Volume 1 Chapter 2 - Welcome to Hell

  The deep darkness that enveloped them after they passed through the portal was almost tangible. The boy felt its weight permeating every cell of his body. It wasn't just darkness - it was the very essence of the Underworld. A place of murder and eternal suffering.

  He walked next to Quan Chi, but his thoughts were not occupied with this sinister world. He felt the power flowing in his veins. He had the blood of Shinnok - a powerful god whose shadow loomed over him. The boy began to go crazy from this realization, but he controlled himself. This was his legacy. This was his destiny.

  "Your future is to free him, your father," Quan Chi's words echoed in his mind again. They did not leave him.

  Quan Chi walked next to him, confident as always.

  Quan Chi:

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Your power continues to grow. It has long since overflowed your vessel. It is a sign that you are close to becoming what you were destined to be."

  The boy was silent, but emotions raged inside him. He did not know who his "father" was, but Quan Chi continued to speak of it as if it were not just an abstraction, but something tangible. "Shinnok," his mind whispered. He knew that it was not just a name. This was the Lord of the Underworld himself, an ancient god that no one seemed to dare even mention out loud.

  When they reached the high walls of the dark citadel, Quan Chi stopped and looked at the boy with an elusive smile on his lips.

  Quan Chi:

  "Do you feel it?" he asked, and the boy felt the dark energy of the world around him begin to squeeze him, like an invisible grip. “This is your father’s magic. It is within you, and you must master it if you wish to achieve your goal.”

  Quan Chi:

  “You must free him,” there was no hesitation in his voice. “Only you, Valakas, can return Shinnok to his rightful place. Only you can free him from the shackles of the ancient powers.”

  The boy peered into the void, as if trying to discern what lay hidden in the shadows. He knew that his decision was more than a matter of personal choice. It was his duty, his responsibility. But how could he free a being that was a part of him, a part of his dark legacy?

  “But why me?” he finally asked. “Why me?”

  Quan Chi:

  “You… you are the strongest of all who were created. You are more than an experiment. You are our future. We have poured everything we had into your blood. Your purpose is to free him. You are his savior.”

  Quan Chi:

  “Come,” he said, stepping forward, and the boy followed. The journey was only the beginning. He did not yet know what lay ahead, but something in his heart whispered to him: “You are ready.”