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Kurai heads over to the entrance of the palace and walks up to Jade and Ophelia. He kisses Jade's cheek and hugs Ophelia before looking at the both of them.
"You both look beautiful." He tells them honestly, even though they weren't wearing dresses. The clothes they were wearing were still visually appealing to the eyes, but they were more combat appropriate than they were for a night out at the palace.
Jade and Ophelia both laugh lightly before Ophelia speaks. "Why thank you, Kurai. And you look very handsome in you combat gear. Not exactly banquet appropriate, but you're not here as a prince, you're here as the queen's personal guard." She says to him kindly as she, Jade and Kurai all smile brightly.
Many royals pass by Kurai and stare at him with mixed expressions. Some stared at him with disdain, others disgust, and many quietly questioned others why he's there or why he was invited. Kurai didn't care that much about the stares from the royals or the whispers he could hear, but that doesn't mean it doesn't bother him.
Kurai sighs deeply as the royals continue to walk past. Jade lightly pats his shoulder to reassure him. "Kurai, don't worry so much about it. Let them think what they want. They don't know you like we do." She says to him softly, making him nod while Ophelia smiles.
"That's right, Kurai. They may think that they know what's best for Edenia, but they're not the ones that took it back from Shao Kahn." Ophelia tells him proudly, which makes him smile more and nod before clearing his throat.
He straightens his back and offers an arm each to Jade and Ophelia. They both giggle and bow elegantly before taking wrapping their arms around one of his then begins to escort him into the palace, and him them.
The three all walk into the palace to see the ballroom brighten up with elegant and vibrant colors of different varieties with a large diamond chandelier on the top of the large room. Soothing and classical music plays in the background that many people are currently dancing to. A purple carpet laid out in the middle of the hall with gold and silver trimmings on the side, and many foods of various kinds were laid out on different sides of the room on expensive and high quality tables.
The royals all stared at the three as they walk towards the thrones of the ballroom to see Sindel and Kitana sitting down, each wearing beautiful dresses with elegant designs in their respective colors. Purple for Sindel, blue for Kitana.
Sindel notices the three walking towards her and Kitana before she smiles sweetly. She gets up off the throne and walks down towards them before embracing Kurai in a firm hug. "Oh, Kurai. I'm so happy you came." She tells him happily and kisses his cheek then pulls away from the hug as Kurai looks up at Kitana, who just stares at him with uncertainty.
Noticing that her two children are staring each other down, Sindel gently grabs Kurai's hand, causing him to look at her before she shakes her head. "You can talk to each other later. Walk with me for now so I can commune with the other royals. You're my personal guard tonight, Kurai. So... protect me." She tells him softly with a smile.
Kurai nods before taking one last glance at Kitana then begins to walk with her while she welcomes the other royals. Jade looks up at Kitana and walks up to her to speak with her while Ophelia walks away with one her rebel soldiers after he runs up to her with a worried expression.
As Jade approaches, Kitana shakes her head. "I don't want to hear it right now, Jade. Now is not the time." She tells her tells her friend with a firm tone, but Jade places her hands on her hips with a disappointed stare.
"Ok, fine. If not now, then when? With as many times as you've told me that you miss your brother, but refuse to speak with him to clear the air makes me wonder if I was wrong and he was right." Jade tells Kitana harshly, causing the Princess to look up at Jade with confusion.
"Right about what?" She asks.
"That all you care about is the palace, the throne and your birthright instead of your family." Jade snaps at her, which causes Kitana to shoot up out of her throne to confront Jade at the accusation with an infuriated glare.
"THAT is not true, Jade. And you know it." She snarls as the two women stare at each other intensely before Jade scoffs.
"Like Kurai said to me, you've not given him any reason to have him think otherwise, or me for that matter. Even though I've defended you. You want to prove us wrong? Then talk to him. Shao Kahn is gone, so stop being his daughter. Be Kurai's sister and stop caring about what the idiots in this room think. You're not just a princess, Kitana. You're a warrior and Kurai's big sister. Start acting like it." She tells Kitana sternly before walking away to grab a drink, leaving Kitana to rethink her position on the whole matter with her brother.
Meanwhile, Kurai escorts Sindel around the ballroom while she briefly converses with the royals that had come from all over Edenia to attend the banquet. They eventually make their way to the center of the room to see a large gap in between two groups. The royals, and the guests from Outworld.
Queen Mileena, accompanied by Goro, Sheeva, Reptile and Ermac. Mileena notices Kurai and Sindel steadily approaching them and smiles when she sees Kurai smiling at them. Sindel tightly grasped Kurai's arm and looks up at him for encouragement. "You did invite them, mother. And despite what Kitana may think, I trust Mileena." Kurai assures her, which makes her nod after hesitating for a moment.
