The trek had been a long and arduous one, but finally, he had reached his destination. He took a moment to catch his breath and gaze out over the view of China's famous Yellow Mountains. He had taken in this sight once before - when training with Master Bo' Rai Cho for the tournament all those years ago. He had been tasked with finding his master, hidden among the mountainside temples and training grounds, before sunset. Back then, he had managed to search tirelessly for hours on end. Now, simply making the hike was enough to leave him as breathless as the view did.
"I am not as young as I used to be," the fifty-four-year-old Liu Kang sighed, adjusting his trusty bandana to soak up the sweat drizzling down from his greying hair. Once his body stopped aching, his nostalgic reminiscing of his mid-twenties concluded, and he turned around to face the site he had made this daunting trek to visit.
It was a temple that likely had not seen worship in centuries. Even with the spotlight shone upon them by Johnny Cage's numerous movies and television series, worship of the Elder Gods was still rare in Earthrealm. Those that did worship them tended to be members of groups that had never lost their faith - such as the White Lotus - and their worship tended to be performed at their own temples. Dedicated places of worship for individual Elder Gods had long since fallen out of favour. But for what Liu Kang had in mind, seeking out this particular temple was a necessity, in his eyes.
This temple had been dedicated to Cetrion, the Elder God of Life. Without any humans to maintain it, its interior was now filled with moss, grass, weeds and flowers, covering just about every inch of the walls and the floor, save for a few patches that almost seemed to serve as stepping stones to avoid earning the patron's ire by harming her precious plantlife. It was fitting, he supposed, for the temple dedicated to this nature goddess to have been reclaimed by nature.
Even with his advancing age, his champion's immortality reclaimed by the Elder Gods once Shao Kahn's war with Earthrealm was well and truly over, avoiding setting foot upon a single blade of grass was a simple matter for Earthrealm's last champion. He reached the statue that depicted Cetrion's likeness. It must have been four times his size. He was sure that if he lay beside its moss-covered foot, that would prove longer.
Nestled between the statue's feet was a stone shrine, fine blades of grass attempting to reclaim it by running along the rim of the offering table. Finding the one large spot of bare stone before the shrine, Liu Kang lowered himself to his knees and placed his pack on the ground beside him. He removed various offerings from within and placed them appropriately, before lighting the incense and ringing the bell as he prayed.
Before too long, the sound of rushing water to the side grabbed his attention. He watched as the water of the nearby pool swirled and coalesced, rising up into a tall, vertical shape that slowly gained more and more definition. It soon became apparent that this shape was that of Cetrion, identical to her statue, save for the cracks and broken pieces. It was her face that truly gave her away - her effigy's beautiful visage being the single solitary spot yet untouched by time.
The water began to freeze in place, gaining colour as it transformed from a mere aquatic likeness into the physical from of the Elder Goddess herself. Her skin was a dull amethyst, contrasting nicely with her grass-like green hair and her teal, crystalline armour. Liu Kang realised he had unconsciously assumed she would appear more like a regular human, as Raiden and Fujin did. Shinnok, the only Elder God the monk had yet met bore a deathly grey pallor; but as the God of Death, this was to be expected. The Elder God of Life looked almost like a statue, rather than the lively, fleshy human he had expected.
She stood a full head taller than him, which was rare for women, in his experience. Queen Sindel and the shokan Sheeva came to mind. As did Sonya Blade, who stood the same 5'10 as him. Looking at her, Cetrion may even be taller than Raiden's impressive seven feet.
But more surprising than all of that was her opaqueness. That she was no mere projection became apparent as she placed one purple bare foot on the stone and luscious green plantlife sprouted around it, cushioning her dainty footsteps.
"Lady Cetrion," the monk greeted with a deep, respectful bow.
"Liu Kang," she responded in a soft, ethereal tone. "You have come to my old, forgotten temple. Surely, there are simpler ways to request an audience."
"I did not expect you to meet me in person," he responded as he stood tall (relatively). "I had expected, perhaps, an astral projection or a dream state."
Cetrion's lips curved into an almost motherly smile. "For you, I make an exception, Hero of the Realms."
