Mortal Kombat
Season 1, Chapter 3: Fire

It was a cold winter night in Japan in 1990. A Japanese man with a mustache and beard was in his home, putting his young son to bed. The man had a yellow headband and yellow and black GI.

"Goodnight, Satoshi." The man smiled at the boy.

"Goodnight, papa." Satoshi yawned before lying on the large futon the whole family shared. The man smiled and closed the sliding door; he walked to another room where a beautiful brown-eyed woman wearing a yellow kimono with a floral pattern was sitting seiza at a table with a teapot and two cups on it. The man and woman smiled at each other.

"Satoshi is in bed. Which means we have some time alone." The man said before sitting at the table across from the woman. "I still find it hard to believe he will already be starting school soon, Harumi."

"As do I, Hanzo." Harumi said to her husband, "But now I believe it is time we discussed something. If Satoshi will grow up to be like us or leave the clan and this life." she said with a feeling of concern for their son's future.

"I understand your worry. While I do not regret being in the Shirai Ryu, this life is dangerous." Hanzo said, sharing some of his wife's concerns, "However, at the end of the day, Satoshi will choose his own path. Whether that will involve leaving the Shirai Ryu or remaining a part of it, we will have to find out."

There was a knock at the door; Hanzo got up and walked to it; a man in a similar yellow and black GI and a face mask was there.

"The Chief requests your presence, Hanzo Hasashi." the ninja said.

"This late in the night?" Harumi asked.

Hanzo went to the temple in the middle of the Shirai Ryu village, where he met the chief of the Shirai Ryu. An older man in a yellow and black robe was sitting in a chair. With him was a man with pasty white skin, black shadowing around his red eyes, and black lines moving up his bald head from his eyes; he also sported black lips and black fingernails. His outfit had a black vest with armored shoulder pads, a collar, large spikes sticking out near the shoulders, and metal bolts connecting the armor to the vest. There were two small red crescent symbols on the front of the armor, and below them was a yin-yang emblem with a red outline. The outfit under the armor was heavy green in color with what looked to be the body of a black leather coat with the flap on the back of him, leather straps connecting the two ends of the flap on the front of him; he also sported a large reddish brown belt, black long arm guards with two spikes on each one and a red gem on the back of the wrist. Finally, he had armored leg guards that went up to the knees, and the shoes had a silver metal patch on the toes.

"Quan-Chi here has offered us a deal." The Shirai Ryu chief said.

"Indeed I have. There is a Shaolin temple with a map to a precious artifact that I would like you to retrieve. Successfully bring it to me; as payment, I will destroy your enemies, the Lin Kuei." Quan-Chi said.

"I am sending you to this temple. Leave as soon as you can." The chief said.

Hanzo bowed. "Yes, chief."

Hanzo returned to his home and put on his ninja gear, a black outfit with various yellow parts, including a padded vest and front flap, belt straps, armored leg guards, and a face mask. It had a black hood on the head, black pants, black straps wrapped around the exposed arms, padded footwear, and two swords sheathed on the belt. On the flap and armbands was a symbol of a spear blade. He opened a box and pulled out a kunai blade attached to a rope. Harumi looked worriedly at Hanzo.

"Must it be you? Surely someone else can do this mission." Harumi said to him.

"The success of this mission could mean everything for our clan's and family's future. And I am the best of the Shirai Ryu; I must do this, Harumi." Hanzo said; he put his hands on his wife's sides and looked into her eyes, "I promise you that I will return safely." he said, holding Harumi close. Harumi hugged him back before he left the house and went off.

When Hanzo arrived at the temple, he knocked out the guards at the back entrance and entered the temple, avoiding the monk guards and traps and knocking out any guards that spotted him. He eventually found the room containing the map, it there he saw the Lin Kuei warrior. He glared and threw his kunai blade and rope at the Lin Kuei, them dodging it. They fired an ice blast at Hanzo, but he avoided it.

"Scorpion, I presume? Why is a Shirai Ryu here?" The Lin Kuei asked

"I am Scorpion, yes. I have heard of you; you are Sub-Zero. I am here to retrieve that map, Lin Kuei." Hanzo said

"As am I. And will not let you have it, Shirai Ryu dog." Sub-Zero said as he readied himself for a fight.

