Come the crack of dawn, the Edenian colosseum was already bustling with activity. The people were anxious to see the ultimate fate of Shao Kahn's once loyal minion. This was the day of Ermac's reckoning. Shao Kahn sat upon the arena's throne, high above the central fighting area. Standing beside him was his new second in command, Rain.

Rain turned to his leader, "I never did take sympathy with our prisoners, but I must admit that sending your once trusted advisor to die against Moloch so soon seems harsh."

"I am nothing if not harsh," Shao admitted, "You saw how he defied me in front of my people. If I let him get off easy, what's to stop the others from doing the same? I will crush him before he can make all of my hard work pointless. I was dethroned once I will not let it happen again."

The two opposing gates opened. Ermac walked out, blinded by the morning sun. He shielded his eyes as the people cheered his entrance. On the other side, Moloch stomped out on all fours. Shao Kahn started the fight off, "We are gathered here today to see what happens to traitors of the kingdom. Let the Kombat begin!"

Moloch charged towards Ermac. The construct didn't do anything as Moloch grabbed him by his head and slammed him repeatedly against the floor. He didn't fight, he didn't flinch, and he was unmoving. In response to his pacifism the audience booed in displeasure. Sitting in the seats were a disguised Kitana and Jade. Jade wanted to rush out and save him, "We need to help him, he's getting destroyed down there!"

"Keep calm, Jade. We must time this right. If you want to save your friend, we need to wait this out."

Jade took a deep breath in and out. It was clear how concerned she was for Ermac, "I know, I know but…"

Kitana comfortingly placed a hand on her shoulder, "Have faith in me. I know what I'm doing."

"You're right," Jade agreed, "when you're right, you're right. I'm just so worried about him he's hardly had a chance to really live life."

Kitana spoke to Jade in a calm manner, "I know. Don't worry we'll give him that chance. You'll give him the chance."

Jade nodded with a smile, "Thanks Kitana."

Back in the arena, Moloch was wailing on Ermac with his ball and chain. The construct still did not do a single thing to fight back. That was until he threw Moloch across the arena, directly back through the gate. He shut it using his telekinesis. He turned up to Shao Kahn, "We refuse to fight!"

Shao Kahn growled at Ermac, "You can't refuse, you're a prisoner! You have no rights!"

Ermac stood his ground against his former master, "We won't fight that thing. There's only one way we'll fight."

"I will make you fight," Shao said to his creation, "even if I must come down there and fight you myself."

Ermac nodded, "That's exactly what we want. Shao Kahn, we challenge you to Mortal Kombat!"

Shao cracked his knuckles in preparation, "Very well, then. I'll be your executioner today!" Shao Kahn jumped up from his chair and landed directly into the kombat zone. He motioned to Ermac and then to himself, taunting him, "Come on! You think you can take me?!"

Ermac ran towards Shao and threw a punch. Shao grabbed Ermac's fist and twisted his arm, "Is that all you've got?! You're pathetic!" Ermac reeled back in pain, but refused to stand down. He shoved Shao Kahn away with a telekinetic push and kicked him right in his chest. Shao fell to the ground, yet didn't stay grounded for very long. He pulled himself back up and threw a green spear right into Ermac's chest. Ermac rose a shield up, deflecting the spear back into Shao Kahn's chest. Shao was hardly affected by the attack.

The now angry king ran towards Ermac with such speed and ferocity it actually surprised him. Ermac tried blocking the incoming attack. Shao responded by grabbing him and picking him up off the ground. Ermac struggled in his creator's mighty grip. Nothing he could do would deter Shao. Shao slammed him onto the ground. The sounds of Ermac's bones snapping and crunching rang throughout the arena. He attempted to get back up but was met back Shao Kahn stomping on his back, "If only you had remained loyal, then this whole situation could have been avoided!"

Ermac reached out towards the audience, but again Shao stomped on him. It felt like Shao drove his foot through him, but he didn't. He might as well have, though. The audience, who had once cheered on the fight, was now having second thoughts. Shao's brutality only grew worse. He picked Ermac up only to slam his head against Ermac's, "But now, you've made the greatest mistake of your life! Your traitorous efforts will be the death of you!"

