Kung Lao loudly paraded his friend and fellow White Lotus Monk's achievement, mostly to Sub-Zero.

"Would you look at that, Lin Kuei, perhaps being some bloodthirsty assassin ISN'T necessary to victory, who would have thought?" Kung Lao's attempt to trigger Sub-Zero's ego went unnoticed by the assassin as he kept his mind and focus primarily on Liu Kang.

"Great job kid, keep it up and we might not need to fight in this tournament at all." Jax joked while patting Liu Kang on the back.

Though everyone else in general congratulated and complimented Liu Kang's fighting ability, Raiden was not so eager.

"You may have done well now, but do not let that cloud your focus. Pride can be the death of you, Liu Kang." Raiden said. "And that goes for all of you."

The smiles and laughter quickly dissipated after that, and the way to the Earthrealmer's rooms was silent for the rest of it.

Raiden opened the door and let the rest of them inside before him. Liu Kang and Sub-Zero both looked towards the table, in surprise about the same thing.

Johnny Cage, sitting on the far end of the long chair, closest to the door, fully healed and his bags and luggage nowhere to be seen.

As soon as Cage saw Liu Kang enter, he felt the need to say something. He stammered and stumbled, trying to come up with something, but as soon as he saw Liu Kang's humble smile and nod, he no longer felt he had to.

Sonya too looked surprised that the actor decided to say despite his grave realization. "I thought you'd be half way across the ocean back to LA by now." She asked, mockingly.

"Yeah, well, two people gave me the encouragement to stay." He said.

Liu Kang felt proud he could convince Johnny Cage to think it through and come to the conclusion that he desired to stay and defend Earthrealm. Sub-Zero looked confused by how his words could have convinced Cage to stay.

Liu Kang and Sub-Zero decided to enter their rooms, to rest their bodies for the following day, Johnny followed later on. The others, still yet to fight in the tournament, engaged in conversation on the table for longer.

"So." Kung Lao sat down, while stretching his arms out. "What's your deal?" He said while motioning his head to Nightwolf. "I know you two probably discussed it earlier, but me and Liu Kang were too busy talking to Cage about his movie career."

Nightwolf smirked. "Wait, that's what your conversation with Johnny Cage was about before you called us over to negotiate film earnings?"

Kung Lao nodded before he immediately began defending such an act. "Hey, it was surprisingly more interesting than you would think. His movies are stupid, but a fun kind of stupid. I'm adding the Ninja Mime series to my watchlist."

Sonya looked curiously at Kung Lao. "White Lotus watch movies?" She asked.

Kung Lao chuckled humorously before realizing that Sonya was genuine in her query. "We're not hermits, lieutenants. We are permitted to live normal lives as long as we still follow our vows. We aren't Lin Kuei after all." Kung Lao motioned his hand towards the room Sub-Zero chose to reside in until the morning.

"I've tried watching a number of his movies in the past." Nightwolf said. "They are just...a bit much for me."

"That's one way to say beyond stupid and over the top." Sonya quipped.

"And unrealistic." Jax added to it.

"Hey, not all movies need to be realistic, it can be rather fun to just let loose and indulge in nonsense every once and a while." Kung Lao replied defensively. "Why do you think the Fast and Furious movies are so popular back in China."

Sonya smiled and her curiosity moved on from the fact that Kung Lao could watch movies, but now to Kung Lao himself.

"So, what's your story?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"Like, what's you and Liu Kang's story, how did you end up here? Did Raiden just turn up at your Shaolin base or whatever and ask you to join like he did for us?" Sonya asked the Shaolin.

Kung Lao leaned further into the table and placed his hands on it as he prepared his story. "Well, not to brag, but me and Liu Kang aren't like everyone else here, aside from Nightwolf I guess." He began. "Since we were children, we and the other White Lotus monks have been training, preparing our minds and body for the Mortal Kombat tournament. We were taught by the greatest martial arts experts in all the realms."

