Chapter 3
Mind Tricks
It wasn't before long that Takeli had thought up a way to get in and out of trouble. After he had left Sui Loung and Little Firefly, Takeli decided to get some supplies from the extra change that Little Firefly gave him while he was leaving. His first thought was to get a butcher knife, so he would be prepared when he found danger like what happened yesterday. He still couldn't understand what really happened during that time. All he could remember was he fainting and panting in the soft sand. Strangely, he never saw the man again.
That hardly bothered him though. He was glad he was gone. He didn't even understand why he was trying to kill him in the first place. It may have been about Little Firefly, but after he left, he was no longer a concern. It seemed like the man only wanted to get Takeli. Whoever he was, he's gone now so there would be no need to fear. Takeli was just afraid that maybe he might come back for revenge by killing Little Firefly. He can't let that happen.
Takeli walked into a nearby herb shop to buy some fungi for healing. As he walked in, he noticed an old lady placing some smelly herbs into a glass jar. Sealing it off, Takeli walked over and poked her shoulder. The surprise poke shocked the old woman somehow, but she regained her conscience. "Yes, may I help you?" "Yes, do you have any fungi's that can heal?" The old woman nodded, and walked into the back room. "I'll be right back honey."
He waited patiently as the old woman searched through her stocks to find a healing fungus. "Well well, what do we have here? It looks like we have only a couple pounds left. How much would you like my dear?" She asked. "Just a pound will do." She stuffed a pound of the fungi into a plastic bag and sealed it off with her knife. "Well honey, this will cost you some change." Takeli agreed and gave her the money. "So what is a fine gentleman like you doing in a place like this? We rarely have any strangers here."
"How did you know I wasn't from around here?" Takeli asked. The old woman smirked. "Boy I know a lot of things. I can tell if someone isn't from this here town." Takeli stuffed the fungi into his bag, and looked around to see if there was anything else he could get. "Are you looking for anything peculiar?" She asked. Takeli shook his head. "I' better leave know. I don't want to keep my trainer waiting." "Are you going on some kind of journey?" Takeli smiled. "I guess you can say that."
The old woman sighed. "What is it?" Takeli asked. The old woman waved her hand and laughed. "Oh honey, don't worry about me. If you're going on a journey, I recommend you see Lady Zephyr. She might give you some helpful tips along your journey." Takeli thought for a moment. 'I do have time. And maybe seeing this person will be a good idea.' "Where can I find this Lady Zephyr?" Takeli asked. The old woman pointed to her left. "Across the street from me. You'll find her there. Don't worry about the smell. It's always been there."
"I'll go see her right now, I guess. Is she busy?" The old woman shook her head. "Don't worry, I actually think she's expecting you." "You think so?" "Child, don't worry. She'll be there, regardless if she's busy or not. Now go on, and take care." Takeli bowed and thanked the old woman. Takeli left the shop, banging the door behind him. "Whoa!" Takeli heard a crackle in the air. He looked back at the store, and saw the sign turned to 'close.' 'Weird,' Takeli thought. Takeli walked across the street and knocked on the silent door...
CREEK... The door opened by itself, letting out the stuffiness of the dark room. Takeli poked his head through, and smelled the thick perfumified air. He coughed a couple of times, before pushing the door towards the wall. Inside, he could see nothing. None of the lights were turned on, except for some greenish glow sticks around the walls. "Hello?" He asked. He heard a giggling sound through the place, bouncing off the walls. "Hello?" Takeli heard footsteps coming towards a wooden door near the end of the parlor.
As it opened up, Takeli felt a sudden chill in the air. He saw a candle next to him burn out like it was really windy inside the room. Takeli held his breath of what was to happen. He heard the sounds of metal chains clashing next to each other. Breathing sounds began to get heavier as the door opened up. "Takeli." A voice, it was very strange. It sounded like the person had smog caught in her throat. "Uh, who is that?" Takeli asked. Panting could be heard over the sound of the chains through the door.
"Takeli, hello." Takeli opened his eyes and saw a beautiful young woman standing next to the door. She wore a silky green dress, barely hiding her cleavage. She saw a silk thread covering her mouth as she breathed in and out. She wore high heels with little metal charms hanging from it. Her blue skirt underneath showed hardly any protection from her breasts, and he could smell the perfume smell from her hair. "I am Lady Zephyr. I have heard many things about you," she said. She unlocked another wooden next to Takeli, revealing a room with a flat table covered with silk. "Come in, sit."
Takeli quietly walked into the dim room. Lady Zephyr lighted up a small candle on the middle of the glass table. She closed the door and locked it, dropping the key into her small pocket. Takeli sat down on the small cushioned chair, as Lady Zephyr went into her back door and brought back a cup of tea. She handed Takeli the cup of tea and sat down onto her own chair. "Excuse me, but what is the tea for?" Lady Zephyr raised one of her eyebrows, and ignored him while she took out a stack of voodoo like cards.
