Chapter XIV

Judgment

The sky turned red come sunrise—a deep shade of maroon that looked like an infected wound. As far as Sareena knew, that was considered an ill omen on most realms. On Earthrealm, she understood it meant a storm on the horizon. In Outworld, people believed a red sky meant blood had been spilled or was going to be. In Seido, a red sky warned of approaching upheaval.

In the Netherealm, red skies usually meant Shinnok was angry. There were few things that frightened her and her comrades more than getting summoned to meet the Elder God under a blood-red sky. It was not uncommon for him to take out his anger on his demon subjects.

Anticipating the battle ahead, she almost would've preferred Shinnok's wrath. She and her companions gathered outside Bo' Rai Cho's home and waited while Shang Tsung summoned a portal to the Nexus. There, they would face the Dragon King head on—a demon, a spectre, a princess and her clone, a Cleric of Chaos, and a construct of dead souls against a creature wielding a weapon of the gods that could change reality.

"Why did you turn against Quan Chi?"

She looked at Kitana, who seemed as calm as could be expected. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sure you have plenty of reasons to hate him," she said, checking her fans. "The man was a bastard and fiend. But you didn't just escape. You turned and fight with us now. Why?"

She thought about it, knowing the long answer would require her to talk of Sub-Zero and his kindness again. She decided to keep it simple: "I don't want to be what people say I am."

Kitana smiled and nodded.

"What about you? Why did you turn against Shao Kahn?"

Her smile wavered slightly, and there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I wanted to make things right."

Sareena nodded and noticed Shang Tsung watching her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but judging from his scowl, he likely regarded her and Kitana's interaction with contempt. But he said nothing and returned his attention to summoning a portal. Waving his hands in circular motions while chanting magic words, a swirling vortex soon cracked open with the sound of thunder.

"How do we know this will take us to the Nexus?" Ermac said, approaching the portal.

"Where else would I possibly send you?" When he was answered with nothing but suspicious glares, he groaned. "I have nothing to gain from betraying you here. In fact, it would actually be preferable to me if you imbeciles succeeded. This will take you to the Nexus, and I'll even leave it open so if by some miracle you get the Amulet you'll have an escape. You have my word even though I know none of you trust it."

Another earthquake tore through the realm—the worst one yet. The ground heaved and broke. More than one tree toppled over. One even landed on Bo' Rai Cho's roof. In the distance, a rockslide rolled down the mountains. The land itself growled and gnashed like an agitated beast. It did nothing to ease the sense of dread and coming doom.

Steadying himself, Tsung said, "I suggest you hurry."

One by one, they entered the portal. Ermac first, followed by Havik. Scorpion next, then Kitana and Mileena.

Sareena took a breath. The kama blades strapped to her belt felt small and inadequate. She believed in destiny—she knew enough about gods and sorcerers to know it could be manipulated—but never thought she herself had one. She thought destiny was only reserved for chosen ones and great heroes.

"Good-bye, demon."

She looked at Tsung and knew it was a taunt. As far as he was concerned, she was going to her death.

"Something to understand about my power," he said, looking at his nails. "You see all beings for who they truly are. When you consume someone's soul … when it becomes a part of you, as the souls I've taken are a part of me … you know their truth." He turned his eyes to her. "They're all the same, Sareena. If you saw what I've seen, you would not be so eager to give your life for them."

"You know the difference between us, demon?" she asked. "Quan Chi called me a monster, and I wanted to prove him wrong. The gods called you a monster … and you accepted it."

Without waiting for his rebuttal, she entered the portal. If she did have a destiny, she was about to meet it.

After the usual flash and crack that felt like walking through freezing electricity, she came through on the other side to an awe-inspiring sight. The Nexus was an endless void of empty space with swirling clouds as far as the eye could see. It seemed to exist in a perpetual twilight of pink, purple, and golden hues.

She and her companions emerged on a stone platform floating in the empty space. The floors were cobblestone, and torchlights lined the edge. She couldn't tell how large the platform was, as most of it was taken up by a massive pyramid that towered over them all. The imposing structure consisted of seven or eight levels with a stairway up the center leading to the apex.

The group quickly hugged the nearest wall for cover—Ermac, Scorpion and Sareena on one side of the stairs, Havik, Kitana and Mileena on the other. They heard no alarm or signal of attack. The only sound was the constant, hollow wind of the void around them.

Havik peeked around the side of the wall, up the stairway. "I don't see anyone," he said. "No guards—nothing."