She continues to walk with Kurai towards Mileena and her group before Goro and the others finally notice them. "Prince Kurai. It's wonderful to see you again." Sheeva says kindly with open arms as Kurai smiles and embraces the prince in a friendly hug.
"It's wonderful to see you too, Sheeva." He tells her before greeting Goro, Ermac and Reptile as Sheeva bows respectfully to Sindel.
"Queen Sindel. I'm happy to see that you've recovered well from Quan Chi's corruption." She says to the queen with her head low.
Slightly taken aback by Sheeva's respect for her, Sindel smiles kindly. "I have Kurai to thank for that, Lady Sheeva. And you also. If you had not told him of my resurrection, I don't even want think about what would have happened if you hadn't told him or if he had failed to save me. So, thank you as well." She says to Sheeva before bowing to the female Shokan as she stands back up straight with a smile.
Kurai approaches Mileena, who smiles brightly, before embracing her in a firm hug. "Oh, Kurai. I'm so happy to see you." She tells him tenderly as he smiles then pulls away from the hug.
"I'm happy to see you too, Mileena. I hope the people have not given you a hard time since you got here." He says to her sincerely as she chuckles heartily.
"Oh, please. The most looks I've gotten from these people are side glances and subtle hints of desire from some of the males here." She says before leaning close to Kurai to whisper. "And many of them are already married, I must add." She continues with an annoyed expression that causes Kurai to chuckle.
It doesn't surprise him. In Earth Realm, people will say whatever it is they want to say about people with different skin tones, ethnicities, religions, cultures and so on. But the moment they see a woman with a pretty face, regardless of the color of her skin, they stop thinking with their heads and start thinking with what's between their legs.
Edenia is no different. He can already see what Mileena was talking about when he sees many Edenian men gazing upon both Mileena and Sheeva with desire and lust. But he wasn't too worried since he knew both women could handle themselves fine.
Kurai chuckles and shakes his head before looking back at Mileena. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't worry too much about them. Many of these men are all bark and no bite. Which is why I can't stand being in the same room as them." He explains as Mileena looks at him sadly.
"Are they still giving you a difficult time, or are they still thinking that you're my spy?" She asks worriedly, which causes Kurai to sigh deeply.
"It's both, actually. They still give me side glances and whisper behind my back when they THINK I can't hear them." He tells her while glaring briefly at the crowd, which causes them to turn in the other direction to avoid Kurai's gaze.
Mileena sighs and gently places a hand on Kurai's shoulder. "Kurai, why don't you just come back with us to Outworld after the banquet? It's clear to me and the others that you're unhappy here and unappreciated. I mean, with Raiden's help, you defeated my father and demanded that he relinquish his hold over Edenia back to its people. You gave them that, and they want to treat you, their prince, like an outsider? Is that how they show gratitude to those that saved their realm?" She asks with frustration for how Edenia is treating her brother.
Kurai sighs and smiles in appreciation for Mileena's concern before hugging her. "I'm touched by your concern Mileena, but I've dealt with worse in Earth Realm. I've told you this, remember ?" He tells her with a chuckle, causing her to laugh with a nod.
"Worse in Earth Realm. Did I just hear you right, PRINCE Kurai?" A voice asks walking up behind him and Mileena as the room goes silent.
Kurai sighs with annoyance before turning around to see Sorato clumsily walking up to him with a glass in his hand and a young girl walking behind him to make sure he doesn't collapse. His date, no doubt, which he is neglecting just so he can drink.
Judging from the smell of him, Sorato had been drinking heavily since arriving to the banquet. No doubt wanting to drown his sorrows from being humbled by Kurai earlier today.
Sorato walks up to Kurai and leans close to his face in a drunken state with a glare. "You've dealt with worse in Earth Realm, right? So, are you saying that we, the Edenians, are inferior to those in Earth Realm? Hmm? Do you think so highly of yourself, that you believe yourself better than the rest of us?" The young recruit says with a few hiccups while Kurai remains silent.
"No one here cares about you, Kurai. You're nothing but a traitor. A spy for this... this thing of a slut here." He says while gesturing to Mileena, who glares at him fiercely before Goro moves to push Sorato away, but Kurai stops him and lightly shakes his head.
One wrong move from Goro or his group will cause even more tension between the realms of Edenia and Outworld. And Sorato, even though he's drunk, is not helping the situation by making a scene due to his disdain for Kurai.
"I will tell you what we are all thinking, traitor. Just do us all a favor, and get the hell out of our realm. Because you're not needed or wanted here, PRINCE." He says mockingly before splashing the wine that was in his glass in Kurai's face, causing the bystanders to gasp in shock while Sindel holds her hands up to her face.
Goro, Sheeva, Reptile and Ermac all glare at the disrespect towards Kurai and move to teach Sorato a lesson, but both Mileena and Kurai stop them, shocking them before Kurai wipes the wine off his face then walks up to Sorato with a frightening calmness to him.