Liu Kang blushed at the praise. He had received praise from deities many times before, being Raiden's favoured; but for it to come directly from one of the Elder Gods, primordial creators of the realms themselves, well-known for their disinterest in mortal affairs and reluctance to directly involve themselves...
"It is an honour, Lady Cetrion. However, I do not believe I am worthy of such words."
"Goro. Shang Tsung. Shao Kahn. Twice. Shinnok. Kronika. Death God Liu Kang. You have achieved many great victories against foes even we Elder Gods believed untouchable by mortal hands. That you emerged victorious time and again proved that even my kindred and I are not so above such ill-conceived notions. If anything, it is I who should be honoured to stand in your presence, Liu Kang."
For an Elder God to bow so respectfully to him turned the monk's cheeks as red as the bandana of Earth's previous champion. "I am grateful for your words, Lady Cetrion. But I do not wish to take up too much of your time. Perhaps, I should explain why I am here."
"As you wish."
"A moment ago, you mentioned my victory over my counterpart from the other reality. I trust, then, that you know the circumstances of that encounter?"
"I do, as do all the Elder Gods. You were summoned to another reality by your counterpart to help him defeat his corrupted future self before he could irreparably distort the timeline. Fujin was among those brought to accompany you. He reported to incident upon his return."
"I see. But despite my counterpart believing I was the key to defeating his revenant, it was clear that I was the weakest among the three of us. It is only natural, of course, being a mortal among gods. I have defeated Shinnok before, but I was young then. Thirty years later, I am older, physically, than even Master Bo' Rai Cho."
Cetrion nodded sympathetically. "The immortality offered to Mortal Kombat's champion is offered only in the interest of fair competition. It upsets the natural order, and it was deemed necessary to revoke this boon once the conflict between the two realms concluded with the death of Shao Kahn. I am truly sorry for the toll this had taken on you."
Liu Kang shook his head. "I blame Quan Chi and Shinnok for stealing my middle years. But I hope you might listen to my request, regardless."
"And this is a request you wished to make in private, away from my fellows." Not a question; a statement of fact.
"Yes. Pardon my underhandedness, but Lord Raiden has always spoken highly of you, in particular, Lady Cetrion. Having now met you, I see that his words were no mere platitudes. But the same cannot be said of the others. He would never say as much aloud, of course, but I believe you are the one among your kind he truly had any faith in. It was you who offered life back to Hasashi Hanzō, correct?"
"It was," she sighed regretfully. "He deserved better than we gave him for his service. Raiden helped to open my eyes to that fact. Is it the revival of your own lost loved ones you seek, then? Liu Lee, Liu Lin, Liu Chow, Kung Bo? Masters Wen and Wu?"
Liu Kang shook his head. "I have long since made peace with each of their deaths. It is not the return of life I request, but the extension of it."
"You wish your eternal youth restored?"
"Not quite. Working with my counterpart, I saw the good he could do, even without the power of the Hourglass. With but the power of a Lesser God, he could guide Earth's champions, lead them against threats to their realm and all others. In our reality, Fujin and Taven are the only reliable Lesser Gods remaining. I request that I be allowed to join them, returned to my prime, with the power needed to face the next threat that comes."
"And you have... seen this threat?"
"I have. Before I departed, I saw many realities in the Hourglass, as my counterpart had before he chose me. There are many differences across realities. Earth's champion may be Liu Kang, or it may be a mortal Raiden, or a descendant of Scorpion. Bi-Han may die by Scorpion's hand, or mine, or he may even survive the tournament. Kung Lao may sit out the tournament, or sneak onto the island, or not even exist.
"But there are many things that remain constant in this multiverse. There is always a Scorpion, be he Hasashi Hanzō, Park Yong or Kuai Liang. There is always a tournament, a conqueror, a war between realms. And there is always a guiding hand, be it a Thunder God, or a Fire God.
"The threat that my counterpart's new era faces is inevitable. It will come to this reality as well. And I fear I may be the only one with knowledge enough to prepare us for its coming..."
