"Queen Sindel," Kung Lao greeted with a bow, upon being approached at the camp by the Edenian entourage. "Princess. Jade."
"Kung Lao," Sindel replied with a smile and a bow of her own. "It is good to see you again. My condolences for your cousin."
"Thank you, Your Highness. Although, it is strange to receive condolences when the man in question is among us in this very camp."
"Yes, I had heard of his bond with Ermac and Kitana. It is a peculiar thing for a wandering soul to be bonded with another like that."
"Perhaps my cousin is just that special."
"Perhaps so."
"Where is Liu Kang, Kung Lao?" Kitana asked, trying to restrain her impatience. Nightwolf had transferred Liu Kang's bond to himself to allow Kitana to help prepare Edenia's forces alongside her mother, while the two Earthrealmers helped prepare their own realm for the upcoming battle.
"He is with Master Bo' Rai Cho and the White Lotus forces," Kung Lao chuckled. "I can take you to him, if you'd like."
"You three go ahead," said Sindel. "I have other matters to see to."
"Are you sure, Mother?"
"I am. Kung Lao, where can I find Shujinko?"
"I believe he is with Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei. Did you know he joined the old Lin Kuei years ago?"
"I did not. It seems that his quest was not only long, but a highly eventful one."
"I suspect he has more tales to tell about his short life than even we do," Jade noted.
"I'm glad you said it instead of me," Lao whispered into Jade's ear, eliciting a chuckle as the three departed, leaving Sindel to find her way towards the hero alone.
"Grandmaster Sub-Zero," Sindel greeted as she approached. "And Cyrax as well. You seem to be doing well." The two warriors bowed before the queen.
"I am, Queen Sindel," Cyrax replied. "Like you, I regained my soul in the invasion of Earthrealm."
"But the scars will never truly heal," Sindel noted empathetically, taking note of his still cybernetic body.
"No. But, that will not stop us from fighting for what is right."
Sindel smiled. "Indeed. And you, Sub-Zero, are doing your Cryomancer ancestors proud."
"You are familiar with the Cryomancers, Your Highness?" Sub-Zero asked, his usually cool demeanour cracking a little.
"It was during my time as Empress that the Cryomancers were driven to near extinction for their rebellion during the invasion of Edenia. They had hoped that Shao Kahn would be held up long enough with Edenia that he might fall to our combined might. Edenia, however, failed to play its part in their plot, and the emperor's vengeance was both swift and terrible. I am truly sorry for our failure."
"Only Shao Kahn holds blame for his genocide of my ancestors," Sub-Zero assured her. "He is lucky to have never face myself or my brother in battle. And should he finally do so in this battle, I assure you that it will be his end."
"I am comforted by your words, Grandmaster. Now, if I may, I would like to speak with Shujinko. I was told he was here with you."
Sub-Zero pointed Sindel towards the part of the Lin Kuei area where she could find the man in question. She found him inside one of the nearby tents, sharpening a Dan Tien Dao. It reminded Sindel of a similar sword placed at Liu Kang's tomb in Earthrealm, which she had visited alongside Kitana after the monk's spirit helped to liberate Kitana and Edenia from Onaga's hold.
"I am happy to see you doing well, Sir Shujinko," Sindel said as she approached the Earthrealmer. The two had met a little over a year prior, when Tanya had attempted to abduct Sindel on Shao Kahn's orders, while Kitana was leading Edenia's armies alongside Goro's forces. Shujinko had freed Sindel and been knighted for his actions, making him one of the very few Earthrealmers to ever earn such an honour.
Shujinko was evidently surprised by the sudden appearance of Sindel, hurriedly turning and bowing respectfully. "I am honoured by your words, Queen Sindel."
"Come now. There is no need for the warrior who slew Onaga to be so formal."
"I regret to inform you, Your Highness, that I only managed to weaken Onaga enough for Nightwolf to wrest his soul free from Reptile's body and seal it in the Netherrealm."
"Then... he has only died once." Sindel's mood deflated considerably.
"Unfortunately so. And with Shinnok leading the enemy forces, I have little doubt that he will have revived Onaga to join his army."
"I see. This is... concerning."
"And I must also apologise for another blunder of mine. I regret that my naiveté placed all of the realms in jeopardy. You entrusted your realm's Kamidogu to my care less than a decade after it was finally freed from Outworld, only for me to foolishly hand it off to another tyrant who sought to merge the realms."
"Onaga always was a wily one. Shao Kahn learned much from him. And your quest began in your younger years, long before you had the life experience to detect his falsehoods."
