Chapter Forty-Nine
Kerala, India
The journey was long, it seems, but in a way, Fujin was glad to finally return to Kerala. I felt like I've been gone for ages, the Wind God thought to himself as he landed on the ground not too far from where a ship was located.
Fujin walked himself closer to the ship, eventually seeing two of his new allies there; Dhalsim and Ruby Heart. With the exception of the one propeller that helped fly the ship, all the repairs that had to be done seemed to be completed.
Meanwhile, as the two allies were working on the propeller, the wind began to blow heavily around them. Ruby Heart had noticed this, and she began to look at her surroundings as she held on to her hat to keep it from falling off her head.
"Do you think…" she started to say, but soon realized that she was speaking too soon as she spotted the Wind God approaching them. Dhalsim had noticed as well and soon began walking forward to meet with him.
"Welcome back, Fujin," Dhalsim greeted, bowing his head to him in respect.
Fujin did the same. "It's good to be back and to see that you two are well given the circumstances."
"Were you able to succeed in your quest?" Dhalsim asked, referring to Fujin's mission to find out the chosen ones who had been at the Blood Tournament under the guidance of Raiden and Rose.
"In a way," Fujin replied as the two of them began to walk over to where Ruby Heart was. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to talk to Raiden as I had feared. Besides, I have the feeling that getting him more involved will only be in vain."
"It's a shame as I've heard good things about him," Dhalsim said.
"However," Fujin continued. "I had much better luck with the group staying at the Shaolin Temple. They were able to name me many of those who were with them in Outworld."
"That's definitely some good news to hear," added Ruby Heart.
"To provide their names to me would help greatly," Dhalsim mentioned. "Doing so will help me estimate their current location."
Fujin smiled a little. "It's quite a list."
Dhalsim closed his eyes and began to prepare his mind. "It's fine."
From there, the Wind God slowly gave the yoga master all the names that were given to him. Ruby Heart could only stare at the two of them. She was almost afraid to even move in fear of either of them letting a name slip out of their minds.
Soon, there was a long silence once Fujin had completed the list. Eventually, Dhalsim slowly opened his eyes, turning his head to Ruby Heart briefly before looking back at Fujin.
"They're spread out," Dhalsim soon said. "But once we leave Kerala, I'll be able to pinpoint their actual location the closer we get to them."
Then, a puzzling look came over the yoga master's face. "However, some of those names… I wasn't able to get even an estimate location. It's as though they don't exist."
"It was told to me that some of them are from a realm called Keisei," Fujin mentioned. "That might be why you were not able to find them."
"Of perhaps captured in Outworld," guessed Ruby Heart. "Or worse…"
"Let's hope that's not the case."
Dhalsim proceeded. "I think it's best to gather everyone as soon as possible. We'll start with those here on Earth of course. Then we will make our way to Keisei. From there, we will prepare to fight the Outworld Forces."
"That sounds like the best idea," Fujin agreed.
Ruby Heart stepped in after hearing that. "As much as I like that idea, I'm afraid to say that there is still this little issue involving my ship."
Fujin realized what she was talking about upon seeing the propeller. It was mostly repaired compared to when he saw it last. However, there was still some work left that needed to be done. Plus, he was sure that the ship would need to be tested before they took flight.
"I'll stay to help," Fujin offered. "The sooner we get it fixed, the better."
"That's what I've been saying for five weeks," Ruby Heart said. "Perhaps you'll do a better job than I have been doing."
Fujin had to chuckle at her remark. "I may be a God, but we're not all perfect."
"That's comforting…"
The Wind God looked over the propeller. "Let's see what can be done."
Russia
Eight days have passed since Raven woke up from being unconsciousness after he and Sergei Dragunov were attacked by a group of tarkatans. After trekking through the heavy snow for many days, it came to this.
The agent was still feeling a bit weary since being stabbed in the shoulder, but the wound had recovered nicely for the most part. Still, he was going to need a few more days to regain himself.
At least right now, they were warm in an abandoned cabin.
Sitting on the worn-out couch, Raven stared at the lit fire in front of them. Currently, he was alone in the cabin as Dragunov went outside to hunt for food for tonight's dinner.