"That doesn't mean we're alone," Scorpion said. "Onaga could have an entire army in this pyramid waiting for us."

Ermac looked toward the apex where multiple columns stood with pulsing, rainbow-colored lights shining atop. "The Kamidogu," he said. "One piece on each of those columns. The Amulet is likely in the center."

"With Onaga no doubt," said Kitana.

"We move up one level at a time to the apex. Quickly. Be ready for anything."

At Havik's signal, they sprinted up the first section of stairs and quickly took cover at the next level. Looking around, Sareena found no entrances but knew that was misleading. Doors and passages could be hidden throughout the structure, and at any moment, legions of Shokan or Zaterrans or Seidans—or all of them—could spew out.

As they made their way to the next level, a strange sense of familiarity came to her. She'd never seen the pyramid before, but something about racing up one level to the next struck her with a terrible chill like someone walked over her grave. It felt like sprinting to doom.

"I SEE YOU."

On reflex, each fighter pressed their backs to the wall and drew whatever weapons they had. Heart pounding, Sareena looked from side to side, expecting to find enemy fighters surrounding them.

"I HAVE WATCHED YOU."

His voice was a mighty bellow that shook the pyramid itself. It echoed around them so loud the Dragon King could've been standing right over them. It was a voice that could move mountains and stop rivers. A voice that could break bones. It reminded her of Shinnok when he was in his rage.

She gulped and peeked over the side and saw at the apex the silhouette of a monstrous being thick with muscle, horns like a crown, and demonic wings. Although she could only make out his outline, she saw glowing orange eyes that made her want to shrink away and hide.

"WE NEEDN'T BE ENEMIES. I BEAR YOU NO ILL WILL FOR COMING HERE. DO NOT MISTAKE ME FOR THE LIKES OF SHAO KAHN OR SHINNOK. I DESIRE ONLY PEACE."

Havik groaned. "We need to split up," he said. "He knows we're here. Our best chance of getting the Amulet is coming at him from different angles."

"We and you should approach him from the front," Ermac said. "Draw his attention to us. Scorpion and Sareena will make their way up from one side. Kitana and Mileena try the other."

"YOU THINK ME MAD," the Dragon King continued. "I DO NOT BLAME YOU. YOU LOOK AT ME AND SEE ANOTHER MEGALOMANIAC TRYING TO BEND TIME AND REALITY TO HIS WILL. HOW SAD IS IT THAT I'M NOT THE FIRST OR ONLY TO TRY?

"WE ARE ALL VICTIMS, MY FRIENDS. WE HAVE ALL BEEN USED AS THE PLAYTHINGS OF INSANE TITANS AND CORRUPT GODS. I WIELD THE KAMIDOGU NOT TO DOMINATE OR ENSLAVE, BUT TO GRANT ALL OF YOU THE WORLD WE DESIRE. NAY … DESERVE.

"LIKE YOU … KITANA OF EDENIA, DAUGHTER OF JERROD AND SINDEL. I TOOK PITY ON YOU, FOR I UNDERSTAND YOUR PAIN BETTER THAN YOU THINK. I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE LIED TO AND BETRAYED. I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO WATCH AS EVERYTHING YOU'VE WORKED AND STRUGGLED FOR IS TORN AWAY AND RUINED. I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF SHAO KAHN."

Though she was silent, Sareena saw Kitana pale and shiver.

"OUTWORLD WAS BEAUTIFUL ONCE," Onaga said. "PEACEFUL AND JUST UNDER MY RULE. BUT I, TOO, WAS BETRAYED. I, TOO, HAD IT STOLEN FROM ME BY SHAO KAHN. AND I WATCHED, HELPLESS, AS HE TURNED MY WORLD … MY KINGDOM … INTO THE MACABRE, WAR-TORN WASTELAND IT IS NOW.

"I WOULD GIVE YOU THE LIFE YOU DESERVE, MY LADY. A LIFE OF PEACE WITH THE FATHER YOU SHOULD'VE HAD. THE MOTHER YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE. THE MOTHER YOU DID HAVE UNTIL RAIDEN AND KRONIKA'S TUG-OF-WAR OVER TIME TURNED HER FROM A LOVING WOMAN TO A SADISTIC HARLOT!"

Kitana's eyes widened, and her face turned ashen. She covered her mouth and looked ill.

