Kuai Liang stepped back, frowning. He had heard stories in China about the Thunder God, Raiden, but he never took them seriously. They were just myths, like the characters in all religions. But the man had seemingly materialized from hot, shimmering air that had congealed around the cyber-ninjas and electrocuted them as if it was second nature. He was tall too, much taller than the other one with him, nearly seven feet tall with a strong body draped in white and blue, his features strong and precise, his eyes the color of the clearest sky. There was a look of wariness in them, and weariness as well, as if he'd seen far too much of life for far too long. Perhaps he was a god.

But it didn't matter.

Kuai Liang scoffed and returned his attention to what did matter: Tomas. But when he gazed at the wall and the portal that had whisked Cyrax and Smoke away, he saw that it had closed. A frustrated scream formed in his throat, building up and up and up, until he finally howled and then punched the rock angrily. The blood gushing from the hole in his arm did not register in his brain, and neither did his shredded knuckles beating the rough limestone. A tight ball of pain formed in his throat, begging for release even while he continued punching the rock and yelling incoherently for his friend, but he refused to let it dissolve into tears. That would be admitting defeat. That would be admitting that Tomas was gone.

"Sub-Zero, we wish to speak to you," Raiden said. His voice was stern and clear.

"I don't have time," he distractedly replied. He'd finally given up punching the wall and was now feeling along it with his tender fingers, searching for a way to reopen the portal. "I have to go back. I have to save Tomas," he muttered a few moments later.

"It is too late for him," the other said.

"No, it's not!" he whirled around and screamed at the god. The Cryomancer shot him a dirty look before he pulled Himavat's amulet from inside his tunic and held it in his outstretched palm. Raiden's sky-blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you get that?" he demanded to know.

"From me," a familiar voice said followed by a faint whooshing sound like the noise of river whitewater. Kuai Liang looked to his left and unexpectedly saw Himavat standing beside him.

"Lord Himavat," Raiden said in respectful awe as he knelt, pulling his companion to the ground with him.

"Lord?" Kuai Liang repeated. He raised his eyebrow in confusion.

Himavat smiled as he grabbed the young Cryomancer's bloodied, wounded arm and examined it. "That's right," he said knowingly. "Well, your kori sword still needs work, my dear boy, but bravo for maiming your arm to escape. That's what I call taking one for the team. Your will to survive is strong." He squeezed the wound and pumped healing ice into his arm. Instantly, the hole started closing up, as did his split and broken knuckles.

"Who are you?" he demanded to know as the old man worked his magic. "I want the truth this time, Sorcerer."

"You will speak more respectfully to Lord Himavat, Sub-Zero," Raiden scolded, scowling. "He is an Elder God, the God of Water."

Himavat waved his free hand at Raiden. "Yes, yes," he said impatiently. "Will you get up already? You know how I hate that, nephew."

He bristled and frowned as if he'd just bit into a lemon, but immediately Raiden bowed his head and then climbed to his feet. Johnny followed his lead.

"You're a god?" Kuai Liang repeated, wrinkling his forehead in disbelief. "You said you were a sorcerer."

"Yes, and what is a god but a sorcerer whose magic breathes life into existence?" Himavat smiled as he patted his cheek.

"You lied to us." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Fog began to waft from his fingers as his heart pounded in fury inside his chest. He scowled, even as the Elder God shrugged.

"I did no such thing," he argued. "You never asked if I was a god." He grabbed the Cryomancer's other hand and popped his dislocated wrist back into place. Kuai Liang stifled his yell of pain as more ice chilled the wound. "Oh, my dear boy," he said gently as he watched the bruises fade, "the Lin Kuei certainly made a mess of you, didn't they?"

As soon as Himavat said it, Kuai Liang's despair drowned out the flames of his anger. "You have to help me, Himavat," he said in a voice so soft he didn't quite believe it came from him. "They took Tomas."

