"What is all this?" Liu Kang asked as he and Kung Lao emerged from the portal back at the Wu Shi Academy.
The area had been drastically rebuilt since he had been killed. What was once a clearing in the forest near the academy was now a courtyard built at the base of Mount Wushi. A large sheltered flame burned brightly in the rockface, symbolising the immortality of Liu Kang's inextinguishable spirit, with four kombat medallions displayed above the flame to symbolise his victories over the forces of darkness on the island, as well as in Outworld, Earthrealm and Edenia.
There was a stream running around the area with a short bridge built over it. To either side of this bridge were two small buildings that housed statues of Liu Kang - one of him in his youth before his induction into the White Lotus, and one of him as he had looked when competing the tournament. Adorning these statues were pieces of memorabilia from the Kung family treasury, as well as funeral gifts from his Earthrealm allies. It was Kitana's gift that he took particular note of: a small red flower native to Edenia known as a Delius, named for Delia, the wife of Edenia's protector god, Argus. It was said to symbolise love.
"We chose this site as your tomb, Cousin," Kung Lao replied. "Master Bo' Rai Cho suggested it, given your love of the old cherry blossom tree Kung Xifeng planted here."
"Which was burned in the Outworld attack," Liu Kang remarked mournfully.
The two had just returned from Edenia, following the battle with Tanya's forces. Their fellow Earthrealmers had returned to America, while Kitana remained in Edenia with her mother to try to undo the damage to their realm's infrastructure that Tanya and her master had caused. Like the others that had died in battle with the Deadly Alliance, Kung Lao had undergone the magic treatment to restore his eyes to their original form, rather than keeping them the milky white of the undead.
"What were they like, our ancestors?" Lao asked. "Of course, you don't have to answer if you would rather not think-"
"It's fine, Cousin. Existing inside Shang Tsung's body was... indescribable. I could feel the innumerable souls he had claimed over the centuries were all on the verge of losing their minds from the torment. But the Great Kung Lao seemed to exude an aura of inspiration, keeping us together. I learned much from them while inside. Secret techniques and suggestions for meditation or teaching methods. They are all free now, thanks to Master Raiden's sacrifice. They asked me to go with them, but I still have much to do in the mortal realms."
Listening to this tale, Kung Lao wasn't sure he would have rejected their offer so easily. "Has Master Raiden returned?"
"Not as far as I am aware, no. Master Fujin was looking into his whereabouts when I briefly met him in Outworld. Apparently, his energies should have reformed in Earthrealm, reincarnating with no memory of his past life. But, something seems to have gone wrong."
"I hope he turns up soon. These threats are growing more and more powerful. We will need all the help we can get for future battles."
"Indeed. We will need to reach out to everyone who has ever aided in Earthrealm's defence: Kai, Kurtis Stryker, Kabal, Cyrax, Takahashi Kenshi. Whatever comes next will surely be a far greater threat than even Onaga or Shao Kahn and we must be ready."
The two monks entered the underground meditation chamber where Liu Kang's body was entombed, accessible via either of the two structures. Kung Lao explained that many of the monks at the academy made regular visits to the chamber to meditate and pray, especially those who excelled in the martial arts.
As Kung Lao pushed the red wooden doors to the chamber open, his eyes widened in terror. "No. No, no, no, no!" He rushed over towards the stone coffin at the far end of the chamber, whose lid lay shattered around it. He stopped himself at the coffin's side and looked inside. "It's gone!"
"What's gone?"
"Your body. It's been taken!"
The Sky Temple, not too far from the academy.
A dark figure stood atop the massive tower as a lightning storm raged around it. He placed the body of the murdered Earthrealm champion on a stone dais he had erected for this ritual. Chains were wrapped tightly around the body's wrists to keep it from moving. Earthrealm needed its champion, but not as he was.
Liu Kang was a noble man, raised by the Shaolin to value all life. Thus, he had never taken the opportunity to end the life of an opponent, no matter how many times they fought. It was this very attitude that led to his death at the hands of Shang Tsung. If Earthrealm was to face the ever-escalating threats, their champion would need to be brutal, efficient. And that was what the figure intended to bring about.
A massive bolt of lightning, powerful enough to instantly vaporise a human being, struck the body as the figure commanded. He poured his very essence into this bolt, imbuing it with some of his own life force. The body spasmed as electricity flowed through its nerves, reinvigorating the dead flesh, but also charring it a deeper grey.
As the godly bolt subsided, the body went limp again, as if nothing had happened. And then it sat up. The creature that now inhabited Liu Kang's flesh was not held back by the morality of the previous wearer of this skin. It was a merciless killing machine that would slay any its master pointed it at. And he already had his first target in mind.
The figure stood in his dark robes and armour, recognisably only by his conical hat, which barely resembled the original. His eyes burned red with vengeful fire as he released his new enforcer, keeping the hooked chains attached to its wrists as an instrument of execution.
"Now, we will find Shujinko, and he will be the first to be destroyed for the danger he has brought upon Earthrealm." So declared Raiden, Dark God of Thunder.
