Love & War 4

Chapter 3: Scorpion's Apprentice, Part 2 of 2

"Fox. What did you do to him?"

"Mental entropy. A state produced by a psychedelic from Scorpion's own poison collection."

"He's dying."

"Far from. Just reliving the old times so i could slaughter his clan without interruption, stoking the fire, until vengeance consumes him."

We now see Hanzo hanging upside down, wrapped in a chain, blood dripping from him. Apparently this was the work of Fox, with Takeda, who was shocked to see this.

"Scorpion has spend years struggling to control his vengeful spirit. Now that he has lost yet another family, imagine what he'll become. Spare him, Takeda. Show us all that you are brave enough to take a life."

"Lin...Kuei..."

JAPAN

A LIFETIME AGO

"Shirai Ryu will never bow to Lin Kuei. We will fight!" Hanzo soon found his wife, Kana, encased in ice, along with his son, Jubei. The ice was shattered with Kana and Jubei. They were both dead before Hanzo. The one who crushed the ice was none other than Bi-Han, the original Sub-Zero.

"Your family. Your clan. You've lost everything. How does that make you feel?"

"You've gone to such great lengths to recreate my darkest day. But Sub-Zero and I never talked about "feelings." None of this is real. Just a memory! OF TRAGEDY AND WRATH!"

And now...

"I can't kill him," said Takeda.

"Why not? Hanzo has been harder on you than everyone else. He chose every fighter he trained, except you. You're not a warrior, you're a runner. If you thought Hanzo was a harsh master before, wait until you see the real Scorpion."

"Get away from him!"

Takeda attacked Fox with a whip, forcing to drop his weapons. But Fox blasted him with energy.

"Too little, too late."

Hanzo disappeared. Apparently Fox forgot that he can teleport.

"This clan was my family," Hanzo said. "Whoever you are..."

He grabbed Fox by the throat and scorched him with his flaming skull. He then stabbed him into his heart with the dagger, but Fox's appearance has change into something other than human.

"Thank you." Just like Takeda, Fox blasted Hanzo with energy.

"With every drop of blood, I grow more powerful. Raiden never told you of the dagger's power, did he? Or its connection to Quan Ch..."

Fox never finished his sentence as his head was split upwardly like a watermelon by Takeda. Hanzo took the dagger and placed his hand on Takeda's shoulder as a show of gratitude. The Shirai Ryu, which was reformed by Hanzo himself is once again gone. They were travelling together.

"I just don't see how we honor them by leaving. We should rebuild..."

"We will rebuild, but first we find the one who gave me this dagger, and I'll show you how to make a god beg for mercy."

At the Sky Temple

"That thing is tearing across the realm and my vision is too clouded to find it," said Raiden.

'But the price is too high, Raiden," said the wind god, Fujin.

"What price? Among the humans, it is considered noble to give blood." Raiden takes a dagger and cuts himself. "The Kamidogu of Order has enhanced my sight before, Fujin. With a few drops of blood, I will find this demon."

Raiden developed multiple visions, including Hanzo and Takeda travelling, Frost and Cassie Cage fighting, Jacqui Briggs training with her father, Jax. Kotal Kahn drinking the blood from someone's heart, Mileena and Reiko, Sub-Zero fighting the Cyber Lin Kuei, Kano stabbing someone's hand, Chris and Jade enjoying their time in Edenia and finally Tanya, defeating her self-proclaimed "evil twin", freeing herself from her long-plague curse that was placed on her by Shinnok. All these visions started coming together. The dagger, however, corrupted Raiden.

"WE ARE TOO LATE. IT HAS BEGUN!"