Chapter Text
The still quiet of winter settled over the austere carved stone of the temple. Snow fell with a slight certainly, each flake weighted with a purpose in its steady tumble. A blanket of pure white spread over the courtyard and covered the fine detail on old guardians standing in the architecture and intricacies wrought in the pagoda roofs.
He turned back from the window where he had paused to watch the serenity. Lines of students were working through a form to a count ringing out from the front. They stepped in unison, blocked in unison, turned and kicked in unison. The sight of that order after the hot confusion of the time he had spent in Netherrealm was sorely welcome. He walked up the rows, looking for irregularities and mistakes. He came to a stand at the front of the room. They finished the form with a shout, brought their feet together and bowed. He nodded and glanced outside again. He wanted to partake in the solace and tranquillity that picture offered. There would be other days to work on form and technique. He dismissed the class and began to make his way to a side door.
“Grandmaster?”
He was careful not to let his irritation show when he turned to the student. A boy of about ten stood before him, anxiously twisting his hands as the Grandmaster’s gaze rested on him.
“What is it?” Kuai Liang kept his tone even, but the child seemed to jump at the depth of his voice regardless.
“I just wondered i-if I could ask you a question, Grandmaster...” The boy looked at him then glanced away as if afraid. The Grandmaster nodded for the boy to continue. “We... we train so that we can be the best killers in all the world, right? I just wondered...” The child looked abashed, “I... I just wondered why, Grandmaster? Didn’t you once say that there are other ways to resolve conflict than with violence? If that’s true, then why do we train to assassinate people? Isn’t that just resolving other people’s conflicts with violence?”
Kuai Liang smiled gently at the child. The question was well-spoken and respectful.
“We don’t train just to assassinate people, young one, we train to understand ourselves. We discipline ourselves and find ourselves in the stillness that comes of knowing the fullest limits of body and mind. We train to be at one with all around us, and strive to know perfection in all we do.”
“Alright, Grandmaster, I know that – you always say that. But that doesn’t explain why we kill people. And why we sell our skills to kill for other people.”
The boy seemed to have forgotten some of his shyness and a petulant pout had settled on his lips. This irked the Grandmaster but he removed all emotion from his face.
“Part of what the Lin Kuei have always done is to offer their services to those nearby. It used to be our way of living alongside the local community. They would feed us, and in return we would protect them, and remove those who sought to indenture them. Now that exchange is global. We offer our services to any who need them all over the world. The price we ask feeds all the temple. I look over the contracts we receive carefully, and accept only those I wish to.”
“Alright, Grandmaster, but I still don’t understand why those people have to die. Why does it have to happen this way?”
“What do you mean why? I just explained why! To support our Temple, to honour our name and history – it’s the way the Lin Kuei have always been! What more why do you want!?”
“It’s just – you said its because its the way it always has been, but I don’t understand why that means-”
“Questions! Always with questions!” Sub-Zero finally drew himself up to his full height, and folded his arms, “Enough of this! This is the Lin Kuei way; that’s all you need to know. You’re wasting training time. Drop this now, do you understand?”
“Yes, Grandmaster.” Said the boy automatically. He bowed quickly, “I didn’t mean any disrespect, Grandmaster, I didn’t mean to question the Lin Kuei, I only-”
“I said, enough.”
The boy bowed again, backed away and scuttled off.
Sub-Zero turned once again to the still winter scene outside. He relaxed a little when he saw its purity and order.
“Finally,” The Grandmaster said softly, “A moment of peace.”