"Oh come on, the tea, is for your own health." Takeli nodded, and took a sip of the tea. "Well, I think I know why you came here." "You do?" Lady Zephyr nodded with a grim smile. "You came here to see if there are any tips I can give you while you are on your journey to find a man named Kung Lao." "How do you know all this?" Takeli asked taking another sip. Lady Zephyr took out her stack of cards and laid them out on the table. "I know a lot of things Takeli. Not just about you, but a little bit of everyone in this world."
He began to open his mouth, but Lady Zephyr silenced him. "There is no need for questions here. All you need are answers." "I don't really understand what you mean by that." "Nobody ever does on his or her first time. You'll get the hang of it soon enough." Takeli murmured to himself a little while Lady Zephyr poured some food into her aquatic fish tank. 'Man, I wonder what she is going to say' he thought. Lady Zephyr stopped suddenly and started to chuckle. "What I'm going to say? I'm not sure yet Takeli." "Wait, you can read minds?" "Yes, but not 24/7. That takes a lot of energy from me."
Lady Zephyr took her seat again, and started to unfold the cards one by one. "Well, let's see what we have here. You're full name is Takeli Osaka Lao. You're family was killed when you were about two years old, so your memory about them is very blurry. Recently refugees from an unknown place attacked your temple and home. Your grandfather was killed in the process, and now you swore revenge on whoever killed them. However, you have been recently attacked by the same dark ninja that killed your grandfather."
"You must feel awful about this, don't you Takeli?" He nodded silently to himself. "I've been there before. My sister was killed during a car accident. I've never been able to shake her off of my mind, but I got use to it. And now, you see, I feel much better." "Did you free your mind somehow?" "Of course, that's the whole point about actually being a psychic. You have to free your mind and to think about what is mentally there. Here, let me start. I better stop rambling."
Lady Zephyr revealed one of the cards. The figure was the same black ninja from his dreams. "What? What does this mean? That's the same person that killed my grandfather, as well as trying to kill me!" Lady Zephyr shook her head in dispute. "Let me start by saying that, not everything I say here is believable. It all depends on you." "I understand. So what does this mean?" Lady Zephyr took out some colorful dust and started to sprinkle it around the clear table. "Right now I'm drawing away the spirits by sprinkling magic sand. This will block them."
Lady Zephyr revealed yet another card next to the other one. This time it showed a ghastly glow. Takeli felt another breeze come over the room, causing the bells to ring. "Do any of these cards make any sense to you?" She asked. Takeli shook his head. "I've encountered this ninja before. His name is I think, Noob Saibot. He is from the depths of the Netherealm and will try and kill you with his ghastly force."
Takeli's eyes widened. "Is this true? Why is he after me?" Lady Zephyr flipped over another card, showing a deadly skull with blood dripping from it. "This isn't good, is it?" Takeli asked. Lady Zephyr shrugged. "Only you can really understand these cards. Now tell me, you've seen Noob Saibot in your dreams before haven't you?" "Yes, that's right." "He's been trying to kill you. Correct?" Takeli nodded, grasping his bag as it began to fall onto the floor. "Let me think for a moment," Lady Zephyr said as she closed her eyes.
"Takeli, do you have any magical abilities you can perform?" "No, not that I know of." "Have you ever done something that you never meant to but it just happened, and when you woke up, you couldn't remember what happened in the last hour or so?" "I think so. Why?" Lady Zephyr reached towards her silky robe and pulled out a strange gem. "Now, Takeli, this is a very special gem. It will show me how much light and darkness you have in you. Just hold it in your hands for a while." She gave Takeli the gem, and he grasped it into his hands.
Takeli felt a sudden jolt going through his body, and he dropped the gem onto the table. Almost the entire thing was glowing bright red, but a little bit was black. "Well, Takeli, I'm impressed with the results." Lady Zephyr took the gem back and flipped over the last card. It showed a thunder strike over it. "Strange, I didn't expect this card to appear." Lady Zephyr quickly snatched the cards away from the table and stared at Takeli. "Now, here comes the real challenge of the day." "What do you mean by that?"
"Takeli, I think you need a bit of training." "What kind of training? I am going to be trained in martial arts." "Takeli, I've looked into your mind. You are not ready to be trained by Kung Lao. I have a very different and difficult test for you myself. Are you up for the challenge?" She asked. "If it will help me train better with Kung Lao, then I agree to this training. When will it start?" Lady Zephyr's eyes gleamed in admiration. "It's going to start right now." She grabbed Takeli's palms, and he felt a jolt.
"What the?" Takeli felt a jolt of blood going through his body. His body tensed up, like all the blood was going straight for his heart. His pulse began to go faster, and sweat started to pour out of his head, as well as the back of his neck. He felt like he wad going through a time warp. His skin began to peel back. Takeli's sight bubbled inside as he saw a blurry vision ahead of him. 'What's happening to me?' he wondered. Takeli felt a thriving pain in his head. He opened his mouth to scream, but not a whimper of sound came out. 'Takeli...!"