"But, I am well into my elder years now, and should have found that life experience by now."
"Please, Shujinko. I am in no place to judge another for their mistakes. I have made many, myself. But, rather than allowing them to eat away at me, I instead strive to make amends. If you hold yourself responsible for assisting Onaga's conquest of the realms, then you must fight to destroy the forces of darkness and save them. If you blame yourself for failing to kill Onaga in Outworld, then you must rally your allies and put an end to him once and for all in this battle. Do you understand, Sir Shujinko?"
Shujinko fell to one knee and took Sindel's hand with tears in his eyes. He kissed her hand and vowed to follow her example and prove she had not been mistaken in choosing to make him a knight of her realm.
"Are you ready for our glorious rise, lover?" Tanya asked as she stepped out from between the tents on the opposite side of the canyon to meet with Mileena at the edge of the cliff.
"I'm ready to fill this canyon with blood for you, Dearest Tanya."
"I have a surprise for you," Tanya said with a grin, her hands behind her back.
"I do love surprises," Mileena cooed, staring into her partner's eyes.
"You're going to adore this one." Tanya brought out a small black box of some kind. Mileena had seen such devices before, but could not recall where or when. "It's a portable portal device," she explained. "I stole it from the Black Dragon tent on my way here. With this, we can escape, if need be."
"Why would we need to? Our plan is-"
"Not a guaranteed victory," Tanya interrupted, placing a finger over Mileena's soft lips. "In the event it fails, retreat is preferable to death. Retreat is the better part of valour, as the Earthrealmers say."
"I suppose so," Mileena conceded.
"Good. And that means we have two insurance policies, each provided by a different partner, and both obtained via devious trickery." In response to this, Mileena took out Shinnok's amulet, which Mileena herself had stolen from Quan Chi's tent the previous day. "In a way, these two items represent our trust and our drive to see this through."
"I love when you get poetic."
"Oh, I can get much more poetic than this. But, that's for later. Let's put these away for now and finalise our plans."
"As you wish."
Tanya gave Mileena a nice, firm smack on the behind in response. While she enjoyed the power trip of the former Empress of Outworld speaking to her in a subservient manner, Tanya needed to repeatedly remind Mileena which of the two was supposed to be in charge. But, if their plot succeeded, no one in any of the realms would have to be reminded who was in charge, ever again.
Sindel met back up with Jade to prepare the Edenian forces for the battle. Apparently, Liu Kang intended to remain bonded to Nightwolf, whose spiritual powers made for the strongest bond possible, which would be vital in such a large battle. As such, Kitana had chosen to spend some more time with her lover before the battle began.
"That is good to hear," Sindel said once Jade concluded her explanation. "She deserves some time with her beloved, fleeting though it may be. There's no need for the pitying look," she added with a smile in response to Jade's sympathetic expression. "Yes, I will always miss Jerrod, but he inspires me to be stronger. He died to defend our realm and our people. I must be willing and able to do the same."
"I hope it won't come to that."
"Oh, of course. Nobody wants to die in service of their ideals. That would be foolish. It is far better to livein such service. However, the time may come when such a thing is required of us, and we must be courageous in the face of death."
"What is it like, if I may ask? Death, I mean."
Jade's question gave Sindel pause. She considered how best to describe the sensations. Even now, ten thousand years removed from her death, it was still fresh in Sindel's mind.
"I supposed, it might be different for everyone. For me, it was a welcoming embrace in my attempt to escape Shao Kahn. It may be the same for one dying for the sake of others, warmed by the knowledge that they kept their charge safe. While others may find a cold, uncaring darkness that claims them, regardless of their desires. In the end, death is inevitable. We cannot escape it, but was can, perhaps, live in a way that allows us to accept it, rather than embrace or fear it."
Jade nodded, but it was clear she would have to think on this by herself.
"Listen to me, rambling on about death after saying it was better to live," Sindel chuckled, hoping to change the subject.
Fortunately, there was no need for her to do so as Kitana returned with a very confident swagger, as if something very good had happened, though it was clear she had no intention of revealing exactly what.
"Come, Sister," she said to Jade as she walked past. "Let us show these fools the true might of the Edenian spirit."
"And what a spirit it is," Sindel said in admiration. "Please, keep Kitana safe, Jade."
Jade smiled warmly. "You speak as if there were a need to ask me to."
