Preparations.

Chapter 10: Water and Warmth.

“And are you sure about this?” Fenrir asked, leaning slightly forward on the throne, the scroll resting between his fingers. His tone wasn’t doubtful, measured and careful. But there was a weight behind it now, the kind that came with ruling.

Barong didn’t flinch under the collective gaze of the throne room. “It came at dawn,” he replied evenly. “It was sealed properly with the Osh-Tekk markings. No sign of tampering… at least none I could detect.” His eyes briefly flicked upward, subtle, but deliberate. “That alone makes it… legitimate.”

Fenrir studied him for a moment longer, then gave a slow nod. “Very well. Thank you, Barong. Return to your duties.”

The spymaster bowed with quiet grace before turning away. His cane struck the polished floor in a steady rhythm, echoing through the chamber as the massive doors opened for him. The sound lingered even after he disappeared, like a reminder that nothing was unseen by him.

Silence followed; Then the queens moved.

“What does the letter say?” Kitana asked first, her voice calm, controlled, but her posture gave her away. Hands clasped behind her back; shoulders slightly tense, always studying with a watchful eye.

Fenrir exhaled softly through his nose. “It’s from Kotal.” He handed her the scroll. “A personal invitation; He wants me to travel to Z’Unkahrah… to meet him face to face.”

Kitana took the scroll, eyes scanning it, then again, slower this time.

Mileena stepped closer, arms loosely folded, a faint grin already forming beneath her veil. “Well, that doesn’t sound bad,” she said lightly. “Pretty straightforward, if you ask me. I like him already.” Her eyes flicked to Fenrir. “So? Did he finally decide where he stands?”

“That’s the thing…” Fenrir rose from the throne, rolling his shoulders as tension left his frame. “He doesn’t say it outright.” He paced a step or two, thoughtful. “But the tone in the writing and the timing…” He glanced back at them. “I think he has.”

Kitana didn’t look convinced.

“Or,” she said quietly, lowering the scroll, “he wants you to believe he has.”

That pulled the room tighter.

Mileena scoffed softly. “Oh, come on, Kitana. Not everything is a trap.”

Jade stepped in, not interrupting, but anchoring.

“Kotal is not Shao Kahn,” she said calmly, her voice carrying quiet authority. “Nor Shang Tsung.” Her eyes shifted between them. “He doesn’t deal in deception unless **** to. It’s not how he rules.”

Kitana’s gaze softened slightly, but didn’t yield. “And yet, he hasn’t pledged himself.”

“Because he needed proof,” Jade countered. “And we’ve given it.”

She turned her attention to Fenrir now, not just speaking, but advising.

“You dismantled the **** markets in plain sight. You negotiated with Tarkatans instead of enslaving them. You rule with restraint instead of fear.” A small, knowing smile touched her lips. “That reaches further than you think.”

Fenrir held her gaze. “So, you believe him.”

“I believe,” Jade said carefully, “that if Kotal had chosen to oppose you… We would already know.”

Mileena smirked. “Exactly. If he wanted your head, we wouldn’t be reading invitations, we’d be counting bodies.”

Kitana exhaled slowly, tension easing, just a little. “Or he wants to see you in person before deciding, to measure you properly.”

Fenrir tilted his head slightly. “A test?”

“A political one,” Kitana corrected. “And possibly a personal one.”

Jade nodded faintly. “He respects strength, but not just of arms.” Her eyes sharpened slightly. “He will be judging your mind, your control in combat and your intent on Outworld.”

Fenrir let out a quiet breath, then looked at her more directly.

“Then tell me honestly, Jade…” His tone shifted, less emperor, more trusting. “If you were in my place…, would you go?”

The question landed with weight. Jade didn’t answer immediately. She considered it properly; Then.

“Yes.” She stated, “But not blindly,” she added. “Go prepared, a measured escort. No unnecessary show of ****, but not **** either.” Her gaze flicked briefly toward Kitana. “And you go knowing that whatever happens there… will echo across Outworld.”

“Just like Sun Do.” Mileena tilted her head, amused. “No pressure.”

Fenrir huffed a quiet laugh. “None at all.”

