We were about to go further with a few rabbits, but I noticed Raiden was making his way towards us. I already figured what he was about to say. My sister simply whispered to me and told me to be patient if possible.
"You have failed to find your arcana, Thomas." We all turned to see Raiden was disappointed on me. "Without it, you're a liability to the others."
I disagreed. "It's easy for you to assume that someone could unlock something that they may have, but not want to be."
He stopped and turned at me. "You refuse to achieve your arcana?!"
"No, achieving and than only to find disappointment from the outcome of what I gain."
Raiden wasn't too please of my response. It was hard enough for me that I didn't want to go into my animality phase. He than turned to Cole. "I must say I wasn't expecting you, Cole, to achieve your arcana. I was wrong to judge you."
Cole stood up. "With the help of my cousin."
"Perhaps. Yet, he still hasn't achieve his own arcana. Normally, no one, but yourself to achieve it on your own." Raiden stated. I felt insulted by his words, that I wanted to rebuttal, but my sister pulled me back.
"Than try to answer his question he has for you." I spoke up, that Cole turned at me and shook his head.
Raiden looked at Cole. The newly arcana fighter sighed and decided to ask Raiden. "To ask you, Raiden... where did my marking came from? And why am I the only champion that had the marking since I was born?"
"Your marking comes from your lineage, Cole." Raiden answered.
"Lineage?" Cole questioned.
"To say that it comes from a certain blood line?" Katie asked.
"Yes." Raiden answered.
Somewhat shocked, Cole wanted to find out more. "That's impossible. I was an orphan from the South Side of Chicago."
"You're a descendant of one of the greatest ninjas to ever walk the Earth." Raiden added.
I began to think about all the dreams and vision moments that Cole told me. Especially, I remembered him gazing at the mural of Hanzo Hashashi. "Hanzo Hashashi!" I whispered to myself that Cole and Raiden heard me. "You are a descendant of Hanzo Hashashi of Shirai Ryu!"
Raiden nodded his head at me. "Your cousin is correct."
"What?" Cole questioned me.
"It's Hanzo! I know him!" I told him. "In my time at Watership Down!"
"You did?"
"Well... he was from a different timeline, but I fought along side him." I told him. "I know that he was murdered, along with his family and clan. Somehow though he was restored to his human self."
"Don't you remember, Thomas?" Katie told me. "You mentioned that you helped him find the error of his ways of vengeance. He spared Sub-Zero and decided to help us." After my sister's help of memory, I remembered that moment.
"However, if he was in this timeline... how did the family bloodline survive? His wife and son were killed."
Raiden went on. "Regarding about their death, they were murdered by the same assassin that hunts your cousin now..."
"Sub-Zero... or to say Bi-Han." I finished.
He nodded, before continuing. "The moment that he died, Hanzo descended into the Netherrealm. The farthest reaches of Hell, endlessly searching for revenge. Unknown to him, his bloodline lived on. I rescued Hanzo's only surviving child and hid her in the one place he couldn't think to find her."
It was a shock to me, Katie, but more on Cole. "So what you're going off is, that following the surviving child's death. It has been passed on and on to different generations to him?" I asked him.
"Yes. For centuries, the Hasashi marking has passed down through his ancestors." Raiden answered, before looking back to Cole. "Apparently, I would speculate that he wouldn't... but now he has it."
Uncertain, Cole still doesn't feel it. "Even though I have found my arcana, I'm still not sure."
"When the time comes... you'll found out soon enough." Cole nodded from Raiden's response.
"And what about my brother?" Katie asked, but I didn't want her to worry about me.
Raiden sighed. "If he fails by the next sun... you'll take his place."
It frightened Katie, that I had to stand up for her. "You wouldn't even think about putting a marking on my sister-"
He flashed his lightening at me, but it didn't phase me once before. This time, I went aggressive that I charged at Raiden to throw a punch, but he teleported. I looked behind to see he was there. I threw a punch and failed with a fall to the ground.
"Impressive... you dare to challenge The Thunder God? And Protector of Earthrealm?"
"Stop it!" Katie shouted and begged him to stop. Liu Kang and Kung Lao appeared in time to restrain her and she struggles to free herself. Cole and Sonya were frozen and couldn't dare to challenge Raiden.
"Let her go!" Anger boiled over me that I was about to charge at The Shaolin Monks. Only to result, a lightening shock on my back and fell to the ground. I turned to face Raiden.
"Now... either you achieve your arcana or be sent back to your home."
"He doesn't have a home!" Katie exclaimed. She was than slapped by Raiden and it knocked her to the ground.
"You monster!" I cursed at the "protector of Earth" and I went over to my sister and aided her back on her feet, while Cole and Sonya were too stunned to do anything.
"Liu Kang! Kung Lao!" Raiden had them restrained me and Katie. "Put them to an isolate chamber. To be locked away for the reminder of the day." He than pulled the scarf from my neck and gave it to Liu Kang. The fire began to burn my scarf.