Sometime during the afternoon, Raven let his mind drift off. He ended up thinking back on what began his path to this point, back when his superiors first told him about the Blood Tournament…
"Agent Raven, come in Raven," a voice said.
Raven quietly sighed and pressed down slightly on the ear piece, his communicator. "Raven here."
"We have another assignment for you and this one cannot wait."
"What's the mission?"
The commander paused for a moment before continuing. "It appears that there will be a tournament being held, but this seems to be no ordinary tournament. It's called The Blood Tournament. A ship will be leaving from both Hong Kong and San Francisco in a few days to take the best warriors to the tournament. San Francisco is the closet location from where you are now so head over there."
Raven nodded a bit and spoke into the headset again. "How does it seem like it's not an ordinary tournament?"
"…it's not taking place here."
The agent became a bit confused. "What you mean it's not taking place here?"
"It's taking place in another realm other than Earth. Unfortunately, the exact location information is currently confidential and no one can figure out where, but intelligence has a feeling it will be in Outworld."
"Outworld? What makes them think that?"
"Rumor has it that the host of the tournament goes by the name of Shang Tsung, a native of that realm. According to intelligence, he is a sorcerer bent on stealing souls for himself to maintain his youth. We have the idea that he will steal the souls of warriors, but the reason for it is unknown. That's why we need you to go out there and investigate."
A side smirk appeared on Raven's face, a very rare thing to happen. Just as he thought his missions were becoming boring, they give them this… a mission to another world to a tournament hosted by a soul-feasting being.This may be interesting after all, he thought.
The voice came back again after a moment of silence. "You're our best agent Raven… we are aware that this will be your first mission outside Earth and who better than it be you? Your mission is to find out the sorcerer's motives and report to HQ immediately after. We are counting on you. Good luck."
"Raven signing off and heading to achieve mission."
The memory soon left him as he adjusted himself in his seat. However, it ended up reminding him of what happened upon his return from Outworld. He reported his findings during his mission, mostly the purpose of the tournament and what had occurred the morning he managed to escape the realm with his life.
Headquarters had put everything on record, but afterwards, they acted as though the mission no longer mattered. Raven was immediately given a new assignment. Life goes on, he had guessed then.
When the rumors of the invasion happened, Raven had believed the words to be true after what he witnessed. However, his superiors, unless there was hard evidence, were not willing to use their resources to prepare. Even the agent's own words weren't enough despite being one of the best in the agency.
He could only imagine what they were thinking on the day of the invasion…
Raven's thoughts were soon cut off as the door to the cabin opened. A strong wind blew in briefly along with a handful of snow before the door was slammed shut. Raven slowly turned his head in time to see Dragunov walking into the cabin. In his right hand, he held a pair of dead squirrels by their tails.
Raven sighed to himself, realizing what they were going to have for dinner…
Later, after the sun set, Raven and Dragunov were each eating their own cooked squirrel silently. It wasn't as bad tasting as Raven had imagined earlier, but for the first time in a while, he was wishing to eat something else, specifically sushi and beef teriyaki.
A thought came to the agent as he looked over at Dragunov. They had talked… well… he had talked a couple of times after he woke up, specifically about what happened and what they were going to do next. There was one thing, however, that he realized he hadn't said to him.
"Thanks."
Hearing this, Dragunov stopped eating, placing the squirrel down on the coffee table before staring up at the agent. Raven noticed the confused look on his face and decided to explain.
"I realized I didn't thank you for saving my life when the tarkatans attacked."
Dragunov nodded in reply.
Seeing this, Raven continued. "Well… I guess after that, and after all this time, there was some trust from me that was gained… but only some." A ghost of a smile came over Raven's face. "However, I can't exactly promise that the two of us will become 'pals' after we survive this. After all, I have my superiors to follow and you have yours."
After that statement, Dragunov gave him a simple nod. Agreeing with him completely, he too gave Raven a ghost of a smile.
Chili-san, Lee Dynasty, Keisei
After resting for most of the day, Jade found herself in the dining quarters of the Coast Guard Headquarters. When she arrived here, they accommodated her with her own room, where she slept until now. Then, feeling famished, Hwang chose that time to gather his allies and bring them all to the dining quarters.