"OH, YES," the Dragon King snarled. "WE HAVE ALL SUFFERED AT THE MACHINATIONS OF THE ELDER GODS AND TITANS. I HAVE WATCHED FOR COUNTLESS MILLENIA ACROSS DOZENS OF TIMELINES AS THESE … THINGS … THAT PRESUME TO LORD OVER US AND DICTATE OUR DESTINIES HAVE USED AND ABUSED US ACCORDING TO THEIR DEMENTED WHIMS.

"EVEN YOU, ERMAC OF OUTWORLD, CREATION OF SHAO KAHN. NOT EVEN YOU HAVE BEEN IMMUNE. TELL ME: ARE YOU THE SOULS OF FALLEN OUTWORLD WARRIORS … OR EDENIAN? DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOURSELF ANYMORE?"

As intimidating as Onaga's booming voice was, Sareena would've dismissed him as exactly the kind of madman he insisted her wasn't. But when she saw confusion and doubt come to the normally stoic and composed Ermac's eyes, she felt real fear.

"THERE IS A PLACE FOR YOU," he continued. "UNNATURAL THOUGH YOU MAY BE, I COULD USE SOMEONE WITH YOUR MIGHT BY MY SIDE. AFTER ALL, YOU WERE FORGED TO SERVE THE MASTER OF OUTWORLD, WERE YOU NOT? THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE RULER OF OUTWORLD … AND I LIVE AGAIN!

"I WILL MAKE THINGS AS THEY SHOULD BE. I WILL SET THE WORLD RIGHT. AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE PEACE AND JUSTICE YOU DESERVE. ALL OF YOU!

"YOU CAN LIVE AGAIN, HANZO HASASHI OF EARTHREALM, SON OF TETSUO AND ASAMI. BE REJOINED WITH YOUR WIFE AND SON, AS YOU SHOULD BE. I ASSURE YOU, UNDER MY RULE, QUAN CHI WILL NEVER BE MORE THAN A BAD DREAM.

"OR YOU, MILEENA OF OUTWORLD, CREATION OF SHANG TSUNG. YOU MAY YET STILL HAVE A PLACE IN EDENIA AS ROYALTY. TRUE ROYALTY, AND NOT SOME HALF-BREED TRAPPED IN BETWEEN. AND THAT QUESTION YOU'VE BEEN ASKING? THAT QUESTION THAT'S BEEN PLAGUING YOUR THOUGHTS?

"THE ANSWER IS YES.

"EVEN YOU, 'HAVIK.' I KNOW YOUR TRUE NAME, THOUGH YOU HAVE SURELY FORGOTTEN. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE … THE MAN YOU WERE BEFORE THE CHAOS REALM WARPED YOU MIND, BODY, AND SOUL. I CAN RESTORE YOU, IF YOU'LL LET ME."

Sareena watched as her companions, one by one, seemed to deflate. All of them looked lost and shaken to their core. Even Havik had a haunted look to his eyes as he touched his ravaged face as though it was the first time he even realized what he was.

"HOW MUCH MORE, MY FRIENDS," the Dragon King said. "HOW MUCH MORE MUST WE SUFFER BECAUSE OF THE CALLOUS ACTIONS OF SELFISH GODS AND CRUEL TITANS? HOW MANY MORE HEROES MUST BE TURNED TO VILLAINS AT RANDOM? HOW MANY MORE TRIUMPHS MUST BE STOLEN? HOW MUCH MORE MUST BE RUINED AND DESTROYED?

"I WOULD SET IT RIGHT. I WOULD MAKE A PROPER WORLD WITH ONE TRUE TIMELINE! ONE DESTINY FOR THE WORTHY! DO NOT FEAR ME, WARRIORS, FOR I AM YOUR DELIVERER! I AM YOUR SALVATION! IT IS BY MY HAND ALL WILL BE SET RIGHT! FOR ONLY I CAN GIVE IT TO YOU! ONLY I AM STRONG AND WISE ENOUGH TO WIELD THE KAMIDOGU!

"I AM THE ONE BEING YOU NEED! ALL I ASK IN RETURN IS YOUR LOYALTY! PAY HOMAGE TO ME, AND ALL YOUR DREAMS WILL BE TRUE!"

Sareena looked to her allies and saw only despair and confusion. She thought to rally them or say anything that might reinvigorate them, but no words would come. What could she say that wouldn't sound hollow and empty? Why would they give up their chance at perfect lives by the urging of a demon?

