I'm on the front line,
Don't worry I'll be fine
The story is just beginning.
I say goodbye to my weakness
So long to regret...
- Shinedown, "Diamond Eyes"
_________________________________________
Seven Years Later...
Kuai exhaled, his cold breath materializing in the wind through the silver mask covering the lower half of his face.
He stood still as a statue, taking slow, near-unmoving breaths as he stared down the scope of his sniper rifle. Breathe, he told himself. He was a panther lying in wait for it's prey to make it's final, fatal mistake.
Below, the streets of New York blared loudly as vehicles drove past the building that Kuai was at. He stood at the edge of the roof in his dark, black leather jacket with the navy blue undershirt and black jeans. He also wore a belt with many weapons attached to it, just in case. "Thirty degrees north," he muttered under his breath to himself. "Wind speed of fifteen miles per hour, adjust."
He waited, patiently.
Finally, the window that the scope was latched onto showed movement. Kuai's eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at the target he had been hired to assassinate. The target - a man in a fancy white suit - was shouting on the phone. Taking a deep breath in, Kuai double-checked his measurements before he exhaled, squeezing the trigger of the rifle.
The sound of the shot was muffled by the silencer at the end of the firearm, and Kuai watched through the scope as the bullet breached the window, burying itself into the target' brain. Blood coated the window, but Kuai saw the man fall to the ground, lying lifeless on the ground with a blank stare.
Satisfied that the deed was done, Kuai retrieved his phone from his back pocket of the jeans and texted his employer: "Done". He got an instant notification from his bank, letting him know that the money had been transferred to his account - a total of $800,00. The amount was a little bit smaller than the average that Kuai would normally receive in these "jobs", but he didn't complain.
He began to pack up his rifle, disassembling it on the rooftop and making sure that there was no evidence to suggest that he was there. He descended the building from the fire escapes on the sides, somersaulting down until he landed on his feet in a crouch, standing up in the alleyway he had landed in.
_________________________________________
Before Kuai had found himself in New York, he had to find a way to get from Asia to the United States. Of course, he couldn't do so without passport for himself and Satoshi, as well as cash.
So, to earn the money he needed, Kuai started accepting jobs by blacklist employers to take out crime bosses and mafia leaders. He had become a mercenary. While he had been upset at first, he grudgingly began to accept it as the pay was excellent. Besides, with every assignment he took, he would preemptively check the target's identity. If the target dealt with criminal activities or committed other crimes, Kuai would take the job.
Over the course of a year, Kuai had accumulated enough money to buy fake passports and IDs for himself and Satoshi. He had also purchased plane tickets as well, and the two were able to fly to New York, where they had been living for the past six years.
Kuai did his best to raise Satoshi in a normal environment, remembering his promise to Harumi. He enrolled Satoshi in a public school and helped the child with his homework. They lived in an apartment - Kuai was afraid to draw too much attention to himself by purchasing a bigger living space. Still, with the money he earned as he continued his mercenary work in New York, Kuai indulged Satoshi with treats, games, and other material objects that the traumatized child wanted.
Still, Kuai continued to take out the criminals and worst people in New York, always making sure to see if the target deserved to be killed. For his views of killing the monster - which went against the mercenary code - he was given the nickname "Renegade". Kuai didn't mind it - it was fitting for another reason. He had abandoned the Lin Kuei and was a renegade of that clan, so it fit in a personal context.
Employers were eager to get ahold of Kuai - they knew how effective he was in the field. In the beginning, when Kuai didn't have money to purchase the high-tech weapons he used nowadays, he would face the target and fight them in hand-to-hand combat, overpowering them easily. Sometimes, at the crime scene, there would be ice on the walls or encasing the corpse - officials were puzzled, criminals were terrified.
Still, no one knew who Kuai was in the mercenary world, and they also couldn't piece together how the ice appeared in his crime scenes. Kuai was thankful for that - he didn't want his life with Satoshi to get caught up in this mess.
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As Kuai stood up in the alley, the invisible hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he whirled around, hurling a shuriken at a figure shrouded in darkness.
A yelp was emitted from the unknown person as they rolled to the floor to dodge the steel star, which buried itself into the brick wall.
Kuai snarled as he saw the figure, now illuminated by the yellow streetlight. "Black."
