Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Nether Realm Studios, and Warner Bros.
Edenia, 10,000 years ago...
"Mother, could you please tell them to let me go? This is embarrassing." A young prince Kurai says to his mother, Queen Sindel, blushing while two girls and his sister, princess Kitana, Jade, and Tanya, all hug him with smiles on their faces.
"Aw, but don't you like us hugging you like this, Kurai? All the other boys would just love to be in your position, they'd be jealous in fact." Tanya says with a laugh as she and the girls continue to smother the young prince with their group hug. Kurai just groans as Sindel and his father, King Jerrod, laugh at their sons current predicament.
"Alright, girls. That's enough. Don't smother him anymore than you already have." Sindel says to them kindly as they let out a mock whine before letting Kurai go. The young prince rushes over to his mother and hides behind her as Tanya smiles and holds out her arms.
"Ok, he's been away long enough. Can we have him back, Your Highness, please?" She says with a giggle as Sindel, Kitana, and Jade laugh while Kurai sticks his tongue out at the girl.
Jade continues to laugh as she looks at Kurai with a bright smile. "Aw, don't be like that, Kurai. We all know that you love it when we give you attention. You can deny it all you want, but the girls and I know the truth." She says to him sweetly as Kurai hides further behind his mother with a blush.
Another woman, Jade's mother, walks up to Jade with a smile and gently pats her daughter's shoulder. "Enough, Jade. You shouldn't tease the prince so much." She tells Jade with a slightly stern tone as Jerrod laughs.
"Don't worry so much about it, Ophelia. It's all in good fun, that's all it is." He says before walking up beside his wife and kisses her cheek softly. "Besides, now that we've got all the pictures we need..." He continues before pausing to look over at the painter, who looks at the group with a smile and nods her head. "I think it's time we head back to the palace. It's getting late." He finishes as he and the rest of the group all look at the setting sun in the distance.
"Would it be possible for us to tuck the prince in, Your Majesty?" Tanya asks all too enthusiastically as Jerrod looks over at Kurai slyly with a grin.
"Darling? No." Sindel chimes in with a smile as Kurai looks at his father with a pointed glare which causes the king to laugh heartily before looking at Tanya with a shrug. "Sorry, Tanya. Queens orders." He says simply as Tanya pouts.
"Traitor." Kurai whispers as Sindel giggles and rubs his head gently.
"Come now, Kurai. He's only teasing." She says to him tenderly as Jerrod walks over to his son and picks him up before putting him on his shoulders.
"Come on, now, Kurai. Let's get you off to bed. You begin your training tomorrow with Lady Ophelia, and you need to get as much rest as you need." The king says to the young prince as he and the rest of the group begin their trek back to the palace.
Before reaching the palace gates, the group had to walk through the gorgeous Edenian city. Bright colors, flowers hanging from strings from one rooftop to the other, the city itself was practically paradise. As they moved through the city, multiple groups of people waved and smiled at the king and queen of Edenia and their children. The prince and princess. They all waved back with bright, and kind smiles on their faces as they came upon the palace gates while Tanya had already left the group to head home. But not before she blows a kiss in Kurai's direction and leaves with a triumphant smile on her face as Kurai groans in annoyance while the rest of the remaining group just laughs.
As Jerrod set Kurai back on his feet, Jade walks up to them both with a nervous expression. "Um, King Jerrod?" She says nervously as the king looks over at the young girl.
"What is it, Jade? Are you alright?" He asks her which makes her nod her head quickly.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just... wanted to speak with Kurai alone for a moment. If that's alright?" She answers with her head down as Jerrod just smiles and nods at the girl.
"Of course that's alright, Jade. And you don't have to keep your head down. I'm not above you and you're not below me. Your a friend of the family which makes you family as well." He tells her with a smile as she nods her head and begins to look up slightly with a smile of her own. Jerrod then looks over at his son and pats his shoulder gently. "Don't take too long." He says before walking in the palace courtyard as Sindel and Kitana look at Kurai and Jade with smiles on their faces.
Kurai looks at Jade with uncertainty as he was wondering if she was just going to smother him again with a hug. "What is it you need, Jade?" He asks her politely as he didn't want to come across as rude. Jade just smiles before reaching into a bag she had been carrying with her the whole day and pulls out a razor sharp kunai made of Edenian steel.
