"After you, my lady." I said, bowing exaggeratedly as I held the door for my Queen.

A smile teased at Medea's lips as she walked into the restaurant. It had been some time since the two of us were able to go on a date, so I approached her out of the blue today and asked her to lunch. She'd dropped everything she was working on and accompanied me immediately. We'd probably receive some angry letters from clients for delays, but Magdaran was proving very capable of dealing with such, so it wasn't an issue. I wasn't going to work my Queen to the bone just because some stuffy Pillar Devil wanted their enchanted tea set delivered promptly. I was powerful enough now that I didn't need to worry about them moving against me for minor inconveniences.

The past few months had been eventful. Business was booming. Everything was flying off the shelves faster than we could resupply. Significantly faster. Currently, our only major source of supply was Medea. She was beyond overtaxed. And that was just item creation.

We'd known going into this that we would need some way to work the mine we'd set up. The one spear-heading that effort was also Medea. Before she'd used it to find Coal's Sacred Gear Perfected State, Medea's Second Noble Phantasm Argon Coin was used for exactly nothing, but the alternative versions of her I'd seen had used it to create a near-endless army of Dragon Tooth Warriors, expendable skeleton constructs able to accomplish simple tasks.

The constructs were easy enough to make, requiring just a simple ritual and a dragon's tooth apiece. Coincidentally, what happened to be littered amongst any field where Coal and Regulus fought? Why, dragon teeth of course. Regulus's hide was impenetrable, but that didn't prevent Coal from gnawing on it, losing countless teeth in the process. They all grew back almost immediately because of his regeneration, but the lost teeth stuck around, leaving us an endless supply of dragon teeth for Medea's constructs.

Coal had actually offered to rip his teeth out when he'd found out what we were doing, but I was not going to let one of my Peerage members regularly commit self harm. I'd vetoed that, and Aqua had seemed very displeased with Coal for even suggesting it. Coal pouted while she gave him a full lecture about why it was bad to rip your own teeth out of your head even if they could grow back. It was kind of funny to watch.

Wanting to help my Queen, I'd asked that she show me how to make the constructs so I could take some burden off of her shoulders. It took me a little over a week to get the hang of it. I was far slower than Medea was when raising the skeletons, but the end result was the same. I spent a lot of my time now creating as many of them as I could to field the absurd number we needed to run things. Aqua had even pitched in her own aid. It took her longer than it took me to master the ritual, and she was even slower than I was, but any help was appreciated. The skeletons were the literal and figurative backbone of our operation.

We'd put the skeletons to work doing every labor intensive task we had. They worked in the mine. They stocked shelves in the shops. They worked my newly acquired land.

I was a Baron now, but a Baron of barren land. I held a significant chunk of territory, but it was currently just sitting there doing nothing. Wanting to fix that inefficiency, I'd begun several projects.

Magdaran had sent me a few letters voicing displeasure with his family. Apparently his parents thought he was hiding a Mithril mine from them and they were making things difficult for him as a result, so he'd reached out for help. His parents were preventing him from expanding his botanical operations, and he needed more space to work.

There was a stretch of land in my newly acquired territory where a valley ran between two hills with a very small river at the bottom of the valley. I'd taken Magdaran to tour it, and he'd loved the location. It wasn't ready yet. The skeletons were still setting everything up the way Magdaran had wanted, but progress was being made.

I'd found another stretch of more flat land where I planned to start up a farm. We had the space, and we had no-cost labor, so we might as well take advantage of it. I probably wouldn't sell any of the food we produced, at least for a while, but it would be nice to grow our own stuff.

We'd also begun construction on the castle that I'd originally had outlined. Medea and I didn't want contractors coming in and potentially messing with anything even if their reputation suggested they wouldn't, so we were doing it all ourselves. Every brick, every tile, every fixture in the house was meticulously enchanted by Medea before being passed along to her skeletal horde to continue construction. It was a very slow process, decades if our current pace continued, given how many protections Medea was literally laying into the groundwork, but it would be worth it in the end. We were immortal, and a magically constructed castle with protections placed into every piece of said castle would be a priceless boon. Still, that was just one more thing to occupy Medea's time.

