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Outworld...
Kurai, with Jade's help, limps his way into Mileena's throne room where loud arguing voices could be heard. Raiden and Mileena's voices among them. The voices continue to argue and shout as Kurai and Jade make their way into the throne room.
Surprisingly, it was Raiden and Kitana along with Goro, Sheeva, and the other Outworld champions arguing about what Lucifer said to him about the Dragon King, Onaga, while a few others stood off to the side. Specifically, Eclipse, Sub-Zero, Smoke... and Scorpion while Mileena sat on her throne rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Kurai and Jade walk in and watch the group continue to argue. "Well, so much for progress if they're all at each other's throats already." Kurai says hoarsely, which causes Jade to chuckle as she continues to help him into the throne room.
Sheeva notices them walking in and directs her attention towards them. "Prince Kurai! Lady Jade!" She exclaims, catching the attention of the others and causes them to stop arguing to look in their direction.
Sheeva runs over to them and helps Jade with Kurai as Mileena stands up off her throne and walks over to them. Jade and Sheeva lead Kurai over to the steps near the throne and gently helps him sit down. "Thank the Elder Gods you're alright, Kurai. Fighting and surviving a former Elder God is no small feat. You continue to surprise us all, my friend." Goro says walking up to the three as Mileena sits down near him on the steps.
The others in the room all nod as Kurai looks up at them with a smile. "Indeed, my prince. When Raiden and the Earth Realmers brought you back here in the state you were in, we thought the worst. We were even prepared to go to war with Shinnok for what we thought he did to you, but Raiden had informed us you defeated him. No small feat, as Goro said." Sheeva says to him as Kurai and the others chuckle.
After taking a quick breath, Kurai decides to ask what the group exactly what they were arguing about. "Now that you all know I'm still alive, what were you all shouting about? I heard mention of the Dragon King, Onaga." He begins while looking at all the people in the room as Mileena chimes in to explain.
"Raiden informed us of what transpired after your fight with Shinnok. The true ruler of the Nether Realm, Lucifer, warned you of Onaga, yes?" She tells her half brother, who nods, before she continues.
"I want to take the warning seriously, my dear brother, but Onaga has been dead for thousands of years. There's no reason for us to believe that he will return. Unless his spirit is roaming around the realms, he has no means to return." She says to Kurai, and everyone else in the throne room, but Kitana scoffs.
Mileena sighs with annoyance before glancing in her "sister's" direction with a stern expression. "And just what exactly is it that you find so humorous, Kitana?" She asks firmly while Kitana stands her ground.
"What I find "humorous" is the fact that even though we've been warned, by the devil himself, about Onaga, you idiotically believe that the former ruler of Outworld has no way of returning back to life. I believe that given all our experiences so far over the years, we've seen stranger things happen. I also believe that Onaga can come back. Unfortunately, I don't know how." She says to the group, but mainly Mileena, who glares at her half sister for indirectly calling her an idiot.
Mileena stands up begins walking over to Kitana, but Raiden, Reptile and Ermac all stop her before she reaches the princess. The two glare at each as Kurai shakes his head with a disappointed sigh. "That's enough. Both of you." He says to them as the group all look at the young prince.
Kurai adjusts himself on the steps to sit more comfortably as Jade sits down beside him. "Mileena, listen, I understand what you're saying, I do. But Kitana is right. We were warned by Lucifer himself about Onaga. Which only means that Onaga has some sort of plan in place to resurrect himself OR he knows someone that has been working behind the scenes. Someone we all know that has been playing us from the beginning." He explains as the group begins to think about who Kurai could be talking about.
Then realization hits all of them at once. "You mean Delilah?" Bi-Han answers causing Kurai to nod his head.
But Raiden wasn't entirely convinced. "Are you certain of this, Kurai? Delilah could have her own goals to achieve, that much is clear. But resurrecting Onaga would seem to be a foolish action on her part. And she has been outmaneuvering us since she introduced herself to you." He asks Kurai thoughtfully as the group looks back over at the Edenian Prince for an answer.
However, Kurai just shrugs. "No, Raiden, you're right. I'm not entirely certain. Without proof of what she's up to, we would just be making fools of ourselves, I understand that. But her timing is way too perfect. I mean think about it. Delilah has no doubt been gathering her own followers for both her and Onaga while working under Shinnok as a shadow agent." He begins as the group listens closely.