'What? What was that? I couldn't really here anything right now.' Takeli opened his closed eyes and saw Lady Zephyr staring at him. They were both no longer in the parlor. They were both standing in the middle of a luscious garden. The sunny sky was above them, and blossoms of petals were everywhere. "Where are we?" Takeli felt his voice echoing through the place, like he was in a video game or something.
"We are in a simulation created from our minds. Here, you will first learn to control your psychic abilities, if any." "Why do I need to learn these things? Is this going to help me?" Lady Zephyr nodded. "I saw how you fought back then while helping the little one. You may have won, but you have shown no control of your powers whatsoever. You could have been seriously injured, or even killed when you do that." "What do you mean? I don't have any powers!" "Then how do you explain those blinding rays of light or those meteors falling from the sky?"
Takeli was stunned by the facts. "This really happened?" He asked. "Didn't you feel it? It's probably because you are too young to hold up your energy." Lady Zephyr snapped her fingers. A sudden wave of energy surged through the area. The flowers began to bloom and shower their pollen into the air. "How did that happen?" Takeli asked. "It just happens Takeli. Just think hard." The pollen began to spin around him, forming a barrier. "What is going on?" "I'm going to see if you can escape through that flowery cyclone."
"Flowers?" Takeli reached towards the flower. ZAP! A surge of electricity came out of the flowers. Takeli rubbed his fingers as little drips of blood came out of it. "Don't worry Takeli. Just imagine as if the flowers aren't really there. It's your fear that is causing the electric sparks to appear. Relax. Free up your mind." "All right, whatever you say." Takeli closed his eyes and began to breathe in and out calmly. "Don't worry. You'll get it right eventually."
"Eventually? I don't have time!" Takeli leaped through the cyclone and felt a shock tingling through him. Lady Zephyr stared at him. "You're not ready for this," she said. Takeli shook his head. "Yes I am!" A light beam appeared again, shooting out from behind his spine. "What's this weird feeling I keep having?" The barrier around him began to break up. Little by little, the wind blew away the blossoms. He leapt through the barrier and smashed face first down on the ground.
"Oh!" He heard Lady Zephyr's voice echo through the area. "What now?" Takeli stammered. He saw Lady Zephyr vanishing from her spot. "Wait! Where are you going?" The sky above him began to turn dark, and lightning started crashing down. Then thunder started to form in a hellish form. The stone ground around him began to shatter, causing a huge fault to appear. He started to run from the emerging fault. "Don't be afraid." He overheard another soft voice through the sound of the thunder.
"What's that?" He cried. He saw a blue motorcycle in the middle of the stone desert. The fault was dangerously getting closer to him. "There better be keys in there." Takeli hopped on and the motorcycle began to start on its own. It glided through the hard ground, shattering the stones ahead of him. The motorcycle didn't have any controls on it, just the handles. 'How am I suppose to control this thing?' he wondered. He pressed his foot down and it began to move faster. The air in front of him was covered with floating cups and dishes. "Hang on!" "Who said that?"
The motorcycle began to levitate into the air. 'I wonder what's going on now.' The high intensity force of the wind caused a sudden chill in the air. The ground below Takeli crumbled and exploded, filling the area with hot lava. The boiling flares of the lava began to bubble near his feet. "Ah! I need sun glasses!" Like it was a wish, a pair of sunglasses appeared over his head. A water bottle floated near him, squirting water into his mouth. 'Cool.' The motorcycle began to shift forward, causing Takeli to lean over the lava.
Suddenly, waves of lava splashed over the motorcycle, burning Takeli's legs. 'I need some water!' The magma below began to cool down and melt into a clear pool of water. Takeli pulled his lever and the MC shifted down into the water. The sky turned blue again, and a water jet appeared behind him. He began to glide through the crystal water like a Jet Ski. As the currents moved faster, Takeli could feel a strange presence around him. His head began to feel uncomfortable, and a figure began to appear in front of him...
"Noob Saibot!" Takeli's heart raced as he saw his image beginning to appear. "I finally got you!" It cried. Takeli saw Noob Saibot jumping down from the sky and splashing into the water. "How did he get here?" The water around him turned into smoke as it flowed up. The MC changed form again and blasted up into the sky again. "Lao!" Takeli looked down and saw his Grandfather reaching his hand out of the water. "Help me!" "Grandfather! You're alive?" It couldn't be, can it? Takeli shifted down again, back into the smoke.
"Mind your own business!" Noob Saibot jumped out of the smoke and grabbed Takeli's neck. He gasped as he tried to pry open his hands. "What... do you... want?" Takeli managed to squeak. Noob Saibot's eyes glowed an eerie red now. "I can tap into your wonderful pure dreams. Stealing the love from it, you pathetic mortal." Noob Sabot began to squeeze his neck even harder. "Where... is my... grandfather?" He cried. Noob Saibot laughed.