The construct was clearly in no condition to fight, but his creator continued to fight anyway. Before he did he continued to brag, "But it won't only be the death of you, it'll be the death of your traitorous friends. Jade's going to suffer the same fate as you, as will Kitana. Maybe if you had given up, then I might've shown mercy, maybe…maybe. But now you'll never know! I'm going to finish you!"

He raised his fist high in the air, yet felt himself unable to deliver the finishing blow. Was this the interference of the Elder Gods? He sure blamed it on them, "You accursed Elder Gods! Let me finish him!"

Ermac looked up to Shao, "It's…not the Elder Gods. We cannot sense their presence in you."

"Then your telekinetic powers won't stop me, I'll kill you!"

"It's not our powers," Ermac denied, "you can't finish us. We're your greatest creation, you know it. You won't admit it, but you'd hate to kill us."

Shao growled in frustration, picking Ermac up from the ground, "You weak pathetic fool! I feel no sympathy for traitors!" When he picked Ermac up, the audience began to boo at him. He dropped his creation, looking all around himself. He sneered at them, "You hypocrites, isn't this what you wanted?!"

At this pointed, Kitana and Jade dropped down from their seats. Shao turned to them, his anger only growing, "You! You're the ones making them betray me!"

Kitana shook her head, "You think we're behind this? You're the reason they're booing, not us."

Shao stomped towards them, each step shaking the ground beneath him. He threatened them, "If I cannot kill Ermac, then I will gladly take your lives instead!"

Yet he was stopped. This time it was Ermac preventing him from moving. Using all of his remaining strength, Ermac pulled Shao Kahn back to him, "You will not hurt them!"

Shao's guards flooded into the arena, ready to protect their master. That was until Jade raised a question, "Wait! Can't you all see? Ermac was more loyal than any of you, but look at him now. What's to stop Shao from doing the same to you all?"

The guards paused, thinking about it. Shao growled at the guards, "If you do not help me, I will have you all executed!"

Kitana gave them an offer, "You don't have to live in fear. Drop your weapons, we won't hurt you."

The guards obliged, dropping their weapons. Shao yelled at them, "You miserable wretches, when I get free I'm going to personally kill you all!"

Kitana pulled out her fan blades, "No, no you won't." She was ready to stab Shao until Ermac cried out, "Don't!"

"Why not?"

Ermac explained his reasoning, "If you kill him, he'll come back. He'll always come back. There's a better way than this."

Jade pulled Ermac back up, wrapping his arm around her, "You're not feeling well. There's no other answer, not for someone like him."

Ermac looked to Jade with his bruised eyes, "You wanted us to make our own decisions…this is our decision. If you trust us, you'll let us do this. Please."

"I know what I said," she admitted, "and I'm keeping true to it. Kitana, don't!"

Kitana held her head, "I must be going crazy! Do you not see who this is?! He's ruined a great number of lives! He's killed so many, he'll never stop! Not until we put an end to his rampage! Killing him is the only way!"

"We know what he's taken from you," Ermac sympathized, "he's taken a lot from many people, but killing him will just repeat the cycle. Deep down in your heart, you know he'll come back. When he does come back? He'll just take more from you."

Kitana crumbled, the need for revenge in her was growing stronger, "There's nothing left he can take from me! You know he deserves this! It's not fair to just let him go away without punishment!"

Jade reached out to her friend, "You know that's not true. You've still got me, Kitana."

"And now you've got us," Ermac added, "Were it possible, we'd be doing much worse to him but you know we can't. He must learn, or else nothing changes."

Kitana finally stepped down, "Fine. Do with him what you will."

Ermac pulled Shao closer to him, "Shao Kahn, you are exiled from the Edenian kingdom! And just to make sure you can't do anything about it…" Ermac sucked away most of Shao Kahn's power, leaving him with just enough to survive in the exile and nothing more.

Shao fell on his hands and knees, his helmet falling to the ground. He looked up to his creation, "I'll regain my power. And when I do, I'll be back."

"We're counting on it," Ermac replied, "take him away to the Edenian bog."

Shao got up from the ground. Two guards grabbed him. If he were at full power, he would have been able to easily break free. However, he found himself unable to. Ermac really did absorb his strength. The guards dragged him away, as he yelled threats towards them all.