The Black Dragon mercenary got onto his feet quickly, retrieving his hat from the ground as he placed it back on his head securely. He spoke in a voice as sweet and smooth as honey - a voice he only reserved for Kuai. "Now, sweetheart," he chided. "You don't have to be so cruel; it's only me, after all."
Kuai's nose wrinkled under the mask - Black couldn't see it - as the horrible southern drawl scratched at his ears. "Fuck off, Black," Kuai hissed. "I'm not in the damn mood."
"You never are, buttercup," Black said, digging his thumbs under the waistband of his pants as he jutted his hip out in a suggestive manner. "What are you doing around these parts, Renegade? I haven't seen you for a while, now that I remember our last encounter."
It had been a year since Kuai had first met the insufferable cowboy. They had met on a hit that they had both been assigned. They agreed to form a temporary alliance as they took down a small mafia gang in upstate New York. Kuai had spent the entire ordeal struggling to not wring the man's neck himself - he had been so happy when the job was done.
Now, seeing Black was becoming an unfortunate weekly part of Kuai's routine.
And he flirted. Constantly.
"I just finished an assignment," Kuai stated bluntly, his right hand resting on his belt where a throwing knife laid in wait. "What are you doing here, Black? Did Kano send you to kill me?"
Erron scoffed, walking up to Kuai without any fear. "Nah," he said dismissively. "I just got bored. What say you and I head on back to my place?" He purred suggestively, leaning in close to the point where Kuai could smell the liquor on his breath. "We could have a fun night - I could help you... loosen up a little bit. What do ya say?"
Kuai snorted. "You'll fuck just about anything with two legs," he retorted, taking a step back to put some distance between the two. He knew that Erron was only interested in him because of the mystery surrounding his name and reputation.
Black shrugged in response, leaning back dejectedly. "Well, suit yourself." He walked past Kuai, down the alleyway towards the main street. "I'll be seeing you around, Renegade," he called out behind him. "Maybe some other time."
Kuai rolled his eyes. "He thinks he's such hot shit," he muttered under his breath so that Black couldn't pick up on it. As soon as Black had turned the corner and left his sight, Kuai counted for another ten, long seconds before he went to the street and walked to his car which was parked on the edge of the sidewalk - a black Audi.
Unlocking the door and sitting in the driver's seat, Kuai put the car into drive and turned onto the street, driving back home through the crowded roads of New York traffic.
It took another thirty minutes before Kuai finally pulled into the parking lot created for the apartment complex. He parked in the same spot he always did, locking the doors as he walked to the entrance of the apartment building.
Walking inside, Kuai briefly greeted the front desk lady, Esmé, before heading to the elevator as he pressed the button to his floor. The elevator doors slid shut as Kuai sighed, finally able to relax. When the doors opened again, Kuai was looking down a single, red-carpeted floor that led to his apartment at the end of the hall. He strolled down the single hallway, passing by the doors of neighbors he hadn't met as he inserted the key into his door. He pushed it open, walking inside as he shut and locked the door behind him, throwing his keys with a handling noise as they slid into the bowl.
"Toshi!" He called out, one of the many nicknames for his nephew. "I'm back!"
"I'm in the kitchen!" A younger male voice called back. "I have homework."
Kuai took off the black leather jacket - he had it made special. The material was bulletproof and could withstand three knife stabs to the same area before tearing; it came in handy in his job. He also removed the silver mask that Hanzo had had given him the day he died. Kuai had made some adjustments to it when it became too small to wear; now, it fit him perfectly.
The cryomancer walked into the kitchen, seeing Satoshi sitting at the dining table with a worksheet. The boy was twelve-year-old now, the same age that Kuai had been when he stumbled into the territory of the Shirai Ryu. That made Kuai the age 24, a young adult caring for a child twelve years younger than he was.
Kuai peered over Satoshi's shoulder to see what he was working on, standing back a bit to give him space to breathe. "Algebra?" He noted aloud. "I can help you with that if you have any questions."
Satoshi paused in his homework, looking up to Kuai as he shook his head. "It's fine," he said with a thankful smile.
With the tragedy the two had shared, the experience brought them closer together. While Kuai would never be able to replace Hanzo as Satoshi's father, Kuai saw himself as the older brother of Satoshi. He promised himself to never be as cold and callous as Bi-Han was to him. So far, he was doing a good job.