My poor Queen was swamped with work. I was trying to help as much as I could, but I was not as gifted with magic as she was. I was good, better than most contenders even, but I wasn't specialized in the areas where she needed help. I could fight very well, but I wasn't a craftsman.

I could make skeletons now, but even that wasn't enough to lessen her load. Aqua and I had scouted several other mines we intended to take control of. Adamantium, Orichalcum, platinum, gold – we were ready to open a mining empire…except we didn't have the manpower for it.

Even churning out skeletons as we were, they were spread too thin between the house, the farm, Magdaran's valley and the various mines. Granted, it wasn't an immediate problem. It wasn't like we were going to be attacked tomorrow and we're building an army to fight. No, we were creating a labor force. The other mines could keep until we had the numbers to properly staff them. I wasn't going to ask Medea to skip our movie nights and not sleep just to push the timeline forward.

There wasn't much I personally could do for her, so I did what little I could. She enjoyed our dates, so I took her on as many as I could, deadlines be damned. If anyone had a problem with the slower production time resulting from my Queen taking breaks, they were welcome to take their business elsewhere.

The server brought us to a table in the corner of the room, the usual spot we booked in this establishment, then left, promising to return for our orders.

"I'm sorry it's been so long since we last got out like this." I said as we both looked over the menu.

"Think nothing of it, master. I am grateful for every opportunity. Speaking of opportunities, I've had a thought." Her eyes gleamed the way they did when she was plotting something.

"Caster, I brought you here so you could get away from work for the time being."

"And I appreciate that, honey, but until the root cause of the issue is fixed, the problem will remain."

I pursed my lips. "You have an idea for getting you some help?"

"Yes, but that wasn't what I was referring to. I have little issue with my current load. I would prefer more opportunities for the two of us to spend time together, but I know that will come once we have things properly established. I've completed setting the privacy wards by the way. We may speak freely now."

"I'm still going to call you Caster. The waiter will be back at some point, and again, this is a date. We can save the work talk for later. Enjoy yourself a little bit."

Medea pouted at me before a fond sigh escaped her lips. "Fine. We'll continue this discussion later. To change the topic, how would you feel about me taking the High Class Test?"

I waited a beat before answering. "You want to make a Peerage? I…don't have any issues with it. I just hadn't expected you to want to. You'll have to wait a bit though." The High Class Test was only held every so often, every one-to-three years depending on the demand. There were exceptions made for nobility though, so I could probably pull some string to get Medea through earlier, not even mentioning the goodwill Serafall owed us.

Still, I hadn't expected Medea to want a peerage. I hadn't thought that any of my peerage members would go on to make their own, but I certainly wasn't going to stop them.

Medea waved off my concern about the timeline. "I'm sure I can convince the Leviathan to pull some strings. It isn't urgent, and I don't necessarily want a peerage. I am perfectly content with my current role as your second, but I have been doing some thinking. You do not have enough pieces left to reincarnate every prospective recruit you have told me about. There is one such individual that I believe cannot be passed by, so I will take the liberty of reincarnating them so you may save your bishops."

My eyes widened as I understood what she was saying. There were very few recruits I'd gone over with her that would take both of my bishops. Of those, one of said individuals was someone that, while an immense boon, was someone I wasn't too sure about reincarnating. Other people had the potential to be better fits, but leaving this individual in the wild was just asking for trouble, practically forcing my hand. "The cup-holder?"

Medea smiled. "Yes. From what you've told me, she seems…intriguing."

"Were you thinking of making her your Queen or bishop?"

"I have not decided yet. I am waiting until I receive my pieces. With them bound to me… Well, I have ideas."

"Is there anyone else you're thinking about? I'd be more than happy to open a Hole to–"

"That is unnecessary, master. As I said, my main purpose in this is to assist you. You won't have enough pieces to reincarnate her and the others, so I will take her."