Kitana looked at him with a smug smirk on her face. She waved him goodbye, "You know what? That was better than killing him. What do we do now, though?"

Ermac, rejuvenated by Shao Kahn's strength, found that he was able to stand on his own, "Why don't you tell us, Queen Kitana?"

Kitana looked over to him, "Queen…?"

Jade gave confirmation, "That's right. We're now under your service."

"I'm queen of Edenia," Kitana said to herself, "I've dreamed of this day for so long." The audience cheered her on as their new leader. She could hardly contain herself, "I…I don't know what we should do." She had no words for the joy she felt at this moment.

Rain walked up to her, "I can say that I absolutely agree with this monumental decision. I bet you're looking for a king, huh? I am the rightful prince after all."

"You'll be doing lucky if I don't throw you and Tanya into the dungeon," Kitana warned, "Be on your best behavior."

Jade couldn't help but wonder what Ermac was hoping to achieve by exiling Shao Kahn. She asked him, "Why did you send Shao Kahn to exile anyhow? Why not just to the dungeon?"

"He's never been in the outside world without power," Ermac answered, "He's always had a life of privilege. Before he was emperor, he was the second-in-command, and before that he was Outworld's protector, similar to Argus and Raiden."

"How do you know that?"

Ermac answered, "We have knowledge of many things, thanks to the souls held within us. There was a point in time where Shao played the role of protector."

She got curious, "What changed that?"

"We don't know," Ermac replied, "it truly is a mystery. One that only Shao Kahn himself would know."

As they conversed what was next for Edenia, Shao was taken to the Edenian swamp. In a way, there is where his conquest began. This is where he truly took control of what was left of Edenia. It's almost ironic, seeing as how it's where his conquest will seemingly end.

The guards tossed him into the woods and left promptly. Shao observed his surroundings, seeing nothing but trees, bushes, and other plant life as far as the eye could see. There was only one thing on his mind right now and that was revenge.

He was stripped of everything, his power, his throne, and the admiration he worked so hard for. All that was left was his ever present pride, but even that was damaged. He was shamed by his defeat, humiliated even. Shao wasn't used to losing, he always won. He could only recall just once when he truly lost before, but even then he recovered. He swore he'd recover from this again.

To him everyone else was wrong, not him. He knows what's best, not them. Who were they to him? He's the Elder Gods' champion, he was the slayer of the Dragon King, and he was the one who rebuilt Edenia from the ground up. Killing his once most trusted advisor might have been harsh, but was it really enough for the people to turn against him so instantaneously?

It didn't matter, he'd die. They all would. All traitors to him would get what they deserved. However even he knew that before revenge could come, he'd have to rebuild. He'd have to get his strength back and he'd have to find shelter.

He would find said shelter in the form of a secluded cave just near the lake in the center of the swamp. He entered inside, noting how cold it was. He rubbed his hands together for heat. No matter what he tried, he could not stave off the cold. He walked out from the cave, looking for fire wood. He grabbed some sticks from the ground and two rocks he could strike together. He walked back into the cave, throwing the sticks on the ground.

He struck the rocks together, causing a spark. The spark landed on the sticks, leading to fire. He huddled closely to the fire, still shivering. "I'll rebuild," he said to himself, "they'll all pay for their treachery."

To his surprise he heard a voice call out to him, "Hello?"

Shao was turned to where the voice came from, which was deeper into the blackness of the cave, "Who goes there?"

Out from the shadows, a snake-like dragon slithered out from the shadows, "I am Orin."

Shao backed away from the hulking beast, "A dragon…?"

"Do not be alarmed," Orin said to him, "I mean no harm. Who are you?"

Shao Kahn was near unrecognizable without his iconic helmet. Without it, he was just another drifter. Shao introduced himself, "I have no name, not anymore. I'm a vagabond, just coming through." He felt embarrassed to even use his name. The name that once struck fear into the hearts of many was now one synonymous with defeat.

Orin nodded, "I see. Make yourself at home then, I insist."

"That's what I was planning," Shao replied, "but why are you in this cave?"

The dragon answered accordingly, "I've been here for years. Even when this realm was merged, I was always here. I'm a guardian, protecting something important until the time comes."