Cetrion placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. Her eyes, sparkling like stars, met his. "I will bring this matter to the attention of my fellows. It may take some time, but I will do everything in my power to impress upon them the severity of this situation."
"You believe me?"
"I do. You are not the sort of deceive, especially in so out-of-the-way a manner as visiting my long-abandoned temple. And if anyone has earned the right to my trust, it is you."
"I am honoured."
"Rest assured, we will find a way to deal with this threat. But for now, rest." With a lazy wave of her hand, a portal opened before him, leading directly to his personal quarters at the Wu Shi Academy.
"With all due respect, I would rather make my own way home. Even once I have the power, I will need to keep up with my training. I do not wish to rely entirely upon the power of the gods."
There was something in her gaze that made Liu Kang wonder if Cetrion had inferred an unintended distrust towards her and her fellows. She certainly seemed to understand why such distrust would exist, since her dealings with Scorpion. Regardless, the warm smiled returned to her face and she snapped her fingers, the portal disappearing in an instant.
"Your resolve is admirable. Earthrealm could not have been gifted a greater champion than you. Good health to you, Liu Kang. I will have news of our deliberation soon."
With that, Cetrion bowed one final time, before her body became water that splashed back into the pool. Liu Kang took a deep breath, noting how fine the air quality was here in the temple. He almost didn't want to leave. But he knew he must. He must push himself onwards, no matter the struggle. That was the lesson he had been taught by his many masters and friends. It was about time he got back to being the hero his realm needed him to be.
As he stepped out into the setting sun's orange rays, he looked back at the temple. He wondered, considering that two of the Elder Gods, completely disconnected from one another, had already gone rogue, and both been threats to the realms within his relatively short lifetime... would he one day have to turn his power against Cetrion, Argus or any other Elder God?
A part of him wished he was as pure and trusting as Cetrion believed. But he had learned that his purity of intent was a burden that Earthrealm could ill afford to carry any longer. Had he killed Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn when given the chance, much of Earthrealm and its champions' hardships since could have been avoided, including his corpse's murder of Master Wu and many other Shaolin, and his own transformation into a revenant.
Earthrealm needed a champion that would put a stop to its enemies for good. Raiden had reached this same conclusion, but he was taking this ideology too far with his challenge of Mortal Kombat against Kotal Kahn's Outworld. Liu Kang had seen the ruin his own weakness and Raiden's fury had unleashed upon the realms. Fire God Liu Kang would find perfect balance and achieve what neither Liu Kang, nor Raiden, could do alone. He would create peace.
A week later, Liu Kang ventured to the Sky Temple, formerly the home of Raiden, now since abandoned by the renegade deity. Master Shujinko had taken up the task of guarding it, as it was the entryway to the Jinsei Chamber, the hub of Earthrealm's life essence. Shinnok had attempted many times to seize it, and Raiden, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Cassie Cage had each taken a turn at stopping him. Its protection was vital to Earthrealm's survival, and Shujinko was one of the few capable of matching the power level required to perform this task.
Even without Raiden's tenancy, the constant rain surrounding the temple had not yet let up. Liu Kang passed by Shujinko mentoring a group of Shaolin. One of them would one day take up their master's task, and Liu Kang could see the potential within each one of them.
He passed Kai upon entering the temple. He was looking over files on other warriors to recruit for future conflicts, provided by the O.I.A. It was truly remarkable how much more connected Earthrealm's defenders had become since the tournament thirty years ago.
Liu Kang entered the Jinsei Chamber, bathed blue by the glow of Earthrealm's lifeblood. He approached the ethereal blue energy swirling at the centre of the chamber, spotting one of the giant faces carved into the stone walls. It bore the likeness of Cetrion. Looking around, he spotted one in the likeness of Kronika as well. None of the faces bore the likeness of Shinnok or Argus, he noted.
He wondered if the chamber had not been constructed until after Shinnok's original coup, or if the chamber had simply been updated at some point. The Warrior Shrine on Shang Tsung's Island was capable of shifting to reflect the tournament's kombatants and champions, so it was hardly beyond reason that a chamber constructed to protect Earth's lifeforce, housed within the Thunder God's temple, was capable of the same. Perhaps it was not an automatic process, but one manually enacted by the chamber's guardian, who was now absent...
