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Chan moved forward one step before being struck by numerous bullets. The projectiles ripped through the boy, seemingly not forcing him on his back. Bullets began to strike him from behind as well. The pain of the projectiles was visible in his face, but he made no sound. Upon the end of the barrage, he saw Eris standing directly in front of him. She blows him a kiss and grabs below his chin. She softly caressed his face as a feeling of pity began to dawn over her, before rotating her hand and removing it at the sound of a snap.

Chan doesn't move. He stares into Eris' eyes as she laughs. His muscles tensed. However, there were no wounds. His position never changed. He was still staring at her from afar, those she finally decided to approach him.

"You sad thing," she commented, walking around his paralyzed body. "Death is something we can never comprehend. It is something we all fear. The end. Our last breath. What lies beyond? Peace? Darkness? Heaven? Hell?" Eris pressed her index finger against Chan's chest. She traced it to where his heart would be. His heart continued to beat, much to her surprise. She quickly moved her finger away and leapt away from the boy.

"No way," she said. However, Chan remained still. She sighed. Am I beginning to crack again? she wondered to herself. No. An Earthrealm boy can't survive something like that. Their lifespans don't reach beyond a century. But why is there a heart beat? Eris began to tiptoe towards the boy again, this time keeping her distance.

"You might be wondering how I've come to be who I am today," she continued.

Eris? Why are you still talking with him if he's dead? She asked herself.

"My time in this realm has never been pleasant. I only wanted to help Edenia by any means I could," Eris loosened herself up a bit as she sat beside Chan's feet. "It took many years of eternal pain, eternal darkness, and eternal misery to become the disciple of chaos that I am today. I could've left this realm centuries ago, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I was forgotten and left to be nothing more than a civilian with no path toward the future. I had no talents. I'm no fighter. Not like Eunomia. Without the Chaos Realm, I am nothing. Without Havik's guidance and faith in me, I likely would've taken my life by now."

"I'm not like you," Chan responded. The girl looked up to the boy, who instinctively looked down on her. "I have a future that I plan to see all the way through."

"You shouldn't be able to move right now!" she blurted out.

"Why wouldn't I?" Chan asked. The girl strained her eyes, locking them onto Chan's. Again, Chan found himself in an alternate version of their world. Inside it, he saw his friends standing by him as Eris slowly walked toward them. One by one, they rushed the woman. And one by one they perished. Their heads would fall off their shoulders. Chan did his best to stay strong, knowing It could only be an illusion. The only ones to travel to their realm were him and Eris. Suddenly, his arm was grabbed by Kira.

"Chan!" she yelled. Chan stared into her eyes. Only this time, he recognized what was happening. "What are you doing here?" he questioned. Kira shook her head frantically and latched onto the young man's wrist.

"Follow me, Chan! Raiden asked me to lead you to him," Kira stated as she led through the empty landmass of the Chaos Realm. Numerous structures had been destroyed, with the debris floating around them.

If she's here…, Chan thought. "What about Kobra?" he asked. Kira slowed down as silence engulfed them. She looked at the Shaolin and shook her head as the tears were thrown from her face.

"Let's just run," she responded. They end up running into a dead end as the landmass came to an end. Just as with the realm of Seido, there was a vast nothingness below them should they have taken another step. Kira looks at Chan with fear in her eyes. He could faintly hear her whisper I'm sorry before turning them was a dark-skinned figure with silver hair. Chan knew the woman all too well after being responsible for her death many years ago. Jataaka pulled out a short katana, training the blade towards Chan. Kira pulls out her butterfly knives and suicide charges toward her. Before she could do anything, she felt the swipe of Jataaka's blade across her neck. Chan was in horror as he watched his friend's head roll from her shoulders.

"This can't be happening," he said as he looked around. "What's going on here?" Jataaka sheathed her blade before laughing maniacally.

"I don't know what Kira saw in you. Can't you see, Hornbuckle? This is a trap," Jataaka responded. Suddenly, Shinnok and Quan Chi arrived before Chan while guarding his only other ways out. Feelings of anger and sadness overcame him as Quan Chi smiled.

"Welcome, Shaolin warrior. Your Thunder God is beaten; Earth's warriors, destroyed. You are the last remnant of the Forces of Light. Do you wish to beg for mercy from your new master, Lord Shinnok?" Quan Chi taunted. Chan observed Shinnok. However, one thing he noticed was that he wasn't the Elder Lord. Instead, he looked like someone different. A being Chan had never seen before. Chan realized Eris's mistake and gnashed his teeth. He could barely hold in his smile as he knew she would not win. Not anymore. He decided to make a stand against the three of them.

"NEVER SORCERER!" Chan dashed toward them. His focus was the area between where he hoped to rush pass them. Quan Chi glanced over to Shinnok. Shinnok's eye glowed green, as did his hand. With the swinging of his arm, he fires the green ball of energy at Chan. On impact, Chan's body parts scattered across the land. And all he could see was...Eris. The girl's frightened eyes burned into his mind as he flexed his arms and legs.

"How is this possible!" Eris shouted. "You should be dead!"

"You aren't the first Sorcerer I've faced. You certainly won't be the last. You're trying to use death to end my life through shock. However, your mistake is believing I've never experienced death before," he told her. "As a matter of fact, I've died three times already." The girl cocks her head to the side as she observes the rest of his body.

"Your skin is warm. The heart still beats. How is it possible for someone like you to know death?" she asks. Chan lifts the sleeve of his right arm and presents it to the girl. She shows an expression of shock as she recognized the tattoo of Yang. He lifts his left arm, presenting her with the tattoo of yin.

"The first happened years before the tournament. I was killed by a sorceress posing as someone I now call a friend. The second was from an arrow of light that ripped through my heart. This was at the tournament and it was by a friend that helped me train to face Reptile and Shang Tsung. My last death was at the hands of Netherealm's Assassins. I was killed during the events of the tournament. My status as Earthrealm's Champion was the only thing that kept me alive that day."

"The champion of Earthrealm lost?" she questioned.

"Yes," he said.

"That means Earthrealm and Outworld merged. You...lost? Armageddon is because of you?"

"Armageddon hasn't come yet," Chan responded. Eris heard nothing. Her mind wondered through many conversations from her past. Suddenly she felt herself beginning to smile.

The sky! She said. With her eyes dilated and heart racing, the girl stood paralyzed before the Shaolin. Her arms were spread wide as she stared into the dark, gray sky. Her creepy, yet non-threatening smile frightened Chan. What is this? She wondered. My body. It feels so light. My skin looks so much warmer. It feels as if my heart is aimlessly roaming around my chest. Is it trying to escape? Am I in danger? But why do I feel so safe? Is this...

"Got you now," a voice whispered. A loud crack echoed around them. Eris' chest exploded as she reached toward Chan. She held a small metallic object between her thumb and middle finger, presenting the object to Chan. Still smiling.

I think I'm in love! With you.

End of Chapter 20

(Upcoming—Necrophiliac)