I don't own anything of the Mortal Kombat universe except my own creations. All credits go towards Netherrealm Studios.

Act I, Chapter IX

Deathless

The small window in his study betrayed the youth of the morning, rays casting a soft red light on his parchment. His quill had run dry and he carefully dipped it in his bottle of ink, his old white and violet helmet comfortable sitting next to it on his desk. He resumed his writing, turning his helmet from side to side to ensure he caught all imperfections. He wanted to be sure that the buyer wasn't going to bail on a purchase because of technicalities. He heard the door behind him creak, and the sound of heels tapping on hardwood floor didn't manage to spoil his focus. The green-eyed woman walked to the right of him and snatched his helmet from the table.

She let her long nails rapidly tap on the cool metallic headgear, "Finally selling your old armour, Tau'Gir?" she asked, twirling the helmet around in her palms, "I remember you saying a couple years ago about how its sentimental value was too much to be able to part with it," she set the helmet back down carefully.

He dipped his quill in ink again, "It is for that exact same reason I am relinquishing it," he rubbed the tan-line on his finger, "It is better off I the hands of an individual that will utilise it for its intended purpose," he grabbed the helmet with one hand and peered inside of it, "instead of gathering dust in my display for many eons to come," he set the helmet down, "and as far as I am informed, my set of armour is the last one known to be in such a prime condition."

Aszara walked over to the display, the set of faded white armour perched neatly on the mannequin, still having an eternal faint shine to it, "It's a shame, I like the way it looks," she traced the edge of one of the pauldrons, "well, without blood splatters on it, you know," she eyed the gemstone dead centre in the chestplate, "Must be expensive too, with all the materials it's made of."

He walked beside her and placed the helmet back on the mannequin, "A total of fifty-six thousand and four hundred gold for this usable set," he detached the shield from the mannequin, admiring the dragon crest on it, "It was worth much more in its prime, and much more during the Ninth's Knights existence," he walked back to his desk and set the shield on it, Tau'Gir taking his seat to continue his writing, "The interested buyer wanted this set for a lower price, but with some creative haggling and an emotional reprise of my life as a soldier, he relented and accepted the trade," he inspected the shield for scratches and dents, "Suffice to say, I am quite happy with the agreed upon price."

The dark blonde trounced around the room with a steady gait, "Its a nice retirement fund," she happened to come on his to-do list for today, 'Always as organised as ever,' thought, and she picked it up to read his chores for today, "1: Finalise sale of Knight set," obviously, "2: Purchase thornblush tea," a bit of spice in his life, "3: Pick up Umbraen's Collection of Short Stories," Umbraen was old and under-appreciated in his time, no wonder Tau'Gir liked it, "4: Start physical evaluation of pupils," the last one was odd, "Hey, Tau'Gir," the grey-haired man turned to face her, "You haven't started the physical tests yet?" he shook his head, "How come?" she asked while she placed the note of chores back on the windowsill.

He picked up the shield and marched back to the mannequin, "With the arrival of both Chronos and Ariana, I had to ensure their administration was in order," the grey-eyed man said as he placed the shield back in the display, "which delayed some of my other duties to a later date," he turned to see Aszara staring out the window, "if you had read some further, I also have to start their psychological analysis soon," he stood next to her now, mimicking her stare, "I suppose I will have to do both of them back to back to save time," she coughed a bit, "Something humorous, overseer?"

"Nothing," she said, "but I always forget your practical efficiency," he opened his mouth to say something, but the green-eyed woman was ahead of him, "Don't worry, I won't forget that time you made our local stock of ale more potent," she looked up to the skies outside, clouds peacefully floating towards the rising sun, "By the Gods, Jade didn't know what happened to her," she let a modest laugh escape her lips, while Tau'Gir remained as stoic as ever. She looked back to the streets to find herself spotting the main road filled with Edenian soldiers marching in tandem, their halberds raised high, and her smile grew into a grimace, "Looks like the Mistmarch's over," she spared a sideways glance over to the old knight, who was already moving to go towards the endless stream of soldiers.

They left the main compound and spotted the dragon training in the courtyard, throwing about some fireballs to nowhere in particular. In turn, Chronos spotted them meandering in his direction, "Morning, overseers," he waved a hand at the pair, "Why are you up so early? I thought being up so soon was only something I did," they didn't stop to talk to him, but Aszara gestured him to walk with. The front gates opened on cue, and Chronos noticed the grimaces on both the overseer's faces, "Guess I missed something," Tau'Gir turned his gaze towards the massive man.

"The Mistmarch is over," the overseer told him, and that was all the Earthrealmer needed to get the gravity of the situation. Surely enough, when the came upon the caravan of soldiers, accompanied by carriages with large covers draped over them, it was clear that the foreign soldiers made the victory of price a steep one to pay. The covers didn't hide the stray hand hanging about, bloodied and pale, still closed like a fist gripping its phantom sword. The trio of the Academy approached one of the male lieutenants, who clasped his banged-up helmet in his left arm, showing his scarred face and greasy hair.

