Kung Lao had come to the Wu-Shi Temple expecting a fight.

And he had found one in the Wraith, Scorpion, who had been awaiting their arrival.

The Revenant form of Jade also provided an unprovoked battle, having stepped in as back-up when Scorpion failed to take either him or Liu Kang down. And while they both had been informed about their Revenant futures beforehand, which had not been an easy truth to believe, actually seeing a Revenant figure for themselves was disturbing.

Jade had once been a beacon of faith and loyalty, and had also been a proponent of fair-fighting.

And to see her like that, gray-skinned and glowing, armored in Netherrealm fashion- corrupted by a combination of Quan Chi's and Shinnok's magic.

He didn't want to imagine what he himself might look like.

But he didn't have the power to prevent that- and soon enough, he too came face-to-face with this future's perception of himself.

And he hated it.

To think that this was his future before him- corrupted and glowing just the same as Jade had been.

This was not the life he had imagined for himself.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

He had won against Goro, restoring his ancestor's honor.

He was going to move on in the Tournament; he was going to face Shao Kahn and he was going to protect Earthrealm's sovereignty.

But to think now, just before he got yanked through the timeline, that he was only thirty seconds from having his neck snapped from behind instead; that wasn't how it was supposed to go, no matter what his literal future self was telling him.

Worst of all though, was that his Revenant form was proving to be a bigger challenge than he had anticipated.

Kung Lao blocked the swings his Revenant doppelganger threw at him, feeling each one slam into his gauntlets hard enough to vibrate the bones in his forearms. There was a pain that lingered behind each blocked hit, causing a numbing sensation to flood his fingertips and hands afterwards.

He dropped his guard once the opportunity to strike presented itself- only to feel a flash of hot pain as something tore across his face instead.

His footing stumbled as he was forced to back up in an attempt to recover, and he barely managed to do so enough to avoid a follow-up swing from the Revenant demon.

Managing to duck underneath the man's arm without recoil, Kung Lao moved to put room between them.

Fingers moved to his now throbbing cheek, feeling the hot blood running down his face now- and feeling the individual cuts that had torn through his skin like paper.

His Revenant-self had turned to face him now, and perhaps seeing his hand now pressed to his bleeding face, had raised the hand he had used to strike him with. And Kung Lao took note of the claws his Revenant-half bore on each finger. They weren't like the armored claws Jade's corrupted form had worn, which had also left a nasty cut on his right arm.

His Revenant-future's claws were natural; long and black, either naturally or painted- which both were weird enough on their own.

But considering just how badly the cuts were throbbing now, it wasn't like he could say they were a bad investment. He could only hope that they hadn't been poisoned or tainted- or anything else of that caliber.

There was no hesitation from his Revenant as the demon rushed him down once more- and despite him putting his guard up, Kung Lao felt the other man blow through it with ease.

A fist hit him square in the chest before the second one landed a gut-shot on him.

And even though he managed to keep his balance through the bombardment, able to keep up with the rushed fight, Kung Lao felt a hand still manage to grab him by the throat. His Revenant brought its knee forward and instead of an actual impact, he felt the armored spike on the demon's leg armor pierce through his left thigh.

The pain was hot, but there was barely a moment to focus on it before he felt the Revenant kick a leg out from underneath him before it slammed him into the ground.

Kung Lao could hear himself wheezing against the tiled floor, feeling the lingering, tight impression of fingers on his throat still; it had been a quick motion, one that still had his head rushing from the movement of, but he was just now realizing how tight the Revenant's grasp had been in those few seconds.

There was barely a moment to catch his breath as he started to get back to his feet, feeling the lingering weakness in his left leg- only to feel the sharp kick that landed against the back of his ribs. And he swore he felt them bend out of place for a moment, but thankfully refused to break.

The kick knocked the air out of him, but he rolled back onto his back to catch the next swing- only to feel the heel of a boot come straight down onto his chest. And he felt the weight that came immediately afterwards, pushing down against his chest-plate and diaphragm, making the next couple of breaths staggered.

The Revenant's other foot came around and pinned his left arm down by the wrist when he made the motion to counter, and he felt the weight threat to break it.