The blue liquid running through the gaps between the stones that made up the floor of the chamber - some kind of run-off, perhaps? - began to shift and flow, converging on one spot by the flowing energies, forming into the shape of Cetrion. Liu Kang was quick to bow.
"Rise, Liu Kang. I come bearing the results of our deliberation."
Liu Kang did as he was bidden, awaiting the results with bated breath.
"I presented your case to my fellow Elder Gods, taking your recent experiences and past victories into account. Besides Raiden, you and the Cage lineage are the only ones who were a match for Shinnok. Raiden has abandoned his duties and refuses to heed our call. The Cages are mortals, and the elder of the two is now past his prime. As are you. Something must be done soon, lest we face another rogue Elder God, or a threat beyond even that, unprepared.
"As such, the deification of one of Earth's champions, we have decided, is our best recourse. However, only one can be given this boon. The choice between your skill and Johnny Cage's bloodline was one that required much deliberation. Ultimately, however, we determined that you, Liu Kang, are the correct choice to become the new Fire God."
Liu Kang remained silent. He felt guilty now, as if he was robbing Johnny Cage of a chance at immortality. But then, he supposed the man now cared more for him family and his career than for his life. He would likely reject the notion of outliving his precious Cassie outright. The kinds of life (and death) experiences Johnny had had would do that to a man, Liu Kang supposed.
More than that, though, he was in awe. He had requested this, made plans for this. But now, he was to be granted exactly what he had asked for. He felt rather like he had when he had defeated Kung Lao to become the White Lotus' representative in the tournament.
"There is one condition for this boon, however," Cetrion warned, pulling Liu Kang out of his thoughts. "One you will despise me for presenting to you."
"Whatever it is, I am prepared."
Cetrion shook her head solemnly. "I do not think you are. Our condition is that, as your first act as the God of Fire, you will... destroy Dark Raiden."
Liu Kang's blood ran cold. Raiden was a threat, yes, but he had always fought for Earthrealm and its denizens. For all the realms, really. He had lead the charge in defending Edenia from Shinnok, after all. Liu Kang had hoped to find a way to restore him to his old self once he was found. But now he was told he must destroy him? Destroy Raiden? The same Raiden that had been his mentor and guide all those years? The same Raiden that had given his life in a bid to prevent Onaga's rise? The same Raiden that had turned Liu Kang's corpse into a killing machine...
"I understand this must be difficult for you," Cetrion said with a sympathetic air about her. "He was like a father to you, after all. But he has become too much of a lia- a threat to the realms. He must be stopped, Liu Kang. That task will be yours to fulfil, should you accept our terms."
"So, I must destroy Dark Raiden to have my request of godhood fulfilled?"
"I am afraid it is so."
Liu Kang nodded determinedly. "Then, I accept. Grant me the power of a Fire God and I will destroy Dark Raiden."
Cetrion appeared stunned by his resolve. "You... do understand what it is I am asking of you?"
"If Dark Raiden has become enough of a threat that the Elder Gods deem his destruction necessary enough to act, then I will fulfil this request. I will ensure that Dark Raiden never threatens the realms again."
Cetrion flashed him an understanding smile. "If you truly do understand the task I am demanding of you, then take my hand. Join me in the Jinsei, and Earthrealm itself will brand you its new Fire God."
The monk took the Elder God's hand - finding a calming, parental warmth flowing into him as he did so - and she led him into the swirling energies of Earthrealm's life essence. It felt akin to entering a body of water, only without the added weight of the water soaking him. It was a dry water. One that he believed for a moment was incredibly warm, only to realise that it was his own blood that was heating up as Cetrion, eyes closed and chanting in the primordial language of the Elder Gods, began the ritual that would deify the monk.
This was nothing like he had seen of Raiden's merging with his counterpart's revenant and human selves. This was a formal ritual, not an ad hoc operation performed on a leaky boat. The resultant Fire God Liu Kang had been part Liu Kang, part Raiden. Grey hair, midway between their respective black and white. His eyes had become godly blue, and his attire had become black and blue, also taken from the two. It was only by witnessing this form that Liu Kang had realised Raiden also bore the Jinsei-blue tattoos the Fire God had been granted.