Aszara was the one to ask, "Apologies, good sir, but can you inform me of Kilamon's location?"

"Most certainly," the lieutenant pointed to the palace, "he's gone off to inform the Royal Family," he stared at his dented helmet, "he's already told a lot of families the bad news," the overseer noticed the helmet didn't fit the lieutenant, but didn't want to pry further.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you," she looked at the helmet, then back at the lieutenant, "I'm… sorry," the young man gave her a quick glance and a faint smile before sighing, jogging to catch up with the other soldiers. Aszara walked back to Tau'Gir and Chronos, who seemed to stare at the caravan of soldiers, "Kilamon's up at the palace, so better make sure your shoes fit like a glove," she looked at the stairs to the palace, "I hope the atmosphere there isn't more grim than it is here."

They took a brisk pace towards the palace, happening on sights none of them had hoped to see so close to the last tournament. Shops that are supposed to be filled with fresh-baked pies and loaves of sweet honey bread have their doors shut firm, soldiers with condolences hesitating to knock on the doors of residences, widows on the porches of their homes either sobbing or maintaining a thousand-yard stare. It was all a sobering, depressing experience.

Aszara looked at the grey-haired overseer, "Guess this is why you retired," she said, and Tau'Gir did nothing but turn his head ever so slightly. They ascended the palace stairs and passed by the guards, who all stood straight, shield and sword close to their bodies. The trio entered the palace and approached the doorway to the throne room, from which a lot of shouting was heard. Tau'Gir gestured for the dragon and the female overseer to stand just outside to eavesdrop.

"There was nothing I could do!" Kilamon's shouts were one of anger, not of shifting blame, "If I had sacrificed more soldiers, we would have had even less for the impending war with Outworld!" there was a pause, "I am not willing to throw away more lives for a vendetta that has no purpose!"

A fist slammed down on the throne, "Protecting the lives of the innocent is not a cause worth fighting for?!" Jerrod was absolutely livid, "Protecting the fathers and mothers of now and tomorrow is an impossible goal to achieve?!" something was tossed around, "You gave up farms and cities with men, women and children inside just to save your own life?!"

They heard stomping towards the throne, "If there's anything the March will not do, it is harm the defenceless and the innocent," someone scoffed, "We evacuated as many civilians as possible, I didn't just throw people to the hounds because my life was on the line," another pause, "I have stood diligently as command against the Mistmarch, did as best as me and the men under my command could, but I will not stand for you accusing me of cowardice in the face of danger and death," a table was flipped over, silver and porcelain crashing to the marble floor, "That is a disservice not just to me, but to all the brave men and women who stood on the front lines to fight against an enemy blessed by the gods of war themselves," someone stood up from their seat, "If anyone has more issues they would like to relay to me, do it in private. This exchange is over."

The trio eavesdropping all gave each other a worried look, right before Kilamon came barging into the hallway with the Queen trailing behind. Before any of them said a word, the mammoth beckoned them over, and not a long while later, they found themselves in the palace's garden, with the servants and guards ordered away by the Queen. The overseer was trouncing in an oval while the Queen took a seat near one of the flower basins.

Chronos was the first to speak up, "That conversation didn't go over well, did it?" an obvious, but necessary question, to which Kilamon responded with fire in his voice.

"My Queen, can you not agree your husband overstepped his boundaries in insinuating me to be a traitor to the city I have spent so much time serving? To be a coward for valuing my men's lives over victory?!" that last sentence was accompanied with a break in his voice.

The Queen kept herself composed, "I understand your anger, but do understand the King's predicament," she straightened out her hair, "The kingdoms deny him support in fending off the Mistmarch and the Mortal Kombat tournament is another factor he has to consider when making strategic decisions," Kilamon wasn't satisfied with the answer.

"The kingdoms deny Jerrod his request because he himself upholds deals heavily favoured for this city," he paced faster, "They do it not just out of principle, but because none of the smaller kingdoms have any kind of resources to spare, be it weapons or men," the overseer continued with vigour, "While I sympathise with Jerrod and his predicament, that does not give him an excuse to divert blame from himself upon those that stand on the field and war, fighting tooth and nail to keep our lands free," Kilamon turned to the trio, who stood silently, "What do you feel? Should I have wasted more lives to ensure the freedom of our lands?"

"Kilamon, you're asking the wrong person," Chronos said, "I don't have a mind for war."

Aszara chimed in, "Yeah, look, I understand you want us to say 'Good job, here's a medal!' or something, but I'd be lying if I said it," she sighed, "I only have a degree in Theoretical and Applied Pyromancy, don't ask me about war."

