Mortal Kombat: Retribution (2)

Chapter 1 - Duties

Two Years Later

It was already morning, but Evie was awake long before.

She had walked through the temple she built with her own hands. Located in the exact same area where she first lived with her family, the temple was a grand structure, and completely concealed from the outside. Evie had stated how it was important to be separated from the outside world, but her students in her clan, the Sae-Beong, knew that this was due to previous influence. She had covered the entire rural area with a shielding spell. Anyone who got too close to the base would be teleported back to their home, memories of ever going there erased.

She walked into the training area for the fifth time since 2 am that morning, except this time, her students were all waiting for her. Well, almost everyone.

"Where is Kibo?" She asked the pupils, but they were just as confused as she was.

She made her way to the room that belonged to the student in question. She paused at the door.

Inside, she could distinctly hear the sounds of stiffled crying. She quietly knocked on the door. It was promptly opened to reveal a nine year old boy with red eyes. "Grandmaster! I'm sorry for showing my emotions like that. It won't happen again."

Evie sighed. The death of Kiba, his twin sister, had been hard on the clan. She stepped into her student's room.

Kiba's stuff had been collected in a box. In it were pictures of their childhood. Kibo sniffed behind her. "I wanted to collect her stuff and burn it in her honor. She wanted to be named Shadow at the naming ceremony today." Evie closed her eyes. It's a shame that she didn't get to live to see that day become a reality.

Something in the box caught Evie's eye. Reaching down and picking it up, she realized it was a portrait of Kiba. She had a simple smile on her face, reflecting the pure soul she had once been. Evie changed it so that the picture was replaced by a silver locket.

"When I lost my family, I burned everything. I tried to erase everything to erase the pain. But now, I wish that I had kept something to remember them." She dropped the locket in Kibo's hand. He opened it to see the picture of his sister that Evie held moments ago. "Honor her, but never forget her. Remember the fun times you had together. Forget the bad. I know she would always cheer you up when I found you abandoned by your mother. Don't forget that. Pass it along."

Kibo ran into the Grandmaster's open arms. "Thank you," he whispered.

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Ann Arbor, MI 

"I'm all alone, without you by my side. And you're lack of presence, is making me I wished I tried. But I know that I couldn't stop any of your desires, any of your dreams. I wished I could see, that those dreams were never about me." 

Evie was now in her recording studio located at her own home. She was recording a new song that she composed for her new album. While she sang, she controlled the console outside the room with her telepathy. 

A Few Hours Later

Evie sat in the living room sipping a can of soda while she watched the news. There was a reported bank robbery that the Black Dragon had caused, but the Special Forces had stopped them in the process. 

Evie turned off the TV. The last thing she wanted was to be reminded of the tournament. She turned off the lights and went upstairs to sleep.

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"You killed us! You left me for dead!"

"I... I never meant..."

"I will hunt you for the rest of your life! There's nowhere to hide. I'll always find you."

And then, a pain in her gut, and a familiar Kori blade jutting out from her stomach.

"Murderer."

Evie woke up screaming. She whipped her arms around her, thinking that her sisters were in the process of attacking her. When she realized it was just a dream, she covered her face with both hands and started to cry quietly.

She never slept again for the next few years.