Chapter 26: Edenia


Things continue to remain peaceful in Edenia. The population continuously increases with edenians and shokans throughout the years. When there are civilians, there are also fighters. One of them is Meia. Her guardian friends Huntress, Cade and Jon continue to train her. Tessa became busy with helping Taven and Sindel around.

Meia slides backwards holding her weapon. Her staff now has a round end with it resembling the symbol of Edenia itself. She stands back up, in the middle of a fight against Cade. "Sweet gods, Cade. Your moves have packed more strength than last time we fought." Meia said as she struggled to stand up a bit.

"I mentioned before that I would get you stronger than I was last time. You sounded like you didn't believe me." Cade teases her.

"And I don't recall doubting you, Cade. You actually almost had me last time." Meia smirks as she stands up. Huntress looks on with a smile on her face, happy at how far Meia has gotten in training.

"Well you are becoming faster with your reflexes, my friend." Huntress walks up and puts a smile on her face. "First you passed your tests, but now this is bigger. Are you sure you are up for this?" Huntress asked, not wanting to make herself sound like she doubts her best friend.

"Yes. Queen Sindel would have wanted us to do this regardless. Besides, it was my idea to begin with, given the circumstances we are facing." Meia reminds them.

"Well you do make a valid point. We got to be prepared for the devils that may set foot in here sometime soon. Shao Kahn, Mileena, Rain, anyone. I am willing to face the threat." Jon said. He can sometimes often annoy his friends about how he is the best with weapons, that was until Huntress kept pelting him with fake arrows just to embarrass him.

Meia rolls her eyes, making Huntress chuckle. "Well. It's time we get started. So how do you want this to work, Meia?" Huntress asked.

"Let's make this a two on one. I go against Jon and Cade in hand to hand combat. Then I face you in ranged combat. To show you what I am truly capable of." Meia explains.

"Is that right?" Jon said. "Well then, Meia. Let us see what you got. Are you with me, Cade?" Jon asked him.

"Always." Cade answered before turning to Meia. "Don't hold back and disappoint us, Meia. Let's see what you have to take on this team." Cade said before they fight her two on one.

Cade comes in throwing melee strikes, which Meia blocks and parries before double kicking him in the chest, poking it with her weapon and slamming it up his chin. She extracts her blade and blocks Jon's hammer swings. It's no surprise that her weapon is very durable to withstand so many strikes. Their weapons lock and Meia punches him in the gut, knees his chest and spins her weapon at his chest, sending Jon backwards. Cade throws a punch and an elbow strike, but Meia ducks, reverse kicks his head and jaw, side kicks his left rib cage and backflip kicks his chin, sending Jon back defeated. Cade almost grabs her by the shoulder but she side step dodges out of the way and she closes her eyes and does a small banshee scream, which caused Cade to cover his ears and Meia comes in and does a strong drop kick, sending Cade backwards, defeating him as well.

Huntress, who was watching the whole thing, couldn't help but applaud and smile at how proud she is of Meia….. And also found Jon and Cade getting beaten to be very funny to her. "Well done, Meia. You showed them very well indeed." Huntress pats Meia on the shoulder and they smile at each other.

"Well I did learn from Lady Sindel. I just have to remember advice on her powers." Meia replied.

"You've always been a clever one. You take advice well." Huntress puts a hand on her friend's cheek.

"Thanks." Meia said, blushing.

"Of course, my friend." Huntress welcomes her. "Now. Are you ready to face me? My arrows against your magic?"

"Yes. I have come prepared for this thanks to you and Tessa." Meia nods in response.

"Good. Let us begin." Huntress said as they got to a good distance from each other, looking into each other's eyes.

Meia and Huntress stand there motionlessly as Jon and Cade watch with interest as they recover from their battle. Huntress' arrows are non-deadly, so they will not kill Meia. She fires two of them at Meia, who returns the favor by spinning her staff and deflects them away. Huntress moves back and fires three more. Meia's staff then glows light blue and the three arrows stop in midair before they drop to the ground. Meia then throws magical projectiles from her staff as Huntress continues to dodge. Huntress then realizes that Meia is trying to close the gap. She runs back to try to get some distance, but Meia was smart. She sees this and leaps forward and gives herself a boost with her staff, kicks Huntress in the back, sending her down before bouncing forward. Before Huntress could get up, Meia puts her staff on top of her head so she wouldn't move.

"You surrender?" Meia teasingly asked.

"I yield." Huntress sighed before she was pulled to her feet by her friend. "Very good, Meia. I saw what you were doing. You were attempting to close the distance and saw an opportunity when I retreated." She smiles proudly.

"And that is what left you open. You taught me to keep an eye on everything." Meia said.

"Indeed we have. And you also learned to counter certain attacks with your magic. Tessa taught you well with it. So much magic you have learned and more to come. You have come far, Meia. But we cannot be reckless." Huntress said to her.

Meia looks at the three with a smile on her face. She is hoping to impress Sindel and Jerrod in hopes that she could make a worthy warrior and ruler one day in their absence. But she knows she has much to learn, but she is not impatient. Whenever this whole war is over, maybe she could have her thoughts on being a ruler.

Taven and Sindel have been watching from a distance, seeing how far Meia has come along with her training. Taven is more impressed with her skills after their little sparring. Sindel looks at the young princess with high hopes.

"Your protege is coming along nice and quick, my queen." Taven said.

"It was the least I could do to help Meia. She deserves a better life than this." Sindel replied.

