Chapter Sixty-Six: Vision

Jade was once again pacing uncontrollably around the temple due to worry. Plenty of time has passed and still they had not heard anything from Tomas and Hydro. Were they alright? Had they gotten into some serious trouble? The Edenian's head was beginning to hurt just thinking about it.

"Jade."

A hand fell on Jade's shoulder, stopping her from her pacing. She immediately knew it belonged to Kitana and she turned around to face the princess. Kitana smiled.

"Everything will be alright. They will be alright, Jade."

"I know, but-"

"Then please calm down. You would not want your Earthrealm lover to see you in such a state, yes?"

"Earthrealm…lover?"

Kitana did not explain what she meant. Instead, she gave her friend's shoulder a little

squeeze before letting go and headed towards Raiden. She needed to speak with the thunder god.

"Lord Raiden?"

The Edenian hesitantly approached Raiden when she saw the look on his face. It was as though he was just staring into space. Or maybe he was having another vision.

"Lord Raiden."

Kitana slowly put her hand on the god's forearm and that action alone was able to snap Raiden out his trance. He jumped a little at the touch, but he quickly got over it and sighed.

"My apologies, princess. I was just…thinking."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, no. It is…my visions are now constantly…changing. I do not know exactly how to explain it."

"If you are willing to try, I am more than willing to listen."

Raiden sighed, but nodded his head.

"Very well. You see, I began having visions of the future during the Mortal Kombat tournament on Shang Tsung's island. At first, the visions were clear and easily depictable. But now, it seems as though they are being tampered with."

Kitana frowned.

"I do not understand."

"Something, or someone, is interfering with my amulet."

Taking said amulet off his shirt, Raiden stared at the object with worry in his eyes.

"I believe there is more that my future self wishes for me to see. But those secrets are being hidden away with every vision I have received. I can feel this…darkness lurking within the amulet. Watching my every move. At times, it is distant, but it is there. And it did not appear until…"

The thunder god's eyes suddenly widened. Kitana looked at Raiden, worried about his sudden change in demeanor.

"What is wrong? Lord Raiden?"

Raiden opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly shut it and shook his head while trying his best to remain calm in front of the Edenian.

"…Nothing. A matter to worry about another time."

"But-"

"Hey, guys!"

Fortunately, Sonya Blade's interruption gave Raiden the opportunity to drop his conversation with Kitana. The two immediately went to the blonde along with the other champions and they watched as Sonya held up her arm with her wrist communicator on it.

"I just got word from Hydro. He's at the cemetery in St. Dominic's."

Sonya pressed a button on the side of the com and spoke into it.

"Alright, Hydro. Tell everyone what you were telling me, okay?"

"Of course, Sonya. I have encountered Quan Chi. He seems to be casting a spell."

As soon as the cyborg said that, another vision flashed before Raiden's eyes. This time, he could see what appeared to be a giant, green tornado rising from within the cemetery where Hydro was currently located. That was no ordinary tornado, Raiden knew and as his vision ended, Nightwolf was the one who asked the question he knew everyone wanted to ask.

"Raiden, what is it? What did you see?"

"…One of Shao Kahn's soulnados. On a scale I thought unimaginable."

Johnny almost snickered at the ridiculous name for Shao Kahn's ability. But when he saw the looks of horror on Kitana, Sindel, and Jade's faces, he knew this was not a joke.

"All of Earthrealm's souls imprisoned, absorbed by Shao Kahn, multiplying his power!"

Hearing the panic in the god's voice, all of Earthrealm's champions shared worried looks with each other. If Raiden was panicking over this soulnado ordeal, then it must be powerful. Some began to doubt that they will be able to stop it. The thunder god looked down at the amulet he still had in his hand and watched as more crack appeared on it. He sighed.

"No matter my efforts, the future remains in peril. How could I have failed Earthrealm?"

Nightwolf shook his head and grabbed Raiden's shoulder.

"Do not lose faith in the spirits, Raiden. They will guide you. Protect you."

The shaman then turned back to Sonya Blade and spoke to her wrist communicator.

"Hydro, we will disrupt the soulnado. I will be there momentarily."

"Hurry. The spell appears to be nearly complete."

After that, Sonya decided it was time to leave the blue cyborg be, but someone else spoke up before she could hang up the call.

"Hydro, wait. Where is Tomas?"

It was Jade. Hydro was shaking his head on the other side of the com, but he knew he needed to tell them about Smoke.

"Tomas i-in Kuei-will be alright."

Jade frowned and looked at Sonya. The blonde then tried to speak to Hydro.

"I'm sorry, Hydro, but you're breaking up. Can you repeat what you said?"

"-Sony-is in th-"

The call suddenly dropped and Hydro was no longer there. Sonya fiddled with her com for some time, but it was no use.

"Sorry, guys. I lost contact. Something must've been messing with our connection."

"It is alright, Sonya Blade."

Sonya turned to Raiden, who had already sent Nightwolf on his way. The Native American opened the doors and did not hesitate to step outside, making his way to St. Dominic's cemetery. Looking past Sonya, Raiden could see the concern and disappointment in Jade's eyes. He too could see how much the Edenian cared for Tomas and he did hope that the silver-haired man was alright. But the soulnado was the thunder god's main concern right now.

