Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Nether Realm Studios, and Warner Bros.
The victory ceremony began the next morning after Kurai had caught up with the others. Wearing his new temple gi as "formal" wear for the ceremony, Kurai stood up at the temple alone as the others proceeded down to the temples warrior circle in the center of the grounds.
Walking up behind him, Liu Kang had an expression of remorse for his friend that had to stand up here alone. "Kurai, I want to express my sincerest apologies for your treatment from the monks. You deserve to be down there with the rest of us. You fought and defended Earth Realm with your life while also giving up your chance to truly discover your past. That should be more than enough for you to stand down there in the circle with the rest of us." The young monk say to the prince sincerely with a somber expression.
Kurai just smiles and shakes his head. "Liu Kang, don't worry so much about it. Today is your day. You won the tournament and allowed Earth Realm to keep her freedom. This is not about me." He explains to his friend, who just listens. "Besides, I'm only here to support you. I'm not owed anything in return for defending Earth Realm. I'm here in support of my friend. You. That's more than enough for me. I don't need to be down there. I'm where I'm needed to be. And if that means supporting from a distance, then that's just fine with me. Plus, I like the view anyway." He tells Liu Kang while pointing around at the temple grounds, as the young monk just smiles in understanding and bows respectfully as Kurai does the same.
Standing back up straight, Liu Kang nods. "Kurai, I'm glad to have met you, and I couldn't be prouder to call you my friend." He says holding out his hand.
Kurai takes his hand and shakes it firmly with his own smile. "I am proud to say the same, Liu Kang. And deeply honored." He says to him as a horn blows, signaling the start of the victory ceremony.
Sighing deeply, Liu Kang nods. "Well, then, I guess it's time. Will you still be here even after the ceremony is over?" He asks Kurai curiously, to which Kurai gives him a thumbs up and a smile.
"Absolutely." He tells him, causing Liu Kang to chuckle before nodding. He then walks down to the warrior circle with many of the Wu Shi monks now kneeling on their knees, which also includes, Sonya, Cage, Jax, and Kung Lao.
Raiden stands near the center of the circle proudly as Liu Kang walks up to him. Holding a medallion in his hands with a silk red cloth, Raiden hangs the medallion on Liu Kang's neck.
Liu Kang then bows, causing Raiden does the same as the others in attendance begin cheering and clapping for Liu Kang as the young monk looks around happily at the people around him.
He them looks up at Kurai, who was also clapping, and lifts his hand up to wave at him, causing Kurai to do the same with a happy smile on his face.
And with that, the ceremony ended, but the celebration did not end there. The celebration continued all throughout the entire day going into the evening.
That evening, Wu Shi Temple grounds...
The celebration continued as monks conversed with Raiden's group while Raiden himself, Jax, and Kurai all stood at the temple with Raiden now holding his medallion, but it doesn't seem to have repaired itself since the conclusion of the tournament.
"I don't understand. An entire month has past and it seems the future has not changed. Liu Kang won the tournament, but if "He must win" does not refer to him, then who?" He asks with concern as Kurai and Jax stand beside him, just as stumped and confused as the god of thunder with this riddle.
"You got me, Raiden. I don't know if anyone could have done what Liu Kang did. Except maybe Kurai ,of course. Those two made Shang Tsung and Quan Chi look like total amateurs." Jax says to Raiden with a laugh while smoking a cigar.
Raiden sighs deeply as he puts his medallion back on his chest when Kurai gently pats his shoulder. "Maybe you're thinking too hard about this, Raiden. These... visions of yours are from your future self, right?" He asks him curiously, causing Raiden to nod. "Right. So, maybe right now, it's too early to tell who "He must win" is referring to. We'll figure it out when we can. I know it must be frustrating as hell, but we must have patience." He tells the thunder god, causing him to think for a moment before smiling and nodding his head.
Raiden then looks at Kurai and pats his shoulder. "Perhaps you're right, Kurai. Patience is a virtue, after all. And I'm grateful to have your support." He tells the Edenian prince, who nods with a smile.
"Always happy to help." Kurai says as Jax and Raiden both smile before returning to a comfortable silence.