And perhaps the worst of it: Onaga wasn't wrong. She knew all too well how cruel the gods could be. She spent an eternity in the shadow of Shinnok, and she glimpsed Raiden's darkness before Kronika came about. Whatever else could be said about the Dragon King and his plans, the realms have indeed suffered due to the whims of inconsistent and uncaring gods.

It was Scorpion who met her gaze. He stared at her for a moment, his masked face and white eyes unreadable. In that moment, Shang Tsung's words echoed through her mind, and she feared they would throw her aside after all.

"He lies."

The sound of his voice seemed to break the others from their stupor. They all looked to him as he stood up.

"He paints a tempting picture," he said. "But it's a lie. He'll grant a perfect world to those he deems worthy. And what of those who aren't?"

"They die," Kitana said, standing up herself. "Because there's no such thing as a perfect world. He'll rip reality apart over and over until there's nothing left."

"Nothing but him."

"Yes!" Havik barked as he strode onto the stairway, in the open for Onaga to see him. "We defy you, Dragon King! However broken the world may be, we will not allow you to smother it under your rule!"

"Your reign is madness, Onaga!" said Ermac, joining him on the stairs. "The realms are tearing themselves apart even as we speak! You cannot wield the Kamidogu any further! You'll doom us all!"

The Dragon King stared at them from the apex. His face couldn't be seen from the distance and the Kamidogu's light behind him, but he seemed unmoved by their defiance. He simply shook his head.

"YOU DISAPPOINT ME."

He clapped his hands with a thunderous echo, and the pyramid began to tremble. Without warning, the ground beneath Sareena and Scorpion's feet shifted, and the wall before them slid open. She caught a glimpse of the same happening to Kitana and Mileena on the other side. It was as if the structure itself came to life to swallow them.

"IF YOU WILL NOT EMBRACE MY DREAM," Onaga's voice boomed as they slid into the darkness of the pyramid's interior. "THEN FACE YOUR SINS."


Kitana and Mileena blindly slid and tumbled deeper into the pyramid. They came to a rough landing in a stone corridor lit by a handful of torches. The air was musty but cool, and the walls were engraved with runes and symbols. Before she could even get her bearings, Kitana saw the wall behind them close, leaving nowhere to go but forward.

"Are you okay?" she asked, helping Mileena to her feet.

Mileena didn't answer. She drew her sai and peered into the darkness ahead. "What is this place?"

"I don't know," she replied. "But we need to reach the apex. There must be some way out of here."

"Onaga wouldn't drop us down here unless he had something in store."

"I know," she said. "Hopefully Scorpion and Sareena will find their own way if we don't find them down here."

They moved swiftly but carefully down the darkened hall, keeping their backs to the opposing walls. Kitana tried to anticipate what they might encounter, but it occurred to her with Onaga's power over the Kamidogu, just about anything could be hidden in this pyramid.

At first, the corridor simply went straight with no turns or passageways, and she began to fear the pyramid itself might operate on its own reality. A basic seeming structure on the outside, but what if the inside was eternal? Or an infinite maze they could wander endlessly with no progress?

"Kitana."

She turned to find Mileena had stopped a few feet back. Her head was down, hiding her expression. "Yes?"

"I talked to Ermac last night," she said. "You know how they said he and Havik and others weren't affected by Onaga because they're unnatural?"

"What of it?"

"I'm a clone," she said. "I'm unnatural. I asked him … shouldn't I have fallen through the cracks, too? Or stayed dead? Why was I brought back and remade like you? He said … he said the only explanation would be someone wanted me back."

She sounded awkward and uncertain. Kitana couldn't tell if she was worried or hiding her anger. "Mileena," she said. "What does this have to do with—?"

"The question I've been asking … the question Onaga said is true …" She looked up with shiny, trembling eyes. "He brought me back for you."

Kitana hesitated. With all that was going on, she hadn't bothered to question why Mileena was made into her trueborn sister. When Havik explained why he and the others were unaffected, she didn't think to connect it to her clone.

"Why did you want me back?"

"Mileena," she said. "This isn't the time …"

"Why would you want me back?!"

"What am I supposed to say to that?" she replied. "I didn't ask for this! I didn't decide anything! I just woke up in this same as you!"

"Onaga looked into your soul and gave you everything you've dreamed! He gave you Edenia, your parents, Jade, Liu Kang … everything!" Her eyes were frantic, and her voice shook as she shouted. "And me. Why was I there? You've always hated me. Why would you want me back?"

