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Could you pretty please do a fix of the lin kuei brothers x siren reader? 🥺

For reference:I imagine them being sent out on a mission on account of townsfolk hearing mysterious singing in a nearby body of water (you can choose what kind of aquatic setting)

Siren Song

A/N: This takes place before the events of the storyline in MK1. Also, I am SO SORRY, this took so long for me to complete! Classes got harder and required more mental power from me than the last couple of years, leaving me mentally exhausted and unmotivated to finish requests. I'm sorry if this isn't as good as you're hoping it to be, but I'm trying to get back on the ball. All I can promise you is that I tried.

It displeased Bi-Han that Earthrealm's divine protector, Lui Kang, didn't recognize the Lin-Kuei's true potential to be more than a protector of Earthrealm or as part of some consulted test where he and his clan must act as incompetent gangsters. The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster would've verbalized his discontent and even fought against the Fire God's invisible restraints, which only Bi-han seems to be able to see if it weren't for said Fire God's might. So, for now, Bi-Han would obey Lui Kang's power. Fortunately, the next time Lui Kang summoned Bi-han and his brothers, they would be given a mission far more worthy for warriors of the Lin Kuei.

"There is a small fishing village not far from Tha Chin River, where there has been word that a concerning amount of their haul has consistently disappeared each night for months."

Lui Kang points to a spot on a map of Thailand's rivers. Bi-han wanted to scoff and roll his eyes at this so-called "mission" but refrained, instead voicing his question.

"Why should the Lin Kuei concern themselves with a menial problem that only concerns a simple village?"

"Bi-han!"

Tomas, or Smoke as is his Lin-Kuei name, exclaims. The youngest "brother" narrows his eyes at Bi-han, who only stands stoic against Tomas's righteous fury.

"Such a village relies on having a bountiful haul for their livelihoods! How could y-"

"Calm yourself, Tomas. Bi-han is only making an inquiry regarding our mission."

Kuai Liang, or Scorpion, placed a placating hand on Tomas's chest, subtly pushing him from Bi-han before anything could escalate between the brothers. Lui Kang watched the whole exchange patiently before finally answering the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster.

"To answer your question, what makes this so unusual is that the villagers also speak of singing at night. Often, whenever anyone is left to guard their daily catch before shipping them out for trade, the sweetest melody can be heard, and in the blink of an eye, half of their haul is gone with no recollection of what happened."

Lui Kang frowns as he looks back down at the map.

"What concerns me the most is the instances in which those who hear this mysterious song end up killing their fellow man, whether or not he was a friend. All without memory of what compelled them to do such a terrible act."

The three Lin-Kuei brothers could feel the room temperature change when they saw the brooding expression on the Fire God. In the back of his mind, Bi-han ponders whether Lui Kang has ever experienced or witnessed similar mind control. Yet, this thought is overshadowed by Bi-han's anticipation of a worthy challenge fit for the Lin Kuei after such a period of idleness.

"I need the culprit captured alive and returned to the Fire Temple, so I may decide what should be done with them."

"And if they should prove to be unreasonable?"

Bi-Han inquires, already thinking that whatever foe he and his brother may be facing may not comply and simply violently lash out to avoid divine punishment. Lui Kang looks over to Cryomancer, his facial expression shifting from trepidation to grim conviction.

"If they prove to be devoid of all reason, and too much of a danger to Earthrealmers, then you have permission to finish whoever is behind these mysterious songs."

A ghost of a smile appears on Bi-han's usual stern face.

"How soon shall we depart?"

...

For the umpteenth time, Bi-han rubbed at his face where his mask would usually be, feeling a sense of exposure contradicting the idea behind his civilian disguise. At least, his simple merchant robes worked well enough to cover the lin kuei's usual armor underneath. The Lin Kuei sometimes had to disguise themselves to interact with the general public, given Lord Liu Kang's need for secrecy from most of Earthrealm. In this instance, as Kuai Liang and Tomas reasoned, pretending to be merchants gives them plenty of excuse to travel around the small village and a chance to gather more information from the understandably on-edge locals as they shop. While Bi-han was eager to face their soon-to-be combatant, he understood well that knowledge is half the battle. So, he swallows his initial irritation and attempts to gather information from the locals about the mysterious songs. This task proved to be more challenging than either Lin Kuei brother would like to admit.

"It sounded like a soulful man-"

"No, I heard it too, and it sounded like an angelic woman."

According to Tomas, the villagers chatted, yet no two people described what they heard or saw the same way.

"My cousin's co-worker said that it had wings-"

"I thought he said it was fins?"

"Maybe the fins looked like wings?"

" Didn't you say it was dark at that time?"

The most concrete answer Tomas was able to gather was from an elderly deaf man, with some charades, a pen, and paper.

"I was there for the murders. I was working the night of the first murder, or second if the first death really was an accident, but didn't see it. But I saw the second one during my smoke break. A young man named Narin was wheeling a crate of fish to be stored. Then he stopped mid-stride toward the main warehouse and turned towards the boats."

"Was he loading the fish into the boats?"

Tomas inquired. The elderly man shook his head, before pausing to write in the journal Tomas lent him.

"He went past all the boats and pushed the entire crate into the water. Our supervisor was so furious, screaming and yelling so much, I could feel his rage in the air..."

The man then paused his writing, tapping his pencil against the paper long enough that Tomas shook his shoulder to get his attention. Finally, the elderly man wrote again.

"I think he was taking-

Perhaps Narin had-

I don't know why the boy did what he did."

Tomas looked up from the journal to the man's face, wrinkled and weathered from the passage of time and labor.

"What did Narin do?"

...

"Do you remember anything from the night you heard those mysterious songs?"

Kuai Liang asked one villager outside a small restaurant for a cold drink. The villager, a middle-aged man with calloused hands and crow's feet, scratched at the back of his head while averting the newcomer's gaze.

"You think I would remember such an embarrassing mistake, losing half of the day's catch when I was supposed to load the boats for delivery,"

The man gives a deep, tired sigh as he puts a hand to his head.

"But I don't. All I remember is that I was doing my job as usual when I heard the most beautiful and soothing voice I had ever heard from the water. I found myself closing my eyes, just for a second, to savor the music. But when I opened them again, Apichai was in my face, shouting at me for dropping half our fish into the water."

"I am sorry such misfortune befell you."

Kuai Liang responds before ordering another drink for the man as a small kindness. The man scoffs before replying.

"My mistake is nothing compared to what Narin did to Apichai. Apichai may sometimes be an ass, but he didn't deserve what happened to him."

Kuai Liang raises a brow in response.

"What exactly happened to Apichai?"

Meanwhile, Bi-han stood before a younger man, with noticeable bags under his bloodshot eyes, who sat behind bars in a small jail cell. The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster had his arms crossed over his chest, his face set in his usual grimace. However, to the guilt-stricken Narin, it may as well be a disapproving scowl for his crime. Bi-han barely had to press much before the young man metaphorically spilled his guts, about how he literally spilled Apichai's guts.

"... I-I-I don't know how this could've happened! I was just doing m-m-my usual job when I heard this woman singing and- and-and,"

Then man takes a shuddering breath before continuing.

"I stood over Apichai's body with his insides torn out! His blood was so dark, and it was all over me and the harpoon in my hands..."

Narin clasps his hands together as he looks up from his feet to Bi-han's face, the latter's expression not changing throughout the younger man's ramblings.

"I swear on my mother's soul that I DON'T remember killing Apichai! I don't know what possessed me to do that! I-"

Bi-han holds up a hand, stopping Narin in his tracks.

"That's all I need to know. I appreciate the information you have shared."

Bi-han finalizes, his tone leaving no room for further discussion. However, as the disguised Grandmaster was about to leave the building, the frazzled young man gathered himself enough to ask one last thing.

"Wait! You believe me right? You believe that I didn't want to kill my supervisor, right???"

The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster stops, just as he's at the doorway's threshold. Not bothering to turn his body around, Bi-han then spares a glance towards the imprisoned Narin. Just upon an initial glance and from what the disguised Lin Kuei warrior could perceive in his earlier questioning, Bi-han knew just by looking at Niran's physique and the genuine distress that he spoke with, that the young fisherman was no cold-blooded killer, nor was he insane.

"Yes."

Bi-han answers truthfully before taking his leave.

...

With the village being so small, Sub-Zero reasoned it's best to split up to cover as much ground as possible before dawn. Given that the town is situated on a small peninsula, it has three central fishing docks: one for commercial fishing, one for tourist boats, and one for deliveries. When Scorpion questioned if such a thing would be wise without any means of communicating with each other, Smoke was able to provide a solution. In the form of specialized flares that Smoke designed, which would produce towering blooms of colorful smoke that can be seen for miles around. Sub-Zero receives a blue flare, Scorpion receives a yellow flare, and Smoke receives a purple flare to signal which brother has encountered the creature responsible for the mysterious songs. It was then decided that Sub-Zero would take the South side of the village, Scorpion the west side, and Smoke the east side before they all departed for their respective patrols.