The battle took place in a canyon at the foot of a mountain range dedicated to Edenia's missing Protector God, Argus. Numerous factions had been brought along by the warriors that had fought for the fates of the realms over the millennia: the White Lotus, the Lin Kuei, the Special Forces, the Tarkata, the Shokan, the Black Dragon, the Red Dragon, the Tekunin, just to name a few. And, of course, the Forces of Light had been joined by Sindel's Edenian forces.
As they said in Earthrealm, the first casualty of war was the battle plan. Many of the more significant warriors had pushed on to battle at the centre of the canyon. By the time the mysterious pyramid rose up out of the ground, those significant warriors were mostly gathered around it, while their armies continued to fight on the outer edges of the battle, as if forming a ring around the warriors that would determine the outcome of the battle atop the pyramid.
Shao Kahn, naturally, was one of the most dominant warriors in the conflict, easily batting aside and crushing the skulls of countless kombatants with little effort. The flow of his dominant brawling was only broken by the rise of the pyramid. Spotting the orange light emanating from the top of the pyramid, he joined the other warriors in rushing up the pyramid's steps to seize the prize for himself.
He clashed with Shang Tsung on the way up, easily batting aside any who came between them, but the battle was interrupted by the arrival of Onaga. His former master took him high into the air, where he would be unable to resist Onaga's might. However, a lightning bolt struck the two from below, burning a hole through Onaga's wing and sending the two conquerors down to the ground below.
Recovering quickly, Shao Kahn gripped his Wrath Hammer and struck Onaga on the head, knocking loose his helmet. Spotting the approaching Reptile, Mileena and Tanya, he commanded his followers to deal with Onaga while he wasted no more time or energy. He could finish Onaga later, once the godly power was his.
As he approached the steps for the second time, something white and firm wrapped itself around his neck and pulled him back. Recognising it quickly as Sindel's silky, prehensile hair, he got to work cutting it with his bladed gauntlets, forcing her to retract it. He placed his hand to his throat for only a second before recomposing himself and turning to face his former bride.
"Sindel," he said with a smirk.
"Shao Kahn," she replied with a scowl.
"Here to stop me from acquiring my rightful prize? You know from past experience that you aren't very good at it."
"I wasn't as strong then as I am now, Shao. You put my family through hell and we have only emerged stronger from it."
"So you claim. But you were unable to stand against even Kitana, from what I heard. You needed Ermac and Liu Kang's ghost to hold your hand every step of the way, while I have only ever relied on myself. Your husband fought on your behalf because you were too weak to put up any challenge, Sindel. And even Jerrod, your better, was no match for me. And I have only grown more powerful since then. I have even bested Onaga, the only warrior I could not defeat, prior to Liu Kang's appearance, and even he is now dead. What hope have you of toppling me?"
"You mistake me for a fool, Shao Kahn," Sindel retorted, taking her battle stance. "My pride is not in my own power."
An unmistakable iron fan rocketed through the air and slashed at Shao Kahn's chest, cutting through his chest straps before returning to the hand of its owner.
"My pride is in my daughter."
Mother and daughter now stood side-by-side in their battle stances, ready to do battle with the one responsible for ten thousand years of Edenian suffering. They needed no champions to defeat him this time. They needed only Jade to keep any interlopers busy long enough for them to topple the emperor once and for all.
After taking a moment to observe his wound, the emperor tore the remnants of the straps from his body, taking his cape and shoulder pads with them. Even without his gear making him appear larger and more intimidating, he was still a giant of a man with well-maintained musculature, and his weapon of choice had caved in many a warriors' skulls in just a single blow. Even together, this would not be an easy battle. This man had preserved his vast empire for millennia through both his wit and his might.
Kitana's weapon lacked in melee range, but made up for it in function as a thrown weapon. Sindel drew her Kwan Dao to give herself the advantage in range, if nothing else. Based on what she recalled of his usual methods, he would seek to end the weaker of the two first to get her out of the way. Sindel placed herself between the emperor and the princess to make sure that wouldn't happen.
The early phase of the fight was fought at range, with Sindel using her long reach to keep Kahn at a distance, leaving him unable to strike at Kitana. Kitana herself made a number of attempts to strike when Kahn was busy deflecting Sindel's jab and swings with his hammer, but he had little trouble dodging or deflecting her fan attacks. Every now and then, some foot soldier would attempt to intervene on their monarch's behalf, only to be easily dispatched by the other.
After some time, Kahn stepped back, almost tripping over his discarded armour pieces. Sindel took the initiative to step after him and thrust her weapon his way. It turned out, however, that this had been a feint, as he deftly deflected her blade once again, and kicked the cape and shoulder pads towards her. The weight of the spiked pads carried the cape farther, wrapping around her front.
