Centuries ago, an ancient artifact known as the Sphere of Wonders was held in the hands of a devilish creature known as the Prince of Darkness, though he goes by another name as well: Belial. He has heard that many a deity, human or otherwise, know of the legend behind the sphere and were battling each other to see who shall claim it. This played perfectly into Belial's hands, as he tortured and taunted the souls of the warriors who died in the conflict with the Sphere itself.
Alas, the Sphere stayed with Belial for ages, even in the modern era. During this time, Earth had been saved from a fallen Elder God known as Shinnok. Shinnok's underling, Quan Chi, had been murdered by Hanzo Hasashi, the man formerly known as Scorpion. However, Belial had somehow gotten a hold of Quan Chi's headless body and dragged it into hell.
Using an ancient spell, Belial summoned magicks to surround the corpse, lifting it up into the air. His face slowly materializes, first the eyes, then the skull, the muscle, and finally, the skin. His work completed, Belial lowers Quan Chi onto a standing position on the ground.
"Welcome back, sorcerer," Belial greeted.
Quan Chi, ever so grateful, gets on one knee and bows. "Greetings, Prince of Darkness," he replied.
"Don't worry, you just had your head cut off. Shinnok didn't bother trying to revive you because he was defeated by a military grunt with a cunt of a General for a mother and a douchey actor for a father."
Quan Chi clenches a fist in anger and disgust. "That vile Earthrealmer will pay."
"And I know just how to lure her." Belial sumons the Sphere of Wonders via hellfire magic and shows it to Quan Chi.
Quan Chi recognized the artifact right away. "Is that-?" Quan Chi queried.
"Yes," Belial answered. "The Sphere of Wonders. The very artifact that can grant wishes to those whoever wields it. I've kept it with me for many a millennium, and now is a great time to exploit it once more." Belial creates a vision of Cassie Cage, a Sergeant in the Special Forces, with his palm. "Is this the young lady who toppled your lord's schemes?"
"Most definitely," replied Quan Chi. "What is your plan, exactly?
"Well, with the popularity of fighting tournaments nowadays," Belial explained, "we have a simple solution: see which fighters would be as willing to kill each other for it." A flash of flame emanated from one of his open palms before he clenches a fist, extinguishing the fire. "Shall we go now?"
Quan Chi bows once more. "Yes, Lord Belial," he anwsered.
to be continued...