The Role Reversal Prompt (Pitched by: Salty)

Goal: Write a scene where a normally heroic OC would act like a villainous version of themselves or Vice Versa.

OC Used: Xan (GbNF Take)

Verse: Mortal Kombat

Can this happen in an actual Story?: Honestly? Absolutely. That'll be explained in the additional comments section.

The Scene

Benjamin's POV

*BOOM*

I rush up the stairs of this seemingly endless building. I don't know what Tanya and Kotal are planning after sneaking into Edenia. And with Jade pregnant with Ruby and Randy and Callie doing an Earthrealm tour on top of Kim, Ilah, and Xan being MIA, it falls to me to stop them.

I continued up these damn stairs until I arrived at the top of the building and sprinted down the hallway to the door that hid the lights. Jerking the door open, I expected to see Kotal and Tanya, but that was a half-truth.

I saw them all right, their lifeless bodies on the floor. Kotal's head was disconnected from his shoulders and neck. The man who did this was even more shocking than their corpses.

Xan, his Jian in his left, and Kotal's head in his right dripping the sanguine fluid.

"Xan?" I call for my friend and ally.

Reactively, Xan dropped Kotal's head on the floor and turned to greet me. He said nothing while taking a cloth to the blood off of his face.

"Shame I couldn't get here sooner; I would've helped you kill these two bastards." I survey Tanya's body with a light chuckle. "Jade's not going to be happy that you killed Tanya, but she can sleep well knowing she isn't alive anymore," I said aloud.

"Yes... If only I got here sooner," he finally spoke.

Huh? "What do you mean, Xan?"

"Tanya and Kotal. They... they killed Kim and Ilah," Xan stated bluntly.

My eyes widened to the point it was almost comical, though the news was anything but. "What?"

"They jumped them after Kim and Ilah slew an order of corrupted monks." His grip on the Black Fire Jian tightened. "They both were too fatigued to defend themselves."

Kim and Ilah? Dead? Even though he told me, I still can't believe it, nor can I imagine what he's going through now that he officially outlived his daughter.

"Xan... I'm deep-"

My apology was cut short as when I moved closer, Xan swung his Jian at me! "Don't get close to me! Kim and Ilah's death is your fault!"

"My fault? What are you talking about?" I say in confusion.

"Don't play ignorant with me, Benjamin. You and Jade made us promise we wouldn't kill Tanya and Kotal because of revenge. You're tens of thousands of years old. Hasn't it ever occurred in your mind that revenge is a fool's game when the person you pursue doesn't play fair?"

"Really, Xan? Then why did you honor her then?"

"Because she would have blown a gasket if I continued denying her. You know this," Xan retorted. "If Kim and I killed them earlier, she and Ilah wouldn't have died."

"Xan, you're acting out of line-"

"I'm acting out of line!?" He was clearly offended by my choice of words. "Your wife's sense of spite got my only family member killed! I should have known something was going to happen the moment I was convinced to settle in Edenia. You and Jade never liked me from the word go!"

"You threatened Sareena! Our wife!"

"I did no such thing, and you know that! I merely mentioned that Sareena was a demon! And you all instinctively grabbed your weapons, save for Dakini! You've had it out for me from the beginning, and the feeling only intensified when I introduced your family to Kim. It may not have been intentional, but you were thinking of ways to spite us."

"You have no idea how many times we've had to defend her from people who either fear or kill demons. That's nonsense-"

"Really? Then who's going to tell Mrs. Maddox that Ilah and Kim are dead? You? Because why do I get the feeling that you're going to omit Kim's death or the fact that it was Tanya and Kotal who killed them both? Especially so soon after Sindel promised the Edenian public that no one else will invade after Shinnok's reimprisonment?"

Xan made a good point, solidified by my uncomfortable silence.

He scoffed. "I can't believe it. I'm correct, aren't I? I can't believe you!"

"I'm sorry, Xan. But being referred to by Raiden as a veteran Demon Hunter and then commenting that my wife was a Demon didn't win you any favors," I say calmly.