"This is for you. If you are to become a worthy warrior in the future, then you'll need a worthy weapon. And I believe that a kunai is a good weapon for you to start with before you move on up to other weapons." She says to him before handing it to the young prince.
Kurai just stares at the kunai before he begins to examine it. The craftsmanship was nothing like he had seen before. The Edenian steel, when moved to a proper angle, would show multiple different colors in the light. "Oh, Jade, this is..." He begins before pausing as Jade smiles.
"Do you like it?" She asks curiously, hoping that he likes his gift.
Kurai just smiles. "Like it?" He says before looking up at her. "Jade... I love it. Thank you so much." He says before embracing her in a tight hug. She giggles and hugs him back before moving some of his hair away and gently places a kiss on his forehead, which makes him blush again but he does not back away.
Jade continues to hug him with a smile before pulling away. "You're welcome, Kurai. Use it to protect all of Edenia. Including the people you love and care about most. Which I sincerely hope includes me." She says to him with a wink, which makes him blush again as she giggles at his red face. "Have a good night, Kurai. I expect you to be Edenia's strongest, if not the greatest, warrior." She continues before walking away over to her mother who smiles and gives one last wave to Kurai and his family before walking away with Jade.
Kurai, still blushing, walks into the palace courtyard and shows his family the gift Jade had given him. They all smile as Kurai began to talk nonstop about the kunai and Kitana voicing her thoughts about why she doesn't have a weapon yet despite her training the longest. Jerrod and Sindel laugh at their daughter's miniature fit while promising to take her to a weapons shop in the city for her to try out.
After the royal family all had eaten dinner, and bathed, they soon put Kitana to bed, however, they had slight difficulty doing the same with Kurai. But after only an hour, they managed to calm him down and began tucking him into his bed. As Jerrod walked out of his sons room, Sindel hears her son call out to her. "Mother?" She turns around to see him still awake, but he had an expression of doubt on his face.
"Yes, sweetheart?" She says walking over to him before sitting on the edge of his bed and leans down close to him.
"Do you really think that... that I have what it takes to be a strong warrior? Strong enough to protect Edenia and our family?" He asks her curiously as she looks at her son lovingly before kissing his cheek while rubbing his head softly.
"Sweetie, if we didn't believe in you, we wouldn't have asked you if you wanted to begin your training so early. You show so much potential we fear you'll grow up too quickly. But we all know that no matter where you go in life as a warrior, you'll always be our son. Our prince. And we'll always love you." She says tenderly before hugging him tightly which causes him to hug her back.
"I love you, Mother." He says quietly before swiftly falling asleep in his mothers arms as she smiles sweetly.
"Not as much as I love you, my baby boy." She whispers quietly before kissing his forehead. She looks over at the doorway of Kurai's room to see Jerrod standing there with a smile on his face. She presses her finger to her lips, making him nod before he walks away. Sindel eventually falls asleep in her sons bed as she tightens her embrace with her son.
Earlier that night, with Tanya...
After leaving the royal family, Tanya begins her trek back home to her family. After a few greetings from the residents of the Edenian city, Tanya finally manages to make it back home.
She opens the door of her home and walks in with a smile on her face after a wonderful day. "Mother? Father? I'm home!" She calls out to her parents happily, but there's no response from them. She gains a confused expression on her face as she begins to look around her home for her parents. "Hmm... that's odd. They should be here by now. They never stay out so late." She wonders as she checks every room in the house before finally reaching her parents bedroom door.
She reaches for the handle to open it, but freezes when her expression suddenly turns blank, dull, lifeless. Then a hooded Shang Tsung walks up behind her before putting a wrinkly hand on her shoulder. "Come, child. Come with me. There's something I would like you to do." The sorcerer whispers to Tanya, who is unable to resist the old sorcerer's control, before walking with Shang Tsung out of the house.
Late night, Edenian Royal Palace, Hours later...
Jerrod wakes to the sounds of people screaming in the city. He jumps out of bed and runs out towards the balcony to see a heartbreaking and devastating sight. The Edenian city just outside the palace was burning. Hordes of Tarkatan warriors ran through the streets of the city cutting and slicing down everyone that stood in their way, whether they be the Edenian royal guard or innocent civilians.