Liu Kang found those same tattoos forming over his own arms. Dragons, glowing a neutral white, flowing from his wrists, up to his pectorals, where their heads faced one another across his chest. His chest felt broader, as the slightly sagging skin tightened, his gradually showing wrinkles smoothing out into peak fitness. His hair returned to its natural black, while his eyes turned white. While he couldn't see himself, he could feel every change occurring to his form. He certainly didn't resemble a combination of himself and Raiden as he had imagined in his head. Rather, he was a true deification of his own, natural form, from back in his prime.
He could feel the tattoos turning orange before he saw it. He felt it in his eyes, too, as his blood boiled with a great inner fire, as hot as the Earth's core. This was the power of a Fire God, he intrinsically understood. The heat began to subside - or, perhaps he was simply growing accustomed to it - as the tattoos became white once again.
Soon after, Cetrion took his hand and guided him out of the Jinsei. It took him a moment to realise that he was not floating in mid-air because of the Jinsei's energies, but by his own power. Cetrion guided him through the process of controlling this ability and lowering himself to the ground.
"You take to these instructions quickly," the Elder God noted.
"Master Bo' Rai Cho always said I was a fast learner," he replied, unable to hide his proud smile.
"I see why he has always been so proud of you. Now, Fire God Liu Kang, you may take some time to accustom yourself to your new abilities. Discover them, master them, and then harness them against your enemy. You are more than the Mortal Kombat Champion now. You are the Champion of the Elder Gods. Do not disappoint us."
Liu Kang knew full well what the Elder Gods were capable of when their champion disappointed them. Back when his journey began, he likely would have been inclined to assume they had acted ignorantly, in the case of Scorpion's reward. But now, the corruption within the Elder Gods was impossible to ignore. Cetrion and Argus were generally reliable, but the rest were either evil or so uninvolved in the affairs of the realms that Liu Kang didn't even know their names.
As Cetrion returned to Void, leaving the newly-christened Fire God to his thoughts, Liu Kang could only hope he had not misunderstood Cetrion's intent. She had insisted he 'destroy Dark Raiden' multiple times. He felt certain that this was by design.
The word 'destroy' was a rather open-ended concept. There were many ways one could be 'destroyed'. And Cetrion had specified 'Dark Raiden' as the one to be 'destroyed'. The new Fire God would obey, but only in the manner that best suited the realms.
He would seek out 'Dark Raiden' and he would 'destroy' him.
And so begins the period of seeing what stuff in M1K works and what I can do with it. I'm shocked that Cetrion is (as far as I know) the only MK11 newcomer to not come back in M1K. Even Kollector gets a cameo in the side mode, but the most interesting of the four gets left out? Sad. I think Cetrion had a lot of potential as a mother(nature)ly figure that starts to do more to help the heroes, and opposes Kronika's vision.
A few things have changed with my idea for how MK11 would work in the single timeline. Originally, the trip to the other universe was to be the equivalent of MK11, with Kronika of the single timeline not actually being a villain at all; simply being a passive bitch whenever someone speaks with the Elder Gods. I've changed my mind, possibly because it seems Netherrealm is intent on making her a thing, even after the fanbase seems to have largely rejected her.
At the end of the first scene, I had Liu Kang contemplate his dishonesty surrounding this:
"He had asked Fujin not to mention Kronika's involvement in the other universe's events. He was to lie and cover up this fact, lest she realise they were onto her. The next threat had bested the Elder Gods, Kronika included, and attempted to use the Hourglass to rewrite reality. Fujin, Taven and Argus would help to keep an eye on her, and they would defeat her if she attempted the same as her counterpart."
I liked the other two paragraphs and wanted to keep them, though, so I came up with a different reason for him to ponder this aspect of himself.
Also, I think the inspiration for the temple being in the Yellow Mountains, and possibly for the entire story, came from Baberuthless' analysis video on Tekken's Dragon's Nest stage. Be sure to check it out.