At the other bride at the Pit, Blaze had fought well, but yet he just wasn't powerful enough, these holy men had surrounded him, shooting him with mystical energy. Blaze screamed in pain, as they blasted him with mystical energy.
"Now, you will guard the last Dragon Egg… the Dragon King will return…" These words echoed in his mind over and over again as he felt as though his whole world had collapsed around him. Meanwhile, Raiden floated down to Sub-Zero, while Reptile still lay unconscious.
"I know who you are Thunder God." Sub-Zero said. "My brother told me everything about the story of who he bravely entered the Netherrealm to reclaim Shinnok's amulet from the depths of Hell."
"Really?" Raiden said, chuckling slightly. "Did he tell you that it was his fault the entire ordeal happened?"
"Well… yeah, but he did want to undo his mistake didn't he?"
"Yes, albeit reluctantly." Raiden replied.
"Well…" Sub-Zero said, trying to change the subject. "I want to know… how did he die?"
Raiden sighed deeply. "I'm not going to lie to you, your brother was killed by Scorpion out of vengeance."
"Scorpion? You mean that yellow ninja that you were talking to?" Sub-Zero said, angrily.
"Yes, that's him." Raiden confirmed.
Sub-Zero's fists clenched at his side. "I hope he wins his next match, because when we fight I'm going to ready! Now that I know who killed my brother, I will gladly avenge him in combat!"
"I see… did your brother ever tell you the end of the story when he got back to Earth?"
"What about it?" Sub-Zero asked, curiously.
"I guess he didn't tell you. While in the Netherrealm, he discovered that his soul was tainted with evil, that was why he could enter the Netherrealm. No matter how little the evil is, it's more than enough to enter or perhaps be condemned to it. Your brother is probably just another damned soul roaming the pits of Hell as we speak."
"His soul was tainted with evil?" said Sub-Zero, shocked.
"Yes, no doubt from his years of mercilessly killing people. Scorpion was one of those victims. "Killed in cold blood" he claimed and of course because of it, he was condemned to the Netherrealm when he died."
"But what about me…? Is my soul tainted with evil?"
"Like I told your brother, the answer is yes. I told him that he would change his ways, he could perhaps save his spirit from damnation, but alas… it's a pity."
"What about me?"
"Like I also told your brother, only you can change your ways." Raiden said, and before Sub-Zero could continue to inquire, Raiden vanished.
O-O-O
Back in the arena, Scorpion had returned, and upon sight of him, Kahn spoke.
"Ah, now that Scorpion has returned, we can begin our next match, this match will be held at the Dead Pool. Fighters head through the portal." Kahn said, a portal opened in the middle of the arena.
"Finally!" Mileena exclaimed, she turned and chuckled at her opponent. "You have no idea what you're up against ninja."
"Whatever." Scorpion said, dryly. Right now his mind wasn't on the match, it was on the man who he had come to hunt down. Now that he knew that this Sub-Zero wasn't the same man who murdered him two years ago. Where would he go now? He had no reason to kill him. Perhaps he should just return to the Netherrealm, maybe this was the reason why his soul could not rest. Maybe now he could finally rest… but yet somehow he knew he couldn't…
After he was murdered in cold blood, he recalled their second meeting in the Netherrealm.
Sub-Zero had been cast into the Prison of Souls, unaware of the ninja behind him.
"Don't bother…" Scorpion hissed.
"Who are you?" said Sub-Zero, turning abruptly around.
"I am a dead man. Yet you have retained your mortality… that would mean that you are vulnerable to death. I am Scorpion! You killed me in cold blood!"
"I had no choice!" Sub-Zero replied.
"You could've let me live!" Scorpion shouted.
"Then I would be the dead one!" Sub-Zero shouted back.
"But my clan and family would still be alive!"
"What?"
"It wasn't enough to kill me! You had to eradicate every last remnant of my being including my wife and child!" Scorpion yelled, angrily.
"You are mistaken! Quan Chi is responsible for their deaths!"
"Words will not save you Lin Kuei Warrior!"