For a long time, Himavat said nothing. He kept as still as a stone. He hardly seemed to be breathing at all. When at last he began to speak, it sounded almost as though he were singing, sadly, in a dream."I know," he said.

"So help me."

"I can't."

Kuai Liang narrowed his eyes. "Can't, or won't?" he hissed.

"Can't," the other reiterated as the other two men joined them. "My nephew, Raiden, is right. Tomas can't be helped. Not right now, at any rate."

"You helped us once," Kuai Liang argued.

"Yes, and what did I tell you then? That you used your get-out-of-jail free cards, so be careful."

When that didn't placate the Cryomancer, he sighed in exasperation and continued. "Tomas died in that landslide," he bluntly said, his face now hard, his blue eyes suddenly cold. Then, he inhaled and his expression softened. "However, your heartfelt prayer for him moved me so much that I was inspired to do something foolish. I knew you needed him so I restored his soul. I risked catastrophic problems with the space-time continuum because of it, not to mention the other Elder Gods' wrath. The rules that govern the universe are very strict. My sisters barely tolerate my hands-on approach with mortals as it is. If I interfere again, after having upset the natural order once, the consequences could be devastating for everyone in Earthrealm."

"Fine, I understand," he muttered, trying not to believe that his pr̆ítel really had been dead. For a few eternal seconds, Kuai Liang had been completely alone in the universe. "But they're going to-"

"I know," Himavat interrupted, resting his hands on the Cryomancer's shoulders. His forehead knotted up in grief. "They're going to automate him. It's a living death. But the key word there is living. I'm sorry."

Kuai Liang stiffened. "That's not good enough!" he yelled as the fire in his belly rose again.

"It is enough that Lord Himavat raised your friend from the dead," Raiden interjected, crossing his arms. "He shouldn't have done that for you or anyone."

"Well, I have a soft spot for these boys," the Elder God said to him, silencing the angry retort hovering on the Cryomancer's tongue.

"Your soft spot might have devastated the balance of the universe," he criticized.

Himavat laughed softly and looked at the young Cryomancer. "See! Even my nephew nags me like an old woman! Of course, he's one to talk. He would do the same for the mortals he cares about."

"You assume much, Uncle," the Thunder God replied dispassionately.

"I assume nothing."

Raiden started to answer, but Kuai Liang promptly cut him off. "If this is to be Tomas' fate, then you should've let him die in the landslide," he growled. "Death is better than automation." That strangling pain was creeping back into his throat. He wanted to punch something again, and punch it until he was numb inside. Instead, he swallowed hard.

"My dear boy, I'm a god, not a fortune-teller," he replied as the Cryomancer sank onto a piece of driftwood and buried his face in his hands. "Even we cannot foresee all events with any certainty because the future is always changing. And there is an infinite number of possibilities as well. I had no way of knowing Tomas would meet this fate when I spared him." Himavat winced, and then squeezed the Cryomancer's shoulders. "I would help him if I could, Kuai Liang," he said in almost a whisper. "He's very precious to me, just as you are. But I can't." He sighed.

"Then I'll help him myself!" Kuai Liang cried angrily as he threw off Himavat's hands. He held out his hand and started to freeze the amulet, but the Elder God grabbed it from him. "Give that back!" he growled as he stole it.

"No," the god firmly replied. "Marching into the Lin Kuei Temple will only get you captured and automated. That will help absolutely no one, least of all Tomas."

"I can't just sit here, waiting for them to come back for me," he retorted. "You know they will. Oniro will never give up."

"No, he won't, and no, you can't," he agreed. "So I suggest you listen to what Raiden and Johnny Cage have to say."

Johnny chuckled. "An Elder God knows my name? Oh, hell yeah!"

Kuai Liang raised his eyebrow in disgust. "You want me to listen to him?" he repeated as he pointed to the man.

"Yes, I do," he smiled.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, throwing his hands into the air in annoyance.

Raiden stepped forward. "You are one of the best warriors in Earthrealm, Sub-Zero. I want you to fight on our side in Mortal Kombat."