"But you forgot to mention that I'm Theo's Great Godfather." He countered menacingly. "No one would question your killing of Tanya or Kotal if it was Dakini who was killed-"

"Don't you dare bring Dakini into this! And you were chosen so you could finally lighten the hell up!"

"Yet it's perfectly acceptable to completely gloss over the fact that my only daughter is dead? You make me sick."

I narrow my eyes. "Jade was right about you all along. I should've known not to go against her intuition."

Xan's grip on his Jian tightened so hard, he started giving his palm lacerations. All the while, thunder violently crashed against the ground level.

*BOOM* *BOOM*

This isn't good. "So now what, Xan? You can slow and stop time, but you can't reverse it."

"No, I can't," Xan admitted with a deadpan tone. "But I can still take. So, because you and Jade are the reason why my little girl is gone, and since you want me to be a damn monster..." A tear fell down his cheek. "I will take from you both as the monster you want me to so desperately become. And I'll do so until you feel the pain I've felt from the past four centuries. I will not eat, sleep, or drink until your family's pain and sorrows match mine!"

Xan's killing intent froze me in place as he walked past me slowly. We made eye contact before he whispered something so ghastly in my ear. "If I were you, Benjamin... I'd start saying my goodbyes to your family."

He then left me to the blood-filled stench of Tanya and Kotal's corpses consuming the room.

What have we done?

If I don't stop him, everything Cal and I worked so hard to gain will be gone in an instant. And our families will be the ones to suffer the most. Fine... he's left me with no choice. I'll be damned if I let Xan murder my friends, children, or wives.

Additional Comments

Some people just want to watch the world burn.

After losing the sole purpose that keeps him living daily, Xan would definitely turn into the person who'd destroy the world. Mind you, this is the only way that would ever happen. Kim has to die, and it has to be preventable in a way. Tanya and Kotal being her killers don't have to be the reason, but it's the best reason I came up with.

Villainous Xan is somehow a Chaotic Evil character that is somehow sympathetic. His kid was killed by two people he swore not to kill because he didn't want to tarnish his friend's lust for vengeance. So when Kim is killed, he sees no reason to keep the promise. For the most part, Xan wasn't incorrect. If the Maddox Family offed Tanya long before they met, Kim and Ilah would still be alive. I can only imagine the pain it would cause the Maddox Clan members. Okada would not take kindly to his wife's death, and Mai would most certainly be conflicted.

NO ONE would be safe if I went this route. People close to the Maddox Family would be killed. Hell, I might off a couple of the Maddox's themselves. Sareena is a must kill to solidify Xan's monstrous transformation, and it would be out of nowhere to boot. (AD:Benji might go bat-shit crazy if that happens) Dakini would be beaten into an indefinite coma. (AD:Oh, boy) Xan's spiral into darkness might get so ugly, Abyss might resurrect from the malice. There would be no happy ending if that route was taken. Xan would have to die because of the mess he made, all because his daughter was unjustifiably murdered.

If Kim dies? Edenia will burn and drown in a Sea of Black Flames.

The Role Reversal Prompt (Alwaysdoubted's Take.)

Goal: Write a scene where a normally heroic OC would act like a villainous version of themselves or vice versa.

OC Used: Carla

Verse: Tekken

Can this happen in an actual Story?: Only if Carla really wants to exact revenge.

The Scene

How long has it been?

The last time I could sleep peacefully, when I didn't have recurring nightmares during the night or not thinking about that horrid day. No, it continues to plague me even as I've accepted my parents' deaths as a young adult.

Nothing I've tried has worked. Therapy did for a while, but all it did was cause my disdain and hate to fester and grow. I might as well add animosity to that. My whole life was taken away as a mere four-year-old. Other girls my age didn't have to deal with this. They had a peaceful life while going to school, making friends, and of course, boys.

I never enjoyed that luxury as a devastating war tore apart the entire world.