In between the witching hour and the earliest hours, the three Lin Kuei shed their disguises in favor of the shadows they're more familiar with. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to worry about the locals too much, as an evening curfew had been set by the local law enforcement as a safety measure against the unknown creature plaguing the village. From what Smoke gathered from the locals, it's around this time that the unknown creature became most active. Smoke, a hunter himself, could see why, as there are fewer people to worry about, thus less competition and threats.

Smoke stopped at the entrance of the wooden boards, barely in the light, as he scanned the dimly lit pier and the dark waves below for even a single wave or splinter out of place. He turns his head in the direction of a barely audible splash, not too far from the pier, yet the lin kuei warrior spots nothing but the waves and coral in the few street lamps installed on the deck. Smoke, trusting his honed instincts, makes his way away from the top of the pier to the shore below, where there's less light. Yet, Smoke the Lin Kuei warrior had no need to worry about the dark, not when he was accustomed to hunting for his quarry in the shadows.

Another splash, this time closer to Smoke's position, could be heard over the softer waves brushing against the sandy shore. Smoke immediately ducks behind a wooden pillar covered in barnacles from past high tides, his hand hovering over the lantern-like flare at his side, ready to pop it open when he can confirm the mysterious creature's position.

"Where art thou hiding? My sweet child, my sweet child..."

Smoke immediately covers his ears with both hands at the first few melodic notes, remembering what he's learned from the locals and his brothers. He could still hear some of the song, but it sounded more muffled and far away, which hopefully meant that Smoke wouldn't be affected like Narin was. Smoke then cautiously peeks from behind the wooden pillar, meaning only to take a quick look to confirm the mysterious creatures' location. Instead, Tomas feels his breath catch at the people before him.

There on the shore, sat a middle-aged woman and a young girl, the latter no older than 10 years old, both with matching silvery hair the same shade as the moon in the sky. The woman looks up from the shore of the water, making direct eye contact with Tomas. The corners of her eyes crease as she gives a warm smile to the younger man with the same shade of grey as her. She opens her mouth to provide some sort of greeting, which is muffled by Tomas' hands. Realizing this, his hands slowly dropped to his sides, eyes wide in disbelief at the sight of his mother and twin sister.

"Mamma? Tora?"

Both smile towards their son and twin brother, with their open arms reaching out toward Tomas, who feels his eyes sting with tears threatening to break out.

"Why dost thou tremble in the night? My dear child, we are here."

He then slowly makes his way towards his two loved ones, afraid that one wrong move would cause them to disappear into thin air. Tomas moves closer to his mother and sister, his own hand outstretched and almost able to touch fingertips to fingertips with his mother.

"My hand extends unto thee, my sweet child,"

Finally, Tomas extends his fingers to his mother. She doesn't vanish from his touch. The Lin Kuei warrior is suddenly a little boy again, gripping the older woman tightly around her waist, as he allows his mother to coax him into her arms, a sanctuary that Tomas never thought he would return to. He could distantly feel his sister wrapping her small arms around him, which were oddly cold to the touch, yet his attention was on how his mother ran her slender fingers through his silver hair. She still sang with a low and soft voice, as if to lull the man to sleep.

"Sleep deeply and free, as I hunger..."

'Maybe, I'll just rest my eyes here. Just for a little bit'

...

Smoke blinks blearily against the first rays of dawn that broke over the fishing village. He lifts a hand to rub at his eyes, stopping at a wet and prickly sensation against his face. Smoke snaps his eyes open, now wide awake, and finds his hand to be covered in a multitude of green and black scales. Upon further inspection, Smoke finds his karambit in his other hand, covered in fresh blood that dripped off the claw-like tip. The same blood that also covers his front...

Yet, this didn't cause any panic within the Lin Kuei warrior as he could see the fish remains at his feet. What struck Smoke as highly unusual was the fact that he was on the pier when the last thing he remembered was investigating the shore underneath. While his memory is somewhat hazy, Smoke could've sworn that he saw his mother and twin sister. He knew this would be impossible as they've been dead since he was a boy, so could it have been a dream or some type of induced hallucination?

All that Smoke knows is that his experience matched the locals' description precisely. The Lin Kuei warrior gives a sigh as he looks at his hands. Years of training with the best of the best in martial arts and stealth, and he easily falls for a singular being's thrall.

'At least I didn't murder anyone like poor Narin... But whatever that thing was, it had a great opportunity to simply end my life last night. As I was completely under its spell... So why did it have me gut some fish rather than kill me?'

Smoke is pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of someone calling his name. He instinctively tightens his grip on his knife, before glancing behind him to find it's just Sub-Zero with Scorpion close behind him. Bi-han approaches his adoptive brother at a slow pace and fists clenched, taking in the sight of Tomas and his bloodied knife. The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster unclenches his fist when the early morning sun shines on the fish scales littered all over Tomas.

"Are you hurt?"

The youngest brother gives himself a once-over, feeling no cuts, bruises, or grievous injury.

"No."

"That is fortunate..."

Bi-han breathes out in relief, before furrowing his brow in a deep scowl.

"Now, explain to me how you were so easily fooled?"

Tomas feels himself start to sweat, which has nothing at all to do with the morning sun.

...

The next night, the Lin Kuei brothers again took to patrolling the village's three main docks; unlike last night, they came prepared with cotton from their merchandise, which they stuffed into their ears. While Bi-han was furious with Tomas being so "easily" fooled by the mysterious creature, Kuai Liang is glad that Tomas made it through the night alive and with new information that can be used against the beast.

Currently, Kuai Liang, also known as Scorpion, hid among the stacked crates, keeping low to the ground. He slid his calloused palms flat on the wooden planks below to feel for any sudden or unusual movement that wasn't the distant footsteps of the security guards at the docks or the waves gently crashing against the wooden pillars below. Scorpion closes his eyes, his brows furrowed as he concentrates.

Splish Splash

Tap tap tap

Thunk thunk thunk

THUMP

Scorpion's eyes shot open before turning his head in the direction of the thumping sensation. He silently moves between crate upon crate toward where the boats are docked, stopping in his tracks once when he thought he felt a more rapid set of taps heading in his direction. When they stop before fading away, Scorpion stalks forward once again. He stops behind a crate when he hears the sound, albeit muffled, of water being breached.

The older Lin Kuei warrior takes a brief peek from the crate, spotting a figure with dark hair and a red kimono. Scorpion does a double-take, taking another look at the mysterious figure. The mystery person appeared to be a woman with sun-kissed skin, silky raven locks in a sensible bun, cheekbones as sharp as the blades she wields, and even the same scar that went over her left brow.

'It can't be... Harumi?'

Kuai Liang thinks to himself in disbelief.

"Harumi... Harumi... Harumiiiii..."

The woman then looks over in Kuai Liang's general direction, her sakura-pink lips quirked in a grin. The older Lin Kuei warrior then looks over "Harumi", really looking at her. He notices how "Harumi's" upper half is perched on a nearby kolae boat, with said boat hiding her lower half from where Kuai Liang is hiding. Kuai Liang also notices how "Harumi's" nails seem more pointed than they need to be. Last but not least, while those ignorant of the situation would think that it's a trick of the light, Kuai Liang knows he saw Harumi's fake blink sideways. Without a doubt, the older Lin Kuei warrior found his target. Still, Kuai Liang needed to discern whether the fake Harumi was reasonable, thus allowing it to be captured alive, per Lord Lui Kang's orders.

After thinking it over, Kuai Liang decides to take a bit of a gamble and steps out from behind his hiding spot, simultaneously removing his mask, but makes sure to keep his lower half hidden so as to not give away the flare and kunai on his person. The fake Harumi immediately notices the older Lin Kuei's presence and gives him a seemingly soft smile with her pink lips.

"Don't you miss me?"

Kuai Liang puts on a fake grin as he answers, "Harumi."

"Every day, Harumi."

"Then jump in the water and kiss me."

"At such a late hour? I am not sure about that..."

"Harumi" moves from the kolae boat to a nearby wooden platform, not even using her arms to swim.

"I'll make sure that you are safe and sound."

Harumi's impostor softly croons.

"I would love to swim beside you, but I am tired after such a long day. I do not think I could keep up with you, Harumi."

Kuai Liang again counters, although he does inwardly cringe at the lame excuse he just came up with. To be fair, lying is not a talent that was often needed as Scorpion, compared to stealth and misdirection.

