The sweltering heat forces Sub Zero awake, his arms restrained by thin chains that are deceptively strong. A bald, pale, tatooed sorcerer stands over him. Sub Zero's scanners identify the sorcer as Quan Chi.

Tomas Vrbada and Jackson Briggs stand over him, both pale and motionless.

"Why are you standing there? Help me!" Sub Zero whispers.

Quan Chi speaks, his voice breaks the silence, surprising Sub Zero.

"They cannot save you, Kuai Liang. In fact, they are here to help me improve you."

Sub Zero speaks confidently, despite his condition, "I wish to have no part in your experiment sorcer!"

"Please Sub Zero, I'm ridding you of those pesky cybernetics, you should be thanking me." Quan Chi's sarcasm looms ominously around the chamber.

"What is the catch?", "Why would you do this?" Sub Zero demands, regaining more strength in his voice.

"Those pesky cybernetics protect you from the foul forces of the Netherrelam. But even with those, your soul needs to be exceptionally powerful to survive it's darkest magic. I need to remove those pesky, unreliable cybernetics for you to serve my Lord at your maximum potential."

Sub Zero tries to thrash, but is restrained by Jax and Smoke. "I have been forced into servitide before, never again will I be a puppet!" Answers Kuai Liang defiantly.

Quan Chi scoffs, he unsheaths a hellish dagger, putting the blade right at Sub Zero's forehead. He changs an incantation.

As Quan Chi finishes the incantaton, he jams the dagger through Sub Zero's forehead.

Sub Zero comes to. He is closer to the ceiling than before, he is unable to talk, he cannot feel his body.

Green energy surrounds him, his eyes catch Quan Chi in his peripheral.

"Blink if this hurts, seeing as floating brains can't talk, or you would be screaming." Comments Quan Chi dryly.

Before Sub Zero can comprehend what was said, an essence surrounds him. It constructs a skeleton and nerves around him, his head feels tight, readjusting to being in a skull once more.

A purple essence surrounds him as the green one subsides, it forms joints, and ligaments. Kuai Liang's head starts to throb, the pain overwhelms him.

The green essence returns, but Sub Zero is unaware as the pain knocks him unconscious.

"Such a pity you couldn't stay awake for the best part." Comments Quan Chi. He snaps his fingers and Sub Zero is jolted awake.

Sub Zero yells in agony and surprise, loud enough to make Quan Chi flinch and his revenants flinch.

The purple and green essence combine, it forms tendons, and weaves muscle into his bones, organs fill Sub Zero's ribcage.

Kuai Liang's screams grow weaker as the process continues, his voice gets raspier as he tries to escape the pain emanating through his bones.

Sub Zero's rapidly beating heart is muffled as the muscle, skin and hair cover Kuai Liang's torse.

Sub Zero gasps for breath once the process is finished.

"You can stop with the dramatics, this next part is completely painless..." Quan Chi pauses, he gives a wicked smirk, "As long as you don't resist."

The Sorcerer lowers Kuai Liang onto the table carefully, Smoke wraps a robe around him as he nears the table, Jax draws a rune on Sub Zeros forehead with cursed ash, on the same spot where the dagger was stabbed. Quan Chi turns to the revenants, both take two large steps back.

Quan Chi takes a deep breath, the veins in the sides of his head bulge in concentration as he mutters the incantation concisely, but quietly.

Sub Zero's eyes become a light green, similar to the cursed essence that rebuilt him, he develops another headache.

Quan Chi's whispers grow louder, more powerful, they roar through Sub Zero's head, turning the headache into a migraine. He clutches his head and grits his teeth. Despite being gibberish, the words awaken a compulsion in a Sub Zero.

Quan Chi speaks the incantation confidently, "You will surrender your will and body to Lord Shinnok."

Kuai Liang thrashes unsuccessfully again.

"no..."

"NO"

"NO!"

Sub Zero tries to yell, but his voice is weak.

"I will never resist..."

"Never again..."

Kuai Liang collects the last of his strength, his voice confident despite how strained it is.

He speaks as clear as he can through gritted teeth.

"I WILL FIGHT UNTIL I HAVE BROKEN... EVERY CHAIN THAT BO-OUNDS E-EVERY SOUL IN EVERY REALM!"

His body seizes uncontrollably, Kuai Liang rolls off of the stone operating table before the revenants can reach him, cutting his forearm on the rocky chamber floor a meter below.

Quan Chi stops his incantation, his bloodshot eyes and sweaty head betray his convincing poker face. He approaches Sub Zero, clearing his throat, "I ask you one final time, do you pledge allegiance to our Dark Lord Shinnok?"

"Sub Zero rises to a knee, he lowers his head, his deep gravelly voice devoid of all compassion and wisdom, "I pledge allegiance to Lord Shinnok, I shall kill and die for his and your honour on a moments notice."

"Quan Chi smirks, "Good, I am overjoyed to have you come around.

This is the probably the darkest chapter I've written, but depending on how good I write a later one, the more realistic scenario will probably hit harder than this one. I tried really hard to make this chapter detailed, dark and heavy. This chapter should be a good example of the tone in the upcoming second arc.