"No," he said flatly. "I don't have the time or inclination to participate in your silly tournament. I have a mission to attend to."

"Yes, I know," the Thunder God replied. "To find Shang Tsung and force him to tell you what happened to your brother. That is a foolish plan. Better men than you have faced Shang Tsung and failed. Now, he owns their souls."

"Not anymore," he corrected him. "I'm on a new mission to save Tomas."

"Also foolish," Himavat chimed in. "You need answers about your brother. Aiding my nephew will help you get those answers."

"I'll get them sooner or later, regardless," he stubbornly hissed.

"Yes, you will because I will freely give some of them to you now," Raiden declared. "Your brother, Bi-han, died in the Mortal Kombat Tournament. A warrior named Hanzo Hasashi, known now as Scorpion, killed him. He was in line to be the next Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu."

Kuai Liang's eyes widened as he now jumped to his feet. "The Shirai Ryu are dead. I saw them myself. They were butchered like animals and left for the birds to eat. It was a massacre. What you're saying is impossible."

"Not impossible," Himavat countered.

"Did my brother kill them?" he asked him, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"He killed Scorpion shortly before the Tournament began while trying to steal a map," he said. "As for the others, I am not certain. There are many things about that entire situation that are...odd."

"That's an understatement," he snapped. "But if he killed Scorpion first, then how could Scorpion kill him?"

Now Raiden crossed his arms. "The sorcerer, Quan Chi, enslaved Scorpion's soul and now forces him to fight for him," he said. "But make no mistake. He is very much dead. The bottom line is that Bi-han is also dead. You cannot help him. Nor can you help Tomas Vrbada. What you can do is fight to save Earthrealm."

"Save it from what?"

Himavat patted him on the shoulder. "From Shao Kahn," he said. "This Tournament Raiden spoke of is not just a silly contest. If Earthrealm loses, it falls to Shao Kahn as a prize. Look around you, Kuai Liang. Outworld was once a beautiful Realm much like your own. This is what happened to it when it fell to the Emperor after he killed the Dragon King and ascended to the throne."

The Cryomancer coldly looked at Raiden. "If you're a god, why don't you stop him?"

"I asked him the same thing," Johnny said.

"Be quiet," he barked. "I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Jeez! Take it easy, man."

"Kuai Liang, the Tournament was established to protect each Realm from outright invasion," Himavat explained. "Shao Kahn must win ten Tournaments in a row before he can claim a Realm as his prize. It is the only way to maintain balance in the universe without actively interfering. The gods, but especially we Elder Gods, can't interfere without upsetting the balance of nature. That is why we established Mortal Kombat. I want you to join my nephew, as well as Johnny Cage and the others."

"Why do you care if I fight or not?" he asked, glowering. "I'm just one person. There are undoubtedly millions more like me."

"I care because I care about you and all humans," he replied. "I like Earthrealm. I've made my home there. I don't want to see it change hands to the Emperor."

"Nor do I," Raiden said. "I am its sworn protector."

"You just said gods can't interfere."

"We cannot unless directly challenged," he agreed. "But I can gather fighters."

"Like me," Johnny added.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kuai Liang scowled. He pointed to the man. "This warrior – and I use that in the loosest possible sense – fights on our side?"

"Hey, I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget," Johnny responded, pointing back at the Cryomancer.

"Don't make me laugh," he shot back.

"Silence," Raiden snapped. "You are both fighting for the same cause. And like it or not, you are both on the same team."

"You're assuming I'll do as you ask. Which I won't," Kuai Liang declared. "This does not involve me."

"It involves every-" the Thunder God started angrily, but Himavat interrupted him.

"Let me talk to him, Nephew," Himavat intervened, looking at Raiden. "There is much I need to show him." He smiled at the sullen Cryomancer. "Come."

"No."

Himavat chuckled in amusement. "That wasn't a request," he said as he touched him on the shoulder.