"I would take the suffering from you."

"That is... tempting, but I would rather remain right here."

Kuai Liang finds himself wishing that Tomas were here, as he was always the better actor than he was. The older Lin Kuei warrior had to fight against a grin when seeing Harumi's imposter's eye twitch. Yet, to her credit, "Harumi" keeps her composure as she continues to sing and gesture for Kuai Liang to jump into the water. However, two could play at that game.

"As you wish,"

Kuai Liang started to unzip his vest, which "Harumi" leaned in to observe eagerly. Yet, the older Lin Kuei warrior doesn't take off the vest.

"But, only if you can answer a question or two, Harumi."

"Of course!"

The imposter quickly agrees, with a self-assured smile on her pink lips, which she doesn't think Kuai Liang spotted. The older warrior doesn't comment on what he saw, instead walking close to the edge and focusing on the task at hand.

"Let us say the villagers here have a mysterious creature hiding in their river and taking their catch, who also made two men on separate occasions kill each other."

"Oh dear..."

"How would this mysterious creature respond if I were to ask them, how did they get here to this village in the first place? Why make those men kill each other?"

"Harumi's" eyes dart to the side briefly before they land back on Kuai Liang. She then gestures to a crate with a pomelo fruit on the side in front of Kuai Liang.

"They would say they came from a far-off sea, so I must have these strangers come feed me. That way, I can get home by growing strong enough to roam! Oh, and if they're harmed or threatened, they'll turn others into killers..."

" I see, Harumi."

Kuai Liang murmurs, thinking back to the information he and his brothers gathered. Kuai Liang doesn't notice "Harumi's" gaze flicking again before focusing on the older Lin Kuei warrior.

"This strange land is so far from home, so I'll be a survivor,"

"So they are doing what they need to survive?"

"They would say that is right, and now you know,"

The imposter then gives a big smile before playfully splashing Kuai Liang with some water.

"So jump in the water!"

Kuai Liang turns his head to the side to avoid getting splashed directly into his eyes. He just shrugs it off with a forced smirk before reiterating,

"Harumi, I would l love to but I change my mind."

"Harumi" keeps her smile plastered as she gives a small huff in frustration.

"I would take the suffering from you!"

She then swims up closer to Kuai Liang, hoisting herself on a metal diagonal brace before reaching an arm out for the man. Kuai Liang just backs away from the edge, noticing how the ends of "Harumi's" nails looked sharper than they should be.

"I would gladly lay my life down for you, but I plan on staying dry."

"I can take the suffering from you!"

Kuai Liang backs away behind a crate when "Harumi" starts to swim out into the water a little.

"Perhaps, rather than take a swim, we could enjoy a leisurely stroll."

He responds, gesturing to the village at the pier's entrance. The imposter's smile seems more forced than earlier as she spins in place in the water, flaring out their kimono's sleeves with her arms raised towards Kuai Liang. The latter, who notices something pole-shaped below the water's surface just under Harumi's fake.

"I will take the suffering from you..."

Kuai Liang only gives a sigh before smiling at the imposter. There's no doubt in his mind, that this is the creature that Lord Lui Kang sent him and his brothers to capture.

"And I will do the same for you."

He assures as he wraps his fingers around the flare on his belt. In an instant, Kuai Liang's world turns sideways as he's tackled from the side. The older Lin Kuei warrior instinctively curls up to turn the tackle into a roll, just barely able to wrap his right arm around his attacker's arm to lock it in place, ready to break it in half in an instant. At the same time, he smashed his knee into the side of the stranger's head to both disorient and pin the man.

Kuai Liang is only able to identify the guard uniform his assailant is wearing before he's socked in the jaw. The Lin Kuei warrior swiftly jumps backwards from the first guard and the apparent second guard who punched his jaw. Instinctively, Kuai Liang crouches down to take up a fighting position, his hand automatically going for his kunai. He halts just as his fingers brush against the hilt, his eyes on the second night guard helping the first one up. Kuai Liang looks over the ordinary clothing draped over their fairly average build before moving his dominant hand from his favored blade. When the two guards then turn to face the Lin Kuei warrior with their fists up, the said warrior notices, under the pier's streetlight, a milky film that has overtaken their eyes coupled with their vacant expressions.

'They're not in their right minds.'

Is the only thing Kuai Liang can conclude before, with a wave of the imposter's hand, both the guards rush towards him. The second guard swings his fist toward Kuai Liang's head, but the latter is able to dodge out of the way followed with a series of quick jabs to the second guard's stomach and face. When the second guard stumbles backwards into some stacked crates, Kuai Liang wastes no time moving on to the first night guard, starting with thrusting his elbow below the guard's ribs and then striking the side of his head hard enough to send him tumbling to the wooden floor.

However, the second guard tries to use this opportunity to punch Kuai Liang, who reacts by grabbing his left arm and forcing the guard to crouch with one hand flat on his back. The older Lin Kuei warrior notices the first guard getting back up and rushing towards him, which Kuai Liang takes care of with a hook kick, followed by grappling the second guard to the ground so he lands on his back. The older Lin Kuei warrior mid-strike when he feels cold metal pressed to the back of his neck. Kuai Liang slowly stands to his full height.

The Lin Kuei warrior then grabs the first guard by the wrist before slamming said wrist against his armored shoulder, lighting his hands ablaze just enough to cause first-degree burns, to disarm the guard. Kuai Liang then spins around to punch the first guard hard enough that teeth come flying out of his mouth. The first guard falls to the ground in a heavy heap with a fist-shaped burn on the side of his cheek.

It struck Kuai Liang how odd the state of the brainwashed guards' condition is. Despite being unable to hear at the moment, the Lin Kuei warrior thought they would be making some indication of their pain, whether it would be through muffled shouts or moving to cradle their injuries. Yet, both guards remain motionless on the floor, their unblinking, milky-white eyes staring at nothing, as if they were no more than dolls their master has briefly set down, presumably to pick up again.

'It's as if they're nothing but husks.'

Kuai Liang thinks to himself, finding a deep, primal part of him disturbed by the uncanny scene. That's when he's hit a cold splash of water, breaking him out of his brief stupor. The older warrior looks back out into the river to see Harumi's imposter giving him a literal sharp-toothed grin before she uses her hands to splash Kuai Liang in the face. The latter only blinks in response before raising a brow at the random, harmless act.

"Listen, whoever you may be, I do not wish to harm you-"

All Kuai Liang could get out as the one guard wraps their arms around the Lin Kuei warrior's legs, before the second one rips the cotton out of his ears. He's immediately greeted with an onslaught of noise everywhere, from the guards' heavy breathing to the waves crashing against the creaking pier.

"NO!"

Kuai Liang shouts before his hearing is over taken by the sweetest melody he's ever heard from Harumi's lips. He feels his heart warm at the sight of his oldest friend's gentle smile. Behind Harumi is her family's compound, where its legendary Fire Gardens drop their flame colored leaves onto the still and clear water below.

"My name it is Y/N. A sailor daughter's fair, and I have left my beloved pod so very far from here."

Harumi then reaches out her strong hands toward Kuai Liang, who outstretches his own hand toward hers. Faintly, he does wonder why he didn't take her hand sooner, but that thought is quickly swept away as Harumi continues to sing.

"Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be. Who loves a jolly lover, that ploughs the raging sea."

Kuai Liang gently wraps his much longer fingers around Harumi's smaller hand, allowing her to drag him into the water.

...

"BROTHER! WAKE UP!"

Scorpion's eyes snapped open, and he immediately reached for his kunai, only to drop a crate onto the ground, where dozens of pomelo fruit rolled out. Now fully awake, Scorpion's vision comes into focus, revealing Sub-Zero holding him by the shoulders and shaking him. Sub-zero's eyes were wide with his brows deeply furrowed in concern. Standing beside him is an equally concerned Tomas, who was holding Kuai Liang's soaked flare.

"Bi-han? Tomas? Why am I holding a basket of fruit?"

Bi-han's expression softens upon hearing his younger brother's voice. The eldest brother's eyes narrow in deep thought.

"This creature, no, this siren, may be more troublesome than I initially thought."

...

On their third night at the fishing village, the Lin Kuei brothers decided to patrol together rather than separately. They started their patrol on the south side of the town, with beeswax prepared instead of cotton, as it provided better hearing protection. Thanks to Scorpion's and Smoke's first-hand experience with the creature, the eldest Lin Kuei brother is confident that they can capture this siren before dawn.