Shao became curious, "Is that so? What do you guard? Is it something of great power?"

Orin dodged the question, "Errrr, I can't tell you I'm afraid. You wouldn't care to listen anyhow, it's a long story."

"You're right, I wouldn't," Shao bluntly replied, "I'm here only for shelter."

Orin swooped down, his eyes meeting with Shao's. He stared at him as he asked, "Now, why are you here? It's been quite a while since anyone has been seen here. Not since Shao Kahn wiped out Tanya's guerilla forces…"

Shao remained silent. Orin prodded on further, "Were you exiled by Kahn himself?"

The former emperor sneered at the dragon, "You refused to answer my question so I refuse to answer yours."

"Fair enough," Orin admitted, "I shouldn't be doing this, but it seems you'll get nowhere in this realm. I'll gladly take you to another should you so wish."

Shao rejected his offer, "You expect me to run like a coward?! I refuse to back down those traitors. I will see to it that I have their heads!" Revenge was still all that was on Shao's mind. It was all that was ever on his mind. When he first came back it was revenge against Raiden and Liu Kang, then it was revenge against Onaga, and now the target of his wrath was Ermac.

Orin said to him, "You cannot hope to take on an entire empire like his on your own, stranger."

He was right. While maybe he could have in the past, Shao couldn't now. Without his strength, he would hardly be able to take on a small set of guards, let alone an entire army. Luckily brute strength was not all Shao Kahn had he also had his brilliant strategic mind. This was a mind that needed rest, so he called it a night. He lied down upon the cold stone floor and fell asleep in an instant.

Orin felt some form of sympathy for this passing bystander, not knowing who he was. The lone dragon looked wistfully to the night sky, "It's been so long. Every passing minute, every passing day, every passing year…I must wonder when Caro and I will receive the signal."

Unfortunately the signal was the last thing on his brother's mind. Deep within the Red Dragon's central compound in the mountains of Outworld, Caro was a prisoner. Forever trapped behind a laser grid in their laboratory. The only thing he was used for was DNA so that the Red Dragon may attempt to make hybrids.

It wasn't often he had visitors, but it looks like today was going to be an exception. Daegon marched into the room. Caro looked down to him, "Daegon…?"

"Hello Caro," Daegon greeted, "I've got a proposition for you."

Caro was suspicious but asked, "Go on?"

Daegon continued, "I want to know if there's a way you can contact Blaze. If you contact him, then I'll set you free."

The red dragon considered his offer but knew there was no way he could take it. He answered, "There's no way I can contact him. I've tried doing so for years now, but he's never heard my pleas."

The Son of Argus didn't believe him, "What?! You're telling me that my parents gave Blaze a way to contact you but not the other way around? Leave it to Delia to be so incompetent."

"Delia is the last person I would call incompetent," Caro objected, "she was the wisest of us all."

Daegon chuckled, no he laughed when Caro said that. Then he said, "If she was so wise, then how come she used her sons as tools in some ancient prophecy! I was almost robbed of my life and Taven…Taven's still frozen in that rock."

"It's for the greater good," Caro tried to remind him but Daegon silenced him, "Don't give me that greater good speech, Caro. I was lied to, he was lied to, and who even knows if her insane visions had any truth to them? If they did, then who knows if Taven or I could stop Armageddon? What if it's someone else who stops it?"

Caro had nothing else to say. His captor was right, this plan was majorly flawed. Maybe it would have gone better if only Caro didn't awaken the second son so soon. Sadly it was too late to rectify past mistakes. What could have been otherwise, who knows? It didn't even matter, not like they could change the past. Daegon shook his head, "You're as useless to me as you were to them! I don't even need you for your DNA anymore as we've manufactured the perfect hybrids of dragon and human!"

In the doorway, a human-like creature limped out. However this creature was far from human. It had red scales for skin, it had a Glasgow smile across its face, and two prominent fangs stuck out from its mouth. This inhuman beast hissed at both of them. Caro couldn't believe his eyes, "Wha…what have you created?! That thing is an unnatural abomination!"

"Please," Daegon scoffed, "Don't act like freaks like this don't come by nature, just look at the Tarkata. I've only rushed the process and did it without interbreeding."