"And you're giving her one. She's strong, but she must keep her mental mind in check. I do feel her pain. What Shao Kahn did was unforgivable."

"Everything he has done is unforgivable. I can say the same for your brother."

"Daegon can't tell the difference between peace and tyranny. He wanted to rule Edenia for peace, but considered other realms a threat. I can't forgive him for killing our mother."

"We share more in common with you than we thought. So does Meia. After watching her grow, being there for her when she had nightmares or trouble staying in the present, I began to think of her as a daughter."

"Meia will make a good queen one day. She's a great friend with a lot of potential."

"You're surprised by Edenia making peace with Outworld and Earthrealm."

"Yes, my queen. I am." Taven nodded. "There has always been tension between all of the realms. What convinced you?"

"Life. Life convinced us that there can be change. Change that can benefit us. And we have friends to thank for that." Sindel answered, thinking about Liu Kang, Raiden, Alex and Kitana.

Sindel realized that Raiden has played a very important role in saving the realms, given his victory over Shao Kahn, turning the tide against Shinnok and Kronika and making Liu Kang his successor and giving everyone a better life. Kitana saw how not all humans from Earthrealm are helpless bugs, and that they can be strong allies. And Liu Kang opened her eyes and she saw those of Earthrealm as their friends. And Alex is an example. As he was always willing to put others before him, and has grown close to Kitana and Jade, seeing the latter as a sister. And Sindel can never thank him enough for saving her from herself and helping her take back her home.

"You have chosen wisely, my queen. Your wisdom combined with the others is what has gotten you this far as it seems. You all remained strong. Seeing our kind here brings a warm feeling to my heart."

"I must ask, Taven. Did you ever want to become the king of Edenia?"

Taven has thought about that ever since he met his new allies. He wondered what could have happened had Daegon not rebelled, or if Taven killed him.

"I was never sure, exactly. I always thought myself more of a warrior than a future ruler of a kingdom. If I had any other choice, then I would have considered becoming one. I promised my mother and father that no matter what, I would not fail them. But I do blame myself for my mother's death."

"Delia gave her life for you so you could live on and fight another day. You're not weak, Taven. You fought out of love for your family, not just out of royalty to Edenia and its people. That is what me and Jerrod do. We are more than willing to put everyone here, Meia included, before ourselves."

"I don't want to kill Daegon. I have disowned him as a brother, but I don't wish to take his life for our mother's sake. But... if I do, then he'll rise up again. He'll attack again. He'll submit us to endless war. So he's my responsibility. My burden. So Daegon has to die. I'm willing to die trying for my family. For my king and queen. And for the realms."

Taven tightens his fists and closes his eyes tight. He tries not to tear up after that tragic day when he lost his mother and now his father is gone as well. He wished that none of this have ever happened. He could only dream of that.

"Taven, I-" Sindel could hear the painful tone in his voice. To this day, Taven blames himself for everything that is happening right now, including what happened in Outworld recently and the evil alliances made.

"I am sorry for bringing you all into this. Collecting the Kamidogu is a dangerous task. It should be me doing the deed for you all. Fighting this war, the Red Dragon and my brother should all be left to me."

Sindel places a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Taven. You're not to blame for all of this. Even if someone here dies, it won't be on you. We chose to help you find these artifacts. And you're helping us fight with each other. You are not the only one with responsibilities. We all do. That is why we stand here today. Your parents had theirs. I have mine. Kitana has hers. You cannot fight this on your own, Taven. As Earthrealmers would say, 'help me help you."

Taven looks at the queen of Outworld. Deep down, he knows that she is not wrong. What Daegon is doing is pure evil and he is no better than Shao Kahn or Shinnok or Kronika.

"Sindel. My queen." Taven puts his hand on top of hers. "Thank you. I-we won't let each other down. That is a promise."

Taven and Sindel acknowledge each other as friends as they continued looking on towards Meia from a distance.


The Lin Kuei have triumphed over General Reiko and Ferra/Torr. Grandmaster Frost and Smoke have stopped their plan to invade a city and take it to reinforce their armies for Shao Kahn and Daegon and kept them at bay. Now they report to the other heroes about their mission, including Outworld, Edenia and the military and clan.

"Shao Kahn's General tried to take a city from innocent civilians to reinforce their armies for him and Daegon. But we put a stop to it and erased all evidence." Frost reports to everyone.

"But they could still attack somewhere else. But the question is who knows where?" Takeda wondered.

"I looked. It didn't say anything other than Articika. I do not know why the Lin Kuei specifically. Reiko must have had a good reason to target us." Frost said.

"It might be possible he could come after the Shirai Ryu next. And maybe along the way try to rescue Darrius and Dairou. Regardless, they're wasting their time." Jacqui said.

"Time is our ally, Jacqui. But we are running out of time. We still have the ones in Edenia and Earthrealm to worry about." Alex replied.

"Aren't you worried that Shao Kahn or someone else could come after your parents' cabin?" Jacqui asked.

"I'd be lying if I said no. That bastard better not leave a scratch on it." Alex said, tightening his fists.

"Fortunately, Edenia has come prepared. Shao Kahn ambushed my home before. He can't be so stupid enough to believe that doing so would be easy again. We have since doubled and tripled our own warriors for this occasion." Sindel states.

"Knowing his ego, he isn't as fucking stupid as we think. He and Daegon wouldn't go that far just to get one Kamidogu like he did Outworld. They probably want to save as many men as possible for a possible final outcome." Cassie realizes.