Instantly, Kuai Liang felt himself yanked through space-time as if he was a puppet on a string, much like walking through a portal but faster. A split second later, he found himself in a strange place.

"Himavat?" he choked out, trying to catch his breath.

A torch was now in the Elder God's hand, and he swept it in a wide semi-circle. Shadows moved and lurched. Flickering light touched the carpet of snow underfoot and brushed against a long procession of pillars fashioned from solid ice that matched ahead, two by two, into the dark. Between the pillars, Kuai Liang saw magnificent sarcophagi preserving people's mortal remains within small sepulchers.

"Come, my boy," Himavat commanded again as he rested his hand on Kuai Liang's shoulder and beckoned him to follow.

He led the way between the pillars and the Cryomancer followed wordlessly, shivering slightly from the subterranean chill. It was quite cold down here, and though he could tolerate coldness better than most, he was not completely immune to its effects.

"What is this place? Where have you brought me?" Kuai Liang demanded to know. His voice bounced off the ice and echoed in the vault overhead as they walked through this mysterious tomb. But Himavat refused to answer until he stopped at last and lifted his torch.

"My son, what do you know about the Cryomancers?" he asked, resting his free hand on the lid of a sarcophagus. "Your people?"

"Is this really the time and the place to have this discussion?" he snapped.

"Answer me," the Elder God insisted. "What do you know about the Cryomancers?"

Kuai Liang sighed. "Not much," he lamented. "My father was one, and his father, and so on, going back hundreds of years. I think we're the only ones. I've never heard of other Cryomancers living in the world. And as far as I can tell, we were always in the Lin Kuei."

"In Earthrealm yes," he nodded his head in agreement. "But the Cryomancers are not native to Earthrealm. With my help, one crossed over from Outworld. He was the last son of a royal bloodline stretching back eons. I saved him from Shao Kahn. He became the warrior your father always told you not to be like."

"The first Sub-Zero?" he repeated, wrinkling his forehead in curiosity.

"Yes. He was but a child when I rescued him from those who would kill him. An infant, to be exact. I smuggled him to Earthrealm to protect that bloodline. And I have fiercely guarded it ever since."

"Why are you telling me this now?" he asked after a moment of silence contemplating this. He could still hear An-Zhi condemning their forefather. There is no room for rebelliousness in our family anymore, he'd said, shaking his youngest son as he spoke. We must always obey.

"Because you should always know where you came from so that you can know where you're going."

Kuai Liang rubbed his eyes and leaned against a pillar. He didn't need a history lesson now. Tomas was out there, and he needed help. He needed him. And when the Cryomancer allowed himself to think about that, a terrible weight crushed his chest. It wasn't that he was sad - sadness had very little to do with it, really. And it wasn't that he was exhausted either. Sadness was temporary. Exhaustion was temporary. No, he realized, it was that if the Lin Kuei automated Tomas because he couldn't find a way to save him in time...Well, that was permanent. And he didn't think he could live with himself anymore.

"Eons ago," Himavat began, not seeming to notice the Cryomancer's turmoil, "I was visiting Edenia before Outworld conquered it, and I fell in love with a beautiful water nymph named Ianeira. I made her my wife, and together we had eight children. The golems I created as my family in Tingri, the ones who were a family to you, were modeled after her and them."

"I trust there's a point to this story," the other remarked.

"Yes, there is," he nodded. "You see, I discovered early on that my four sons and four daughters all developed the ability to control ice. It made sense, really. I am the Elder God of Water, but my favorite manifestation of the element is ice and snow. Somehow, that predisposition transmitted itself to them. But whatever the case may be, they were the first Cryomancers."