The hybrid gave out a high pitched screech, startling Caro immensely. Daegon motioned to the beast, "With this creature's enhanced sense of smell, we'll surely be able to find that fire elemental."

Caro knew he couldn't let Daegon unleash these abominations out into the world. If he had enough of them, then he might even have an untouchable army. For years, the dragon had many regrets. It was he who unleashed Daegon early, it was his DNA that allowed these hybrids to exist, and it was his face that was the symbol of the Red Dragon clan. For all this time, he made mistake after mistake. So before Daegon could make enough of these beasts, he knew he had to rectify for everything. He crashed his head against the ceiling, shaking the entire facility. The ceiling started to crumble above them. Daegon gasped, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm making up for lost time," Caro said, bashing his head into the ceiling again. Chunks of the mountain started crashing through. Daegon swiftly leapt out of the way of an incoming chunk of rock. The hybrid next to him was not so lucky, as it was crushed by said rock. Daegon pulled himself up from the floor and made his way towards the exit. Following behind him were the Red Dragon's scientists and soldiers. Daegon narrowly escaped with his life but a majority of his men were not so lucky. Only a handful of soldiers made it out before the entire compound was flooded with both the snow of the mountain and the crumbling facility.

Daegon stomped his foot. He stomped his foot in frustration, "All that progress! It's all gone!" He felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked behind he saw Noob Saibot, "Noob?! What are you doing here?"

Noob dodged his question, "That's unimportant. What is important is that I finally found a lead on Blaze. I know where he is."

"Where is he?"

Noob replied, "He's here in Outworld, I know it. He's somewhere in the Living Forest. As it turns out he was working for Onaga's cultists, guarding the egg until Goro took over. Now he just wanders aimlessly from what I hear, until he finds a way to remember what his original mission was."

Daegon held the bridge of his nose in disappointment, "The Brotherhood is going to have to go alone, as you can see my army's numbers are quite low."

"Yes, that's a shame," Noob said to feign sorrow, "Don't worry, we'll find him. There's no where he can run now."

Daegon did not say anything in response, he only grinned. Those two were not the only deadly alliance to the realms. Within Seido, the Seidan Guard was meeting with the leader of the Tekunin, Triborg.

The guards were fascinated by the ability to cyberize people. Hotaru shook hands with the cyborg leader, "I've been waiting to meet you."

"The feeling is mutual," Triborg replied, "but enough with the pleasantries, what do you want?"

Hotaru went straight to the point, "We think your ability to convert people into machines would be quite beneficial. We could finally have a realm of true order!"

The Tekunin clan leader liked this idea, "That can be arranged."

"How long will it take," the Seidan guardsman inquired.

"It won't take very long. Our efficiency is unmatched all we'll need is a day to build a cyberization chamber. Gather your masses soon you'll have an unmatched cyborg army!"

Hotaru shook his head, "We're not looking for an army, just an easier way to control the citizens. We want order, not a war."

The cybernetic wannabe tyrant was confused by this notion, "You want an easier way to control them? That's it?"

"Yes it is," Hotaru answered bluntly, "I know, I know it might seem drastic but as you said, it's the most efficient."

Triborg mocked Hotaru's plan while crossing his arms, "What a waste of resources! To give them the power being a cyborg uses but to not take advantage of it seems foolish to me."

"There will be a handsome reward for your assistance," Hotaru reminded him, "so even if it seems foolish to you, would you want to pass it up?"

Triborg relented, "We have a deal. Whatever you're promising had better be worth it." The two shook hands, sealing the deal.

Listening from afar was the cleric of chaos, Havik. He listened intently to their plan, "What's this?" He exaggeratedly crouched over and cupped his hand around his ear, "From what I'm hearing, it looks like that my greatest enemy is planning something most devious!"

The cleric rubbed his hands in excitement, "The cyberization process…it sounds so delicate maybe as delicate as the realms themselves, perhaps? One thing broken or out of place can destroy the balance." Havik would have smiled in anticipation if he had lips, "And I love throwing out the balance of anything. I think there's room in my schedule to ruin Hotaru's day."