Kitana finally folded the scroll closed, stepping closer. “If you go, it must be deliberate. Every word, every gesture must be thought out. Kotal is not easily swayed.”

“I wouldn’t want him to be,” Fenrir replied. “Outworld needs people like Kotal.” That earned him a look from her, one that lingered a second longer than usual. That was something they could agree on easily.

Jade smiled faintly at that exchange. Then, more softly, she added, “If Baraka followed you… Kotal will too.”

This time, Fenrir didn’t just nod. He held her gaze again, longer.

“Then I’ll trust your judgment on that.” It wasn’t a casual agreement. It was reliance and trust. One formed from the trust and love grown and shared
And Jade felt it.

Kitana noticed.

Mileena definitely noticed.

But neither interrupted it; instead, they smiled tenderly. He was too good with them; they felt lucky sometimes. Destiny could have put in power someone far more evil, like Shao Kahn; instead, they got someone just, someone confident yet cunning. They got Fenrir, and that warmed their hearts.

“I hope you’re right,” Kitana said at last, though her voice carried less resistance now. “We need him, especially for tomorrow.”

Her gaze shifted to Mileena. The shift in tone was immediate.

Jade and Fenrir followed it without needing explanation.

Mileena rolled her shoulders lazily, already grinning. “I’m ready if that’s what you’re asking, sis.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Sorcerers, Shokan, backstabbing generals; I’ve dealt with worse before breakfast.”

Kitana’s brow lifted. “I’m not questioning your skill.”

“No?” Mileena tilted her head.

“I’m questioning your attitude.”

That grin sharpened. “I don’t see the problem,” Mileena shot back. “I’ll play the part, I always do.” Her eyes gleamed. “Besides… I won’t be alone.” She turned her head slightly. “Red’s coming with me.” She gave Skarlet a friendly yet teasing look, “Isn’t that right, red?”

From the shadows, Skarlet gave the faintest sigh. “…Yes, Queen Mileena.”

Mileena winked in her direction. “See? Supervised.”

Kitana pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s not reassuring.”

“It should be,” Mileena replied sweetly.

Then Kitana turned, very deliberately, to Fenrir.

“Please,” she said, irritated but measured, “tell her to be careful.”

Fenrir blinked once… then looked at Mileena.

Not commanding…Not even stern.

Just… asking, nice and tender. A look he had given her multiple times by now, one that carried care and protection for her. And that was enough.

Mileena held his gaze for a second, then looked away with a quiet sigh. He was her soft spot these last couple of days…she loved him too much to refuse him.

“…Alright,” she muttered. “I’ll be careful.”

She added, softer, giving her a reassuring smile underneath her mask. “I promise.”

Kitana relaxed slightly at that, nodding at her, thankful. Her mind was still in turmoil over where her opinion and feelings stood on Mileena…For a fleeting moment, just a moment, when Mileena looked at her like that…She saw her sister again. Not the twisted creation of her made by Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung to replace her…Not the weapon. Just… her.

The conflict in her mind was sometimes too much to bear, so she pushed it down, like always…but one day, a decision would be made… and she hoped it didn’t end with one of them breathless.

The feeling passed quickly, but it lingered enough to unsettle her.

Jade, watching closely, said nothing. But she saw it…Fenrir did too. They shared a look. Something was wrong with Kitana.

Yet, neither spoke of it. Not yet.

“So…who’s going with Fenrir this time?” Jade asked, stepping in beside them with her usual calm composure, though her eyes were sharp, already weighing reactions before they came.

Kitana’s gaze shifted to her immediately, one brow lifting. “I assumed you were,” she said. “Like before.”

Mileena nodded once, arms loosely crossed. “Yeah… you two made quite the image together,” she added with a faint smirk. “Hard to miss.”

Jade exhaled softly through her nose, a small smile forming. “That’s exactly the problem.”

That made all three of them look at her.

Fenrir blinked once. “Problem?”

Jade nodded, “I’ve been thinking about it,” she continued, tone steady but lighter now, more conversational. “And if I go again, it starts to look like I’m the one ruling at his side… not us.”

Fenrir frowned slightly. “Is that really how people would see it?”