Not the best situation right now.

Kung Lao watched as the demon reached up and removed his hat, before he held it down towards him- spinning it against his palm now like a buzz-saw.

Didn't really take a genius to figure out how this was going to end.

His heart was racing and he could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he kept the movement of his right hand to a minimum- hearing his own hat, which had gotten knocked aside when he hit the floor, begin to spin just the same. He hadn't quite figured out the best point of attack right now, but all he needed was just one hit- just something to keep him alive for a little longer.

He could either do a broad shot to knock the demon off-balance, which should give him an opening.

Or he could risk it all and try to cut the man's hand off.

Might hurt himself in the process though.

Before he had the chance to act, Kung Lao watched as something made contact with the Revenant's chest, and the hefty 'clink' that followed implied how hard the object had hit the demon's armored chest-plate.

He felt the pressure on his left arm disappear as the Revenant stepped back to catch his balance. And it was the opening he needed as he brought both hands to the leg planted on his chest and used his own force to roll and knock the legs out from underneath the Revenant.

With the Revenant down, Kung Lao scrambled to get to his feet- feeling himself slip on his own blood before he managed to get back up. His left leg was throbbing and shook under the weight; he wondered just how deep the impalement had been. Backing away to give himself some room, he tried to figure out what his next plan of action was going to be- especially with his leg in the condition that it was.

Unfortunately, his Revenant was up just as fast as he was, sparing no wasted time to get back into it.

Especially now considering that there seemed to be a third challenger here.

Kung Lao kept his eyes on his Revenant-half, watching as the demon turned to face the new challenger instead. He watched as the Revenant blindly held a hand out to his side and summoned his hat back to him, collecting it from where it had been knocked aside.

He really hated that he recognized the motion; it just kept hammering in the fact that this thing in front of him was really him.

And Kung Lao watched as fingers gripped the hat a little too tightly, going almost white-knuckled as red eyes widened in the same manner his had at his Revenant's first appearance.

He figured it was Liu Kang; the man's doppelganger must not have been too difficult to defeat.

"This is not an easy sight to partake in."

But the voice that called out was not Liu Kang's.

Kung Lao looked up as a figure moved past him before the figure moved to stand in front of him- putting themselves between him and his Revenant-half, creating a barrier.

Whoever this was, it sure as shit wasn't his partner.

But who else would be here? All of the inhabitants were slaughtered out front and no one else was permitted in this back area.

That was when his eyes landed on the dragon emblem on the man's back; a familiar-looking symbol that he had often wore himself.

His Revenant was distracted for the time being, and with the figure in front of him for safety, Kung Lao spared the moment to look the new challenger over- curious for who this new fighter would be now. If this person had managed to make it back here and avoided the traps, then they knew how the Wu Shi Temple worked, which possibly made them a Shaolin themselves.

The figure had a braid that hung halfway down his back; each crossing section was a mix of black and gray hair, implying that the man was well into his older years. But the broad shoulders and obvious biceps were a hint that the man's age wasn't slowing him down either.

And then he watched as the man held a hand out to one side, mimicking the same gesture as his Revenant-half, mimicking the same gesture he had always done.

And he watched as a bladed hat was summoned back to the figure's hand.

Kung Lao felt a cold feeling rush over him at the sight, before he spared a look to his Revenant-half, who seemed just as equally put off by the motion- and he wondered if they were sharing the same expression now.

There was hesitation before he forced himself to step around the figure and work his way around the man.

He needed to see.

He needed to know who this was.

Holding his breath, Kung Lao stepped around the man to get a look at him finally- and felt that sensation like his world was collapsing around him again.

The man was physically older and a little more refined in how he dressed, but the red-and-blue tunic was a giveaway, as was the metal bracers- and the shin guards that ironically matched the design on his own bracers.

There was no denying who the man was.

It was him.

Again.

But how was he here, as an old man, if this Revenant form was his future?

"How predictable I still am," the older version of himself spoke, as he fitted his hat back on- finessing a look he still clearly harbored well throughout the years. "And look at you," he continued, settling his attention on his Revenant form, "- still the way you are."