"Perhaps, Cassandra. But we do not know which one they will attack next. They may go for both at the same time." Kitana tells her.

"Well. If that's the case, then me and Alex should grab Anthony and Flora and leave soon for the cabin. You said Daegon took some time tracking one Kamidogu with another. It should give us a head start, but it won't last long." Cassie said.

"But what if you guys run into Shao Kahn, Daegon, or Havik? Those guys will be lethal and go all out." Jacqui worries for them.

"Perhaps I should come back you up and protect you." Jade said, stepping up.

"You can if you want, Jade. This time, we've come prepared. If they doubt us, they will underestimate us. Me and Cassie have seen how Shao Kahn fight. He's no pushover. I have a feeling this won't be easy." Alex said.

"Then I would suggest you'd be careful. All of you." Kitana gives them her wishes.

As the Special Forces and clans turn to leave, Sindel once more calls out to Alex.

"Alex. A moment." Sindel said.

"What is it, Sindel?" Alex asked.

"Remember what I taught you all those years ago." Sindel smirks and reminds him. Alex smiles back and nods, knowing what she means. He leaves to go catch up to Cassie. Everyone else signs off, resuming their duties.


In Edenia, whilst Sindel was talking to everyone else, Nightwolf approaches her. "Queen Sindel. I sense that the danger may be lurking upon us."

"What do you mean?" Sindel asked.

"Someone may be coming any moment now. But I cannot tell who. Whoever this person is, he is unlike any other that we faced. They will come to collect their 'prize.'" Nightwolf points out. Sindel thinks for a moment, trying to figure out who. It might be someone other than Shao Kahn, Daegon or Havik.

"Nightwolf is right. For some reason, someone is blocking my telepathy. I cannot tell who. Perhaps Mavado or somebody else may be coming soon. The Red Dragon has managed to block my son's telepathy before. It is the only possible explanation.

"You're right. Both of you. If that is the case, then we must get to the Kamidogu before they do. Come. Let's gather Meia and the others. They would want to see this." Sindel said as she and Nightwolf walk away. Unknown to them, Tessa continues to eavesdrop on them. She smiles, seeing that they are about to make their move. She looks both ways before entering her room. She pulls out her tab caller and speaks to Daegon once more.

"King Jerrod has left for Orderrealm just as you predicted. Now they are aware of the situation they face. I overheard their meeting. Earthrealmers from a pact called Special Forces are heading to a cabin in Earthrealm for its Kamidogu." Tessa reports.

"Excellent work, Tessa. Havik will be in Orderrealm as well. He will retrieve his prizes for us. And Shao Kahn knows who is in this Special Forces. He has demanded that only he will fight them." Daegon tells her.

"The queen and her friends are rounding up her men for Edenia's Kamidogu. It will not be much longer until they discover me." Tessa reminds him.

"Now is the right time. Do what must be done, Tessa. I know that you will not fail me." Daegon gives a confident smirk before he signs off. Tessa looks down at her pendant once more and opens it. She smiles at the picture before she puts it away. Tessa exits her room and goes to find Meia and the others… who have just finished training.

"Meia. My friends." Tessa calls them.

"Tessa? What is it?" Huntress asked.

"Our empress has requested our presence. Something about its relic." Tessa said, pretending to be confused.

"By the gods. The Kamidogu. I say we hurry to assist our queen." Meia said, eyes widened. Tessa gestures for them to follow her to where Sindel wants to meet them at. Unknown to everyone, she deviously smiles to herself. She feels excited for some reason. But why?


Sindel reaches the fountain with the Edenia tile. She sighs remembering the times she used its power for good to rid herself of her inner demons regarding Shao Kahn with support from her daughter Kitana. And she also won't forget the time she helped her friend Alex use it when he was troubled with being controlled by Kronika.

Meia and the guardians approach Sindel, Taven and Nightwolf, who have been waiting for them. "Ah. Meia. My friends. You made it just in time. It is time we make our move." Sindel tells them.

"To do what exactly, my queen?" Huntress asked.

"To protect our home and the Kamidogu. At some point, our enemies will be coming for it. Regardless of either Shao Kahn, Havik or Daegon, they must not have their hands on it." Sindel said.

"Havik is making his way to Orderrealm. We can only hope that Jerrod will return here in time with allies and with what we need to protect. Given his hate towards the realm, Havik will no doubt stop at nothing." Taven explains.

"What about Edenia and Earthrealm?" Meia asked.

"I am not certain. Not even my father could get all of his predictions correct. But we must remain on guard at all times." Taven said.

"Then let us begin." Sindel said. She looks at the Edenian tile and sighs. The queen of Edenia walks onto the tile and turns around and looks at everyone. Sindel sits down, crosses her legs and holds out her hands and closes her eyes. Meia and the guardians look on, curious on what she is intending on doing. Taven on the other hand knows as well as Nightwolf.

The tile glows and Sindel is transported inside her own mind. Her own astral plane where she once more thinks about the happiest memories she could find. She thinks about the ones she has had before her final confrontation with her inner demon, but this time she has more. The time when she reunited with Jerrod after he was resurrected, when was in Edenia giving helpful motherly advice for Cassie and helping Alex with the same problem she had and after the deaths of Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn and Geras, she remembers the day she and Jerrod remarried. Her astral plane glows brighter as a light grows stronger and she is engulfed.