Jade gave him a gentle look, but pointed. “People don’t see what we mean, Fenrir. They see what we show them.” She folded her arms loosely. “And so far? They’ve seen me at your side in Sun Do, in the markets, in the outer districts…”

She shrugged one shoulder. “To them, that becomes the story.”

Mileena hummed, amused. “And what? Kitana and I are… decoration?” she said, half-joking, but there was a faint edge under it.

Jade met her gaze without missing a beat. “That’s exactly what I want to avoid.”

That wiped the smirk off Mileena’s lips, just for a second. If Jade had noticed, then it was an issue that must be resolved.

Kitana’s posture straightened slightly. “…She’s right.”

Fenrir looked between them, clearly processing. “I thought it was already understood that the three of you share the crown.”

“It is, here,” Jade said. “In this room, among our allies… and our enemies.” She gestured vaguely outward. “But Outworld is bigger than this palace.”

She stepped a little closer to him. “The Tarkatans, the Osh-Tekk, the Shokan… they don’t sit in court every day. They see moments and actions, symbols of monarchy and leadership. Right now, the symbol looks like you… and me.”

Fenrir rubbed the back of his neck slightly. “Hmm…Alright. I see your point.”

Mileena tilted her head, watching Jade more carefully now. There was a flicker of something there, interest… maybe even approval. “Smart,” she muttered.

Jade gave her a faint smile in return. “Necessary.”

Fenrir glanced between the three of them again, then let out a small breath. “Okay… so—” he gestured loosely “—who wants to come with me?”

There was a brief pause. Then a chuckle from the side from Skarlet.

All three of them turned slightly. She didn’t elaborate, just shook her head faintly, as if amused by something she wasn’t saying.
Ermac and Reptile exchanged a puzzled look.

Mileena snorted softly. “Don’t look at me, Fen,” she said, raising both hands in mock surrender. “I would love to go with you… have you all to myself for a few days—”
She shot Kitana a sideways glance, just sharp enough to linger.

“—but,” she continued smoothly, “I actually have responsibilities for once.” She let out a small teasing sigh. “Tragic, I know.”

Kitana rolled her eyes, though there was a faint tension behind it. “You make it sound like a burden.”

“It is a burden,” Mileena replied sweetly. Then, a little quieter, just enough to carry. “Some of us didn’t grow up with the luxury of choosing when to play queen.”

Kitana’s expression didn’t change, but something behind her eyes did. A flicker, quick and sharp…one that could pierce a stone swiftly. Then it was gone just as swiftly, composing herself. “…We all play our part now,” Kitana said calmly, though her voice was just a touch tighter than before.

Mileena smiled beneath her veil. “Of course we do.”

Fenrir cleared his throat lightly. “Right… well. We probably shouldn’t keep Kotal waiting either way.”

“No,” Mileena said, stepping back slightly. “You shouldn’t.”

Kitana exhaled slowly. “…I guess that leaves.” She said it like a conclusion, but not quite like a choice.

Jade tilted her head, studying her. Then smiled, softer this time. “You say that like it’s a punishment.”

Kitana glanced at her. “It’s not—”

“It’s not,” Jade cut in gently. “You’ve been restless for days.” A faint smirk tugged at her lips. “Ever since we finished clearing the **** districts, you’ve barely stayed still.”

Mileena chuckled. “She’s been pacing around the castle like a caged bird.”

“I have not—”

“You have,” Mileena cut in, amused. “It’s actually kind of adorable.”

Kitana shot her a look. “I am not adorable.”

Jade laughed softly. “You are when you pretend you don’t want something.” Kitana opened her mouth, then stopped because they weren’t wrong.
She did want to go.

Not just for politics… not just for appearances.

But for him. For time away from the court. From the tension. From… everything.

Her gaze shifted to Fenrir for just a second longer than necessary.

She smiled warmly at her best friend; she knew that she needed this. “It’s a win-win situation if you ask me, you get to enjoy our husband for a few days for yourself”

Mileena chuckled at Jade’s comment. “Perhaps she doesn’t like the Osh-tekk that much.” She added, making Jade laugh slightly.

“That’s not true! I have nothing against them!” Kitana looked irritated at this point. Then she straightened. Trying to remain composed, “…Fine,” she said, more composed now. “I’ll go.”