At least, that was what Sub-Zero felt toward the beginning of the evening. Unfortunately, a heavy fog started to roll in late into the night, which greatly hindered their sight of the village as a whole. On top of that, the siren refuses to show itself, leaving the Lin Kuei brothers chasing dead ends. Once, starting with a woman who was just singing along to a song on TV. The second was from a handheld radio some construction workers were listening to as they headed home for the evening. Sub-Zero lets out a displeased groan as he removes the beeswax from his ears, and his younger brothers follow suit.

"Perhaps, the siren is lying low, knowing that we're here."

Sub-Zero gives a hum of acknowledgement toward Scorpion's reasoning, yet that doesn't stop the frustration the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster feels growing inside him as the night continues on. Privately, Sub-Zero wonders to himself if he could somehow freeze the fog that blanketed the village just so he could get rid of the nuisance. Eventually, the brothers find themselves atop a roof on the tallest building in the town. There, they notice movement in the distance. Sub-zero reaches into the inside of his vest for his handheld telescope and raises it to his eye.

"What do you see?"

Scorpion quietly inquires. Just by eye alone, Scorpion could make out about a dozen or so people walking within the fog before they're seemingly swallowed up by the thick mist.

"It appears to be all the locals."

From about 73 yards away, Sub-Zero was able to make a large shadowy mass that reminded the Grandmaster of a distant memory of watching a group of ants descending upon a pastry he dropped as a boy. Only in this instance can Sub-Zero make out that the moving mass is actually composed of people. Yet, all those people appeared to be shuffling forward, and underneath the street lamps, their half-shut eyes seemed to be milky white with a glossy sheen. Strangely, a couple of the villagers appear to be holding what seem to be dark-colored boxes in their arms.

"If this siren really is just trying to survive, as you say, then explain to me why they would be hypnotizing the entire village?"

Sub-Zero whispers to Scorpion, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Scorpion observes the crowd as they wander into the fog before suddenly stopping and turning around, then shuffling out of the mist instead, only to seemingly change their minds again.

"I cannot say for certain, however, I believe Y/N's have mostly been defensive in nature rather than outright offensive. Tomas and I are strangers to them and a far bigger threat than any of the locals, but why leave us alive? Why just have us feed them?"

Sub-Zero glances back over to the crowd in the distance, which becomes denser as half-asleep civilians are led out of their homes by their hypnotized friends and family, into the presumed area of the siren's voice to also fall under their control. He then moves his telescope to observe in the direction the crowd is moving toward, the South Pier. As Sub-Zero expected, under the pier's lamplights, there was a blur of shiny scales and fins moving left to right in the water. The eldest brother then looks back over at Scorpion.

"Are you still under that siren's song?"

"Of course not!"

Scorpion is quick to snap back before quickly calming himself down with a deep breath.

"I am merely pointing out the facts that lie before us."

"Does it include how they're enough of a threat that Lui Kang felt the need to send us? Or how that boy was forced to murder against his will?"

Sub-Zero raises a brow in question. Underneath his mask, Scorpion's jaw clenches and unclenches.

"Yes, it does. To me, all these actions speak of a frightened person trapped, possibly injured, and lost in a new realm far from their home. Nevertheless, they are capable of reason if we're honest with our intentions."

Smoke glances away from the crowd, particularly a policeman holding a thin object with a ball-like shape on top, to address his older brother.

"As much as I want to believe that wholeheartedly, Bi-han still has a point here. They're still dangerous."

Bi-han gives a sound of acknowledgement to his youngest brother.

"Their desperation and fear only make them that much more. So, worst comes to worst, we must be ready."

An electric crackle echoes through the air, followed by a high-pitched ringing noise. All three Lin Kuei brothers flinch at the unfamiliar sound before their eyes are drawn to the source of the noise, where all of the controlled locals gathered in one large mass. Sub-Zero's eyes narrow as he observes a singular man in a tank top and sandals break away from the crowd, holding out a thin device with a sphere-shaped top. The Cryomancer's eyes widen when he sees a humanoid figure breaching the water near the man holding out the device.

Without hesitation, Sub-Zero raises his hands on either side of his head and ices both his ears shut, nearly freezing his entire head. His brothers both open their mouths to question their Grandmaster's seemingly irrational act, yet no words come out, as at the same time the siren starts to sing.

"la La La LA La La la!"

Their voice echoes from the speakers placed all around the pier and throughout the entire night air, filling the whole village with their hypnotic sound in an instant. Just like the rest of the town, Scorpion and Smoke's eyes glaze over, and without another word, they turn away from Sub-Zero to then jump from the ledge and into the fog.

"NO!"

Sub-Zero cries as he instinctively reaches out to grab his brothers, his fingers brushing against the back of their vests before they're out of reach. Bi-Han leans over the ledge to catch Kuai Liang and Tomas landing on another roof before running to jump onto a nearby roof, heedless of the fog. In under a minute, the large mass surrounding the siren parted like the Red Sea to allow both Lin Kuei warriors to stand before their new master.

The siren tilts their head in curiosity, microphone in one hand, as they squint their eyes they taking in both men from top to bottom. The Siren then swims a little away into the water and away from the pier, spreading their arms wide as they open their mouth again. When Kuai Liang is the first to take a step towards the edge of the dock, arms spread out as if for an embrace, that's when Bi-Han makes his move.

He hurls a ball of ice from his perch, which cuts through the fog toward the siren. Wasting no time at all, they dive out of the way simultaneously as a fireball instantaneously collides with the ice ball, reducing it into steam mid-air. Kuai Liang moved in front of the siren, his arms placed in front of them, yet most of his expression remained shrouded in the thick mist, which wasn't helped by the steam. Tomas also moved to stand beside Kuai Liang. When the Siren rises from the water again, both brothers stiffen as if they're nothing more than puppets on strings.

The Siren whips their head in Bi-han's direction, making direct eye contact with the Cryomancer. Bi-Han's gaze hardens as The Siren begins to wave their hands in front of them from the water, their mouth flapping at a million miles per hour, yet Bi-Han would hear none of it, nor could he read the aquatic creature's lips from the distance between them. The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster raises a leg to the ledge before pointing down at the Siren below, who still hasn't stopped flapping their mouth.

"Hear me, Siren! Or should I say, Y/N? I care not for your reason or plans! I will not allow you to control or harm any of my Lin Kuei! If I must end your life to ensure their safety,"

Bi-han then outstretches his hand to instantly create a pole made of ice before smashing it into the side of the building to turn it into a spear made of hard blue ice.

"Then so be it."

The siren stops flapping their lips as their expression goes from panic to a glare as cold as Sub-Zero's ice. They then left their arm to point in the Cryomancer's direction. Under their silent command, everyone, save for Kuai Liang and Tomas, turns their heads at the exact same time in the Grandmaster's direction. Then the locals move as a singular wave toward Sub-Zero, spurned on by the belicrose song that the latter couldn't hear as it filled the air.

"I don't know who you are or why you're here."

Sub-Zero jumps down from the roof he was perched on, ice spear in hand, and into the oncoming wave of locals.

"But let me make this one thing clear."

When he's just a few feet above the ground, Sub-Zero uses one free hand to create an ice slide beneath his feet.

"I've got people to protect. Sisters, I can't neglect. So I'm not taking chances, dear."

Just as he was coming to a stop, Sub-Zero manifested pillars of ice all around him, knocking a plethora of villagers out of his way. He then uses his spear to pole vault over a dozen or so locals, landing safely with a midair kick to the first person unfortunate enough to be in the way of his heel. However, as soon as Sub-Zero was on the ground, he was grabbed from only to be caught from behind with someone locking their arms under his, and three more attempted to grab at his legs. The Cryomancer responds by kicking two of them back, causing both to knock over the third, before dropping his weight to knock the grappler off his balance, and following it up with a headbutt to their nose. Sub-Zero paid no mind to the spurt of blood that landed on the back of his neck, as he encases his fists in a layer of hard frost to punch the next person, following it with a hard front kick to their chest to send them flying into even more people. Not wasting this brief moment of reprieve, Sub-Zero creates another ice pole from the ground, which he then swings the heavy end straight into another man's chest, causing him to expel all the air from his lungs and subsequently crumble to the ground. The rest of the hoard of mind-controlled villagers didn't even flinch at the sight of the newly sharpened ice spear and marched forward against their singular target. Fortunately, for them, their target had no interest in immediately taking their lives.

"If you make one wrong move, then you're done for! "

Sub-Zero used his newly created spear to beat back the never-ending wave of people around him, even sending one woman vertically into the air before she knocked down her mind-controlled neighbors as she fell. The Cryomancer occasionally had to spin his spear around his body to beat and scratch up the mob around him. One particularly bold elderly woman, in her pink slippers and teddy bear-themed robe, tried to ambush him from behind. Yet, Sub-Zero noticed her quick enough to bat her through the window of a local bakery. Nonetheless, the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster still progressed through the Siren's minions, swatting them away as he made his way about halfway toward his target. The Siren swings both their clawed hands forward as they send out another silent command to their blindly obedient army.