"What kind of trick is this?" his Revenant-half pressed, looking more and more unnerved by the minute.

"I've been asking that myself all morning," his older version replied. "Best guess is that Kronika's playing with your timeline, and in her attempt to gather allies from the past, she pulled out more than she bargained for. She's merged the past and the present together, bringing you two to face, but somehow in her attempt to play the God's hand, she's disrupted more than just the forwards and backwards of time."

There was a pause in the man's words, and already Kung Lao felt like he was losing track of what was being said.

"Time doesn't run as a linear game, and for a Titan like Kronika, she should've known that. So either this was part of her plan from the beginning, or maybe just a happy little accident on her behalf."

"You're not making any sense," Kung Lao finally spoke, and he was aware of just how quiet his voice was when he did. Once more he looked from the older, calmer version of himself to the glowing Revenant half that stood apart from them and then back again.

Seeing one future was enough- but a second one?

At least he seemed to have his shit together in whatever timeline the new guy came from.

At least he wasn't dead.

"How are you me if he's also me?" he questioned, pointing to his Revenant as he spoke. "Where did you even come from?"

His older half finally looked at him, making eye contact with him- and he swore there seemed to be a smile on the man's face, if only for a few seconds anyways, before he turned back to his Revenant.

"Technically, I'm from an alternate timeline," the man spoke.

"A- what? An alternate timeline?" Kung Lao repeated, unsure if that even made sense when he said it aloud. But his older self nodded as though it was the simplest answer to understand. His head was racing trying to put together a puzzle that didn't have all of its pieces just yet. "Okay so, I- we- I didn't die in your timeline then? I don't turn into that thing?"

"He's not a thing," his older self corrected, and there almost seemed to be this bite in his words when he said them. The man shook his head before he looked back to his Revenant half, who had gone oddly quiet now. "We still die at the Tournament," he spoke. "We still turn into a Revenant- but we don't stay as one."

And the words seemed to snap his Revenant-form back to attention.

"What do you mean you don't stay?" the demon questioned.

And there was this sense of disbelief in his tone.

"I've only heard a few words in passing of how things have progressed in this timeline," his older-self spoke. "In this timeline, only Grandmasters Hanzo and Kuai Liang, as well as Jax were rescued during the siege on Quan Chi's fortress."

The man paused as though awaiting confirmation, to which Kung Lao only shrugged.

"That's correct," his Revenant nodded.

"In my timeline, we were all there," his older-self continued. "It was a close battle but in the end, Earthrealm forces prevailed and Quan Chi's magic was destroyed- freeing all of us and putting the Netherrealm war to an end. We had only been Revenants for five years by that point, myself included. How long has it been for you?"

The pocket of silence that followed the question convinced Kung Lao to spare a look towards his Revenant-half now.

And there was hesitation to be read from him now.

"Twenty-seven years."

He swore he saw his older version flinch at the answer, as though he himself took the words hard.

"I'm sorry."

As odd as it seemed to him, the words sounded genuine towards his Revenant-half, who once more seemed as equally put off by them as Kung Lao was.

But it didn't take long before the Revenant straightened himself back up.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" the demon pressed. "You expect me to believe that you were ripped from an unaffected timeline and just happened to find yourself here? And that you were once the same as me?"

"Do you doubt me?" his older form pressed in return. "Because if so, ask me whatever you think might help to sway you."

Kung Lao watched as his Revenant-half eyed his elder half over, showing a sense of distrust immediately- as though put off-guard by the answer and hesitant to go through with the challenge. For a moment, he wasn't convinced that the demon would actually do anything; nothing more than possibly bait his older half into a motion that would leave him open to attack.

"Here, I'll do you one better," his older-half spoke instead, as he stepped forward and held his right arm out for the Revenant to see. His other hand pulled up on his long sleeves, revealing his upper arm- revealing how it was littered in pale-white scars, twisted and curled over his skin. The scar tissue had knotted in a way that it protruded just slightly outwards, making each scar more and more apparent.

It didn't hold much significance to him.