I frowned. "You don't have to do this just for me, Caster. I've already put too much on your plate. If you want…"

Medea started chuckling. "Master, you reincarnated me to help you. You saved my life and allowed me to start over. Now you're letting me build my very own castle. I think you don't understand just how satisfied I am with our current situation. I would, of course, appreciate some help to allow me more time with you, but I have no complaints. All I want is to continue building our future."

The waiter returned briefly to take our orders before departing again. Once he was gone, Medea smirked.

"On the topic of the future, I had some ideas… You're still building up power in your pocket dimension, right?"

"I am." I actually had three Holes actively sapping away my strength right now. Two under my armpits and a third at the small of my back. Due to the absolute hellish regime I put myself through when I was younger, I could now sap away three times the strength with roughly half the drain. I was far stronger than when I was younger. Since I needed to be alert and able to help my peerage now, I'd cut back on how much I exhausted myself, but I was still contributing a large amount to my stockpile of power, simultaneously forcing my body to become stronger as it lacked power.

"Good, don't touch it. I'll need it later." Medea said with a satisfied nod.

"What will you need it for?"

"It's a surprise. I'm going to get you a present. I don't know when you'll get it, but I do know that you'll like it. A lot. Be patient."

"Well now I'm really curious."

"You'll just have to wait." She looked far too pleased with herself. "To blatantly change the subject, I have an idea to get me some help."

"Back to the topic we started on, then?" I asked, an amused smile on my face.

"Oh please, master, it isn't like we haven't been talking about work since we sat down."

"You're not wrong. Okay, what were you thinking?"

"I want an apprentice."

I tilted my head at her, gauging the serious look in her eye. Medea had been teaching Aqua and I some tricks, but we were too specialized in our own areas to truly be the witch's disciples. "Again, I'm not against it, just surprised. What exactly are you looking for?"

"Someone with great potential that will not waste my time."

"Were you planning to reincarnate them?"

"No, I was planning on taking your Pawn as an apprentice."

"My Pawn?" I raised an eyebrow. I hadn't had many ideas for a Pawn. I'd shared most of the potential recruits I was thinking about with Medea to get her opinion on them and to hopefully prevent another rejection like how my attempt to recruit Talion went down. There wasn't much I kept from her these days. I hadn't told her the exact story of how I came to be here and what my life was before, but she certainly knew more than anyone else, and even if she figured out the full truth, I wouldn't be concerned. I trusted her.

"You initially told me you wanted him as a Bishop, but I believe a Pawn would be better given where he starts. It would allow you to save your Bishop for someone with their own pre-existing power rather than just their potential. I can teach him. He'll either prosper or collapse under my tutelage. As a Pawn, he will also be able to temporarily promote to Queen, a piece better suited to the fully realized version of himself you told me of."

I was pretty sure I knew who she was talking about now, a recruit I'd initially discarded because I wasn't sure I could ensure their loyalty. "He might turn on us when given what he wants."

"Another reason to let me take him as an apprentice. I will snuff out such thoughts."

"Alright, we can talk about that more later, but I really did want to give you a break today, Caster. Is there something not related to work you want to talk about or do?"

She smiled fondly. "I suppose there is a movie that I was hoping to see at some point."

"We can go right after lunch."

The waiter returned with our meal and we lapsed into silence while we ate, sharing occasional small talk about the food. We just enjoyed each other's company.

We finished our meal and stood up to leave. We had just started to move towards the exit when a figure approached us.

She was taller than Medea but shorter than me, wearing an elegant red dress with various golden ornaments. It was a bit much for my tastes, but I could see how some would find it appealing. She had long blonde hair that fell down past her waist; the tips of her hair were a deep blue. She smiled warmly as she approached. "You are Lord Balthazar Abaddon, correct?"

I regarded her cautiously. I didn't recognize this woman. I didn't know if she was someone important. For all I knew, she could be the manager of this establishment or she could be an assassin. One of those was more likely than the other, but you never know.

"I am." I said, after a moment, carefully watching her reaction.

She held her hand out. "I am Latia Astaroth. It is a pleasure to meet you. Would you be willing to speak with me for a moment?"