"Who'd you kill, today?" Satoshi asked with a clear interest in his voice.
"Just some minor mob boss," Kuai replied dismissively as he went to the kitchen to start cooking dinner. Before, Kuai would just buy fast food and takeout for meals. However, now that he was able to finish his assignments quickly and efficiently, he made it a point to learn how to cook healthy, freshly- made meals for them both. Presently, Kuai placed a pot of boiling water on one corner of the stovetop while he took out a saucepan to make meat sauce.
"Did anything interesting happen in school today?" Kuai asked as he waited for the pan to heat up.
"There was Career Day today," Satoshi replied from the table. "But I already know what I'm going to be."
"Oh, yeah?" Kuai asked amusedly as he placed ground beef in the pan, seasoning it with salt and pepper. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
There was a pause, and Kuai opened his mouth to repeat the question, not knowing if Satoshi had heard him or not.
"I want to be a fighter," Satoshi said in a quiet voice.
Kuai almost dropped the spoon he was using to break up the meat.
"I know what you're going to say," Satoshi interrupted. "It's too dangerous and it doesn't provide a steady source of income. But, Kuai, I want to honor my dad and mom. I want to fight in their names and avenge the clan."
Kuai took a deep breath, lowering the heat on the stovetop as he turned around to walk to Satoshi. He knew that this would eventually come up; luckily, he knew exactly what to say. Kuai took the seat next to Satoshi at the table, making direct eye-contact with him.
"I know you remember that your mom and dad died," Kuai spoke somberly, "but I don't think you remember what exactly happened that day. After your mother hugged you for the last time, she turned to me. She made me promise her that I'd look out for you and keep you safe. Tosh-Bear, I can't, in good conscience, let you down this path. Your parents would have wanted you to move on and live a happy life. Your father, Hanzo, would have wanted you to be the best you could be. Your mother, Harumi, would have wanted you to be happy. I know for certain that you won't accomplish any of these things as a fighter like me."
"But how can I honor their memory?" Satoshi pleaded - the vulnerability in his voice making Kuai's heart shatter.
"Live on, and preserve their memory," Kuai pressed, holding onto his nephew's hand. "Live a happy life, the way you want to, Toshi. This life - it changes people. I saw how it changed my brother from a caring older sibling to a cold-hearted killer. I don't want to see that happen to you, and I know that Hanzo and Harumi would hate it if they saw that happen to their son."
Satoshi's eyes were shining with punished tears as he hugged Kuai tightly. "Thank you," he whispered. "I didn't actually want to do it; I'm scared of fighting."
Kuai nodded as he rubbed Satoshi's back comfortingly. "I'll finish making dinner," he said slowly. "You focus on finishing up your homework, alright?"
The cryomancer returned to the stove and turned up the heat again, letting the comfortable silence wash over the apartment.
_________________________________________
Kuai gently shut Satoshi's bedroom door after tucking the child's in, standing in the hallway. The cryomancer sighed as he walked to the living room area and sat on the sofa in front of the TV, reaching for the remote as he turned on the news.
The talk with Satoshi before dinner that night had brought up some buried memories in Kuai. Through the years after the decimation of the Shirai Ryu, Kuai had worked non-stop to provide for himself and Satoshi. He never had a chance to heal properly. Now, the memories of his adoptive parents - Hideo and Aiya - burned brightly in his mind. He remembered the couple's kindness as they took him in, accepting him into their family. Kuai remembered Harumi's kind face as he helped her cook in the kitchen and watch over a baby Satoshi. He remembered Hanzo's rare smiles that gave him warm, happy feeling inside. He mourned their deaths, breathing deeply as the tears streaked down his cheeks in silent sobs.
Suddenly, a bright light engulfed the small apartment. Kuai lifted his arms to shield his eyes from the flash, but he was still blinded. When he could see again, blinking spots out f his vision, his jaw dropped in shock at the sight before him.
Standing in the living room of his apartment in front of the TV was a person. However, Kuai could see that this was not an ordinary man. His pure white hair came down to his shoulders and he was bare-chested, revealing an intricate glowing neon blue dragon tattoo that weaved around his chest and spread to his arms. His eyes also the same neon blue, glowing in the relative darkness of the apartment. Although he had no pupils, his eyes seemed kind. A metal band of some sort was wrapped around the top of his forehead, pushing the bangs out of the way. On his back was a decorative straw hat and a string of beads was wrapped around the stranger's neck in a necklace.
