Mortal Kombat: Reborn

by Froster 23

This hard reboot retells the Mortal Kombat story, focusing on the events of the Original Timeline starting from the tournament and concluding at Armageddon. Featuring a vast cast, including characters from the games, other official media, and original characters, this is the most expansive MK story yet. Constructive feedback is always welcome, and I thank you for reading!

76. Freedom

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

Reiko's voice boomed throughout the Lung Hai Temple as his followers stared at him with horrified expressions. Skull and Raza, Reiko's best friends, stepped forth to attempt to explain what had happened to Mileena and Kitana who had been captured by the Kahn Guard and Reiko left momentarily under the assumption that there was no chance that the two sisters could possibly escape from his group of powerful soldiers.

"WELL?!" Reiko sought an answer from any of his allies. "Skull? Raza? What happened?!"

"Reiko," Skull addressed him, "they… vanished."

"Really now?!" Reiko sarcastically replied.

"Skull's right," Raza confirmed for his friend.

"HOW?!" Reiko asked, seeking a less unclear answer. "How did they just vanish?!"

"We don't know," Skull told him.

"Speak some sense!" Reiko demanded. "That is all I request!"

"Some sort of magic took them away," Raza assumed despite the unclarity of the event. "We were guarding them and making sure they didn't move… and then they just disappeared."

"Teleportation maybe?" Skull guessed as they considered possible explanations.

"That ability of teleportation means they can only teleport to their weapons," Reiko explained to the duo. "Emperor Shao Kahn offered such sorcery to my own gear long ago."

"Shao Kahn knows sorcery?" Talon asked with a surprised look on her face which was clear to the group as she was no longer hiding her true appearance.

"Specific aspects," Reiko confirmed. "These enchantments came from spells gifted by Shinnok and Quan Chi in our former alliance with the Netherrealm."

"Think we can strike an alliance with the Netherrealm again?" Skull suggested an idea.

"We can't trust them even if we could," Epos stated her opinion.

"We're getting off track," Reiko said to the group. "We must focus on Mileena and Kitana."

"What can we do about it?" Raza queried. "We know nothing of where they went or how."

"Then find out where they went!" Reiko ordered as he slammed Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer against the ground as shattered pieces of the stone tiled floor flew into the air upon impact. "Now!"

"You heard the man!" Raza yelled as their allies began to begin their search. Meanwhile, Skull slapped the helmet off of an idly standing soldier. "Is that Konga?"

"Who?!" Skull asked before turning to the large man that now stood maskless before them. "Oh! The meathead we gave a beating to all those years ago!"

"In Makeba," Raza recalled, "where we killed your brother."

"Fun times," Skull said as he slapped Konga even while wearing a steel gauntlet. "Follow Reiko's orders, moron!"

"Y-yes…" Konga reluctantly complied as he slowly shuffled along. "Sorry…"

"We'll scan this entire island," Raza promised Reiko.

"Good," Reiko replied. "I must find them…"

---

Mileena and Kitana suddenly awoke at the same time as they lay atop of luscious grass, being in the centre of a field beside a cliff edge leading down to a beautiful waterfall that extended from a stream surrounding the field. Mileena and Kitana helped each other stand up before properly gazing around.

"Where are we?" Mileena wondered. "What are these people doing here too?"

"I'm not sure," Kitana replied as they continued to look around. "Wait… mother?!"

"My daughters," Sindel greeted, "it is good to see you both. Welcome home."

"Home?" Mileena asked as Kitana's face resembled equal confusion.

"Welcome to Edenia." Sindel said with open arms as she revealed the grounds they now stood on.

"You restored it?!" Kitana asked her own question as Mileena gasped audibly.

"Not alone," Sindel said as she gestured for their close Edenian allies to join them. "We found the orb when investigating some shady sorcerers."

"Shadow Priests?" Mileena guessed.

"Close enough," Sindel replied as she didn't feel delving into those specifics was important considering the current circumstances they were in. "Anyway, they found the orb and myself, Jade, Tanya, Asgaarth, Bo' Rai Cho and even the Hail clan helped take it from them."

"That's great!" Mileena cheered while Kitana excitedly applauded. "So I take it that you smashed it like the Zaterran orb."

"Which is perfect timing considering the situation we were in," Kitana remarked with Mileena nodding in agreement.

"I crushed it in my own hands," Sindel confirmed to the two. "But we were hoping to await your return to send a proper announcement to the public so that the sudden transportation over to this realm wouldn't be such a shock."

"What changed?" Kitana questioned.

"It was like you said," Sindel recalled, "you were in quite a situation. I insisted the orb be shattered to assure your escape."

"Thank you!" Kitana said gratefully. "How did you know?"

"The Aviens were going to send the news to you," Sindel explained in detail, "they then saw you in danger and reported that news to myself."

"We'll be sure to thank them also," Kitana promised. "Right, sis?"

"Of course," Mileena confirmed as she had a warm smile on her face as she saw their close friends join the group. "Mother was just telling us how you all did a great deal to help make this happen!"

"As did you, Empress," Asgaarth told her as he spoke up first.

"Yeah!" Jade agreed. "Were it not for your leadership then we'd have never gotten the chance to have ever found that orb."

"You have me and my fellow clan members a chance at redemption," Alyssa took her turn to speak and praise their Empress.

"I'd have been a prisoner still were it not for you people," Tanya believed as she looked to Daahraan who was her beloved father figure, "and I'd have died in that prison were it not for you, Daahraan."

"You're too kind, petal," Daahraan complimented. "It has been quite some time since I've been here… waiting all that time was worth it."

"I'm proud of you, Daahraan," Sindel told him. "You've fought through it all."

"We all have," Daahraan replied.

"Indeed," Sindel agreed. "You both deserve my gratitude as well: Mileena and Kitana. You helped free me from that wicked mind control spell… and finally brought me back."

"And all three of you gave us a family!" Skarlet commented as she and Meat stepped forth and ran into Sindel's embrace.

"Of course, darlings!" Sindel said to her daughter as the family hugged. "You look beautifully dressed, Skarlet. I hope this restoration of Edenia hasn't interrupted anything!"

"Me and Nitara were going for dinner," Skarlet explained her excellent appearance as she had done her hair that was a mix of red and black in her always perfect pixie cut along with a black and red suit she owned. "She must be so confused right now."

"I will get a portal ready for anybody who needs to return," Sindel promised her. "How is my future daughter in law anyway?"

"She's good!" Skarlet said joyfully. "We're doing great together! The village is thriving and everythings just really good. Even better now that we have another realm freed!"

"I hadn't realised we were both Edenians of sorts," Meat commented with Skarlet feeling the same way. "Why is that?"

"You are a construct of multiple parts… likely parts of Edenians," Sindel explained as lightly as possible.

"Oh…" Meat replied as he felt awkward by the thought.

"Don't worry, son," Sindel comforted him. "As for you Skarlet, you are of course made up of the blood of many powerful warriors. It is unsurprising that you have Edenian blood within you."

"And We host many Edenian souls," added Ermac who's voice and speech pattern was immediately noticeable as they floated over to the group.

"That makes sense," Sindel reviewed. "Oh… I was meaning to ask this, Ermac."

"We would be happy to answer, Queen Sindel," Ermac offered their aid.

"Do I perhaps… know any of your souls?"

"We were meaning to wait until a time when We could figure out a way for only one of Us to communicate at a time before telling you," Ermac began to describe their experience, "but since you have asked, We will confirm that this is true."

"I see," Sindel replied as she processed this news. "Who may I know? Is it family?"

"Yes," Ermac revealed, "your husband is amongst Our collective."

"Jerrod!" Sindel gasped, now realising her husband had been by his side for the past two decades this entire time. "May I speak to him?"

"We aren't sure how to have only a single one of Us speak," Ermac clarified to Sindel once more. "We've been trying, however. That is why We did not inform you… We had no desire to make you knowingly wait for this."

"It's fine, Ermac," Sindel assured him as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Thank you for letting me know."

"Are you alright, mother?" Kitana asked her and her siblings hugged her again.

"I am," Sindel confirmed. "This is good news. Your father watches us all."

"We should begin to share an announcement to the people," Ermac suddenly advised as they looked around and saw many confused faces. "We should inform them of the situation."

"You're right," Sindel agreed and prepared herself to do Ermac's very suggestion. "Excuse me, everybody! I realise this is all incredibly sudden, but I'd like to personally welcome everybody who has been brought over here back to Edenia!"

The crowd cheered as their Queen began her speech, with the Aviens even chirping with joy. Sindel smiled, it had been too long since she had ever been able to truly address her people in a speech such as this.

"Before we begin here, I must state that if you have urgent matters wherever you come from then I'll work on making a portal for you right now," Sindel offered to the group as she felt such an option should be given first. "Of course I'll have a permanent travel system between this realm and Outworld later, so don't worry about missing anything. Please raise your hand if you need me to take you back."

Skarlet raised her hand, being the first amongst a small group of people who needed to leave. Sindel turned to her crimson haired daughter and began conducting her magic.

"To your village?" Sindel assumed.

"Yes," Skarlet confirmed. "Can you leave the portal open though?"

"Of course," she confirmed. "Why?"

"I want to come back here," Skarlet clarified, "I just want to talk to Nitara first. I'm sure you'll see us both soon."

"Sounds like a wonderful plan," Sindel praised as the portal was ready. "The portal is prepared."

I think I'll ask my fiancée and daughter to do the same," Jade considered.

"I'll do you next, Jade," Sindel offered. She then turned to address Skarlet and said, "I'll see you in a minute, dear."

"Bye!" Skarlet said as she headed on through the purple portal.