"I don't—"

She almost said she didn't hate her clone, but somehow the words felt hollow. Regardless of timeline, she had seen Mileena as an intruder. The mockery that had been meant to take her place. Her very life.

And more than that … a walking, talking reminder of her history with her step-father. The part of her that was Shao Kahn's daughter and elite assassin. The part of her that sought and relished his approval. What was Mileena if not her capacity for evil and cruelty in physical form?

But there was pity, too. She also understood Mileena was as much a victim of their step-father as she. There was a time she killed her "sister" in Mortal Kombat. But hadn't she later chosen to spare her life when they faced each other again?

"I don't know, Mileena. Onaga may have looked into my soul, but I can't tell you what he saw there." She shook her head and sighed. "I guess … deep down … maybe I believed you deserved a second chance."

Her eyes met Mileena's, and again, she couldn't guess what her "sister" thought. So much of their relationship was marked with hatred and suspicion. On the rare occasions she did try reaching out to her with sympathy, Mileena responded with resentment and distrust. Would Onaga confirming Kitana's pity make any difference now?

Before she could respond, the pyramid rumbled, and suddenly a hidden wall appeared and slid in between them. It closed with a thunderous crash, and Kitana pounded at the stone in an effort to find some switch or opening.

"Mileena!" she screamed. "Mileena, can you hear me?!"

She listened and pressed her ear against the wall, but heard nothing from the other side. The stone was too thick and strong.

"Damn it," she grumbled. "Mileena, I … I know you can sometimes sense my thoughts. If you're hearing me in any way, try to find another way to the apex. I'll—"

She turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. From darkness ahead, men clad in familiar black and gold armor approached, led by none other than Hotaru.

She drew her fans and prepared to face the first of Onaga's tests.


"I can't teleport."

Like Kitana and Mileena, Sareena and Scorpion found themselves dropped into a hall of stone lit by torches. Immediately after getting his bearings, Scorpion tried to teleport with her back outside, but something was wrong. He shifted away but only to appear in the same spot.

"I don't know why," he said. "My teleport won't work in here."

She looked around and sensed something in the air. An intangible energy that made her skin crawl. Despite the lit torches and enclosed space, the corridor was cool. The hall went ahead, fading into darkness, and seemed longer than the outside shape would suggest.

"This place is wrong," she said. "I don't know what it is, but I sense it. This pyramid is …"

"Unnatural," he said. "I feel it, too. It seems if we're to face Onaga, we must go through whatever gauntlet he has prepared for us first."

Weapons drawn, they began their trek down the corridor. Like Kitana, Sareena braced herself for whatever horrors the Dragon King had waiting. If he could tempt them with their dreams, it stood to reason he could also torment them with their worst fears if he desired.

In a strange way, she took comfort in that. Through her existence, she'd had more than her share of foes to hate and fear. But she knew she could fight them. She could kill her enemies. Death and murder were something that came natural to a demon. It was simple.

It was the alternative that frightened her. If Onaga had offered her a perfect life where all her dreams came true, could she have refused? How much would it take to sway her? She tried to imagine what her ideal world would be, and how easy would it be for the Dragon King to grant it? Would she have resisted as her companions did?

Isn't that what a hero is, she wondered? Someone who gives up their happiness for the greater good? Someone willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others? Again, Shang Tsung's words echoed in her mind. Was she a hero or not?

Perhaps she was fortunate Onaga didn't even try. Whether he despised demons so much he couldn't even pretend to tempt her, or she was simply beneath his notice, he spared her the trouble of having to choose.

"Sareena," Scorpion said, motioning her to stop. "Something's here."

Somewhere ahead, hidden in the darkness, she heard a rumble followed by something growling. More than that, however, was the smell. Within seconds, the air turned foul with the stench of rotting meat. It grew worse as lumbering footsteps approached, along with a sound like chains or metal dragged along the floor.

The shape appeared from the darkness. It was monstrous creature, muscular and hunched over with a hump in its back. A metal ball was chained to its left hand. Three yellow eyes glowed, and drool leaked from its mouth as it snarled and growled. Upon seeing Scorpion and Sareena, it stopped and roared.

"Moloch," Scorpion said, drawing his sword.

Sareena braced herself for battle but realized if the Oni-Destroyer was there, the Oni-Tormentor couldn't be far behind. The sound of flies buzzing behind her confirmed her fear, and she turned to find the walking corpse that was Drahmin approaching.

"I remember you," he said from beneath his green mask. "Pretty, pretty Sareena … I missed you …"

End of Chapter XIV