“I know one thing, I’ll never play this game.” Kuai Liang @ Bi-Han
“Oh, but you will, brother,” said the whispering wraith, teasing at the bonds which held the yet living kryomancer. He had not begun his dark work, not physically. Psychologically, of course, the creature formerly known as Bi-Han had been torturing Kuai Liang for years. This was only a culmination, given to him by his generous benefactor, the mad god Shinnok.
“You expect me to… what, slice into you, flay the flesh from your bones… maybe consume it?” His sepulchral laughter echoes through the halls of this abandoned place, this towering edifice to darkness, a temple of Shinnok, hidden away in one of Earthrealm’s larger deserts, far from the eyes of mortals, but not hidden from Noob Saibot, the Elder God’s favorite servant—Quan-Chi be damned.
Sub-Zero’s lip curls in disgust at the thing that had once been his beautiful brother. Bi-Han’s soul had been twisted from the start, but perhaps had only begun as just a little bent out of shape. Sektor’s attentions had further warped the man into something much uglier than his exterior. His cronies had once made the mistake of calling Bi-Han “Ice Queen”. He was soon Sektor’s only crony, relatively speaking. Their deaths were easily attributable—mistakes, mostly, as only foolish, unseasoned kryomancers might manage. Always, Bi-Han would shrug and shake is head, intoning that it was a shame such talented had been wasted.
He was cold, certainly, but his time at the right hand of the Lin Kuei’s most corrupt grandmaster had made him something otherworldly. Now his exterior matched his interior and still it pained the gentle Kuai Liang.
“Oh no, Kuai Liang,” purred the shadow, materializing before him, far too close for comfort. For a moment, Sub-Zero could see the vestiges of that sharp, fine-boned face, before it melted away into blackness and death replaced vitality with rot and despair. The laughter bounced off the cold stone all around them. “You will die, but not like that.”
The shadow moved away and Kuai Liang spat, the gesture producing an icicle that shattered against the stone. Noob Saibot clapped his hands together slowly, mocking his brother’s struggles.
“Let me help you!” Sub-Zero’s voice was hard, harsh, and pleading all at once. If Bi-Han had once had a heart, this might have reached it. That was no longer the case, however, and the wraith shook his dark head instead and lifted a hand.
He gestured toward the far end of the room where there was a large doorway through which they might earlier have come, though Kuai Liang could not, for the life of him, remember that segment of this journey. He strained against his bonds, to no avail. The chains were frozen to the ceiling, but they did not budge.
“I’ll even do you the favor of telling you what is going to happen.”
With a wave of his hand, some of Shinnok’s borrowed power formed a kind of mirror or screen from shadow which erected itself before Sub-Zero’s eyes. In it was a reasonable facsimile of the room they were in. It depicted Noob Saibot performing some heinous soul magic and stuffing Kuai Liang’s torn soul into a crude phylactery. Soon after, Scorpion—Hanzo Hasashi, his beloved—emerged from the doorway to find Sub-Zero, soul-less and shambling, setting upon a beautiful, cowering man.
The man covered himself as best he could, but the specter of Sub-Zero was too strong. With heartbreaking rage, then, the Shirai-Ryu grandmaster set upon Sub-Zero with a fury so complete, nothing of him was left, save his wedding band, which the man lifted with reverence. When he turned to see Sub-Zero’s victim, the dark mirror’s version of Scorpion recognized him immediately—Bi-Han had resumed his human form, a vision of frosty perfection and loveliness. His eyes were wide with fear and filled with sadness.
“You gave your soul and will to save your brother,” said the real Bi-Han, standing nearby. He gestured cruelly to the screen once more, indicating that his brother should continued watching. “Such a martyr, but tell me… would you give yourself up if you knew it ended like this?”
The scene shifted until they were clearly upon the icy slopes of Arctika. Hanzo’s arm was lying protectively around a white-clad figure’s shoulders as they stood, offering incense and prayers to an altar. As the vision moved closer to the altar, it became clear that it was a grave, Kuai Liang’s grave. The figure in white was, of course, Bi-Han.
He turned toward Scorpion, who wrapped his arms tightly about him and whispered something into his ear. Of course, the mirror was silent as it showed these things, but Noob Saibot was more than happy to fill that last bit in.
“I thought I had lost everything,” whispered the malicious wraith into his brother’s ear, in a perfect imitation of Hanzo Hasashi’s gruff tones, “but I am blessed to have you once more, Bi-Han.”
Sub-Zero jerked at his chains and his hateful brother dematerialized with hollow, echoing laughter.