While Sindel handled any other portal requests, a group began gathering amongst the crowd. When a realm would demerge, all with the souls or blood native to that realm would be transported all nearby in a random area of the realm. Because of this, the group of Edenians and Aviens was huge. But what made the group even bigger were a crime syndicate with many old members having a few drops of godly Edenian within them, making them eligible to be transported to Edenia with its demerging. This organisation was of course the Red Dragon as with any of their members who were around when the clan were attempting to aid Shinnok in corrupting Earthrealm's Jinsei, Daegon had donated his blood to all to avoid the corruption from taking proper affect on them. This measure turned out to be unnecessary as Shinnok's plan went awry.

"Psst!" Mavado made quiet noises as he began gathering recognised members of the group. "Get over here, mi amigo."

"Sir?" Hsu Hao recognised his superior although it had been difficult due to him being without his iconic jacket equipped as he was holding it in his arm to conceal their clans logo that was on the back. "What happened?"

"I'm sure the Grandmaster will know," Mavado replied as he, Hsu and the other gathered members looked around for Daegon. "It seems he's a recognisable figure here though…"

"A Son of Argus lives!" someone amongst the crowd surrounding Daegon cheered with Daegon's tattoo making him impossible to not recognise despite his much older appearance.

"This day keeps getting better!" another yelled as they rushed to Sindel and her family to share the news. "Daegon is alive!"

"Daegon?!" Sindel was surprised by the news and looked over to see the Edenian Demi-God covered in scars but wearing a fine suit of armour paired with a cape attached to his spiked shoulder pads. "Somebody greet him… cautiously… our allies in Earthrealm have made some concerning reports about him."

"I understand," Mileena replied as she opted to approach the Demi-God. "Hello, sir!"

"Greetings," Daegon said with frustration in his voice. "Empress Mileena I take it?"

"That's me," Mileena confirmed and offered a handshake. "I think my mother said you're Daegon, right?"

"Personal space, peasants!" Daegon demanded as he pushed the crowd away from him. "What was your query, Empress?"

"Um… are you Daegon?" Mileena asked again, getting a bad impression from the Demi-God.

"That is my name," Daegon confirmed as he walked past Mileena and didn't even pay a notice to her former handshake as he headed over to speak to Sindel. "Queen Sindel."

"Daegon," Sindel acknowledged as she had finished creating the portals for her subjects. "How are you?"

"Just fine," Daegon replied. "And you?"

"I'm happy now," Sindel said with a warm smile on her face. "I have my home and my family back."

"A shame that I lack the latter," Daegon remarked.

"I'm sorry to hear," Sindel apologised. "I had assumed you were all… gone. But then I heard you were still alive but in Earthrealm."

"You heard I was in Earthrealm?" Daegon asked with concern, discreetly placing his hands on his Drakeswords with them being in a holster on each side of him.

"Your name was in relation to a crime syndicate over there," Sindel recalled what information had been relayed from her Earthrealm allies.

"Who said that?" Daegon further inquired. "Was it petty criminals of the Black Dragon clan? Or did they say they were from the White Dragon perhaps?"

"Yes actually," Sindel confirmed and was very surprised by Daegon's knowledge. "Wait, how did you know that?"

"I have been trying to stop all the Dragon clans from the shadows," Daegon constructed a believable fib, "it is unsurprising that some petty criminals would try and slander my name."

"Oh… I see," Sindel replied. She was unsure as to whether or not she should believe the Demi-God, the two had hardly interacted previously so she had no true idea what Daegon was like but chose not to react aggressively yet. "Can I help you, Daegon?"

"One portal to Earthrealm," Daegon ordered. "Please."

"I have some others to get through fir-" Sindel went to explain there was a queue but Daegon loudly snapped his fingers to get her to stop talking.

"I have important crime fighting matters to attend to, Queen Sindel!" Daegon announced to her. "My case is far more important than these mere subjects."

"You will have to wait," Sindel asserted as she wouldn't stand for rudeness from anybody.

"Fine," Daegon remarked with a sigh before a radio he had on hand alerted which he carried in order to make contact with his subleader Mavado when operating matters at their main base.

"Grandmaster Daegon," Mavado greeted. "Apologies for any interruptions."

"Speak, Mavado," Daegon permitted.

"We're amongst the crowd of people," Mavado clarified to Daegon firstly. "More importantly though is that those scanners you gave us are showing an unrecognised figure."

"Brother…" Daegon realised.

The device that many Red Dragon members carried had been injected with Daegon's blood and functioned with the purpose of tracking down Daegon's brother, as well as allowing for the Red Dragon members who had received some of Daegon's blood to be able to be tracked to allow for improved teamwork. It didn't especially surprise Daegon that his brother would be located on their native soil. He drew his personal scanner and searched for the newly detected lifeform that shared his very blood before looking around for him.

"He's here amongst this group, Mavado," Daegon informed him.

"Would you like us to-" Mavado went to offer to attack but Daegon realised this and quickly interrupted to avoid his cover being blown.

"Stay put!" Daegon demanded. "I will investigate this."

"Understood, Grandmaster," Mavado replied. "We shall wait for further signal."

"Excellent, Mavado," Daegon praised. "I will alert you when you should make your move."

"What was that about?" Sindel said as she continued to create portals with all her energy for her loyal subjects and had overheard Daegon's conversation as she did so.

"Is it not considered rude to eavesdrop?"

"Sorry," Sindel apologised. "I was just wondering who you were talking with."

"Err… my boyfriend," Daegon uttered the first lie he could think of. "Oh I didn't mean boyfriend! I meant… well… he's just an ally of mine. We work together!"

"Good for you with whatever it is," Sindel replied as she returned to her task.

"I must check on someone," Daegon told her. "I expect my portal to be ready once I return."

Daegon followed his device to what had to be a relative of him. His scanner soon aligned with one ninja garbed in purple amongst an entire clan of them. He stood to one side, away from his fellow clan members. The man also stood out from the rest of his group due to his attire having some blue accents to distinguish him as the leader. Daegon was puzzled as this certainly was not the brother he sought… but his half brother.

"Rain…" Daegon said to himself. He had few memories of his younger brother but still knew much about him. "This has been long overdue."

Daegon went to approach Rain but his apprentice named Alyssa came over to him first, wearing matching attires to his master, approaching as she wished to check up on Rain due to his distant behaviour.

"What's wrong, master?" Alyssa asked him.

"Don't worry about me, Ally," Rain advised her.

"Edenia is free!" Alyssa cheered. "Why aren't you celebrating with the others?"

"You can celebrate," Rain permitted. "I personally just don't feel l have no right to celebrate something I helped bring down."

"Oh…" Alyssa realised what her master meant. "I understand. Is that it?"

"That and some other… unpleasant memories," Rain informed her as he examined past the ravine that was shrouded by fog but Rain was able to see the other side where there was another field… one that were the grounds of a battle. Corpses were still littered across the grounds due to the merger occurring shortly after Shao Kahn seized control of the realm.

"What's that?" Alyssa squinted as she also tried to see through the fog, gasping when she realised. "Oh no…"

"I'm sorry," Rain apologised. "I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"It's fine, master," Alyssa assured him. "It is fine."

Rain looked past Alyssa and saw Daegon staring at him. Rain himself didn't recognise the fellow Demi-God but had certainly picked up on the fact that he was examining him.

"Excuse me, Ally," Rain said as he approached Daegon cautiously. "Hello?"

"Greetings, brother," Daegon replied ominously with Rain being confused by being referred to as a sibling. "We have much to discuss."

"Apparently so," Rain replied. "What do you mean by calling me 'brother' exactly?"

"I mean what the word is defined as," Daegon clarified in confirmation that he genuinely was referring to Rain as a brother. "Brother: a man in relation to other sons of their parents."

"I didn't need the actual definition," Rain replied, "I'm not stupid."

"That's good to know," Daegon replied as he picked up on that there was a bizarre tension between the two for whatever reason with Daegon concluding it was likely just due to the equally odd encounter. "So anyway… we are brother's, Rain."

"You know my name too?!" Rain was shocked by how much Daegon seemed to know.

Daegon nodded before introducing himself by saying, "I am Daegon. We clearly have much to discuss, Rain, so please come with me."

"Right now?"

"Yes," Daegon confirmed, which showed to Rain that he was very serious.

"Come where?!" Rain was still completely confused about this entire situation and wasn't even sure if he should believe it. He had been raised a single child and had heard nothing about any siblings until this stranger approached him.

"My base in Earthrealm," Daegon began explaining, "I have some things there that I must show you so we can't talk here."

"What 'things'?"

"How many questions must you ask?!"

"Well this is all rather sudden!" Rain yelled as the two were becoming equally frustrated with Daegon just wanting Rain to come with him. "Answer my question… and I'll come if it is a valid response."

"Your true heritage, Rain," Daegon clarified to him. "If you come with me I can reveal the entire truth to you!"

"I am the son of a Hydromancer and a General," Rain replied.

"But only fifty percent of that is true biologically," Daegon revealed to him.

"I'm listening…" Rain responded with curiosity.

"You will listen to me once I take you to my evidence," Daegon told him. "Now… shall we get going?"

"Master!" Alyssa called for as she had overheard the conversation. "Stay with us!"

"We're leaving for something far more important than whatever tour your Queen wants to put you all on, girl," Daegon told her condescendingly.

"Yeah I do not like you at all," Alyssa outright confessed.

"Charmed," Daegon remarked as he waited. "Come along, brother."

"Stay here, master," Alyssa requested.

"It'll be fine, Ally," Rain tried to reassure her. "Daegon here claims to be my brother and that there is something about my family that I'm unaware of. There's no way he'd just randomly make this up and choose for me to be his target."

"Of course," Daegon agreed, "that would be nonsensical of me."

"I suppose…" Alyssa considered.

"Don't worry, Ally," Rain told her. "I'll be back soon."

"Okay…" Alyssa replied with concern in her voice but knew she had to let Rain go. "Stay safe, master."

"I will," Rain promised her. "Let's go, 'brother'."