I shook Latia's hand, inspecting her.

I had never heard of this woman. I had heard the name Astaroth. I'd known that name long before I came to this world. I wanted nothing to do with Diodora and his whole…thing. Was this girl his sister? Cousin? I didn't know he had any relatives close to his age.

Medea stepped up next to me, taking my other hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"So long as this is quick, Lady Astaroth. I have other plans today." I said neutrally.

Latia smiled brightly. "Of course. Thank you for agreeing. Please," she motioned forward, walking towards the exit of the restaurant. I could feel the eyes of every patron and staff member on us as we left. Maybe this was a mistake. I didn't want to set a precedent that it was okay to approach Medea and I while we were on a date.

"What is this regarding, Lady Astaroth?" I asked once we were out in the street.

She clasped her hands in front of her, turning to fully face me. "I have heard many things about the new business venture you have started with Heir Bael. I would like to assist you."

I narrowed my eyes. So she was trying to ride our coattails, huh? Anyone who wasn't blind could see the two of us were only just getting started. She was trying to get in on the ground floor.

"Forgive the bluntness, but what can you offer us? We have already been approached by several lords seeking the same." Magdaran had been a good fellow and dealt with those letters for me. I probably would have just ripped them up instead of sending a polite refusal the way he did.

"I have a proposal in mind, but it would be better discussed in private. Would you be willing to sit down with me at a later date so I can go over it in detail? Heir Bael is invited as well, of course."

I pursed my lips as I thought. I didn't know anything about this woman except that she shared a last name with a psychopath rapist. That wasn't a lot to go on, and it certainly wasn't endearing me to her. Besides, I doubted she had anything to offer that I couldn't get on my own.

"I would need to discuss this with Magdaran first." I said non committedly.

She nodded, seeming to accept my answer without any complaint. "Of course. Please write to me when you come to a decision. Thank you for your time, and I hope you both enjoy the rest of your day." She curtsied shallowly and walked away.

"Thoughts?" I said.

Medea, still pressed against my side and holding my arm, watched the Astaroth girl as she walked away. "She seemed genuine. Whatever she has to show you is something she is confident in, but that doesn't mean it will be valuable to us."

"I'll bring it up to Magdaran, but I'm not expecting this to go anywhere. Now, let's go watch a movie."

Medea hugged me tighter as a Hole opened up around us to pull us to a theater in the human world we'd been to a couple times before. Medea bought the biggest popcorn they had and we sat down.

She seemed quite taken with Batman Begins, but she did point out all of the places where 'real' ninjas would do things differently than those portrayed on screen. She did that a lot while we watched movies, elaborated on and corrected things she was knowledgeable about. She didn't even look away from the screen while she did so. Some people in the theater didn't seem too pleased with her exposition, but I thought it was cute, so I glared at everyone until they minded their own business.

It was a good date.

X

"This is…wow." Magdaran said breathlessly. The two of us were flying a good three hundred feet in the air over the area on my land I'd set aside for him.

The landscape had transformed since the last time he'd been here. Wild hills had been tamed into plots fit for cultivating whatever he wanted. Greenhouses had been constructed on both hilltops with a third down in the valley near the river. I'd even had the skeletons carve a couple of caves into the hillside to give Magdaran a place to grow fungus.

"It's still not done," I said, pointing to where several skeletons were tilling dirt and redirecting the flow of the stream to irrigate the land. "But you can get started whenever you want. If the skeletons are bothering you, just tell them to go away and they'll come back later." That was one of the advantages of the relatively weak Dragon Tooth Warriors, they never slept, never complained, and didn't need food or water.

"I…I don't know what to say, Bal." He'd started calling me that a little after we opened our business together. I didn't have a problem with it, so I didn't say anything.

"You don't need to say anything. I have a lot of land and a lot of nothing to do with it. I'm trying to find more uses so it isn't just going to waste. You're doing me a favor by setting up shop here."