Kilamon turned to Tau'Gir for an answer, "And what about you?" the fire in his voice had turned to smoulder, "Do you think I did the right thing?"

The grey-haired overseer took a second to formulate an answer, "Could you have kept territory at the cost of the lives of soldiers?" Kilamon nodded weakly, like he wasn't sure of it, "Then I say you made the wrong decision," the mammoth straightened out his back and puffed out his chest in barely contained anger, "An understandable, but mistaken decision."

Kilamon had nothing else to say to them without seguing into physical violence so he turned to leave, just barely avoiding planting Jade back first into the ground, who had followed them to the garden. She wanted to stop him, but he murmured, "Out of my way," like an angered, defeated man. Just before he left, he punched one of the pillars with so much force it dislodged a chunk of marble. The ebony bodyguard joined the four people now awkwardly shuffling about with their hands and feet.

"I can deduce the conversation went as smooth here as it went back at the throne room," she said, but Aszara was quick to object.

"Hey, blame the pencil pusher over her," she pointed at Tau'Gir, "I didn't tell him that he did the wrong thing."

"I lied," the admirer of arts intervened before the female overseer could go on a rant, "Kilamon needs to vent his anger now, and he should vent it with words, not fists," he crossed his arms, "and it may be better for all of you to make sure he doesn't march up to the King himself and tears him apart, verbally or physically."

Jade had her own two ruby koins to spare, "While I admire your reasoning, it might have been more helpful to say that you didn't know," she shifted her weight from one leg to another, "because right now, he's more liable to off himself than anyone else," she said, to which Tau'Gir only shrugged his shoulders.

"Look, I think I'm not supposed to be part of these affairs, so I'll just leave everyone to figure it out by themselves," he went to leave, "but do make sure to inform me about what happens. I don't want to get my face caved in for saying something in shouldn't."

The Queen gave a nod of approval, "I am sure your peers will keep you informed," she said, looking at the overseers, "Before you leave, I should tell you your training with my daughter has been postponed," she awaited a response from the dragon, which came in the form of a nod, "Very well. I wish you well today."

Chronos gave a quick farewell nod to hiss companions, who returned the gesture. He left the garden and headed straight for the front doors, passing by the stray servant strutting about the hallways. He reached the marble bridge over the valley beneath and saw the big mammoth standing on it, leaning on the railing, staring into the young sun. The brown-haired colossus came to stand next to him, and Kilamon acknowledged his response with a sideways glimpse.

"You feeling better?" it was a menial question, but it was enough to get the mammoth to talk.

"More calm, but not better," he flexed his fingers, "My knuckles have seen better days, however," he heard a small chuckle from Chronos, "It's been… a long couple months," he looked at the dragon, who joined him leaning on the railing, "And each time, the fight grows more dire."

The tall man looked at Kilamon, "How so?"

The mammoth straightened his posture a bit, "The Mistmarch is growing stronger every day, their presence more apparent every time they raid our coasts," he rolled his shoulders, "And with the tournament so soon, it all compounds into a rather stressful time. For everyone."

"I could see why," the dragon said, "but your equals seem less worried about it all."

"You are mistaken," the mammoth said, "but I could see why you would think so. Their concerns are more local, with the Academy taking up much more of their active time than, say, designing counter-strategies to foreign forces or juggling rations between divisions," he stopped leaning on the railing, "Jade has proven to create a couple of interesting strategies herself. She might grow to be a formidable commander herself," Kilamon walked towards the stairs with the dragon in tow.

Chronos took cautious steps down the stairs, "You think the blueberry Princess would even let her go?" he was losing his balance all the time, "Who'd she have to bitch to when someone wrongs her in the slightest?" the mammoth gave a quick huff.

"An amusing thought, seeing the heir rant to thin air," he replied, "but I can tell by the tone you are not convinced by your own words."

"Ah, just throwing a little shade her way," the dragon said, "we've been getting along a lot better in the last few months while you were gone," he almost lost his balance descending the stairs, "She's not made out of stone, but she makes it hard to not make it look that way."

Kilamon looked at his companion, "So it is all a façade then?" they reached the bottom of the stairs, "A curtain to hide the set behind?"

"That's the gist of it," Chronos replied, "but don't mention it to her."

The mammoth crossed his heart, "Upon my honour, your secret lies safe with me," he chuckled, "as much of a secret it is at this point."

The taller man waved the comment away, "I doubt anyone else is just prancing around telling the world how vulnerable and frail the Princess is because I said so," he thought about it, "Maybe Aszara would. As a joke, I bet."

"Aszara would never petty enough to do so," Kilamon said, "and besides, she would never take the initiative to spite the Princess in such a way," they passed a small group of Edenian soldiers marching about, "plausible denial of involvement and all that," the mammoth rolled his shoulders, "or just too lazy to plan and execute something like it."