With her face covered in the blinding curtain of red, Sindel was unable to evade the jab to the stomach from her foe's hammer. Atop the hammer was a small spike, which dug into Sindel's abdomen. He followed up with a full spin that gained enough momentum to strike Sindel's chin through the cape and knock her off her feet, sending her flying end-over-end until she landed in a heap on her back, the cape still covering her face.
Fortunately for her, the cape had been designed for not only regality and intimidation, but also for protection from attacks from behind. It was made of a strong material that served to weaken the blow enough for it to not break her neck. She was unable to appreciate the benefits of this defensive clothing, however, as the blows from both the hammer and her landing were enough to render her unconscious, leaving Kitana alone to face her adoptive father.
"You see that, Kitana?" Kahn asked, pointing towards the crumpled heap that was Sindel with his hammer. "That is but a taste of what awaits you in this fight. I truly did love your mother. But the only thing about you I'll love is the way your bones break beneath my heel."
"You are a sick man, Shao Kahn," Kitana replied, readying her weapons. "Your death will never be agonising enough to repay the dishonour you have done to the people of Edenia. But, I will certainly try."
"Trying is about all you were ever good at. 'Kill him.' 'No, he doesn't deserve this.' 'Gather intelligence from this man.' 'I'd become impure.' 'Overthrow me if you can.' 'I'm too weak.' None of your accomplishments came from your own power. Always, you hid behind your allies, like Liu Kang and Goro. But, they are not here to fight your battles for you this time."
"At least, I never resorted to the kinds of underhanded manipulations you did. Does Goro know his wounds came on your orders?"
"Condemn me all you like, but only one of us saw results from our methods. And it was not the little girl who stands alone before a god."
He stepped forward, but a projectile flew his way, forcing him to step back to dodge it, allowing it to loop back around and land in Jade's waiting hand.
"She is not alone, Shao Kahn," Jade declared.
"Ever the loyal friend, are we, Jade? I'm unsure if I should respect it, or call you a fool."
"Call me whatever you like, Emperor. It will hardly matter once your head leaves your shoulders."
"Where was this fire when you served me? I might yet let you live as part of my harem once I've broken you."
"Charming. I see why you had to resort to mind control to make a woman love you." Jade's quip evidently irked the emperor, but he was disciplined enough to mostly hide it.
"Let us see how long it takes for you to bow at my feet and call me 'Master'."
Jade, face displaying active disgust, nodded to Kitana and both Edenians took their stances.
By now, Mileena and Tanya had moved on from Onaga, leaving him as Shujinko came upon their clash. They had since been separated from Reptile, leaving only the two of them to reinforce the emperor. While Mileena had Shinnok's amulet in her possession, revealing that now would be a mistake. She would be far wiser to hold onto that trump card for now and assist Shao Kahn, allowing him to clear the path for them.
Their attempt to do so was thwarted by the presence of yet another Edenian that had turned against Shao Kahn in the years since the Outworld tournament: Ermac. Ermac's involvement with Sindel's reclamation of Edenia a year prior had made him an enemy of the two, by default. But, Ermac was known to be one of the best fighters in all the realms. If he joined Kitana and Jade, even Shao Kahn might fall to his might. For now, all they could do was try to hold Ermac at bay and trust in their 'master's' ability to deal with his two former assassins by himself.
Jade's appearance brought the fight with the emperor back to an earlier point, her trademark staff proving just as effective at keeping her foe at a distance as Sindel's Kwan Dao had. Without a blade on the end, however, the threat of the weapon was significantly diminished, allowing her opponent to make more aggressive and dangerous moves without fear of being pierced.
One such move was to throw his hammer in Kitana's direction, forcing her to dodge and stunning her friend in surprise. This opening allowed him to grab Jade's staff and swing her around until her grip on her weapon loosened enough to launch her directly into Kitana, right as she recovered from dodging the Wrath Hammer.
Both ladies were floored by the collision, allowing Kahn the time to snap Jade's staff over his knee, toss aside the remains, and make his way over to where his hammer had fallen.
"You do so resemble your mother. To have to smash your pretty face into pulp will be a true shame," he said as he stepped into range to finish the two off. "But alas, you have also inherited her fire, and that must be stamped out."
He lifted his hammer high over his head and was about to bring it down onto Kitana's skull, just as Mileena was thrown into him by Ermac, throwing him off balance. Tanya was being held upside-down in the air, leaving her unable to help her partner.