Magdaran chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm doing you a favor? I'm glad we're friends, Bal. You need someone to make sure no one dismantles you in negotiations."

"Please, that's Caster's job."

Magdaran laughed, a happy sound. "That it is. She seems to be doing a good job of it too from what I can see. Making you a Baron overnight was a good start."

"She's very good at what she does."

Magdaran watched the skeletons working below us. "I can see that. Make sure to tell her thanks for her help setting this up."

"I will," I looked pointedly behind him. "I noticed you don't have shadows today." The two maids that followed him around every time I'd seen him were not present.

Magdaran sighed, his mood souring.

I winced. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. My father and I had a…disagreement. He believes it is best that I continue on my own until I learn from my mistakes." The corner of his lip pulled up. "Of course, it's not all bad. Now I don't have to worry about Ana and Rowan breathing down my neck all the time."

He'd had a spat with his dad? That… I was not sure what to do here.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Please no, anything but that."

"Anything but that it is. Caster and I were approached while on a date by a young woman who claimed to have something to offer us."

Magdaran looked up at me. "Did she give her name?"

"Latia Astaroth."

His eyes lit up. "We've met. Several times, in fact. It's impossible not to run into other Pillar children when you're forced to go to every high-society social event. Latia has always been kind to me. Did she say what she wanted?"

"She said it was something she wanted to discuss privately. I told her I needed to run it by you first."

"Well I have no issue with it. At worst, we refuse her offer and part ways. It can't hurt to hear her out, right?"

I shrugged. "I suppose not. She said to send her a letter when we came to a decision."

Magdaran sighed. "And I suppose I will be the one sending the letter and scheduling our meeting?"

"Well, you see, I'm so busy coordinating the skeletons to set up your botanical haven. I can't be away for even a moment."

Magdaran looked pointedly down at the skeletons currently coordinating themselves without any input from me. "I'm sure." He sighed. "Well, you are providing transport, the labor and the majority of our products. I suppose I can be bothered to pen a few letters. If nothing else, it'll make me feel like I'm actually contributing something."

"Thanks, Magdaran."

"Of course."

"So do you want to see the new plants I got for you?"

Magdaran's eyes lit up. "You have more?"

I'd been collecting stuff from the protected area around our mithril mine that I thought Magdaran might be interested in. I had plans to scout some other places with Aqua's help to get him some really exotic stuff, but that was for the future. I had too much going on right now.

"Come on," I said, leading Magdaran down towards the ground. A skeleton approached us, with an open chest.

Magdaran descended on the contents of the chest, poking and prodding at the petals of flower with tools he'd pulled from…somewhere. He asked me questions about the climate and environment I'd found the samples in and just went into a frenzy trying to learn everything he could about everything I was showing him. Eventually, he locked himself away in one of the greenhouses, seemingly forgetting I was even there.

I left him to it. He seemed like he was having fun. Besides, Medea and I had plans tonight.

It was time to see about finding her an apprentice.

X

It was hot. The sun beat uncaringly down from the sky. The yellow sand beneath only served to accentuate the heat.

A man with wavy black hair sat in the doorway of his small cart, sweat beading his forehead, frustrated. The axle on one of his front wheels had broken. He had the materials to repair it inside the cart, but he wanted to wait for the sun to descend in the sky. It was already scorching enough hunkered in the shade cast by his cart. He didn't need to be working out in the sun.

The man tugged at the yellow vest he wore, pulling it off and throwing it into the cart. The extra layers weren't helping him. As he looked into the cart, he sighed. His eyes passed over the meticulously sorted vials, stones and baubles stored away, ready to be peddled when he finally arrived in the next city. If even one of those items worked the way he claimed, he would be able to fix his axle and be on his way. He wouldn't need to worry about the heat. He wouldn't need to worry about anything.

But it was all a sham. Just like him.

The 'mystical remedies' and 'potent enchantments' he possessed were fake. The result of a lifetime spent searching for knowledge only to realize too late that that knowledge would never be his.

