Chapter 10 : Uninvited Guests

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It had been some time since Raiden had left the Sky Temple to disable the snare that had been glued to him since he went to Fort Charles with Sakuya. The Nature Goddess had to remain by Bo' Rai Cho' side until the master fully recovered from the attack caused by someone only he knew for now.
As Sakuya was standing in front of the Jinsei with her arms crossed on her chest, watching Bo' Rai Cho' floating inside of it, his face looking like he was sleeping peacefully, her mind was elsewhere : she kept thinking about Raiden and was worried that harm may befall him. She had hesitated a couple of times since he had left to actually join him wherever he was, but she knew deep down that Bo' Rai Cho' was the one who needed her help the most at that moment. She then reassured herself, thinking that Raiden had millenia of experience and had encountered worst foes in the past.
Once the master started to open his eyes, Sakuya came back to reality and stepped forward. "Bo' Rai Cho' ?"
The man first seemed confused as he looked around him. After he analyzed his surroundings, his eyes finally laid on the Nature Goddess. "Sakuya ?" he called her. "Where am I ?"
"Inside the Jinsei. You were severely wounded when we found you."
Bo' Rai Cho then started to move towards her in order to get out of the bubble of energy he was swimming inside. Once Sakuya helped him to land gently on the ground, she asked him with a soft smile : "How do you feel now ?"
"Much better." he answered as he gazed at his arms and clenched his fists, feeling the warmth of the Jinsei's power through his entire body. He then glanced around. "Isn't Raiden with you ?" The goddess' smile vanished to these words. "No, he..." But then, they both heard a thunder coming from outside of the Chamber and Sakuya's heart missed a beat. She turned her head towards the closed door with a frown. "...he had something to deal with." she finished her sentence.
"There's something I need to tell you." the master added, getting the goddess' attention back. "Shinnok's amulet..."
"Mileena possesses it. We know." she cut him off with a nod. "We informed Sonya Blade of its disappearance."
She was then interrupted by the Chamber's doors opening slowly, revealing Raiden, standing still but weakened, possibly due to the great battle he had fought against the snare while Sakuya and Bo' Rai Cho were inside the Jinsei Chamber.
The goddess did not wait to approach the Thunder God and visually checked him to see if he had any visible injuries. "Are you hurt ?" There was a hint of concern in her voice.
"No." he almost sighed. "But disabling the snare demanded my full attention. I will need a moment to regain strength."
Sakuya weakly nooded as she stepped back. Raiden then saw his friend who was finally recovered. "Bo' Rai Cho. It is good to see you back on your feet."
"Yes ! It's all thanks to you my friends." he replied as he drew closer. "I don't know what would've happened if you never came."
"Do not mention it." Sakuya said. "But we still do not know who the foes that attacked you are."
"It was Kano, accompanied with a couple of Mileena's allies."
Sakuya and Raiden shared a glance. "So, Kano is working for Mileena now."
"He is the one who stole the amulet and brought it to Mileena for her coup against Kotal Kahn." Raiden realized.
"Wait, Mileena is leading a coup in the Outworld ?" Bo' Rai Cho looked confused.
"Yes. With the power of Shinnok's amulet, many Outworlders had no choice but to flee." Sakuya explained.
Bo' Rai Cho' looked down with shock and sadness. "By the Elder Gods..."
"We must retrieve the amulet as soon as possible." Raiden said. "Before what we fear the most happens..."
The three of them understood that the amulet being in the wrong hands meant that Shinnok had a chance to escape from his prison.
"If only we could've destroyed Shinnok during the last war." the master spoke with anger. "If only he were mortal..."
"If only..." Sakuya sighed.
"Still, I believe that we can turn this crisis to our advantage."
Sakuya and Bo' Rai Cho' both frowned at him. "How so ?"
" Quan Chi's magic binds the souls of many we hold dear. Capture him and we can force him to release them."
"You... you want to bring our kombatants back ?" Sakuya remarked hesitantly.
"I suppose it is possible." the master thought out loud.
"As long as Quan Chi lives." Raiden gazed down with a glimpse of sorrow in his eyes.
Sakuya knew that Raiden had been affected by Liu Kang and Kung Lao's tragic fate. Yet, she had never seen him show it so explicitly until now and it broke her heart. "Raiden..." she whispered as she put a caring hand on his shoulder.
"I have long regretted losing our comrades' souls to Netherrealm's evil. Kung Lao and Liu Kang... They were like sons." he then raised his gaze towards Sakuya. "I would move the Heavens to bring them back to the light."
"I know..." she whispered. "If there is any chance to release them from Quan Chi's spell, we will do our best to make it happen. Together."
The light of a smile appeared on Raiden's face as he gently put his hand on Sakuya's. He had never felt so lucky to have her by her side than at this very moment.

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