do. Seeing a window of opportunity, the abbot nodded enthusiastically and gestured for Kung Lao to return Liu Kang.
Understanding his mentor's command, Kung Lao hesitantly gave his friend over to Raiden, who did not bother to tuck in the folds of cloth that had come loose from around Liu Kang in the transition, leaving him exposed to the cold air of the dawn.
Raiden looked sternly at both his student and his disciple.
"You have one week," he stated ominously.
He left no option for protest as he quickly teleported himself and Liu Kang out of the courtyard. The clouds, which had followed Raiden to take him at his command, began to clear away with his disappearance, leaving behind the faint tinge of sea salt and ozone and revealing more of the first rays of morning pouring from behind the mountains. The monks simply stood in the courtyard, looking to each other apprehensively.
Kung Lao stood next to his mentor in silence, staring blankly at the encroaching sun.
"What do we do now, grandmaster?" he asked lethargically, his lack of sleep heavily evident in his voice.
The abbot stood quietly, ignoring his pupil's question. Instead, he replayed the conversation with Raiden in his mind. He had no doubt that the thunder god was wise, infinitely wiser than any grandmaster of the White Lotus could ever hope to be. He had experience, and was more than perfectly capable of dealing with a situation such as this.
Yet there had been wrath in Raiden's eyes. And so despite his best efforts, the abbot still could not fight the nagging feeling that somehow, by convincing the thunder god to take the child, he had made a terrible mistake.