"Anything I don't approve of, then you're done for!"

Sub-Zero just barely turns around in time to block a sledgehammer from caving in his skull, which he follows up with an ice-encased uppercut that sends the perpetrator flying into the crowd behind them. Yet, the front remains just as dangerous, as more and more people start attacking the Cryomancer with various tools, including scythes, machetes, gardening hoes, and leisters. Sub-Zero is attacked simultaneously from his front and back, but the person in the back misses as the cryomancer drops to the ground, which he follows up with a high kick to the side of their face, sending them crashing through a wall of a nearby building. Not wasting his momentum, Sub-Zero uses his spear to knock the person in front of him off balance. It's more than enough for the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster to then reach for their leister with his free hand to then use it against its wielder, knocking them into more people, causing them to drop their weapons on impact.

Sub-Zero spots the Siren once more and grits his teeth at the sight of them sitting between both his younger brothers, having hauled themself enough to rest between them as they stood as their stoic sentries. The cryomancer barely noted when another liester gets thrown at him and grazes his arm, as Sub-zero's attention was on the Siren and his captured brothers. He throws up a wall made of ice that resembles fangs reaching toward the sky. At the same time, Sub-Zero starts to run towards them, creating another ice slide underneath him to pick up the pace.

"I could put a spell on you and you're done for!"

The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster almost stumbles as he reaches the end of his ice slide on account of not initially hearing a heavy-set man in flannel with a chainsaw before appearing out of the heavy fog. He tries to swing at Sub-Zero's head with the heavy tool, only for the chainsaw's many teeth to tear into the cryomancer's ice spear instead. Without a moment's pause, Sub-Zero uses his spear to grapple the chainsaw to the ground, causing the heavy man to stumble forward. The cryomancer then follows up by stabbing his spear into the tool, rendering it useless, before then grabbing the heavy man by both sides of his head to use as a pivot to flip right over the man, simultaneously freezing both sides of the civilian's head.

Rather than turn around and uselessly flail around a defunct chainsaw, the heavy-set man instantly collapses to the ground like a sack of pomelos. Sub-Zero was only able to give a momentary glance behind him at the sensation of the man falling to the ground before the cryomancer was suddenly struck with a white-hot searing pain in his left deltoid. Sub-Zero lets out a grunt and grits his teeth at the sight of a line of policemen standing shoulder to shoulder with their pistols drawn. In another second, all of the brainwashed officers of the law fire upon the cryomancer.

Fortunately, in a fraction of that second, Sub-Zero was able to raise both arms to create a shield of ice. The officers' bullets embed themselves in the thick ice, unable to penetrate it. Sub-Zero briefly lowers his shield, enough to raise his less injured arm to create a wave of dulled ice shurikens to cut through the fog and towards the gunmen. They instantly freeze parts of the policemen and their guns upon contact, slowing their movements. However, seeing as they don't pause in their movements despite the cold, the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster manifests a sphere of pure cold to then toss at the police's feet. In a flash of pure white, all of the officers are encased in ice, ceasing to move completely.

Yet, there was no time to celebrate or for Sub-Zero to move even an inch before he was beset with a barrage of harpoons from both sides of the street. The Lin Kuei Grandmaster quickly rolls forward to avoid the initial harpoons, flipping over the guards to dodge the rest of the harpoons. Just as he lands, Sub-Zero raises his shield again to block another harpoon. The cryomancer throws his harpoon and bullet-covered shield at the lone woman atop a laundromat, knocking her off the building and, by the sounds of metal clanging and plastic crunching, landing inside a dumpster.

'How many people are there in this small village?'

Bi-han thinks to himself, disgruntled. The Cryomancer then lets out a gasp, audible for everyone but himself, as something like an iron hot poker was just shoved through his guts, searing the deepest parts of him. Without giving himself time to fully process the burning pain flaring within, Sub-Zero throws a sphere of ice at the other woman opposite the first, who is knocked right off her feet to the concrete of the rooftop. The Cryomancer grits his teeth as he looks at the harpoon impaled in his abdomen, a small trickle of blood dripping out from around the shaft.

'If she were closer by a few centimeters, she would've severed an artery.'

Sub-Zero then touches the shaft of the harpoon with a finger, freezing it for an instant and shattering it with a flick of his finger in another.

'Fortunate that none of the locals are worthy fighters.'

The Cryomancer then holds his hand over the wound, freezing the flesh closed over the still frozen spearhead before doing the same for his deltoid and other wounds. Bi-Han then turns his gaze back over to where the Siren held his brothers captive under their song. He snarls with his teeth fully bared at the sight of the Siren's cocky smirk as they caress both Kuai Liang and Tomas by the cheeks. He sees their lips start to move, but doesn't care to read their boastful words, only that they hear his words over their incessant singing.

"Boy, you'd better run or soon you will be done for!"

"ENOUGH of your mind-controlled minions! Fight me yourself, you cowardly wench!"

All at once, a tidal wave of locals befalls Bi-han, having made their way around the ice walls the cryomancer created and the buildings. Sub-Zero himself is nearly beaten into a pulp when a group of civilians swing their respective sledgehammers and shovels toward their singular goal. Yet, the Lin Kuei Grandmaster parries their attacks, freezing the ends of their weapons before shattering them into a million frozen pieces. Sub-Zero grapples a sledgehammer out of a man's hands before freezing him on the spot, encasing it with ice to then use it to swing back three more villagers that attempt to grab at him.

'I can't fight that Siren if they keep sending their minions after me! Unless,'

The Cryomancer freezes those three to the side of a building before entering said building with the rest of the mob not too far behind. Sub-Zero freezes a wall before shattering it with his makeshift war hammer, and then encasing the entire adjacent room with hardened ice. Not wasting any time, Sub-Zero charges through the hole with the villagers close behind. As the Cryomancer predicted, many of the villagers slipped and fell on the ice he created, unable to gain any traction. This gives Sub-Zero enough of a chance to continue to make his way forward through more walls and freeze over entire buildings, including creating high ice walls that block any alleyways in between buildings as he passes through. However, the villagers who slipped were used by the rest of the horde alongside overturned tables as makeshift sleds to once again gain speed on the cryomancer.

The latter, who predicted something like that would happen, was prepared when the locals attempted to tackle him from behind. Sub-Zero became a blizzard as he turned around to grab one woman in midjump and used her momentum to slam her face into a wall, shattering some of the ice it's encased in, before using his ice hammer to swipe away the rest that followed. Thanks to the more enclosed area that Sub-Zero himself reinforced, the brainwashed mob wasn't able to effectively surround him without climbing over one another. It made it much easier for the Cryomancer to freeze greater clusters of people in place, simultaneously safely incapacitating them and creating a makeshift wall that the rest of the villagers could only futilely hammer away at. Sub-Zero didn't need to worry about any stragglers breaking through the other walls or windows, as he made sure to encase the rest of the openings in thick ice.

The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster then makes his way into the back of the store he's in before making his way up toward the roof, his footsteps muffled by the dozens of people still trying to chip away at the ice that traps them. As he exited the building onto the roof, Sub-Zero stopped to freeze the door behind him shut, just to be safe. The Cryomancer then crouches low as he stalks his way towards the ledge. Below him, now only a few yards away, is the wretched Siren. They watched the building Sub-Zero was just in, unaware that their target managed to slip past their mind-controlled hoard and waiting for them to drag out the Cryomancer's beaten and bruised body.

Bi-han observes the Siren in the water, noting that there's no sign of his brothers. The eldest brother hopes that his brothers are merely hidden in the fog, rather than at the bottom of the river. Sub-Zero grits his teeth as he mentally berates himself to snap out of his thoughts and focus on the mission at hand. Thanks to decades of training and practice, The Cryomancer walks back from the Siren with foot steps so light that not even the most minor crack appeared on the ice he conjured. With his weapon still in hand, Sub-Zero sprints off the roof as if the ice beneath his feet were just regular ground, ice hammer raised over his head and full of murderous intent. Unaware of the death's cold hand about to rain down on them, Y/N the Siren continues to sing.

"I've got people to protect, sisters I can't neglect. So now there is no turning back."

"GET OVER HERE!"

Came an enraged cry concurrently as a roped kunai springs from the thick fog and wraps around Sub-Zero's Weapon, pulling him away from the Siren mid-air and slamming him onto the wooden docks. The chain then pulls the weapon into the fog, where a blazing inferno lights up through the mist to show the gun being melted down and burnt to ash. Sub-Zero was just able to get back on his feet before he felt the air shift behind him and instinctively flipped forward, leaving an ice clone behind, which was then shattered with a powerful stab from a familiar karambit. Bi-han is only able to get a glimpse of Smoke before he drops a smoke bomb, becoming nearly indistinguishable from the rest of the fog.

