It had been three months since the conclusion of the Mortal Kombat tournament. Everyone had returned home, back to their normal lives...everyone except Cherin. She rolled over in her cot and glanced at her watch, 2:23 a.m.

"Perfect," she whispered.

She stood up, careful not to disturb anyone, and crept out of the small tent. Outside, the camp was silent. She scanned the dark encampment, which was nothing more than a circle of tents surrounded by a wide river. A rickety bridge was the only exit, and it was guarded. Cherin, however, was desperate. She'd been stuck in this place for too long. Quietly, she circled around one of the tents. Staring at the rushing rover before her, she suddenly began to have second thoughts.

"No," she breathed, "I can't stay here." So she took a deep breath, and cannon balled into the river. The cold water shocked her, and she gasped, sucking it into her lungs. She choked and gagged as she was swept away with the current. Finally, by some miracle, she was able to grab onto a low hanging tree branch and pull herself onto shore. For a while she lay there, breathing hard, then she stood. A short distance away was a cluster of houses, their windows dark at this late hour. The river had carried her to the small village east of the camp.

"I must have gone at least a mile," she said to herself. Then she remembered something. This particular village contained a portal, often used by Kitana and some of the other officials at the camp. After a few minutes of creeping through the dark village, she found it...

Quan Chi, unable to sleep, had been wandering around his fortress when he felt a strange surge of power. It took him only a moment to realize what it was.

"The portal..."

He sprinted toward the portal chamber and pulled open the door. It was dark, and at first he couldn't see a thing. That was when he heard a soft groan.

"Ouch,"

"Who is there!" he demanded.

There was no answer.

"Whoever you are," he said, "You are trespassing."

Through the darkness, he could make out a figure, walking slowly toward him. By its small stature he could tell it was a woman, and for a split second he hoped it might be...

His hopes were shattered, when the most unlikely person stumbled through the doorway. Cherin, looking confused and lost.

"What are you doing Cherin?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

She looked around, still apparently confounded.

"I...I didn't...I don't...I don't know," she finally managed to stammer, "I didn't...didn't mean to come here."

"Really..." the sorcerer said, unconvinced. He was very aware of her feelings.

"Yes," she replied shortly, "I was in Edenia...on probation."

Quan Chi smiled.

"I see Raiden went easy on you," he said.

Cherin sighed. She had been fighting her unexplainable feelings for almost three months, and so far it had been working, but now that he was standing right in front of her...

"Can I ask you a question?" she said.

The sorcerer looked annoyed, but he nodded.

"Be quick about it."

She took a breath.

"Three months ago," she began, "At the tournament..."

She stopped, it was too hard to ask.

Suddenly the sorcerer began to laugh.

"That was a one time only occurrence," he chuckled, "It was a mistake on my part, and believe me it will never happen again Cherin."

Cherin took a step back.

"Why?"

Quan Chi seemed puzzled, "Why? What kind of a question is that? Get it through your head girl, I do not care about you. I never have, and I never will."

Cherin's eyes narrowed, "So you just used me?"

"Of course," the sorcerer replied, as if this should be obvious to her.

"Oh, I understand now," Cherin said, "You aren't over her are you? You never will be."

Quan Chi's eyes flashed angrily.

"You are out of line," he hissed.

"But you know I'm right!"

"You have no idea what you are talking about Cherin."

Cherin smiled, proud of herself for being so brave.

'"Yes I do," she retorted, "You're just too proud to admit it!"

"SILENCE!"

Suddenly, Cherin was blasted by a flash of green light. She hit the stone wall with a thud, falling to the floor in a heap.

The sorcerer took a breath, trying to regain his composure.

"Leave now," he said quietly, "Do not return, or I will kill you."

Ignoring the pain in her head and back, and the tears in her eyes, Cherin scrambled back through the portal.

A few days later...

Raiden had asked Ashlynn to meet him in the courtyard of the palace that had once been Shang Tsung's. He smiled, Ashlynn had had every one of the sorcerer's gruesome statues removed, and had replaced them with gardens and trees. He sighed, she was late as usual.

"Where could she be..."

His question was answered when Ashlynn came jogging from the palace doors, wearing a cream colored summer dress, her shoes in one hand.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, "I was with Ari and Rhapsody and-

He stopped her, "It doesn't matter. I have bad news Ashlynn, Cherin has somehow managed to escape the camp in Edenia."

Ashlynn sat down on one of the stone benches, signaling for him to do the same.

"I thought she'd have learned her lesson by now...Do you know where she is?"

The thunder god nodded, "She is somewhere here, in Outworld, but I cannot tell where. I did, however, sense her presence in the area of Quan Chi's fortress not three days ago."

Ashlynn shuddered at the mention of the sorcerer.

"Where is she now?" she asked.

"As I said, I cannot tell. She is still in Outworld, that's for sure. She seems lost, she's been wandering for days."

"We can't just leave her out there," Ashlynn said, "Although she might deserve it. You want me to search for her, right? That's why you're here?"

"No," Raiden replied, "Not you. I am going to send Jay Yung in search of her, I have another mission in mind for you...Ashlynn, it is time."

Ashlynn sighed, she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"As long as Quan Chi lives," the thunder god continued, "There will always be a threat to the realms."