Then, quieter…almost **** to admit it, yet a soft smile crept underneath her masked veil…She actually really wanted to have a moment together like this.
Maybe she would have a greater chance to learn more about him. “It would be… beneficial.”

Mileena smirked. “Mmhm. Beneficial.”

Kitana ignored her.

Fenrir smiled, genuinely with warmth and care. “I’d love that,” he said simply.

That… caught her off guard more than anything else.

For a brief moment, her composure slipped, just a hint of a smile beneath her veil. She didn’t admit it to herself yet, but she adored the sound of his voice. It warmed her heart, his voice soothing to her ears yet resonant. His words always lingered longer inside her heart.

Jade noticed her friend’s smile; she knew that look. It was one she shared in that exact situation.

Mileena definitely noticed, and she just smirked seeing her sister also being charmed by him. It was a cute scene to watch play out, especially with Fenrir never realising the power of his words and presence on them.

Neither said a word; instead, they allowed Kitana to enjoy him as much as they did.

“Then it’s settled,” Jade said, clapping her hands softly once. “Kitana goes with you, I stay and deal with the administrative matters, and Mileena handles tomorrow.”
“Busy, busy,” Mileena muttered with a grin.

Fenrir let out a breath, shoulders relaxing. “Well… that worked out easier than I expected.”

All three of them looked at him.

He blinked. “…What?”

Jade laughed first, and Mileena followed. Even Kitana let out a quiet breath of amusement, forming into a giggle that she hid with her hand.

“You’re cute,” Jade said.

“Adorable,” Mileena added.

Kitana shook her head faintly. “I have to agree here.”

Fenrir shook his head, yet smiled at them. Adoring seeing them laugh, “You three are the worst.”

“We are perfect,” Mileena shot back, giving him a teasing touch on his chin. “You should start working your way to our level, handsome.”

He laughed despite himself. “…Alright,” he said, glancing toward the doors. “Now that we’ve decided the fate of Outworld’s political image…”
He paused.

“…Anyone else starving?”

Jade chuckled. “Perhaps a little.”

Mileena nodded immediately. “Yes.”

Kitana hesitated, then gave a small nod as well. “Lunch sounds… nice.”

“Good,” Fenrir said. “Because I am not making another decision until I eat something.”

“That might be the wisest thing you’ve said today,” Jade added.

“See?” he pointed at her. “I’m improving.”

“Debatable,” Mileena muttered.

They began walking together, their steps falling into an easy rhythm as they headed toward the dining hall, voices blending, teasing, overlapping with small laughter.

“I will never get accustomed to that,” Syzoth muttered, stepping forward slightly as the doors closed behind the emperor and his queens. His reptilian eyes lingered where they had stood, the faint echo of their laughter still hanging in the air.

Skarlet leaned back against one of the tall stone columns, idly spinning a dagger between her fingers. “You’re not supposed to,” she said, almost absentmindedly. “It is strange.”

There was no judgment in her voice. Just… observation.

Ermac stood beside her, arms folded within his wrappings. “You say that,” he noted, voice low and even, “yet you sound… unsurprised.”

Skarlet shrugged one shoulder. “I got used to it.” A faint pause. “Or at least… I stopped questioning it.” She glanced toward the doors. “He’s Kahn. If that’s how he rules, then that’s how it is.”

Syzoth let out a quiet breath through his nose. “It is not the ruling that unsettles me,” he said. “It is how… effortless it looks.”

That drew a faint, humourless smirk from Skarlet. “You preferred the screaming? The executions?” she asked dryly.

“No,” Syzoth replied. “I understood those.”

Ermac inclined his head slightly. “Peace is… unfamiliar here.”

Skarlet stopped spinning the dagger for a moment, catching it by the hilt. “Yeah,” she said under her breath. “That’s one way to put it.”

A small silence settled between them. Then Ermac turned his gaze toward Syzoth. “You have something on your mind.”

Skarlet’s eyes followed immediately, sharp again. “You always do when you sound like that,” she added, tone lighter, but there was an edge beneath it. “Go on. Say it.”