Daegon nodded and led him over to Sindel who was finishing up on creating the portals for her subjects. Daegon tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. There was no longer a queue of people waiting to access the portal system. Sindel sighed and began working her magic once more as per Daegon's request.

"Where to?" she asked the Demi-God.

"Anywhere in Earthrealm," Daegon requested as he knew so long as he was in the native realm of his clan that he'd soon have easy access to a base, and he didn't dare expose the location of one to the Edenian Queen.

"You're coming with him, Rain?" Sindel was surprised to see the hydromancer standing beside Daegon.

"We're related apparently," Rain explained to her. "He has something to show me about my true heritage."

"Ah…" Sindel replied as she finished creating the portal. "Well go ahead. The portal is complete."

"Thank you very much, Queen Sindel," Daegon expressed his gratitude with a sly smirk as he grabbed his communicator to speak to his subordinate. "Mavado?"

"Yes, Grandmaster?" Mavado asked as he responded through the radio.

"I found a friend who has made me a portal home," Daegon described to him, "I'm sure you'd like to be ready to… y'know…"

"Ah!" Mavado watched Daegon look at him and give a subtle nod towards the portal, indicating his order. "Understood, Grandmaster."

"Excellent," Daegon said as he put his communicator away and turned to Rain. "Now then, brother, let us leave…"

As Daegon finished his sentence, his Red Dragon allies suddenly burst from the crowd as they sprinted to the portal. Mavado led the large group while Hsu Hao fired rapid beams from his cybernetic heart at any warriors who attempted to apprehend the group. They soon managed to dive through the portal that Sindel had made per Daegon's request.

"Those were the warriors who aided Shinnok at the Sky Temple!" Sindel recognised their faces. "We must capture them!"

"Don't bother, Queen Sindel!" Daegon told her.

"Why?!"

"Because me and my good brother will capture them ourselves!" Daegon offered boldly as he in truth hoped to avoid pursuit of his allies.

"We will?" Rain sounded uncertain.

"Of course!" Daegon confirmed. "Do not follow us, Queen Sindel, I assure you we will be perfectly fine!"

"Are you sure?" Sindel asked.

"Absolutely!" Daegon confirmed as he was already ushering Rain towards the portal. "We've got this!"

"I was asking Rain if he's sure," Sindel clarified.

"Don't worry, Queen Sindel," Rain instructed with similar words he told his pupil. "Enjoy yourselves. Don't let these thugs distract you from this monumental moment!"

"Thank you, Rain," Sindel said gratefully. "Good luck to you both!"

"Farewell," Daegon said as he nudged Rain through the portal before quickly jumping through himself where they ended up in Earthrealm.

The two emerged from the portal and found themselves in a random part of a jungle. As Daegon had requested, Sindel had made a portal to a completely randomised location within Earthrealm. Even better for Daegon though, was that he recognised this particular jungle.

"Agh," Rain grunted as he stood up after Daegon shoved him through the portal. "Was that really necessary?"

"An accident," Daegon lied plainly.

"Where are we anyway?"

"The Botan Jungle," Daegon answered as he saw a familiar bridge up ahead past some of the trees they found themselves amongst.

"Grandmaster," Mavado greeted as he and the countless other Red Dragon members suddenly emerged from behind and atop of the trees that varied in shape and size both. "We've already made contact with our allies in this area. They've already prepared our own portal system back to Charred Mountain."

"Perfect," Daegon praised as Rain gave an odd look at him as he was conversing with the known criminals. "I'm sorry, brother. I promise that I'll still explain all of this later…"

"Explain now!" Rain demanded.

"I can't," Daegon refused before turning to his workers. "My good allies, render my brother unconscious for me please."

"Already on it!" Asuka eagerly complied as she suddenly dropped from a thick tree branch and jumped on top of Rain before throwing some punches at him.

"Get off me!" Rain demanded as he pushed Asuka back into a tree trunk using a beam of water to knock her away. He then stood up only for Hsu Hao to immediately clap both of his hands on each side of his skull which knocked him out cold in an instant.

"It has been done," Hsu Hao confirmed as Rain's unconscious body collapsed to the ground.

"Somebody carry my brother," Daegon made further orders, this time eyeing some of the lower ranking grunts amongst the large group.

"So this is your brother?" Asuka asked with Daegon giving her a single nod of confirmation. "Can we finally stop this Botan Jungle operation then? You've been paying literally about a hundred folks to stand around in case Taven shows up.

"And I can afford a hundred more," Daegon stated with his clan being around its peak of success as of late. "Besides, this isn't Taven. This is my half brother."

"Oh right, the other one," Asuka recalled Daegon having mentioned, although Rain was of significantly less importance to the Grandmaster than Taven. "You wouldn't happen to have a sister too, would you?"

"No," Daegon denied. "Later we need to have a discussion about your… inappropriate workplace conduct."

"Look, we're still getting our work done!" Asuka defended herself. "I don't see the problem!"

"As I said, this will be discussed later," Daegon repeated. "We don't need any more remarks now."

"Fine, I get it," Asuka complied. "Well what now?"

"We take the portals back to Charred Mountain," Daegon decided for the group. "Then we must discuss the incident with your castle, Mavado."

"Well we survived without a single casualty, Grandmaster," Mavado reported.

"Do you believe it is a safe base to return to now?" Hsu Hao inquired. "All of us suddenly vanishing as we were transported over to the Realm of Edenia may have given the Special Forces the misconception that we escaped using our own technology."

"He makes a good point," Mavado approved of Hsu's theory. "However, those maldito soldiers will probably further investigate my castle even after our escape."

"What data do you hold in your base, Mavado?" Daegon asked, concerned of what the Special Forces may learn.

"None anymore," he answered truthfully. "I made sure to completely wipe the database when I saw those pendejos brought Gods with them… of course all the data is backed up in my other forts."

"That's good," Daegon assessed.

"Thank you, Grandmaster," Mavado said gratefully. "And most physical stuff I had a rookie send back to Charred Mountain through a portal. We were supposed to join them but then that whole thing happened… and don't worry, the portal would've lost its active status by the time the SF checked on it. It'll be just another portal for them."

"How many fucking bases does Mavado get?!" Asuka spoke with a hint of jealousy. "Me and Hsu don't even get a single one!"

"We need fortified bases in charge of strong leaders," Mavado explained to her. "Who knows what freaky mierda would go down if you owned a base."

"A lot actually," Asuka told her as she crossed her arms. "What about Hsu anyway?"

"Ah yes," Mavado spoke as if he had just remembered something. "I have a gift for you, old friend."

"Really?" Hsu Hao was surprised by the news. "Thank you, sir."

"Okay you can whip your baby dick out for him in your own time," Asuka began to irritate Mavado as revenge for Mavado's own efforts.

"It's his own fortress I'll have you know!" Mavado clarified with his cheeks blushing ever so slightly. "Once you start to show some degree of responsibility then maybe you can get one too!"

"I must agree with my superior," Hsu Hao expressed his own opinion on the matter, "your behaviour is frequently inappropriate and serves as a distraction… such as right now."

"Alright I get it, yes-man, you can stop with your analysis now," Asuka remarked as she rolled her eyes. "I say this with all due respect of course!"

"You have grown far too comfortable amongst us," Mavado believed such to be the cause for Asuka's frustrating antics. "Grandmaster, this is precisely why I suggested that we don't allow former Black Dragon scum to pollute our otherwise perfect organisation."

"It is certainly a valid take, Mavado," Daegon partially agreed. "However, Asuka does help us learn more of our rivals."

"Yeah!" Asuka cheered. "Thanks for the support, Grandmaster!"

"Will you be quiet now?" Daegon asked her.

"Almost," Asuka assured him. "I still have a bone to pick with Mavado and-"

"BE QUIET!" Daegon demanded as he struck Asuka in the face with a merciless punch. "Let us finally move forth. Mavado, please recount the events at your castle on our way there…"

Mavado was busy preparing to fortify his castle, one of many, which had been attempted to be concealed by being constructed within a mountain in an undisclosed desert in the United States of America. Unfortunately, the Earthrealm Special Forces had recently begun setting up a campsite within the same albeit large desert by pure chance as the organisation was searching for another new base, their main goal as of late. Mavado had been keeping a close eye on this castle due to such reasoning as he felt it was inevitable that they'd finally discover this castle, one of many of the Red Dragon's bases would finally be uncovered and the inevitable had at last come.

"What did I say, Hsu?" Mavado asked as his subordinate glared through a pair of binoculars from the top of their mountain. "I knew they'd somehow spot our activity here."

"It's not just the Special Forces," Hsu Hao informed him, "they've brought Gods with them."

"What?!" Mavado took the binoculars and made his own examination. "There's General Blade and Major Briggs… oh and the Thunder God, his stupid brother, and Shinnok's sister… great."

"We can always make a quick retreat," Hsu assured him. "Assuming our new cloaking technology works."

"They sure are desperate to try and stop us," Mavado remarked.

"Well since Shinnok's defeat we have become Earthrealm's biggest threat," Hsu Hao realised which likely explained such reinforcements just to investigate a mountain.

"Not out fault our tech outclasses there's," Mavado said as he put the binoculars away. "We aren't retreating… might as well at least kill the SF's main leaders."

"What about the Gods?"

"I can distract them," Mavado promised him, "all three of them. You and the others can feel free to invite the SF into our home once I finish packing up everything."

"Understood, sir," Hsu Hao said with a nod. "Shall we begin with phase one first though?"

"Most certainly," Mavado confirmed as the two prepared for the incoming enemies.

Meanwhile, the group of many experienced Special Forces members were led by Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs as they had the additional aid of Raiden, Fujin and even Cetrion. The former two had informed their White Lotus allies that they'd be busy aiding the now Earthrealm Special Forces, who were in the process of creating bases all over the globe. They were attempting to begin a Desert Command base but halted construction after a nearby revelation was made.