Hanzo then launched his kunai at Sub-Zero again, Sub-Zero dodging the kunai and grabbing the knives at his sides, throwing them. Hanzo kicked the knives away in mid-air. Hanzo jumped to Sub-Zero and pulled back his kunai, falling down and stabbing Sub-Zero in the arm. Sub-Zero then kicked Hanzo away before pulling the kunai out of his arm. Sub-Zero's hand glowed blue and froze the kunai and the rope it was tied to before striking the rope, shattering it to pieces. Hanzo then unsheathed his swords and swung them at Sub-Zero, Sub-Zero dodged the swings until both his hands glowed blue, and he formed a sword from ice, using it to block the blades. The two ninjas continued fighting with their swords, their blades clashing several times. Sub-Zero slashed Hanzo's leg with his ice sword; Hanzo grunted in pain before Sub-Zero drove the ice sword through his shoulder. Sub-Zero then formed a large icicle and stabbed it right into Hanzo's stomach. Hanzo coughed before Sub-Zero then kicked him in the face; it was hard enough to break the facemask he was wearing. He collapsed flat on the floor, not moving.

Not too long after Sub-Zero had left, Hanzo gasped awake. He groaned in pain and struggled to get up; he coughed and saw blood come out. He grunted and stood up, stumbling out of the way he came in. He fell onto the snowy ground; he was clearly struggling. He was bleeding from two different points and could feel pain in several parts of his body. He was losing blood; he walked his way back to the boat he took to get here. His stumbling made it so it took him several hours to make it to his destination, and he kept falling multiple times from the injuries and his delirious from the blood loss, some falls causing more damage to him. He was about to get into the boat when the blood loss in his body made him feel weary and tired, and he started to black out.

The next thing Hanzo knew, he was in a different location. He was now across the water and closer to his home; he even had bandages on his open wounds. He had to have blacked out and made it there; he looked around for anyone at the dock, only to find emptiness. He stumbled his way to his village only to find smoldering ruins. He looked at his home village, shocked and horrified, seeing several houses and buildings burned down and several corpses littering the streets. He then came to a realization, and his eyes widened; he started moving quickly to his own home.

"Harumi! Satoshi!" he called out repeatedly as he got closer and closer before seeing his house in ruins. He gasped in horror as he moved to the blasted open door; he looked inside and froze in shock.

"H...Harumi." Hanzo said, seeing his wife's body lying on the floor, her head having been cut off, a large blood stain on the floor next to her neck, and next to the body was her head. The head stared directly in Hanzo's direction. Hanzo stumbled closer to Harumi's body; it was there, in the corner of his eye, where he saw another body.

"S...Satoshi." Hazo said, seeing his son lying dead on the floor, blood all around him, and a large hole through his torso. Hanzo stood there, staring at the bodies of his wife and son. He fell onto his knees, tears forming in his eyes and streaming down his face. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist before collapsing to the floor further and slamming his fist on the ground. He throws his head up and screams up into the sky in emotional pain. He collapsed back and started crying; he had now lost everything. He looked at a sword mounted on a wall and walked over to it, grabbing it. He got on his knees and looked at the sword, unsheathing it. Without his clan or family, he had no more reason to go on. He raised the sword and was ready to drive it into himself when he heard something. He got up and went closer to the source of the noise; he looked over a corner to see Sub-Zero and Lin Kuei warriors. Then, the wheels began to turn in Hanzo's head; he had run into Sub-Zero last night, his clan had been slaughtered, and how their enemies, the Lin Kuei, were here. He gripped the sword tightly and snuck off. One of the Lin Kuei ninjas laughed.

"Ha! It is about time these dogs were put down." he said

"Yes, I must admit that it feels good being rid of them." another Lin Kuei said

"No doubt The Grandmaster will have a celebration about this." said the third Lin Kuei

"I do not see anyone alive. Let us go back to inform The Grandmaster of the news." Sub-Zero said before they all heard a scream. Hanzo jumped down from a roof holding the sword; he jumped down from the roof, bringing it down on one of the Lin Kuei ninjas and slicing him lengthwise in two.

"One survived!" one of the other Lin Kuei said

"I will deal with him." Sub-Zero said, running up to Hanzo and kicking him. Hanzo stumbles back. Hanzo swung his sword at Sub-Zero slow enough for Sub-Zero to catch the blade in his hands; his hands then froze the sword blade and struck it, shattering it. He then fired a blast at Hanzo, freezing his body so that he couldn't move.