For now, Jade was served a bowl of soup to start. She nearly devoured it in no time, enjoying her first proper meal since being captured and taken to Outworld. Aside from Hwang, the others in the room consisted of Kilik, Maxi, Xianghua, Sophitia, and her husband Rothion.
"About four months ago," she began after putting her bowl down on the table. "My home realm, Edenia, was invaded by the Outworld Forces. At the time, I was the General of the Edenian Knights, who served to protect the realm. I ended up losing consciousness while I was protecting Queen Sindel and Princess Kitana… most of you might remember them during our time at the tournament."
"I remember them," said Hwang.
Jade sighed. "Unfortunately, they were one of them many captured and brainwashed to serve the Outworld Forces."
Xianghua frowned. "That's horrible to hear."
"I just wish there was a way to help them when I found out, but the Emperor's hold on them was very strong. Well, for three months, I formed a group called the Edenian Freedom Fighters. We were able to fight back against the Outworld Forces for some time… until a few weeks ago when they finally overpowered us. I was originally going to be brought to trial and be executed, but I managed to escape.
"Eventually, I followed a small group of guards when I learned they were going to be traveling to another realm for a scouting mission. I quickly learned that the realm was Keisei. I managed to sneak on to the ship and bided my time. You know the rest."
"It sounds like you went through a lot since Edenia was invaded," said Rothion.
Jade nodded. "There is something else you should know. Do you remember an ally of ours named Sonya?"
"Wasn't she the blonde-haired lady who was part of a military on Earth?" asked Maxi. "I remember… she died just before the big chaos."
"That's her all right," Jade continued. "Except she's well and alive… just like Sindel and Kitana, she's also been brainwashed to serve."
Those who remembered Sonya were shocked to hear this. Hwang had to swallow before speaking. "Why her?"
"You see, years ago, she helped in defeating the Emperor in another attempt to invade the realms. I assume his guards discovered her body after the chaos. I imagine he saw an opportunity and resurrected her to serve him."
"Do you think anyone else who died before and during the chaos met the same fate?" asked Kilik.
"If they did, I don't know anything about it," Jade replied. "I only saw Kitana, Sindel, and Sonya after my escape. If there is a way to free them, it's yet to be discovered. Only Shao Kahn would most likely know."
"What about the scouts?" Hwang asked referring to the ship that had exploded earlier.
"My guess is that they were scouting to get a better idea of the realm," Jade answered. "I suspect, sadly, that it won't be long before your world is invaded."
"That comes as no surprise to us," Maxi mentioned.
"We've been preparing for the invasion for months," Hwang said. "We've been getting word from those from the Manji clan, who have been traveling through the realms to help protect it. That's how we get our news."
"It's good to be prepared," Jade proceeded. "But still, you must be cautious. There are always unexpected surprises. Trust me I know." She then bowed her head a little. "I used to be an assassin for Shao Kahn."
Everyone was surprised to hear this. "You used to work for Shao Kahn?" Kilik asked in astonishment.
Jade looked up at him. "I stopped serving him many years ago just before that first Earth invasion I mentioned. You see, for centuries, the only way Shao Kahn could invade the realms was through a tournament called Mortal Kombat, set up by the Elder Gods themselves. There was a tournament for each generation and if Outworld wins ten consecutive tournaments in a row for each world, they earn the 'right' to invade and take over that world.
"That happened to Edenia when I was a child. My family members were nobles who were willing to serve Shao Kahn for reasons I never found out. I imagine, however, that they were 'honored' because they went as far as offering me to him as their 'tribute.' That I didn't discover until years later after my rigorous training. Of course, I never thought much of it, since it was practically the only life I knew then… now I curse them for it."
"I don't blame you for feeling that way," said Sophitia. "I can't ever imagine giving my own children away even if it was for noble reasons."
Jade sighed a little before continuing. "I eventually earned the right to become a personal bodyguard for Princess Kitana. At the time, even she thought she was Shao Kahn's daughter. Eventually, she discovered the truth and severed her loyalty to him. He tried to have me kill her for her betrayal, but I ended up joining with her. I'm that loyal to her.
"Since then, the two of us, along with Sindel, have been doing all we can to atone for our sins. We were able to restore Edenia after his first invasion reign ended. Now… we lost it all again."