"You really expected him to be alive again didn't you? He's dead and will always be dead!" Takeli tried to kick his leg, but it was no use. The grip he had on him was too much. "Help..." The smoke cleared out, revealing a tournament area. "I would like to kill you fairly. It's very relaxing to me." The motorcycle vanished suddenly. Noob Saibot threw him to the ground. Takeli reached for his neck and began to rub the soreness. "Fight me!"
A fury of fire blew from the tournament sides. "If you try to escape, you will die." Takeli got back up and looked around. He was right. There was no escape. "Face your fear Takeli. You can do it." "Lady Zephyr..." "Enough of this!" Noob Saibot fired a flash towards Takeli. Takeli rolled back and dodged it. The flash slammed onto the wall, causing a change of climate. "Getting cold?" Noob asked.
"NO!" Takeli stammered. Noob Saibot jumped into the air and dive kicked Takeli onto the side. He slammed into a brass bowl and broke it. Noob Saibot ran towards him. Takeli got back up and prepared to block. Noob Saibot jumped up and did a double kick move. Takeli grabbed his left leg and tried to punch his chest, but he was too quick and kicked his head instead. Takeli flipped through the air and crashed down, making a dent on the arena floor.
"Is this a mistake? I've easily taken you down." Noob Saibot sweep kicked Takeli off of the ground and into the open space. Blood dripped from Takeli's mouth as he hung his chin. Noob Saibot grabbed his legs and swung him straight into the roof. A loud thud was heard as Takeli's spine cracked on the roof. "Now, to finish you off for good." Noob Saibot shot forward a shadow ghoul. It extended up at Takeli, reaching for his heart.
SNAP! What? A soft sound was heard over the arena. The ghoul was stiff in the air, unable to move. Noob Saibot was shaking his body. His legs stayed as they were on the ground. Takeli's blood stopped dripping and formed into gold dust. The entire arena was silent. The flares surrounding it have calmed down, and were only a speck of light. As it stopped crackling, Noob Saibot's eyes froze in fear. Takeli's body started to glow, and a beam of light from his heart shot down. The dark energy Noob Saibot used vanished, and all he could do was stare.
"This soul is so pure!" Noob Saibot collapsed and saw the light beam coming from Takeli increase in force. Noob Saibot shielded his eyes from the light. "It's too intense!" The light began to cover the walls and pots. Noob Saibot's body was covered with it. The smog around him quickly vanished, and all he could see was Takeli. The beam began to turn bright red. It began to crack the ground as Noob Saibot stared at it.
"It's happening..." CRACK! The sound of a mirror breaking. Breaking the sound barrier, the walls cracked open, revealing an open space. Takeli gently sank back down to the Earth. Noob Saibot watched silently as he fell down. "I must kill him!" He ran towards Takeli, forming a spear in his hand. "Ahh!" Noob Saibot screamed as an electric barrier surrounded Takeli, shocking him. Then, he disappeared...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wake up." Takeli opened his eyes and saw Lady Zephyr stirring some tea. "Where am I? I feel like I've just gotten ran down by a train." Lady Zephyr gave him the tea. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your training here with me," she said in an echoing voice. "Why do I hear echoes?" "We're still in the dream world. You have defeated Noob Saibot in an intense mind fight, and have shown some improvement on your powers. With a little more time, you will be able to control your powers to the max. I'm very proud of you."
A sudden echo came through and Takeli closed his eyes. "Welcome back." He opened his eyes and found himself in the room where they were before. Lady Zephyr opened her eyes, and smiled. "Do you feel any different?" She asked. "Actually, I do! I feel more confident, and I can actually feel the powers flowing through me. Do I have more?" "You have to decide that for yourself my dear. If you want to reach your maximum limits, then train hard."
"Don't worry I will," Takeli said. He got off of his chair and stretched a little. He felt a bit of pain on the sides of his necks. "Why does my neck still hurt?" Lady Zephyr chuckled. "Did you think that everything that happened today wasn't real?" Lady Zephyr stepped out of her chair and opened the luminous door again. "Here, you better get going." "Don't I need to pay you or anything?" Lady Zephyr shook her head. "You got a good soul. I'll let you go free this time." She winked at him as he went through the door.
Takeli breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a hawk above dropped down another note.
ยงยง Dear Lao Takeli,
How have you been doing? Is your journey going well so far? I've heard that you've received some training in the forms of antiquity. This was probably a good idea, even for you. Are we still planning on meeting at the Glass Lake soon? I am really eagered to finally meet you. I promise that you will be trained with the up most respect. Also, if you encounter Rayden or Fujin, please follow their ideas wisely.
Lao Kung
Takeli stuffed the note into his pocket and began to walk out into the desert once more.
