Chapter Forty-Seven: Common Ground
At around eleven o'clock, the Champions of Light decided to turn in for the night. Raiden had contacted the warriors some time before that and informed them that there were a few things he needed to take care of in the Heavens before he and Kitana would return. He said to expect them early tomorrow morning. After having dinner, Tomas and Jade finally parted ways and headed to their rooms. Smoke did not want to leave his Edenian comrade, but he needed to get some sleep. After all, there was an important matter he needed to attend to soon.
The silver-haired man quickly changed and climbed into his bed, not even bothering to pull the sheets over him. Although he knew what was to come once he closed his eyes, Tomas could not fight back as sleep immediately took him in its embrace. He had about five seconds of bliss before his eyes flew open again. In the void of his mind, Smoke slowly stood up and looked around for any signs of life. All that he could see was darkness.
"Took you long enough."
Of course Tomas was not surprised by Enenra's voice. He simply turned around and faced the demonic creature with a stoic expression on his face. Its giant feet shook the ground as it walked up to its guest and leaned its head down so its eyes were leveled to Smoke's face.
"I had other priorities that needed to be taken care of."
"But of course. You were practically drooling over that Edenian, were you not?"
"Jade is none of your concern and you better not do anything to harm her."
Enenra laughed.
"I could not care less about who you wish to sleep with. As long as I get a turn with her."
Clenching his fists, Tomas glared at the demon. Enenra spoke about Jade as thought she was nothing but a sex toy. But Smoke would never think of her that way. Ever. As much as he wanted to strike the beast, Tomas knew how badly that was going to turn out for him and those he cared about. Besides, there was a reason the silver-haired man agreed to talk to Enenra in the first place.
"You said you would give me answers if I came to you tonight. Well…here I am."
"So I see."
"Then here is my first question. Who are you?"
"I am sure that Pyros has already told you the answer to that."
"I want to hear it from you."
"...Very well. As you may already know, Enenras are demons who possess the bodies of those with pure hearts. Like those of children."
Hearing the word "children," Tomas felt as though an arrow had been pierced straight through his soul. It reminded him of the eighteen children who had died because of Enenra's attempts to possess them. The demon had noticed its host's discomfort, but continued speaking as though it had not.
"My kind were respected in the Netherrealm due to our status as Lord Shinnok's personal assassins."
"The Fallen Elder God?"
"Yes. Enenras were the ideal killers for our skills in stealth and ability to escape capture. Does that sound familiar, Tomas?"
Indeed, it did, but Smoke did not say anything. He did not need to since Enenra already knew his answer.
"At first, us Enenras had no problem with serving the Fallen Elder God. In fact, we were honored and would have protected Shinnok with our lives. After so many years wandering aimlessly throughout the Netherrealm, we had finally found a purpose."
"So what happened?"
"Fear. When Quan Chi came to Shinnok's side, that damned sorcerer convinced our former master that we were a threat to his rule. So…Shinnok made us his prisoners. Locked us in cages deep within his fortress until we were needed. The only thing that prevented us from rebelling against Shinnok was his amulet. The one Quan Chi now has in his possession."
"Are you speaking of the one he wears on his belt?"
Enenra nodded, or at least Tomas thought it nodded. The demon's shapeless form made it hard for Smoke to recognize its movements.
"Does this form bother you?"
The beast must have caught Tomas staring at it. He looked away from Enenra.
"N..No. It is just…strange."
"Hmph."
Enenra closed its eyes and in a second, its body dispersed into the darkness. Clouds of smoke surrounded Tomas and he wondered what had happened to the demon. In response to that thought, the smoke clouds suddenly merged back together and they began to form into a more define and smaller shape. More…human. The smoke cleared from around the newly formed body and the figure that was revealed let out a breath with its eyes closed.
"It took me some time to perfect this form. In my opinion, I abhor it."
Enenra ran a hand through its blood-red hair and opened its eyes. The irises of its eyes were just as red as its hair while its slit pupils and the outside of the eyes were black. If it were not for these differences in features, Smoke could say that Enenra looked much like him. Even its voice sounded like the silver-haired man's, but a bit deeper. The demon also wore clothes similar to what Tomas had went to sleep in, a white t-shirt and gray jogging pants, but Enenra's clothes were all black. Maybe that was where Smoke got his obsession with black from.
"So why did you transform?"
