Skarlet.

I made my way upstairs to the third floor, just as Jade had instructed.

Compared to the lively halls of the palace below, this corridor felt… different. Quieter. Almost secluded. The walls were lined with tall banners and framed portraits of past victories and conquered realms, their colours muted by the dim torchlight. Every step I took echoed softly through the hallway, the sound lingering longer than it should have.

At the far end stood a set of heavy doors made from polished ebony wood, carved with intricate patterns of war and conquest.

I slowed my pace as I approached them.

“That’s my… room. Most likely.”

The thought still felt strange.

My room. In Shao Kahn’s palace.

When I reached the doors, I hesitated for a moment before pushing them open. To my surprise, they weren’t even locked. With a firm shove, the doors swung inward with surprising smoothness.

The moment I stepped inside, my first reaction caught even me off guard.

Shao Kahn’s bedroom was… cosy?

I blinked, genuinely confused. I had expected something darker: ritual circles, shelves of forbidden magic, maybe even skeletons hanging from chains or some nightmare straight out of a horror movie.

Instead, I found something far more mundane. An emperor’s bedroom.

The centrepiece of the room was a massive king-sized bed draped in crimson sheets embroidered with golden patterns that twisted like vines across the fabric. The mattress looked incredibly soft, exactly what one would expect for the most powerful ruler in Outworld.

And yet… Something about it felt wrong.

The bed looked untouched.

Perfectly made. Perfectly arranged. As if servants prepared it every day… but no one ever slept in it.

I tilted my head slightly. “Did the guy ever even use this thing?”

The bedframe was carved from the same rich ebony wood as the doors, polished to a dark shine. Beneath it stretched a thick carpet matching the room’s crimson-and-gold theme, soft enough that my boots barely made a sound against it.

The walls themselves were made of the same dark wood, though they were decorated in the way one would expect from an emperor’s chamber. Tapestries hung in several places, depicting scenes of conquest and empire.

But strangely enough… they didn’t feel personal.

They looked more like decorations chosen by architects or servants rather than by the emperor himself. Like someone had designed what they thought a ruler’s room should look like.

Then I noticed the things that were personal.

Shao Kahn’s trophies.

Mounted along the wall were the severed heads of beasts and creatures from across the realms, grisly displays preserved and arranged like macabre decorations.
An Oni’s horned skull stared down from one corner, its empty eye sockets dark and hollow.

Beside it hung the head of a massive bear-like creature, though it looked nothing like any bear I’d seen on Earth. Its fur was snow-white, its eyes a dull crimson, and its jaw was longer and more predatory than any natural animal’s should be.

A Tormentor’s head was mounted nearby, the same species I had seen fighting in the arena earlier.

Then there was a Taigore’s head, its fangs still bared in a permanent snarl.

I paused at that one.

“Didn’t he have one of those as a pet…?” The thought made the display feel even more unsettling.

And at the centre of them all stood the largest trophy.

A dragon’s head.

Even mounted on the wall, it looked massive, its scaled hide still gleaming faintly beneath the torchlight. Its fangs were the length of daggers, and the ridges along its skull gave it an almost regal appearance even in ****.

It dominated the entire display.

A silent testament to Shao Kahn’s strength… and his cruelty.

I stared at the collection for a moment longer.

Each of these trophies wasn’t a decoration.

There was proof of what happened to anyone or anything that dared stand against the Emperor of Outworld.

This wasn’t the room of a king. It was the den of a conqueror.

My jaw tightened slightly. “First thing I’m removing… is all of that. Fucking bastard.”

I gestured toward the wall with a dismissive flick of my finger.

Shao Kahn’s brutality wasn’t just part of his rule. It was his identity.

The trophies weren’t the only decorations either.

Weapons lined the walls between the mounted heads, dozens of them. Spears, swords, axes, and blades from cultures across multiple realms.
Each one is polished and deadly.

A museum of ****.

Then I noticed something resting directly beneath the dragon’s head.

A war hammer. Or rather… a perfect replica of Shao Kahn’s infamous weapon.

Even mounted on the wall, it radiated presence.

The entire room practically screamed:
“I am Shao Kahn.
I am relentless.
I am the Emperor of Outworld.
I am unstoppable.”

I let out a chuckle.

“All those trophies…” I muttered, shaking my head slightly. “And yet you couldn’t beat an Earthrealmer.”