Jade's voice became stronger at her next words. "But I'm not about to give up. I vowed to not only free my friends, but I also vow to restore Edenia once more. However, there is so much to overcome. Besides, there are many others, including my fellow Freedom Fighters, who are imprisoned in the dungeons of Outworld. I need all the help I can get."
"We'll help you," Hwang promised. "We'll do all we can to end this invasion and free those who are suffering."
Jade nodded as she stood up from her chair. "Thank you." She sighed a little. "Well, after all that explanation, I could use a little training. It helps to calm me."
Kilik stood up from his chair after hearing that. "I can show you where the training grounds are. And… if you like, we can spar."
Jade smiled a little, remembering all the sparing they did back in Outworld. "Sure, why not."
From there, the two of them began to leave the room. By then, Hwang, Sophitia, and Rothion stood up as well. "We should be heading out as well," said Sophitia.
"And I need to write out some reports for Admiral Lee," mentioned Hwang.
"Well then, see you soon," said Maxi as the three of them left.
Once everyone was gone, Maxi burst out laughing since he held it in the moment Kilik stood up from his chair. "Kilik's slyer than I realized! Am I right, Xianghua?"
He happened to turn his head to Xianghua… only to see the funny look on her face. Her nose was screwed up like she smelled something foul, her lips pouted, and Maxi swore there was smoke coming out of her ears.
"Um… Xianghua?"
"WHAT?!" Xianghua yelled out as her near-bulging eyes shifted in his direction.
Maxi blinked a couple times, wondering if he should even dare to talk to her even more. Still, he went with it. "Um… are you all right?"
Xianghua immediately stood up from her chair and threw her arms up. "Yeah, I'm just fine, real fine!" She then quickly turned on her heel and headed out the door, but not before slamming it behind her.
Maxi scratched his head after witnessing that. "What was that all about?"
Yakushima Island, Japan
The late afternoon was clear, but the group consisting of Mika, Cassandra, Karin, Asuka, and Maki barely noticed as they were all huddled together in front of the lit campfire. All five of them were still shaken over the events of the other night.
"It's barely been a whole two days, but I still can't believe it," said Cassandra quietly. "Our friend, Sakura, is alive…"
"But not for a good reason…" added Karin. She shook her head. "Oh how I wish we were back in those high school days when all we had to worry about was who was going to win the next competition. I don't even care if she beats me again."
Asuka found herself shaking her head. "I saw her lying there that day. I swore…" She ended up trailing off.
"Someone's resurrected her," mentioned Mika. "That's the only explanation."
"I didn't think such a thing could happen until now," said Karin. "I mean, to be reincarnated is one thing, but…"
They fell quiet again as they all stared at the fire in front of them. Despite feeling the fire's heat, the girls barely felt it.
Then, the silence was broken when Maki suddenly lost it. She quickly covered her face as she burst into tears. Her other friends turned to her and found themselves more upset.
Cassandra managed to touch her friend's shoulder as she felt her own tears stinging her eyes. "Maki…"
"This is all an endless nightmare!" Maki cried out. "With this invasion, my friends being brainwashed and used against us, and the fact that we could all lose our lives at any moment… it's too much!"
Maki found herself leaning into Cassandra's shoulder. In reply, Cassandra shifted herself and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. By now, she was crying too as she buried her head into her friend's thick blonde hair.
"I…" Maki continued in between sobs. "I… only wish for one thing… it's… to know that Yang is okay. E… even if I… never see him again… all I want… is some sign that… he's alive… and…"
From there, Maki sobbed more in Cassandra's arms. The other three began to cry as well, eventually drawing themselves closer together in a group embrace.
"At least… we're all together…" Mika managed to say. "We'll get through this… we'll survive this…"
They then fell silent as they cried into each other's arms…
London, England
After a full day of helping out the civilians in the hospital area of the MI-6 base, Cammy, Lita, and Juni began their return back to the soldiers' sleeping quarters, all of them feeling tired and hungry after a hard day's work.
"There are definitely many improvements I've noticed since this whole thing started," mentioned Lita as she stretched her arms out in front of her a bit.