It wasn't before long that Takeli had thought up a way to get in and out of trouble. After he had left Sui Loung and Little Firefly, Takeli decided to get some supplies from the extra change that Little Firefly gave him while he was leaving. His first thought was to get a butcher knife, so he would be prepared when he found danger like what happened yesterday. He still couldn't understand what really happened during that time. All he could remember was he fainting and panting in the soft sand. Strangely, he never saw the man again.
That hardly bothered him though. He was glad he was gone. He didn't even understand why he was trying to kill him in the first place. It may have been about Little Firefly, but after he left, he was no longer a concern. It seemed like the man only wanted to get Takeli. Whoever he was, he's gone now so there would be no need to fear. Takeli was just afraid that maybe he might come back for revenge by killing Little Firefly. He can't let that happen.
Takeli walked into a nearby herb shop to buy some fungi for healing. As he walked in, he noticed an old lady placing some smelly herbs into a glass jar. Sealing it off, Takeli walked over and poked her shoulder. The surprise poke shocked the old woman somehow, but she regained her conscience. "Yes, may I help you?" "Yes, do you have any fungi's that can heal?" The old woman nodded, and walked into the back room. "I'll be right back honey."
He waited patiently as the old woman searched through her stocks to find a healing fungus. "Well well, what do we have here? It looks like we have only a couple pounds left. How much would you like my dear?" She asked. "Just a pound will do." She stuffed a pound of the fungi into a plastic bag and sealed it off with her knife. "Well honey, this will cost you some change." Takeli agreed and gave her the money. "So what is a fine gentleman like you doing in a place like this? We rarely have any strangers here."
"How did you know I wasn't from around here?" Takeli asked. The old woman smirked. "Boy I know a lot of things. I can tell if someone isn't from this here town." Takeli stuffed the fungi into his bag, and looked around to see if there was anything else he could get. "Are you looking for anything peculiar?" She asked. Takeli shook his head. "I' better leave know. I don't want to keep my trainer waiting." "Are you going on some kind of journey?" Takeli smiled. "I guess you can say that."
The old woman sighed. "What is it?" Takeli asked. The old woman waved her hand and laughed. "Oh honey, don't worry about me. If you're going on a journey, I recommend you see Lady Zephyr. She might give you some helpful tips along your journey." Takeli thought for a moment. 'I do have time. And maybe seeing this person will be a good idea.' "Where can I find this Lady Zephyr?" Takeli asked. The old woman pointed to her left. "Across the street from me. You'll find her there. Don't worry about the smell. It's always been there."
"I'll go see her right now, I guess. Is she busy?" The old woman shook her head. "Don't worry, I actually think she's expecting you." "You think so?" "Child, don't worry. She'll be there, regardless if she's busy or not. Now go on, and take care." Takeli bowed and thanked the old woman. Takeli left the shop, banging the door behind him. "Whoa!" Takeli heard a crackle in the air. He looked back at the store, and saw the sign turned to 'close.' 'Weird,' Takeli thought. Takeli walked across the street and knocked on the silent door...
CREEK... The door opened by itself, letting out the stuffiness of the dark room. Takeli poked his head through, and smelled the thick perfumified air. He coughed a couple of times, before pushing the door towards the wall. Inside, he could see nothing. None of the lights were turned on, except for some greenish glow sticks around the walls. "Hello?" He asked. He heard a giggling sound through the place, bouncing off the walls. "Hello?" Takeli heard footsteps coming towards a wooden door near the end of the parlor.
As it opened up, Takeli felt a sudden chill in the air. He saw a candle next to him burn out like it was really windy inside the room. Takeli held his breath of what was to happen. He heard the sounds of metal chains clashing next to each other. Breathing sounds began to get heavier as the door opened up. "Takeli." A voice, it was very strange. It sounded like the person had smog caught in her throat. "Uh, who is that?" Takeli asked. Panting could be heard over the sound of the chains through the door.
"Takeli, hello." Takeli opened his eyes and saw a beautiful young woman standing next to the door. She wore a silky green dress, barely hiding her cleavage. She saw a silk thread covering her mouth as she breathed in and out. She wore high heels with little metal charms hanging from it. Her blue skirt underneath showed hardly any protection from her breasts, and he could smell the perfume smell from her hair. "I am Lady Zephyr. I have heard many things about you," she said. She unlocked another wooden next to Takeli, revealing a room with a flat table covered with silk. "Come in, sit."
Takeli quietly walked into the dim room. Lady Zephyr lighted up a small candle on the middle of the glass table. She closed the door and locked it, dropping the key into her small pocket. Takeli sat down on the small cushioned chair, as Lady Zephyr went into her back door and brought back a cup of tea. She handed Takeli the cup of tea and sat down onto her own chair. "Excuse me, but what is the tea for?" Lady Zephyr raised one of her eyebrows, and ignored him while she took out a stack of voodoo like cards.