"She poses as a potential ally for him and is allowed into his circle while planning out her own goals right under his pointed nose. THEN when the time was right for his downfall, she does nothing as we all fight the disgraced Elder God back in Earth Realm, while she sits on the sidelines? And the warning from Lucifer himself afterwards?" He explains, pointing out all of the signs of Delilah's continuous deception and causing the group present to think about the woman's actions up to this point.
Kurai then shakes his head. "No. The timing is all too perfect. Whether she's Onaga's true ally or not, she's definitely up to something. We just don't know what. And that's what worries me, because we don't know what her true motives have been since she revealed herself back on that tanker ship." He concludes his explanation, which gave the group listening great pause.
Kurai was right. Whether Delilah was indeed an ally of Onaga or not doesn't matter. The fact that she has been ten steps ahead of everyone all this time worries them greatly. And also the fact that she is still roaming among the realms makes matters much worse for everyone involved.
Delilah needs to be stopped and her plans or goals, whatever they are, need to be stopped as well. Because whatever she has planned does not bode well for anyone.
Understanding Kurai's explanation and his reasoning, the entire group all nod in agreement. "You're right, Kurai. With Delilah still out there among the realms, I dread to think what she wishes to achieve. And we all know that it will not benefit any of us or the realms for that matter. We must find her as quickly as possible and put a stop to her before she does any more harm." The thunder god says to Kurai, and everyone else in the room, as Kuai Liang steps near him.
"What do you propose we do, Lord Raiden? With the condition that Kurai is in, and some of our other allies currently injured, we're a little short on numbers now." The cryomancer wonders curiously, which causes the god of thunder to think for a moment while the group waits for an answer.
Raiden then sighs in frustration. "Unfortunately, I do not know, Kuai Liang. I shall go and consult with the Elder Gods to discuss a new course of action. One that does not involve the lives of innocents. In the meantime, I suggest you all get some rest for the time being. I shall return." He says calmly before leaving Outworld in a bolt of lightning leaving the others to sit in silence.
The group then all look at Kurai as Goro and Sheeva walk up to him. "Do you need help heading back to your room, Kurai? Sheeva and I will be glad to help you." The Shokan prince offers causing Kurai to smile but shake his head.
"No thank you, Goro. I'm in pain, sure, but I'll manage. You all can go about your business if you like or get some rest. I think I'll just roam around the palace for a bit and stretch my legs." He says to Goro and the other Outworlders.
Goro and the others nod before turning to leave the throne room, but Sheeva, the Lin Kuei Ninjas, Scorpion, Kitana, Mileena and Jade all remain in the room with him. He turns his head to look at Jade. "Where's Tanya?" He asks her quietly, which causes her to pause and look away, not wanting to answer.
Sheeva steps forward. "She is with some healers in the palace's medical clinic. Kitana and Lady Sindel would not tell us why." She explains as Kurai instantly understands why she is there.
Jade looks back at him as he looks at her pleadingly. "Take me to her, Jade. Please. It's important." He says to her softly.
She tilts her head to the side with confusion. "How important?" She asks curiously.
"Incredibly." He states.
She still didn't understand but nods after a moment. She helps him up and begins to help walk him to the palace medical clinic before Kitana stops them. "Kurai? Um... before that, I was hoping that we could-" She begins, but is interrupted.
"We can talk later, Kitana." He tells her without looking at her. Kurai is relieved that his sister is safe and alive, but a part of him is still deeply hurt by her treatment of him in Edenia.
"What...? But..." She tries to explain, but pauses when he snaps a cold, hard glare at her.
"Later, I said, Kitana." He says sharply, which causes her to nod sadly before he looks over at Scorpion, but with a softer expression. "You as well, Hanzo." He says to the former specter, who nods with understanding as Kurai and Jade proceed out of the room.
As Kurai and Jade exit the throne room, Mileena walks up behind Kitana. "You know, it's funny, he is your biological sibling and all you cared about is how people think of you in Edenia instead of caring about him. I am your clone, not even his real sibling, and I care about him more than you do, as does all of Outworld. Ironic... don't you think?" She asks her thoughtfully before walking away.