A small smirk tugged at my lips.

“Asshole.”

I continued exploring the room.

In the left corner stood a folding screen coloured in black and white, likely used for changing clothes. Beside it sat a heavy desk pushed against the wall, covered with maps, scrolls, and strange metallic tools that Shao Kahn must have used to plan campaigns or oversee his empire.

On the opposite side of the room stood a massive double-doored wardrobe.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened it.

Inside were rows of clothing so elaborate they looked like they belonged in a royal court.

Robes, tunics, breeches, surcoats, etc. Clothes crafted from fine fabrics that were clearly made by the best tailors across the realms. And they all looked practically untouched.

“Half of this stuff won’t even fit me…” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “Shit. I’m gonna have to find a tailor.”

I shut the wardrobe door with a quiet sigh. “Honestly, it’s kind of baffling how much of an asshole this guy was…” I sniffed my sleeve and immediately grimaced. “…but I do need some clothes.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m probably stinking at this point.”

A tired chuckle escaped me.

“God, I miss my washing machine.”

I glanced around the room again. “I don’t think they even have those here.”

Right beside the wardrobe stood something that immediately pulled my attention back.

An armour stand.

And resting upon it… Shao Kahn’s armour.

Even without the emperor wearing it, the armour radiated an unsettling presence. The dark metal plates looked almost alive under the torchlight.

And that helmet…That damned helmet.

The skull-shaped visage seemed to glare at me even without eyes behind it.

Slowly, I reached out and lifted it from the stand.

For a moment, I simply stared at it.

This helmet had terrified the entire realm; armies had fallen at the sight of it. Realms had been conquered beneath it.

My grip tightened slightly. “I’m going to make sure no one remembers the damage you’ve done to this land…Be certain of that.”

After another moment, I placed the helmet back on the stand.

Not as a trophy or as a relic. But as a reminder.

And a reminder of what I must never become.

Suddenly, I heard steps coming through the hallway. They were silent and deliberate; if it wasn't for my demonic inheritance increasing my senses, I would have never noticed them. I placed myself behind the doors, ready for the moment.

In one swift motion, I lunged forward, shoving the door open with my shoulder.

The wood slammed into the figure outside, knocking them off balance. I stepped through immediately, grabbing and forcing them to the ground in one fluid movement.

Within a heartbeat, I had them pinned beneath me.

My knife hovered just above their throat. Only then did I realise something.

Not him…Her.

My eyes narrowed slightly. It was Skarlet.

“If you’re planning to sneak up on me,” I said with a small smirk, “you should learn the basics first. I could hear you the moment you stepped into the hall.”

She grunted beneath me, clearly irritated. “I wasn’t sneaking up on you!” she snapped. “Now get off.”

“That would be suicidal,” I replied calmly. “First, you kneel and swear loyalty, then you creep around my chambers in the middle of the night? Make up your mind.”

Her expression twisted into an annoyed grimace, and she groaned.

And suddenly, her body collapsed into liquid. Melting.

Her skin fractured like crimson glass before dissolving into flowing blood that spilt across the floor beneath us. The red liquid slithered across the polished stone like a living thing, spreading outward before gathering again several feet away.

The blood rose from the floor in twisting strands.

Bones formed; muscle followed. Skin sealed the shape together.

Within seconds, Skarlet stood again behind me as if nothing had happened.

I exhaled slowly. “Right,” I muttered, straightening up.

“Forgot she can do that.”

I quickly turned, bringing the knife up again in case she decided to take advantage of the opening.

She simply stood there with her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in mild disbelief.

“Really?” she said flatly.

Her expression said everything. She wasn’t angry or hostile.

Just pure, unimpressed annoyance.

“I’m not trying to kill you.”

“Oh yeah?” I replied, still cautious. “Then why are you lurking around my door past midnight?”

“I’m doing my job,” she said simply. “Being your bodyguard, for starters.”

She stepped forward slightly, then raised a finger toward the blade, silently asking permission to move it away.

I sighed. “Fine.”

I lowered the knife. “I don’t need protection, as you probably noticed.”

“On the contrary,” she replied calmly. “You desperately do.”

Her tone remained serene, though her eyes studied me carefully.
.
“If I had truly intended to sneak up on you, you would never have heard me.” She tilted her head slightly. “You know that… right?”

“I guess,” I admitted. “But I like my privacy. Especially in a place that isn’t exactly home.”