Sindel reawakens and looks at everyone. They all look at her, all standing there shocked. Sindel sees this and looks down in her hand and is holding the Kamidogu of Edenia. Its appearance is drastically different from the others so far. Part of the blade looks like half a circle and on the other end is an extra sharp smaller blade. The hilt itself is much shorter than the other ones. The symbol is also on the blade.

"The Kamidogu of Edenia." Taven recognizes it.

"Yes. Its power, good and bad, is unbelievable. But it is also dangerous if in the wrong hands. Now. I ask you all here for a reason. One of you must safeguard this." Sindel tells everyone.

"Lady Sindel. May I ask. Why can you not guard it yourself?" Nightwolf asked.

"Because I would be the first one expected to carry this around with me, especially for Shao Kahn. I want to entrust this with someone I care mostly about. Someone I can trust with all my heart." Sindel explains. All of them seem to have some doubts about this, but Meia can see her point. Before someone could say anything, Taven steps up.

"I'll do it. This is my responsibility to bear." Taven volunteers.

"Taven. You know I trust you as well as my husband, Kitana and Liu Kang. But this is too risky. Those monsters Shao Kahn or Daegon may come after you and take it from you." Sindel said.

"I understand your concern, my queen. I mean no disrespect. But you know I am destined to stop Daegon by any means. The last thing I would want is more blood on my hands. I don't want to lose anyone like I lost my mother. Please. I want to do this for us." Taven tells her.

Sindel felt very reluctant to let Taven take the Kamidogu from her, fearing he would make a prime target. She slowly raises her hand to give Taven the Kamidogu. But while she was looking him in the eye, she felt a sharp pain in her chest when she was suddenly attacked and thrown back. The Kamidogu flies out of her hands and lands in the hands of none other than Tessa, who was the one who attacked Sindel. She looks at the dagger and chuckles loudly. Kenshi draws his sword to attack but her hands glow and a sharp pain in his head is so bad, he screams in so much pain. He screams for a good ten seconds before he passes out.

"Tessa?! What do you think you're doing?!" Jon yelled at her.

"Have you lost your goddamn mind?! Cade yelled as well.

"Oh, do shut up." Tessa said out of annoyance. "I'm only doing my part. My part in retrieving this amazing dagger."

"For once, you are actually talking to us. And how dare you attack our queen?! Who do you work for?!" Huntress demanded answers.

"Why for him, of course. It should be quite obvious by now. For my master Lord Daegon. The true heir to the throne, founder of the Red Dragon and the warmonger." Tessa smiles more deviously. She waves her hands around and chants magic words and a red portal opens. Coming out of the portal are many faces. Those being Seamus Lee, Mavado, Tanya, Ermac and Rain. Everyone, including Sindel and Nightwolf stand, ready to fight.

"Tessa. You're our friend. Why would you turn against us for him. He's committed so many crimes. Killed Taven's mother, started wars against innocents. Why?" Meia is shocked and saddened by this sudden betrayal.

"I was never your friend. Mavado and Daegon trained me to help them take their revenge on not just the Shirai Ryu, but all of our enemies. But we knew the Red Dragon would not be able to win on their own. So they went to Mileena, knowing she was still alive and leading." Tessa explained.

"As we told Shao Kahn, we are aware of all the events that led up to the battle of the Sky Temple. Including Geras' return, Shang Tsung's betrayal. And we were also the ones who allied with Triborg. He helped us know the locations of the Kamidogu before his own death at the hands of Frost." Mavado said.

"But we still lacked the means to fight back. So we hid under your noses for years to grow. We knew that Sektor couldn't live to see the day given his incompetence. We had no more use for him regardless." Seamus Lee said.

"I was sent undercover in this realm for years. I killed the original person that would have been chosen to train Meia in magic. I was trained in every situation by all of them combined. But Daegon is the master of everything." Tessa said.

"And your master has planned everything ever since they met Mileena. You planned Shao Kahn's resurrection and recruited your rivals the Black Dragon." Sindel guesses.

"Correct. For once, they proved useful and we learned more about the Kamidogu. We planned our attacks on the realms accordingly. So far we have succeeded in getting half of them. The rest will soon be ours." Mavado tells them.

"You will not succeed. Armageddon will not come." Taven stands in defiance.

"Armageddon will be unleashed. You will be the first one to see it, Taven. You blood traitor. Kill them! But leave Taven alive!" Mavado ordered.

The villains run towards the heroes. They all begin to fight back ruthlessly. No one is holding back on their strength and powers. The heroes begin to fight each villain individually, with the exception being Jon, Cade and Huntress, who are all fighting Tessa and are beyond pissed at her betrayal.

As the fights begin to intensify, Sindel is engaged in a fight against none other than Rain. "The former treacherous prince. Still siding with Shao Kahn after these years and yet you have refused to learn that your goal is futile." Sindel remarks.

"You were a weak queen for allowing Shao Kahn to conquer Edenia. You believed that you are no better than commoners and wanted to share equal power to everyone. You no longer do so, but you're still a weak queen." Rain said.

"At least I have regained what is mine and have ruled and learned from my mistake." Sindel said.

"I will be a flawless king in Edenia when I deliver your head to Shao Kahn." Rain said as they continued fighting.