Kung Lao took a brief moment of merriment and nostalgia as he recollected his training days. "All out training pretty much amounted to us being here, right now. Just as our ancestors were before us." He concluded.

"Didn't realize that Shaolin training included a razor sharp hat." Jax joked before indulging in light laughter.

Kung Lao smiled at the remark. "I thought of the weapon myself, it took months of training just to not cut my fingers with it, but in the end it was worth it."

Sonya thought back to what Kung Lao said earlier. "Your ancestors fought in past tournaments?"

Kung Lao's face lit up as he got the chance to speak on this again, with someone who did not have an already preconceived negative opinion on his forefather, unlike a certain assassin. "Why, yes they did indeed." Kung Lao began once more. "One of them, the Great Kung Lao, is the greatest Shaolin warrior to have ever lived. Almost none could best him in Kombat. His name is a legend, and I honor him with every passing breath."

The others seemed to be rather impressed by Kung Lao's lineage, but Sonya's expression turned negative once more when a given realization came to her. "If he was so great...why are we still here?"

Kung Lao's enthusiasm quickly dispersed into the air into nothingness. After a few seconds of trying to make his ancestor's defeat seem more honorable in his head, he opened his mouth to vocalize his thoughts. "When he fought in the last Mortal Kombat tournament, almost none could defeat him... all his opponents fell to his might. That is until...Goro."

Kung Lao's voice fell low and dire once he muttered that last name, much to the others' worry.

"If this ancestor of yours was as great as you say, and yet still lost to this champion, what hope do any of us have?"Jax asked.

Before Kung Lao could respond, and before Nightwolf or Sonya could add to that, they were interrupted. Raiden, who had been silently meditating in the corner of the room, alone with his thoughts, decided that their conversation had gone on for long enough.

"That is enough. We do not think of past failures to linger in our minds as we try to achieve a present victory." He walked closer to the group, and took off his hat in an attempt of humanization. "Please, rest. You need it for tomorrow morning's fights."

All of them solemnly nodded and got up and picked one of them unoccupied rooms. Once they were all out of his sight, Raiden took a deep breath, took a quick look around the room, and with the lightning bolt that emerged from the ceiling of the room, Raiden teleported from the room.

—

His laugh was a menacing and mortifying one. His smile contorted to a devilish grin from each corner of his ear to the other. He stayed silent while observing his opponent, the Earthrealm's champion, as he lay down bloody and beaten. He finally decided to speak.

"Is this really all that the Shaolin could muster? You're even more pathetic than the last one!." The monster said before he trailed into a maniacal cackle that pierced his opponent's eardrums until they bled.

The creature came closer, grabbed him by the head, and took one final stare. "You Earthrealmers never cease to amaze me with how weak you all are. Once I finish you, my Emperor will get what he so truly deserves. You do nothing but serve those Elder Gods, and yet they allow us to do such a thing? What a sorry population of fools and simpletons you all are." The monster laughed even harder, even louder before calming down and looking back at the barely conscious man in his hand. "I am being merciful as I finish you, for you won't be around to see what we will do to your pathetic world."

As the poor man heard the last words he would ever hear in his life, the monster lifted him up higher by the head, grabbed the other side of his head with the other hand. The muscular behemoth then extended the second set of hands that he kept resting behind his back, and grabbed the Earthrealmer's arms. The man's arms were violently pulled as far as they could be to his sides, and the monster kept going.

The man's violent screams in pain rivaled the monster's horrific laugh, as blood began spurting out from his damaged throat.

He then felt his joints break down, and shoulder dislocate.

The man took one last look at his soon to be killer, its terrifying stare pierced through his tired and bloody eyes.

This was the end. He failed. They all failed. All his training, all his challenges and tribulations. None of it mattered. As he would die to the same foul beast that the once greatest Shaolin warrior in history fell to.

"Forgive me, Lord Raiden."

Liu Kang's eyes opened, as he violently rose from his sleep. It took him a few seconds off panting and sweating before his mind grasped what just happened.