"Finally we can take the fight back to the Red Dragon," Sonya said with relief in her tone of voice.

"This has been a long time coming," Jax agreed.

"Cassie and Jacqui did seem a bit upset about being turned down from this…" Sonya recalled as she felt a bit bad for the two young soldiers.

"They have the potential to be the greatest ever amongst the Special Forces," Jax praised them highly. "But we don't know how dangerous this could be… couldn't dare let inexperienced troops walk into this one at all."

"Yeah," Sonya agreed with her best friend. She then turned to their extra support and asked, "are you Gods ready?"

"Always," Raiden assured the soldiers. "Isn't that so, brother?"

"We'll make sure these Red Dragon members are brought to justice," Fujin promised before tapping Cetrion on the shoulder. "Sorry, Cetrion, I was just meaning to ask how your sons are doing."

"I checked up on them last week and they seem well," Cetrion told Fujin. "I appreciate your concern for them."

"We are good friends," Fujin told her. "A shame their duties are focused on protecting your brother's Amulet… a task I know all too well about."

"It is unlikely that another breach in the Temple of Elements will occur," Cetrion detailed realistically, "but my sons will always be prepared just in case."

"Would be of no surprise that Shinnok still has a fragment of his followers left in the Netherrealm," Raiden predicted as he recalled how the same incident had occurred with Shao Kahn. "We will destroy any signs of threat, however, including the Red Dragon."

"We're standing before their base right now," Jax realised as the group stopped before the sandy mountain.

"Get ready," Sonya instructed her soldiers. She grabbed her walkie talkie and then spoke to the other side, "Gemini? This is General Blade."

"I can hear you loud and clear, General," Gemini assured her through the communicator. "What do you need?"

"Are the medic team prepared?" Sonya asked Gemini who was inside a truck with fellow medics being led by Vera who was now married to Jax after nearly two decades together.

"We're ready, Sonya!" Vera spoke through the radio herself. "We'll see you soon!"

"Goodbye, Vera and Gem," Sonya said her farewells. "General Blade out."

"Shall we head in?" Fujin asked, the Gods still being respectful enough to identify the Special Forces as the leaders of such an operation.

"Try and get in!" Mavado yelled as he used his grapple hooks to abseil down the mountain, the castle being raised by their technology from being inside the mountain to atop of it.

"We have to climb up the mountain!" Sonya commanded as the entire castle had been impressively raised.

"No need," Raiden said as he went to attempt his teleport spell but Mavado charged over and boldly sliced his swords down Raiden's back.

"Brother!" Fujin yelled as he drew his own blade and lunged at Mavado, only for the skilled swordsman to parry the blow and stab Fujin with a lunge of his own.

"I'll fly up!" Cetrion decided as she began ascending, reaching the top of the castle walls only for Hsu Hao to show himself as he watched on from on the wall, clapping his hands together with enough force that it blasted a gust of wind in the dry air which knocked Cetrion down and into the sand many feet down below.

The Special Forces continued their climb while the Red Dragon prepared to confront them in combat. Meanwhile, Mavado had gathered the attention of both Raiden and Fujin as Cetrion recovered from Hsu Hao countering her attempt to break into the castle. Mavado used his grapple hooks to quickly evade any attacks from the two Gods while also running away from his own castle, acting as a diversion as he had promised to Hsu Hao.

"Just try to stop me!" Mavado continued taunting while he laughed as he elegantly evaded the incoming elements of thunder and wind.

"You dare challenge the Gods of Thunder and Wind!" Raiden told him as if it was a warning. "Final opportunity to surrender now before you truly incur our wrath."

"Sorry, amigo, I'm an atheist," Mavado continued to anger the Thunder God.

"Yet your clan allegedly obeys a Demi-God," Fujin pointed out.

"Allegedly," Mavado repeated. "I am unsurprised to hear some nonsense rumours be spouted from some nonsensicle, incompetent, so called protectors."

"That's enough!" Raiden snapped and suddenly flew forth as he struck both his fists out and struck Mavado as he began flying him towards the desert mountain. Raiden wanted to smash Mavado into the rocks, but the clever criminal shot his hooks back so they clung to the rocks and pushed him back faster than Raiden could fly before sticking a spiked metal boot up as Raiden flew face first into it.

"Kiss my boot, estúpido," Mavado insulted as he remained confident in confronting the Gods and so far he had been outplaying them both.

Fujin shot an arrow from his crossbow which Mavado couldn't see as Raiden was in front of him. The Thunder God suddenly teleported over to his brother as the arrow passed through and impaled him in the chest. Mavado grunted as he quickly took the arrow out as Raiden and Fujin ran at him. Mavado quickly shot his hooks which sunk into the top of the mountain before using them to begin climbing up with ease.

Fujin and Raiden flew up the relatively small mountain with even greater ease than Mavado and were soon near having a hold of him once more. Mavado quickly latched a hook to the ground before pulling himself away, sliding across the sand as he did so which blew dust in the faces of the two Gods. The dust blinded them for a brief moment but that was enough time for Mavado to jump through a secret hatch into his own castle.

"Sir?!" Hsu Hao called for Mavado as he and their fellow Red Dragon members were in the middle of keeping the incoming Special Forces back. "Are the Gods dealt with?!"

"I wish I could say yes," Mavado replied as he looked up to see Raiden and Fujin looking down as they hovered above the castle with Cetrion soon joining them. "Close the roof!"

With a push of a button on a controller, a reinforced steel dome covered the top of the castle which gave the Red Dragon some extra time to prepare themselves further. Explosions could be heard at the door that was stronger than the finest of vaults with the Special Forces attempting to blow it open. Mavado ran over to his operation station, quickly checking that he had successfully committed a data wipe on the software installed on the devices in the base before shoving the hardware into a storage box, attempting to retain as much of their resources as possible while his allies continued to protect his castle. Mavado then somewhat carefully slid the supplies down a stairway which led to a portal system that only the Red Dragon knew how to operate.

"Somebody bring those boxes to Charred Mountain through the portal," Mavado ordered with one of the members complying. "We should still try to reduce the numbers of our Special Forces enemies before departing from here."

"Any ideas how, sir?" Hsu Hao asked him.

"Here's one idea!" Mavado yelled as he pressed another button on his controller which pushed the outer layer of the metal castle's walls outwards which smashed into many Special Forces and propelled them over the mountain.

Emerging from the gaps left by the now pushed outward walls were fired automatically triggered by the release of the wall covering the flamethrowers. Anybody who tried to touch the outer castle walls would be severely burnt. The remaining issue for the Red Dragon was the reinforced ceiling as dents began to show from Cetrion bashing her way inside through summoning boulders and throwing them down at the roof at a violent speed.

"They sure are relentless bastards huh?" Mavado remarked as he noticed them slowly breaking in. "Perhaps we should begin our retreat now."

"You heard the man!" Hsu Hao helped command the other Red Dragon members in the castle, helping them with Hsu ushering them to the small downstairs portal room.

"Just wait for me," Mavado instructed. "This'll only take a second…"

Mavado shut the door his allies were in, knowing that he himself had another secret hatch to get downstairs so being locked outside didn't concern him. He then opened the doors to the castle where the Special Forces soon stormed in with Sonya and Jax themselves entering.

"Surrender now!" Sonya ordered.

'"I'd listen to her," Jax advised as the group of soldiers looked around. " Where's Hsu Hao?"

"I caught a glimpse of him here from afar," Sonya reported with audible sadness in her voice. Hsu Hao's betrayal of the Special Forces still stung Sonya and Jax greatly. "Where are any other Red Dragons for that matter?"

"Figure it out," Mavado quipped.

"Tell us now!" Jax ordered as he got his metallic grip around Mavado's jacket as he pulled him into his grasp. "Where are your allies?!"

Mavado simply chuckled as he equipped a gas mask. Jax's face changed from a serious look to a concerned one as Mavado then pressed a button on his remote. Jax quickly snatched the remote from Mavado and crushed it in his hands but suddenly began to feel weak, releasing Mavado as he collapsed to his knees. Soon the rest of the Special Forces felt a similar way as toxic gas began engulfing the main room.

Just then, the Gods broke through the ceiling with Fujin blowing a wall down to help the gas blow away while Cetrion and Raiden quickly transported them a short distance away where there was no gas. Fujin and Cetrion remained while the dazed soldiers were recovering whereas Raiden quickly flew back to the now greatly damaged advanced castle and shocked Mavado with a furious lightning bolt.

"Enough of your misdeeds, foul criminal!" Raiden said as he shocked Mavado again.

"Fuck!" Mavado grunted as he was shocked for a third time, falling on all fours before an angered Raiden. "Fair play, Raiden. What will you do now?"

"Interrogate you until you tell us everything about your clan," Raiden began to detail to him, "then we'll imprison you for life as a consequence of your crimes."

"My fellow Red Dragon won't let that happen," Mavado warned him.

"Then I guess I'll just eliminate you for good!" Raiden suddenly snapped and charged his lightning with the intentions of killing Mavado, much to the previously arrogant crime syndicate subleader's surprise. Before Raiden could unleash his fury though, Mavado suddenly disappeared…

"That was the closest I've been to death in a minute," Mavado remarked as he concluded his story while the group crossed a long bridge within the Botan Jungle leading to their nearby base. "Any questions?"

"You pissed off the Thunder God that much?!" Asuka said as she laughed at the thought.

"It was wild I know," Mavado replied. "But that's what happened."

"You managed to protect everybody and all our technology," Daegon assessed Mavado's telling of events. "I am impressed as always, Mavado."

"Overall that encounter will have no effect on either side," Mavado believed. "They know one of our now abandoned bases is good for them… I'll just rebuild in another desert."

"Took them twenty years just to find that," Asuka also found amusement in that. "We're leagues ahead of everybody else."