Rain throws knives from his katar at Sindel, but she deflects them with her spear and thrusts it towards Rain. He blocks it with his katar and throws it out of her hands. He swings at her, but she dodges via a cartwheel and kicks him on the head twice. She uppercuts his jaw and does a banshee scream in his ears, uppercuts him in the chest with her hair twice. Sindel grabs his throat with her hair, jumps over him and throws him down to the ground, head first. Rain gets back up, only to be met with a knee strike to the chest, a chop strike to the head, another one to the collarbone, and knees his jaw before delivering a strong kick to it, cracking it and Rain is sent flying. Rain throws an arm upwards and lightning comes from the ground and strikes Sindel in the back, sending her towards Rain, who then turns into water and uppercuts Sindel in the back before surrounding her in a sphere of water with intentions of drowning her. Sindel unleashes her banshee scream, allowing her to break free and catches breath.

Rain jumps to attack, but Sindel does a handstand and kicks Rain in the chest, cracking it, grabs his ankles with her hair and throws him to the ground, back first. Rain rolls backwards, but Sindel fires a purple projectile from her mouth and it hits Rain's ankles, sending him to Sindel. She grabs Rain by the throat with her hair and unleashes a powerful banshee scream and the scream was too much for Rain as he is knocked unconscious. Sindel drops him in defeat.

"You will be Shao Kahn's most incompetent jester." Sindel roasts him. As she raises her spear, ready to finally kill the treacherous prince once and for all, she suddenly hears a familiar scream…. And it's coming from above.

Sindel looks up and sees Reptile descending down on her fast. Sindel does two rolls and jumps backwards and glares at Reptile. "Lucky dodge, Queen Sindel. You would never have lasted longer if you went up against Shao Kahn and Daegon."

"I fear no one, freak. I killed Shao Kahn once before. He doesn't frighten me. Not anymore. You, on the other hand, are far from being feared." Sindel glares at him.

"I'll bite your throat out and bite your head off for that." Reptile snarls before they fight.

Reptile gets out his claws and licks his lips. Reptile swings his claws across to try to kill Sindel, but she once more fights back with her spear, blocking each swing he throws at her. Sindel grabs Reptile's throat with her hair, pulls him in and does a swing kick to the right side of his head, stumbling backwards. Sindel thrusts her weapon into Reptile's right abdomen, making him scream in pain as blood comes out. Reptile roars and fires acid out of his mouth and suddenly, Sindel's weapon melts and breaks in half as Reptile painfully rips the blade out of his abdomen. Rain turns invisible and within a split second, his tongue grabs Sindel by the ankle, throws her up in the air and Reptile jumps on her, stomps on her chest and sending her down.

Reptile takes his claws and stabs Sindel in the right shoulder, causing her plenty of pain as he scratches it as she screams. Reptile backflip jumps off of her and smiles. Sindel was ready to take him down. She sees the blade part from her now destroyed weapon still intact and grabs it with her hair. Reptile tries to trip her with his tongue again, but she jumps, throws the blade into his right shoulder, breaking his bone and causing more blood to spill. Sindel jump kicks the blade even further, jumps backwards but then jumps forward, grabs Reptile by the neck with her hair, throws him down to the ground head first, cracking his skull greatly, defeating him.

"Choke on your own filthy blood, Reptile." Sindel grits her teeth in anger as she gestures to her injured shoulder.

Ermac throws boulders and debris at Nightwolf. He uses his bear spirit powers to break his way through them as he jumps to attack Ermac with his tomahawk, but he dodges and descends to the ground.

"You have spirits, Matokan. But their combined strength is no match for the thousands of souls." Ermac said.

"Only corrupted souls are blind to see the truth. The truth that they are deceiving themselves. Without pure souls being cleansed, you cannot win." Nightwolf said.

"Relying on the Great Spirit cannot save you. Your soul will be corrupted once we are done with you." Ermac said as they continued fighting.

Nightwolf ducks a projectile attack and rolls forward and punches Ermac's right leg followed by a chop strike. He then punches his right shoulder twice followed by his face. Nightwolf brings out a tomahawk, swings it across his chest, making him bleed and uppercuts him in the air. Ermac recovers in the air and throws energy projectiles at Nightwolf, but he uses his powers to shield himself and endures the hits. As he lowers his shield, Ermac does a strong dive kick, kicking him in the chest, knees his chest. Ermac grabs him with his telekinesis and pulls him in for a punch to the forehead and two swing kicks in the face. Nightwolf stumbles, allowing Ermac to start choking him via telekinesis. Nightwolf raises his hands and a cloud appears in the sky and lightning strikes down at Ermac, electrocuting him, forcing him to let go. Nightwolf grabs a tomahawk, dashes and shoulder bashes him and slams a tomahawk into his left shoulder, nearly breaking it as a lot of blood comes out and Nightwolf delivers a strong kick to the chest, cracking it, sending Ermac back, defeated.

"Your voices are unnerving." Nightwolf states as he moves on.

Tanya tries to escape and kill many edenian citizens. One man punches her in the back of the head, but she swiftly kicks him in the head, sending him backwards. Tanya approaches him and was about to burn his face off, but she is nearly shot by green arrows, forcing her off of him. She comes face to face with Nightwolf.

"You dare to kill a defenseless man? Such a cowardly way of you doing so. All of your time spent in the Netherrealm must have softened you up at Mileena's hands." Nightwolf tells her.

"I kill for entertainment. You fight to sacrifice yourself, not to live. You're no survivor if you choose to throw your life away. I am a survivor because all of my decisions have brought out the best results." Tanya said before she and Nightwolf began to fight.

