Chapter Text
"Quan Chi sends more demons?!"
Layara?
Syzoth found himself petrified as he locked gazes with the hauntingly familiar woman as she hurled herself at him with angelic fury. Normally an attack like that would have been easily sidestepped, thanks to his reptiloid instincts and reflexes. Perhaps it was the fact that this was the first time in more moons that he could count that he was allowed to have fresh air that made doing so difficult. But more likely, it was the fact that the sight of the woman with fury in her black eye caused his brain to run faster than he could keep up. The next thing he knew, he was on his back, doing his best to collect the wind that had been knocked out of him. In his stupor, she had knocked him back with a powerful kick propelled by wings made of pure golden light.
No, not Layara, he thought to himself. Focus, Syzoth. There will come a time when you can freely grieve. Not now though.
He moved back to join Baraka and stood silently as he listened to the conversation unfold. As explanations and apologies were exchanged and introductions were made, Syzoth couldn't help but trace the contours of her face with his eyes. Shang Tsung's abrupt revelation already left Syzoth in a pit of despair deeper than any he had ever wallowed in. Yet his already shattered heart was being ground into a fine powder in his chest as he took in the familiar yet foreign face. Could it be possible he was hallucinating the face of his deceased wife now over this poor woman's body? The feelings of remorse, grief, and being alone in this gods-forsaken world already interlaced themselves into every fiber of his being, but was it possible that it was bad enough that he was seeing things that weren't even there?
Her name was Ashrah, and she was a demon of the Netherrealm. Syzoth listened as she explained her story, how she once stood by the side of a sorcerer called Quan Chi but then turned against him. She explained what she knew about the plot Quan Chi was orchestrating, and the curiosity of Syzoth and his companions had been piqued.
"...it's to aid the designs of another sorcerer, Shang Tsung," Ashrah concluded her explanation.
Syzoth's heart threatened to fall through his ribcage. So that is who he has been working with all this time... But then if Ashrah had a distant relation to Shang Tsung...was it really so odd to think that this woman and Layara had some sort of connection?
No...that's crazy talk. No amount of wishful thinking is going to bring her back to me...Focus...
It was no surprise that this new development meant Ashrah would be joining their efforts. Or rather, they all would be joining hers. She seemed to have the best ideas on how best to carry on this mission that the Earthrealmers had been given. For Syzoth, this meant being torn between wanting to turn around and flee the longer he was around Ashrah, and wanting to stay close by her side and seeing what more he could gleam about her.
It was lucky that they were able to find Quan Chi close by. The heat of battle did wonders to help Syzoth get his mind off of his troubles. It was unfortunate that it came at the expense of the living forest. In the back of his mind, he noted that Quan Chi was strangely familiar, though Syzoth could not place why that was. Perhaps he had seen him walking up and down the halls at Shang Tsung's side in his laboratory. Syzoth rarely looked any of Shang Tsung's visitors in the face. While humiliation had been a tactic Shang Tsung employed against Syzoth, he still had a sense of shame in the face of others.
With Quan Chi incapacitated, the final step was to get to the portal that would take them to Earthrealm. Syzoth was quick to volunteer to scout Sun Do for an exit route. It would give him a moment alone to think and breath. With everything that had happened since Shang Tsung imprisoned the Earthrealmers, Syzoth was surprised he was of use at all right now. The news of Layara's and Kaiyon's deaths, his freedom having been achieved, being entangled in stopping a plot to conquering the realms, and now his off-putting acquaintance with Ashrah, it was enough to make his head spin. But he forced himself to keep going. The Earthrealmers...no...the realms needed him to do his part.
A plan was devised, the Earthrealmers and Ashrah would take Quan Chi in the direction of the portal while Syzoth created a diversion.
"To catch me, they must see me," Syzoth told his companions, using his Zaterran ability to turn invisible to illustrate his point. What was left of his heart fluttered when he saw Ashrah watch with fascination and admiration. He parted ways from them and went back out into the Sun Do, keeping invisible as he looked around for ways to cause a scene. He opted to start fires, using the lanterns and firecrackers in the surrounding. With any luck, they would all be put out before anyone got hurt.
Layara used to look at me like that...
As Syzoth went about his duty, he found his mind drifting elsewhere, to a simpler time.
The carnival had just taken him in and it was his first day among his co-workers. They were all to discuss what their next performance would look like, who would partner with whom, what order they would perform in, and what their acts would consist of. Syzoth had never performed a day in his life. If it weren't for the lack of options he had, he likely wouldn't be here now, among the men and women who were all eyeing him. Their eyes were spears, piercing through him, ripping into his soul and mind. Would they ostracize him the way every other warmblood did?
Each new recruit went through the process of introducing themself and what their act would be. Syzoth's heart pounded in his ears when it came time for him to do the same. He moved to stand in front of the other performers and their ringleader.
"I am Syzoth, of Zikandur," he started in as even of a voice as he could muster. He reached a hand up to touch his neck and his gaze drifted to the side. "I...can shapeshift." The light around him began to warp as his body grew in size and his skin became encased in green scales. His vision panned out over his audience. This was his true form, the one that matched what his fellow hatchlings looked like, and yet he felt exposed and vulnerable under their judgmental gazes. Some stared at him with horror in their eyes, others with disgust. The only exception was a woman sitting in the front with delicate porcelain skin and shoulder length deep brown hair. Her hazel eyes stared at him instead with a sense of wonder no one had ever given him before. He found himself frozen in place as their eyes locked. The woman glanced around before returning back to him and a warm smile spread on her lips. She held her hands up and patted them together in a small and quiet manner. At the time, he wasn't quite sure what that gesture was supposed to mean but with the encouraging look on her face, it must have been positive in nature. Incrementally, Syzoth felt his confidence grow. His gaze left her and moved back to the rest of the performers. "I can also become invisible." Once again, the light around him began to warp, this time leaving nothing behind. This earned him a few impressions that were astounded. People began to look around to try and see if they could figure out what optical illusion he had pulled to achieve that effect. The light around him warped once again and he returned to his humanoid form. "Those are the only skills I have. However, I would be willing to learn more within reason if it means I can stay here."
He then returned back to his seat, keeping his eyes on the floor as he sat back down. He felt eyes following him, but he didn't look back. Instead, he focused on his breathing, hoping to still his heart.
A searing pain to his arm snapped Syzoth out of his daydream and he plummeted down to the ground.
I've been discovered?!
Syzoth scrambled back to his feet and dashed away as fast as he could in spite of his pain. He needed to keep the attention off the Earthrealmers. It was nothing short of miraculous that Kenshi had been able to find him and aid him while he was being pursued. With General Shao, the constable, and the Umgadi having been subdued, the two of them made it back to the Earthrealmers and with not a moment too soon, they were able to cross over through the portal.
"Ashrah, and Syzoth," their leader, Liu Kang, inferred during their introductions.
"You know us?" Syzoth asked, somewhat uneasy. Perhaps there was a chance that this man with glowing eyes (could warmbloods have glowing eyes?) had seen him perform. But how would he know who Ashrah was?
"As Earthrealm's protector, there is much I know," Liu Kang responded. Syzoth regretted not knowing enough about realm politics to know if that was really true or not. But with everything else that had happened that day, it seemed anything was possible now.
After Ashrah informed Liu Kang of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi's alliance, the two of them were brought inside the temple walls to brief Liu Kang and the monks of everything they know.