Syzoth didn’t answer right away. His gaze shifted briefly toward her, his eyes narrowing.

Skarlet caught it…And didn’t like it. “…Don’t look at me like that,” she said, her voice cooling a few degrees. The dagger stilled in her grip. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

Syzoth narrowed his eyes slightly, not in anger, but in restraint. “Do not mistake me, Skarlet,” he said, his tone firm, grounded. “My loyalty is not in question.”
The air felt on edge between them.

“Good,” she replied flatly. “Because I wasn’t asking.”

“I am loyal to Fenrir Kahn,” Syzoth continued, unshaken. “Without hesitation.” His voice carried quiet conviction now. “In a matter of weeks, he has done more for Outworld than Shao Kahn did in millennia. I believe his potential is unlimited if he follows the path he’s on.”

Ermac gave a slow nod. “As do we.”

Skarlet studied Syzoth for a few seconds longer, her gaze sharp, searching for any crack. Then, slowly, her shoulders eased. “…Alright,” she said. “Then we’re on the same page.”

“For the most part,” Ermac added.

Skarlet glanced at him. “…What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ermac didn’t hesitate. “Your focus.”

That was enough to put the tension right back.

Skarlet’s eyes narrowed. “Be specific.”

“We have observed you,” Ermac said calmly. “During court, during patrol and during guard rotations.” A slight tilt of his head. “Your attention… lingers.”
Skarlet’s grip on the dagger tightened, just slightly.

“…On him,” Ermac finished.

Ermac’s words came like a hammer strike, powerful and clear. Silence fell for a moment…Then.

“Oh,” Skarlet let out a short breath through her nose, something between a scoff and a laugh. “That’s what this is about?”

“It is a valid concern,” Ermac replied.

“Concern?” she repeated, turning to face him fully now. “You think I’m going to betray him because I look at him?”

Syzoth stepped in before it escalated. “That is not what we are saying.”

“Then speak clearly, Zaterran,” she shot back, sharper now.

Syzoth held her gaze. “You are loyal,” he said. “We do not question that.”

“Then what?”

Syzoth didn’t raise his voice when he asked it, but the bluntness of it cut clean through the air. No build-up, no softening, just truth, placed between them like a blade on a table.

The room seemed quieter for it.

Skarlet didn’t answer immediately.

Her fingers, which had been idly spinning the hilt of her dagger, stilled. The faint scrape of metal against her glove died with it. Her shoulders remained squared; her posture perfect… but there was a pause. A fracture in the rhythm she always carried.

“…Why would you care what I feel towards him?” she asked at last. Her tone came out even, controlled, but there was something beneath it now. Not quite defensive…****. This feeling was unfamiliar to her, raw in a way she didn’t fully understand herself.

Ermac spoke next, as expected, measured, detached.

“Because feelings distort judgment,” they said plainly. “And distorted judgment leads to failure. He does not need followers blinded by sentiment; he needs clarity in who he trusts.”

Skarlet’s eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze flicking toward him like a drawn blade.

“Good thing I’m neither blind nor foolish,” she replied, cool and sharp. “I know where my loyalty lies.”

Syzoth didn’t look away from her.

“That’s not what we’re asking.”

His voice softened, not weaker, but… more grounded. Humans, believe it or not, in a way, rarely allow themselves to be.

“We’re asking if your loyalty is changing shape.” Reptile stepped in, quieter than the others, but no less firm. “Do you see him differently than you see us?” he asked. “That’s all this is. No judgment and no accusation. What’s said here will not leave our ears.”

Skarlet’s gaze dropped, just slightly. Not enough to look submissive… just enough to break that unyielding line she always held.

Skarlet stood quietly for a few seconds. Not because she didn’t have an answer, but because she had too many.

Deep down… she knew they were right. That was the problem.

She had grown close to him in these past weeks, closer than she had ever allowed herself to be with anyone. It wasn’t just proximity. It wasn’t just duty. It was something else, something unfamiliar and unsettling in the quietest way.

She had never felt this seen… this connected to someone before.

Not as a tool. Not as a weapon. Not as something made to serve.

As a person.

That alone should have been enough to confuse her. But it wasn’t just that.