The pair reached the front of the gates of the Academy, "Or maybe she isn't sober enough," the mammoth laughed at the remark, "she's a local brewmaster."

"Of all the possibilities, yours is likely closest to the truth," the gates opened and they entered the courtyard, "Something else is on my mind, something I've been forgetting to ask you," Chronos gave a small nod, signalling Kilamon to go ahead, "Have you had issues with your developing powers?" the dragon raised an eyebrow at the question, "I've been gone for quite some time, and you possess the aptitude to stir up a conflict every month or so, and I would hate to miss one of them."

Chronos gave a smile, "No, it's all been good lately," he said, "but training that stuff is like I've not been to the gym in a long time."

"Did you not use it before you arrived here?" Kilamon asked.

"Not often, no," the dragon replied, "and not to this degree, with pillars and auras and whatnot," they stopped in front of the main building's doorway, "It's all relatively new for me."

The mammoth placed a hand on the dragon's shoulder, "Do me a favour and keep your outbursts to a minimum," he advised, "Everyone's on the edge with the storms rolling in, and your antics would worsen them," the taller man nodded, and Kilamon removed his own hand from Chronos shoulder, "For now, I'll attend to my administrative duties. I can only assume a mountain of paperwork awaits me. I'll see you around, Chronos."

The mammoth went off into one of the stairways and Chronos was left to his own devices. Maybe he'll start reading again, or keep a diary.

"Dear tutor,

unfortunately, official business will keep me from attending our session this morning. As our training has been postponed a week, I would find it regretful to delay it even further. In this note, I have included directions to a particular spot, one me and Jade have visited plenty of times before your arrival. Follow these directions when the stars dot the sky and we will continue our sparring session.

Your pupil, Kitana."

Chronos turned the note around to see the directions again.

"South-east of this city lies a gravel path that leads to a small mountain side. From there, walk north-east along the face of the rock walls and you will find the entrance to the cave. Be careful, the cavern is quite treacherous to navigate, and your stature might make it more difficult to get through. I hope to see you soon."

They weren't awfully complicated directions- it would be an everyday walk to the hot-dog stand on the corner of the street in Paradise City- but that didn't mean he wasn't getting lost all the time. With all the walking to the palace he did these last few months, the dragon suffered from barely finding his way through any other street other than the ones he usually travels through. It did, however, give him some extra time to admire the Edenian architecture a bit more. Their white houses with purple tiled roofs were quite modest, never rising above a first floor, and their windows were always a vibrant mosaic. He wish he could get one built at home. He did feel like someone was following him through the alleys and shortcuts, but he ascribed it to his paranoia and unfamiliarity with the city.

He eventually did find the gravel path, a sparse amount of ruined pillars and thick bushes along it. He found the cave entrance within no time, cleverly hidden behind a couple of thick trees. The entrance to the cavern was, indeed, relatively small compared to his hilarious size, and Chronos was having a bit of trouble squeezing himself through the opening. Once inside, he felt a small incline coming his way, the way lit up by small luminescent flowers. He could hear the faintest of streams flowing somewhere nearby, resounding from the cavern up ahead. He slithered his way through the narrow corridors, more than once stumbling over loose pebbles in his way, fumbling around in the near-dark. After a minute or two of him scratching the palms of his hands and soles of his feet, he reached the cavern, which basically consisted of a huge space with a huge hole in the middle. The stream he heard flowing before was one that trickled right into the middle of that hole, which sounded like it ended up in an underground lake.

He noticed a small path to his right, winding up beyond another cave wall. He followed it, which lead him to a small, open spot smack dab in the middle of the mountains. The small stream came from a now proper sized waterfall with a small pond in the base of it, small puffs of steam dancing on the surface of the water. A single cherry tree stood in the space, and the rest of it was just taller than usual grass. He took a few steps forward, taking a deep breath of cool air, soaking himself in the tranquil silence of this place. The dragon then noticed some carvings in the rock next to the waterfall, but the language in the carvings were using symbols and signs Chronos couldn't recognise.

He turned his attention to the cherry tree, thick, leafy and large, and he managed to spot the sapphire heir sitting on a branch, one leg swinging front to back.

"You do make a girl wait," she said, leaping from the branch with grace and landing like a feather, "but no matter, at least we can resume our training," she was insincere about the training, and Chronos noticed.

"Well, it has been a week or so," he walked towards her, "so an extra day of not hitting each other won't do anyone any harm."

"In more ways than one," she said, moving towards the pond, unbuckling a couple of straps, "Are you not wondering why I summoned you here?" he stood there, a mute, waiting for her explanation, "As children, me and Jade would always scurry off and traverse through the city, finding a slew of nooks and crannies to worm ourselves through," she stopped unbuckling to trace the surface of the water with her fingers, "You might have deduced already this spot is one of them," she looked around, "We called it our Secret Spot, but it was not as secret as we hoped," she resumed unbuckling, which went straight into stripping down, "many star-crossed lovers finding their way to this serene, secluded spot to consummate their love and affection for each other," the princess was now down to her undergarments, which were blue, unsurprisingly, "and old friends reminiscing on simpler times."