Kitana clenches her fists tightly in anger, but she knew Mileena was right. Since Kurai's return to Edenia, she suddenly started caring about what the people thought of her and began treating her brother like the plague. He didn't want to act like a prince, he eventually left the palace and moved out to the lake, and he continued living as he did in Earth Realm, a roaming warrior doing what he wanted with no restrictions.
Why? Why did she have a problem with that? She had got him AND her mother back and she pushes him away when she returns to her original home in Edenia? When? When did she suddenly care so mucj about people's opinions of her when she didn't give a single damn when she lived in Outworld under Shao Kahn's heel? She couldn't understand and she couldn't find an answer.
She decides to put it aside for the time being and leaves the throne room to send a message to her mother that Kurai is awake. Because there is something the three of them need to discuss. About their bloodline and ancestry.
Palace Medical Clinic, Minutes Later...
Jade helps Kurai walk into the palace's medical clinic to see Tanya lying on a bed on her side facing away from them. As the two walk towards her, a medical healer walks up to them. Kurai looks at the healer with a sad expression. "Miss, can anything be done to help her?" He asks, which causes Jade to look at him in confusion.
The healer looks over at Tanya with a sigh then back to Kurai before shaking her head. "No, it cannot, my prince. We can heal what has been injured or wounded, but not what has been removed. We... are not skilled or powerful enough to do that. If this had happened to her... perhaps within the next few years... we might have been able to give back to her what was taken. But... not at this point in time." The healer explains causing Kurai to nod his head in understanding.
"Thank you." He says as the healer walks away. He pulls away from Jade and steadily begins walking over to Tanya with Jade close behind him.
Kurai walks up to the bed to hear Tanya crying silently. "Tanya?" He calls out to her softly. She sniffles and turns over to see Kurai standing near the bed with Jade behind him. Ignoring Jade for now, she cries before reaching out for Kurai and bringing him in for a tight hug.
She trembles while holding Kurai close to her. "They can't... They can't heal me, Kurai. They can't give me back what Delilah took from me. I can't be a mother anymore." She whispers quietly as she continues to cry against Kurai's chest while he gently rubs her back.
While Jade wasn't actively listening to the conversation, she did however hear what Tanya just said to Kurai. And it shocked her to her core as she felt a deep chill go up her spine. "Dear Elder Gods... that Delilah woman took Tanya's ability to have children? That's... beyond evil. That is just... unspeakable..." She thinks to herself as she watches the two continue holding each other close.
"Tanya... I'm sure we can figure something out. Don't give up hope. Not now." He tells her confidently with a smile, but that confidence, even for Kurai, felt forced. Even if the healers become strong enough to heal what has been stolen in a few years, what more will be left of Tanya mentally by then?
Tanya shakes her head softly and just holds Kurai close as Jade watches on. The three remain silent for an hour before Jade walks up behind Kurai and gently pats his shoulder.
Kurai looks at her with a confused look. "May I speak to her... alone?" She asks seriously as Tanya tenses up from the thought alone of speaking to Jade.
Kurai hesitates and wasn't sure whether to agree or not, but Jade gives him a reassuring smile. "I promise I won't do anything to hurt her, Kurai. You have my word." She says to him. Just as he is about to give his answer, he sees Kitana walking near the entrance of the medical clinic, confusing him.
Then he sees his mother walking up behind her, which begins to make him curious. He looks back at Jade with a worried expression, but she laughs lightly and pats his cheek softly. "Kurai, I just want to talk to her. That's all. I think it's been long overdue." She tells him with a smile causing him to nod before looking back at Tanya, who looks worried that he's going to be leaving the room.
"I'll be back, Tanya. Ok? I promise." He tells her truthfully before kissing her cheek tenderly, which causes her to nod before looking over at Jade.
Kurai gets up off the bed and walks over to Sindel and Kitana before they leave the clinic while Jade sits down on the bed beside Tanya. "Alright, Tanya, listen. All I want from you is for you to tell me everything that you told my mother and Kurai. Start from the beginning. What happened after we spent the day with Kurai and the royal family?" She says to Tanya, who sighs exasperatedly before eventually nodding her head.
"Alright... This is what happened." She says before finally explaining everything to Jade about what happened that fateful day in Edenia.
Moments Later, with Kurai, Kitana and Sindel...
