Mortal Kombat: Mileena's Recollection

Chapter Fifteen: Recollections

"What is this?" he thinks to himself.

He has no time to consider the rest of his surroundings, for a sai travels to his throat from behind him and he freezes.

"Tomas Vrbada, you shall return with me to the Nether Realm in the name of Shinnok!" the voice he recognizes so well hits his ears.

His eyes widen as he slightly peers down at the sais he once wore across his back. He has not heard the name Tomas Vrbada in years...how could this be? His eyes begin to illuminate a bright white as his mind clouds with an old memory, a memory of his childhood.

He peers to his left and right to see hooded men cloaked in red and black robes, surrounding him as they chant an incantation. Daggers are within their grasp and their eyes are shut tightly. The cult seems to be worshiping an unknown figure, frightening the young Tomas.

"Co se děje? Kde je moje máma? Kde je můj táta? Prosím pomoz mi!" Tomas cries out in Czech, wishing to be set free.

His arms and legs are tied as he lays on a sacrificial table. He struggles against the ropes, but his little strength fails to make a difference. He begins to whimper and cry, pleading for help. As he peers to his left, he lays eyes on his mother and father who are spread across the ground covered in blood, dead. One of the cloaked men comes closer to Tomas Vrbada with their dagger raised high. Tomas's loud cries strike the atmosphere as the dagger pierces through his heart.

He chokes upon his blood as another of the cult members approaches with a torch. The man holds the torch forward, setting flame to the clothing Tomas is clad in. The blood begins to leak through his eyes as well as his nose and mouth while the flames painfully lick at his skin.

His screams are unable to come out, though the coughing from the blood clogging the back of his throat and mouth sprays as his tears and blood spill over his eyes. The men all step back as the fire burns the young Tomas alive, perishing him within an instant. The smoke coming off of his body evaporates into the air, and his charred skin melts onto the sacrificial table.

"Krev pro Shinnok! Shinnok chce krev! Povstaň, Enenra!" they all chant a devious pray to Shinnok as the flames extinguish and the boy becomes motionless.

A low, demonic growl then hits the atmosphere, catching all of their attention. They stop their chanting and listen to the strange noise.

"Co je to?!" one of the cult members questions the noise.

The low growl becomes louder and once realization that it is coming from the boy's charred corpse hits them, they face the sacrificial table to discover Tomas Vrbada's body is missing with no evidence of him being present left behind. They each peer around with their daggers drawn.

"Kam šel?" another of the members of the cult shouts in confusion, wondering where the boy went.

They hear gurgling and what sounds like a substance hit the floor in a splash only to turn to one of their own whose throat is slit. A gray cloud of smoke surrounds him as the crimson substance sprays from his neck and puddles onto the ground as he struggles to speak his last words before falling limp on the stone floor, face down. The others cannot seem to process what just occurred, though it is already too late. From the vapor, two eyes illuminating in the brightest shade of white appear and it begins to rapidly travel through the room spilling each of the cult members' blood.

When they all cease to exist the vapor takes its form as the young Tomas Vrbada. He holds his hand to his head, groaning in anger as his eyes continue to glow. He drops to his knees and peers around the cavern-like room growling as he inhales and exhales rapidly. He suddenly can no longer recall what he has done, or who he is. All he is aware of is his ability to become a shapeless form of vapor at his will. He then takes to his feet and collects each dagger before exiting the building, walking slowly in no particular direction in exhaustion.