"Now the Shirai Ryu dies." Sub-Zero said before forming a large icicle, driving it

into Hanzo's mouth, and impaling it through his head. Hanzo's mind began to flash back to memories of his past, his and Harumi's wedding, Satoshi's birth, and the last words he spoke to the two before he then only saw blackness. His eyes twitched and rolled back, all life from his fading away.

Hanzo suddenly woke up; he could feel intense heat all around him, hot air filling his nostrils; it was even hard for him to breathe in this environment. He tried to move but felt pain; he looked to see chains on his arms and legs, attached with large sickle blades stabbed into his wrists and ankles. He looked around him; there was a red and orange glow around, fire in many places. Lava flowed in rivers, and ash and cinders gently fell from the sky.

"Ah, good. You're awake. Now the fun can begin." said a deep and monstrous voice. Hanzo looked to see a demonic beast approaching him, a tall creature with three eyes, a blue color to his skin, and large lower canines jutting out of his mouth. He wore a loin cloth, a leather strap over his chest, and large spiked shoulder pads. He was sharpening a large and jagged sword on a stone.

"What...what the hell?" Hanzo said, tired and still not sure what was going on.

"Hell indeed, mortal." the demonic beast said, "though you may call it by its proper name, the Neatherrealm. Your soul is now trapped here, to be tortured for your sins for all eternity in the name of the great one, Shinnok."

Hanzo looked at his limbs and tried to get out of the chains; however, when he struggled, the sickle blades just dug further into his flesh, making him scream in pain.

"Now, now. Don't start the fun without me." the demon smiled as he examined the sword he was sharpening; he cut the palm on his hand, orange blood coming out, said blood sizzling "yes, this will do. You have to be careful when testing sharpness with an Oni. Our blood is like the very lava that flows through the Neatherrealm. Part of why I enjoy watching you mortals bleed." he smiled as he walked up to Hanzo. He walked right up to Hanzo and placed the sword's tip directly on Hanzo's abdomen before slowly stabbing it in. Hanzo screamed in pain.

"Shh shh, save your screams. It is going to get much worse." the Oni smiled. Hanzo then began mumbling something.

"Hmm? What's that?" the demon said, moving his ear closer to Hanzo's mouth and hearing the mumbling. "Is that a prayer?" the Oni scoffed before laughing, "oh mortal, no god can help you here." he smiled.

"I need no god." Hanzo said before he bit the Oni's ear; the Oni grunted in pain before Hanzo tore the ear right off. The Oni stepped back and held his ear in pain.

"You should not have done that, mortal." The Oni growled before Hanzo then spat the ear at one of his arm chains, the lava blood melting the chain enough for him to break it; he used his free arm to break the other arm chain and then his leg chains. He landed on the floor before pulling the blades out of his wrists and ankles. The Oni charged at him with the sword when Hanzo dodged him. Hanzo then wrapped one of the chains around the Oni's neck and tightened it. The Oni collapsed on the ground and struggled to get the chain off.

"If you want to live, you will tell where to find this Shinnok." Hanzo glared, pulling on the chain. The Oni was struggling to breathe; he pointed at a large temple spire in the distance. Hanzo looked in that direction and kicked the Oni in the face, knocking him out. He then began making his way across the hellish landscape. He knew he had a long journey ahead of him.

Two years had passed, and a figure wearing a full body hood and cloak approached the large spire riding on a demonic ram creature, its skull, organs, and ribs exposed with glowing red hooves. The figure looked up at the spire and dismounted the ram creature, taking the handles and rupes off of its mouth and sending it away. At the top of the temple, Quan-Chi was looking at the map Sub-Zero had retrieved; it was an island map with the location of the artifact he was looking for on it. With him were three women; one was a black woman with white hair and white tattoo markings on her face and arms, one was a woman with black hair and black tattoo markings, and the third was a woman with most black hair with a white highlight, black tattoo markings on her eyes and arms. All three of them wore skimpy outfits with a symbol on several points of what appeared to be a square above two curved lines and a dot between them. Quan-Chi was pondering the location on the map when the door to the room was kicked open by Hanzo.

"Shinnok!" Hanzo shouts in anger.

"I'm afraid Lord Shinnok is...busy at the moment." Quan-Chi said, not taking his eyes off the map and seemingly not caring about the man who barged in.