Standing in a corner near the group, Sub-zero had remained surprisingly quiet during the whole conversation. Ever since Smoke and Hydro left, a permanent scowl had been etched on his face. And Cyrax was beginning to get worried about the cryomancer's silence. So, the yellow cyborg decided to confront Kuai about it and he stood next to his friend with his arms crossed.

"What is wrong, Kuai?"

Sub-zero slowly shook his head in response.

"…I am not sure. But…"

The cryomancer's eyes darted from the floor to look at Cyrax.

"I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong…and Tomas is somehow involved."

Cyrax sighed.

"…Yes. I feel it too."

Tomas stared at "Oniro" with wide eyes, and he could not bring himself to move. He just was not sure what he should do. Whoever it was the silver-haired man was fighting, he knew that the imposter would not let him go so easily.

"So you see."

The Grandmaster chuckled, sending chills down Smoke's spine. The impostor took a step forward, and Tomas in turn took a step back. That only made Oniro laugh even harder.

"I can see it in your eyes. You still do not understand, do you?"

"…Understand wha-?"

Something sharp suddenly struck the back of Tomas' neck. He grunted as he reached for the object, and when he pulled his hand back, Smoke found that it was dart. The silver-haired man's vision started to blur and he felt the urge to puke.

"You know I am not Oniro, yet you still cannot figure out EXACTLY who I am. And before you even say it, I am not Shang Tsung. That idiot is not the only person who can shapeshift."

Oniro's words sounded so distant to Tomas, not that he was even trying to listen. Unable to stand up anymore, Smoke fell to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to try and ease his dizzy spell. When he opened them again, Tomas's breathing quickened when he saw the blood that had mysteriously appeared on his hands. And worse, he knew the blood did not belong to him. So…whose was it?

Smoke's eyes darted to his right when he noticed something in his peripheral vision. His eyes widened even more once he recognized the thing, the body, that was laying beside him. Even without his bladed hat, Tomas knew it was Kung Lao, scratches and bruises covering his entire frame. His brown, lifeless eyes appeared to be staring up into the dark sky and it was then that Smoke realized where he was. Edenia.

"This has to be an illusion then."

"Do you believe so?"

Tomas could hear Oniro's voice, but the old man was nowhere to be seen. The only company he seemed to have was the dead bodies that littered the ground, most being someone he knew while others were unfamiliar. Smoke saw Johnny Cage, the actor's body missing with only his head remaining. He saw Sonya Blade, her body cut in half with a vulture eating the blonde's upper body. In the distant, Tomas could see Scorpion lying on the ground with an ice sword impaling his body, yet he could not spot Sub-zero anywhere. Good. It was already heartbreaking seeing his friends' lifeless corpses laying about. Smoke was not sure he could take seeing his brother's…or even Jade's.

Tomas shook his head. He was bound to go mad if he stayed where he was, so the silver-haired man decided the only thing he could do was move forward. That is, to the giant pyramid with fire coming from the top. Smoke did not remember seeing that in Sindel's memories. Taking a step forward, Tomas tried his best to ignore the bodies on the ground, but that was difficult since he needed to watch out for any weapons like knives and stars, which were literally everywhere.

Despite that obstacle, Smoke managed to make it to the pyramid with his mind intact and he looked up the huge staircase that led to the top. With his enhanced hearing, Tomas could hear voices coming from it, grunts and growls as if whoever was up there was in a struggle. A serious struggle. He had only taken one step up the stairs before an excruciating headache hit him out of nowhere. The silver-haired man growled as he was driven to his knees, the pain to much for him to handle. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that the pain would go away.

"Come to me."

The pain was gone in an instant. Confused, Smoke slowly looked up from the ground and he instantly froze when he saw who it was that spoke to him. He opened his mouth to say something, but he found that no words would come out.

"I have finally found you."

A clawed hand reached for Tomas, fire consuming the stranger's entire body.

"And now we shall be one once again."

Without warning, the hand was thrust straight into Smoke's chest. Literally. This time, Tomas could not hold back his screams as he felt the creature reached deeper and deeper into his body. It felt like an eternity before his throat became sore from the screaming and black dots appeared in his vision. Smoke was about to let the darkness take him, but then a voice came to pull the silver-haired man away from the abyss.

"Tomas! Tomas, wake up!"

Tomas gasped as he was thrown back into the real world. He instantly reached for his chest, the pain from the thing reaching into him still there. But Smoke calmed down when he saw that he was alright. It must have been a dream. He did not have time to think about it before he was pulled into a bear hug.

"Oh, thank the gods! I thought I was too late!"

Tomas recognized the voice of the woman, and he slowly wrapped his arms around her to return the hug.

"Esme? What are you doing down here? How did you get here?"

Esme released Smoke and smiled at him with eyes filled with tears.

"She was right. I do not know how, but she knew we would find you here."

"Who is "she"?"

Nodding over her shoulder, Tomas followed the woman's gaze and was surprised to see another familiar face down here in this hellhole. But Soliel was the last person who should ever be in a place like this.