Kuai, in a brief moment of intelligence, uttered, "Who the fuck are you?"
Tge stranger floated to the ground (Kuai only then realized that he had been levitating in the air, before) as he looked down at Kuai with a gentle smile as the cryomancer got back to his feet. "I am Lord Liu Kang," the ethereal being spoke in a deep voice. "I am God of Thunder and Fire, and I am also the Keeper of Time. I hace come to you in search of help."
In all honesty, Kuai had heard of weirder things...
Kuai frowned in confusion and curiosity. "What help does a god required of me?"
"There is a tournament hosted every year," Liu Kang spoke. "In the realm known as Outworld. Have you heard of these realms?"
When Kuai nodded, Liu Kang continued. "Years ago, the emperor of Outworld- Shao Kahn - tried to invade Earthrealm. In a desperate act to save Earthrealm from being invaded, I called upon the Elder Gods, Lord Raiden, Fujin, Kitana and Kung Lao. They decreed that if Outworld warriors beat Earthrealm warriors in a yearly tournament for ten consecutive years, Outworld would be permitted to invade Earthrealm. Outworld has already won nine times. This tournament dictates whether Earthrealm is invaded."
That doesn't sound good.
"I am desperate," Liu Kang admitted. "I am searching every corner of Earthrealm for warriors who are wiling to fight on behalf of Earthrealm. If Shao Kahn wins, this realm will be subjected to subjugation and authoritarianism under the hand of a maniac. Will you, Kuai Liang, assist me in the Mortal Kombat tournament?"
Kuai hesitated. This sounded very dangerous; there was also a high probability that he wouldn't make it out alive. Nevertheless, the outcome, if Outworld was to win, was too vile to ignore...
"If I accept," Kuai said slowly, "I'll require a few things. First of all - Satoshi. I need someone to look after him while I am gone, and I also want to know that you'll take care of him if I don't make it back. Second - I need armor. Are you familiar with the gear worn by the Lin Kuei or Shirai Ryu clans? Something like that would suffice."
Liu Kang nodded in agreement. "I shall see it to myself that Satoshi is looked after by one of the monks from my monastery at the sky Temple. He can continue to live here and attend the school he is currently enrolled in. Furthermore, I can also provide you with the armor you require."
With a wave of his hand, a pile of clothes appeared in the god's hands. They were simple dark grey with black trim on the edges. Kuai was thankful that they were not blue or yellow - with him being a outcast of one clan and the other clan not existing anymore, he was nomad. The grey perfectly expressed his lack of ties to any of the clan. Furthermore, it reminded Kuai of Tomas - even if it was a darker shade of grey than the silver shade the enenra had worn.
There were three matching sets in the pile which was handed off to Kuai. The cryomancer took them in his hands, the action reminding him of the Third-in-Command tournament he had won in years past.
"You have led a very interesting path of life," Liu Kang spoke, studying him curiously. "One that is very different than the one you led in the past."
"... What are you talking about?" Kuai frowned in confusion.
"I have experienced these events already," Liu Kang explained. "I was once a mortal and participated in the Mortal Kombat tournament as Earthrealm's champion. The timeline was reset by the previous Keeper of Time, Kronika. Still, you are the only one whose life has changed drastically."
He took a moment to muse, looking down at Kuai. "You are more skilled than your previous counterpart - probably due to the combined teachings of the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu. Because I can not compete in the tournament, I will pick you to be my new Chosen One."
Kuai bowed respectfully, not fully understanding what that meant for him. "Thank you, Lord Liu Kang. I will fight for Earthrealm's freedom in the tournament."
"Let us depart, then," Liu Kang declared. "I will leave you a moment to say goodbye to your nephew and for you to pack your belongings. I will then teleport the two of us to the boat that will ferry us to Shang Tsung's island, the sorcerer who proceeds the tournament."
Kuai nodded in reply, heading straight towards Satoshi's bedroom as he paused at the door. He thought back to the conversation they had about Kuai's vow to protect him - now, he would have to leave him to uphold his vow to Harumi. Kuai knocked twice on the door gently before entering.