"My family." Jerrod whispers as he runs back into his room, quickly dresses into his warrior garb, and grabs his sword before rushing out of his room only to bump into Ophelia just as she was about to burst into his room.
"Your Majesty! Outworld forces have invaded the Edenian Capital! And the Tarkatans have infiltrated the city! We have to get you and your family to safety!" She informs Jerrod, but he shakes his head. "Jerrod, you have to-!" She tries to argue, but Jerrod cuts her off as they storm down the hallway.
"I will not run and leave my people behind, Ophelia! I will do what I can to help the Edenian Guard! Find my family and get them out of Edenia! That's an order!" He says ordering the captain of the Edenian Guard, who nods and quickly storms off in a different direction to find Sindel, Kitana, and Kurai while Jerrod storms towards the palace gates to hold off the invading force.
Ophelia rushes through the palace and bursts into Kitana's room, but sees that the girl is not even in her room. "What...?! Kitana!" She shouts desperately before searching every corner of the room to search for the missing princess, but can find no trace of her. "Damn it! I'll have to come back for you when I find your mother and brother." She thinks sadly before rushing out of the room and heads towards Kurai's room.
She soon reaches the prince's bedroom door and bursts through, which wakes up Sindel and Kurai from their slumber. Sindel looks at Ophelia with confusion as she rubs her eyes gently while Kurai yawns from being woken up. "Ophelia? What's the meaning of this? What's going on?" Sindel asks curiously as Ophelia quickly walks over to the queen and grabs her arm.
"Edenia is under attack. It's Shao Kahn and his Outworld forces. We have to find Kitana and get you all out of here." She says urgently as Sindel's eyes widen in shock at the frightening news. The queen nods and picks up Kurai, who quickly realizes that something terrible is happening, before she quickly follows the Edenian captain out of the room.
With Kurai in her arms Sindel follows closely behind Ophelia as she scans every corner of their current area to look for Kitana. "Ophelia, where exactly is Kitana? Why aren't we going to her room?" The queen asks as Ophelia sighs exasperatedly before shaking her head.
"I don't know, Sindel. Her room was the first place I checked before I came to find you and Kurai, but she wasn't there." She answers as they turn a corner in the palace while Sindel begins to feel worried about her daughter.
"And Jerrod? Where is he?" She asks desperately as she wonders where her husband is.
"Jerrod is with the Edenain Guard. He won't leave the people behind while he runs, so, he's in the palace courtyard fending off Outworld's forces. He intends to give us time to-" Ophelia explains, but stops mid sentence as she ducks under a Tarkatan blade that almost cut her head off. Ophelia begins to fend off the rabid Tarkatan, but is having some difficulty from being caught off guard.
Then the Tarkatan is suddenly sent flying into one of the palace columns that instantly kills him when Sindel let out a loud screeching cry. Ophelia looks over at Sindel, who had put Kurai down to use her cry, now looked to be standing on shaky legs, and quickly stands up before rushing over to check on the queen just as she begins to collapse. Ophelia catches Sindel in her arms as Kurai runs over to his help with his mother.
Sindel chuckles as her son and Ophelia help her back up to her feet. "Sindel, are you alright?" Ophelia asks her with concern as Sindel nods her head.
Sindel chuckles again. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just haven't done that in a while. I'm ashamed to admit that I've gotten sloppy." The queen humbly admits as she pulls her son over to her before kneeling down in front of him. "Kurai, sweetheart, I'm going to need you to do something for me." She says to him tenderly, but Kurai already had a good idea of what she was going to say.
"Mother, no, please. I can help, I can fight. Let me help you, father, and Kitana. Don't make me run. Let me help you." He pleads with tears building up in his eyes as Sindel smiles tearfully while gently caressing Kurai's cheek.
"I don't doubt that for one moment, sweetie, but there's nothing you can do here to help right now. Go with Ophelia, she'll take you somewhere safe away from the palace and the city. Your father and I will do what we can here before we look for your sister. After that, we'll come look for you and Ophelia. I promise you, Kurai, we will come for once everything has been taken care of here." She says to him, but Kurai just shakes his head as Ophelia tries to protest, but Sindel shoots a sharp look at her.
