Kung Lao

"Stop, Kung Lao! I'm not your enemy!" No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop fighting the girl. I had no control over my body as my inner demon that Quan Chi brought out mocked her and kept fighting. Surprisingly, the girl fights back, despite the injury on her shoulder bleeding freely. However, the mark on the fighter's forehead began to glow a bright blue before she hits my chest that was revealed by the armor Quan Chi equipped me with. But soon, I felt the pain that came from the blow as my restraints suddenly broke free. I felt stronger, as if I can now have control over myself. Before the demon could attack, I ordered my body to stop. That's when the demon starts to shake and breathe heavily as he drops the hat and clutches himself.

"W-What did you d-do to me?!" the demon shrieks before my body collapses. I felt the impact from the fall as I fight my demon for control. Finally, I gained the upper hand and possess full control.

"Your demise has arrived!" I declared at the demon. "Back to the depths of hell with you!" The demon screams in agony before he disappears completely. But then I started to feel the pain it felt as my body turns back the way it was before I was killed by Shao Khan. I internally chuckle before I let myself pass out. I'm going to have to thank her when I wake up. . . .

"I don't know, Misteria," I start to hear the girl's voice. "I might have to wait until he's well enough to travel. But what I did to restore him. . . . I had no idea I could do something like that."

"We got to go, Hanzo's spotted Skarlet's goons," another voice says, as if it was coming from a communicating device. "We'll call you when we lose them again."

"Okay, keep in touch," the girl says before a small noise was heard. I try to move to find myself covered by a blanket with another rolled up and under my head to act like a pillow. I also realized that I wasn't wearing the chest armor or the metallic bracers. I then open my eyes to conclude that we were still in the cave that the demon took refuge in to keep away from Reiko. But the girl had made a small camp, a fire crackling as the smoke rolls up to the hole that the fighter fell from.

"You're awake," I turn my head to see the girl kneeling beside me. "Good thing too. How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but I can manage," I answer smoothly without my voice sounding like it was echoed from before. I try to move, only to flinch from the pain that I felt from my chest.

"Here, let me help you sit up," the girl places a hand behind me as I struggle to get into a sitting position. But with her help, I managed to sit up straight.

"My name's Gina, by the way," the girl introduces herself. "I was sent by Fujin to rescue some other fighters from the Krypt."

"So that's how you know my name," I say in reply before Gina takes another blanket and drapes it over my shoulders. That's when I notice that my torso was wrapped in bandages.

"You had some fresh injuries that weren't from me when I took the armor off," Gina explains before sitting down next to me with two bowls of ramen. She hands one of them to me with a pair of chopsticks. The bowl felt warm in my hands when I take hold of it.

"Thank you," I nodded before I struggle with the chopsticks. But Gina comes to the rescue as she helps my hand remember how to hold the eating utensils.

Gina

"I take it Quan Chi made you enough that you didn't have to eat?" I ask Lao as he practices using the chopsticks for a while. However, I couldn't help but watch the fighter's expressions. Of course I've pictures of him when he was at the tournament. But when I think about it, he actually looks good without his hat, plus with his hair short instead of being long enough to put it in a braid that would go down his back.

"Quan Chi did enhance the spell so we didn't have certain weaknesses," Lao starts to talk, bringing me back into reality. "Eating was indeed one of them. We can be exhausted, but only for a small amount of time. Quan Chi also extended to how much we could stand physical pain." But after taking a small bite of his meal, he instantly digs in. I don't blame him, though. I would sure be starving if I was a Revenant for two decades.

"That explains the amount of injuries I had to take care of," I concluded before sighing. "Lao, I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea how I managed to bring you back as a human being. All I was thinking about was stopping you from fighting me."

"It wasn't exactly me that was fighting you," the former Shaolin says, now looking somewhat sad when he paused from eating. "I would've stopped when you declared not to being an enemy. But I thank you for whatever you did to free me from Quan Chi's spell."

"You're welcome, Lao," I smiled before we both go back to eating. But deep down, I thought about how Jin and the others are doing. I just hope that they can find Raiden soon. Because now, I'm willing to help Misteria out by getting the Thunder God back on the right track. And if this power that I used to purify Lao can help me with Raiden, that would be absolutely perfect. I just hope Lao and I can make it back to the others.