It was the way he spoke to her; simple things, meaningless on the surface. “Good morning.” “How are you?” Questions no one had ever asked her without expecting something in return. The way he would pause, actually wait for an answer, as if it mattered. As if she mattered.

At first, she hadn’t understood what to do with that.

Now… she found herself waiting for it.

Those small moments had become something she looked forward to, anchoring. It was real… And in a palace filled with deception and blood, reality was a dangerous thing to crave.

Her gaze lowered slightly, unfocused, as her thoughts drifted deeper.

It hadn’t stopped there. She had started noticing things she shouldn’t.

The way he carried himself was steady and grounded. The quiet strength in his posture. The warmth in his voice when he wasn’t giving orders. The ease with which he stood among monsters and never once treated them like lesser beings.

She knew, without a doubt, that if danger ever came her way… he would stand in front of it.

Not because she was useful. Not because she was his.

But because it was right. And that… that unsettled her more than anything.

Why would someone like him, someone with power, with purpose, with an entire realm resting on his shoulders, care about someone like her? It baffled her, yet made her even more curious about him; he was just that intriguing to her. A puzzle she could never put her finger on.

And then… There was the blood. Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around the hilt of her dagger at the thought. It called to her in a way she couldn’t explain. Not hunger, not entirely. Something… richer. Warmer and addictive, in a way that went beyond instinct. His presence sharpened her senses, steadied her thoughts, made her feel awake in a way she hadn’t experienced before.

Like standing too close to a flame and realising you didn’t want to step away.

Last night had made it worse. Seeing him like that, unguarded, bare-chested… it had sent something through her that she hadn’t been able to suppress since. Her breath had caught, her pulse quickened in a way that had nothing to do with combat. The urge to reach out, to touch, to feel the rhythm beneath his skin…She felt warm around him, her gaze lingered on his broad shoulders…his beautiful face and features. And sometimes…it lingered downwards, her mind giving her mental images that made her feel good below in her thighs, warm and aroused.

She could never grasp what was so different about his blood chemistry; it drove her mad, not from a mad curiosity standpoint but from interest. It was so intoxicating in a good way. It was as if she needed, craved, to be close to him…to feel stronger, better.

That need for blood disappeared and it only mattered his, it only mattered him to her then.

Last night, when she saw him bare-chested like that, her heart tightened. She felt him deeper and stronger than ever in her senses; he was so close to her, and it was driving her wild. She needed to touch his chest, to feel his veins that carry that insatiable itch that she couldn’t satisfy on her own anymore. It was hard for her to accept…but she was attracted to him. And she wished she were in the queen's position instead. But it wasn’t jealousy for them, just sorrow she couldn’t be as close as they were day and night.

“…Yes.” The word left her more quietly than she intended. Her grip tightened around the dagger for just a second, knuckles paling beneath the red-stained leather as she looked away, jaw set, as if bracing for impact.

Silence followed. Heavy but without judgment.

Syzoth’s gaze softened, just slightly. Not with pity, understanding. Ermac turned his head a fraction toward him, then back to her. Even without a face to read, the shift carried weight.

“Can you control yourself?” he asked straightforwardly.

Skarlet let out a slow breath through her nose, her grip loosening, just a little around the dagger.

“I…” She hesitated, the word catching in a way she wasn’t used to. “…I don’t know anymore.” Admitting it felt… wrong. She was exposed and ****… But also honest with herself.

Syzoth exhaled quietly, stepping in just a bit closer. Not threatening, just present.

“Listen,” he said, voice lower now, more measured. “This isn’t about him being weak or you being compromised,” he paused. “It’s about what happens when things get… complicated.”

He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing in thought rather than suspicion.

“Fenrir,” he continued, choosing his words carefully, “for all the power he carries… he’s still human. That matters; It means he can be hurt, misled and pushed to the brink mentally.”

Skarlet’s eyes flickered, but she didn’t interrupt.

“And right now? We don’t have the luxury of mistakes.”

Ermac inclined his head slightly, picking up the thread without missing a beat. “Outcomes are all that matter,” he said. “Victory ensures stability; Failure ensures extinction. Emotional compromise reduces efficiency in both.”

