*Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat, or its characters. I do own, however, the original character, Shyplae. Using my original characters in your own stories is not permitted, unless with my consent. Thank you.

Chapter 2

Drifting Souls

The light led Kitana to an eerie setting. The foreboding silence that previously flooded Kitana's ears was no more. Instead, she heard muffled whispers and mumbling. The blurry spark quickly zoomed off, up and over a large craterous hill. She pursued it, and soon, the voices became more audible.

Kitana walked to the top of the hill and peered down. There was a deep valley below, with what appeared to be, hundreds of sparks shining brightly, scattered all across the terrain. They greatly resembled the light she was previously chasing.

The whispers soon became clearer, as she listened intently.

"Will we be here forever?"

"Was he not destroyed?"

She looked at the multitude of swirling orbs of light. The one that she had been chasing after was now amidst the others. She had chased after it, wondering what it was. But now, her question was answered.

She focused her eyes on one particularly close one, and noticed that it was not just a mere spark of light after all. It was a person. It was a transparent man, drifting across the way. He closely resembled a ghost or a wraith, except he was neither hideous nor horrifying. He radiated an almost celestial-like aura of intense brightness. After realizing this, Kitana looked at the others, and saw people.

"They are souls of the dead," she said to herself.

The souls continued to talk amongst themselves, and Kitana finally decided to speak with them.

She carefully meandered downhill, avoiding the many holes, craters, and rocks. When she had reached the bottom, she saw that the man noticed her coming. He approached her.

"Are you not the great warrior, Princess Kitana?" he asked. "The one who had help defeat the malevolent Shao Kahn?"

"Yes, I am," she replied.

Kitana took notice of the soul's garments. He wore, what appeared to be, an ancient suit of bulky armor that covered his torso, heavy old pants, a set of leathery boots, a glove on his left hand, and a scabbard on his back, which held no sword.

"Please help us, Princess," he pleaded. "We cannot leave."

"What do you mean?" Kitana asked, slightly puzzled.

"We found ourselves lost, after Shao Kahn was finally defeated. We were released from him, and were banished here. We cannot leave; we cannot go. We can only stay here it seems. We are trapped."

"What? But I do not understand."

"We have remained here, waiting for someone to save us. To free us, and let us continue on, into the afterlife."

"You are lost souls, and unable to proceed on."

"Yes. Will you help us, Princess Kitana? I beseech you."

"I will try. Perhaps if you tell me, what happened to Shao Kahn. Do you know?"

"I do not, Princess. But I will tell you my story."

The armor-clad soul looked up, into the abyss of Outworld. He mused, and began.

"I was a noble warrior, Princess," he started. "I was, when I was living. I was a courageous spirit, very meritorious. I had a family, a wife and two children, whom I loved dearly, and now could never see again. I fought in several wars, and I was a recognized warrior. But eventually, as I resent now, my confidence grew into overconfidence and conceit. And it was that with which brought about my demise. I had voluntarily sought out the satanic Shao Kahn, fighting for everyone, my family and supporters, and to be known as an eternal heroic figure. But, I was defeated instantly. Shao Kahn killed me, and took my soul, to use for his own purposes. My soul was trapped, and it seemed it would be for eternity. But then, your allies and yourself fought against him for all, and it seemed you had finally slain him."

He paused for a moment, looking around at the others. Some noticed Kitana and were looking and listening from a distance.

"All of us were released, being able to finally fly free. But just as we were going to ascend to the afterlife, Shao Kahn, with one final blast of power, banished us here to this valley, where we have remained."

He paused again.

"But not all of us were banished here, only most of us. Some fled and escaped."

"Do you believe Shao Kahn may still be alive?"

"He may be, he may not be, Princess. I am sorry, but I do not know."

Some souls were now gathered around in groups, listening to the conversation between the warrior and Kitana. An apprehensive woman left one of the crowds, and hesitantly approached Kitana.

She was a worn-out woman, with certain kindheartedness in her eyes. She had short blond hair, which was in utter disarray. She wore inexpensive earrings and shoes, and a crumpled, ripped apron. She appeared to be a housewife.

"Are you the Princess Kitana, destroyer of Shao Kahn, who has come to help us?" she asked.

"Yes, I am Kitana. I will try to aid you in any way I can."

"Oh, thank the Lord, someone has come!" the woman wept, being assured.

She bowed to Kitana.

"Please, free us, Kitana! Help us escape."

"Humble woman, please tell me first how Shao Kahn came upon you. That you may now be a lost soul of these here."

"Yes, Princess, I shall."

"But please, first, do not bow to me."

"You are not a princess?"

"Yes, I am. But I am not accustomed to it. Please rise."

The bent woman straightened herself up, and began.

"I was a single mother, raising my son. We lived in a small, unprotected village that was destroyed long ago. By Shao Kahn. We fled to another village, a much larger one, and to our misfortune, Shao Kahn and his army slaughtered everyone. This included myself. I protected my son with my life, shielding him, and Shao Kahn stole my soul. I do not know what happened to my son, but I grieve and fear for him, wherever his soul may now be."

She began to cry. Kitana consoled her.

"I will help you."

Then, something suddenly struck Kitana, and stabbed at her like a knife of poignancy. A short distance off, was a little girl, whom she realized closely resembled herself as a child. The girl's eyes were concentrating on the ground, and she looked very lonely. Her hair was very long and untidy; her face was dirty and bruised. Her skirt was torn, and she walked barefoot. Kitana left the humble lady, and sauntered over to the girl.

"Little girl, what's wrong?"

The girl was startled at first.

"Princess Kitana?"

"Yes, I'm Kitana. What has happened to you? What has Shao Kahn done? Tell me all that happened."

The little girl's disposition became desperate and helpless.

"I was an orphan from ever since I can remember. I lived at an orphanage, where it was okay, but I was always lonely. Then, Shao Kahn came. He destroyed the orphanage and killed everyone."

The girl had terror swirling in her eyes, along with tears.

"He destroyed everything, but I was able to escape and I ran. I kept running, far away. But eventually, Shao Kahn was everywhere, and he killed me. He then trapped me where I could never run away. And now, I'm here, with all these other people."

The orphan girl cried.

"Please, Princess, help us..."

Kitana wished she could hug the girl, but she was a nonsolid soul. She could only watch the girl cry.

"Please..."

Kitana felt her bones quake, and she felt that same sense as before. It was a feeling of discontentment and despair.

"Shao Kahn is still alive," she thought. "Why else would these poor souls be trapped here, unable to ascend?"

She was convinced, and realized that she had to seek out the others and locate Shao Kahn.

"I will help you," Kitana said to the girl.

Thus, Kitana began walking again, leaving that deep valley of souls.