"Yet thanks to Hsu we know all of their bases," Mavado pointed out.

"I was just doing my job," Hsu Hao commented. "I do indeed see the irony in this situation though."

"Hah! Even Hsu's amused!" Asuka laughed.

"How long does it take for your constructors to build new bases?" Daegon asked Mavado, surprised by how efficient Mavado's personal employees were.

"As fast as humanly possible, it just depends on the size," Mavado answered his superior. "We just made a fort in the Netherrealm which took only a handful of months."

"Good luck to the SF on finding that one!" Asuka joked.

"Wait… you commissioned a base in the Netherrealm itself?" Daegon was surprised as he had not been informed of this nor had he even expressed a desire for such a thing. "Any business with the Netherrealm I thought we agreed would be brief visits through our portal system. There's no point anyway with Shinnok's defeat…"

"Please allow me to explain, Grandmaster," Mavado requested.

"Of course," Daegon permitted. "I trust you, I just find this decision to be… puzzling."

"I may have taken on this project without proper consent," Mavado admitted. "I made it because… well it's called Fort Mal so you probably know…"

"Oh…" Daegon's tone suddenly became softer as he immediately understood. "My apologies, Mavado."

"Thank you for understanding, Grandmaster," Mavado said with genuine gratitude.

"Wait, who's Mal?!" Asuka was still clueless as to what was going on.

"Permission to throw her off this bridge, Grandmaster?" Mavado requested.

"Permission denied," Daegon replied.

"What did I do?!" Asuka continued to ask questions.

"Can you ex Black Dragon rats have a single fucking care in the world?!" Mavado snapped at Asuka once more. "Because just maybe he was one of your clan's victims!"

"I don't keep track of the names..." Asuka replied, "but I sure as shit didn't kill any Red Dragons! It wasn't my job!"

"That punk Jarek can't say the same," Mavado remarked with pure rage in his tone. "Mal fought for us. He fought for family."

"By family you mean this clan?" Asuka assumed.

"Yes," Mavado confirmed while wiping tears away. "We're family. Right, Grandmaster?"

"Of course," Daegon confirmed much to Asuka's surprise. "You're the family I want and need. I cannot say the same for my biological family… although perhaps we can still make a Red Dragon out of Rain here."

"I always felt this way about you guys," Asuka suddenly admitted, now serious once more. "I was just surprised to hear it come from you two."

"How surprised would you be if I said the same?" Hsu Hao spoke up as he continued to walk behind the group, as loyal as ever.

"I mean you are kind of Mavado's bitch," Asuka pointed out. "I'd expect nothing less."

"I still never find that statement insulting," Hsu Hao told her.

"Seriously though… thanks, everyone," Asuka said. "I needed this. Sorry that I'm always such a handful anyways."

"Agh… sorry for punching you," Daegon apologised, a rarity from him.

"Holy shit, Grandmaster, you're being so wholesome!" Asuka yelled her joy which echoed throughout the jungle for many of the other Red Dragons nearby and following to hear.

"Look, th-this doesn't change anything!" Daegon instructed her as he tried to keep his intimidating persona up, clearly embarrassed deep down. "Anyway… are you alright, Mavado?"

"Yeah…" he said with uncertainty in his voice. "I just… I just miss him…"

"We all do," Daegon told him. "Know that I fully approve of Fort Mal… do you think it will manage to bring him back?"

"I assume he's in the Netherrealm," Mavado admitted, as painful as it was to say. "But I'm sure that place would be just like Heaven for a guy like him. But yes… I hope if our presence exists in the Netherrealm then he will find us and we'll find him."

"I'm sure your plan will work," Daegon remained hopeful for Mavado. "How is the Netherrealm nowadays?"

"The new Queen's amendments have made it genuinely feel like a civilisation," Mavado described to Daegon. "I'm sure Mal is a part of such a civilization."

"I'm sure too," Daegon replied. "Perhaps I'll visit soon. But first, let's go home…"

---

Jade returned to Sun Do thanks to Sindel's portal. She had been on her way to visit her fiancée and daughter before being transported to the now free Edenia. Jade was beaming with happiness as she walked down to the docks of the village, assuming she'd see her family not too far away on their boat after recalling Li Mei saying that she was going to take their daughter fishing before Jade had left to retrieve the Edenian orb.

She sat down at the end of the dock, patiently waiting for her family to finish their finishing journey. Currently they were facing away from the dock, looking out into the sea as they sought for fish. Jade smiled as she watched the two continue to bond together.

"You caught another, Topaz!" Li Mei cheered for her daughter who smiled as he held a beautiful Flopper in her hands. It was a fish exclusively native to Outworld, round with bulging eyes and a funny face but complimenting that was the beautiful colours on the fish. Floppers were a fish species that came in all kinds of colours while maintaining a similar shape. The one that Topaz had caught had a white underbelly and purple fins, with the rest of their skin being a bright green.

"Green and purple…" Topaz noted, "my favourite colour combination!"

"You don't have to tell me," Li Mei replied as she ruffled Topaz's hair that was dyed half green and half purple, of course symbolising the primary colours represented by her parents.

Topaz's attire also often reflected her favourite colours. Her typical armour was a darkish orange, the most common colour for topaz in the realm of Outworld. A mix of purple and green. Li Mei and Jade both saw it as the perfect name. She was wearing regular casual wear currently though as there was no reason to take her prized armour with her on a fishing trip. The armour back at her home was primarily that orange topaz colour, which was complemented by purple coloured patterns as well as a beautiful green cape that she wore purely due to her love for such an accessory.

"I think this lil guy can come home with us to my fish tank," Topaz considered as she carefully and gently cradled the creature.

"If you want to then go ahead," Li permitted. "You're the one who takes care of them anyway."

"They're beautiful creatures," Topaz said as she took a spare box for storing fish and leant over the boat to place it in the water before pulling it out and placing the newly caught Flopper inside the temporary tank. "A shame we all need to eat…"

"Fishing is our most efficient method of supplying food I'm afraid," Li Mei told her as she knew Topaz cared greatly about the sea creatures. "Besides… until plantlife has fully returned we can't really go vegetarian anyway."

"I'm glad Outworld is getting some life back," Topaz commented in reference to how since Shao Kahn's death the Outworld Jinsei was beginning to refill. This meant that nature was finally returning in the parts of Outworld that weren't just areas brought over from the evil mergers years ago.

"Absolutely," Li agreed with her daughter. "Want to try and catch one more before we head on back?"

"Sure!" Topaz said as she enthusiastically casted her fishing rod after placing some bait prepared by Li herself.

"I remember when I was teaching you to fish," Li Mei recalled as she watched her daughter proudly. "Do you?"

"That was a while ago now," Topaz said as she thought back. "But yes, I remember. I also recall that back then was when I hadn't realised I was a woman… heh."

"Are you ready to start, son?" Li Mei asked a five year old Topaz, long before she had discovered her true gender identity and transitioned.

"I… I'm not… not really sure," Topaz replied as they were nervous to try, already having a fear of the sea they were in the middle of. "I don't even know a thing about fishing!"

"Well that's why we're here, silly!" Li Mei told her as she handed Topaz a smaller fishing rod for beginning children. "Don't worry, sweetie, you'll do great."

"Okay…" Topaz replied as she reluctantly accepted the fishing rod. "So what do I do?"

"Well firstly, you'll need to put some bait on your hook," Li Mei said as she grabbed a bag she brought with them and opened it to hand Topaz a small chunk of cheese.

"Cheese?" Topaz found the choice odd as she took the food and hooked it on the fishing rod.

"The smellier the better," Li Mei told her. "Have you properly hooked it on?"

"I think so?" Topaz was unsure and showed her mother who gave her a nod of confirmation that it was right.

"Perfect," Li Mei praised. "Just like you."

"Thanks, mom!" Topaz said as she beamed with happiness from the compliment as it boosted her confidence and made her feel like she could do this. "What's next?"

"Now, to cast your line," Li Mei continued her teachings, "swing the rod back over your shoulder and then bring it forth in a smooth motion."

"Like this?" Topaz asked as she struggled to figure out the right motion to perform.

"Use your wrist," Li Mei instructed while giving a physical demonstration with her own fishing rod, "not your elbow."

"Ah!" Topaz said as she refigured how she was going to cast from Li's additional advice alone before then actually casting it out into the sea. "How was that?"

"That was great!" Li complimented her daughter. "Just like that!"

"And now?" Topaz wondered on the next step as she was properly getting invested into fishing just from simply figuring out how to properly cast her new fishing rod.

"All we do now is wait, sweetie," Li Mei told her. "We must wait for a fish to take the bait."

"How will I know if I've got a bite?" Topaz asked as the two looked ahead as they had their rods casted out into the large sea, playing the waiting game.

"Good question," Li Mei replied to her. "Basically, if you feel the very tip of your fishing rod just… I'm not sure of the word… twitching, y'know?"

"If I feel a lil bit of movement?" Topaz continued to ask relevant questions, wanting to make sure she was trying her very hardest.

"Exactly that," she confirmed. "So, if you feel that, then make sure not to yank your fishing rod just yet."

"Why?"

"That just means a fish is only nibbling," Li clarified to Topaz who was listening to her advice intently. "Meanwhile, if you feel a hard tug, then that must mean a fish is going for the bait. If you feel that tug then make sure to yank hard to hook the fish."

"Got it… I think," Topaz commented as she made a mental note of all the given information. She looked over to her mother and noticed that tug she had mentioned on Li's own rod. "I think you've got a bite, mom!"

"I think you're right!" Li Mei said as she yanked her rod to hook the fish. "Now let's reel them in!"

Topaz observed as her mother began trying to pull the fish in. She turned over to the sea and noticed the fish lurking underwater was struggling with the fishing line as it moved side to side which was made evident by seeing the ripples in the water which tracked the fish's movement. Topaz immediately found excitement in what she was witnessing and cheered her mother on.

