The flame-touched winds whispered through the ancient courtyard, carrying with them echoes of battles past. As the first rays of dawn painted the sky in soft gold, Liu Kang stood motionless upon the stone dais, his silken strands of hair gently swaying in the wind. Once a humble Shaolin monk, he had borne the weight of destinies far greater than mortal men—he became Earthrealm’s champion, the God of Fire and Time, forging new eras with a single strike.

Now, he finds himself far from the roar of combat, far from the chaos of realms clashing. In this hushed moment he searches within: inhaling, exhaling—drawing strength from the stillness.

Liu Kang settled cross-legged at the center of the courtyard, closing his eyes. He allowed the residual heat of his divine essence to pulse softly beneath his skin while the dawn’s warmth kindled across his face. He meditated—disconnected from time’s currents, anchored in silence.

He did not notice at first the shifting shadow just beyond the perimeter of the courtyard, nor the faint click of stone underfoot. Only when a breath, too synchronized with his own, lingered in the air did he sense presence nearby—and the calm inside him trembled.