"Then fetch him for me." Hanzo demanded before he got a closer look at Quan-Chi, "wait...I know you. You're the one who hired the Shirai Ryu."

Quan-Chi raised an eyebrow, "the Shirai Ryu? Yes, I hired them...wait...yes, I recognize you now. You're Hanzo Hasashi; you're the one the Shirai Ryu sent to get me the map. Anyway, I rule over the Neatherrealm while the master is away. What is it I can do for you?" Quan-Chi asked

"I demand that you return me to the world of the living." Hanzo said "I must go back and have my revenge on the one who killed my clan, my family, and me."

Quan-Chi raised his eyebrow again and raised his finger, the three women carefully reaching for weapons, "and who might that be?"

"Sub-Zero. He killed my clan and family; I know it. And he killed me." Hanzo exclaimed. Upon hearing that, Quan-Chi lowered his fingers, and the women stopped reaching for their weapons. Quan-Chi smirked.

"Well, in that case, I'd be delighted to help you...course, you will have to do something for me." Quan-Chi said, walking to a table and pouring a glass of wine. "You see, once a generation, there is a tournament. A tournament used to determine the fate of realms. It is held on a magical island, and on that island is the artifact I want. There is just one problem. My master, Shinnok, was unjustly imprisoned by the Elder Gods."

"The Elder Gods are a myth." Hanzo said

"Oh, I assure you, they are quite real. They imprisoned Shinnok in this." Quan-Chi said before using his magic to make a construct that showed a golden round amulet, a square inside the outer circle, and a smaller circle inside the square. A cross was also on the amulet, and a green gem was in the center of the amulet.

"Since Lord Shinnok is trapped in this amulet, I am the acting ruler and protector of the Neatherrealm. Because of that, I am not allowed to participate in the tournament myself. As such, I need a warrior to fight on behalf of the Neatherrealm and retrieve the amulet." Quan-Chi explained.

"And why would I agree to do this instead of forcing you to take me back to the world of the living?" Hanzo asked, glaring at Quan-Chi.

"Aside from the fact that you cannot hope to defeat me, my spies have told me that Sub-Zero will also be in this tournament. Not only will you get your revenge, but Shinnok will show great generosity to someone who helped him so. He would even be willing to restore the Shirai Ryu clan to the realm of mortals." Quan-Chi said.

Hanzo thought about it; while he probably could not trust Quan-Chi, this was an opportunity for him to both avenge his death and the deaths of his family and clan, but if what Quan-Chi was saying about this Shinnok was true, then they would even be restored. He took a deep breath.

"Very well. I agree with your deal. Now send me where I need to go." Hanzo said

"I would, but there's a problem...you're dead. Your soul is bound to the Neatherrealm. If you want to leave, you must become a spectre." Quan-Chi explained, "An undead warrior. Though I warn you, the transformation from mortal to spectre is permanent."

"Very well. If it means I can get my revenge." Hanzo said.

Quan-Chi brought Hanzo to a temple where several demons were praying, a large circle with many symbols written in it in the center of the room.

"Step in the circle for the ritual to begin." Quan-Chi said.

Hanzo walked into the circle as demonic priests in black cloaks began chanting tongues, the demons praying, and the symbols in the circle glowing. Soon, fire enveloped the circle before enveloping Hanzo himself. Hanzo screamed in pain as the fire burned his flesh; he looked at his hands, the meat on them burning off. The chanting and praying got louder as Hanzo's flesh melted right off of his body. He screamed more as the flesh fell off his face, leaving the skull. The fire began to take shape and wrap around his skeleton, new flesh and cloths forming around the bones. After what felt like an eternity for Hanzo, his eyes opened, said eyes now blank white. He stepped out of the flames. He was now wearing a yellow and black outfit with exposed arms but fingerless arm guards. He had padded footing, leg guards, a long yellow flap on the front and back, a belt around his waist with a silver skull at the buckle, and a vest with sharp-angle shoulders, mainly black with yellow squares on it and a yellow outline. A black hood covered the top of his head, and a yellow face mask made of metal with grooves that made it resemble a skull.

"Hanzo Hasashi is no more. What will your new name be?" Quan-Chi asked the spectre.

The spectre looked at himself and clenched his fists. "My new name...is Scorpion."