"Of course, that's only physical improvements," Cammy reminded her. "For many, there's still a long road ahead of them…"
After that statement, a long, loud yawn escaped Juni's mouth. Lita chuckled a little after witnessing that. "I assume being tired is just an understatement."
Juni smiled a little. "You could say that. In that case, I'll definitely rest for a while."
"If anything, we'll see you in the morning," said Cammy.
Juni waved them goodnight before turning around and began heading in the direction where her room was located.
Cammy found herself taking a deep breath. "Wow… I just realized I've been so busy the last few days. I bet you I missed something interesting."
"Including Steve being somewhat withdrawn," Lita said, but suddenly realized it was something she should've kept to herself. She gasped a little as she covered her parted mouth, wanting to slap herself right there.
Naturally, Cammy turned to Lita, a surprised look on her face. There was also a bit of confusion in her blue eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Lita sighed a little as she removed her hand from her mouth. She then cleared her throat a bit before forcing herself to answer her friend. "Well… I've noticed he's been withdrawn and moody for the past few days. I'm guessing it's all the stress for everything that's been going on. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."
For some reason, Lita's last sentence made Cammy twitch in annoyance. "I know I've been around Steve a lot these past few months, but especially now, I can't always be there for him."
Lita bit her lower lip after hearing her harsh tone. "Sorry Cammy… I'm just concerned, that's all."
Cammy found herself rubbing her eyes a little with her fingers. "I'm sorry too, Lita. I think the stress is starting to get to me. Anyway, I think we both should go in our rooms and rest for a while."
Lita nodded in agreement. "I think that's a fine idea. I'll see you later then."
"See you," Cammy said as she turned around and began to leave. Lita stood where she was until Cammy disappeared around a corner.
Lita began to turn around as well, but she only took a couple of steps forward, but suddenly stopped when she saw Steve slowly walking forward in her direction. His hands were in his pockets and his tired eyes were staring at her.
"Steve-" Lita began to say, but Steve ignored her as he walked by her and began heading to his room. Lita could only frown as she watched him walk away, realizing that he had heard their conversation.
Cammy might be right about the stress getting to all of us…
Shaolin Temple, China
Night had fallen and there was a bit of a chill in the air. Outside, a fire was lit and the group consisting of Kung Lao, Bo' Rai Cho, Li Mei, Lei Wulong, Chun Li, and Yang surrounded the flame to keep themselves warm.
Bo' Rai Cho was doing most of the talking at the moment. "Many years ago, not so long after my arrival here in Earthrealm, I knew a fellow staff wielder by the name of Muso Gonnosuke. When I met him, he had used a six foot long staff. One day, he was defeated by the swordsman named Miyamoto Musashi."
Lei was astonished to hear that name. "Wasn't that the famous swordsman from the early seventeenth century?"
Bo' Rai Cho nodded. "The very one. He desired to face Musashi once more so that he may become a victor. It was I who helped him develop a fighting style using a shorter weapon, a four foot staff we know nowadays as the jojutsu. Once the style was ready to be put to use, Gonnosuke went up against Musashi and won. I remember feeling very proud that day."
The martial arts master frowned a little as he shook his head. "It's a shame what became of Gonnosuke later after that."
"What happened?" Chun Li asked.
Bo' Rai Cho sighed. "He participated in one of the Mortal Kombat tournaments, the fourth if I remember correctly. Because of his loss, his opponent had killed him and the sorcerer Shang Tsung had consumed his soul."
There was silence between everyone afterwards. In Yang's mind, he found himself even more worried, especially at the mention of souls being consumed. He frowned as he bowed his head, thinking of both Maki and Yun and wondering about their fate after the invasion.
Eventually, the fire started to die down. Noting this, Li Mei got herself on her feet before stretching her arms. "It's getting pretty late. I think we should all go to bed."
"I agree," said Kung Lao as he stood up as well.
Bo' Rai Cho, Chun Li, and Lei also got on their feet and they were all just beginning to leave. Chun Li ended up turning around, soon stopping in her tracks as she noticed Yang still sitting in his spot as he started at the dying flame in front of him.
Lei also stopped walking when he saw that she had halted. "Chun Li?"
She turned to her fiancé. "Go ahead Lei. I'll catch up in a few minutes."