Whenever he stopped in a new village or city, he toted himself as a great sorcerer to try to sell his merchandise, to try to earn enough to eat. He wanted to be a great sorcerer, but the only spell he could cast was that to barely alter his appearance with assistance from a ratty wig and too-expensive makeup.

This was not the life he wanted. This was not the life he deserved.

"You look like you could use some help."

The man sprung his feet, whirling around. A young man walked around the front of the cart. He had blond hair wearing strange clothes colored black and red.

"Uh…yes." The man grabbed a vial from his cart. "Yes, my cart's axle broke. For your assistance, I would offer this–"

"I have no need for your fake knick-knacks." the young man said.

The black-haired man's eyes narrowed. Who did this boy think he was?

The young man looked at him, blinking in shock. "Forgive me. The heat doesn't affect me, I hadn't thought to consider it would affect you. One moment." He held up a hand, a glowing circle of magical runes appearing in the air before him. The next moment, a gust of chilled air passed over the cart owner, banishing the heat in a breath.

The blond young man grinned. "I'm better with fire, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of using ice and cold."

The black haired man stared slack-jawed at the being in front of him. That was…magic. True magic. Not the worthless scraps he passed off as magic, but actual magic.

"Who…who are you?"

"Did I not introduce myself? How rude of me." He gave an exaggerated bow. "My name is Balthazar Abaddon, Baron of the devil House of Abaddon. It is good to meet you, Shang Tsung."

Shang Tsung opened his mouth, snapping it closed immediately. This man knew his name. No, not man. Demon. Was this creature from the Netherrealm?

"You…You know my name." Shang Tsung said hesitantly.

The devil smiled. "Of course I do. I came here to speak with you, afterall. Please, sit." He motioned to his side.

Shang Tsung stepped back unconsciously. A round table set with three chairs had appeared in front of his cart. Not present one moment, there the next. A square awning held up by posts around the table blocked the sun. A chilled glass of water sat in front of each seat.

Shang Tsung felt a lump in his throat, swallowing nervously. This… This is what he had always been seeking.

Slowly, Shang Tsung walked forward, pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

The devil, Balthazar, sat down across from him. "Let me be direct, what do you want, Shang Tsung?"

He didn't know what to say. "You said you came here for me. Shouldn't I ask what you want?"

"You could, and I will answer. I came here to find you because I feel you have immense potential. I think you can grow to be a supremely powerful sorcerer, and it would be beneficial to me to have such a sorcerer as a servant."

"A servant?"

"Yes," the devil held up his hand. A small red figurine appeared above it. Shang Tsung recalled it belonged to some game from Earthrealm. Some merchants had been playing it in a town he'd been in some time ago. "I want you to be my Pawn. You will become a devil like me, bound to my service. In exchange, you will receive power, magic, status – everything you've ever wanted."

Shang Tsung's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the devil. "How do I know this is not some trick? If I am bound to you, you have no reason to give me what you offer. If you even can."

The devil smiled. "A little paranoia is a good thing. Let me try to ease your worries. First, yes, you would be bound to me, but I take care of my servants. I would do all I could to assist you, provided you remained loyal to me. Having powerful servants makes me stronger because I can call on their abilities. It does not serve me to keep you weak. And I assure you, I can grant you what you seek."

The devil lifted the red piece up. "This will reincarnate you into a devil, granting you the ability to use devil magic. Even without it, you would be able to become a powerful sorcerer if you received the proper training. I did not seek you out because I wanted a mediocre follower. I sought you out because I wanted someone who could rise to be the best. As I said, my servant's strength is my own strength."

Shang Tsung stared the devil in the eye. "If I accept, you would make me a devil then teach me?"

The devil chuckled, setting the piece on the table. "No, I would not teach you. That would be someone else's job." The devil turned away from him, looking at the third, empty, seat at the table. "What do you think?"

Shang Tsung flinched as the air in front of him shimmered, revealing a woman in a dark cloak, intelligent eyes shining out from beneath her hood like a predator stalking its prey.

"He has potential." the woman said. "You were right about his loyalty. I can practically feel his ambition."

The devil's smile thinned into a serious line. "What's your advice?"