As Scorpion and Mileena entered the portal, they found themselves on a single bridge, surrounded by acid on both sides, both Scorpion and Mileena took the opposite ends. Mileena chuckled and took out her twin sais, while Scorpion prepared his spear.
Mileena brought her sais up and out came two pink beams of energy. Scorpion quickly teleported and from behind a fist struck her in the back of head causing her to stagger forward and drop her sais. Scorpion and Mileena then blocked and parried each others attacks. Mileena kicked Scorpion across the face and threw him to the other side of the arena, but Scorpion quickly recovered and sent a long rope from his belt suddenly a piercing blade struck Mileena in the chest.
"COME HERE!"
Suddenly Mileena was sent spiraling towards the ninja specter, he struck her three times across the face, but Mileena responded by tripping him to the ground. As Scorpion recovered, Mileena kicked him three times in the chest sending him flying back.
"By killing this ninja, I can take my Father's love away from that spotlight stealing bitch, Kitana."
O-O-O
Jade charged at Smoke, who dodged and her staff and moved in to strike her across the face. Jade ducked under the attack and using her staff, she tripped Smoke. As the Lin Kuei Warrior fell, Jade attempted to take her blade and finish the intruder off, but Smoke managed to tilt his head just enough to dodge the attack. Bring his leg up, he kicked her in the chest causing her to fall on her back.
Both warriors got to their feet and were both on the attack again. Jade kicked Smoke twice across the face, but when she came at him again, Smoke vanished into thin air, as puffs of clouds vaporized when Jade punched through them, suddenly they materialized and Smoke reappeared behind her, before Jade could turn around, Smoke struck her in the back.
"You're pretty good." Smoke complimented, but Jade took her staff out from the ground and swung it around, striking him across the face…
O-O-O
Mileena rolled into a ball and caused Scorpion to lose balance and be thrown into the air. Suddenly as Scorpion regained his balance, Mileena had teleported and from behind Scorpion had been kicked in the head. As Mileena came at Scorpion again, this time the specter was ready and he blocked her advance and struck her in the chest with his knee and then punched her twice across the face.
Mileena growled and grabbed her sais from off the ground and she was able to kick Scorpion in the chest. Scorpion recovered, as Mileena tried to impale him with her sais. However, Scorpion blocked the attack and sent Mileena flying with a roundhouse kick. Then as Mileena landed on her feet, Scorpion sent his spear at her again. Once again it connected:
"GET OVER HERE!"
Mileena was propelled towards Scorpion once again. Scorpion grabbed her and punched her in the stomach three times and then using his knee he struck her in the face causing her to fly up in the air. When Mileena landed on the ground, she struggled to get to her feet, gasping for air as she did so.
"Not bad… ninja… but I have one more trick. This will shock and terrify you beyond belief." Mileena said, as she removed her pink mask, revealing for the first time to anyone in the tournament her horrible teeth. Truly anyone else, even Kitana herself would've been terrified by the sight of them, but yet Scorpion just stood unphased.
"Very cute." He said, bored.
"What the hell?" Mileena exclaimed, shocked. "Are you scared? Don't you want to run?"
"Not really." Said Scorpion.
Mileena growled and came at Scorpion again, but this time fire formed in Scorpion's feet and he back flipped causing Mileena to fly back. As Mileena landed on her back, Scorpion advanced on her again and with a quick blow to the chin, Scorpion ended the match as Mileena landed near the edge of the door, he body just an inch away from the edge.
With a sigh, Scorpion turned to leave. There was no reason to finish her off; she wouldn't be getting back up for a while. He turned to leave, though his thoughts weren't on his recent victory. It was on the man who he had been sent to kill. Sub-Zero. He wasn't the same man, yet still Scorpion felt ashamed… of himself, surprisingly for what he had done… his very reason for existing… The man who killed him and his family, he had become just like the man he hated so much that he had rose from the pits of Hell itself.
Now Scorpion knew that he must decide what he is to do now for his future… his soul still cannot rest and he does not desire to remain in the Netherrealm for all eternity… Ever since Scorpion was killed, he had lost his honor as a warrior. Yet now, he had lost it further, he had killed the man who killed his family and yet now he had taken away somebody else…
For the first time in his life as a specter, Scorpion felt guilt…