At least not until Kung Lao watched as his Revenant counterpart touched at his own arm- fingers grazing across one of the carvings that glowed on his skin.

And the sight was enough to trigger the significance of the act.

Each scar on his older self's arm mirrored where one of the carvings was on his Revenant's arm.

And there were too many of them to be considered a coincidence.

"And if that's not good enough for you," his older half continued, "you still got that scar on your face, don't you?"

Kung Lao watched as his older half touched fingers to his left cheek- and watched as his Revenant-half hesitated before touching the same spot. And there was this look of realization on the demon's face, as though he already knew what the other man was going to say.

"We were all in a bad place, but to be honest, Kitana was a bit of a bitch when she was dead," his older half spoke. "Or perhaps it was just us running our mouth at her. She stabbed us through the cheek with one of her fans, didn't she? And if we hadn't already been in the middle of talking, it would've broken our teeth- although it did almost sever our tongue when she pulled the fan out."

"How did you-"

"Like I said, I've been in your shoes before," his older half interrupted. "Anything from the first five years in the hell pit, we share as memories. Does that convince you any?"

His Revenant counterpart seemed to hesitate once more. "Okay... so you're me," he eventually spoke. "But what difference does it make? You're not me anymore- and you're not even from this timeline."

"Well, the idea I had in mind was that if I can connect with you and get you to understand me, then I can stop what you're doing here," his older self replied. "Kronika has sold you on an idea that she cannot and will not adhere to- and I cannot allow you to follow her."

"And just how do you know this?" his Revenant pressed.

"Raiden has said-"

"Raiden?!" his Revenant half interrupted with a spit. "The man who got us killed?!"

"Raiden wasn't the one who snapped our neck!" his older half countered, with an equal bite. "I get it, okay? You're still mad, you're still angry- and trust me, this isn't something you get over with easily. I was mad for a long time, but it didn't solve anything- if anything, it made things worse. You never really get over it, but you learn to accept it and move on."

"Wait, so Raiden did get us killed?" Kung Lao spoke, interjected himself into a conversation that had been talking over him.

And he watched as his older half glanced to him, a mixed look of exasperation and defeat on his face.

"It's more complicated than that," the man replied, before he looked back to his Revenant, "- and you and I both know that. This isn't what we should be focusing on anyways, I just need you to trust me on this."

"You've given me no reason to-"

"No reason to- I AM you," his older half interrupted. "I'm not you in this timeline but I am still you- just like how you're him and I'm him too."

It felt like this was the first time Kung Lao himself had actually be recognized in the conversation- without having to jump in and interject. Not that he had much he wanted to say outside of the topic about Raiden, which seemed to be off the table for now. Well, actually there was still a lot he wanted to discuss, a lot he wanted to know; it was just the matter of wrapping his head around this whole thing.

So he died in the Tournament, got resurrected by Quan Chi and served as one of his Revenant minions with the others, which he still didn't know how any of them perished- and then something about serving Shinnok somewhere in-between that?

And now there was something about Raiden being involved in his death, even though Shao Kahn was the one who snapped his neck?

But now his other, alternate future self was here saying the same thing but in a different order? And with a different outcome?

Part of him just wanted to leave and leave this mess for someone else to figure out.

"You can still have what I have," his older half spoke, "there's still time for us to fix this."

"Kronika has that time-"

"Kronika won't fix this," his older version interrupted once more. "Do you think this is the first time she's reset the timeline? Do you think this is the first time that we've died? If she gave a shit about us than neither of us would be here having this discussion. But it has been an endless cycle of us dying over and over again- maybe it's not always at the Tournament, but it happens somewhere down the line, and it's always before we get what's ours. Kronika isn't here for us; she's here for herself- for control and power. She'd no sooner wipe the timeline than she would wipe us from existence entirely. She's just using you to get what she wants and she's willing to play whatever role she has to in order to get you to protect her."

Kung Lao watched as the glowing energy under his Revenant's skin intensified, flaring up now through the carving in his skin.

"And what says that you have a better plan?" his Revenant snapped.