That comfortable silence is soon broken, however, when both Kurai and Raiden suddenly feel a presence walking up to them. A sinister presence they thought would be dead by now.
"Have you come to congratulate us on our victory, sorcerer?" Raiden asks as a youthful Shang Tsung approaches them with a smug looking grin.
Jax, snapping his head in Shang Tsung's direction. "What? Shang Tsung?" He asks in shock as he flicks his cigar away and walks up to the now youthful sorcerer to watch him closely in case he tries anything.
"Looks like you've been... revitalized, Shang Tsung. I didn't think your master was one to reward failure, let alone be the forgiving type." Kurai says to Shang Tsung mockingly with an intense glare.
Shang Tsung chuckles darkly as he holds his hands together while looking at Raiden. "I've come here with a proposal from Shao Kahn for you and your warriors, Lord Raiden." He says to the thunder god.
Raiden scoffs then crosses his arms. "I see no reason for us to participate in any plan of yours." He says dismissively to the sorcerer with a disinterested expression.
Shang Tsung's patience had already begun to wear thin as he frowns at the thunder god. "The emperor proposes a tournament, a single tournament, to replace the current system of ten. The tournament itself will also be held in Outworld." He presents to Raiden, but the thunder god shows no interest. Although, he continues to listen.
"If Earth Realm does not win, Outworld will absorb it. But if Earth Realm wins... Shao Kahn will abandon his claim to it forever." The sorcerer finishes as Jax and Kurai look at Raiden, wondering what his answer will be.
Kurai wasn't too convinced. Given what he has heard about Shao Kahn's reputation, his ego, as well as his pride. Even if Earth Realm does win this new tournament, the thought of Shao Kahn giving up Earth Realm forever? He doesn't buy it.
After a moment, Raiden turns away from Shang Tsung without a word and just faces the direction where the warrior circle is. "Give your emperor my best regards." He says to Shang Tsung with a dismissive wave. Jax does the same as Kurai grins with a shrug before turning away from the sorcerer himself.
"I wouldn't smile so soon, Prince Kurai. Considering that a friend of yours... might just be missing and in Outworld." He says to Kurai cryptically, catching the prince's attention, as well as Jax and Raiden's.
Kurai snaps his gaze in Shang Tsung with a suspicious glare. "You want to run that by me again, old man?" He says to the sorcerer as he stomps towards him, but is held back and restrained by Jax.
"What do you mean by that statement, Shang Tsung? What game are you playing now?" Raiden asks him accusingly, but Shang Tsung just chuckles.
"No games, Raiden. Just fact. And the fact is, you WILL accept this proposal. Whether you like it or not. As will you, Kurai." The sorcerer says to them both as both his hands become covered in a fire like aura, opening a portal that allows multiple Tarkatans through and onto the Wu Shi Temple grounds.
Jax runs over to the wooden railing just as the portal opened and the Tarkatans rushed the grounds yelling, shouting, and snarling as the attack the monks of the temple and Raiden's group.
Raiden, after watching the Tarkatans forces begin their invasion of the temple, angrily turns around and fights Shang Tsung as the sorcerer fights back. Jax jumps down near the portal to fight off some of the Tarkatan forces, while Kurai hops down from the temple to fight the Tarkatans heading for the warrior circle.
Jax clotheslines one of the Tarkatans, knocking it down while Kurai leaps into the air and manages to double kick two Tarkatans down to the ground. Noticing the threat, many Tarkatans instantly stop and gaze at Kurai in shock, as well as fear that what Shang Tsung had said a month ago is indeed true.
The long lost prince of Edenia lives.
Kurai stares down the many enemies around with a fearless glare as he rushes towards them, causing many of the Tarkatans to back away fearfully at the prince's unnatural speed. Kurai engages with the Tarkatan forces while the monks in the warrior circle engage with them as well.
Jax manages to hold his own against the Tarkatans as well, but not for long as a Tarkatan manages to sneak up behind him and stun him as two other Tarkatans join in to knock down the military man then render him unconscious.
Wu Shi Academy Temple, next morning...