Satoshi blinked sleepily, rubbing his eyes as Kuai sat on the edge of the bed. "Kuai? What's going on?"
"Hey, Toshi. I... have to leave for a while," Kuai started. He took his time describing the purpose of the tournament and the chances of him making it back alive. As he finished, Satoshi started to cry again.
"I want to be selfish and keep you here," he sniffled, "but I know that you have to go. I just don't want to be the only one left."
"I swear on the memory of your parents and your grandparents that I will do everything in my power to come back home to you," Kuai spoke firmly. "I am not going to leave you alone willingly, okay? Even if I die, I will find a way to come back to you; I promise."
"I promise," Bi-Han had made Kuai a promise once. Unlike him, Kuai intended to keep it.
Satoshi shut his eyes tight as he nodded once, wrapping his arms around Kuai's neck. "Come back alive," he whispered.
"I will," Kuai replied determinedly, holding onto Satoshi as he memorized his face so that he wouldn't forget. He stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Kuai went to his bedroom, changing into the new clothes and packing the extra sets into a backpack, along with other casual T-shirts and jeans. He also brought the bulletproof leather jacket and folded it on top of the pile of clothes, starting to zip it up when something caught his eyes from the dresser top.
It was a recent picture of Kuai and Satoshi together. Kuai had it framed and kept it on his dresser as a reminder to continue to fight and live for the child. He packed it in the backpack underneath the leather jacket, hoping to bring that same fighting spirit with him to the tournament. With everything packed away, Kuai fastened the silver mask that had been gifted to him by Hanzo on the lower half of his face, exiting the bedroom to join Liu Kang in the living room.
Liu Kang extended a hand in an invitation which Kuai took immediately before he could doubt himself. A bright light engulfed the room, and when it died out, the two men were gone.
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Kuai stood on the solid wood of a dock, seeing the waves of the ocean move serenely below the walkway. He followed Liu Kang to the end of the dock where a sloped runway led up to a large wooden boat with multiple people waiting for the boat to depart.
The boat itself was made of old and worn-out wood. It had a single sail tied to the mast of the ship - looking suspiciously like papyrus paper.
As the two entered the boat, the cryomancer noted that these characters were very peculiar. Kuai saw a reptilian-looking creature and a humanoid with sharp teeth among the majority of humans that were on their way to the tournament. As Kuai and Liu Kang walked aboard, the runway of the ship was retracted as the anchor lifted, and the boat started to sail forward to it's destination.
Kuai turned to look at the God of Fire. "Who are the warriors fighting for Earthrealm?"
Liu Kang smiled, tilting his head to one end of the ship. "Follow me," he encouraged with a smile. He led Kuai to the bow of the ship where humans were standing in a collective group. They were a ragtag team at first appearance. Kuai saw a few military soldiers and a man dressed in a full suit with a loosened bowtie, who was flirting unabashedly with the blonde female soldier. A blindfolded man dressed in blood red and black had a Katana strapped to his back. Standing next to him was a Native American with red face paint and a headdress adorned in feathers with a blue vest and jeans. Kuai frowned in concern at the small numbers of this group, remembering the large amounts of
warriors on the other side of the boat.
Liu Kang stepped up to the group as Kuai stood back, nodding in greetings to the group. "You all understand why you are here, correct?" He asked.
"Yeah," the man in the suit and sunglasses scoffed dismissively as he crossed his arms. "Because of some wild tournament that decides the fate of Earthrealm... whatever, man."
"I'm only here to find my friend," the blonde soldier spoke, crossing her arms. "Then we'll see about saving Earthrealm."
"You should be more concerned about the tournament," the blind man spoke clearly. "This is important and real. This isn't one of your training missions," he said, tilting his head pointedly to the female soldier, "or one of your movies," he ended, addressing the man in the suit.
"Enough," Liu Kang chided before a fight could break out. "Meet your newest member; this is Renegade. Renegade, meet Sonya Blade of the Special Forces, Johnny Cage the actor, Kurtis Stryker and Kabal of the Special Riot Control of the NYPD, the blind telepath and telekinetic warrior Takahashi Kenshi, and last but not least, the shaman Nightwolf of the Matoka Tribe."