Tanya approaches Nightwolf and swings her fiery tonfas at him. Nightwolf defends himself with his tomahawks. They lock weapons until Tanya kicks him in the gut, making him slide backwards. Tanya teleports behind him and kicks him in the back, stumbling him. Tanya jumps on his back and stabs his left shoulder with her sharp tonfa. Nightwolf grunts in pain until he jumps back, landing on the ground, hurting Tanya. She teleports to a good distance from him. Tanya shoots fireballs, but Nightwolf dodges and fires three arrows. Two of them burn when Tanya tries to counter them, but the third arrow makes its way into Tanya's right forearm, making her drop one of her weapons. Nightwolf takes a chance and punches her across the face, stomps on her right foot and shoulder bashes her. Tanya is sent rolling back.

Tanya gets back up and growls. She throws more fireballs at him and teleports right in front of him, but he jumps back. Tanya charges at him, but Nightwolf slams a tomahawk on her right foot, leaving a scar and a lot of pain. He does a backhand strike across the face and does a chop strike to the head. He uses his bear spirit powers to increase his strength and dashes and knee strikes her chest, cracking it. Tanya tries to block his attacks with her tonfa, but his weapons were stronger and disarms her of her other weapon. He swings at her right ankle, cutting it open, and making it bleed and he uppercuts her in the jaw, sending her into the air, defeating her.

"Your choice in life is your worst one yet." Nightwolf roasts her.

Meia is having a bit of a hard time against Seamus Lee. With all of his skills in his positions within the Red Dragon, he is a force to be reckoned with. "You're fighting against the wrong type of fighter, young girl." Seamus Lee said.

"I am warning you not to underestimate me, Red Dragon. I may look young, but I am not helpless!" Meia stands in defiance.

"How noble. I like you already. Quite a shame that you will still lose." Seamus Lee smirks.

"I have prepared to fight someone like you. If you think that you will easily get away with all of this, then you are sadly mistaken." Meia shows some of her confidence.

"So be it, girl. I won't kill you, but I will make you cry." Seamus Lee said as they fight.

Seamus Lee runs forward and throws rapid punches and kicks, but surprisingly enough for him, Meia is managing to block them all. Meia grabs both of his fists and double kicks him in the chest. Seamus Lee stumbles, allowing Meia to side kick him in the jaw followed by a punch and a small scream. Meia then slams the endpoint of her weapon in his chest and upward to his chin, cracking it a little. Seamus Lee grunts, but smirks, being slightly impressed by her skills. Meia runs to uppercut his chest, but he dodges and kicks her in the right shin, chop strikes her in the back of the head, elbows her in the back and pushes her. Meia was going to do an elbow and kick combo, but Seamus Lee avoids them and elbows her right cheek and throws her to the ground, chest first and then kicking her in the head, trying to knock her out.

Meia gets back up after grabbing his foot and pushing him away from her. Seamus Lee begins throwing small bombs at her, but she spins her staff and slams it to the ground and brings up a shield to protect herself. Meia moves out of the way as he throws more at her. Meia slides under him and slams her weapon on top of his head, swings it at his left kneecap, forcing him down and throws a magic burst attack from her staff at his back, cracking it and sending him forward. Seamus Lee rolls back up and switches to throwing chemicals up in the air, creating a mist to blind Meia. Meia tries to find herself and figure out a solution to the fight. Meia spins her staff again and it glows and gets rid of the mist. She cannot find Seamus Lee anywhere. She hears yelling from above and protects herself with the shield again and when his foot makes contact, he is suddenly electrouted and is flying backwards and is nearly unconscious. Seamus Lee is defeated as he cannot find the strength to continue.

"Who's the one crying from defeat, Red Dragon? Certainly not me." Meia gives a mocking smirk, looking at him as he struggles to stay awake. As she is looking down at him, she hears a boom sound coming at her and she barely blocks with her magic shield and slides backwards. She looks up and sees that Mavado is attacking.

"For a younger, yet foolish edenian, your magic seems impressive, yet subpar. Not as good as mine or Tessa's. I am Mavado. Apprentice of Daegon himself." Mavado tells her.

"So the rumors are true. You live after all. Original rumors stated that you died with the Red Dragon before." Meia said.

"That was the previous timeline. My fate has been changed because of this timeline. You were nonexistent. You were lucky that Sindel and Jerrod found you." Mavado said.

"It is because of them I stand here today. And you have made a mistake of coming here to attack our home. Your ally Shao Kahn may have succeeded before, but only temporarily. You should learn from his mistakes." Meia points out.

"I care not for what Shao Kahn does or thinks. Only for Lord Daegon. He matters to me. And he will get what he wants because of my friend Tessa." Mavado smirks, knowing how she feels about being betrayed.

"You know nothing about me. And you do not get to talk about how I feel or my friends. You and Tessa will pay for insulting us and attacking my queen!" Meia yells in anger.

"We shall see, girl. Now let me see how good you truly are with magic." Mavado challenges her to a fight.

Meia and Mavado begin to shoot magic, with Mavado using it from his hands and Meia from her staff. They seem to be evenly matched until Mavado takes his other hand and fires at Meia. She reacts to this and dodges out of the way, but leaves herself open as she is pulled in and punches her across the face, chest and does a knee strike to the chest followed by another punch, sending her sliding. Mavado waves his hands together in circles and forms some sort of magical sphere and shoots it at Meia. Meia's weapon glows and she swings it at the magical projectile, sending it backwards towards Mavado. Mavado spreads his arms open, stopping the attack and spreads it and pushes it back towards Meia, who swings her staff horizontally, turning it into harmless butterflies. They then glow and form together into a ball of light before rapidly coming to Mavado within seconds and slamming into his chest, nearly breaking it. Mavado gets back up and seems impressed by her abilities. Mavado slams his hands to the ground, sending a wave towards her. Meia is thrown into the air by the wave, and Mavado jumps up, stomps on her chest, cracking it and sending her to the ground. Mavado jumps off and holds her up with his magic. He walks up to her and knees her stomach, kicks her chest, making her spit up some blood and jump kicks her across the head, sending her back father. Meia continues to struggle to fight.