The woman chuckled. "Don't worry yourself, master. It's nothing I can't handle. We just need to direct his ambition in a productive direction."

"Are you another devil?" Shang Tsung asked.

The woman frowned minutely. She stood. She was not tall, but Shang Tsung still felt her presence bearing down on him as she slowly approached him.

"My name is Medea, Witch of Colchis, Balthazar Abaddon's Queen. While in public, the members of my master's peerage refer to me as Caster to shield my identity. You will refer to me as 'master'." She waved her hand and a sheet of parchment appeared in it. "Should you accept my master's offer, you will become my apprentice. I will train you to the best of my ability. You will become a sorcerer the likes of which you've never dreamed. In return, you will never use the strength you gain against my master in any capacity."

She set the paper down in front of him. "This is a magically enforced contract outlining the terms of this arrangement. If you break this contract, the consequences will be dire. If you cannot accept these terms, then do not sign. We will leave you to live your life here. If you sign, you will become my apprentice and my master's Pawn. You will return to our world with us where I will teach you everything you've ever wanted to learn and more."

"Medea, I don't want magical bindings to be the reason my peerage is loyal. They'll try to find ways around them." Balthazar said.

"Trust me, master."

The devil nodded, watching Shang Tsung closely.

Shang Tsung picked up the parchment. Glowing blue words outlined the details of the proposed arrangement. As the self-professed witch said, the terms of consequences of betraying the man who would become his master were severe. The contract would bind his magic, making him unable to use it ever again. Additionally, it would inflict twice as much suffering upon him as he had in his betrayal. Shang Tsung didn't know what metric could be used to feasibly determine what 'twice the suffering' was. Suffering was not something easily quantifiable. There were many forms and each person experienced each form differently. How then could a magic quantify it and match that quantity to someone else?

Shang Tsung wanted to learn.

Shang Tsung looked at the devil seated across from him. "If you give me what you promise, then I will be your loyal servant." If the devil discarded him, he would find a way around the contract and have his justice.

The witch held a pen out to him.

Shang Tsung took the pen. As he signed the contract, he felt a small cut open on his finger. The pen was using his blood as ink.

The moment his signature was on the page. Shang Tsung gasped, feeling a force inside him closing in around his heart.

"Do you feel that?" the witch said. "That is the contract placing its hold on you."

Shang Tsung clutched at his chest. He did not enjoy this feeling.

The witch continued speaking. "Remember that feeling, apprentice." A dagger with a mishappen blade impractical for any conceivable use appeared in the witch's hand. "Rule Breaker." She stabbed the blade down into the contract.

Shang Tsung gasped, feeling the cold hand that had closed down on him vanish in an instant.

"I have broken the contract." Medea said. "There is now nothing other than your word tying you to my master. Do not break it. The consequences will be far more dire than those outlined in the contract."

"What was the point of that?" Shang Tsung demanded, feeling his ire rise.

Medea smiled at him. "You don't like feeling powerless, do you? Good. Use that drive. I will not be a benevolent mentor. I will demand nothing but your best. You will either flourish under my tutorship or be crushed. The world we are taking you to is not kind. There are those that will toy with you for no reason other than their own boredom. We will fight with you, and you will fight with us, but we cannot count on any other allies. I will make you strong enough to be an asset to my master. What you do with that strength is your own prerogative so long as you continue aiding him when he requires it."

Shang Tsung was starting to think that this woman was not entirely sane. Still, she and Balthazar had what wanted, what he'd sought for so long. She was playing with him, poking and prodding to see how he reacted. He had no doubts that she was powerful. She'd offered to share that power with him. If his service was his payment for that prize, then he would offer it.

"Make me a devil." Shang Tsung demanded of the still seated Abaddon.

"You're sure? You will not be able to–"

"I am sure."

Balthazar stood, the red Pawn floating up into his hand. He approached, pressing the Pawn into Shang Tsung's chest.

Shang Tsung's breath fled his lungs. His eyes shot wide.

Shang Tsung felt powerful.