Johnny Cage x Reader

Nine

"What do you think of the new champions?", Liu Kang's voice cut through the fog of your mind like a blade through flesh.

Torn from your thoughts, you flinched and looked up to meet the glowing eyes of the god. A strange feeling filled your chest.

It was strange to be in the presence of a divine being like him. He felt so much more like you yet seemed so human on the outside. Sometimes his lips moved and he smiled softly.

It was then that you felt like he wasn't a god but just a human who had been victim of the world's circumstances.

"Why ask my opinion?", you did not get up to greet him with a bow.

He knew you long enough now to know that, sometimes, you tended to be rude. Either out of laziness or because you did not see the value of always bowing.

You respected him regardless and he knew that.

"May I sit?", he gestured towards the empty space on the floor.

"Be my guest.", you nodded.

Thanking you with a nod, he sat down on the edge of the porch. Planks of polished wood screeched below his weight.

Most parts of the temple were older than time itself yet there was not a single hint of stains. It was the embodiment of perfection, both to soothe the soul and please the eye.

"You come from a long like of Earthrealm champions.", Liu Kang's voice was picked up by the wind and carried away into the endless depths of the mountains. "For many eons it was your family who preserved Earthrealm's security."

He glanced at you from the corner of his eyes.

You replied with your eyebrows drawn together and a dissatisfied look on your face.

"I was informed about my legacy.", you said, your nails scratching over the wooden surface.

"You do not seem like you welcome it."

A sigh rolled off your lips.

"It's a legacy someone has chosen for me. Your expectations come from my bloodline, not because I'm suitable.", you gestured casually into the room where the others were already asleep on their futons. "They were all chosen because they possess something you recognised as worthy. I am here because of my father. My grandmother. Not because of me."

"There is no shame in coming from greatness."

"No. But it pressures me into being great as well, lord Liu Kang."

"Is that not what you thrive for?, one eyebrow raised he leaned forward, head tilted to analyse your facial expression.

A breath hitched in your throat. Something made your chest feel tight.

"As someone who knows what he desires to know, everything he needs to know, you might not understand where I am coming from.", you huffed and got up, gaze wandering over the surface of the water on which the silver light of the moon danced. "But the truth is, I can't answer your question. There is no clear path before me. I know that I do not desire to be like my father just because he wants to. But I also know that I can be more."

"Life has many ways.", Liu Kang rose from his seat and bowed to you as a goodbye. "I assume we will not come to an agreement today. But know that I do not deem you unworthy."

Your eyes lowered.

"Thank you, lord Liu Kang.", with one fist pressed against your palm you bowed.

The hissing of flames filled the silence. A hint of warmth caressed your cheeks. But it made goosebumps grow all over your body instead.

The next time you raised your head the god of fire was gone. Not even a trace of ashes told that he had been there in the first place.

Every now and then you wondered if you were just imagining his existence.

A chilly breeze danced across the paths, up the tree trunks and into the pink buds of the cherry blossoms. It smelled of something sweet yet quite subtle.

Spring was almost over.

The one thing you liked about this place was that it was so far away from civilisation that nature wasn't battled by the lights of buildings.

Bright stars sparkled like coins of silver above your head. The moon was almost as bright as the sun, cold yet majestic.

You wondered if it was possible to grab one of these strands and sow it into your heart so that you'd never forget how it was to be alive underneath the free sky.

Without an order, your legs started to move. Your eyes were glued to the stars while every step brought you closer to the edge of the platform.

Houses and ponds passed by.

Every now and then a frog quaked. Water splashed as one of them broke through the surface to catch one of the insects that the koi had missed.

The waterlilies closed their buds to shield away the cold of the night.

In this moment you were glad to have the robe of the monks. The material was so thick that you didn't even feel any kind of temperature. Just your arms grew goosebumps.

Your feet stopped right in front of the edge of the platform. Everything was behind you, houses, paths and trees.

All there was to see was the mountains in the distance and the deep, endless fall right in front. With a deep sigh you sat down on the edge and let your legs dangle into the depths.

It made you feel like a fall wouldn't have been so bad. Never before had you felt this free, not chained to the ground.

You didn't want to jump, nothing could have been further from the truth. All you wanted was to feel the freedom that tickled your feet in this moment.

Taking a deep breath in, you closed your eyes and let your head fall back. As you exhaled, a weight was lifted off your shoulders.

"Now that's a setting worth a million bucks.", a voice suddenly tore the idyllic silence apart.

Startled, you flinched. Your head shot around, hands clenched into fists, expecting an intruder.

But it was just Johnny with his phone who filmed the scenery.