Kuai Liang knitted his eyebrows together in puzzlement. He stood up stiff and rigid, paying stern attention to him now. "Are you saying-"

"I am your ancestor, yes," Himavat replied with a broad smile. "This tomb is at the end of a long, deadly passage called the Sān jìng gǔ. My children created it thousands of years ago to protect the Cryomancers' mortal remains. It is nestled beneath their ancient city, Mòhé, sheltered deep in the heart of the Bīnglěng Dì Dìyù. Few have seen this place. The few Cryomancers who've lived through Shao Kahn's treachery are now paranoid recluses who dislike anyone visiting them, especially unannounced. Where once the Lords of Mòhé were kind and just men, they're now as hard and cold as the land they rule. They swear allegiance to no man, and trust is given only to their own." He paused, looking at the coffins. "This is my oldest son's sarcophagus," he said. "His name was Skadi. He was the very first Lord of Mòhé, and you are descended from him."

The Cryomancer looked at the preserved, withered body within and experienced a sudden kinship with this long-dead stranger. His features had long since become unrecognizable over the ages, but the kori sword his hands were wrapped around looked only moments old. "They died? But...you're a god." His confusion deepened.

"But Ianeira wasn't, so they weren't," he replied. He sadly smiled and patted Kuai Liang on his cheek before resuming his tale. "Anyway, my children naturally met other Edenians who weren't Cryomancers, and they went on to have their own children, and so on. He smiled. "I trained them all to use their powers, and they affectionately called their old granddad the Dragon of the Ice. Of course, I have many names, Kuai Liang. Ullr, Boreas, Winter Katsina, Khuno, the Black Warrior, the Tortoise of the North, and at least a hundred more. You've been trying to figure out where you know my name from? Remember your mythology from the opposite side of the Himalayas, young Kuai Liang. Himavat is my Hindu name. It's my favorite."

When Himavat said that, a light bulb switched on in his head and flooded with memories of the Hindu ice god who made his home in the Himalayas. He felt stupid. "Oh," was all he could say.

The Elder God smirked. "The Cryomancers worshiped me, and under my tutelage, they were some of Edenia's fiercest warriors, serving the King for thousands of years." The god's expression abruptly turned grim. "But when Shao Kahn invaded, he bribed one of the Cryomancers, Xing the Corrupted One, with promises of power to turn on his clan. While the Cryomancers battled to drive the Emperor out, Xing created a rift within by spreading dissension. He persuaded many of the others to join Shao Kahn, and as a show of good faith towards the Emperor, they exterminated many Edenians, primarily the royal family. Xing himself killed King Jerrod in front of Princess Kitana and Queen Sindel."

"Tomas and I fought with a woman called Kitana earlier," Kuai Liang said. "The woman you speak of, was that her ancestor?"

"No, that was her," he said, raising a knowing eyebrow. "Edenians are mortal, but they age much slower than humans. She was only a child when Shao Kahn invaded and merged the Realms. She does not remember much about the merging, but she is still very angry at the Cryomancers for their betrayal as she perceives it. She is not willing to accept that they were deceived as well."

"What happened to her after her father died?" he curiously asked.

"Shao Kahn raped and married her mother, and adopted her as his own daughter. He has made her into one of Outworld's deadliest warriors. She is one of their Champions."

He exhaled. "At least now I know why she called me a traitor."

"She refused to believe that Xing's forces assassinated most of the loyal Cryomancers, and only rumor tells her now what I did with Jae. Oh, but how much good he could have done for Earthrealm!" he lamented. "I gave him to a couple who were having trouble having children of their own. They took good care of him until the Lin Kuei Seekers kidnapped him when he was four."

"Himavat, please tell me something. Why did he rebel against the Lin Kuei?" he asked, hoping to solve the riddle of why their family line was cursed as traitors.

The Elder God inhaled deeply and then rested his hand on the Cryomancer's shoulder. "Because he had repaid a debt he felt he owed to the Great Kung Lao, and of course, the Grandmaster took issue with it," the other said. "Jae only killed the Grandmaster in self-defense. Of course, you know the rest of the story, and how the Lin Kuei corrupted every single one of his descendants since then. Until now." Himavat patted him on the cheek. "You're a good kid, Kuai Liang, even if you haven't realized it yet."

"The Cryomancers who betrayed the Edenians...what happened to them?" he wondered.