The dragon was a little bit flustered by such a brazen show of confidence, but didn't let it show, "So what was Jade then?"

The question was difficult to answer, "In many starless nights, we were often friends," she just barely touched the warm pond with a single toe, "but on a few occasions, there would be a spark of more than that, and we would… experiment with each other," Chronos was undoing himself of his pants, not content with being outdone, "and I can only assume you would hope it to be so?"

"I'm not that perverted," he said, now also down to what constituted makeshift boxers, "but I wont say that I'm not surprised why you found comfort in an old friend's arms," he decided to dip his hand in the water. It was a comfortable warmth that enveloped his hand, "because I assume that your position didn't leave you any room to make a lot of friends."

"My education did consume the most of my time," she stole a peek at his form. She wanted to say she was admiring his asset, but she was more drawn to his inhumanly large legs, with quads so defined and large they easily out-sized her arm, "but that is not the reason my social circle is as small as it is," Chronos sunk down into the pond and a very relieved sigh left his lips. He stared at her, waiting for the story to continue, "Perhaps you have guessed already that my temper is rather… quick to show," the princess sat down in the pond as well, an arm's reach away from the dragon, "and it was difficult for me to restrain myself when I was teased."

"Teased for what?" the brown-haired man said, sinking deeper in the warm pond, "For being a rich girl?"

"I would say that's a concise summary," she replied, "but it was much more aimed at how I had privileges no one else possessed, that I would never have to worry about trying to maintain a family, that sort of thing," she looked at Chronos, who was now grazing the surface of the water with his chin, "do you think there is some truth to that?"

He shot her a look of confusion, "Why ask me?"

"You are the one whose actions have been most troublesome for me in years," she awaited his response, and it was a shrug of agreement, "so perhaps you would agree with those arguments?"

"Those children sound dumb," she smiled at his wording, "Ain't your mistake you were born rich to a royal family? What're you supposed to do, unbirth yourself?" he thought about that scenario, "Sounds fucking awful," he straightened himself out, his wet upper body now resurfacing, "No, I'd say something along the lines of you being someone who's hard to get along with."

"Funny, Jade would say the same," she cocked her head, "but I suppose being friends for almost six millennia now does allow for some criticism to slip through the cracks," she laughed, "by the Gods, I am stunned at how long it has been since those days."

"How'd she end up being your friend?" Chronos asked, "She doesn't exactly walk your walk, or talk your talk."

The sapphire heir sank a bit deeper into the water, "Did she not tell you herself?" Chronos shook his head, "Not even a passing mention?" again, he shook his head, "I feel it is not in my place to divulge personal information when the person in question is absent. It is dishonest."

"Yeah, I gotcha," he slipped back deeper into the pond, humming in delight. By God, he hadn't had a good warm bath in months, and this was an absolute godsend.

"Enjoying yourself?" he hummed in response, "I could give you something… personal, if you accept?" he gave a questioning hum, "A shoulder massage maybe?"

He gazed at her apprehensively, "Are you sure? Because that's pretty intimate."

"Haven't we got to know and appreciate each other enough during these last months?" he gave conceded nod, "Now, scoot forward so you do not squish me against the edge of the pool," the dragon complied and waded through the water while Kitana managed to position herself behind him. She was always impressed by his impressive muscular body, hypothesising just how much time it must have taken for him to achieve such a stature and size, "Now, sit straight and relax."

She started her shoulder massage, and while she noted how firm his shoulders were, Chronos began sinking away into his mind, because the blueberry woman started of on one hell of a foot with her massage, managing to knead his shoulders in just the right way. He was inclined to lean against her, but he was afraid his weight alone would cause her to be unable to breathe. For several minutes he simultaneously zoned out while also maintaining his posture. After she was done, he took a few seconds to recollect himself before turning around to face the princess.

"And?" she inquired.

"Who taught you?" he asked, and she smiled.

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out," she said, inching closer to the dragon. She stared into his eyes, one now a vacant greyish, the other one a beautiful deep sea blue. It is quite a shame she blinded him in that one eye, but it did give him that old, weathered look of a retired knight, living out his days in a cosy countryside homestead, "but I surmise you'll never deduce it."

"Uhuh," he replied, also inching closer to her, "but there is something I do know," his face was now half a foot away from hers, he could see her glossy lips shining in the moonlight, "you like someone," she furrowed her brows, but also put on a smile.

"Oh, really?" he eyelids grew heavy, "And who do you think that is?" she looked into his eyes, moving ever closer to his face.