The cleric snuck off after that, keeping his eye on the Tekunin and Seidan Guardsmen leaders. Only when their backs are turned, is when he would strike.

Back in Earthrealm, Fujin called Earthrealm's forces together at the Sky Temple. Those who showed up were the recently awakened Hanzo Hasashi, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Jax, Cassie, Jacqui, Takeda, and Kung Jin. The wind god greeted them, "I would like thank you all for showing up, I know it seemed like our problems were gone but I'm afraid our work isn't done yet."

Hanzo was the first to ask a question, "I know I've been gone for a long time, so I have to ask what did I miss? Did you kill Raiden?"

"Shao Kahn did," Fujin answered, "but in his wake, a greater threat arose. As the rest of us know, that was Onaga. Luckily, along with Kotal and Shao, we put aside our differences and defeated him for good."

"So what's the problem," Cassie asked, "I mean sure those little dagger things are destroyed, but is that so bad?"

Raiden walked out from his chambers and nodded, "It is very bad." The heroes responded to Raiden's entrance by taking defensive stances.

"I thought you said Shao Kahn killed him," Hanzo said while feeling confused.

Fujin motioned for them to lower their guard, "He did, but as gods we're immortal. He regenerated soon after death and he has a warning for all of us."

Raiden continued where his friend left off, "I know everyone here doesn't trust me now, nor can I blame you, but we have an important issue at hand. That issue is Armageddon. The Kamidogu provided the realms with stability. Without them, it has thrown everything into chaos."

"So uhhh…what does that mean," Johnny asked, "does that mean like the end of the world?"

Raiden confirmed his fears, "Yes, it does. While right now things seem relatively stable, take a look at the Jinsei Chamber to see the effects thus far."

The massive doorway to the Chamber opened wide, revealing the Jinsei erratically shaking and distorting without warning. Raiden sighed, "If we don't hurry, then the destruction of all the realms will come. I know…while I was in purgatory, I saw visions of the end." He showed his medallion, showing how cracked it was, "But there's still a chance. If we can somehow manufacture more Kamidogu, then maybe…just maybe we'll be able to save the world."

Jax laughed at said plan, "So you want us to somehow make things that not even someone like Quan-Chi could make? How do you want us to go about that?"

"There's only one thing I could think of," Raiden replied, "We go to Shinnok. His medallion possessed as much power as any individual Kamidogu—"

Jacqui interrupted him, "You want us to go to Shinnok?! You mean that guy who tried to kill us and invade our realm?! Are you nuts?"

Raiden tried calming her, "I know, I know which is why it's a last resort. For now, we'll have to think of a way to do it ourselves. But we must hurry we're running out of time."

"Why don't you just ask the Elder Gods," Takeda inquired, "they're the ones who originally made them, right? So surely they'd be willing to help."

Fujin shook his head, "I'm afraid not. If we could just ask them, we'd have done so a long time ago. They refuse to help, stubborn as they are."

Raiden gathered them all into a circle, "I know things seem impossible right now but never lose faith. As a team we can do anything together!" The group placed their hands into the center of the circle and raised them into the air with a cheer. Raiden smiled at their enthusiasm, "I'll contact all of you when we find a way to stop Armageddon. Until then, everyone clear out!" They all left, leaving only Fujin and Raiden.

Raiden stared at his medallion, noting that it had a new crack since he had last looked. He held his head between his hands, "This won't work I know it won't."

"Then why go through the trouble of getting them all together?"

Raiden turned back to his fellow god with desperation written all over his face, "I don't want them to know that I've lost faith, that we've lost faith. If we do, then so do they. I want them to have hope, even if it won't work."

Fujin soon joined the thunder god in worrying, "It seems so worthless, doesn't it? But that's why we continue fighting anyway."

Raiden sighed deeply, "What a mess we've gotten ourselves into. Come along, Fujin. We have business in the Netherrealm."

"Why's that?"

"We need to go see Shinnok," Raiden answered, already regretful that it's come down to this.

See? What did I tell ya? I feel we've reached a real turning point in the story. Shao Kahn has been disgraced and exiled, the Brotherhood's mysterious agenda continues to make progress, and the end of the realms is ever impending. What's next I heard you ask? Things getting even worse, that's what. See you next time.