"The others in the back," Kuai asked slowly, remembering the much larger group of warriors, "those are the Outworld fighters?"
Liu Kang sighed heavily. "Yes," he admitted, "but not all of them will be fighting. The contenders will be Reptile, the last Saurian; Baraka the Tarkatan; Scorpion, the undead specter of Quan Chi; the two Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero and Sektor; Kano, the Black Dragon leader; and Shang Tsung himself on the island. I also know of additional fighters in Outworld - Ermac, the collection of multiple souls; Goro, the Shokan; and the Emperor Shoa Kahn as well as his wife and Queen, Empress Sindel. They also have a daughter - the Princess of Outworld - created as an experiment to crossbreed a Tarkatan with a human named Mileena."
Kuai's blood chilled, hearing the names. After all these years, would Bi-Han and Sektor recognize him? The scar on his face had long faded since then - it was nothing but a barely-noticeable, silver line. Still, Kuai resolved to wear the mask on his face at all times. He also knew that he should be more careful in using his cryomancer - he didn't want to provide any more hints to his true identity than necessary.
"That's twelve," Kuai pointed out, trying to shake off the ghosts of his past as he turned to Liu Kang. "It's double our current numbers."
"Well," Johnny said confidently as he cracked his knuckles, "they haven't dealt with someone like me, yet!"
Kuai internally groaned. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather spend a full day with Erron Black than this guy.
He settled for crossing his arms and shooting Johnny a murderous glare.
The actor caught his look and immediately shut his mouth.
"I think you and I can get along," Sonya joked with Kuai, jerking her head in a silent invitation to have him join the group. "even if you wear a mask. I've been trying forever to shut this idiot up."
"What does wearing a mask have to do with anything?" One of the cops, Stryker, asked curiously.
"I don't trust people in them," Sonya explained bluntly. "They never have a good reason to wear one."
"You said that there was someone on the island that you were looking for," Kuai remembered from earlier, looking at Sonya. She nodded in reply, staring out toward the open sea. "His name is Jax - he's also Special Forces and my work partner. He disappeared from work without a sign. Liu Kang came to me and told me that I could find him on this island."
"Shang Tsung," Kensi growled under his breath. "That has the mark of that sorcerer all over it."
"Sorcerer?" Johnny snorted. "What, like a 'You're a wizard, Harry!' type - sorcerer?"
The others, for the most part, ignore him.
"Kano will also be there," Nightwolf acknowledged as he frowned unhappily. "He and I have unfinished business."
"I just want to avoid the Black Dragon in its entirety," Kabal spoke in a tired voice. At Kuai's confused look, he elaborated. "I used to work for the Black Dragon, but I had a change in headt and wanted to do something good for once. I joined the NYPD to start making a positive impact - I never thought it would bring me to this, though," he said jokingly.
Stryker clapped his partner on the back proudly. "This guy right here, he's saved my life in the streets more times than I can count. I wouldn't have anyone else watching my back." Kabal grumbled as he pushed him away - still, there was a smile on his face.
"Kano had tried to turn me against my own tribe," Nightwolf said with a hateful glare on his face. "He shot and killed me, but the Great Spirit came to me and brought me back from the dead to defend my tribe."
"Well, get in line," Sonya huffed. "That two-faced lying fucker acted as an informant for the Special Forces in our Black Dragon division. Turns out, he was giving us the slip and was the leader the whole time. We all fucking trusted him."
Johnny looked between their bleak faces, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. "Come on; what's with all the long faces? Chin up! Let's focus on helping Sonya find her friend when we get there, and then work from there!"
At that moment, Liu Kang joined the Earthrealmers, nodding in a friendly greeting to them. His usual smile on his face was gone - replaced by a grim look. "We approach the island," he said, nodding to the front of the ship and off to the distance.
Kuai looked off to where Liu Kang had indicated, squinting through the fog as the boat continued to sail forward. Suddenly, the fog parted, and the island came into full view. Kuai's eyes widened as he took in the massive size of the land, a sense of foreboding settling deep in his stomach as the boat slowly crawled closer and closer to it's destination.
Liu Kang took a deep breath. "Prepare for Kombat. The tournament starts the second we step foot on the island."
6
CHAPTER 5 done!! Finally! Hope you guys enjoyed it!