"Useless whelp!" Kahn growled as he kicked Mileena a few metres away to keep her out of his way. Ermac easily tossed Tanya his way as well, but Kahn deftly dodged, allowing her to fly past him to where Mileena lay.
"The people of Edenia have suffered under your tyranny for far too long, Shao Kahn."
"Finally emerging to protect your daughter, are you, Jerrod?"
Kitana, on the verge of blacking out, could barely see the person Shao Kahn was speaking to. When the person spoke, it sounded like multiple people were speaking at once. But one voice spoke loudest, and it was a voice she would recognise anywhere.
"Not another drop of Edenian blood will be spilled by your hand. Instead, it will be your tainted blood that stains the soil of this battlefield crimson."
"All those years you were bound to my will. As were your daughter, and later your wife. If you lacked the mental fortitude to oppose me, how can you hope to do so physically?"
"Edenians are far stronger together than they are apart. We are living proof of this."
Shao Kahn let out a raucous laugh. "Enough of your empty platitudes. They served you ill in our previous battle, and they will serve you less in this one."
"Then, let us end this once and for all." Ermac took his stance.
"Finally, you speak sense." Shao Kahn did the same.
Wrath Hammer in hand, Shao Kahn readied himself once again. When creating Ermac, he had done so in such a way that Ermac's powers had little-to-no effect on him. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't throw other things at him, as Mileena and Tanya had already proven. It made throwing the Wrath Hammer at him an incredibly bad idea. As such, he would need to keep a firm grip on his weapon.
Of course, Ermac had no need to grab the hammer from him, as the ground around them was already littered with discarded weapons from fallen warriors from both sides. In fact, the fallen warriors made for rather effective projectiles themselves. The Wrath Hammer was useful for batting the makeshift projectiles aside and occasionally splitting the bodies apart, but the barrage was fast and unrelenting, which would tire Kahn out if he let it go on for too long.
Rather than batting this one aside, Kahn instead hooked the body on the hammer's head with perfectly calculated momentum, using it to block and collect various blades thrown his way, before launching it right back at Ermac. Ermac, of course, had to put in more effort and concentration to stop it with his powers than he did to simply lift and throw the projectiles, which gave Kahn his opening to lung in and strike him in the side, cracking a few ribs and sending him flying, the numerous projectiles he'd been readying all hitting the floor shortly after he did.
"It is a rare privilege to be killed by Shao Kahn twice, Jerrod. And a few of those other souls inside you will share in your honour. But don't think this is an escape. Your soul will be placed right back inside the next Ermac, once the prize is mine." Again, he brought his weapon up over his head to crush his opponent's skull, only to be struck in the back by Jade's Triblade. She and Kitana were slowly rising back to their feet. "I tire of this constant switching of opponents," he declared, deciding to finish Ermac instead of focusing on the still winded ladies.
This time, it was his hammer that was snagged by Sindel's hair, just at the base of the head. As it was too high up to reach with his gauntlet, he wrenched his weapon down to cut the hair, pulling Sindel closer. She grounded herself and threw her head back as hard as she could. She tore the weapon free of Kahn's grasp, striking his face and knocking his helmet off with enough force for the skull mask inside to come loose. The hammer would be too heavy for Sindel to carry, so she let it land where it did and readied her own weapon again.
Jade and Kitana both launched into ranged attacks with their weapons, which Kahn had to move precisely to deal with. He managed to grab Kitana's first fan in just the right spot to take it as his own, before ducking to narrowly avoid the second, and then used the first fan to deflect the Triblade. The second fan found its way back to Kitana, but the Triblade was left discarded on the floor.
Rushing forward, he threw the fan at Sindel, who narrowly dodged it, but provided an opening for Kahn to grab her weapon from the far end and thrust it into her gut. He then yanked it upwards, pulling it free from her grasp and striking her in the chin with one fluid motion, which ended with the weapon turned around and thrust at her, blade onwards. She managed to dodge this attack too, before grabbing the weapon with her hand and wrapping her hair around his neck.
Rather than try to cut it this time, he instead grasped it in his free hand and tossed her over his head. She kept an iron grip on her weapon, though, allowing her to negate her momentum and instead deliver a two-heeled kick to his face from above, sending him reeling. She released her grip on his neck and took her stance again.