???? (Third Person Perspective)

"What incredible power," a feminine figure purrs while watching the pair from a blue orb. "Then again, Edenians are always gifted with amazing abilities. Isn't that right, my dear Rain?"

"Of course, my Lady," the son of Argus steps out the shadows to join the mysterious woman that sat in a black throne chair. "But for her to restore Quan Chi's Revenants like that. . . Gina Everhart could be an absolute threat to your plans of power."

"There was no need for Kung Lao," the woman rises from the throne to walk closer to the orb. "And neither would there be a need for Kenshi Takahashi. Which is why I did not reprimand Baraka for letting him escape, for that swordsman is useless without the weapon Sento. Skarlet has made quite the call to hunt Gina. However, we still need Raiden. For we need the force of the Elemental Trio in order for me to achieve power even greater than my father. Besides, my magic is stronger than Quan Chi's."

"My Lady, we have recaptured the Shaolin," a serpentine voice speaks as a body is thrown to the floor. The woman releases her spell on the orb to turn and see the former Earthrealm Champion. His royal Netherrealm armor was stripped, so everyone could see the glowing veins that covered the fighter's back and chest, along with multiple cuts and bruises. His headband was lost during his struggle for his freedom, so his raven black hair covered his crimson eyes.

"It seems that he doesn't know when to give up when it's useless to escape in a condition like that," the pale creature dressed in forest green ninja clothes says as her white eyes follow Liu Kang's movements as the Netherrealm emperor struggles to rise from the ground.

"Indeed, it seems, my devious Khameleon," the woman says while nodding to a guard. The man walks to roughly pick the Shaolin back to his feet before returning to his stand. Liu Kang couldn't fight back, for he had enough strength to put his hands on his knees in order to keep from falling when he stood.

"Who are you? Just who are you?" Liu Kang could only think and say, as it was the second time that he had seen the mysterious woman in person. He now knows her name, but the fighter has yet to figure out her orgin of existence.

"You haven't figured it out yet? Poor, pitiful you," the woman smiles evilly. "Then allow me to give you an obvious hint: Who do you know that has the power to do this?" With an upward swipe of her hand, a skeletal hand appears from the ground and forcefully wraps its fingers around Liu Kang, making the fighter shout in pain.

"Now that you know who brought my existence into this world, I have a proposition for you since I'm feeling generous," the woman allows the hand to loosen its grip without releasing the Revenant emperor. "I'll return your inner dragon to you under the circumstances that you bring Gina Everhart to me. I'll even let you go back to your empress if you can bring Scorpion in as your replacement. And don't forget, I have eyes and ears in the Netherrealm as I have in Outworld. So think of the consequences before you decide." But it didn't take long to Liu Kang to decide, for inside the fighter would never forgive himself should Kitana be hurt, or worse, for he vowed to never let anyone harm his Edenian love again when Quan Chi brought him back to life. Whatever it took to see her again, the sorceress's offer is a risk he must take.

"I'll. . . search for. . . Everhart. . . and Scorpion," were the warrior's last words before he passes out from the pain. The sorceress smiles before signaling a couple of guards to catch the Netherrealm Emperor when the skeletal hand crumbles away into ash. As the two carry the unconsicous fighter to the healers, the woman returns to her throne.

"Rain, it would be appreciated if you go with Liu Kang," she requests to the Edenian Demigod. "Just for safety that our new ally doesn't spill the news to the two. Other than that, my dear prince, you may go and get some rest. You're going to need it to face Fujin's Champions."

"As you wish, Lady Akuma," Rain bows before departing from the woman he fell for, as she saved him from Kotal Kahn's execution after the pyromancer Tanya betrayed him. As for Akuma, she reaches into the pocket of her robes and pulls out a talisman that belonged to her by inheritance. A talisman that Raiden made the mistake of keeping.

"Soon you will be avenged, Father," Akuma touches the gem of the amulet with a thumb. "When I awaken my full power, Raiden will suffer a fate that will be even worse than yours. Then you will be at peace when I destroy the Elder Gods once and for all."