"The same thing that happens to anyone the Emperor finds threatening," he said. "After he used them to destroy his enemies, he sent his son, General Reiko, to slaughter them." He paused. "That is why the survivors stay hidden here in these frozen wastelands. Many armies have tried to conquer them. All have died of exposure." Himavat paused and looked deeply into Kuai Liang's eyes. "But this time, it will be Earthrealm that is targeted and destroyed if he should win. That is why Raiden needs all the help he can get fighting Shao Kahn. We cannot allow him to do to our world what he did to Edenia and many others."

Kuai Liang looked away, grimacing as he thought again of both Bi-han and Tomas. "I wish I could help you, but I have to help my brother, and I have to help Tomas. Please, Himavat, let me rescue him. What good will there be in my life if the only two people I've ever cared about are gone?"

"You saw how badly injured he was, Kuai Liang," the other replied. "I fear the only way to save his life is to automate him. Then again, he might be better off dying before they can transform him. Either way, the only thing you'll accomplish by rushing in to help him is your own enslavement. I won't let my grandson do that to himself."

Kuai Liang started at that. "Grandson?" he repeated.

"Well, distantly. Very, very distantly. But my blood nonetheless." He squeezed his shoulder. "Will you fight for your Realm? Will you help restore the ancient Cryomancers' honor?"

He frowned. "I thought you said I needed to help Bi-han's soul. Find more answers."

"And why can't you do both?"

The Cryomancer exhaled loudly then rubbed his eyes tiredly. He thought about his pr̆ítel again and felt guilty for even considering Himavat's plea. But it was the sort of thing his friend lived for. He could already hear him now. I know you're sweet on me, Kuai Liang, but get over yourself already. Go do something more worthwhile with your time, Tomas said in his head.

"Well?" Himavat prodded.

He smiled sadly, then looked at the Elder God. "I'm already dead to the Lin Kuei, my brother and best friend are dead, and I've got nothing else to lose. So why not?"

"That's the spirit!" he cried as he clapped the Cryomancer on the back. "Now, let's get you to Raiden. He's going to need you soon. The Tournament continues as we speak."

"Just out of curiosity," he began as Himavat patted his back, "isn't this interfering with mortal free will?"

The Elder God narrowed his eyes. "Only if you told," he replied.

The young Cryomancer had no answer to that, so the Elder God transported him back to Raiden and Johnny Cage the same way as before. But as they materialized, Kuai Liang saw several unfamiliar faces beside the ones he already knew: two U.S. soldiers dressed in all-black fatigues, an American Indian whose face was smeared in war paint, and two Shaolin monks. His eyes narrowed at them both, immediately recognizing the one with the long dark braid and large black hat.

"I know you," he hissed at the monk. "You did this to my eye." He pointed at his scar.

At first, the Shaolin gazed at him closely, clearly trying to remember him. But then he nodded his head. "Oh, yes," the man replied in accented English. "I remember you. You're the arrogant Lin Kuei who attacked me on the road to Tianjin. Are you looking for another lesson in manners?"

"If I recall, I won that match," he declared. He thought of the fight, which had been long and brutal. If he was being honest with himself, that battle was much closer than he would've liked to admit. The Shaolin monk was strong and fast and completely deadly. The Cryomancer had only won by the skin of his teeth and a healthy dose of good luck.

"But not before I gave you a parting gift," he said, pointing at his scar.

"Put your foolish pride away," Raiden sternly barked at them both. Thunder cracked in the distance, inspiring both men to stand down.

"No kidding," one of the soldiers, a blond woman with an angry scowl on her face, agreed. She clutched a M-16 in her hands, ready to open fire at a moment's notice.

"Kuai Liang has something he'd like to say to you, Raiden," Himavat declared. The Cryomancer shot him a dirty look before the Elder God grinned and nudged him forward. With a deep-set frown, he looked at the Thunder God and cleared his throat.

"Raiden, I...accept your invitation. I pledge my service to Earthrealm."