By now, Kitana and Jade had reclaimed their respective weapons and were ready to fight again. As was Ermac, who stepped forward to join the two. He telekinetically threw the two into the air so they could attack from above. The Triblade served to distract Kahn from Kitana's fan-propelled divebomb, which got her in range to deliver another slash across his chest before sliding out of reach.
Once again, Sindel was the closest to him, by the time he had the Triblade in hand. He threw it at Sindel, but it was caught telekinetically by Ermac, who swiftly returned it to its owner. Sindel's surprise and Ermac's distraction both bought Kahn time to reclaim his own weapon before Ermac could grab it himself.
Now finally having a chance to do so, Kahn summoned his spear, which he inserted into the slot at the bottom of the Wrath Hammer's hilt to triple the weapon's range. This sudden advantage forced his four foes to keep their distance to avoid being struck.
Seizing her chance, Mileena re-entered the fray to attack Kitana, hoping to at least achieve that goal, if nothing else. She held out the amulet and attempted to blast Kitana with magic. However, something went wrong, causing the searing energy to instead fire back into her hand, horribly burning her arm up to the elbow.
Even without her horrific shriek of agony, Jade saw her coming and intervened with her Blazing Nitro Kick. Mileena was knocked back by the blow, the amulet flying from her hand and becoming lost in the crowd of warriors around them. Tanya then attacked with her kobujutsu, which Kitana herself blocked before countering by flipping onto Tanya's shoulders and then throwing her away with another flip. She then turned just in time to see Kahn coming.
He swung his hammer around and struck her in the stomach. She managed to bring her fans up in time to deflect some of the damage, but she was still knocked off of her feet and sent flying metres away, scattering her weapons across the ground.
Capitalising on his distraction, Sindel swung her Kwan Dao with all her might towards her former husband's neck. The blade dug into the side of his neck, but only cut an inch or so into his thick flesh. Her foe grabbed the polearm by the shaft and began pulling the weapon free of his flesh with little effort. That was, until the weapon received a telekinetic shove from the conglomeration of fallen Edenian warriors that was Ermac. The blade of the queen now dug much deeper into the emperor's neck, cutting into his spinal column.
Whether due to the protection of Shinnok, or his own indomitable drive for victory, Shao Kahn, staggered and severely wounded by the joint offensive, remained standing with enough vigour and venom to snarl at his would-be killers.
It was then that Kitana, the daughter he had raised as an assassin to defend his throne, came charging in from the side, leaping into the air and using her momentum to kick the shaft a few inches down from the blade. In mimicking the movement of her beloved, Kitana bookended Shao Kahn's fall with the same technique that had won the Mortal Kombat tournament eleven years prior.
As the Emperor's head fell from his body, a powerful beam of golden energy shot up into the sky from his remains and parted the clouds above. It was only later that the meaning of this bizarre event would come to light. Until then, the battle raged on around the Edenians.
As Mileena watched her father's head hit the floor, something deep within her stirred. It went against everything she had recently striven for, but a primal, uncontrollable rage overtook her entire being. Her eyes, normally the milky white of an undead, turned a bloody red, the only remaining thought in her head being the word "Kill." With twin sai already in hand, Mileena let out a blood-curdling screech and lunged forward before Tanya could stop her. Mileena was upon Kitana in an instant, her weapons rocketing towards the murderer of her master.
Ever the loyal friend, Jade employed her Blazing Nitro Kick to close the gap between herself and Kitana, and kick her out of the way of the oncoming assault. In doing so, Jade found herself directly in the path of the bestial half-breed's lethal steel, which pierced the flesh of her stomach and her chest. If nothing else, she was lucky to be one of the battle's few casualties to be gifted a relatively clean end.
As she hit the ground, eyes rolling and blood bubbling from her mouth, Jade's only thought was that she had been unable to save her best friend during the conflict with the Deadly Alliance. Now, though, she had redeemed herself. Her only regret was that she wouldn't be able to do so again.
In seconds, Kitana was upon Mileena, swinging her fan for her 'sister's' neck for a second time, unleashing a scream that rivalled Mileena's in its savagery. Tanya just barely managed to tackle Mileena out of the way to prevent her lover's second decapitation, but her face was still coated in blood as the fan sliced right through Mileena's throat. Thinking quickly, Tanya threw both of her kobujutsu at Kitana, forcing her to block, rather than pursue, as Tanya activated the portable portal device she had stolen earlier. The portal that opened beneath herself and Mileena closed itself as soon as they were through. They would not be seen again for the remainder of the battle.