"You should look closer," he moved his hand on her thigh, "and maybe I'll tell you-" he moved his hand further up her thigh, intending to use it as a bit of support while leaning in. As he did so, he didn't feel soft lips caressing his or a silk hand cupping his cheek. It was, instead, a very powerful slap that hit him so hard across the cheek it almost managed to inflict minor whiplash, the sheer force sending him toppling over into the pond. He was in mild shock when he resurged, out of breath and with a woman profusely apologising.

"Oh, oh no, I- I am so sorry, I," she was finding it hard to form a coherent sentence, "I was anxious and- I did not mean to, but your hand, just- I, I am so terribly sorry, I-" he raised his hand, which he was unable to hold entirely still.

"No, it's fine," he said with an exhausted voice, like he had just been robbed of all energy, "I should've seen this coming," he stood up, but she was trying to stop him from doing so.

"No, please, just sit down and we can gloss over what just happened," she was pulling on his arm, "Please I- I did not mean to hit you, but I am not used to sharing these type of moments with anyone else but my best friend, but- we should- can we start over, please?" she was pleading, but he wouldn't listen.

"You should get dressed," he commanded, and his tone implied he wasn't going to get back in. He was already getting redressed.

"No, I beg of you-" one last ditch effort.

"Kitana," his voice was authoritarian now, effectively using that deep bass voice of his to convince her, "get dressed."

She accepted at last, getting up out of the pool and putting on her elaborate outfit. To her surprise, Chronos was giving her a hand.

"I thought-" the princess began, but he cut her off before speaking himself.

"Kitana, I get it, alright," he started, "it's not exactly everyday interaction between us, you're not exactly used to it, and… and I know about the tournament," her eyes were cast downward, but her lifted up her head by the chin, "You're in a rough spot, and I wouldn't want to make it worse by doing something we'll both regret. Do you get that?" she nodded, but she wasn't done talking.

"But it's not that I do not want to share such an intimate moment, it's-" once again, he cut her off. She had almost forgotten his boorish behaviour.

"It was something you wanted, I know, but it's not the right time," he said.

She was almost deterred, but not entirely, "What if there never is a right time?"

"I don't know," he said, an apologetic look adorning his face, "I'm sorry," he put on a small smirk, "Maybe we can have a tea to figure that one out."

"A tea from who?" she asked.

"Aszara," he said, and she laughed way louder than intended, and both of them relaxed because of it.

"She will serve us a special tea, no doubt," she was now wearing a beautiful smile, her pearly whites barely shining in the dead of the night, "You're right, I know, I apologise," she was making a bunch of hand gestures at the moment, "but I will ensure you give me the promised tea."

"Duly noted," he said before resuming helping the sapphire heir buckle up her outfit.

"Can I ask you one last thing?" she asked, and he signalled her to fire away, "You told me a story about your past life a while ago, and I have to ask," he looked up to her, "Why did you not use your real name?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Guess I'd rather put it all behind me as soon as possible," he didn't continue, and to prevent the atmosphere from tensing up again, she didn't press any further. Once both of them had been fully dressed, still mildly damp from the bathing session, both of them followed the path back inside the cavern, the darkness creeping up op them from the corners. He swore he heard footsteps, but he didn't see anyone in the cavern, no torches, no looming eyes from the dark, nothing. But he was still on edge and the princess felt it.

"Chronos," she grabbed his arm, "are you alright?"

"Something's not right," he said, and almost on cue, a pair of crossbow bolts shot out from the dark, one piercing the dragon's knee, the other lodged in his right upper chest. Chronos sank to one knee while Kitana whipped her fans out of thin air, but it was to no avail as she was struck by a witch bolt from somewhere in the cavern. Conscious, but unable to do anything, she could see a legion of dark-clad clan members approach from the shadows, either packing a crossbow or a sword and shield. The big man tried to stand up, but one of them, presumably their leader, his leather armour trimmed with iron, kicked him in the face, tipping him over backwards.

The witch bolt stopped electrocuting Kitana, and in no time, she was bound and gagged as the Earthrealmer was surrounded by five people, each pointing their weapon at him.

"The sweet moon light, the solitary cavern," their leader took a sniff, "ah, it's a wonderful place to commit a murder," he looked at the princess, "but you won't be alone," from the passage to the entrance, several other clan members dragged a bruised and bloodied ebony along, also bound and gagged, her eyes faint with life, "best friends forever, right?" he smirked before turning his gaze back at the now restrained dragon, "Look, you do understand this isn't anything personal? It's just my job," he tapped the side of Chronos' head, "I hope you understand. That doesn't mean I'm not going to show some showmanship. Got to have some entertainment from all this nasty business."

He paraded around a bit, beginning to conjure up a fireball to torch his target with. The princess was being held down as she tried to escape, the bodyguard was staring in a haze at the whole ordeal. The big cheese took his sweet time to assassinate Chronos, and a faint voice whispered in the dragon's head.

