The wounds heal.

Civil War.

The four of them went as fast as they could to the outskirts of the palace, where the ships were. By the time they arrived, there were several Osh Tekk and Tarkatan soldiers on board, spread over a total of three huge boats, waiting for the ruler to give the order to set sail. Likewise, her other allies and bodyguards were on board.

All the way from the room to the dock, Kung Lao had only been thinking about what it would take to go to the aid of the Shokan. It had been more than a year since the incident in the Sea of ​​Blood and since that day he had never been on a ship again. Clearly the fact of imagining being in one brought up many fatal scenarios in his mind. At the same time, he tried to reassure himself so as not to hinder the process and delay his companions. Obviously, he knew that event wouldn't have to be repeated, however, it didn't mean that it wouldn't happen again. Also, being Outworld a place that has strange creatures and phenomena, it did nothing but worry him.

However, he wasn't going to let past trauma prevent him from helping his allies, especially in a time of emergency like this. He couldn't keep that memory haunting him for life, he had to overcome his fear sooner or later and that day was a great opportunity for him.

Liu Kang could notice the nervousness of his friend, who could not keep his eyes fixed on anything other than the ships and the great ocean surrounding them, besides he noticed him more tense than usual during the journey. He knew that getting on a boat that was going to float in a large sea, wouldn't be easy for his fellow. But all the same he knew that he must get over his fear soon.

So without wasting any more time, the Shaolin set out to board the last ship by means of a wide and long inclined wooden board. Climbing up through that board was the first small challenge for Kung Lao as the instant he stepped foot on it, he wobbled slightly as usual. However, thanks to his balance training, he was able to stand and climb without much problem.

At the end it was Rain, who was apathetic to the two humans by not offering a hand to help them up. However, they didn't really need such support to get there, so they didn't give it any importance. The last ones to go up were Mileena and Kitana, this one being received by the demigod who took her by the hand to help her in those centimeters that remained.

The first thing Kung Lao did was stay close to the cabin, putting his hand on a wooden wall and moving as far away from the shore as he could. His instinct told him not to go near it, for obvious reasons. Because of this Liu Kang followed him and stayed close to him.

Immediately and with everyone inside the boat, the Kahn removed the piece of wood, with it they were ready to leave. After giving a signal to his soldiers who were in the ground, the three ships were released from the chains that held them to the dock and along with it, they began to advance. Thanks to the movement, most of those on board wobbled a bit. None gave importance to that since it was normal, but on the contrary Kung Lao abruptly tensed his body for a few seconds. From that moment he knew the trip wouldn't be easy, however, he was determined to continue.

As they set sail, the Outworld soldiers began to prepare and check their weapons, they didn't know what their enemy's armies would be like, so they had to prepare for anything. Kitana was more than ready, she wasn't going to allow Reiko to bring the same reign of tyranny that Shao Kahn wielded before.

Along the way, Kung Lao seemed calm, although he was still a bit scared. Suddenly not very encouraging thoughts crossed his mind. He was afraid that a creature would come out or some enemy ship would attack them or something like that. Because of this, he remained scattered for much of the journey, trying not to remember what had happened, but the more he tried not to think about it, the memory returned.

As the minutes passed, Liu Kang kept an eye on his friend to keep him calm. Also, he noticed several other things. He noticed that a few meters from them, Rain was with Kitana, with a hand on the Edenian's shoulders, hugging her while she seemed to be talking to him. Since he wasn't around, he couldn't tell what they were talking about, but he didn't care. With all these signs he was able to conclude that apparently, she and the demigod were in an affair. After that he realized how many female soldiers there are among the Osh-Tekk and the Tarkatans. Although the number of men outnumbered them, seeing something like this was strange to see since there aren't Shaolin women who participate in wars, precisely because they aren't allowed to. Even in attacks like the one that occurred that morning, they are forbidden to fight back, their injunction was to protect the most vulnerable monks, including the children they are appointed to care for.