Mortal Kombat 12

Chapter 1: Aftermath

(Rose)

"Long have I had visions of this moment." Shang Tsung claimed, raising a taunting fist to Lord Liu Kang as they slightly circled each other. He then added, "I will savor your death for eternity."

"You are mad, Shang Tsung!" Lord Liu Kang replied, growing angry with Tsung. "Your visions are nothing. Delusions of an addled mind." he declared before the two enter their fighting stances.

After a long and lengthy fight, ultimately, the Sorcerer proved to much, even for Earthrealm's Chosen One and Protector. Lord Liu Kang, who lied in defeat, slowly ascended to his feet, trying desperately to find Shang Tsung only to be grabbed by the throat by the Sorcerer himself.

"Breathe deeply in your final moments, Chosen One. For now your existence ends in shame." Shang Tsung claimed as he throttled the Fire God with a single hand. "All the power that was once yours is mine... Forever." he finished before sucking the soul out of Liu Kang, rendering him lifeless as Tsung absorbed his powers.

Once he was in full possession of the power, he turned his focus to Kronika's Hourglass and began sculpting the sands where he remade the world in his image. All realms bend to his will and if they refuse, they were taken by force. And leading those charges are two of Shang Tsung's most powerful minions; formerly two of the great Protectors of Earthrealm the world had ever known but they two had fallen to the Sorcerer's magic.

As he sit on top of his throne, red lighting was seen descending down from the sky as the two men appeared alive but lifeless.

"Speak minions." Shang Tsung ordered as he brushed his fingers on the arms of his throne.

"My lord, your will is done." the elder one – Raiden, former God of Thunder – claimed as he looked up at his master.

"Outworld, Earthrealm, the Netherrealm... all conquered." the younger one – Fujin, former God of Wind – added.

"Per your command, Chaosrealm and Orderrealm are next. All realms will soon yield to your influence." Raiden finished as he awaited word along with Fujin.

Shang Tsung laughed and looked pleased at the news.

"It has begun." was all he said as Raiden and Fujin both nodded their heads and bowed in his presence.

Reviewing the same scenario over and over, I studied every detail I could until it was etched so perfectly into my brain that I didn't need to watch the scene anymore. Until that happened, my eyes were glued on the crystal ball I was using while my younger sister was busy reading everything she can about each individual and realm succumbed to Shang Tsung's influence.

"Any luck, Teegan?" I ask, my eyes still focused on the crystal ball.

"Yes and no, Rose." Teegan admitted as she turned from the bookshelf she was standing in front of and walked towards me. "I was doing research on Kronika, like you requested and I think I found something interesting that might explain why she enlisted Shang Tsung's services."

Laying the book down in front of me, Teegan went into great detail about how Kronika needed Shang Tsung's help, and believe me, it's a real messy history.

"See, eons ago, when Kronika first created the Hourglass, she found that if she wields it without proper assistance, then it could break and shatter timeline and after timeline." Teegan then pointed one of her porcelain colored fingers to a section in one of the many books we own on Kronika and showed me something interesting. "Apparently, she entrusted Shang Tsung to create the crown, as you are aware, but here's something that she slipped past the Sorcerer."

Finally taking my eyes off the crystal ball, I quickly laid my eyes on the book and began reading word for word until I got to a certain part that caught my attention.

"As a fial-safe, knowing that Shang Tsung would eventually betray her and take the crown for himself, Kronika placed a spell on the crown. That if anything should happen, only her kin would possess the crown and wield its ultimate power." I read, thinking back to the time where Fujin used the crown. "But if that's true, how did Fujin manage to wear the crown?" I asked, thinking over the possibilities.

"Easy. Fujin is neither Shang Tsung, Kronika, or one of Kronika's kin. He may have worn the crown but after each use, did you notice that he immediately fell to the ground in a weakened state?" Teegan asked, smiling as it dawned on me.

"The fail-safe!" I exclaimed, putting a few pieces together as I rewind the scenario on the crystal ball again. After getting a certain part, I paused the video and pointed to Lord Liu Kang. "If that's true... then it would have been the same outcome for Lord Liu Kang."

"Exactly! Lord Liu Kang would have had at least a minute, maybe less, with the crown before falling to a weakened state." Teegan added.

"He wouldn't have been able to restart time." I claimed, pinching the bridge of my nose as I let out a loud sigh. "Oh, by the Elder Gods! We're stuck!" I claimed as Teegan closed the book and sat in my chair.

"We are. The only people who can control the crown are either ruling the realms with an iron fist or dead." Teegan said, burying her head in her hands.

"And her children are no help either. One is in a vegetated stated after being decapitated and the other died with her mother." I said, trying to think of possible other routes to go. "Well, we could go back in time and recruit either Shinnok or Cetrion's help?"

"But would they be willing too? According to each of their histories, they both had no problems serving their mother's will." Teegan asked as she put away the book on Kronika. "Maybe Cetrion could be persuaded? Her heart really wasn't in the battle, any could tell."

"No... Her heart may not have been in battle or the cause, but it was in gaining her mother's favor. Cetrion spent her whole life trying to please her mother, even sacrificing her life to her only to come second to Shinnok – Kronika's beloved favorite."

"Jealously. Anger. Frustration at the thought of never being good enough. That's enough to send anyone into darkness." Teegan explained as she rejoined my side. "But I do know one thing: if we can get the two heavy hitters out of the way and reform them back to their original selves, it wouldn't be hard getting them to help fight against Shang Tsung."

"Excellent point, sister. However, Shang Tsung is bound to make quick notice that his two 'Minions' would be missing. And I'm sure he would be well aware that the Magic-Realm would be behind it." I said, smiling as Teegan smiled with me. We both nodded as I clear the crystal ball and think back. "Well, they've already conquered Outworld, Earthrealm, and the Netherrealm. So that leaves Orderrealm and Chaosrealm."

"We need to get to Orderrealm, and fast!" Teegan claims as she begins walking towards the library door.

"Why Orderrealm?" I ask, sounding confused.

Teegan stopped and turned back at me. "Knowing there are two realms left, would you rather attack a realm devoted to chaos and madness or a realm dedicated to law and order?" she asked as my eyes widened.

Quickly catching up to her, I immediately repeated, "We need to get to Orderrealm, and fast!"

"Yeah!" was all Teegan said as she opened a portal once we were on the outside of the library.

It was strange, but for the first time ever, I was out of the Magic-Realm and into a whole different realm completely. I'm definitely out of my element here.