"Sorato, I'm only going to say this once. You do not want me as an enemy. You want to make an enemy of me? Then I soon will be. Because I know exactly what I'm capable of." He begins to say before gesturing to all the people in the ballroom and Mileena's group.
"All these people in here, including Mileena and her group? THEY know what I'm capable of. But you and your fellow recruits? You have no clue of the things I can do or what I've done." He says to Sorato with a low growl that sobers up the young recruit quickly, but Kurai remains calm.
"So go ahead and keep pushing me, Sorato. And the same goes for the rest of you! Keep pushing me, and watch what happens. Because you never know... when I might just do what Shao Kahn failed to do." He says ominously before snapping his fingers, which startles the Edenians as they continue to listen in fear.
"And that is absolutely eradicate scum like you. To be honest, I think I'd be doing the realms a favor by doing that. Because with your performance earlier today, Edenia is doomed either way." He says before smacking Sorato to the ballroom floor, which causes the recruit to glare up at him and get back up quickly, but a few of the other recruits who had attended the banquet, all ran up to hold him back.
Sorato struggles against the recruits as Kurai looks with an infuriated glare at the royals, who back away fearfully from Kurai to avoid his rage. "Now... does anyone else want to test my patience tonight?! Anyone?! I'll be happy to make an example of you like this piece of trash here and PUT YOU IN YOUR PLACE!!!" He says to them calmly then shouts the last part, which causes the royals to back away even more.
Kurai snaps his head in every direction of the room as the royals all avoid his gaze. He scoffs. "That's what I thought. All bark, but no bite, every single one of you. Edenia lost its spine when Shao Kahn took you all down. And at this point, I'm starting to think that I should've left you all where Shao Kahn left you. In the dirt." He says darkly before walking away towards the balcony while Sorato begins to shout and scream at Kurai for smacking him while his fellow recruits drag him away and most of the royals glare at him while others feel deeply insulted from the comment.
Mileena follows Kurai with Reptile and Ermac while Goro and Sheeva remain with Sindel as Kurai continues towards the balcony. He places his hands on the stone railing and sighs deeply as the night wind blows through the sky.
Mileena walks up behind him and hugs him tightly. "Kurai, are you alright?" She asks him with concern as he nods.
"Kurai, why do you stay here to waste away with these fools? They're nothing compared to you, so why stay here and waste your time?" Reptile asks out of frustration for Kurai and how he's being treated, but Kurai lightly shakes his head with a smile before turning his head to look at the reptilian ninja.
"I'm not staying for them, Reptile. I'm staying for Jade, Ophelia, my mother... and Kitana. Even though she and I haven't spoken much since I left the palace." He explains to them all, not just Reptile, before turning to gaze back out at the mountains in the distance and the stars in the sky.
Mileena flinches when Kurai mentions Kitana then moves beside him and star gazes with him. "Because of me? Are you not speaking to each other because of me?" She asks with concern before looking at Kurai.
Kurai smiles softly and shakes his head. "No, Mileena. It's not because of you. Whatever problem or problems Kitana has with me, it has nothing to do with you." He reassures her and gently bumps his shoulder against hers, causing her to smile.
They then hear multiple footsteps approaching them. They turn around to see that it is Goro and Sheeva escorting Sindel to the balcony with an apologetic expression on her face. She looks over at Mileena with pleading eyes. "Lady Mileena, will you give my son and I some privacy for a moment? Please?" She asks politely, which causes Mileena to look over at Kurai with uncertainty.
Kurai says nothing but winks at her before she looks back over at Sindel and nods before looking at Kurai again. "We'll talk more later." She tells him tenderly before placing a soft kiss on his cheek then walks with the others back into the ballroom.
Sindel walks towards Kurai and hugs him before pulling away. "I spoke with Jade to have a serious talk with Sorato, though I don't believe he'll listen to reason. Considering how he took his loss to you and Jade telling him and the recruits that they need to push themselves harder and stop slacking off in their training." She tells him as he says nothing but nods his head.
Sindel lowers her head sadly and looks up at the sky. "Kurai, I would understand greatly if you wish to leave Edenia and go to Outworld or back to Earth Realm." She begins tearfully, which causes Kurai to glance at her in shock.
Tears slowly begin to flow down Sindel's cheeks before she looks at Kurai again. "Even though I've told everyone that you may have become a warrior, you're still the Prince of Edenia, but no one wants to listen. No matter how much I defend you, no matter what I say, they still believe with absolute certainty that you're a spy for Outworld. Even when Kitana and I know that's not even close to the truth." She continues dejectedly with trembling lips.
Kurai gently pulls her into a hug and calms her down. "Mother, it doesn't matter how badly they treat me. I may have friends in Earth Realm and Outworld, but my home is here in Edenia. And it's my home just as much as it is theirs. That's never going to change." He reassures her with a smile, causing Sindel to smile with relief before hugging him tightly.