Lei then noted Yang still sitting and realized what Chun Li had in mind. He nodded to her silently before turning around and following the others.
Chun Li went up to her young ally before quietly sitting down next to him, leaving a few inches in between them. Yang had noticed her presence, but didn't both to look over at her. For a long time, there was silence between them, the two watch the fire until it completely died down, leaving their surroundings dark.
Finally, Yang spoke almost quietly. "I… I just want to get out there already and find Maki and Yun. I… I'm losing…"
Yang found that his eyes were quickly brimming with tears. Refusing to shed them, he closed his eyes tightly before covering his face with both of his head. Hearing him choke back a little, Chun Li instinctively wrapped an arm around him, hoping to comfort him somehow.
Chun Li frowned, wishing that there was a way to make things better for Yang…
Yakushima Island, Japan
An hour after the sun set for the day, Ryu found himself mediating alone just as he did ever since coming to Yakushima. The different between tonight and all the other nights, however, is that he kept himself a lot closer to the camp grounds where all of his allies were.
For nearly forty-eight hours, Ryu found himself disturbed over that night's events. It was one thing for the Outworld Forces to show up when they did… but for Akuma to show up, especially around the same time… that threw the young warrior for a loop.
The group had discussed what had transpired with those from Outworld. Ryu had chosen not to discuss his battle with Akuma. At the same time, he had noted that, except Mi-na, all the girls were very quiet during the meeting. Nothing else about last night was discussed afterwards.
In his mind, Ryu was able to clear those events out of his head, at least for the time being. However, another memory came back to him, one that involved his time in Outworld…
Prepared for anything, Ryu turned himself around…and upon seeing the man standing just a few yards away, Ryu didn't feel much surprise…because the man standing there was none other than Akuma, the murderer of his master.
Ryu admitted to himself that the idea of Akuma possibly being here in Outworld left his mind a while ago, so Akuma had showed up a bit unexpectedly. Either way, Ryu always had the feeling that there was a chance for him to be here.
Now the idea was true.
The two stared at each other for a moment. Then, Akuma narrowed his red eyes at Ryu. "The time has come," he said in his deep voice. "It's time to give in to your true potential."
Ryu immediately got himself into his fighting stance. "That will never happen! And I believe the time has come to finally avenge my master!"
"So be it," Akuma replied.
From there, the two quickly shot their arms out as their own Hadouken projectiles ejected from their hands. It wasn't long before the two projectile crashed into each other, creating a small explosion before disintegrating. This gave Ryu and Akuma the opportunity to leap at each other to engage in their battle.
For a short while, the two exchanged attacks, mostly finding themselves on defense while trying to attack the other. Eventually, Ryu was able to get the upper hand. He first performed a roundhouse kick at Akuma, causing the demon to make a quick spin around. Ryu then attempted a low spin kick, but Akuma managed to see this in time and leapt over it. As he began coming back down however, Ryu managed to perform a small uppercut. Akuma was stunned for a moment, but before he fell back to the ground, he managed to catch himself by somersaulting back. He then landed safely back to the ground with both feet.
Akuma then waited as Ryu covered the distance between them again. Ryu lashed out a few punches in which Akuma managed to block with his arms. When the chance came, he quickly performed two palm strikes at Ryu's face, immediately causing him to stagger back a bit. As he was distracted by the last attack, Akuma then attempted a low kick at Ryu's legs. The attack nearly made Ryu lose his balance, but he quickly managed to regain himself.
From there, Akuma attempted a hurricane kick, jumping up and maneuvering himself forward while spinning with one leg out. Ryu knew this move all too well and he quickly moved out of the way before he was hit.
Afterwards, Akuma landed back on his feet. Just as he was beginning to turn around to face his opponent, Ryu quickly performed a downward axe kick before spinning himself and performing a back kick, sending Akuma stumbling back. From there, Ryu prepared himself to shoot out another Hadouken.
Just moments later, Ryu suddenly felt a dark sensation within him…something he hadn't felt since before he came here in Outworld. He knew exactly what was going on.
The 'true potential' Akuma mentioned before…the Dark Hadou…it was trying to take control of Ryu at this very moment.