"Do you see them fighting there, Topaz?" Li Mei asked her with Topaz nodding. "That's when you have to be careful reeling them in or else you'll break the line."

"How?"

"When the fish is struggling, move your rod from side to side to help control them," Li Mei detailed to her as she herself did with the fish on her hook. "Look here. It seems like they're taking a rest now, probably worn themself out. Now I'm going to try reeling them in nice and steady!"

A few moments later, the fish Li Mei had hooked was reeled in, emerging from the water and into Li Mei's gentle grasp. She held the fish carefully, keeping away from its large mouth with shark teeth that were triangular in shape. Topaz cheered as she saw her mother get her first catch of the day, only to watch her throw the fish back into the sea.

"Why did you do that?!" Topaz asked as she thought her mother had just wasted a perfectly good fish.

"That was a Trapper," Li Mei told her. "Sharp and big mouths like our friendly Tarkatans, makes it easy for them to catch whatever they want. Make sure your fingers aren't one of the things they catch, Topaz."

"Eek!" Topaz was scared by the small fish. "I'll try not to!"

"Don't worry," Li Mei reassured her, "they aren't too aggressive."

"If you say so," Topaz said. "So… why did you throw them away?"

"It was almost as small as you!" Li Mei joked as the two shared a kind chuckle. "It is best that we let the smaller fish go, they aren't enough to supply for a meal. Trappers are usually much bigger than that so it must've been a young one… we should let them grow up a bit."

"Okay," she noted. "Hey! Mom! I can feel one!"

"Yank it!" Li Mei instructed with her following the command. "Good job, darling! Now reel the fish in!"

Fortunately for Topaz, the fish barely struggled and it made it easy for her to reel her in as she tried her hardest to do so successfully. Soon enough, the fish Topaz had caught rose from the water as she reeled it towards herself. Li Mei applauded her as she saw Topaz with the happiest smile on her little face which warmed Li's heart. Since becoming a mother with her beloved Jade, Li Mei had absolutely no regrets whatsoever.

"Actually, I think I remember everything about that day," Topaz realised as she reminisced on the good memory. "You said you were proud of me."

"And I'm a million times prouder of you now," Li Mei told her now grown up daughter.

"I know," Topaz spoke to her with a smile, "you tell me that all the time."

"Then why did it stand out to you when I said it on that day?"

"I guess because it's my earlier memory of you saying it," Topaz explained as her fishing rod was suddenly tugged. "Got another bite!"

Li Mei watched on proudly as Topaz easily caught the fish and reeled them in like an expert. Li believed that her daughter had surpassed her in fishing, seeing how she did the task as superb. Li Mei applauded as Topaz presented the near four foot long fish that she had easily managed to pull in.

"A SnapPurr!" Li Mei recognised the fish. "I think your first fish was one of these, right?"

"It was," Topaz remembered. "A much smaller SnapPurr than this of course."

The SnapPurr was another bizarre fish species in Outworld's seas. It was like a hybrid of a snapper and a catfish from Earthrealm. The fish had several fins, a nice bright red skin and an adorable catlike face just with an additional set of eyes.

"Great catch as always," Li Mei praised Topaz who put the SnapPurr away. Li turned as she prepared to take the boat back to the docks of the village. "Topaz! Look who it is!"

"Mum!" Topaz realised as Jade waved to them while Li Mei sailed towards her. "Hi!"

"Hello, Topaz!" Jade greeted as Topaz leapt off the boat and into Jade's arms. "That was a good fish you caught there!"

"She's amazing at fishing," Li Mei complimented as she climbed down the boat with Jade offering a hand to help. "Thank you, my love."

"How have you both been?" Jade asked her loving family.

"Good!" Topaz said cheerfully. "Our fishing spot was good today. Lots of fish for the villagers!"

"And another one for your room," Li Mei reminded her as she carefully passed Topaz the container holding the young Flopper.

"Let me look," Jade requested with Topaz presenting the new pet fish. "They're almost as beautiful as you and your mother."

"Aw!" Li Mei reacted before quickly kissing Jade on the cheek. "I love you!"

"I haven't seen you two not be wholesome in forever," Topaz remarked. "Not complaining though."

"What will you name your new pet?" Jade asked her.

"I'm not sure," Topaz answered. "All my other fish are named after gems… this guy's appearance doesn't really suit such a name."

"Topaz two?" Jade suggested with Topaz laughing at the suggestion.

"Something else I think," Topaz replied.

"Alright," Jade understood. "Oh! I have a surprise for the pair of you. Why don't you both take your fishing stuff home and I'll meet you back here?"

"Ooh, exciting!" Li Mei reacted happily. "Let's go, Topaz. We'll see you outside, my love…"

---

Simultaneously as Jade, Skarlet emerged from the portal her mother had made for her. She found herself within her village with it being a quiet and peaceful night. The village was made to house the various beings created in the wicked Flesh Pits that had since been destroyed. Skarlet usually examined her now fully built village, always taking in pride for being part of such a grand community, but she knew she wished to reunite with Nitara quickly. Skarlet soon rushed to her home where she saw Nitara looking around outside, trying to figure out where her beloved had gone.

"Skarlet?!" Nitara's head poked up as she sensed her, soon seeing her girlfriend. "Thank goodness!"

"I'm okay!" Skarlet assured her as Nitara ran into her arms as the two embraced.

"Where'd you go?" Nitara asked, no annoyance in her voice but simple curiosity.

"Do you remember how when the realm of Zaterra was freed the Saurians were automatically transported back to their homerealm?" Skarlet asked Nitara the specific question with her giving a puzzled look but nodding as she did indeed recall such a thing. "Well… Edenia has been freed too!"

"That's great!" Nitara beamed. "Wait… you count as Edenian?"

"I'm a mix of blood," Skarlet reminded her, "so I guess I register as a few things."

"A cutie for one," Nitara complemented with Skarlet blushing.

"Thanks, love," Skarlet said as the two smiled at each other. "Anyway… there's a portal just around the corner that my mother made. Care to take our date to Edenia?"

"And have dinner with your family?" Nitara said as she tugged at the collar of her fancy shirt and crimson red bow tie out of nerves from the thought alone.

"Maybe," Skarlet answered with uncertainty as to how their time in Edenia would go. "All I can promise is a fun time."

"Then I'll come with," Nitara decided. "Hey, should we ask Krimson if she wants to come too?"

"Yes!" Skarlet replied. "A great suggestion. Is she still at home?"

"Let's find out," Nitara said as she held Skarlet's hand and led them to the porch of their home where she reached into her blazer pocket to retrieve the key to the front door. "We're back again, Krimson!"

"Already?!" she shouted from within her room.

"Apparently so!" Nitara answered. "Come down! We have something to tell you!"

Krimson rushed down the stairway and into the living area that Skarlet and Nitara had walked to. The room was decorated in a traditional gothic housing style that was used in Vaeternus, although unlike Earthrealm's own gothic style, the Vampires had a decoration style that wasn't foreboding or unnerving in modern times. The walls, tall and heavily patterned with so much space, were covered with family photos which the group had taken inspiration from Li Mei's home over in Sun Do. Krimson leant against the top of the large fireplace in the room, used to hold flower pots with all sorts of plants from the Black Pine Forest and wherever else possible in Outworld.

"Is everything alright, moms?" Krimson asked her two parents while brushing the red cloth that she wrapped around her head much like Nitara who grinned at the resemblance to how often that happened to the cloth when she wore it before giving it to her beloved daughter.

"Everything is great actually," Skarlet assured her. "Edenia has been restored!"

"Woah!" Krimson was stunned by the news. "That's great!"

"Yeah!" Nitara agreed.

"Do you want to see it?" Skarlet asked her.

"You mean right now?" Krimson said and she received a nodding response from Skarlet in confirmation. "I mean… why not?"

"Great!" Nitara commented as she ruffled Krimson's long ginger hair while she headed over to the door.

"Don't be nervous, Krimson," Skarlet could tell her daughter was anxious by the sudden news and the trip she was now going on. "Everybody in Edenia is lovely! And it looks lovely as the tales as of late have claimed!"

"I'm sure it's nice," Krimson replied. "Seeing anything new is always a surprise though."

"I know how you feel," Skarlet related. "There was a time where I wasn't even allowed to see the realms at all!"

"And it was hard for me to adapt to this realm after Vaeternus was conquered," Nitara commented as the family headed outside the home. "At least this lovely place reminds me of my house I shared with my brother back in the main city there… at least some Vaeternus homes remained for the architecture to be studied."

"The house is lovely, yes," Krimson agreed. "I guess all three of us have had to adapt drastically at least one point in our lives."

"Of course," Skarlet agreed. "And we're all stronger because of it. Edenia will be a lovely visit, Krimson, I promise."

"Alright, mother," Krimson said with her trust placed in her parents.

"Then let's get going," Nitara decided as she gestured for her significant other to lead the way, enjoying watching her walk as she followed close behind with Krimson at her side while they headed to Edenia together for the first time…

They emerged from the portal back to Edenia around the same time as Jade, Li Mei and Topaz. They soon gathered with the rest of the group that were still listening to Queen Sindel speak to them.

"Ah!" Sindel noticed the approaching allies. "Welcome back, Jade and Skarlet! and welcome to the rest of you!"

"Hello, Queen Sindel!" Li Mei kindly greeted as Topaz waved, Nitara gave her a nod of respect and Krimson gave an awkward curtsy in the presence of the Edenian royal.

"We were just discussing our current plan of action," Sindel explained to the newcomers who respectfully listened to her declaration to the hundreds in the group that surrounded her. "I highly suggest you all explore nearby. We are very close to the Grand Palace… I fear it will be heavily damaged as a result of Shao Kahn's invasion. But please use it as a meeting point until proper arrangements have been made! That is all, you fine people. You are dismissed."