Ophelia hesitates for a moment, but nods without a word, although she still doesn't like the thought of leaving her friend behind. Jerrod is holding off the front gates of the palace, Kitana is missing, and now Sindel wants to send her away with Kurai to keep him safe from Shao Kahn.
The three of them then hear ferocious roars inside the palace, and they're headed straight for the small group. Kurai then looks at his mother and notices a look in her eyes that he recognizes when she is angry or has made up her mind. "Mother, please. Don't send me away. Don't leave me alone." He pleads tearfully.
Sindel looks at her son again then pulls off her diamond necklace before handing it to him with a tearful smile. "May the light of the Phoenix Goddess guide you, my beloved son." She whispers before placing a soft kiss on his forehead then whispers an incantation that only Ophelia understood as Kurai's eyes glazed over with a purple flash before she stands up to confront the oncoming wave of Tarkatan hordes.
Ophelia quickly picks up Kurai and runs to find the fastest way out of the palace, much to Kurai's dismay as he shouts and cries for his mother as she stares down the new wave of charging Tarkatans that are now inside the palace, growling and snarling. Sindel tears up as her lips quiver tearfully. "I'm sorry, baby. Please stay safe." She whispers before glaring at the Tarkatans then lets out another loud screeching cry that blows many of them back.
Edenian Royal Palace, Courtyard Front Gates...
Jerrod stood with the Royal Guard in the courtyard at the front gates pacing back and forth. He has no doubt in his mind that Outworlds forces have infiltrated the palace, if the screech he heard earlier was any indication that they had. But he was not fully worried about it because he knows that Sindel can handle herself fine.
As he continued to pace back and forth, he notices that some of the guard were beginning to shake in fear as they unconsciously began to take steps back away from the gates. Not wanting his warriors to be afraid in what could be their last moments, he steps forward. "ALL OF YOU, HOLD YOUR GROUND!!! Hold your ground!" He shouts as they all stop in their tracks as fear strikes across their faces. Many of them did not want to be here at this moment.
Jerrod continues. "Believe me when I say this, I can see the looks on all your faces. It's the same fear that is eating away at my heart this very moment. But I will not run! I cannot afford to run! I will not abandon my people and neither will you!" He says to the Royal Guard courageously as they begin to feel braver than before while planting their feet firmly into the ground. "I know you're all afraid, because so am I. But I will not be able to live with myself, let alone look my family or my people in the their eyes, if I run away now. If I am to die tonight, I will take as many of those bastards with me!" The king continues as the guards begin to cheer in agreement.
Jerrod continues walking in front of the Royal Guard before turning to face the gates when he hears marching nearby. Off in the distance he can see the glowing red eyes of Shao Kahn, who looked determined to take the palace as he marched towards the front gates with his massive horde of Tarkatans. Standing ready with his warriors, Jerrod says his final words before the fight begins. "We are warriors of Edenia! We are her guardians! Her children! No matter what comes through those gates, we will stand and FIGHT!!!" He shouts as the Royal Guard all let out a fierce battle cry just as the Emperor of Outworld and his forces reach the gates.
With Ophelia and Kurai...
"Ophelia, put me down! I'm not leaving! I have to help my mother!" Kurai shouts angrily as Ophelia carries the young prince out of the city and as far away from the conflict as possible. Once they were deep enough inside the forest, she puts him down before holding him in front of her with a saddened expression.
"Kurai, your mother tasked me to get you as far away from the city as possible. I don't like leaving her behind any more than you do, but you and Kitana have to survive in order to continue fighting for Edenia and continue the royal bloodline. If you die here, your mother and your father's sacrifice will have been for nothing." She explains sadly as Kurai looks at her with tears in his eyes.
"Ophelia... I just want to go home." He tells her tearfully before she hugs him tightly with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"There's no home for you to go back to, Kurai." She says quietly as she and Kurai just hug each other and weep in each other's arms.
SNAP!
The two snap their gazes towards the sound of a tree brach snapping as Ophelia moves Kurai behind her to protect him. They both back up towards the stone portal to give themselves move space to examine their surroundings. Ophelia looks around vigilantly at anything that seems out of place in the forest, but spots nothing so far.
Then suddenly a rogue Tarkatan pops up out of nowhere and lands on top of Ophelia as Kurai is knocked backwards towards the portal. Kurai tries to catch him self, but he instead accidentally activates the portal and falls through it as Ophelia calls out his name. And just as the portal opened, it closes just as quickly while Ophelia struggles with the Tarkatan.