Ryu gritted his teeth, trying to control the dark sensation all the while trying to collect energy into his hands so that he could shoot a projectile. Soon, Akuma had recovered from the last attack and began making his way over to Ryu.
Without thinking, Ryu shot out the projectile. "Hadouken!" he yelled out.
Ryu watched at Akuma was hit by the projectile, which sent him flying a few yards away. Once the projectile left him, Ryu suddenly felt weak and after Akuma was hit, he fell forward. Just before he blacked out, he realized that the color of his projectile was not it's normal light blue color…
Instead, it had looked more like a glowing fireball…
…It was the last thing Ryu remembered before losing consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself still outside, but near an abandoned Cathedral with both Ken and Julia kneeling next to him as they tried to wake him up.
Opening his eyes, Ryu placed a hand over his face. What happened that day…? he asked himself.
It was then that he heard footsteps nearby. Ryu immediately looked up. For a moment, he thought that perhaps Akuma had returned. To his relief, however, he found himself looking up at his friend Jin, who approached him with a tired look on his face.
"Mediating?" Jin asked him.
Ryu managed to nod. "I was." The Ansatsuken warrior shifted a little before getting himself on his two feet. "I was… just thinking about our time in Outworld."
Jin was silent for a moment before he managed to say, "What about?"
"It was… the night before all the chaos," Ryu explained. "I couldn't quite remember what happened that night but I had blacked out. I didn't wake up until the chaos was mostly over."
"… When you woke up, you found yourself on the ground near a Cathedral."
Ryu's eyes widened at this. "…I never mentioned that to you."
Jin realized then that he was going to have to tell Ryu the truth sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, he began to explain everything.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened because the details are still shady to me as well. Somehow… we were locked in our own battle within the Cathedral. I remember we were really letting each other have it."
Feeling ashamed after hearing that, Ryu stared down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Jin. I hope I didn't hurt you too much."
Jin forced himself to chuckle. "No… you gave me quite a challenge, that's for sure. I think… we ended up knocking each other out cold in the end."
There was silence between them afterwards. Jin sighed a little, knowing that he spared Ryu some details, one being the fact that Jin was in his devil form at the time of the fight. He remembered that Ryu wasn't completely himself either, but decided not to bring it up. When Ryu apologized to him just now, Jin had the feeling that Ryu knew that he had been in his own, darker form at the time of the battle since he had mentioned earlier that he didn't remember that night.
Most importantly, Jin spared him from knowing that Sakura had died when she got in between their projectiles. It was a fact that the younger man was willing to bare for him.
"At least… I didn't hurt anyone else," Ryu ironically said. Jin stayed silent in reply.
In his mind, Ryu was reminded of the few times that he 'blacked out' like this before. It had happened twice before; when he had left the scar on Sagat's chest during their battle in the Street Fighter tournament a decade ago. Apparently, it also happened when he supposedly killed Julia's mother, Michelle, over a year ago. At least that was what he was told.
Thinking of that second blackout, Ryu was honestly not sure what to believe. Did he really kill Michelle? Or perhaps something happened in the aftermath. Maybe, just maybe, he was mistaken for someone else. Most likely, he would never know.
Ryu then found himself thinking about Julia for the first time in a while. He sighed a little, realizing that, in a way, he still cared about her.
I just hope Ken and his family are taking care of her right now, he thought to himself, remember his last email to his best friend just moments before the invasion.
It was then that another set of footsteps were heard. Both Ryu and Jin turned their heads before seeing the Manji Clan leader Yoshimitsu approaching them.
"There you are," Yoshimitsu said. "Dinner's ready."
"Right on time," replied Ryu. "I'm just starting to feel hungry."
The three of them began to walk side by side back towards the camp. As they did, Yoshimitsu couldn't help but ask a question he wanted to ask since last night. "You're not worried after what happened two nights ago, are you?"
Jin shook his head. "I've had worse. Besides, I doubt anyone else from Outworld is going to show up again anytime soon after all that."
Yoshimitsu nodded. "Either way, it's best to be prepared, just in case."
No more was said as they arrived at the camp for dinner.
Sky Temple, Somewhere in Asia
After many days of traveling, the ninja spectre Scorpion finally reached the base of the Sky Temple, the place he knew where Dark Raiden was usually located. It seemed like an eternity since he was last here, but now it seemed like that time was far away now that he was here.