It was just a dream

He covered his face, relieved that none of it was real, before being horrified that that dream might be a possibility in the coming days.

Liu Kang laid down once more, shifting from position to position, facing different directions before realizing that none of this would work. He looked outside his window, and saw that by the horizon, the clouds were illuminated and he knew soon enough the sun would similarly rise from his slumber, though far less forcefully as he did.

He realized it would be pointless to try to go back to sleep now, so he got out of his bed and left his room. He looked around and saw no one but himself out of their rooms. He made his way to the exit of the Earthrealmer's quarters and began walking with moderate speed down the hall. After half a minute of progressively faster and faster walking, Liu Kang made it to the palace's courtyard, one of the first parts that was presented to them in the tour once they arrived. Liu Kang always resonated well with gardens, often spending time in them when he trained, and despite the evil nature of the palace, the courtyard was no different.

The lush, well kept plants and small trees, all of varying colors from green to pink, with a beautiful fountain with curved edges around the tip of its base. The ground was made up of small concrete squares with grass growing in between the patterns.

Liu Kang walked through it, trying his best to calm his mind down, salvaging any hope that his nightmare spared.

It worked. That is, until Liu Kang heard footsteps approaching from behind him. Anticipating a possible attack from an Outworlder, he quickly turned around and got into a fighting stance.

Fortunately, it was just an Earthrealmer. Unfortunately however, it was the Earthrealmer that he wanted to see the least.

"You seem rather tense." Sub-Zero's gruff and self-serious voice uttered.

Liu Kang eased up and put his hands down.

"You're awake rather early." Liu Kang said.

"As are you."

After a moment of silence, Liu Kang resumed.

"So why are you here? To berate me and the Shaolin once more because I did not kill my opponent?" He said vigorously.

Sub-Zero looked surprised that Liu Kang would believe such a thing, before realizing that given how he had acted thus far, it would be the only true conclusion.

"The way you fought back there...it was extraordinary." Sub-Zero said.

Liu Kang was taken aback and checked if he was still in a deep slumber with another concoction of a resting mind.

"W-what?" Liu Kang questioned.

"The way you moved, your powerful yet blinding strikes. It was a sight to behold." Sub-Zero clarified, adding on to Liu Kang's confused flattery.

Liu Kang took a moment to compose himself properly, knowing now that this conversation would not just consist of Sub-Zero insulting him. "What makes you think I'm so special in that regard, Sub Zero? Perhaps you were just underestimating the Shaolin as a whole, I am not so special when compared to the rest after all."

Sub-Zero scoffed and almost looked like he was going to laugh. "I have fought Shaolin before, Liu Kang. Some of which were also considered 'masters'. None displayed anything as impressive as what you managed to do."

Liu Kang rolled his eyes at the backhanded compliment. "What is your purpose for being here? Merely to praise my skills and desecrate others?"

"Spar with me." Sub-Zero said.

"What?"

"I know you heard me loud and clear, White Lotus."

Liu Kang looked up to see the slowly rising sun and knew if they had a sparring session any longer than 5 minutes, Raiden would be infuriated that they would be late for the beginning of the day's tournament.

"But Lord Raiden would-" Liu Kang was cut off.

"I have already talked to him about it, he has given us permission to do this. Get into a fighting stance." Sub-Zero said before he got into the stance he was in when he faced the Kollector.

"Why would Raiden agree to this?" Liu Kang asked.

"I am surprised too, Liu Kang. But for now, that is not important." Sub-Zero tensed up.

Liu Kang smirked and resumed the stance he had previously, and exhaled and inhaled preparing his muscles. "Show me what you can do." He smugly said with a smile.

Once the two of them got into position, neither moved for a couple moments, and both were in complete concentration in observing if the other made even the slightest movement that could indicate an attack

The two of them had some distance between them, but like the arena that required one to ran up to the other in order to get in a hit. One of them could easily fill the distance with an extended jab. It just came down to who would take advantage of that fact first.

After a few more moments, Sub-Zero's gaze tightened