Mortal Kombat: The Phoenix Verison

Chapter 25: Drown it in Wine

Ember's eyes fluttered open only to see the empty darkness surround her. There was a chill and she was no longer on her bed, but something hard like a rock.

Flicking her fingers together she created a small flame-she was in a cave.

Her breath came out in a puff of steam through her chapped lips, her eyes scanned the walls of the cave, recognition filling them. Her heart stopped.

It was THE cave.

Suddenly the chill in the air got colder, and to her surprise she found herself shivering. Wrapping an arm around herself she stood from the rock to find the cave was already opened up.

She felt heavy and tired, but at the same time light as a feather as her feet moved her to the snowy outside world.

"Kuai?" Ember cringed, her voice sounded so weak and helpless.

As expected, there was no answer. She seemed to be alone, just as she had been before. The heaviness got to her and she collapsed into the snow on her knees, shaking against the icy wind.

Never had she been so cold before.

Her flame flickered, a small plume of smoke rising from her finger as she watched it vanish into the air. Footsteps caught her attention.

Her body tensed.

It was Rain.

The demi-god said nothing, only stared at her with his piercing dark eyes like a predator to his prey.

Her heart began to race as she tried to crawl away, her feet weren't working-the snow dragged her down. She let out a shriek when he moved toward her and swiftly picked her up, smashing his lips aggressively against hers.

Her chest tightened, her blood ran cold. Ember started to cry against him, struggling and gathering what little energy she had to push him from her.

He seemed to allow it. Rain watched as she fell to the snow and tried to crawl away from him again-only to bump into a glass wall that hadn't been there before.

When she looked back at him again, she saw him close a glass door. Only then did she realize she was in some sort of glass chamber.

Using the glass to help her unsteadily onto her feet, she felt dizzy as the setting changed.

She was no longer in the snowy wilderness but rather, with growing terror, a sort of court room.

Her feet felt wet, and upon her looking down did she realize that the glass chamber she was in began to fill with water.

Steam slowly shielded her view and Ember started to sob.

Then the water hit.

Ember sprung upright from her bed.

It was just a bad dream... She told herself, hand clutched at her pounding heart.

Ember groaned as a cold sweat broke out. She couldn't do this.

Hopping out of bed she exited her room and headed to the wine cellar. She had used alcohol to deal with bad dreams before-but this was the worst so far.

As her feet padded against the marbled floor, Ember brushed a hand through her hair. It had felt real...it terrified her how helpless she had been, how little she could've done. The hairs on her arm stood on end as her mind reluctantly went to replay the nightmare.