Meia grabs her staff and slams it into the ground, bringing up a shield around her. She glares at Mavado, not willing to give up. Mavado runs towards her and is about to grab her staff, but his hands end up burning his hands just by touching it. He then realizes that the weapon will only work with Meia. This allows her to swing her staff at the side of his head, cracking part of it, followed by two kicks in the same place. Meia kicks Mavado's right kneecap and side kicks his jaw. Her staff glows and she swings it at Mavado's chest, cracking it and sending him flying backwards, finally defeating him. Meia collapses to her knees, feeling exhausted.

Meia turns to see Huntress, Cade and Jon still fighting Tessa. Despite her being alone, she is very powerful, given her magical abilities. Jon swings his weapon at her, but she stops it mid air and throws him backwards. Tessa smiles. She is actually enjoying the fight.

"How could you, Tessa? We chose you to help us! Fight with us! Train new generations, Meia included! We treated you as our friend! And yet you side with the treacherous Red Dragon?!" Cade questions her out of new hatred for her.

"I was never your friend. You became my sworn enemies the moment you demonstrated your verbal hate towards the Red Dragon. They have always been my home. Same with my brother before he died!" Tessa replied.

"Brother? What do you mean?" Huntress asked.

"I'll never say. That information I plan to save for another enemy of mine." Tessa said.

"That won't happen, because we're gonna kill you slowly for what you've done." Jon said to her.

"Then come and try me!" Tessa challenges them.

The three guardians all come to Tessa at once. Cade jumps in the air. He gets thrown across by Tessa, who uses her magic to stop more arrows, but gets hit by Jon's hammer swing and she rolls backwards. She quickly gets back up and sees Jon taking another swing. She stops his swinging and temporarily blinds him with her magic and sends a magic punch to the head, cracking it and sending him back. Huntress fires two more arrows and Tessa stops them. But Huntress swings her bow, hitting her across the head and the face, and double kicks her in the chest. Tessa slides backwards, but chuckles lightly. One of the arrows leviates in the air and Huntress sees too late that the arrow flies towards her left forearm and it gets stabbed hard. Huntress grunts and pain before being sent backwards by a magical blast.

Cade recovers and he and Jon nod to each other. Cade was the first to charge at Tessa, but she blocks his attacks with her magic and holds out a hand and forms a glowing dagger and she thrusts it into Cade's head, making blood come out of his head and nose, instantly killing him before throwing him aside.

Jon's eyes widened out of shock. He yells in anger for what he just saw. Jon throws his hammer at Tessa. She runs and slides under it and goes towards Jon. Tessa avoids a roundhouse kick and an arm swing. She grabs the arm with her magic and pulls it away from Cade and she twists her hands and in turn, twists his arms so hard there was a big snapping sound and Cade yells at his broken arm. She levitates all of the arrows on the ground and she thrusts them in multiple parts of his body, pelting him, including his head and face. Jon falls over, blood stains covering him from head to his upper body. He struggles to breathe as his life slowly fades away..

Huntress pulls the arrow out of her forearm and glares at Tessa for killing two of her friends. She was definitely not going to let her live for what she did. As Tessa smiles at his body, she is surprised by a fist to the head, a knee strike to the nose and a swing kick across the face. Tessa sees Huntress now beyond pissed off. Huntress spins her bow and Tessa attempts to strike her but Huntress uppercuts her in the chin and kicks her in the back, sending Tessa back. Tessa hovers in the air and she sees four arrows coming towards her. Tessa stops them all, but Huntress jumps and slams a fist on her head again, cracking part of her skull and sending her down. She dodges more arrows, but is caught off guard when Huntress throws a series of punches and kicks and yells out of rage before she punches Tessa backwards again. Huntress takes an arrow and jumps to stab her, but Tessa grabs her forearm and chants magic words and with a magical kick, Huntress is sent backwards. She grabs the arrow from Huntress' hand and throws it into her left leg, causing her pain. Tessa speaks in foreign words with magic and all of a sudden, Huntress' ribs all crack so greatly, she screams in so much pain as a lot of blood comes flying out of her mouth.

Tessa descends to the ground and walked close to Huntress, grabbing her throat. She puts her hand on her stomach, chanting some magic words as a beam the size of her palm fired right through Huntress' stomach as her mouth is wide open in so much pain. Huntress falls to her knees and is bleeding out. Tessa takes all of Huntress' arrows and throws all of them down on her. On her shoulders, back and legs. She glares at her former friend once more before she falls over.

"NO!" Meia yelled, seeing everything that just happened. Meia runs up to Tessa and tries to swing at her, but she says more magic words and without turning, stops Meia in mid air before glaring at her.

"I have always liked Huntress in a way. She was the bravest because she was not held back by arrogance or cockiness. As for you, Meia. I wish you were much stronger than that. And not so stupid enough to think that you could take me on yourself. You may be skilled with magic, but I am the master." Tessa said, choking her in the air.

"Y-you will never win. You w-will pay for what you've done." Meia said to her while trying to not tear up.

