-This is the bonus chapter of The Aftermath. Remember how in the author's note at the end of Chapter One, I said that Ermac's soul extraction will take place? Well, I forgot all about it, so here is the chapter that solely focuses on Ermac and the Edenians, as well as Nightwolf. Thank mkfreak123 for reminding me, or else I definitely would have forgotten.

After the Final Battle, the warriors returned to their respective realms. Those in the Edenian Aristocracy returned to the Royal Realm, as did the Lin Kuei and their significant others. Raiden and his Chosen Warriors returned to Earthrealm.

Sindel and Ermac had previously discussed that the soul extraction would take place once things had gone back to normal. With the Deadly Alliance and the Dragon King wreaking havoc, there was no time to perform the extraction ritual. It didn't help that the Battle of Armageddon took place, which created even more stress amongst the warriors, as they were afraid of dying. But thanks to Kuai Liang, everybody on the Forces of Light that had died during the Battle were resurrected. Nobody would be in any state of sadness, for the Forces of Darkness were dead and there was no one who could wreak any more havoc; nor had anyone lost a loved one.

Since everything was out of the way, and there was nothing stressful that would throw a wench in their plans, the Edenian Queen and the soul-construct could perform the ritual. Sindel had contacted Nightwolf some time after the Final Battle to tell him about their plans. The Shaman had agreed to do the ritual whenever Sindel had requested of it. The Edenian Queen was rather grateful to have a friend like Nightwolf. He was her 'go-to-man' whenever there was that the white-haired woman needed to be done that involved cleansing or purity based rituals, or else rituals of any kind. Nightwolf was happy to oblige; there was nothing keeping him back. The Shaman also liked helping an ally whenever he could.

Nightwolf couldn't remember how he became friends with Sindel. They had never really talked before; only through her requests had they gotten to know each other. During the Earthrealm invasion as well as the battles with the Deadly Alliance and the Dragon King, and the Battle of Armageddon, neither warrior had traded words. It was only when Sindel had requested something of him had they spoken. But from those requests they had a friendship blossoming. Nightwolf liked to be friends with people who were on the same side as he was.

The Shaman had headed over to Edenia through means of a portal Raiden conjured for him. Nightwolf headed over to the Edenian Palace, but not before taking in the beautiful scenery that surrounded him.

The grass in Edenia was green as could be. It was an emerald-like shade. Flowers were in the grass and they decorated tree branches. The flowers were white and laced with either pink or yellow. Lots of trees were in Edenia, almost in every corner you could turn to. If there wasn't a lot of trees in an area, then there would certainly be a lot of flowers in an area. But nobody minded that, for the scenery was quite relaxing. Near the Edenian Palace was a cliff that was the opening to a waterfall. The water as beautiful and fresh; it was as blue as the clothes Kitana wore, as blue as the ice Sub-Zero and Tundra were able to use, and as blue as the sky. The whole of Edenia was a beautiful place, and Nightwolf could not help himself but to take it in and be calmed by the beauty of the realm.

The Shaman headed into the Palace after having had his 'moment' with the nature that littered Edenia. Opening the doors to the large white castle, Nightwolf headed into the Palace to find Queen Sindel and her daughter sitting in the Thrones next to each other. Both women were co-rulers of their realm. Jade stood next to Kitana, presumably awaiting orders, and Ermac and Kenshi stood next to Sindel. When they saw Nightwolf, the Edenian Queen and Ermac approached him.

"Greetings, Nightwolf," The Queen said in her low voice. The soul-construct bowed to him. "Greetings, Queen Sindel, and Ermac," the Shaman replied, returning the bowing gesture. "Can you enlighten me a little about this 'soul extraction' process? I must know more about what is to take place, or at least what is desired to happen."

"In Ermac's body lies the soul of my husband, King Jerrod. If the souls that embody him that once belonged to other people are released, we may be able to restrengthen the Edenian Resistance. Ermac does have his own soul, which is what will remain of him after the process. I assure you that this process is not intended to eliminate him," Sindel explained.

Nightwolf nodded to show that he understood. "I see. I have brought a soul ether – a serum I use to perform soul-based rituals. The souls that comprise Ermac will be able to leave his body and become people again, and then Ermac will be able to be his own person. The ritual is to be performed at midnight tonight. I will be here until then."

"Excellent. We are to have supper soon. You are more than welcome to join, Nightwolf," Sindel kindly offered. The Shaman nodding, for he was hungry and had nodded eaten for a few days. The black-haired man had not had time for anything over the past few days, but after the Final Battle took place, Nightwolf had returned to his hut in Arizona and spent the entire day with his family and his tribe. That was the most fun day they'd ever had. Nightwolf was glad that he was the once responsible for their enjoyment.

The Edenian cooks burst forth into the Throneroom with food. The food consisted of Peking Duck, a whole chicken, veal cutlets, a salad, and other roasted vegetables. The feast was similar to how Nightwolf ate in his village, except his diet was evened out between meats and vegetables. The feast that he was going to eat in Edenia was mostly comprised of meat with very little vegetables. The Shaman didn't mind, however.

After at least an hour, everybody had finished eating, and the cooks had returned to collect the dishes and clean up. Sindel and Nightwolf were conversing until midnight, having drinks of wine inbetween. The Shaman insisted that he couldn't have too much to drink for he may perform the ritual incorrectly due to the state of intoxication that one too many drinks would bring about.

The clock read "12:00 AM" and Sindel turned her head to face Nightwolf and the drowsy looking Ermac. "Are you ready to perform the ritual?" Nightwolf nodded in response to the Queen's question. The trio headed outside into the cold, but it didn't matter for they weren't going to be outside for long.

At Nightwolf's command, Ermac consumed the soul ether and remained still as the Shaman chanted a mystical incantation. The souls that comprised Ermac's being flew out his body and materialised into their human form with the incantation. Soon, the souls that made up Ermac returned to their own body, and the soul-construct was soon in his own body. The Shaman was pleased with his work. Several warriors that would be fit to serve in the Edenian Resistance had been brought back, and Ermac was now his own person. More importantly, King Jerrod was back.

The King and Queen shared a tearful reunion. The new Edenian Resistance fighters headed into the Edenian Palace, whilst Ermac turned to face Nightwolf.

"What should I do now, Nightwolf? Where am I to go?"

"You should stay here in Edenia with Kenshi. You still have your place as an ally of the Royalty here. You still have your student with you, who I'm sure looks up to you like a brother."

The black-haired man pondered for a moment. He was now human-looking. His eyes were blue instead of green, and his voice did not buzz as he spoke. Ermac's voice sounded much better now, and was not distorted like it used to be. He did not have his powers, but that didn't matter to the once soul-construct. "You are right, Nightwolf. Thank you for your guidance." Ermac bowed to the Shaman.

Nightwolf bowed in respect before returning to Earthrealm. Jerrod and Sindel headed back into the Edenian Palace, as did Ermac.

May the realms forever know peace…

-I'm hoping that I haven't forgotten anything else. Gosh, I don't want to have any more chapters. This is truly the end of the story unless I have forgotten something else :/

Rebellion is on a brief hiatus for I am back at school. I hope to have two or three chapters done by the weekend.