Prologue: Awakening

In a secluded area within the Krimson Forest, a hidden cavern can be found within a mountain. Although it may appear that no living creature has ever stepped foot in this place, someone has made the cave his home. For a while now, a red dragon had been waiting and watching over its charge, which appeared to be a big stone that had weird symbols etched onto it. The beast slowly whipped its tail back and forth as it looked up at the ceiling, or at least its head was leaned back to face the ceiling. It was hard to tell what the dragon was looking at since its eyes were white with no pupils.

He had been in contact with someone over the years so he could be aware of what was happening in the outside world, but up until a few hours ago, the dragon had lost his connection with his comrade. This could be the sign he had been waiting for. Maybe it was finally time for the quest. Not knowing what else he should do, he looked over to the stone he had been guarding. His eyes slowly began to glow as he sent a telepathic message to the rock, causing the symbols to glow as well. After a moment, cracks began to form on the outside of the stone. With incredible force, someone busted out of the rock. A man.

Stepping out of the rubble, the man shook his head and tried to clear his mind. He was bald and wore an all-black outfit with a dragon tattoo on the left side of his face.

"Do not worry, Daegon. Your strength will return to you shortly."

The man, Daegon, looked up at the dragon. He widened his eyes in surprise when he realized someone else was there with him.

"Caro? What are you doing here?"

"Your parents asked me to be your protector until you awoken from your slumber. You are no longer in Edenia. It was decided that you would be hidden away in Earthrealm for you own safety as well as your brother's."

"My brother? Where is he now?"

"I am not sure of his exact location. Orin was assigned as his guardian, so only he knows of Taven's whereabouts."

"I see. What about my mother and father?"

"They both remain in Edenia to protect it from Shao Kahn. From what I understand, the emperor wishes to conquer the realm for himself."

Daegon stood silently for a moment to process what Caro just told him. The last thing he remembered was him and his brother being sent to his father's throne room, but after that...

"Take me to father, Caro. I must speak with him."

"I am going to send you to your father's temple. There, you will find an altar that must place your hand on. Your father will speak to you there and he will present you with a gift, a weapon for your quest."

"Wait... weapon? Quest? I do not understand."

"You and your brother must compete in a competition that will determine the fate of Mortal Kombat Kombatants. Whether they will be killed, or their powers nullified is up to whoever wins."

"Who are these... "kombatants"?"

"Allow me to show you, Daegon."

At that, Caro used his powers to project a holographic image in front of the young man. It looked blurry at first, but the picture soon focused and became clear. The image portrayed a battle between warriors from different realms.

"A long time ago, your mother, Delia, had a vision that foresaw a future where fighters who participated in a tournament known as Mortal Kombat would eventually engage in war. This war would lead realms being destroyed and many people being killed, including the warriors themselves. Some sought to protect their realms from evil while others wished to rule over the realms. The Elder Gods created the tournament to keep the balance among the realms, but Mortal Kombat will only lead to mass genocide."

"So... what exactly does this war have to do with this "quest" my brother and I must complete?"

"Both of your parents agreed that the warriors had to be stopped in order to stop this "Armageddon", but they could not agree on a method to accomplish that objective. Your mother, knowing that many of the fighters had good hearts, believed that they should just have their powers taken from them so that their fighting would not cause such cataclysmic results. Your father Argus, however, believed the only solution would be to destroy the kombatants altogether. It was then decided that you and Taven would be the ones to make that decision."

"Therefore, my parents created this quest, correct?"

"Yes, that is right. Near the end of your journey, you will have to fight against Taven using the armor and weapons your parents left you and whoever is victorious in that will face a creature of your mother's creation."

The image changed and depicted a humanoid being whose body was composed entirely of fire. Daegon looked at the creature in awe.

"What is this?"

"This is Blaze. Your mother created him as the final obstacle in your quest. Once you defeat him, you will not only gain his power, but you will become the new protector of Edenia in place of your father. You will become a pure god."

Daegon took a moment to process what Caro has told him. Armageddon, quest, Blaze... it was hard to believe, but the dragon had told him this himself and Caro has never lied to him.

"Alright, I believe you, Caro, but still wish to discuss this with Father. How do I get to his temple from here?"

As if to answer Daegon's question, a portal opened next to the red dragon. The gateway was red and a holographic dragon resembling Caro circled it.

"Walk through this portal and you will be teleported to the Botan Jungle. Within the center of the area, you will find Argus' temple and there he will answer any other questions you may have about the quest."

"Then I must be on my way. Thank you, Caro."

"Of course, son of Argus, and may the Elder Gods watch over you."

The demi-god gave a quick bow to the dragon before heading toward the portal, but before stepping through, the most sinister grin crossed Daegon's face.

Hey, guys. This is SonShaSil01. I just wanted to say thank you to those that read and reviewed my first fanfic, which is a Professor Layton fanfic. If you haven't checked it out, it's called "Professor Layton and the Prophecy of Angels." It is not finished yet, but I do intend to complete the story. I just wanted to put this idea out there, because it just popped into my head and I did not want to forget it. To be honest, I hated the way MK9 ending! They killed off my favorite character (which is Smoke by the way) in the stupidest way! I mean, he could've just turned into smoke so Sindel couldn't snap his neck, but NO! Sorry, I just had to get that out. Anyway, this story takes place during the MK9 storyline with Smoke as the main character. He just does not get enough love, man!