"Don't flare up like that, you're putting out dark energy," his older half spoke, although it did absolutely nothing to stop the Revenant from doing so. "We go back to the beginning, back to where this started." His older version paused before he turned towards him. "We send you back to where you belong, but this time with the knowledge of what we know now. We prevent the things in motion from happening. Shao Kahn snapped our neck because we didn't know what he had planned- but we do now, and we can prevent the first death from happening. And from there, we prevent the others from happening too- and we keep building. We take out Shang Tsung before Shao Kahn kills him and gives the power to Sindel, from that alone we save everyone who dies at her hands. We build our numbers and we gain more along the way. No deaths, no Revenants- Quan Chi has no army, no Netherrealm war."

"That doesn't guarantee-"

"Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing but the same death over and over again under Kronika's hand," his older version continued.

"Wait, Sindel kills everyone?" Kung Lao questioned.

"If nothing is guaranteed, then how do you get Kronika to send the past back into the past?" his Revenant countered. "She's the only one who can do that. If she doesn't succeed in reversing time then the past is stuck here, where the events you're trying to stop have already taken place. Do you intend on getting to her Hourglass? Do you even know where it is?"

"Stepping stones, brother," his older half replied. "We'll get there when we get there."

"I'll take that as a no then."

"Okay, can we take a moment here and focus on me and what the hell I'm supposed to be doing," Kung Lao interrupted, as he stepped in- still tired of not having a voice in a conversation between literally two versions of himself. "I'm in the future now, and from everything I've gathered, it sucks, but your idea is to send me back into the past with the memories of now so I can prevent myself from becoming some kind of Revenant Warlord?"

"Executioner," both his older version and his Revenant version corrected.

Kung Lao was caught off-guard by the synchronized response and watched as the other two both looked to one another afterwards.

"I hated that," he spoke. "What do you mean Executioner?"

His older version sighed and scratched at his jaw, bringing attention now to the stylized facial hair he had grown out. "We served as Quan Chi's Executioner," he answered, looking almost pained when he said the words. "We usually just killed demons, but we were good at it- and thankfully, at least for me, it never went past that."

"I serve as the Emperor's Executioner now," his Revenant-half spoke.

"Emperor?" It was now his and his older version's turn to parrot one another.

And his Revenant half really didn't seem to appreciate the motion.

"Liu Kang," his demon half answered.

"You know what... he can have that title," Kung Lao replied.

His older version shook his head, looking just slightly amused. "Liu Kang is going to hate hearing that about himself," the man remarked, before he turned to put his attention back towards their Revenant form. "We can solve a lot of problems with this solution, when we figure out how to pull it off," he continued, making a pointed remark at the demon. "But my main concern is you."

When the older man took a step forward, Kung Lao was surprised to watch as his Revenant form took a step back in response.

He was keeping equal distance between them, which was also a common mimicking technique he used- in fact, it had been the one he used just before starting the fight between them..

"You can still fight this. I know what it's like to be you- it's Hell and it's not who you are."

"Do you though?" his Revenant-half questioned. "Do you really know what it's like to be me?"

"No, I suppose not entirely," his older version admitted. "You're far worse off than I was, but I think I still know how you feel."

"And how is that?"

"You've been a Revenant for so long, longer than I ever was, you probably don't remember who you used to be before," his older version started. "And if you can't remember who you used to be, then your friends certainly won't either. And even if they did, you haven't been that person in so long, it doesn't even matter. They wouldn't want you back, not after everything you've done; they'll just continue to see you as a monster. So even if you have the smallest chance to be human again, what's the point, right? It won't be worth it- because nothing will be the same and you've already wasted your life. You'll never be able to regain even a shred of the humanity that you had before."

Kung Lao felt his skin itch at the words.

He hated to think that was even a thought process that he would have to go through- that anyone would have to go through.

He watched as his Revenant form's expression shifted, twisting into a look he couldn't quite describe other than pained, and even then it only lasted a brief second before it was gone. But it was enough to confirm that everything his older half had said was true.

And the hesitation gave enough of an opening to allow his older form to get closer without his Revenant-half maintaining the distance kept.