Enraged and saddened that she lost the prince of Edenia, Ophelia stuns the Tarkatan with a punch to its face before rolling on top of it before snapping its neck violently. She stands up and runs over to the portal to activate it and begin her search for the prince, but it doesn't activate.
Frustrated and desperate, she tries repeatedly to activate the portal with tears building up in her eyes, but the portal refuses to activate. Ophelia finally gives up and drops to her knees before letting out an agonizing scream of rage and sadness.
Edenian City, Royal Palace, Early Morning...
The Tarkatans roar with victory as Shao Kahn holds up the decapitated head of King Jerrod while standing among the corpses of the Edenian Royal Guard. Many Edenians were being escorted to the many cage carriages that belonged to the occupational force of Outworld.
Sindel, Kitana, and Jade were among those were being escorted by the Tarkatans to the carriages until a booming voice stops them. "Stop there! Bring those three to me." Shao Kahn orders the Tarkatans as they turn around and bring the three Edenians to the emperor.
They stop in front of the large man then are forced to kneel in front of him as Kahn tosses the head of the fallen Edenian King in front of them. "He put up a valiant effort with his warriors to stop me, but he was too weak. Too soft. He had no chance against me." The cruel emperor says to them as they all turn their heads away, not bearing to see their fallen king this way.
Kahn steps forward towards Sindel and kneels in front of her before grabbing her face roughly. Sindel grits her teeth as Kahn closely examines her face with a smirk. "Hmph... You were right, Shang Tsung. She's quite the catch. I think I'll take her." He says to Shang Tsung, who was standing off to the side with a satisfied grin on his wrinkled face before Sindel suddenly spits in Kahn's face, which causes the Tarkatans to snarl ferociously until Kahn holds his hand up to stop them.
"I will never be yours, Shao Kahn. I would rather die first." She hisses in defiance as Kahn wipes his face with a smirk. He then stands up while looking down at her and the two girls next to her.
"Well, that would honestly be a shame. But I would rather not kill you, Sindel. Your daughter, and her friend, however..." He begins before pausing with his hand raised as two Tarkatans both extend one of their arm blades, walks up behind Kitana, and Jade, then presses the blades up close to their throats, causing them to cry out fearfully until Sindel shouts.
"No, wait! Stop! STOP!!!" She pleads tearfully as Kahn holds his hand up again to stop both Tarkatans, making them wait for their orders.
"Ok... Alright... I'll... I give myself... to you... Shao Kahn. Just please... don't do anything to harm my daughter or Jade. They can be... they can be useful to you. They will grow to be strong fighters for... Outworld." The former Queen of Edenia says tearfully to the emperor as Kitana and Jade look at her with shock.
"Mother, no...!" Kitana begins to say, but Sindel looks at her sharply.
"Hush, child." She tells her sternly as Kahn smirks before Sindel looks up at him. "Please... untie me. I shall offer my hand to you... in marriage." She continues as Kitana and Jade look at her with even more shock that Sindel is offering herself to the Outworld Emperor through marriage.
Kahn nods to one of the Tarkatans, who walks up behind Sindel, cuts off her bindings, and allows her to stand up and walk over to him before she offers her hand to Kahn. The emperor takes hold of her hand all too enthusiastically before raising their hands high in the air as all the Tarkatans roar again triumphantly as Sindel looks down to the ground shamefully as tears fall down her cheeks.
Amongst the cheering from the Tarkatans, Kitana looks over at Jade pleadingly. "Jade, where's Kurai and your mother? Where are they?" She asks her friend desperately, but Jade shakes her head and shrugs dejectedly.
"I... I... I don't know, Kitana." She whispers sadly before they are both hoisted up off the ground as they turn their heads towards Shao Kahn, who had allowed Sindel to walk back down to them.
Sindel grabs them both and pulls them close to her as they begin to walk away from the emperor. "Take them to my personal transport. We shall return to Outworld and celebrate our victory." Kahn says to the Tarkatans, who nod and begin taking the three to Kahn's transport, but they suddenly stop when the three of them spot Tanya off in the distance with nothing to bind her or hold her against her will. It was then that the three of them look at the young girl with different looks.