Kurai walks into Kitana's previous Outworld room with Sindel and Kitana close behind him. He walks over to the bed and sits down with a groan before looking at his mother and sister with a cold glare, but it directed mainly at Kitana. "Alright, you two. What could possibly be so important that this couldn't wait until after I talked with Tanya? And, Kitana, I seem to recall telling you that we would talk... later." He says sharply, which causes Kitana to frown sadly at his tone.
Kurai continues to stare his sister down angrily before Sindel walks over to him and gently pats his shoulder before she sits down beside him on the bed. "I asked her to send me a message letting me know that you had woken up, dear. I understand you're angry with her, but don't blame her, blame me. Because there's something I need to talk about with you both. It's important." She explains calmly.
Kurai looks back and forth between the two before focusing solely on his mother. "How important?" He asks her curiously.
Sindel pauses for a moment then answers. "It concerns our bloodline, Kurai. Our ancestry." She says.
But Kurai remains confused as he shrugs nonchalantly. "What about it?" He again asks her curiously, not understanding what is so important about their bloodline. They come from a long line of Edenian royals. What is so important about it?
Sindel sighs before taking Kurai's hand into her own. "Kurai, have you ever heard of the legendary Phoenix Goddess, Yumina?" She asks him thoughtfully, which causes him to look at her with a confused expression before he answers.
He nods at her question. "Of course I have, mother. Every Edenian knows the legend of Yumina. She was once a Princess of Edenia who fought and defeated Onaga during a Mortal Kombat tournament held in Outworld. She fought him because he killed the King of Edenia in cold blood during a previous Mortal Kombat tournament." He begins to answer as both Sindel and Kitana listen.
As Kurai answers, Sindel slowly nods her head with a smile, proud that her son knows his history of Edenia as he continues. "After she defeated him and spared his life, she continued to show signs of true strength and virtue. So, the Elder Gods granted her true immortality and the title of the Phoenix Goddess, or the White Flame Goddess to others in the realms." He says to his mother, who smiles brightly that her son knows who Yumina is.
Sindel giggles lightly and nods her head. "Yes. Yes, that's exactly who Yumina is, dear." She says to him with a smile, but Kurai sighs with slight frustration.
"Mother, what's this about? Why are we talking about Yumina? I thought you said this is important." He says to her exasperatedly as she holds his hand tightly then pats his shoulder.
"Kurai, this is important. And the reason we're talking about Yumina is because... she is my ancestor." She admits, shocking Kurai as he looks over at Kitana, who nods.
He looks back over at his mother. "Your ancestor? So... does that mean that she's...?" He begins to ask, but pauses to let the question linger until Sindel nods, shocking him again.
"Yes, Kurai. She is my ancestor as well Kitana's... and yours." She answers, which makes Kurai adjust himself in the bed and sigh deeply.
Sindel continues. "But with each generation, our bloodline has received different gifts, or abilities. And each one has always been different over the years." She goes on to explain causing Kurai to look at her again with confusion.
"Explain." He states simply.
Sindel nods. "For example, my Phoenix Screech ability. Yumina had a similar ability to mine, and I received that ability from her due to my being her descendant." She begins then points at Kitana.
"Kitana has the ability to control the element of wind. However, she can only do that with the help of her fan weapons, but with the proper time and training, she'll be able to full control over the winds without her fans." She continues before she and Kurai look back at each other again.
"And me? What of me?" He asks curiously.
Sindel smiles and grasps him tenderly by the cheeks before kissing his forehead. "You, my dear son, should already know the answer to that question. What you have is an ability that has been exclusive only to Yumina herself... until now." She explains to him before he slowly pulls away from her grasp and looks down at his hands.
With a shuddering breath, he whispers. "The Phoenix Flames."
Sindel nods with an enthusiastic smile before that smile suddenly fades. "Which is why I'm also worried for the coming future, Kurai." She tells him with concern, which causes him to look over at her again.
"What do you mean, mother?" He asks her with worry as she and Kitana look at each other, both with extreme concern.
Sindel looks back over at Kurai and sighs deeply. "Kurai, it's time I that I tell you the other reason why I wanted to talk to you today. And I need you to listen very, VERY closely. Understand?" She says to him firmly causing him to nod as he listens to his mother carefully.
Sindel nods in return before releasing a trembling sigh and proceeds to explain to her son of the coming event that will eventually happen, she just doesn't know when.
Onaga's return and the prophecy of the Edenian that will bring about his downfall.