"I've been in your place and I can tell you exactly how it goes," his older half continued. "You will remember who you used to be before. The memories are slow to come back and each day feels like another identity crisis, but you eventually get there. And it's very liberating when you do, because for a minute, you get to feel normal again. And your friends remember you for who you were, who you will be again; I can assure you that they've missed you and that they'll recognize you the moment they see you- and it won't be as monster. You'll find out that they share a lot of regret for what happened, and in a very surreal way, they'll ask you for forgiveness instead. You do apologize for everything but they tell you it's not necessary; they know it wasn't you behind everything."

His older version paused and seemed to share the same, pained sort of expression as his Revenant had held.

"I'll be honest, your life won't be the same as it was before, and it takes a long time to recover from it, but you eventually get there. You'll make something new for yourself and... it'll be just as good."

It looked like his Revenant form was going to say something but couldn't quite piece the words together.

And instead, the possessed man opted to remain quiet.

"You're tired and you're scared, but above all, you just want to go home again."

There was this staggering sense of stillness between them and Kung Lao found himself not even wanting to breathe lest he break the hold between his two future selves. He didn't like the conversation; he didn't like how he was having to envision and come to terms with his future- but if they could come together like this, then maybe there was hope.

Maybe he didn't have to die.

And... if they could stop his death, then maybe they could stop everyone else's too.

"That's your life," the Revenant spoke, and his voice was oddly quiet- soft even. "Five years doesn't compare to mine."

"It doesn't," his older version agreed, "but that doesn't mean you have to give up on it."

His Revenant seemed to hesitate before he took a step back.

"I know they're calling for you," his older version started, causing the Revenant to pause. "If you go back to them, you rejoin the hivemind- and I can't guarantee that you'll ever get this close to freedom again. You're at your strongest when you're away from them; if you go back, you're just another mindless drone."

Kung Lao swore for a moment it looked like his Revenant was going to keep backing up.

And maybe he would have if his older version didn't hold a hand out for the demon to take.

"I can help you," his older self assured, "- if you do this for us, we can help the past, and we can both make sure that this won't happen, that this won't be our future ever again."

He watched as his Revenant's eyes looked to the hand in front of him before they glanced to him- and Kung Lao felt a cold chill run down his back; he felt his blood run cold before the Revenant looked away, looking once more towards the alternate future in front of him.

Kung Lao felt himself hesitate before he stepped forward, aligning himself with his more hopeful-looking future. "I can't imagine what you've been through," he started, "but I can tell you that it's not something I want to experience. And I don't think any one else who got pulled from my time want to go through it either. So... let me help you end this, and then you help me fix what went wrong with us."

There was a moment of stillness that lingered between them still, before his Revenant form moved to take his older counterpart's hand- and even then there was a second of hesitation before he fulfilled the motion.

He heard himself give out the breath he didn't know he had been holding- and his older version gave a sigh of relief as well.

"Good," his older self spoke with a nod, before he moved to clasp the Revenant's hand in both of his own- perhaps in fear that the demon might change his mind. There seemed to be a genuine look of relief on his face. "This will be the first step of many, but this is the hardest one to take- and you've done it."

His Revenant-half seemed to take little comfort in the words but nodded regardless.

"Okay so... what do we do now?" Kung Lao questioned.

As much as he wanted to fix the ongoing issues here, there was still some reluctance in accepting the situation as it was. He still didn't like his Revenant half, but more in the cause of it than the person himself. But if doing this would help make his future better than what it was currently, than so be it. He couldn't back down now.

Anything was going to be better than what he had been facing before.

Kung Lao turned towards his older counterpart. "A bunch of us came from the past, so... did more of you come from this alternate timeline?"

"Yes," his older half nodded. "Raiden from our timeline picked up on the disturbance just before we were pulled away. I think he sort of knew what was going on, what was going to happen, but he didn't have the full picture of how bad it really was. We weren't supposed to be here, but we are now- and after learning about what was going on from the Special Forces in this era, we set out to try and catch up to ourselves. I was lucky that I knew how to find you so quickly."

Things just kept getting more and more complicated.

"Is there a Liu Kang version of you?" Kung Lao asked.