"I believe we should begin rebuilding as soon as possible," Asgaarth recommended.

"I can't ask such a demand of them now…" Sindel replied quietly as she watched many of her innocent subjects leave to venture the realm. "This should be a time for celebration. Not to have to clean up and fix the horrifying past…"

"Somebody will have to, Your Highness," Asgaarth told her as he placed a hand on his own chest. "Myself and my fellow Avien warriors will be capable of helping repair the destruction left from that invasion."

"Thank you, Asgaarth," Sindel said gratefully. "I really appreciate it."

"Of course, Your Highness," Asgaarth said with a bow. "My fellow Aviens! If you can then please aid me in flying throughout the realm and safely retrieving the bodies of those who fell while trying to protect our great realm! If not… then I understand… it is indeed a tough task."

Asgaarth's followers who stood before him all respectfully complied, despite how saddening it would be to do, they knew it would have to be done and that as Avien warriors they knew the realm better than any with their ability of flight. Asgaarth waved to the others before taking to the beautiful clear skies, with his allies soon following as they travelled as a flock.

"Where shall we go, mother?" Kitana asked.

"The Palace," Sindel decided.

"But I thought you said it was almost destroyed?" Mileena now questioned.

"There's a more private one," she clarified to the group. "It was actually meant to be for you when you grew old enough for your own home, Kitana."

"I don't even remember what the Grand Palace itself looked like," Kitana told her as she tried to remember anything from her original time in Edenia. "I don't remember anything."

"Because you were a mere baby," Sindel reminded her again. "It was too early for you to have been able to start processing stuff."

"I suppose it's better that I don't remember actually," Kitana realised as she looked around. "Besides, it will be nice to explore this realm."

"Yeah," Mileena agreed. "Albeit this is my first time here altogether of course."

"Come along now," Sindel instructed as she was prepared to get moving. "Anybody else may accompany us. Oh! Li Mei, I can do that thing you requested."

"Huh?" Jade was confused.

"What was that about?" Topaz wondered.

"You'll see," Li Mei promised her family. "Let us leave, Queen Sindel."

"Of course," Sindel finally began moving with those still listening to her following. "Anybody else may join us! I grant you all permission to travel anywhere throughout this great realm!"

"Do you care to go visit this palace, Tanya?" Daahraan asked her as she paused while the others began moving their own direction, some with Sindel and others on their way to venture to the realm of Edenia.

"There's somewhere I want to check on first," Tanya told him as she looked off into the distance while rubbing as she fidgeted with her hands. Daahraan knew immediately that Tanya's body language was a clear sign that she was stressed for some reason.

"What is wrong, petal?" he asked her softly.

"I want to go home," Tanya revealed.

"Home?" Daahraan was surprised by the news. "Back to Outworld? We can always just go over to Queen Sindel and request a portal to-"

"I don't mean our home at Mileena's Fortress," Tanya clarified, "I mean my home here. Where I lived with my parents."

"I see…" Daahraan said as he placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "I remember the way home. I lived in Echulm: the village nearest to the Grand Palace."

"We're nearby then," Daahraan concluded.

"That's why I want to visit there," Tanya clarified. "Follow me."

Daahraan complied and followed Tanya over to the nearest pathway marked in the ground, leading to the village named Echulm. The walk there was calm and quiet, peaceful as Edenia had once been. They walked past many beautiful sights of nature such as beds of flowers, towering trees in the nearby forests and a beautiful lake that was once used for fishing which Topaz and Li Mei would certainly enjoy.

They soon made it to the village itself. Echulm houses were mostly in perfect rows across diagonal paths that expanded from an ancient structure of some sort made of indestructible materials. It was soon used to be implemented into the design of Echulm. Between the expanding pathways were more nature as trees crowded behind the beautiful houses, some with gardens made by the owner.

The houses themselves on the rows were all supposed to be more or less identical as they all followed the same design. A stone slope led up to each front door which were made of the fine wood from the non sentient Edenian trees. The doors had windows atop of them, along with the sides of the compact home for both the ground floor and upstairs. Surrounding each house were soil filled brick containers used to hold soil for the growth of primarily bushes to decorate the exterior of each home.

Unfortunately, the effects of the invasion could be seen on the houses. Most were intact but heavily damaged from Kahn Guard soldiers who had been instructed to break into every home while Shao Kahn approached the Grand Palace. Tanya began walking slower as she glanced around at the reminders of the tragedy that had occurred, but she kept moving to the end of one pathway where she soon stopped at the house she sought.

"This is it," Tanya stated as the end of the street presented the even more fancier and larger homes. Tanya reached for the door handle where she noticed a massive dent in the door and realised it had come from the Kahn Guard using a ram to breach through locked doors. After taking a moment to process, Tanya then reached out to the door again.

"Are you sure you want to do this, petal?" Daahraan asked as he carefully took her hand before she could open the door.

"I'm not," she admitted as she was always fully honest with Daahraan. "But I still feel like I have to do this…"

"You don't have to see whatever happened in here again," Daahraan offered. "I can… deal with what's inside."

"I want to see them," Tanya explained.

"Not this way though," Daahraan believed with Tanya shaking her head.

"Either I get to see my parents again… or I don't and that'll mean they survived," Tanya shared her thought process as she kept some hope that before being taken away from her parents that they may have survived the merger.

"If you really feel like you have to… then okay," Daahraan accepted Tanya's decision as he understood why she wanted to do this. "I'll be right with you."

"Thank you," Tanya said as she slowly put her hand on the door handle and opened the door into her childhood home.

Tanya walked into the home and memories immediately began flooding her as she stepped into the doorway before then walking over and peering inside her living room. It was just how she remembered it: comfortable and cosy. The Kahn Guard must have ignored the room. Tanya knew a room they didn't ignore though…

She glanced at her stairs, the smoothed wood having chips on several of the edges of the steps which Tanya recalled having come from her struggling while being dragged away. She began shaking, but Daahraan placed his instantly comforting hand on her shoulder once more and she took a deep breath before slowly climbing the stairs.

Tanya then went down to a door leading to her old bedroom. The door had been kicked wide open, and blood stains were visible on the carpet in the room. Tanya closed her eyes as she stepped inside, before cautiously opening them and gasping. The sight she witnessed was still shocking to her even though this is why she had come home. She saw her father for the first time in well over ten thousand years… but as a corpse.

Tanya fell to her knees and began punching the carpet while sobbing, with Daahraan quickly rushing over to comfort her as she tried to avoid deeply recalling the incident that had happened at her home in a flashback. She turned to her father's body, and hugged him. It was like his body was still fresh from being murdered, a sign that he had been lost from existence after the merger. Tanya then slowly picked him up, wanting to find a proper burial place for him.

"I can hold him," Daahraan offered with Tanya carefully placing her father into her father figure's hands.

"Thanks," Tanya said gratefully as she wiped her tears away. "I miss him… I miss this place… I miss mom."

"Where is she?" Daahraan asked as the two glanced around the room that represented Tanya's good childhood and how Shao Kahn had stripped that away from her.

"I don't know…" Tanya replied as she tried to think of her last memory of her.

"I don't know!" Tanya's father yelled to the soldiers wearing skull masks who had just violently blasted through their front door. "I don't know why you're here!"

"You're a knight of the King and Queen," one soldier pointed out. "Our spies watched you retreat from the battlefield after our victory became clear."

"You have the wrong person!" he claimed only to be punched. He suddenly drew a knife and tried to stab the intruding soldiers but he was outnumbered and quickly disarmed. "Leave us alone!"

"Us?" a soldier repeated.

"There's more here," another soldier concluded as they punched the father down and grabbed him. "Search the house!"

"No!" the father yelled as he struggled to no avail.

The search soon led upstairs where they burst into the room of a young child. Her mother was hugging her tightly as they watched the beaten man be thrown to the floor, coughing blood on the previously white carpet. Tanya screamed as her mother continued to try and comfort her but it was pointless.

"A child," a soldier noted. "The Emperor has ordered we take the young with us. Youths are impressionable… they'll build the empire for years to come."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Tanya's mother yelled as she pushed the young Tanya behind her. "Stay away from us!"

"Sorry," one soldier insincerely apologised. "We just follow orders."

"That's one of Edenia's ambassadors," a soldier pointed out. "Get her."

"I won't spare any of you!" she warned as she flew in with a punch amplified by Pyromancy which completely shattered the mask of one soldier. Another grabbed her but was elbowed in the nose and threw into the wall. Then a spear was thrusted into her left heel, immediately preventing her from fighting. "Agh!"

"That wasn't very polite of you, ambassador!" the hurt soldier commented while she was held down.

"Tanya!" her mother called for. "Run! We love you!"

"I can't…" Tanya said as she froze in place in the corner of her room, clutching onto a cuddly toy.

The soldiers surrounded Tanya as she was cornered. One grabbed Tanya by the arm and Tanya tried to break free but due to her size and the soldier's armour her desperate efforts were useless.

"Ilja!" Tanya's mother shouted for her husband. "They're trying to take Tanya!"

Despite being injured, this gave Tanya's father named Ilja enough energy despite being assaulted to spring to his feet and charge a soldier into the wardrobe before slamming it onto them. While doing so, another soldier came in and stabbed their spear into his head, his brains splattering across the walls that were previously purely white with pink and yellow flower patterns on them. Tanya couldn't even speak, she just squealed with fear as she saw the traumatic sight while her mother was trying to stand, only to collapse to the floor.

"You monsters!" Tanya's mother screamed as she began to feel helpless as she watched, unable to stand after being stabbed in the heel. "How could you?!"

"Shut her up!" a soldier demanded as another quickly stomped on her head with Tanya suddenly sprinting out the room while they were occupied with her mother. "And catch her!"