I gestured toward the hallway.

“Go get some sleep.”

She almost smiled.

“I don’t need it.”

Of course, she didn’t. Skarlet wasn’t exactly… normal.

Still, she continued studying me with quiet intensity. Curiosity radiating from it.

It was obvious she wanted answers.

The man who defeated Shao Kahn stood right in front of her, and nothing about him made sense.

He looked human, sounded human and moved like a human.

Yet he had discovered her approach with ease.

That alone was unusual…But there was something else.

Something deeper.

Her senses brushed against the faint rhythm of my heartbeat.

Blood, Skarlet could feel it.

She always could. It was one of the many gifts given to her when she was created.

And the blood inside me…It was wrong.

Not wrong in a bad way. Wrong in a way she couldn’t explain.

The pulse beneath my skin carried something ancient.

Something darker than human blood. Something that stirred her instincts.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“And why is that?” I asked, pressing two fingers to my temple as exhaustion finally began catching up to me.

“I just… don’t sleep much,” she said quietly. The answer sounded almost uncertain, like even she didn’t fully understand why.

I let out a long breath. “Listen. I appreciate you wanting to guard me.”

I leaned against the doorway.

“But I’m going to be fine. If you want to stand watch out here, that’s your choice… but I’d rather you rest like everyone else. There’s no reason to **** yourself.”

“I—”

She paused.

“It’s alright.”

Then, softer. “Thank you.”

Her tone remained calm, but there was something slightly distant about her. Skarlet had always been… socially unusual.

She understood people. But emotions didn’t always come naturally to her.

Just as I was about to close the door, she spoke again.

“How did you defeat him?”

I stopped.

“Shao Kahn,” she clarified.

There was no accusation in her voice, just pure curiosity.

I turned slightly.

“I wish I could tell you,” I said honestly. “I guess I just got lucky.”

She frowned immediately.

“That’s impossible.” She stepped closer. “No one gets lucky against Shao Kahn.”

Her voice carried absolute conviction.

“You can only defeat him by being stronger.”

She wasn’t insulting me; she was challenging her own beliefs.

The beliefs she had been created with.

There was Shao Kahn… And then there was everyone else.

Yet here I stood, alive and victorious…And somehow, ordinary.

Which only made things more confusing.

She studied me carefully.

It wasn’t physical attraction, though Fenrir was undeniably handsome to her.

No. What fascinated her was the aura around him.

The mystery.

He looked human, but he didn’t feel human.

And that blood…She had never tasted it. Never used it.

Which only made the curiosity worse.

Her instincts whispered one thing; her mind whispered another.

“Why are you so curious?” I asked. “What do you gain from knowing?”

She crossed her arms, annoyed.

“It doesn’t make sense,” she said with a small pout. “I’m trying to understand it. That’s all.”

I gave her a look.

“You’re standing outside my chambers in the middle of the night, Skarlet. That tells me you’re searching for something.”

I paused.

“Something you don’t fully understand yet.”

She crossed her arms tighter.

“What do you know?” she shot back. “You’re acting as if you belong here already.”

But even as she said it…She knew he might be right.

What was she searching for? Was it the reason her former master had fallen? Or was it something else entirely?

Perhaps she simply wanted to understand the man who had changed her world in a single day.

“I know what it’s like to be lost,” I said quietly. “You’re not the first person to be pulled out of the world, you know.”

Images flickered through my mind.

My mother, the demons.

The life I had lost.

“And you won’t be the last.”

I began closing the door.

She looked down slightly, her voice quieter than before.

“Does it get better?”

I stopped.

Turning my head, I looked back at her.

Our eyes met. She was beautiful, like Jade, Kitana, and Mileena.

But beneath that beauty…She looked lost. Like someone who had just lost the only purpose she had ever known.

“It does,” I said gently. “But only if you allow yourself to change.”

I paused.

“Whether that change makes you better… or worse, that part is up to you.”

I gave her a small nod. “Good night.”

The door closed softly between us.

Outside in the quiet hallway, Skarlet remained standing alone.

“Good night,” she whispered.

Inside her mind, something stirred, something unfamiliar.

She had always thrived in danger. In blood and in ****. But standing near him had awakened a different feeling entirely, one she had never needed before. Yet now it seemed… fitting.

There was only one word for the warmth she felt when she stood near him.

Safe