As he looked up towards the top of the temple, Scorpion thought back on the day the Elder Gods made him their Champion and gave them the assignment to assassinate Raiden…
He had expected himself to be returned to the Netherrealm… it was a repeat from some time ago when the sorcerer tried to escape from his grasps. It was no matter… he would continue his revenge there…
But instead of seeing the infamous inferno, he saw nothing but darkness. For a long while, he wondered what this was about. Had he send him into some sort of vortex where there was no escape?
However, he soon realized that wasn't the case when three beings appeared before him. The light around them got brighter as the three approached, causing him to squint.
He was suspicious of them, and he wasn't sure what they had in store for him. Nevertheless, he was prepared to fight them.
"Scorpion," one of them spoke. "It was only a matter of time before we finally had you arrive here."
The suspicion in his pale eyes never left the ninja spectre. "What are you talking about? And where is Quan Chi?"
"Do not concern yourself with the sorcerer," the figure continued. "We have another offer for you, one that we believe will be more satisfying than revenge."
Scorpion had wanted to fight the being then and there. How dare he denied him to continue his revenge! But the floating sensation that the spectre was feeling seemed to make him somewhat paralyzed. Perhaps these people knew what he was capable of…
Another one of the figures spoke. "Most of what we're about to say may be unbelievable to you, but you must trust us. We know that trust doesn't come easy to you, but it's all you must do."
The figure took a deep breath before continuing. "You are currently in a vortex that leads to the Heavens. You're impure soul cannot enter the realm unless we cleanse it ourselves. As for us," he pointed at himself and the other three. "My name is Daichi. These are Hinote and Mizu. We are the Elder Gods…" he pointed a finger at him. "And you, Scorpion, are our Champion."
Scorpion only stared at the three in reply. At this point, Daichi was right about one thing… this was unbelievable.
And yet, the ninja was curious. "Champion? Since my death, I've only thirsted for revenge, and my only concern is to destroy Quan Chi. Why, of all beings, am I the Champion?"
"Indeed it's not easy to comprehend," Hinote answered. "But you had been destined to become our Champion even before you were a member of the Shirai Ryu as a mortal. Your premature death prevented us from telling you any of this. It was hard to catch you in the Nexus, the vortex that resides in between realms, until now…"
Mizu proceeded. "Normally, as a Champion, you would have taken on tasks that we cannot accomplish ourselves due to other matters that require our attention. We had even planned for you to stop the Dragon King if he was ever awakened. However, the situation was, thankfully, taken care of, so there is no need anymore."
"When why call upon me now?" Scorpion asked, feeling a bit impatient.
Daichi replied. "Because there is one particular task that must be done. Outworld is once again invading the realms. We cannot interfere ourselves, and we must keep everything in check where we are. This task is an unusual one, as it involves one of our own."
Silence lingered for a moment before Hinote spoke. "In exchange for this task, we will reunite you with your family here in the Heavens… your wife… your son… your clan…"
Now they got Scorpion's full attention. "And what of Quan Chi?"
"Do not concern yourself with him," Daichi spoke. "If you want to be with your family again, you must do as we ask. It's not going to be easy, but it must be done."
Scorpion found himself staring at the three for a moment. He wanted nothing more than continuing torturing the sorcerer for killing his family and clan all those years ago… but now, he had the chance to reunite with them, if he could only complete this one mission for the Elder Gods.
Scorpion's narrowed his eyes. "What is this mission?"
Mizu sighed. "It's an assassination assignment. The person is currently located on Earth. He was once a great man… but he has since changed for the worst. Unfortunately, his days of helping us are over. He's not what he used to be, and despite his intentions, he poses a great threat."
Scorpion nodded. "And who is this person?"
A sigh also escaped from Daichi. "The Thunder God, Raiden…"
… The memory faded as Scorpion continued to look up at the top of the Sky Temple. Moments later, he noticed that the heavy clouds were beginning to develop thunder as they clashed together. This could only mean one thing.
'The Thunder God… he's here,' the specter thought in his mind. 'He will be taken care of once and for all. Only then will my family and clan roam the Earth once more.'
He started to walk forward…