"Mmmmmh..." it rumbled through in his head, time began slowing down, "it seems like you find yourself in a precarious situation, good friend," the voice was calm and formal, but the Earthrealmer was sure he was going to mince his words. Whoever the voice belonged to, it seemed to sense that thought, "do not fret, I have a simple proposition for you," the voice was silent for a second, "no, not a proposition, a gift."

The clan leader juggled some fireballs in slow motion and the disembodied voice continued.

"As you see, the day of judgement has arrived," a sudden ghostlike image walked from behind Chronos, theonly thing visible enough being a bright orange skull, with the rest of his humongous body only a faint orange shimmer, though Chronos could just barely tell the ghost wore armour, "and the Emperor of Outworld is keen on reducing resistance when his invasion commences," the ghost walked through several assassins, next to the pair of women being restrained, "These beautiful daughters of Edenia will be used as leverage to sway the King into surrender, after which they will certainly entertain whatever guests the Emperor wishes to receive," the ghost circled around the bound pair, "it would be a tremendous shame to see them suffer," the shimmer now walked in front of the dragon, kneeling to meet him at eye level, "I cannot save you from death, but I can grant you your life back when it is stolen by these vermin," the intensity of the skull's glow made him go blind, "and thus, a chance to save a good friend, and your beloved," the assassin was about to toss his fireball through the dragon's chest, incinerating his heart in the process, "but you must let me do so," all Chronos did was flare his nostrils, and the spirit took note of the subtle action.

"I knew you would agree."

The clan leader threw a fireball straight into the dragon's chest, melting its way through his ribs and chunks of lung, turning his heart to cinder. Kitana jumped up in despair, seeing the fleeting life of her tutor being extinguished in a couple heartbeats. The assassin strolled around his almost lifeless body before giving it a nudge into the underground lake, his corpse flailing around before disappearing into the deep water. The leader gave a quick theatrical bow before walking up to the princess with a confident strut.

"Now, I know, what's going to happen to you?" he traced the edge of her cheekbone with the outside of his hand, "You'll make fine trophies if the Emperor allows us to keep you, after we use you as a way to get your father to budge, y'know," he stroked her arm, "but it'll all be professional, I assure," he turned to some of his companions, "half of you stays here, and we'll make a gateway at our escape point. Make sure scouting parties can't get word out," the rest was summoned with him, "let's go."

They reached the entrance of the cavern, where a couple of guards stood diligently, deterring any unaware passer-by. In the dead of the night, the clan sneaked away into the forest hugging the edge of the mountains, keeping their hostages as secure as possible. Some of the magic users constantly began casting spells, detecting every living creature around the party. The two in the back seemed to be discussing something, but Kitana was more focused on her friend, who hadn't looked at the princess since their trip into the forest. The heir saw a single tear roll down the ebony's cheek, a tear of sadness and failure.

"You know, it's a shame Edenia is so lush and gorgeous," the woman said, casting her spells with one hand while keeping a torch in the other, "makes me feel kinda bad it's going to lose a lot of it."

"Don't get attached to this place," her male companion said, "we're just doing our job here."

She laughed, "I should've been an archaeologist or something," she looked up to the sky, "or an astronomer. My mother would be a lot less inclined to check up on my health," she looked back sideways, "what about you, Hadz?" her male companion was nowhere to be found, "Hadz? Hello?" she cast her life spells, but they only showed rodents scurrying about. She also cast a detect dead spell, but it showed even less.

"Maga, stop slacking and pick up your pace," one of her clan brothers yelled, and she jogged up to the group to warn them.

"Hadz is gone," she said, and another woman with black hair turned to her. She cast her detect life spell too, but didn't see anything but critters as well.

"That's odd," she signalled some of her companions, "Can you cast some light behind us? One of us has apparently lost his way, and he might just need a light to-"

thud

thud

snap

thud

It came from their right, and they wasted no time with casting their life spells, but again, nothing came up besides birds and lizards.

"We're just paranoid," one of them said, "these forests are spooky anyways."

The black haired woman turned to the can member, "Hadz didn't just up and leave because of a change of heart," she kept her torch up high, "watch yourself."

The group continued, but everyone but their clan leader kept hearing something in the forest, kept seeing a shadow in the distance, but every time, they saw nothing. They began tensing up immensely, all of them a hand on their scabbard to slash at whatever thing in the forest was prowling about. Some of them even saw a single red eye peering from the dark depths of the woods, but they kept seeing nothing. Not a revenant stalking them, not some guardian angel punishing them for their crimes, nothing of the sorts. And yet, when their eyes wandered, bushes rustled mere feet from them away, branches snapped under the weight of a predator stalking about, footsteps around them tracking their every move.