Kitana quickly turned back to Jade, holding her best friend in her arms. There was nobody nearby with knowledge of healing or portal magic with which to save her. Sindel was also quick to come to Jade's side in her final moments. A few Outworld soldiers attempted to seize upon this opportunity, only to be struck down by Ermac.
"Jade, no," was all Kitana could utter through her tears.
"F-F-Finally," Jade sputtered through the blood. "I s-saved you. I ac-actually... saved you."
"Yes, Jade," Sindel soothed, doing her best to maintain an air of composure and strength.
"It's y-your t-turn," Jade said, her eyes meeting Sindel's, "t-to... keep Kit... Kitana s-s-safe."
"I will," Sindel assured her, taking her hand in hers. "I promise to keep Kitana safe and make you proud."
Jade smiled through the pain. "I know." She reached up and pulled Kitana in close to kiss her on the cheek, unintentionally leaving a crimson bloodstain on the princess' pale skin. "Be happy... with Liu Kang."
"I-I will," Kitana cried.
"Good," Jade sighed. "You deserve... happiness..."
Jade's hand fell into the soil as her final word escaped her lips.
After the battle concluded with Taven, eldest son of Edenia's protector god Argus, emerging as the victor, newly empowered by his defeat of Blaze, he made a point of visiting Sindel in the aftermath.
"I will be succeeding my father as Edenia's protector, now that I have attained full godhood," he explained. "He holds himself accountable for Edenia's fall to Shao Kahn, and dares not set foot on this realm again."
"I see. Where is he now?"
"He resides in the heavens, with my mother. Supposedly, he is under consideration to take Shinnok and Raiden's place as an Elder God, in light of his plans averting Armageddon. But, if he is passed up, his life will be in danger. My brother, Daegon, tried to kill our parents after his awakening some centuries ago. They will not be safe in the worlds of the living until Daegon is found and stopped."
"You think he is still somewhere in Edenia?"
"Most likely. Although, I suspect he may have been allied with Shinnok, to some extent. He may have secured passage elsewhere. Either way, I will remain in Edenia to keep it safe in these turbulent times."
"I am thankful for your protection. But, what of Shao Kahn? What was that golden light that came after his death?"
"You are familiar with the rule that a person may be resurrected only once, unless deemed worthy by the Elder Gods, yes?"
"I am."
"Shao Kahn, in all his millennia of conquest, has never died before now. He was always too crafty to fall before. In light of his indomitable might and will, the Elder Gods have seen fit to take his soul into their domain to ensure he can never return to threaten the balance of the realms."
"About damn time they did something," Sindel replied spitefully, not caring if she offended them or not.
"I wish I could argue with you," Taven admitted. "If at all possible, Your Majesty, I would like to attend the memorial for those who fell in the battle. It will serve as a reminder of what I am honour-bound to protect."
"I would appreciate your presence, Lord Taven."
"Thank you. I will take my leave to continue my search. I am sure you have your own matters to attend to."
"Indeed. Goodbye, Lord Taven."
Once Taven was gone, Sindel rose from her throne and made her way towards Kitana's chamber. On the way, she came across Ermac, whom had been given a place to stay in the palace, following his aid in the two consecutive crises in which Sindel and Kitana had found themselves embroiled.
"Queen Sindel," he greeted with a bow.
"Ermac," she responded with one of her own. "Do you have business with me."
"None that will take up too much of your time," he responded, allowing Sindel to continue on her way. "We sense a new threat coming to Outworld. Although our souls originated in Edenia, we were given this life in Outworld, and as such, we are driven to protect it."
"And you plan to return to deal with this threat."
"Yes."
"Then, by all means, you are free to do so. But know that you will always be considered an Edenian, and you may call upon our aid at any time."
"We thank you, Queen Sindel. We will not keep you from the princess no longer."
"Thank you. Farewell, Ermac"
"And you, Queen Sindel."
Ermac came to a stop, while Sindel continued onwards. He reached into his robe and took out a memento of the battle. As Kitana cried over the dying form of her best friend, Ermac had approached the discarded and broken helmet of his former master. Part of the encounter was hazy in his memory, but something about the skull mask of the fallen emperor was strangely familiar. He had taken the skull fragment and slipped it inside his robes for further investigation. Such investigation would have to take place back in Outworld, however, as his business in Edenia was done.
Sindel's, however, was not. She knocked on the door of Kitana's chamber, but received no response, as had been the standard since they had returned from the battle. The guards posted outside her room seemed almost as concerned as her mother did. After giving the signal to prove she wasn't a shapeshifter or some other kind of imposter, Sindel stepped inside.