"You've made your one wrong move, now you're done for!"

"I see what you're trying to do, Siren! I know my brothers and I know well enough that they don't need me to hold back!'

Right after Bi-han makes his declaration, Scorpion swings his kusarigama at his older brother's neck. Sub-Zero ducks in time, but just when he rises back to his feet, he's met with two kicks straight to his sternum courtesy of Smoke. The youngest brother follows this with a swing of his karambit, fully intending to gut Sub-Zero, but the Cryomancer manifests an ice-battle axe in time to parry the blow and push back his youngest brother. Smoke then launches a barrage of swipes so fast that the average man would've been gutted with just three cuts, but Sub-Zero is just barely able to keep up and block each and every blow. The Cryomancer thought that he was guaranteed victory when he managed to disarm Smoke, sending his signature knife falling toward the water. However, Smoke just used his power to bring his knife back to him like it was a boomerang before it hit the water, then swung it at Sub-Zero's neck the second it was back in his hand. Fortunately, Sub-Zero saw this coming and was able to block the blow, protecting his neck. Unfortunately, Sub-Zero is so engrossed in his fight with Smoke, and with his hearing blocked, he's unable to hear the sound of a roped scythe cutting through the fog and embedding itself into Sub-Zero's side.

"I will be the one to prove that you're done for. Not even ice saves you, 'cause you're done for!"

Sub-Zero lets out a cry as Scorpion yanks the rope to knock his older brother off his feet and drag him directly into his waiting fists. Sub-Zero reinforces the thick ice on his fists to lessen the impact of the flurry of punches that Scorpion rains down on him. However, at the sight of Scorpion pulling out his kusarigama to, undoubtedly, take his head, Sub-Zero rolls out of the way and jumps back to his feet to perform a front sweep kick on Scorpion, just as he swung his weapon down. This works to unbalance the Pyromancer as he ends up falling on his back.

Sub-Zero stands back up with an iceball in hand, but the Cryomancer is interrupted when Smoke jumps over Scorpion's fallen form to deliver two kicks to Sub-Zero in midair. The Cryomancer is sent stumbling back as thick smoke then fills his vision, and sharpened steel cuts through the fog, then into the Cryomancer's flesh. Smoke is only able to make a few deep cuts into his older brother before the latter flips backwards, leaving a trio of ice clones in his wake. Sub-Zero pants heavily as blood starts to drip from his numerous injuries.

'What was that, Bi-han?! Why are you holding back against your brothers? You know that they're strong enough to take whatever attack you throw at them!"

Bi-han clenches his teeth and grunts in frustration, before ripping off his mask to then wipe the blood off his lip. He looks down at the considerably large smear on his frozen fists, his furrowed brow loosening in realization.

'They only attack because they can hear the siren's song.'

Sub-Zero hastily freezes his wounds closed at the familiar flames lighting through the fog, but finds his gaze shifting to the sides for the slightest sign of movement in the mist. The Cryomancer's fists tighten in anticipation.

"Oh, you'd better run, or soon you will be done for!"

Sub-Zero launches a flurry of iceballs into the fog in Scorpion's presumed direction. As the Cryomancer predicted, the younger Pyromancer swings his kunai and rope in a propeller-like motion to block the icy attack. When there were no more projectiles to worry about, Scorpion then launches his kunai at Sub-Zero, who, with a simple motion and some chants engraved in his soul, raises a thick spiked wall of ice. The Lin Kuei's Grandmaster was no fool; he knew that Scorpion's fire blazed as hot as his own ice was cold, and could even burn through his ice under the right conditions. One of those being Sub-Zero's ice wall just barely slows down the flaming kunai enough to come to a stop with its tip pointed right between the Cryomancer's eyes, but Sub-Zero just glared at it with a coldness matching the ice and snow that he wields.

Just as the Grandmaster predicted, thanks to extreme heat and cold coming into contact, a wall of steam replaced the ice that Sub-Zero summoned. A perfect smoke screen for any stealthy attacker. An attacker that the Cryomancer knew well enough to create an ice spear to swing behind him, just as Smoke was in mid-air with his karambit raised. Smoke's milky eyes widen in surprise. Sub-Zero used the momentum of his swing to throw the youngest brother to the ground. Smoke's knife clatters to the ground, which the eldest brother kicks into the water before its owner can grab it. Smoke holds out his hand to try to summon his karambit back to his hand, succeeding in raising the knife out of the water. Only for Sub-Zero to intervene by icing Smoke's hands to the wooden boards of the pier.

"What good is summoning your knife if you can't wield it?"

Smoke's sneer was the Cryomancer's only warning before, in a flash, he aimed a side kick toward Sub-Zero. The Grandmaster backs away with only a centimeter between his chest and Smoke's heel. But this leads him directly in line for Scorpion's flying kunai. In a blink, Sub-Zero ducks to the ground, with one hand held out, summoning ice below Scorpion, which instantly freezes his entire lower half, including his hand to his scythe.

Knowing that he only has a few seconds before Scorpion breaks himself out, Sub-Zero freezes Smoke's legs in place just as he tries to kick him again. He then kneels down next to his youngest brother, who thrashes against his icy restraints, before the Cryomancer grabs both sides of his brother's head and ices the sides of his head. Without the Siren's song in his ears, Smoke's head collapses to the ground with his eyes shut. Sub-Zero's gaze softens ever so slightly at Tomas's unconscious form.

'I'll be glad to have you back when you awake, Tomas'

Sub-Zero looks up from Tomas to the fire that lit the wooden pier ablaze and to the one responsible for the fire, Scorpion. Not wasting any time, Sub-Zero grabs an unconscious Smoke, breaking the ice below him. The Grandmaster then tosses his brother over his shoulder, before creating a wall of ice in front of him to give him cover from the blazing scythe fired at him. Wasting no time, Sub-Zero creates three ice kunai to throw at Scorpion, who runs towards him with his scythe whirling like a propeller to block all of them. Nonetheless, Sub-Zero successfully jumps from the pier and back onto land, to place Tomas behind some crates before circling around back to the part of the pier not yet burning.

However, that might not be the case for long as Scorpion's flaming scythe flies through the air, its red-hot steel seemingly eager to cut into the Cryomancer. Sub-Zero dodges the blade before following the attack with his own weapon, an ice battle axe, to grapple the rope attached to the scythe and wrap it around the handle of the ax. The Cryomancer then simultaneously stomps his foot onto the ground, frosting over the entire pier and putting out the fire, and gives a mighty yank that pulls Scorpion's entire body forward.

"Let's continue this fight, OVER HERE!"

Sub-Zero shouts as Scorpion practically skates towards him, the bespelled ninja unable to even dig his heels into the icy ground to avoid the Cryomancer's waiting ice-encased fist. Yet, that didn't mean that Scorpion was utterly defenseless, as he still held his favored kunai in his free hand. When Sub-Zero pulled him in close enough, the Pyromancer flicked out his kunai and stabbed it deeply into his brother's collarbone a split second before he could give the finishing blow. However, without Sub-Zero's fist to stop Scorpion right then and there, the Pyromancer ends up sliding off the pier entirely. Yet, Scorpion doesn't immediately fall into the river.

He grabs onto the rope; his kunai is still attached to it, which is still embedded in Sub-Zero. The Grandmaster lets out a strangled yell as Scorpion's entire weight causes him to stumble forward, while using both hands to grab onto the kunai's rope. He has to switch to one hand just as he came to the edge of the pier, which he uses to hold onto a nearby wooden pillar for support. Glancing down, Sub-Zero saw Scorpion encasing his free fist with one hand, his milky eyes narrowed with murderous intent toward his brother. Acting a second faster, the Cryomancer takes a gamble as he lets go of the wooden pillar to knock Scorpion off balance, before using the hand that was holding on to the rope to throw an ice ball at his brother's head. It does the trick to make Scorpion let go of the rope and fall headfirst into the water below.

The Pryomancer isn't completely submerged as Sub-zero grabbed onto his ankle at the last nanosecond before he was, his feet wrapped around a nearby pillar. The Cyromancer could feel his brother go limp under his hand, the water in his ears dampening the Siren's call. However, in the next few seconds, Scorpion starts to thrash under him as his body finds it difficult to breathe in that same water. Sub-Zero grits his teeth in both exertion and frustration as he painstakingly rips the kunai out of his body. He then uses the rope that's attached to tie around his brother's ankle, which was not made easy by Scorpion's flailing, yet Sub-Zero managed to make it as secure as he could. After getting up and tying the other end of the rope to a nearby wooden pillar and freezing his newest stab wound closed, Bi-han approaches the ledge of the pier to check on Kuai Liang.