"Oh come on, the tea, is for your own health." Takeli nodded, and took a sip of the tea. "Well, I think I know why you came here." "You do?" Lady Zephyr nodded with a grim smile. "You came here to see if there are any tips I can give you while you are on your journey to find a man named Kung Lao." "How do you know all this?" Takeli asked taking another sip. Lady Zephyr took out her stack of cards and laid them out on the table. "I know a lot of things Takeli. Not just about you, but a little bit of everyone in this world."
He began to open his mouth, but Lady Zephyr silenced him. "There is no need for questions here. All you need are answers." "I don't really understand what you mean by that." "Nobody ever does on his or her first time. You'll get the hang of it soon enough." Takeli murmured to himself a little while Lady Zephyr poured some food into her aquatic fish tank. 'Man, I wonder what she is going to say' he thought. Lady Zephyr stopped suddenly and started to chuckle. "What I'm going to say? I'm not sure yet Takeli." "Wait, you can read minds?" "Yes, but not 24/7. That takes a lot of energy from me."
Lady Zephyr took her seat again, and started to unfold the cards one by one. "Well, let's see what we have here. You're full name is Takeli Osaka Lao. You're family was killed when you were about two years old, so your memory about them is very blurry. Recently refugees from an unknown place attacked your temple and home. Your grandfather was killed in the process, and now you swore revenge on whoever killed them. However, you have been recently attacked by the same dark ninja that killed your grandfather."
"You must feel awful about this, don't you Takeli?" He nodded silently to himself. "I've been there before. My sister was killed during a car accident. I've never been able to shake her off of my mind, but I got use to it. And now, you see, I feel much better." "Did you free your mind somehow?" "Of course, that's the whole point about actually being a psychic. You have to free your mind and to think about what is mentally there. Here, let me start. I better stop rambling."
Lady Zephyr revealed one of the cards. The figure was the same black ninja from his dreams. "What? What does this mean? That's the same person that killed my grandfather, as well as trying to kill me!" Lady Zephyr shook her head in dispute. "Let me start by saying that, not everything I say here is believable. It all depends on you." "I understand. So what does this mean?" Lady Zephyr took out some colorful dust and started to sprinkle it around the clear table. "Right now I'm drawing away the spirits by sprinkling magic sand. This will block them."
Lady Zephyr revealed yet another card next to the other one. This time it showed a ghastly glow. Takeli felt another breeze come over the room, causing the bells to ring. "Do any of these cards make any sense to you?" She asked. Takeli shook his head. "I've encountered this ninja before. His name is I think, Noob Saibot. He is from the depths of the Netherealm and will try and kill you with his ghastly force."
Takeli's eyes widened. "Is this true? Why is he after me?" Lady Zephyr flipped over another card, showing a deadly skull with blood dripping from it. "This isn't good, is it?" Takeli asked. Lady Zephyr shrugged. "Only you can really understand these cards. Now tell me, you've seen Noob Saibot in your dreams before haven't you?" "Yes, that's right." "He's been trying to kill you. Correct?" Takeli nodded, grasping his bag as it began to fall onto the floor. "Let me think for a moment," Lady Zephyr said as she closed her eyes.
"Takeli, do you have any magical abilities you can perform?" "No, not that I know of." "Have you ever done something that you never meant to but it just happened, and when you woke up, you couldn't remember what happened in the last hour or so?" "I think so. Why?" Lady Zephyr reached towards her silky robe and pulled out a strange gem. "Now, Takeli, this is a very special gem. It will show me how much light and darkness you have in you. Just hold it in your hands for a while." She gave Takeli the gem, and he grasped it into his hands.
Takeli felt a sudden jolt going through his body, and he dropped the gem onto the table. Almost the entire thing was glowing bright red, but a little bit was black. "Well, Takeli, I'm impressed with the results." Lady Zephyr took the gem back and flipped over the last card. It showed a thunder strike over it. "Strange, I didn't expect this card to appear." Lady Zephyr quickly snatched the cards away from the table and stared at Takeli. "Now, here comes the real challenge of the day." "What do you mean by that?"
"Takeli, I think you need a bit of training." "What kind of training? I am going to be trained in martial arts." "Takeli, I've looked into your mind. You are not ready to be trained by Kung Lao. I have a very different and difficult test for you myself. Are you up for the challenge?" She asked. "If it will help me train better with Kung Lao, then I agree to this training. When will it start?" Lady Zephyr's eyes gleamed in admiration. "It's going to start right now." She grabbed Takeli's palms, and he felt a jolt.
"What the?" Takeli felt a jolt of blood going through his body. His body tensed up, like all the blood was going straight for his heart. His pulse began to go faster, and sweat started to pour out of his head, as well as the back of his neck. He felt like he wad going through a time warp. His skin began to peel back. Takeli's sight bubbled inside as he saw a blurry vision ahead of him. 'What's happening to me?' he wondered. Takeli felt a thriving pain in his head. He opened his mouth to scream, but not a whimper of sound came out. 'Takeli...!"
