The sound of screaming wasn't heard in space, but Moriven Jaeger, the second general of the Sun-kissed, didn't need sound. He needed only velocity. His descent left a sonic ripple so intense that it shattered the sky itself—clouds splintered, ozone warped into violet flames, and friction caught the winds on fire. He dropped into Sable like a bullet made of hatred, striking its central city, Verinash, with such force that the crust of the planet cracked.
The buildings didn't fall. They melted. Glass didn't shatter—it liquefied before it could scream. Within seconds, the air became thick with radioactive soot. A trail of black ash and charred organs clung to the wind like burned paper confetti.
Moriven stood on the highest ledge of what was once the Sable Parliament Hall. His white suit remained untouched—pristine and regal—like he hadn't just extinguished twenty-five million lives. His goggled eyes scanned the horizon, and he grinned again.
His mercenaries, beastlike and metallic, tore through what little remained. They weren't just killing—they were scouring. Each of them had scanners on their wrists, searching the underground vaults and old ruins buried beneath Sable's ruins.
One of them found it: a glowing prism-like device tucked into an ancient casing. Not large—about the size of a coin—but pulsing with chaotic energy. Moriven didn't say a word. He just raised his hand, and the mercenary tossed the object to him and he caught it with mechanical precision.
A soft pulse hummed from within the object. Red, blue, gold. Shifting. He stared into it as though it was speaking to him. Maybe it was.
He tucked it into a concealed case within his chestplate. The skies over Sable began to cave inward. No one knew if it was from the atmospheric damage or the object's power—or Moriven himself. But the planet groaned. And then… Sable was gone. Just dust, a shimmer, and silence.
---
EARTH: In it's hollow hours,
Liu Kang soldered in silence. Sparks blinked over his goggle lenses as he hunched over the open casing of a neural disconnector. His tinkering room was filled with half-finished blueprints, caffeine-drenched mugs, and broken tools. The walls pulsed faintly—probably because of Ori's interference. Nothing felt stable anymore. Not even the metal in his hands.
His hands trembled again. A low ringing buzzed inside his skull, like an uninvited echo chamber. The red in his eyes hadn't gone away. He hadn't slept in two days, or maybe four. He didn't know anymore.
Master Dabo stood at the doorway, arms crossed, his expression stern yet deeply human. "Liu," he said, "You're cracking."
Liu didn't look up. "Good. Maybe then I can let him out."
"You won't survive it."
"Not planning to."
Dabo sighed and walked away. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a soul rot from the inside.
In the old Shira District, Nexen's device blinked to life.
"Got something," he muttered.
Arya rushed over, her eyes wide with rare hope. But as they scanned the sewer crevice, what they found wasn't Ori. It was a mark. A burn—a branded symbol embedded into concrete. The Blanka mark.
Arya touched it. It was still warm.
"He was here... but he left," she whispered.
They looked up at the black sky. Clouds gathered again, but they weren't natural. Something was warping the atmosphere—just like what had happened on Sable. Arya's pupils shrank.
"Something's coming."
Meanwhile, Fanguar stared down from the observation deck. The city below twitched with unrest. Birds flew in spirals. Machines jammed at the same second. Dogs barked in unison. Children cried and didn't know why.
And in the center of it all—Liu Kang, his thoughts tangled with Ori's.
Ori was getting stronger. Thought by thought. Neuron by neuron. He no longer whispered.
He now speaks inside Liu's mind.
"Your world ends soon," Ori said, his voice like ten thousand static channels crashing together. "You do not have an indentity"
"You, and your pathetic life will serve like a tool to me"
"You are just like every other worthless, useless, pathetic junk shit"
"All 16 years of living, just to end up licking my shoes and kissing my heels"
"Ant"
"Insect"
"A PIECE OF SHIT!!"
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" as Liu screams all while he is distressed and tired.
Dabo hears his call for help. And so he goes to his dearest friend, President.
Dabo informs President about Ori's whereabouts and asks him to help Liu get Ori out of him. President promises Dabo that he will help thoroughly for Liu, and for this city, perhaps even for this planet.