"If I am going to tell my story, I wish to do so without you gawking at me like a fish deprived of water. Now, where was I? Ah yes, the amulet."
"The Grandmaster made Bi-han risk his life to find that amulet for Quan Chi. What is so important about it?"
"Tomas, that amulet is the source of incredible power. Anyone who manages to get their hands on it will gain a tremendous boost of strength. It is similar to the Dragon Medallion Oniro wears."
"That medallion is why Oniro is so powerful?"
"Only those that the medallion chooses as its wielder will gain its power. You cannot just take it."
"I see."
That piece of information was useful. If Smoke happened to encounter Oniro again, he should try to take the Dragon Medallion. He did not care to use its power, but if the Grandmaster no longer had the medallion, maybe that will weaken him. And that would be the perfect moment to strike.
"It would be. Great minds do think alike."
Oh. Right. Tomas had forgotten that he was speaking inside his mind and Enenra could easily hear his thoughts as if they were its own.
"I suppose you did that to Shinnok, right?"
"Indeed, and the look of pure terror on his face as his most valuable possession was stripped from his grasp was priceless. Once the amulet was ours, the Enenras used it to free ourselves from our prisons and we almost escaped the fortress. Almost."
"What stopped you?"
"Kronika. Shinnok's mother. Her obsession with keeping the balance of good and evil lead her to us. We were a….contradiction in that balance. You see, Shinnok represents darkness and chaos while his sister, Cetrion, represents light and life. If something tries to tip the scales of that balance between them, whether it is for light or dark, Kronika will put an end to it."
"And so…she tried to exterminate you and your kind."
"She did not try, she succeeded. I have no clue as to how I survived her massacre, but I am sure I am the only Enenra left. As my last act of rebellion against that cursed Titan and her children, I hid Shinnok's amulet within the Temple of Elements and went into hiding. That is how I came to be in Earthrealm."
"And since you cannot last long in Earthrealm without a body, you possessed people one by one until you found me."
Smoke actually started to feel bad for Enenra. Its people were driven to extinction because Shinnok began to fear their power. If a fallen Elder God was scared of what the Enenras were capable of, then how powerful was the demon that currently resided in Tomas' body? How powerful…was Tomas himself? The silver-haired man looked down at his now shaking hands and Enenra scoffed when it saw the look on his host's face.
"What? Are you afraid of my power? Or are you afraid of what you could do with my power?"
"I do not want your power."
"Too bad. As long as I am here, my power is yours. At least to a certain extent."
"Why can you not just leave?"
"I have already told you, I cannot. There is something that is keeping me trapped within your body."
"What is it?"
"A seal. A powerful one at that. And the only thing that can break it is Shinnok's amulet. How ironic that the one thing that I have come to despise may save me from a life of imprisonment in your body."
"So that is what you are after."
To think that that amulet was the only object Tomas needed to be free of Enenra was unbelievable. It will be incredibly difficult for him to get anywhere near Quan Chi, but he was going to do it. No matter what it takes, Smoke was going to get Shinnok's amulet.
"Satisfied?"
Turning back to the demon, Tomas saw how bored Enenra looked. With its human form, the silver-haired man could clearly see how Enenra felt through its facial expressions.
"For now."
"Hmph. Humans are never truly satisfied with anything. They always want more."
Smoke ignored the demon's comments and instead asked Enenra another question.
"What do you plan to do once you are free?"
"That is none of your concern, boy."
"Just as long as your goals do not include harming anymore innocent people."
"And if they do?"
"Then I shall have to do something about that."
Tomas' serious tone made Enenra chuckle. In a flash, the demon had pinned Smoke to the floor by his throat before the silver-haired man realized what had happened. He grunted as Enenra apply pressure on his throat making it hard for him to breath.
"Let me make this as clear as I possibly can. You are nothing without me. NOTHING. The only reason I told you my story is because as much as the thought pains me, we will have to work together in order get Shinnok's amulet. Do not mistake me willingly giving you information for me trying to be your friend. Remember that."
Enenra slowly released Tomas from its hold and watched as its host coughed and rubbed his throat. The demon sneered.
"Do not let Pyros put it into your head that you are "special." You are not. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Disappearing into the darkness, Enenra shouted one last thing to Smoke before he vanished completely.
"You better hurry and wake up. I am sure you would not like having your throat sliced open."