Kitana: Moonlit Queen of War by Jade Gretz

https://www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai/art/Kitana-Moonlit-Queen-of-War-1217249344#image-1

Kitana: Moonlit Queen of War ANIMATION

Furnace of Thorns

The obsidian cliffs of Outworld rose like the ribs of a god long dead, their edges glowing with veins of molten fire. The air reeked of brimstone and decay, and in the distance, a single volcano pulsed with red light—breathing, exhaling plumes of ash like some colossal beast. Kitana stood upon the narrow ridge that led to its crater, her blue silks torn by the wind, her steel fans trembling faintly in her grasp.

The creature’s name was whispered even among the sorcerers of Shao Kahn’s fallen court: T’zulath the Furnace-Eater, a being said to predate Outworld itself. It slept in the volcanic depths, feeding upon the heat of the world’s core, and every few centuries it woke to hunt the living—to drink not blood, but the essence of those born of soul and beauty.

It was this thing that had begun devouring Outworld’s villages, their inhabitants found burned to white ash but untouched by flame. Kitana had seen their remains herself—husks curled like paper, eyes melted into glass.

Now she descended toward the volcano to end it.

The cavern mouth yawned like a wound in the mountain, ringed by stone that pulsed faintly as though it had veins. She passed through its throat in silence, her sandals whispering against ancient basalt. Shadows rippled along the walls, flowing as though alive, and the deeper she went, the warmer it became—heat seeping through her armor, sweat beading upon her brow.

Then came the sound.

A low, rhythmic pulse. Like the heart of the earth.

She followed it through twisting tunnels that glimmered with crimson crystals. The air was thick, heavy, breathing against her skin. When she entered the inner sanctum, the world changed.

The chamber was vast—so vast she could not see the roof. Lava rivers coursed through channels carved into a circle of obsidian monoliths. Between them floated a shape: human, yet not.

It was tall, skin like cooled magma, streaked with veins of light. Its eyes were twin furnaces. A mouth full of molten teeth opened as it spoke her name—not in words, but in a resonance that struck her bones.

“Kitana of Edenia.”

The name echoed across the chamber, vibrating the very stone.

She raised her fans. “I came to silence you, creature.”

It smiled. “You came to see me.”

A strange warmth spread through her chest. Its voice seemed to reach inside her—pulling on the threads of her thoughts. She steadied herself, eyes narrowing. “Your hunger ends tonight.”

“You speak as if hunger can end,” it murmured. “But I have waited for centuries, watching beauty vanish like smoke. You are different. You carry light within your shadow.”

Kitana’s fans snapped open with a metallic sigh. “Flattery will not save you.”

The being lowered to the ground. Its footsteps hissed against the black stone, and the air rippled where it walked. “You mistake me, princess. I do not wish to kill you. I wish to… preserve you. The fires that burn within me crave the cold perfection you carry. Beauty against ruin. Light within heat. Do you not feel it? The air trembles between us.”

Kitana’s heart thudded once, violently. There was something between them—an unseen tension that felt almost magnetic. It terrified her because part of her wanted to step closer.

“You speak of desire like it were hunger,” she said, voice low.

“It is both,” T’zulath said. “Once, I was the forge of creation. I shaped gods. I gave warmth to stars. Then Outworld fell, and the fire in me became a cage. Now I long for something pure enough to consume me.”

“Then you seek your own death.”

“Perhaps.”

They stood within the furnace glow, watching one another like reflections across a burning mirror. The air shimmered; the volcanic light painted her armor gold. The creature tilted its head, as though studying an art too intricate to comprehend.

“You fear the darkness, yet you wear it beautifully,” T’zulath said. “Why hide behind vengeance? Why not yield to what burns within you?”

“I yield to nothing,” Kitana said.

“Then you will break.”

The floor cracked open. Fire erupted upward in a tower of flame. Kitana leapt aside, spinning, fans whistling. Blades met molten claws; sparks danced like fireflies. The impact shook the cavern.

“Beautiful,” it whispered, striking again.

She darted beneath the blow and sliced through its chest—yet no blood flowed, only a burst
...(more at https://www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai).
For more supergirl, chun li, batgirl, tifa, lara croft, wonder woman, rogue and much more, please visit my page at www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai - Thanks for your support :)