"He stayed back at the Special Forces base to get a better handling on what's been going on," the older man replied. "Speaking of which, we should head back and meet with him. I told him that I wouldn't be long."

"Who else is here?"

"Raiden, Kitana, Jade-" the man started.

"Kung Lao!"

He turned at the call of his name, as did the other two.

Kung Lao barely spotted his Shaolin counterpart over the cloud of smoke and rush of fire that was rushing towards him- and immediately knew what was going on. In the corner of his eye, he watched as his older self moved, positioning himself in front of his Revenant, and he moved to shield the older man, bringing his arms up to block the oncoming strike.

The solid impact of the flying kick hit him dead-on and he felt the floor move out from underneath him as he slammed back into his older self, and felt the both of them hit the floor seconds later.

The pain didn't register immediately, but it didn't take long before it felt like his lungs were on fire- having been partly crushed between his chest-plate and ribs. He heard himself cough, trying to work the first couple of breaths out, before he pushed himself to his feet. And once more, he was reminded of the still open wound on his left leg.

"Easy, easy," Kung Lao started, holding out a hand to stop the other man as he tried to work out his balance. "Just put the fists away."

When he did finally straighten up, he caught the confused, and maybe mildly concerned, expression Liu Kang shot at him. The man was looking a little more cut up and bruised than when they had first walked in- so maybe the fight with his own Revenant hadn't gone as easily as he had assumed.

Kung Lao could see the way the man flicked his eyes between him and his Revenant and then back again.

His Revenant hadn't so much as moved an inch, having avoided the flying kick from where he stood.

Also having two people jump in to act as a shield probably had something to do with it too.

"What are you doing?" Liu Kang questioned, and the quiet tone of his voice would've been humorous had his expression not been so serious.

And despite him telling the man to put his fists down, he clearly didn't listen.

"It's a long story," Kung Lao replied, before he gestured back towards his Revenant. "He's fine, don't worry about him- he's gonna ditch Kronika and join us instead."

Okay so, bad way to start that conversation off.

"Why?"

"That's a sensitive subject and I don't think you should ask him that," he remarked, which only drew a questioning look from his counterpart now. "Like I said, it's a long story- one that I still don't understand."

Kung Lao heard a subtle groan behind him and turned enough to watch as his older counterpart pulled himself to his feet now, a hand rubbing at his chest- more than likely where the impact had been transferred.

"It's been awhile since I've been hit by one of those," his older self spoke.

And Kung Lao turned back to watch as Liu Kang's eyes moved from him to his older self and then back again- and then to his Revenant. Each time he seemed to be examining their faces, slowly coming to realization at who was standing in front of him in three separate bodies and from three different timelines.

"There's three of you," Liu Kang finally spoke.

"Well, you know me," Kung Lao started, drawing a brief look of ire his way before he turned to point at the other two, "and you've seen my Revenant- and this is apparently me from an alternate timeline."

"That doesn't-"

"No, it doesn't answer anything," he agreed, "but that's what's going on right now. "

Kung Lao swore he could already hear Liu Kang's blood pressure and anxiety raising the more he talked- and the more the man's eyes kept moving from one to the other to the other, desperately trying to make sense of it. It would be one thing if it was just him and his Revenant, or just him and his older self, but all three of them in one room was even pushing it for him.

And technically, they were all just... him.

"So this is the Liu Kang here," his older version spoke, as he stepped forward, looking at the younger man in admiration. "Look at you, so young, you look like a baby- and you're wearing an actual shirt too, maybe this timeline does have its perks."

Kung Lao wanted to laugh at the look Liu Kang had, a mix of both annoyance but continued confusion- but he decided to spare the man for now.

"We need to speak with Raiden," Liu Kang started instead, putting his focus back on him. "My Revenant and Geras took off with the Jinsei energy and there's no telling what Kronika will do with that kind of power."

Shit.

He had forgotten about the whole ordeal with the Jinsei energy.

Well, maybe they had made a decent trade off then.

Jinsei energy for one Revenant.

"But it seems like we clearly have bigger issues at hand here," Liu Kang continued.

"Brother, you're telling me."