"I know," Ashlynn said, "But I'm not sure I can beat him."

Raiden smiled, "You seemed pretty sure three months ago at the tournament, after you defeated Delphine"

She returned his smile.

"Yeah," she said, "But I was all caught up in the heat of the moment, I may have made some promises I can't keep. Besides, Quan Chi is stronger than Delphine was, you know that Raiden."

"Yes," Raiden agreed, "But I also know that you can be stronger than Quan Chi. If you don't believe you'll win, then you won't, it's as simple as that."

Ashlynn nodded, "I'll travel to Outworld as soon as Jay finds Cherin, someone has to be here for the girls."

"About the girls," Raiden said, "Keep a close eye on them. They hold a great power, and I know there are beings out there who would stop at nothing to obtain it."

"Thanks," Ashlynn said, "I'll go talk to Jay."

With that, the thunder god vanished.

Amilee glanced at Maria and Scorpion again, feeling sick. She had traveled all the way to Sun Do, just to visit, but maria had been too busy with Scorpion to pay any attention to her. Amilee shook her head and let her eyes rest on the beautiful ring on her finger. It was icy blue, and sparkled whenever she moved. Looking at it reminded her of Sub-Zero, now her husband, and it made her feel better.

"Maria?" she said.

Maria didn't look at her, she was still staring at Scorpion.

"Hmmm?" was all she said.

"I think I should be going home..." Amilee said.

Maria waved a hand at her, "Okay."

Amilee shook her head, leaving the small house.

"Disgusting," she muttered.

She stopped in surprise when something landed on the path in front of her. It was a girl of no more than five years, her face was red with tears. Amilee stared to ask what was the matter, when a short, fat man ambled down the steps of a nearby house.

"Evaria!" he shrieked, "How many...how many warning have I given you hmmm?"

Amilee could tell right of the bat that he was drunk. She gasped when his foot collided with the tiny girl's side.

"Horrible little brat...horrible..." he muttered.

He raised his foot again, only to find a dagger pointed at his throat.

"Touch her again," Amilee said, "And I'll slit your fat throat!"

"Mind your own business!" the man demanded.

"I'm making this my business!" she yelled, attracting the attention of several villagers, "How dare you treat an innocent child like that!"

The drunken man smiled, "What are you gonna do about it?"

She raised the dagger, only to find it pulled from her hand. She spun around to face a man in a dirty brown robe, his face was concealed by a hood.

"What are you doing? Give me my dagger!"

"You can't just walk around killing villagers," the hooded man said, taking her arm. He led her away, toward the village gates.

"Who are you!" Amilee demanded.

The man pulled back his hood, revealing a face that was somewhat familiar to her.

"I've seen you before," she said, "But I can't remember where."

"It was a long time ago," he said, "During the battle with Shao Kahn. You were working for Quan Chi at the time, I met you once, but only for a few minutes."

"I'm sorry," Amilee said, "I don't remember."

"It's okay, I didn't really expect you to. My names Johnny, Johnny Cage."

"Wait! Sonya told me about Johnny Cage, about how he was killed by Shao Kahn...You can't be him."

Johnny smiled, "Yeah, I was stupid. I was trying to protect Sonya, and I ended up getting myself killed in the process."

Amilee's was staring at him with a mix of confusion and amusement.

"If you died," Amilee said, "Then how am I talking to you?"

"My soul couldn't ascend to the Heavens like it was supposed to, because I still had unfinished business here."

"Sonya?"

"Yeah," Johnny replied quietly, "Sonya, I couldn't leave her. It's been so long, I bet she's already moved on, hasn't she?"

Amilee shook her head.

"No," she said, "She's never gotten over you, she talks about you a lot."

"Yeah well, don't kill this guy," Cage said, changing the subject, "Although I'm pretty sure he deserves it."

Amilee shifted her eyes back to the drunken man, who was sitting cross legged on the ground, staring at her.

"You will never lay another hand on this child," she said, "Do you understand me?"

He nodded, though she knew it was no good. A man like that would never change.

Quan Chi stood in his throne room, trying to distract himself from what Cherin had said.

"She is nothing," he said to himself, "Nothing more than a foolish, lovesick mortal. She knows nothing..."

Rain crept silently into the room, not wanting to interrupt his master's musings...or whatever they were.

"Master?" he said finally.

The sorcerer didn't look at him.

"I have some information," he waited for his master to say something, but he didn't, so the ninja continued, "Ashlynn is on her way here...to confront you."

"I was expecting this," Quan Chi said, turning around, "Fear not Rain, she stands no chance against me. She doubts herself, therefor she is incapable of defeating me."

There was silence for a few moments.

"So...you will fight her Master?"

"Yes," the sorcerer replied, "But I will not kill her. I only need to show her that she cannot win, and that she has no choice but to surrender herself to me."

"Not to be intrusive," Rain said slowly, "But I doubt she will join you..."

The ninja received a look that would have boiled water, and he shot out of the room.

"She will join me," Quan Chi said, once Rain had gone, "Once Jay Yung is out of my way, and I know the perfect person to eliminate him...he will never suspect it."

He laughed, and it echoed through the halls, sending a chill down every spine within earshot to hear it.