His brother looked at him with color having returned to his gaze, which was filled with confusion and primal panic. Bi-han held out his hands in a silent, placating gesture before pointing to his iced-over ears, miming to plug them closed. Scorpion stops struggling as understanding dawns on him. The Pyromancer then reaches into his pouch to stuff his ears with beeswax, with his head still submerged in the water. Once Kuai Liang gives Bi-han the all clear, the latter then creates an ice knife to cut his brother loose. As he falls into the River, Sub-Zero turns his attention back toward where he saw the Siren last.

He spots their E/C eyes staring back at them with the fins on either side of their head raised in surprise, their mouth open mid-gasp, putting their fanged teeth on display. Sub-Zero starts running towards them, to which the Siren then turns around to dive into the river.

"There's no use running, Siren!"

The Cryomancer jumps off the pier and onto the river, freezing the water beneath his feet in an instant. In the wake of Sub-Zero's ice, the waves freeze mid-collapse, the fish caught in their last moment of movement. The Siren, not wanting to be frozen at the bottom of the ocean and drowned in ice, rises to the surface as quick as they could, with each flip of their fin causing a sensation similar to walking on glass. They breach the surface of the water, only to find Sub-Zero still in pursuit as he continues to walk on the water, each step becoming an icy platform that he can traverse with ease.

Again, the Siren tries to swim away, but they can only go so far. All the while, Sub-Zero can quickly gain speed to catch up with the Siren. Y/N's sharpened teeth begin to involuntarily chatter as the edge of the Cryomancer's ice nips at their tail fin. They try to flip their tail fin again, pain be damned, but, to their horror, they couldn't move their f/c fin at all!

Y/N's eyes widen as the ice begins to spread across the water they're in. The siren futilely tries to swim again, but they might as well have been trying to swim through the thickest patch of kelp possible.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!"

Y/N screams as Sub-Zero's frost completely encases her, its chill biting at their f/c that was never meant for such extreme cold. The frost completely surrounds them from the bottom of their ribs, stealing the breath out of the Siren, which they can see clashing with the sudden colder air. The Siren tries to use their webbed claws to dig at the slippery ice in a blind panic, but is unable to break through the thick substance.

Standing just a few feet away is Sub-Zero, standing by to watch the treacherous creature struggle to escape. Sub-Zero starts to walk toward the Siren, who looks up from their clawing to give a loud hiss. They bared their fangs, narrow their E/C eyes, spread out their H/C "hair" (which are actually prehensile whiskers) to the best of their ability, extended their webbed ears and the spikey fins on their back, going all out to look big and scary. Yet, none of these phases is the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster.

Sub-Zero holds out his hand to manifest an ice kunai then, faster than Y/N could react, crouches down to hold the weapon against the Siren's throat. Y/N immediately stills, now wholly focused on Sub-Zero.

"You've lost, Siren. Lord Lui Kang wants you brought in alive, but he also gave me permission to end your life should you prove too unreasonable."

The Siren gives the Grandmaster a glare, but stops their threat display, allowing their hair to go limp and putting away their claws and fangs. Sub-Zero lets out a grunt of approval.

"Good. It would be a great shame to end someone so rare as you."

Y/N continues scowling at the Cryomancer as he then stands back up, lengthening the kunai in his hand into that of a sword to keep pointed toward the Siren's throat. Using his free hand, Sub-Zero takes out the flare that Smoke gave him, noting out of the corner of his eye Y/N tensing as if readying for another fight. The Cryomancer doesn't say anything as he manages to uncap the flare with one hand before dropping it to the iced platform below his feet. Y/N gazes up at the pillar of bright blue smoke climbing up into the sky, now lightened by the impending dawn.

As the first rays of dawn began to peek from the horizon, Bi-han could make out the frozen aquatic life beneath his feet. He gives a quick glance with muted fascination at his power before trailing it to where the Siren's frozen lower half is, which had a metallic gleam in the early morning light, before landing back on the Siren's guarded expression.

'Scales don't shine like that.'

Bi-han's brows furrow as he takes another look at the Siren, specifically their frozen tail. Their tail, as expected, strongly resembled a fish's, the scales being a mesmerizing mix of F/C and F/C with sheer wing-like fins on either side of their hips. At the end of where the tail and caudal fin meet, there was a thin three-foot harpoon embedded within the flesh, with the spearhead poking out the other side of the fin.

'That would explain why the Siren acted so aggressively...'

Bi-han looks from the speared tail and back toward the Siren, then back toward the tail again. The Grandmaster's eyes narrow as the gears in his head begin to turn and spin while weighing his options. On one hand, Y/N hasn't killed his brothers, but on the other hand, the same siren killed two others and just tried to kill him as well. Lord Lui Kang has given him permission to kill the Siren if they prove to be too dangerous, which they have demonstrated with the exhilarating power Bi-han experienced firsthand.

The Cryomancer wasn't lying when he said that it would be a waste if he had to kill Y/N, who pushed his abilities and skills more than anyone has for a long time now. Truth be told, Bi-han is impressed that Y/n proved to be a worthy adversary, who managed to mind control an entire village with their voice alone, while suffering from an apparent debilitating injury. Fortunately, Y/N isn't some mindless brute and seems more reasonable than Bi-han initially thought them to be, which means they can be bargained with. The Grandmaster turned his attention toward the ice sword, tighening his grip on it as he came to a decision.

Kuai Liang and Smoke, both having now blocked their hearing, took their first step onto the frozen Tha Chin River when they caught Bi-han, his back to them, raising his ice-made sword over the trapped Siren. Y/N themselves glared defiantly at the weapon, seemingly accepting that they're going to die right then and there. Kuai Liang, despite knowing that Bi-han couldn't hear him, let out a shout.

"Bi-han! WAIT! WAIT!"

Then starts to try and run towards the Siren, hoping to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but is grabbed by the bicep by Tomas, who shakes his head at Kuai Liang. Tomas shared the same sympathies as his brother, recognizing Y/N's behavior to be more defensive and scared than outright malicious. The Siren even said as much after bringing them to the pier earlier, to show them the harpoon stuck in their tail. Yet, the last thing Tomas recalled before waking up in ice was Kuai Liang deflecting an attack from Bi-han while standing in front of the siren to defend them. It doesn't take a genius to figure out, from the state of the frozen village and damaged pier, that Y/N then used Tomas and Kuai Liang to try to kill their eldest brother and Grandmaster. Smoke trusts that Bi-han has more than enough reason to kill the Siren, having no doubt taken all of their attacks.

Yet, to both Kuai Liang and Tomas' surprise, rather than ending Y/N's life, Bi-han instead smashes the ice sword to the ground. The Cryomancer then holds out his hand to forge, not a weapon but a tool resembling an ice pick. Y/N, Kuai Liang, and Tomas all shared a look of bewilderment as Bi-han then crouched down in front of Y/N and began to chip away at the ice surrounding the siren's tail. They then look over Bi-han's shoulder to make eye contact with the Tomas and Kuai Liang, who both just shrug at Y/N's silent question.

The younger Lin Kuei brothers are the first to recover from their shock and make their way to their Grandmaster's side. Sensing their footsteps on the ice, Bi-han looks up from his work before addressing Kuai Liang and Tomas, making sure that both brothers could see his lips.

"I am glad to see you both as yourselves again. Now, help me release the Siren."

Bi-han pauses as he then turns his attention toward the Siren in question.

"Unless you would rather we end your life instead of bringing you home?"

Y/N ear fins perk up at the Cryomancer's words, their E/C eyes softening with trepidative hope.

"Wait, you can return me home?"

Kuai Liang answers for Bi-han, crouching down to use his fire to melt away the ice surrounding the Siren.

"Lord Lui Kang, Earthrealm's protector, has the power to return you from whatever realm you hailed from, should you allow us to bring you to him."

Y/N pauses briefly, considering the validity of the newcomers' statements. Although they remain wary of them, Y/N realizes that whether or not they're telling the truth, they're no closer to reaching home by remaining in the river than if they went with the people who could get them home.

"If it means returning to my sisters, then I'll gladly meet Lord Lui Kang."

Tomas, who was initially wary of being within grabbing reach of the Y/N, finally joins his brothers in their task with his trusty knife in hand, assured that the Siren wouldn't try to harm them any further. If he's being honest, Tomas sympathizes with Y/N's plight. Gods knows that he would've done anything if it meant reuniting his own sister. Yet, the youngest brother still had a question that had been persistently nagging him at the back of his mind.