"Jax? Jax." Kurai gently shakes the man while calling out to him. "Come on, Jax. Wake up, we need you, buddy." He says to Jax, who groans and lightly shakes his head to shake off the dizziness and pain.
"Raiden, what are we going to do now?" Cage asks the thunder god while he sits near Jax with Kurai.
Raiden sighs deeply and shakes his head with frustration. "Shang Tsung gained a momentary advantage during our combat and escaped. I now understand what we must do." He states just as Jax's vision clears and returns as he sees Kurai, Cage, and the rest of the group looking down over him.
He shoot up quickly when he notices it's morning, but sitting up so quickly caused him a slight headache, to which he holds his head in pain as Kurai holds him gently to calm him down. "Whoa, easy, Jax. Those Tarkatans hit your head pretty hard." He tells the man, causing Jax to look around him at the damage of the temple and its grounds.
"Ugh. Tarkatans, huh? Those things are pretty damn nasty. They know how to pack a punch too." He says rubbing his jaw before Kurai helps him stand on his feet.
Looking around, Jax then notices someone missing from Raiden's group. "Wait a second. Where's Sonya?" He asks them urgently, causing Kurai and the others to look up at the thunder god.
"Shang Tsung has taken her." He answers, making Jax hop to his feet, ignoring the headache.
"We've got to find her!" He says assertively as the group looks at Raiden while Kurai notices a crow perched on top of the main Wu Shi Temple.
"We must follow them, Lord Raiden!" Kung Lao says, agreeing with Jax that they should follow Shang Tsung and rescue Sonya.
Raiden raises his hand calmly to put Kung Lao at ease so he doesn't rush off and do anything foolish. "Shang Tsung has made it clear that Earth Realm will be under constant threat unless I agree to this... new tournament." He says to the monk when he suddenly gets a brief vision of Liu Kang at the Outworld tournament, standing over a kneeling, and defeated, Shao Kahn.
He lightly shakes his head as the group looks at him with worry. "Lord Raiden? Are you alright?" Kung Lao asks him worriedly.
Raiden gently grabs his head and shakes it lightly when Jax spoke up. "Another vision?" He asks. Raiden nods.
"Yes. I just saw Liu Kang win the proposed tournament. I can only believe now that we must attend." He says to them all before looking over at Liu Kang. "But my earlier vision, of your victory over Shang Tsung, was not the solution I sought. Therefore, this premonition must show an event that I need to change. Perhaps... "He must win" refers to another." Raiden says to the monk, who now begins to look uncertain.
If he was not meant to win, then who was? It doesn't make sense.
Their thoughts are interrupted when a whistle catches their attention.
Looking over at Kurai, they see a solid black crow has just landed on Kurai's arm as he takes off a message scroll from its claw. The crow then flies away as Kurai opens the scroll to read the message.
"Urgent news, Kurai.
Drake is missing. No where in or outside the temple. Last seen after Temple Master Akuma's class the day before yesterday. Not seen since.
-Grandmaster Han."
The message reads, causing Kurai to crinkle up the the scroll paper in silent anger as Raiden and the group walk up behind him.
Raiden gently pats him on the shoulder to gain his attention, causing him to sigh deeply. "Kurai, what is it? Is something wrong?" Raiden asks him with concern.
"As a matter of fact, there is." He answers as he hands Raiden the scroll. The god of thunder and the rest of the group reads the short message, which causes their eyes to widen.
"Drake is missing as well? But... he wasn't even here." Liu Kang points out, but Kurai shakes his head.
"No, he wasn't. He must've been taken the day before yesterday. Which explains why he never showed up at the gates. It also explains Shang Tsung's statement last night. About a friend of mine who is missing and in Outworld? He must've been talking about Drake." He says to the group, causing them to nod their heads understandably.
Raiden sighs exasperatedly. He now realizes that if he and the group are to rescue Sonya, and Drake as well, he will need to accept the Shao Kahn's terms, and hope that Earth Realm shall be freed of the threat that is Shao Kang, and Outworld. Looking up to the skies, Raiden addresses the Elder Gods. "Hear me, Elder Gods! I accept the terms proposed by Shao Kahn!" He declares as a bright light washes over the group, signaling that the new tournament has begun.