'What? What was that? I couldn't really here anything right now.' Takeli opened his closed eyes and saw Lady Zephyr staring at him. They were both no longer in the parlor. They were both standing in the middle of a luscious garden. The sunny sky was above them, and blossoms of petals were everywhere. "Where are we?" Takeli felt his voice echoing through the place, like he was in a video game or something.
"We are in a simulation created from our minds. Here, you will first learn to control your psychic abilities, if any." "Why do I need to learn these things? Is this going to help me?" Lady Zephyr nodded. "I saw how you fought back then while helping the little one. You may have won, but you have shown no control of your powers whatsoever. You could have been seriously injured, or even killed when you do that." "What do you mean? I don't have any powers!" "Then how do you explain those blinding rays of light or those meteors falling from the sky?"
Takeli was stunned by the facts. "This really happened?" He asked. "Didn't you feel it? It's probably because you are too young to hold up your energy." Lady Zephyr snapped her fingers. A sudden wave of energy surged through the area. The flowers began to bloom and shower their pollen into the air. "How did that happen?" Takeli asked. "It just happens Takeli. Just think hard." The pollen began to spin around him, forming a barrier. "What is going on?" "I'm going to see if you can escape through that flowery cyclone."
"Flowers?" Takeli reached towards the flower. ZAP! A surge of electricity came out of the flowers. Takeli rubbed his fingers as little drips of blood came out of it. "Don't worry Takeli. Just imagine as if the flowers aren't really there. It's your fear that is causing the electric sparks to appear. Relax. Free up your mind." "All right, whatever you say." Takeli closed his eyes and began to breathe in and out calmly. "Don't worry. You'll get it right eventually."
"Eventually? I don't have time!" Takeli leaped through the cyclone and felt a shock tingling through him. Lady Zephyr stared at him. "You're not ready for this," she said. Takeli shook his head. "Yes I am!" A light beam appeared again, shooting out from behind his spine. "What's this weird feeling I keep having?" The barrier around him began to break up. Little by little, the wind blew away the blossoms. He leapt through the barrier and smashed face first down on the ground.
"Oh!" He heard Lady Zephyr's voice echo through the area. "What now?" Takeli stammered. He saw Lady Zephyr vanishing from her spot. "Wait! Where are you going?" The sky above him began to turn dark, and lightning started crashing down. Then thunder started to form in a hellish form. The stone ground around him began to shatter, causing a huge fault to appear. He started to run from the emerging fault. "Don't be afraid." He overheard another soft voice through the sound of the thunder.
"What's that?" He cried. He saw a blue motorcycle in the middle of the stone desert. The fault was dangerously getting closer to him. "There better be keys in there." Takeli hopped on and the motorcycle began to start on its own. It glided through the hard ground, shattering the stones ahead of him. The motorcycle didn't have any controls on it, just the handles. 'How am I suppose to control this thing?' he wondered. He pressed his foot down and it began to move faster. The air in front of him was covered with floating cups and dishes. "Hang on!" "Who said that?"
The motorcycle began to levitate into the air. 'I wonder what's going on now.' The high intensity force of the wind caused a sudden chill in the air. The ground below Takeli crumbled and exploded, filling the area with hot lava. The boiling flares of the lava began to bubble near his feet. "Ah! I need sun glasses!" Like it was a wish, a pair of sunglasses appeared over his head. A water bottle floated near him, squirting water into his mouth. 'Cool.' The motorcycle began to shift forward, causing Takeli to lean over the lava.
Suddenly, waves of lava splashed over the motorcycle, burning Takeli's legs. 'I need some water!' The magma below began to cool down and melt into a clear pool of water. Takeli pulled his lever and the MC shifted down into the water. The sky turned blue again, and a water jet appeared behind him. He began to glide through the crystal water like a Jet Ski. As the currents moved faster, Takeli could feel a strange presence around him. His head began to feel uncomfortable, and a figure began to appear in front of him...
"Noob Saibot!" Takeli's heart raced as he saw his image beginning to appear. "I finally got you!" It cried. Takeli saw Noob Saibot jumping down from the sky and splashing into the water. "How did he get here?" The water around him turned into smoke as it flowed up. The MC changed form again and blasted up into the sky again. "Lao!" Takeli looked down and saw his Grandfather reaching his hand out of the water. "Help me!" "Grandfather! You're alive?" It couldn't be, can it? Takeli shifted down again, back into the smoke.
"Mind your own business!" Noob Saibot jumped out of the smoke and grabbed Takeli's neck. He gasped as he tried to pry open his hands. "What... do you... want?" Takeli managed to squeak. Noob Saibot's eyes glowed an eerie red now. "I can tap into your wonderful pure dreams. Stealing the love from it, you pathetic mortal." Noob Sabot began to squeeze his neck even harder. "Where... is my... grandfather?" He cried. Noob Saibot laughed.