The two of them hold their embrace with each other for a few moments until they begin to hear crashing sounds and horrified screams coming from the ballroom. They separate from their hug and quickly rush back into the ballroom to see the royals have scattered and are frantically running away from what appears to be demons that are coming into the ballroom from portals of fire.
In different parts of the ballroom, Jade, Ophelia, Mileena, Kitana, Goro, Sheeva, Reptile and Ermac all keep the demons at bay to give the royals time to get away. "What the hell is going on here?" Kurai asks bewildered as the demons continue their attack.
"Demons from the Nether Realm! We have to help the others!" Sindel declares before ripping a tear in her dress to give her more leg room and rush into the fight. Kurai nods and runs over to Jade just as she is knocked down by a demon.
The demon snarls and is about to slash Jade with its claws, but is quickly killed when Kurai jumps in and kicks the head of the demon off its shoulders. The demon's body wildly slashes at the air before collapsing to the floor as its body twitches before finally going limp.
Kurai turns to Jade and helps her to her feet. "Are you alright?" He asks her worriedly, making her nod.
"Yes, I'm fine. Go help the others, I'll help my mother." She tells him urgently, causing him to nod before pulling out his kunai then runs to help Mileena, who was fighting nearby with another demon.
Mileena stabs the demon in its abdomen with her sais, causing it to roar loudly in pain before it tries to smack her away, but it instead roars in pain again when a silver kunai pierces through its hand. The demon's hand is pulled back before Kurai rushes towards it then jumps into the air, landing on the demon's shoulders.
Mileena continues to use her sais to stab and slash at the demon while Kurai stabs his kunai into its jugular before swiftly cutting its throat. He hops off its shoulders and lands on his feet as the demon makes a disgusting gurgling sound before falling face first to the floor.
Kurai and Mileena waste no time with speaking and only nod to each other before separating to continue helping the others with holding and pushing back the demons.
Goro and Sheeva hold off the demons with their brute strength by tearing them apart or beating them down into the floor. Reptile spits acid at the demons to melt them or uses his claws to rip them to shreds while using his invisibility technique to confuse them. Ermac uses his telekinesis to lift multiple demons into the air then either crushes them into a bloody ball or breaks their body parts before ripping them away.
Sindel and Ophelia decide to team up and use their centuries of experience to take down the demons surrounding them. Sindel uses her screech to stun the demons before stopping at the last second to allow Ophelia to swoop in to take down the demons by beheading them or stabbing them through the heart with her Kwan Dao.
Jade reluctantly teams with Mileena as they each use their weapons to take down the demons. Mileena teleports above the demons and kicks many of them in their chests before fatally stabbing her sais into their heads. Jade throws her razor-rang at the demons, which cuts off their heads as it flies through the ballroom before coming back to Jade.
She catches her razor-rang then whips out her steel staff and brutally beats down any and all nearby demons, killing them while Mileena throws her sais at heads of the demons before they teleport back to her.
Kurai uses his kunai to cut and slash the demons while also using the Phoenix Cleanse to quickly destroy them since their very beings are vile and corrupt. He punches through another demon while Kitana uses her fans to levitate multiple demons into the air before cutting them open and knocking them away with powerful kicks.
Kurai suddenly hears a scream near the entrance of the ballroom and looks to see who screamed. It was Sorato with his date from earlier, and they're both frozen with fear as a demon approaches them.
Annoyed that he was still there, Kurai rushes over to help Sorato and his date before leaping into the air and attacks the demon from behind. Driving his knee into the back of the demon's head, Kurai launches the demon forward as its face impacts the wall with a sickening crunch before it collapses to the floor.
Sorato's date screams and kicks the demon away from her while Sorato looks up at Kurai with confusion. Kurai looks down at him with a stern expression. "Take her and get out of here, Sorato. You're not ready for this." He tells him, causing Sorato to nod with understanding before grabbing his date and takes her out of the ballroom.
Kurai faces down the remaining demons with his kunai ready, but is instantly confused when a large fire portal opens again before the demons all quickly rush over to it and leave Edenia. The portal closes and Goro runs over to Kurai.
"Kurai, are you alright?" He asks with concern for the young Prince, who nods while keeping his eyes on the spot where the portal was. "What do you suppose that was about? The demons of the Nether Realm have never attempted an attack like this before. They don't even have the ability to leave the realm." The Shokan Prince wonder out loud as the others gather around them. But Kurai remains silent and shakes his head since he doesn't have an answer.
Sensing his uneasiness, Jade walks up to Kurai and rubs his back gently. "Kurai, love, what's wrong?" She asks him softly, but Kurai keeps his gaze where the portal was.
"I don't know, Jade. But whatever is going on, I think the demons are just the beginning." He says worriedly as the others all look at each other with concern.