Sindel with incredible disappointment, Kitana with extreme disgust, and Jade with infuriated hatred and rage. They all shake their heads before continuing to walk towards Kahn's personal transport. They soon hop in and are taken out of the city to Outworld.
Tanya stood there in shock at scene before her. What was once a beautiful paradise was now a decrepit and barren landscape of burnt buildings and ruins. The young girl collapses to knees as she brings a trembling hand up to her mouth with tears falling down her cheeks. "By the Elder Gods... What... What have I done...?" She whispers quietly before a group of Tarkatans soon find her and take her to one of the carriages that are heading to Outworld.
This was the darkest day in the history of Edenia.
Earth Realm...
A young man bursts into a room shouting hysterically in an unknown language while another man looks up at the hysterical young man and calms him down so he can speak more clearly. After a moment of taking a breath, the young man explains that he and a few others found a boy outside the safety of their village. Curious, the older man demands that the young man take him to this boy and see where he might have come from.
But the young man explains to the older man that they already can't figure out where the boy came from. He continues to explain that he just appeared out of nowhere through a portal and that he had a purple diamond necklace in his hand. He presents the necklace to the man, who examines it closely to see that inside the diamond was the image of a crest. He didn't understand it's purpose or meaning, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that the older man was now intrigued, he demanded more now that the young man take him to this mysterious boy to see if he needs help. The young man does so and leads the older man to the outskirts of their small village to where the boy had appeared.
The boy appeared to be unconscious as the man walked up cautiously to him. The boy had long dark hair with tan skin with clothes that resembled royalty. The man gently lifts his head to have a look at the boy's facial features. It was Kurai.
Kurai suddenly grabs the older man's wrist, startling him and the others, who had raised their weapons to strike the boy down, but the older man held up his hand, stopping them.
"P-Please... H-Help... me..." Kurai barely manages to say tearfully before his eyes roll to the back of his head and he loses consciousness once again. The older man, while not understanding what Kurai had said, knew that he needed immediate help and medical attention. So, he orders his men to help bring Kurai to the village so he can receive medicine, food, and rest.
Earth Realm, Present day...
"So, the village you were found in. That was...?" Jade began to ask but pauses to let either Kurai or Han explain.
Han looks over at Jade and Kitana before he speaks. "The village was the earlier, and youngest days of the Dark Wu Shi Academy before it became what it is now. We're still a village, technically speaking, but we're also a school." He explains before looking back at Kurai. "So, that was the day you were found. It was the day of Outworld's invasion of Edenia." He says simply as Kurai nods.
Han pauses for a moment then continues. "Kurai, can you tell us what you remember after that?" He asks tenderly, not wanting to trigger any bad or unpleasant memories.
"After that? Everything after that is my entire life in Earth Realm up until now. And all of that, you should know by now, Han." Kurai explains after letting out a long, deep sigh that feels like he's been holding for centuries.
Han nods and begins to stand while patting Kurai on the shoulder. "Alright. I think that's enough for one night." He says before looking over at Kitana and Jade. "Ladies, please get some sleep. It's been a long night." He continues politely before looking over at Kurai.
"Kurai, don't worry so much about tomorrow. Sleep in if you like. Gather your thoughts first before you get back to training. Like you always say, there's always time to train." He tells his friend with a smile, who looks up at him with a smile of his own before nodding. "Alright then. Goodnight to all of you. Rest well." He says to the three of them then proceeds to walk out of Kurai's room as the girls lie back down in Kurai's bed.
"Han." Kurai suddenly says, stopping the grandmaster before turning his head to look at the Edenian prince curiously. Kitana and Jade do the same. Kurai then looks up at the older man with a serious expression. "The Phoenix Cleanse. Is there any way to perfect or truly master it?" He asks as Kitana and Jade look over at the grandmaster, who briefly gains a shocked expression before thinking for a moment then nods.
"Um, yes... yes, I believe that there is a way to perfect the technique with enough time and training. It would be difficult, but not impossible. But... enlighten me, Kurai. Why do you ask?" Han asks him curiously. Kitana and Jade look back over at Kurai curiously and worriedly.
"Because I have a sneaking suspicion that I will need to master it before Shao Kahn invades Earth Realm." Kurai answers with serious determination burning in his eyes.