"We've already won. I would love to spare you, but we don't make rooms for blood traitors." Tessa states.

Meia closes her eyes to think about the pain Sindel told her about, especially with Jon and Cade dead and Huntress dying. Meia does a powerful banshee scream, forcing Tessa to grunt in pain and back away.

"Such as me?" Taven asked before he kicked Tessa away from Meia, forcing her to let go and Meia dropped to her knees, coughing for air.

"The brother. The man who murdered his own mother." Tessa accuses him.

"I should not be surprised that Daegon has poisoned your mind with lies." Taven replied.

"He only speaks the truth. He told us everything." Tessa said to him.

"No. My mother protected me while my back was turned. Daegon was the one who killed her. It's him who should be disgraced as he was before. At that moment, he was no longer my brother." Taven said.

"You'll have to tell him that yourself when you see him in the Netherrealm." Tessa said as they started to fight.

Taven slowly walks towards her as she throws magic at him. Taven easily dodges her attacks and any debris she tries to attack him with. She sees debris behind him and attempts to throw it at him, but he backflip jumps over it and it breaks, creating a small cloud of smoke. Taven uses this as an opportunity to punch her in the head followed by a back hand attack across the face and elbows her right in the head and roundhouse kicks her across the head, cracking her skull more. Tessa recovers and her hands glow black and waves them diagonally, attempting to throw a small house on him, but Taven quickly dashes out of the way and throws three fiery punches to the chest and slams his fist into the ground, sending a shockwave of fire at her. Tessa barely manages to shield herself, but Taven teleports and uppercuts her in the back, sending her into the air and jumps up and slams an elbow in her spine, cracking it greatly and making her spill plenty of blood. Tessa is sent down, defeated.

"I will tell him that when I come for him and kill him myself. But now, you have lost. Surrender now, or face my judgement." Taven threatens her.

Tessa manages to recover and quietly uses another set of magical words. Taven quickly notices that the Kamidogu of Edenia is glowing. He leans in to grab it, but it teleports away before he could even touch it. Taven hears Tessa starting to laugh.

"You know nothing about Lord Daegon. He told me not to beat you. That he wants to be the one to do it." Tessa laughs some more before she uses more magical words and she and every other villain teleport away through portals underneath them and they all escape.

Taven grunts in frustration at this. Not only was he too late to stop Tessa from taking the Kamidogu of Edenia, but he couldn't save everyone. He turns to see the dead bodies of Cade and Jon before turning to see Meia trying to wake up Huntress.

"Huntress. Huntress, please wake up. I beg of you." Meia said, trying not to tear up. Huntress coughs up some blood that's covering her mouth and part of her nose and sliding down her neck.

"M-Meia." Huntress weakly said.

"No. Don't move or talk. I can help you." Meia tries to use her magic glowing green to help heal her wounds. She grinds her teeth in frustration, trying to heal her best friend. But none of her wounds look like they're being stitched up. So many wounds on her from the arrows, and the big wound from the magic sword must be proving to be fatal. Meia shakes her head, trying to deny it.

"It's okay. You've done your best. You fought two powerful members, and stood against all odds." Huntress said, coughing up more blood as her vision is becoming blurry.

"Huntress, please. I-I can't lose you too. I don't have anyone else left. You're my friend." Meia's voice starts cracking. Huntress manages to make a weak smile and places a hand on Meia's cheek.

"Y-you have m-more friends t-than y-you realize. I-I will always be your friend. …. Always." Huntress said. She looks past Meia and sees the light until it engulfs her. Her hand falls off Meia's face as it hits the ground and lays there motionlessly.

"Huntress! Huntress! Please wake up! I need you! I can't do this without you!" Meia tries to shake her awake to no avail. Huntress, Cade and Jon have all died in front of her. Meia, with nothing left to do, finally starts crying while holding her friend's body.

Taven tightened his fists out of anger. He believes he has failed everyone. His fists light up with flames as Sindel and Nightwolf look on, all devastated that the villains have deceived them and have been betrayed by one of their own. Taven slowly walked up to Meia, not saying a single word. The young princess, sensing his presence, immediaetly gets up and wraps her arms around his waist and cries into his chest. Taven holds her close in a hug as they mourn together.

Sindel sees Taven and was about to approach the two, but that was until a portal opens. King Jerrod comes through the portal with the Kamidogu blade of Orderrealm in his hand. He was not expecting the place to be in bits of ruins, and sees blood everywhere.

"Jerrod. My love, you're back." Sindel runs up to hug him.

"Yes I am. I got the Kamidogu of Orderrealm." Jerrod tells her before turning to everyone else.

"What happened here?" Jerrod asked. Taven looks away in shame. Before Jerrod could also question him, he sees Meia crying and her friends dead. Now it was Jerrod's turn to get angry and brings out his weapons, wanting to find out who's responsible for this.

"We've been betrayed, my love." Sindel tells him.

"What?! By who?!" Jerrod demanded. Sindel and Nightwolf were both very reluctant to tell him what happened. Taven remains silent because of the events that transpired.

"Wait. We are missing one person…. Where is Kenshi?" Nightwolf looks around as well as everyone else. Kenshi is nowhere to be seen.


Note: Only one more Kamidogu to go. I hoped to give Taven more development than what he was given in Armageddon. Taven only wishes to fulfill his destiny and believes that it's not to just kill his brother, but to protect the realms and doesn't want others to share the same burden, fearing something bad could happen to them. But he knows that he is not in this alone.