"NO! NO! NO! NO!" I screamed in horror, as I was than held by Raiden, as I watched my scarf being burnt to ash. My sister cried in despair. "It was a way to help me!"
"No, it was a way to hold you back!" Raiden attempts to subjectify reason to me. "It held you back from achieving your arcana."
"It was more than that!" I was in rage that I was about to strike him, but Liu Kang quickly knocked me to the ground. "You would never understand! It was a way to communicate to someone dear to me."
Kano began to laugh out of mockery. "You talking to a dead rabbit?! You gotta be fuckin' kidding! That is fantastic! I bet you two would get your love on!"
I punched Liu Kang's nose and causing it to bleed, to free myself. I than charged for Kano, but I was than struck down by lightening once more by Raiden. Katie was able to free herself and ran to me.
"Now... for the final time... find your arcana or-" I cut off Raiden's pointless words with a spit. It brought disgust and shock from Liu Kang and Kung Lao.
"Oh, find your own arcana and fuck yourself!"
"Thomas!" Cole exclaimed at me.
However, it was too late. Raiden had his lightening ready to zap me. I warned Katie to get out of the way, but she refuses and beseeches while hugging me. I turned back to Raiden. "You just have to kill me, Raiden! You just have to kill me!" His lightening powers were just about ready for him to use enough to kill me. I was ready for death.
THAT'S ENOUGH!
A voice came out of nowhere. I looked behind Raiden to see someone behind him. Raiden moved from my view to see... Captain Holly!
"Captain Holly!" I was amazed.
"Get away from my god-children." Holly first spoke and warned Raiden to back away from us.
"Or what bunny?" Kung Lao questioned, as he readied his hat.
Holly slowly approached towards him. "You would not want to know what would happen next."
At first, I thought it won't work. However, Kung Lao became chilled from the inside, as if he sees what would happen if they don't comply. He and Liu Kang looked at each other and backed away from Holly. Raiden ceased his lightening powers. Holly turned towards me and Katie. I couldn't say anything, but surprise to even see him again.
Cole and Sonya picked me up and took me and my sister to the hospital chamber. I was beginning to be treated for my minor wounds that were on my back from Raiden's lightening strikes. Katie was mostly helping me tending my wounds. I was facing towards the entrance and saw Captain Holly entering. His size however, was different. As if he has the same height as a dog.
"Thomas." he first said to me.
"Sir... have you grown?" I asked.
"I'm sorry?"
"You seemed taller than a rabbit's size." I clarified, as he began to look at himself, paws and feet.
Katie stopped. She couldn't resist, but hugged him. It jumped him with a gasp, until he embraced her. "Thank you. Thank goodness you're here."
"Why are you tall like a dog?" Cole asked.
"I don't know..." Holly answered. "Frith and The Black Rabbit work in mysterious ways."
Cole turned back to me. "I should have done something to stand up for you."
I shook my head. "No. It was my battle and I'm the one who caused it."
"Do you really blame yourself for everything?"
I began to think of the times that I felt I'm the one to be blamed for certain things happening. "At times, yes. However, it's hard to keep count of the mistakes I've made. One of them was only to see the rest of our family burned alive."
"What?!"
"That's how our parents and the rest of our siblings died. They were only taken from their home and burnt outside of the mess hall, back in our base."
"That's not possible, I heard terrorists raided the place and shot them."
"Perhaps, that is what you think." Captain Holly told him. "Your cousin returned back to his home, only to be ambushed and watched the rest of his family burned. For Katie, she was spared from this execution, only to be imprisoned in Efrafa."
"And that's where you guys freed her and the rest of the rabbits, imprisoned there." Cole summed it up.
Sonya entered the chamber to check on us. "Anything coming through?"
"He'll be ready by tomorrow." Katie finished up patching up my wounds.
She nodded. "I was only to be instructed to tell you that tomorrow is your training day."
I sighed. "Raiden told you."
Simply, she shrugged her shoulders, at the same time acknowledged truthfully. "You can't give up on this. Your cousin never gave up, after you encouraged him." Looking back at Cole, he nodded with a smile.
"If you haven't given up on your cousin, there's no reason why you should give up on yourself." Captain Holly encouraged me.
"Sometimes, if I did find my arcana, I don't want the power that would led me only to regret." I said.
Captain Holly sighed and shook his head. Until something came up on his mind. "Perhaps, I won't forget more than anything, is that this 'Kano' shivered, as well as Kung Lao, like a little yona after seeing a talking rabbit."
All of us just laughed about when Holly came and shocked those present, in the hall. Even after Kano's rants and offensive jokes about my experiences with Holly and the rest of the Rabbits of Watership Down.
"And, Thomas..." Sonya spoke. "... they shouldn't have to treated you like that. Especially, after what happened last night."
I turned to her. "Thank you."