It started in Japan and slowly involved other countries that could match its firepower. Yet, it was a family controlling the strings throughout the entire ordeal. Hard to believe, I know. Even now, the world holds Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin in contempt for their heinous actions that destroyed many lives. Not that any of them cared. I didn't think much of them as a child with my own problems to combat. Plus, I had new guardians taking them head on to stop their prolonged carnage.

My adoptive mother and father are secret intelligence agents for the United Nations, the best in their profession. Yes, even better than the space ninja and the mother and daughter kitsunes.

They were the best because most adversaries feared them.

Yes, they were held to specific standards but didn't always abide by them due to the characters they dealt with. I should know since I've seen it first hand alongside my stepbrother and stepsister. Should their target be a threat bigger than anticipated, neither hesitated in eliminating any opposition from the equation. Many disagree with how we do things, but most people have no idea how much our efforts have salvaged their entire way of life. It comes with the territory that not everyone will agree or condone our methods. Hell, I might tend to side with them had I put on their shoes.

In hindsight, I love being a ninja as it gives me a singular focus and purpose. It's a UN agent that I abhor, with all of their bothersome rules and regulations. I don't know how my parents dealt with it for as long as they have. But who am I to disagree? I have a roof over my head, a loving family with great friends. You could say my life has turned around for the better.

If only things were that simple.

One night, I came home from school with my step siblings to find our parents waiting outside the house. We could tell something was wrong, to what extent, we didn't know. Mom stepped forward and told us she was going on a mission to bring in Jin's confidant. Apparently, she was a highly skilled assassin who fought mom during the war.

Curiosity got the better of me as I went to UN Headquarters and researched this woman's file. Dad was training my siblings while mom was preparing to leave for her target's location in Japan. I looked through each little tidbit. She was Nina Williams of Irish descent who had a sister named Anna. However, they looked nothing alike except for the matching blue eyes. A closer look at the database photo made them seem like soulless pits. It made sense with her being the Zaibatsu's guinea pig for the cryosleep project a few decades back, same for Anna too.

It was when I got to the end of the files is where I lost my mind. This woman... murdered my birth parents.

I didn't hesitate to march where my mother was packing and demanded to know why she and Dad hid this from me for who knows how long. Anger had clouded my vision to the point where I saw red. Yet, she never flinched or wavered and calmly told me why she didn't tell me. It was to properly train me for the day to go after this killer. Letting me go after Nina without the proper state of mind would've led to death, something she was unwilling to risk. Though it didn't ease my rage, I could see that she was still protecting me even now.

Through some convincing (and heated arguing), my mother allowed me to come with her to Japan. The flight there was quiet, with neither of us saying a word to each other. Part of it was because I was still fuming and trying to focus on the task at hand. Mom was as apprehensive as I was though she's been through this more times than I can count. It remained that way until we reached our hotel.

We didn't have much time to rest.

Nina was out alone in Kyoto to complete a job for Jin, giving us a chance to swoop in unsuspectingly. A limo was transporting her to an odd building on the city outskirts. Mom told me with urgency to not do anything foolish and that she'll apprehend her. I reluctantly nodded and followed her orders. Adrenaline filled my heart at what was about to take place. This woman, the murderer of my actual parents.

The plan worked as Mom confronted Nina in a deserted hallway, both not saying anything before our target moved first. She quickly pulled out a pistol and aimed for my mother's head, looking to end it right then and there. Luckily, the shot ricocheted off her sword and harmlessly fell to the floor. A fight broke out with blows exchanged between the two. I can see why Mom had a hard time with Nina the last time they fought. A skilled assassin doesn't do her justice. Yet, it wasn't enough as Mom prevailed and had Nina unconscious and restrained.

Now it was time to make my move.

While Mom was informing the UN of her capture, I joined her and took out my sword. By the time she reacted, I had already moved forward to Nina's supine form. One powerful swipe took her head clean off, her blood hitting my entire body.

All stood silent, my body in shock at what I just did, the first time I had ever killed. Was this my future? To be a cold-blooded killer...?

I was then knocked out by my mother, her expression one of sorrow and disappointment.