"How DID you get here in the first place?"

Y/N turns their attention toward Tomas, their inner lids blinking sideways, which takes him slightly aback. Given Y/N's mostly humanoid appearance sans the tail, Tomas could almost be mistaken for the Siren as a beautiful person, one of the most beautiful people he's ever met, if he's being honest.

"As the strongest Siren, it's up to me to ensure the health and safety of my pod. My sisters and I were swimming during a violent storm, seeking calmer waters. I must have been caught by a stray current because I remember barreling through torrential waters, not knowing which was up or down as the storm blocked out the Sun. Out of nowhere, bright as the sun itself was a swirling pool of light!

"It was a strange portal that brought you here?"

Y/N shrugs, having no idea what a portal is before Tomas brought it up, but they could easily put together that he's referring to that strange light.

"I suppose. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to avoid this portal, so I ended up here. I swam for a while in these unfamiliar waters, trying to find some way back to my pod, hoping they made it through that storm alright. I was hunting for fish around here when I was suddenly struck. The Surface Walker that attacked me had these obstructions over his ears,"

The Siren puts their hands over their ears, miming some headphones, which Tomas couldn't help but let out a choked chuckle at before quickly masking it as a cough. Fortunately, Y/N doesn't appear to notice.

"So, he couldn't hear when I tried to sing to make him go away. Since that Surface Walker couldn't hear me, I simply sang louder to get someone who could to end him before he could end me."

The Siren taps at the ice, which the Lin Kuei brothers had just begun digging out, right above where their tail is. Kuai Liang inspects Y/N's tail, having only been given glimpses of the injury, thinking back on what he heard about Apichai from one of the locals.

"That's why you had people like Narin kill Apichai."

"I wasn't going to take any chances, after what happened the first time I arrived here!"

Y/N barks, their dorsal fin twitching in repressed anger, which has Tomas pulling out his Karambit in response. Fortunately, one icy glare from Bi-han made them immediately settle their fin and take a breath before anything escalated. Kuai Liang, however, couldn't fault Y/N for being defensive, although that doesn't mean the Siren did nothing wrong.

"I can understand your actions after the first man, but the rest of your kills sound completely unnecessary. Narin is in jail for what you made him do to Apichai. "

"We Sirens are warned from youth to avoid Surface walkers at all costs, otherwise they will capture us to either eat as a rare delicacy or to keep us in cramped tanks and force us to perform for their entertainment. Should I be so trusting after a Surface Walker here greeted me with a weapon that now makes swimming agony?"

Kuai Liang opens his mouth to argue, only to be stopped with a hand on his shoulder from Bi-han, who shakes his head as if to tell Kuai Liang to just drop it. Kuai Liang tries to speak again, only for his Grandmaster to tighten his hold on his shoulder, at which the Pyromancer finally relents. Bi-han then addresses Y/N.

"You are wise to strike before any of the villagers could."

"Bi-han!"

Both Kuai Liang and Tomaas shout, only to be silenced with a raised hand from their Grandmaster. They're then instructed to finish digging the Siren out, with Tomas responsible for chiseling away the ice and Kuai Liang for melting it. The latter has just gotten Y/N's tail free when Bi-han places a hand on their tail fin, right next to the harpoon. The Cryomancer doesn't flinch when the Siren hisses and bares their teeth in response, yet Bi-han's next words catch them off guard enough to stop hissing.

"You were right ot have attacked me as well, as I made no effort to show that I wasn't an enemy. However, "

Bi-han then grabs the spearhead of the harpoon, instantly freezing it upon contact before shattering it with his hands. Y/N tenses when the Cryomancer grabs the shaft, which in turn had Kuai Liang and Tomas subconsciously reaching for their respective weapons; fortunately, besides their "hair" writhing, as if deciding whether or not to attack, Y/N doesn't stop Bi-han from pulling out the rest of the harpoon.

Nonetheless, the Siren lets out a scream so piercing that, if the Lin Kuei brothers were to hear it, they would've been writhing on the ground with their ears bleeding. Y/N continued to scream as Bi-han then froze over both gaping wounds on their tail, patching them up for the time being until he can get them better medical assistance. The Siren takes in deep breaths to regulate the pain, although admittedly, the chilling frost from the Cryomancer helps numb the intense pain they usually feel.

"I lead too, and thus have to be the strongest to defend my brothers and my clan, just as you with your sisters."

Bi-han looks over at his brothers, who stand at the ready, awaiting an order from their eldest brother and Grandmaster. Kuai Liang doesn't contradict Bi-han, seeing as it appears his agreement with the Siren is keeping Y/N at ease.

" It's completely rational to have done what you must to survive."

Y/N stares wide-eyed at their tail, lifting it up for a better look at its unpierced state. They then stare back at the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster as they're overcome with a lightness they haven't felt for many moons. They let out a small yelp when Bi-han then scooped them up, bridal style, as if he's done this many times before. The Cryomancer then looks towards the village, back at the shore, noticing movement behind the frozen windows and on the streets.

"Now let us leave before there are too many eyes on us."

Kuai Liang and Tomas nod in agreement before following their Grandmaster's lead; their mission is accomplished.

/

Just outside Lui Kang's Fire Temple was a small pond, which was home to koi fish so vibrant that one could mistake the pond for holding fire rather than water. It is here that Y/N the Siren is given temporary residence until they can fully heal. While Y/N finds it to be smaller than their beloved ocean or the Tha Chin River, they didn't mind knowing it wouldn't be permanent. It helps as well that the Fire God has also allowed them (within moderation) to eat the koi in the pond.

Y/N was basking on the edge of the pond, Earthrealm's sun high in the sky, and sinking their fangs into a nice plump orange koi when a shadow fell over them. Instinctively, they clamp their jaws down on their meal before pushing themselves back into the water. They then maneuver themselves to turn around to see a familiar blue figure standing at the edge of the pond, their voice muffled under the water.

'What could he, of all surface walkers, want with me?'

Y/N ponders. They briefly wonder if they could just wait at the bottom of the pond until Bi-han lost interest, but then remember the biting chill that encased nearly their whole body and thought better of it. They cautiously peek their head out of the water, curious E/C blinking their second lids at Bi-han, who stood straight as a board with his arms on either side of him, his gaze focused entirely on Y/N. They then take a bite from their meal, displaying their shark-like teeth, before speaking.

"Is there something you seek from me, Bi-han?"

"As a boy, I have heard tales of sailors being led to their deaths from your kind's song. However, I have also heard that listening to a siren's song and living can grant the listener greater wisdom. My brothers were fortunate to be given this gift, and now I wish to hear your song so I may be a wiser Grandmaster for my clan, for my brothers."

"Mmmmhhh..."

Y/N then takes another bite of their meal. They, too, have heard similar tales from their own kind; they aren't too sure how true they really are. Nonetheless, Y/N understands all too well that doing whatever it takes to strengthen their people. They then flapped their fin, the muscles still sore around that point, which is nothing compared to the agonizing months they spent trying to swim around with that harpoon still stuck in their tail. Y/N probably would've spent far longer with the pain if it weren't for Bi-han finally getting rid of the damned harpoon.

"Very well then, I will sing for you."

Y/N then swims up to the pond's shore, placing their unfinished meal on land before planting their hands to haul themselves up. This turned out to not be needed as Bi-han crouches down and easily lifts them up from under their armpits. Y/N's finned ears begin to twitch as their face warms at the display of strength.

"You have my gratitude, Y/N."

Bi-han then gently sets them down onto the ground. The Siren then stares up at the Cryomancer, who was still standing, arms now crossed in front of him. Y/N notes how, at the angle they're looking at, Bi-han is quite handsome for a surface walker. Said surface walker then takes a seat beside Y/N, crossing his arms and legs. He turns his head to throw an icy glare at the Siren beside him.

"If you try ending my life, expect no hesitation from me, Siren."

"The same is true for me, Surface Walker."

The Siren grins while displaying their many sharp teeth that could rend Bi-han's flesh from his bones should they sink into him. The corner of Bi-han's lips flickers as he turns his gaze towards the pond in front of him. Y/N then takes a breath and begins to simply sing.

"Hear my voice beneath the sea..."

Despite Y/N not actively using their siren spell to bewitch the Cryomancer, Bi-han couldn't help but be enchanted by Y/N's beautiful voice.

Playlist while Writing This

“Siren Song” by Sara Singer

“My Jolly Sailor Bold” feat Ashley Serena

“Siren” by Kailee Morgue

“Cala Maria’s Song” made by Ego Plum

“Fleeting Lullaby” by Ado

"False Hydra Lullaby" by EmpathP

"Suffering" From Epic the Musical

"Done For" from Epic the Musical