They arrived at their escape point, a decrepit and ruined watchtower in an open spot, only recognisable by a single torn Edenian banner waving in the wind. The leader began setting up a communication portal without noticing how some of his group had been lost in the woods. Nearly every single member was losing their mind, constantly checking behind them to make sure they weren't pounced by some Edenian beast. The clan leader managed to establish contact with other clan leaders.

"It's done," he said.

"Good," a pair of people on the other side, "we're creating a gateway to your location. I see you have some additional cargo," they referred to the royal duo on their knees, watched by several other assassins, "Excellently done, Gall. As soon as you arrive, we'll…," one of the clansmen was pulled into the forest, his shouts muffled by a large hand drowning his voice out, "Gall, you said you had forty people tailing you," they looked behind Gall, who himself turned around.

"I left half behind, I'm going to get a portal to-" he was cut short by one of the clan leaders on the other side.

"There are only sixteen left," indeed, when the assassin looked around, he counted six- no, fifteen?

"That's odd," he thought he may have taken a couple less than he left behind, "I'll ask with the ones who stayed behind when they show up," the mages casting the detect life spells only saw some critters running up trees, "Hey, can one of you create a portal to the cavern?" one of the sorcerers began creating a portal, but on the other side, the only thing that could be seen was the cavern and no one else, "Gentlemen?" he looked into the portal, but no one responded to him, "Shit."

From the depths of the woods, a massive lightning spear shot across the open spot, nailing the sorcerer who created the portal in the shoulder, instantly taking her out of the fight. Everyone was on alert now, but not alert enough to escape the lightning bolts snaking across the surfaces, electrocuting four of them within seconds. Gall was attempting to detect the source of the attacks, but whoever was attacking them was like a spectre hiding in plain sight. Another assassin was downed by a fireball that shattered the iron trimming on their armour.

The remaining assassins began panicking, and it was more than enough to pick them off, one by one, each of them put out of commission by a well placed lightning spear or a vicious fireball, and their assailant was keeping to the shadows. The princess and the bodyguard were roused from their dampened state by the sudden attack, and they recognised what kind of power was being flung at them, which left them in disbelief.

The portal to Outworld opened, and only Gall and a single female assassin were left, but the leader was not keen on sticking around and made a dash for the portal. The female assassin did so as well, but she was lassoed around her legs by a chain of solar energy and pulled towards the edge of the woods, where she came face to face with a dead man, now with a huge circle of fourth-degree burns on his chest and scar tissue around it. The scar tissue, as well as the scar on his eye, glowed a faint orange that flared up when the goliath frowned.

"Gall, Gall!" she yelled, but her leader had already jumped through the portal without a second thought. She was left all by her own with the beast, who was slowly marching towards her. She was crawling back, chains still around her feet, his single red eye piercing her soul, "Look, look, we- we had no choice-" she was cut off with a fierce hook to the jaw, which knocked her out cold. The dead dragon now walked to the emerald and sapphire, staring in shock at the sight before them. The portal to Outworld had closed, and only one had managed to flee the terror that mauled them.

An entire platoon of guards came running to the ruined watchtower, along with Aszara and Tau'Gir. The first thing they saw was Chronos' back, a big burn spot on it, his scar in an x-shape and glowing like a forge.

"By all the Gods, what in the realms happened here?" the female overseer was stunned at the sight of several assassins writhing in pain, "What happened to you?" she pointed at the dragon, who had just finished unbinding the royal pair.

"I died," he was blunt about it, "but I got better."

"You… died?" Tau'Gir was apprehensive, but continued, "You are awfully calm about dying and being brought back to life," Chronos only shrugged, and he was approached by the two freed ladies.

"Chronos, are you sure you are well?" Jade was concerned, he looked too cold, "We fear that you-"

"I am fine," he cut her off, but didn't go any further, "I'm going back to the Academy," he was very non-descriptive, but none of the four that were looking at him dared to keep him from leaving. That didn't stop all of them from discussing the subject.

"We should keep an eye on him," Jade said, "make sure he doesn't start torching anyone that he deems a threat."

"I'm of a mind with Jade," Aszara crossed her arms, "Tau'Gir, did you run your tests yet?"

"Not on him," he replied, "but I will make sure he takes them," he looked back at the large behemoth disappearing in the thick woods, "I do hope it doesn't take a toll on him."

Kitana looked at him, in the dark, delving into the void of the unknown woods, and she had one thing to say.

"I would like to believe so too."

china numba wan

Guess who's back? Back again?

Apologies for taking so long with chapters, i've got a severe case of attention deficiency that I should take care of. Personally dissatisfied with the ending of this chapter, but I'm not sure how to improve it without making the chapter an additional two thousand words long, so here you go. As always, toll the bell, bookmark this story or something and I'll see to it that this story is given a movie adaptation starring Jack Black.

- The Anti-Sun Man