"Kitana?"
The princess was still quietly sobbing in her bed. She had done little else for three days.
"Kitana, I understand how you feel, but you must try to be strong. If not for your sake, then please do so for theirs."
"Jade is dead and Liu Kang is missing," Kitana said bluntly, voice barely above a whisper. "I have nothing left."
In the wake of the battle, both Liu Kang's spirit and zombiefied corpse had disappeared. And without even the knowledge of who had given his body its own life to begin with, leads were few, though the White Lotus were launching an investigation back in Earthrealm.
"You have me," Sindel replied softly as she sat on the bed beside her daughter. "You will always have me, Kitana."
Kitana said nothing. Although it hurt, Sindel sympathised with her grief. And more to the point, she couldn't complain, in light of how she had deal with her own grief ten thousand years ago.
Sindel stroked Kitana's raven hair, which seemed to calm her a little. "I promise you, Kitana, we will find Liu Kang and do whatever it takes to restore his life and return him to you. And then, Mileena will die for what she did to Jade." Before now, Sindel doubted she could have killed the woman who bore so close a resemblance to her daughter's face. But now, her vengeful rage over Jade's death trumped her petty unease. "And so will that traitor, Tanya. And anyone one else foolish enough to dare bring harm my daughter."
Following the memorial, Sindel was again approached by Taven, who asked what she wished to do with his father's pyramid, now that the threat for which it was created had been averted.
"Let it stand as a monument to those who fought and died to keep, not only Edenia, but all realms safe from villains such as Shao Kahn," she commanded.
"As you wish, Queen Sindel. I will leave it untouched," he said with a bow.
"Not entirely untouched," Sindel interjected. "I do have one slight alteration I would like you to make."
From that day, until the end of Edenia itself, the Pyramid of Argus would stand as a monument to the Battle of Armageddon. But, more importantly, it would stand as a monument to Jade, whose likeness was immortalised by a statue erected at the pyramid's apex by Taven himself.
It was the least he could do for her. After all, he had agreed to deliver Sindel and Kitana's gratitude to Jade in the afterlife, despite knowing that her soul, among numerous others, had gone missing in the aftermath of the battle. Even the Elder Gods knew not what had become of them, supposedly. Strangely, Taven felt absolutely positive that she and the others would resurface in time, but he couldn't shake the ominous feeling that their return would not be a moment of celebration for the forces of light.
It was not only Edenia's rulers that were shaken by the outcome of the clash between Sindel and Shao Kahn. In Outworld, Tanya had managed to reach the Shadow Priests in time to have them save Mileena's life, though the damage to her throat would take time to properly heal. Tanya took it upon herself to care for her bedridden lover until it did.
"Another report has come in, Mileena," Tanya declared as she entered Mileena's bedchamber. It seems that quite a few warriors were witness to your attempts to assist Shao Kahn in his final battle, and to avenge his death. While you failed on both counts, many of his loyal followers see you as the vicious and loyal daughter of the late emperor, and a worthy successor to his throne. It may not be how we planned it, but Outworld is once again yours, Empress."
Mileena grinned, but it faded as she tried to croak out a follow-up question.
"Edenia remains under Sindel's rule, sadly," Tanya said in response to the unspoken question. "But, that can be saved for later. Right now, our focus should be on your recovery and public establishment as Kahnum. Once Outworld is secured and all pretenders are made an example of, then we can make our move to reclaim Edenia.
In truth, Tanya couldn't help but be impressed by the conviction and tenacity with which Sindel had fought and ended Shao Kahn. Had she shown such intensity years ago, Tanya felt that she could potentially have seen herself serving her. But, the time for that was long past. She was still determined to liberate Edenia from Sindel and to rule it alongside Mileena's reign over Outworld. This new partnership between the two realms would finally bring Edenia the security and glory it so deserved.
"Still, I'm curious about why the amulet backfired like that. Even Quan Chi's old replica never did that, as far as I know."
"Perhaps, I can illuminate the situation," said a dangerously familiar voice as a portal opened up inside the very chamber in which the two women now resided. The sulphuric smell that emerged from the portal instantly revealed it to have originated in the Netherrealm, much like the man who stepped through the portal to offer the two a partnership.
This piece serves as the culmination of Sindel's story and the beginning of a new chapter for Mileena and Tanya's story. It was going to be finished much later, but recent events forced me to postpone the Kabal story; and giving the world more content featuring the real Sindel seems like a good idea in this era of "Yas Queen, step on me mommy" Twindel.