"You really expected him to be alive again didn't you? He's dead and will always be dead!" Takeli tried to kick his leg, but it was no use. The grip he had on him was too much. "Help..." The smoke cleared out, revealing a tournament area. "I would like to kill you fairly. It's very relaxing to me." The motorcycle vanished suddenly. Noob Saibot threw him to the ground. Takeli reached for his neck and began to rub the soreness. "Fight me!"
A fury of fire blew from the tournament sides. "If you try to escape, you will die." Takeli got back up and looked around. He was right. There was no escape. "Face your fear Takeli. You can do it." "Lady Zephyr..." "Enough of this!" Noob Saibot fired a flash towards Takeli. Takeli rolled back and dodged it. The flash slammed onto the wall, causing a change of climate. "Getting cold?" Noob asked.
"NO!" Takeli stammered. Noob Saibot jumped into the air and dive kicked Takeli onto the side. He slammed into a brass bowl and broke it. Noob Saibot ran towards him. Takeli got back up and prepared to block. Noob Saibot jumped up and did a double kick move. Takeli grabbed his left leg and tried to punch his chest, but he was too quick and kicked his head instead. Takeli flipped through the air and crashed down, making a dent on the arena floor.
"Is this a mistake? I've easily taken you down." Noob Saibot sweep kicked Takeli off of the ground and into the open space. Blood dripped from Takeli's mouth as he hung his chin. Noob Saibot grabbed his legs and swung him straight into the roof. A loud thud was heard as Takeli's spine cracked on the roof. "Now, to finish you off for good." Noob Saibot shot forward a shadow ghoul. It extended up at Takeli, reaching for his heart.
SNAP! What? A soft sound was heard over the arena. The ghoul was stiff in the air, unable to move. Noob Saibot was shaking his body. His legs stayed as they were on the ground. Takeli's blood stopped dripping and formed into gold dust. The entire arena was silent. The flares surrounding it have calmed down, and were only a speck of light. As it stopped crackling, Noob Saibot's eyes froze in fear. Takeli's body started to glow, and a beam of light from his heart shot down. The dark energy Noob Saibot used vanished, and all he could do was stare.
"This soul is so pure!" Noob Saibot collapsed and saw the light beam coming from Takeli increase in force. Noob Saibot shielded his eyes from the light. "It's too intense!" The light began to cover the walls and pots. Noob Saibot's body was covered with it. The smog around him quickly vanished, and all he could see was Takeli. The beam began to turn bright red. It began to crack the ground as Noob Saibot stared at it.
"It's happening..." CRACK! The sound of a mirror breaking. Breaking the sound barrier, the walls cracked open, revealing an open space. Takeli gently sank back down to the Earth. Noob Saibot watched silently as he fell down. "I must kill him!" He ran towards Takeli, forming a spear in his hand. "Ahh!" Noob Saibot screamed as an electric barrier surrounded Takeli, shocking him. Then, he disappeared...
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"Wake up." Takeli opened his eyes and saw Lady Zephyr stirring some tea. "Where am I? I feel like I've just gotten ran down by a train." Lady Zephyr gave him the tea. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your training here with me," she said in an echoing voice. "Why do I hear echoes?" "We're still in the dream world. You have defeated Noob Saibot in an intense mind fight, and have shown some improvement on your powers. With a little more time, you will be able to control your powers to the max. I'm very proud of you."
A sudden echo came through and Takeli closed his eyes. "Welcome back." He opened his eyes and found himself in the room where they were before. Lady Zephyr opened her eyes, and smiled. "Do you feel any different?" She asked. "Actually, I do! I feel more confident, and I can actually feel the powers flowing through me. Do I have more?" "You have to decide that for yourself my dear. If you want to reach your maximum limits, then train hard."
"Don't worry I will," Takeli said. He got off of his chair and stretched a little. He felt a bit of pain on the sides of his necks. "Why does my neck still hurt?" Lady Zephyr chuckled. "Did you think that everything that happened today wasn't real?" Lady Zephyr stepped out of her chair and opened the luminous door again. "Here, you better get going." "Don't I need to pay you or anything?" Lady Zephyr shook her head. "You got a good soul. I'll let you go free this time." She winked at him as he went through the door.
Takeli breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a hawk above dropped down another note.
ยงยง Dear Lao Takeli,
How have you been doing? Is your journey going well so far? I've heard that you've received some training in the forms of antiquity. This was probably a good idea, even for you. Are we still planning on meeting at the Glass Lake soon? I am really eagered to finally meet you. I promise that you will be trained with the up most respect. Also, if you encounter Rayden or Fujin, please follow their ideas wisely.
Lao Kung
Takeli stuffed the note into his pocket and began to walk out into the desert once more.