Syzoth shot him a brief look, half agreement, half you’re not helping, before continuing. “What he’s building… what they’re building,” he corrected, nodding faintly toward where the queens had left, “it’s the first real chance this realm’s had in a long time.”

His voice lowered further.

“And we’re walking straight into a war that’s going to try to tear all of it apart.”

Skarlet’s jaw tightened slightly.

. We are alone in this upcoming war, Skarlet. Actions will be taken… I don’t know if all of us will survive it either. But as long as he does with them, there’s a future for Outworld, and its people.” His tone was one filled with firmness and gravity. “Whatever happens, they must not win.”

Skarlet finally nodded, once firm. “I understand.” Her voice steadied, slipping back into something sharper, more familiar. “Then I’ll distance myself—”

Syzoth raised a hand, stopping her mid-sentence.

“No,” he said simply. That made her look at him. “I didn’t say bury it,” he went on. “Feelings don’t work like that. You try to **** them out, they come back worse.” He narrowed his eyes. “If anything, understand them. Control them. Don’t let them control you.”

Ermac’s voice cut in, precise as ever. “What is required is simple,” he said. “If the moment comes… You prioritise them over yourself. Without hesitation.” No poetry in his words, no comfort to be found. Only certainty.

Skarlet held his gaze for a second… then nodded again, slower this time.

“I know what I must do.”

“We know,” Ermac replied.

A short pause settled between them, but enough to shift the conversation. Reptile stepped forward slightly, voice quieter than the others, but carrying its own weight. “There is… one more concern.”

Skarlet’s brow furrowed faintly. “What?”

He hesitated, not out of doubt, but because of the weight of what came next.

“You will be inside the meeting with Mileena,” he said. “Closer than any of us…You need to make sure she isn’t… swayed.”

Skarlet blinked, taken aback by the statement. Then let out a small, disbelieving breath, something between a scoff and a laugh. “You believe she’d betray him?” Her tone sharpened, almost amused. “Allow me to differ on that; the girl is head over heels for him. The three of us know about that; they hardly cover their tracks.”
Syzoth didn’t smile this time. “That’s exactly why she’s ****.”

That wiped the amusement clean off Skarlet’s face. He let a second pass before continuing. “You’re forgetting something.” His eyes narrowed slightly, not at her, but at the memory itself.

“Something only a few of us know.” Skarlet didn’t speak, didn’t move. “…She was created to replace Kitana.” Syzoth words settled heavy and final in the room.
Skarlet’s fingers stilled completely around the dagger. For a moment, she didn’t breathe. Because that… that she understood. Just like the queen, herself was a flesh pit creation. Just like Syzoth, she knew Mileena’s backstory.

“And you think Shang Tsung would use that?” she said, voice lower now, more serious, “push that fracture until it breaks.”

Syzoth gave a small nod. He knew the sorcerer better than anyone. He knew how dangerous and cunning he could be if allowed “I think he won’t even need to push that hard; he will plant the seeds of doubt in her mind.”

A brief silence followed.

“What do you want me to do?” She asked, cold.

Syzoth answered first. “For now? Stay close to her. Closer than usual.” His tone sharpened again, back to strategy. “Listen and watch closely. If Shang Tsung makes a move, you don’t interfere. Not yet.”

Skarlet’s eyes flicked up.

“You let it play out,” he continued. “Then you report everything to Kitana. If Fenrir knows, then to him as well, he will be our only mediator if it comes to blows between the sisters.”

Ermac added, almost immediately, “Information must be directed where it produces the highest strategic value. Fenrir needs to be ready for when the time arrives, and it will arrive.”

Syzoth nodded faintly. “And after that… you keep observing. Carefully.”

Skarlet absorbed it all, silent. “And if she…” She paused, just briefly. Not out of fear, out of precision. “…if she actually turns?”

No one answered right away. Even Ermac didn’t speak.

Syzoth’s expression hardened, not cruel, not cold… just resolved. The kind of look that came after the decision had already been made.
When there was no changing it.

Skarlet felt it before he said it; Her grip tightened once more, and stillness took her shoulders.

“…Then,” Syzoth said quietly, “you will have to eliminate her.”