"Come now, my friends. We go to Outworld." He says to the group, who all nod, as Raiden, with an aura of electricity flowing through his arm, teleports himself and his Earth Realm warriors with him to Outworld.
Shao Kahn's palace courtyard, Outworld...
Teleporting to Outworld and appearing in the courtyard of Shao Kahn's palace, Raiden and his group look around them to see a gruesome sight from what they see.
A barren landscape with multiple decayed, and decaying, skeletons with pikes, or spears, pierced through them as all the corpses have looks of terror and fear on their faces.
"So, this is Outworld? It's actually worse than I imagined." Kurai says as the group nods before Liu Kang and Kung Lao turn to Raiden.
"Lord Raiden, I must ask your permission for Kung Lao and I to look for the taken Wu Shi monks, while you and the rest of the group look for Sonya and Drake." Liu Kang says the thunder god, who thinks for a moment before looking at Liu Kang and Kung Lao with a nod.
"Very well. Go if you must, Liu Kang. Kurai, Jax, Johnny Cage, and myself shall go and begin the first matches of the tournament. But I urge you to be quick, we'll need everyone if we are to succeed." He says to the monks seriously, causing the two monks to nod before bowing respectfully to Raiden, then run off to find their Wu Shi brethren.
Kurai looks over Raiden with uncertainty. "Raiden, are you sure it's a good idea to split up?" He asks the thunder god with concern as Cage and Jax nod in agreement, but Raiden looks over at Kurai with a reassuring smile.
He gently pats his shoulder and nods. "Not to worry, Kurai. Liu Kang and Kung Lao can handle themselves just fine." He says to the prince before turning around to face the entrance of Shao Kahn's palace. "Now, come. We have business of our own to attend to." He declares as he, and his remaining group, walks towards the large doors of the palace to walk in.
Moments later, Shao Kahn's throne room...
Goro, standing in front of Shao Kahn as he sits on his throne, presents the emperor the symbol of the Shokan, pledging his kinds allegiance to the emperor of Outworld.
Raiden, Kurai, Cage, and Jax walk into the throne room as Jax spots Shao Kahn. "I'm assuming that's the big man himself." He says quietly to Raiden, who nods as the others in the throne room turn their heads in the groups direction, only for some of them to freeze when they see one particular individual that they didn't even believe existed. Kitana and Jade's eyes follow their gaze when their eyes land on Kurai.
"He's here." They both thought as they gaze upon his new fighting clothes while his hair was down. Kitana wants desperately to burst forward and embrace her little brother in a smothering hug, but given that they were both currently standing inside Shao Kahn's throne room, the emperor would not allow such an act of weakness to be displayed in his presence.
Even the Tarkatans themselves especially froze when they see Kurai again, since he wounded and severely injured many of their kind during the attack on the Wu Shi temple before returning to Outworld. Kurai's presence alone had caused many in the room to quietly chat amongst themselves as they look at the lost Edenian prince, who is now standing in the same room with them.
Sheeva, another Shokan, wearing barely much of anything but arm bracers and a provocative red one piece suit, looks at Kurai with wide eyes. Her amber yellow eyes examine him up and down as her gaze falls upon his face. "My queen's son. So, Shang Tsung was actually telling the truth. He does live. He has his father's dashing looks, but his mother's eyes. And he has the look of a warrior that has seen many battles." The female Shokan thinks to herself as Goro stares at the Edenian prince.
Taking a few steps forward, but stopping a few feet away from him and Raiden's group, he places both of his right arms against his chest with a bow of his head. "My prince. You don't know me, but it's a welcome sight to see you again." The Shokan prince says to Kurai, causing him to look at Goro with confusion.
"We've never met." He says to the giant creature. He knew of the Shokan prince's reputation from the tournament, but nothing more than that, and, of course, his name. Goro chuckles and shakes his head.