Tanya went to sprint down the stairs but was grabbed by a single hand before she could even climb down the first step. Tanya was thrown into the wall before her leg was grabbed and the soldier carelessly dragged her down the stairs by the leg. The last she heard of her mother were screams while she was taken away…

"I never actually saw what happened to her…" Tanya realised as her hope continued to burn. "My father though…"

"I'm sorry," Daahraan apologised. "You never should've had to deal with this. Nobody should. Especially at your age."

"Thanks for everything, Daahraan," Tanya said as they respectfully carried Tanya's father's body out of the room. "You filled the void of a parental figure for me."

"It was what you needed," Daahraan said to her. "I think I needed someone too after being in those Cobalt Mines for so long."

"I'm glad all of that is over," Tanya said but looked down at her father's corpse. "I wish this never happened in the first place…"

"We all do," Daahraan replied as the two continued their way downstairs. "But don't worry, I'll always be here."

Just as Daahraan's sentence finished, the broken door swung open and a woman entered. She leant on a withered walking stick as she limped inside the home. Hearing the stairs creak, she spun her head around and flicked her dark hair aside, revealing her russet brown skin and most notably to Tanya: clear white eyes with a yellowish flame like tint.

"Mother…" Tanya recognised her. "You're alive!"

"Tanya?!" she replied, tears immediately forming that burnt down the yellow in her eyes.

Daahraan took Tanya's father from her as they reached the bottom of the stairs so that the reunited family could properly reunite with an embrace. For a long minute the two held each other, not wanting to let go. Tanya had both of her arms wrapped tightly around her mother while she had her right arm around her as she had to hold onto her cane with her left hand in order to keep her balance.

"I missed you so much!" Tanya cried out as the two were still hugging. "Where have you been this whole time?!"

"I'm so sorry, Tanya," she apologised to her daughter. "They didn't kill me… as an ambassador to Edenia the Emperor tried to force me to spread positive messages about him to our fellow Edenians."

"That bastard is dead now, mother," Tanya assured her. "We made sure of it."

"I've missed a lot," she realised with such a revelation being news to her despite it occurring nearly two decades ago. "I hadn't known Outworld was alright. I had tried to serve Shao Kahn for a brief time… just to hopefully find you. But a few years passed and some Edenian friends of mine had found a way of making a portal away from Outworld. We went to Earthrealm. That's where I've been."

"I wish I could've gone…" Tanya remarked.

"Now, where were you?" she asked her daughter with equal curiosity as Tanya.

"In the Cobalt Mines…" Tanya revealed. "It's a place in the Golden Desert. Shao Kahn set it up after he realised he had too many Edenians on his hands…. so he enslaved the likes of me."

"I'm so sorry, Tanya," she apologised again as her arm wrapped around her grew tighter which just showed how much she loved Tanya and that she grew angry just from the thought of her being enslaved. "I served that monster for years… and not once did he ever tell me that my daughter was being forced to do child labour!"

"It's alright now, mother," Tanya assured her. "We're all free now… and I met this man here."

"Ambassador Inferno," Daahraan greeted as Tanya gestured to him. "It is good to see you."

"You can just call me Nyah, friend," she told him.

"Alright then, Nyah," Daahraan addressed her by her forename. "I am Daahraan."

"Daahraan helped me when I was in the Cobalt Mines," Tanya explained to Nyah. "He has helped me ever since… he's similar to father…"

"Poor Ilja," Nyah said as she took her husband's corpse from Daahraan's arms and hugged him. "I'm so sorry for what they did to you, my love."

"I miss him," Tanya commented from behind. "I missed you as well… but now at least you're back."

"And I'll never leave you again," Nyah promised. "And don't worry about your father. I'm sure he is happy in the Heavens… and maybe this wasn't so bad. He escaped the thousands of years of suffering that we had to endure. We'll all reunite eventually."

"That's a nice way of looking at it," Tanya said as she thought about Nyah's point. "I'm glad I came back here."

"You made the right call," Daahraan praised her, "despite my hesitation."

"Thanks for looking out for her, Daahraan," Nyah expressed her gratitude. "You've been there for my petal when I was not."

"You're welcome, Nyah," Daahraan replied. "Also… I call her petal too."

"Because she is beautiful like one," Nyah complimented with a smile. "Also I too decided to head over here straight away. It was worth it."

"I'm glad we took our time," Tanya glanced at her injured leg. "Are you alright, mother?"

"I was crippled in my left leg after those Kahn Guard soldiers attacked this very home," Shall we leave here?"

"Certainly," Tanya agreed as Daahraan gave a nod after hearing Tanya's decision. "Let's go…"

As Tanya, Nyah and Daahraan headed off to find a good spot to bury Ilja: in a cemetery being developed by Asgaarth and his fellow Avien warriors to pay homage to all who were lost to Shao Kahn and his conquest. Meanwhile, Queen Sindel and those accompanying her were reaching her hidden palace.

"How much further, mother?" Mileena wondered.

"Just through this forest," Sindel explained as the pathway the group were travelling on led into a large forest. The group soon began to recognise such a place, even those who were too young to remember Edenia or were visiting the realm for the very first time.

"The Living Forest?!" Mileena exclaimed as she gasped at the sight of the Living Trees with faces that instead of being distressed… were seemingly happy. The Trees smiled warmly as the Living Forest lost its terrifying factor and was instead a beautiful sight of nature that was truly alive.

"We prefer the name of the Jolly Forest," Sindel clarified as the Trees began to sing a harmony which was complemented by the joyful chirps of the Aviens that flew by. "The merger with Outworld brought this place back… but the Trees were upset. They knew all was not right with their homerealm."

"I never knew," Mileena said as she glanced around to see the much happier trees. "Sorry that it took us so long to get your home back, guys!"

"It is quite alright, Empress," one Living Tree suddenly spoke with a deep voice.

"Oh!" Mileena was startled by the sudden loud voice. "Hi! Which one of you said that?"

"Me," a tall Living Tree, had their long branch that hung over the group slowly fell down and brushed Mileena's head, indicating their location. "I am Willow."

The Living Tree named Willow was as their name suggested, a part of the species of Tree that their name was shared with. Willow blew air out from within his trunk, blowing the leaves that covered his eyes aside. Willow smiled at the group. What seemed to be a substance like sap oozed out the tree, except unlike sap it was glowing a bright mix of yellow and orange.

"What is that intriguing essence within you, Willow?" Sindel asked curiously.

"I apologise, Queen Sindel, but I am not sure that I have permission to tell even you," Willow responded ominously.

"From who's order?"

"Argus himself," Willow clarified with Sindel gasping. "It is quite important that no attention is drawn to my existence. But if you're curious as to how I can speak… then know that such essence improves my communication abilities."

"I see," Sindel understood. "Well, Willow, I appreciate however you're contributing to our realm."

"You're quite welcome, Queen Sindel," Willow replied as the group began to continue their journey. "Enjoy your travels."

The group departed from the Jolly Forest, reaching the end which revealed the hidden palace that Queen Sindel owned. It was much smaller than the Grand Palace, but still made of the same finest materials. The main structure was surrounded by additional walls for protection, and before the merger there were always two guards at the entrance at all times. Sindel guided her followers into the spacious courtyard. They patiently waited as Sindel burst open the grand double doors leading to the perfectly decorated interior, starting off with an open space with platforms filled with fancy decorations such as large vases filled with various flowers and armour stands with finely crafted protection dressed on them. Also surrounding the room were stained glass windows, with weapon frames beside them.

"There is something I'd like to do firstly," Sindel declared as she took a knighting sword. "Please kneel, Jade and Topaz."

Jade kneeled as Topaz gasped in shock before repeating what her mother had done. Topaz watched as Sindel laid the side of the sword on both of Jade's shoulders and then repeated with Topaz herself.

"As Queen of Edenia, I proudly grant both of you knighthoods," Sindel announced to the mother and daughter. "For Jade, your knighting was long overdue and it is about time you received official knight status for your years of good service."

"Well done, Jade!" Kitana cheered as the ground applauded.

"She's the best isn't she?" Li Mei asked Kitana as they stood side by side.

"Certainly up there," Kitana agreed as the clapping died down as Sindel approached Topaz.

"And as for Topaz," Sindel continued her speech, "you have already presented great resiliency to be where you are now. You are going to be a great hand that helps the future of Edenia and all allying realms, Topaz. You may both stand."

"Thank you, Sindel," Topaz said gratefully as a smile came over her face.

"That was quite amazing," Krimson complimented as she spoke to Topaz. "You deserve it, buddy."

"Thanks, Krimson," Topaz said as she hugged her best friend with Krimson blushing in surprise at the sudden embrace.

"You ar-are w-welcome," Krimson replied as she hugged back.

"There's just one last thing I'd like to do, everyone!" Sindel announced as she opened the nearby doors into a throne room at the centre of the palace. "Please enter."

The group entered the large room, walking up the regal looking purple rug that led to the throne itself. The throne was colourful and far prettier than the imposing thrones the likes of Shao Kahn had. Sindel stopped before the throne, then turned around and placed a hand on Kitana's shoulder. Sindel then stepped to one side and gestured to the throne.

"I made this throne just for you," Sindel revealed to her. "Please sit, Kitana."

"But you said this place would be for the Queen until the Grand Palace was rebuilt," Kitana recalled Sindel's own words when they journeyed over to this palace.

"I know," Sindel replied. "I spoke the truth, Queen Kitana."

Kitana's jaw dropped as she was speechless as to what she had just heard herself be addressed by. It then became clear to Kitana what was happening… She was being promoted to the ruler of Edenia.

"Please sit," Sindel requested again with Kitana slowly complying, shaking with shock and excitement as she did so. "After observing the work you have done for your sister, I can tell that you've grown to be better in a position of power than even I."

"Thank you, mother," Kitana said as she cried tears of joy. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Sindel confirmed as the group began cheering and chanting her name. "We shall make an announcement to everybody else later… but for now, let us celebrate…"