"It was a long time ago, Prince Kurai. You were still very young when I had laid eyes on you." He explains to Kurai, before gaining a more serious expression on his face. "My prince, I would like for you to know, regardless of what side we fight on, I look forward to facing you in Mortal Kombat, if only to see how much you have grown in your 9,000 years. It would be a great honor for me." He says to Kurai sincerely as he holds out his lower right arm to offer him a handshake.
Raiden looks over at Kurai, curious as to what he will do as Kurai slowly walks towards the giant Shokan. "Kurai?" He calls out to him, but Kurai gestures to him that he will be fine and for the group to not do anything rash.
He walks up to Goro, who still has his lower right arm extended, and grasps it firmly with a smile. "Prince Goro, the honor would be all mine to face you in Mortal Kombat. I look forward to it, like you. But understand this, you fight for Outworld, I fight for Earth Realm, so, I will be fighting for its freedom." He tells Goro seriously, who nods with a smile, while Sheeva smiles as well.
"I understand, my prince. Regardless, I look forward to fighting you. Make sure you're not eliminated from the tournament too soon, or I'll be severely disappointed." The Shokan prince tells Kurai sincerely, causing Kurai to chuckle with a nod.
"Same to you... Prince Goro." He tells him as he, Goro, and the rest of the audience in the throne room share a laugh, except Shao Kahn, who only narrows his eyes at Kurai.
"Hmm, so, this is Sindel's long lost son? He doesn't look like much, but I believe it's time I had a word with him." He thinks to himself before clearing his throat, causing the laughter in the room to instantly die down as the audience now shifts its attention to the emperor, who stands up from his throne and walks down over to Shang Tsung.
He whispers something to him, causing the sorcerer to nod his head understandably. "Of course, my Lord. I have business to attend to anyway. I'll see you in the Coliseum. Especially you, Prince Kurai." He says while looking over at Kurai with disdain before teleporting out of the throne room.
Shao Kahn takes a moment to examine Kurai again, before waving away the audience. "Leave us!" He orders, causing the audience to quickly leave the room, except Kitana, Jade, Raiden, and the rest of the group. They didn't want to leave Kurai alone with the likes of Shao Kahn. "That includes you as well, Raiden. I want a word alone with the boy." He says to the thunder god, making Raiden step forward to protest, but Kurai holds up his hand, stopping him.
"Raiden, I'll be fine. Go." He says to the thunder god, who wanted to try and protest, but Jax gently puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Raiden, come on. We don't want to start trouble here when it's not needed. I trust Kurai to take care of himself. Plus, given what I've seen him do, I'll take his word for it." He says to the thunder god, who still looks unconvinced and unsure, but decides to let the matter go for now.
"Very well, but don't try anything foolish, Kurai. Remember, the tournament in Outworld has not officially begun. So, be careful." He informs the prince, who, keeping his eyes on Shao Kahn, nods and gently gestures with his hand for them to leave.
Shao Kahn was not exactly known for his patience, and he didn't want to test it. Raiden, Jax, and Cage reluctantly leave, but Kitana and Jade still remained. Shao Kahn doesn't seem to notice as he turns in the direction of the large dinner table in the center of the room.
Kurai, before walking over to the dinner table, subtly glances at Kitana and Jade, then gestures for them to leave as well, so as to not suffer the wrath of Shao Kahn for not doing as he ordered. Kitana, like Raiden, wanted to protest, but Jade quickly grabs her arm, which upsets the princess as she glares at Jade with an angry expression, but Jade puts a finger to her lips and gestures with her head in the direction of the door to leave the room.
Kitana takes another look at Kurai with a longing expression, but Kurai mouths the words "Trust me" to her, causing her to nod reluctantly as Jade leads her out of the room. Jade takes another look at Kurai herself, which makes him wink at her, causing her to smile underneath her mask as she and Kitana finally, and quietly, leave the room.
Kurai glances back at the emperor of Outworld, while the mans back was turned, and walks towards the dinner table before standing right beside it to see Shao Kahn's eyes closed underneath his metallic skull like helmet.
Shao Kahn's eyes then suddenly snap open and Kurai sees blazing red eyes looking straight at him as the emperor grins. "So, you're Sindel and Jerrod's long lost son. We meet at last... Prince Kurai."