Ice Cold

❝ Look at you, still haunted by our father's ghost. ❞ There was no sympathy in his words, his cold heart felt none, not even towards himself. How could he not taunt his counterpart, this manifestation of everything he loathed about himself, for his weakness ?

"And you are not?" If people were to listen in now, one could say the grand master is losing his marbles, but when you hear their voices, one could also say he is talking to himself in a literal and metaphorical fashion.

"the Lin Kuei knows their limits. We only want to be recognize as our own nation. Not control the whole of earth realm." a counter, a poor one but even Bi-Han knows that controlling all of earth realm is a stupid plan. One must know the limits, and besides...

❝ You underestimate our enemies' resolve. ❞ He shook his head, almost as if disappointed that this version of himself did not share his ambition to the same extent. ❝ There will always be resistance. You only want a part of Earthrealm, but will your Lin Kuei be strong enough to defend it ? With all of Earthrealm under our control, no one would dare resist anymore. ❞

"Because I know the limits of the Lin Kuei, even if our father died, his stain on our clan has damaged it beyond what even a decade can accomplish!"

"the Lin Kuei knows their limits. We only want to be recognize as our own nation. Not control the whole of earth realm." a counter, a poor one but even Bi-Han knows that controlling all of earth realm is a stupid plan. One must know the limits, and besides...

❝ You underestimate our enemies' resolve. ❞ He shook his head, almost as if disappointed that this version of himself did not share his ambition to the same extent. ❝ There will always be resistance. You only want a part of Earthrealm, but will your Lin Kuei be strong enough to defend it ? With all of Earthrealm under our control, no one would dare resist anymore. ❞

"Because I know the limits of the Lin Kuei, even if our father died, his stain on our clan has damaged it beyond what even a decade can accomplish!"

❝ It is I. ❞ He said, examining his counterpart through narrowed eyes. ❝ Do you not recognize your own footsteps ? How incompetent. ❞ This version of him, Bi-Han decided, was inferior if his instincts failed him like that. Nonetheless, his alternate self could still be of use. If Bi-Han could learn from mistakes he made in other timelines, he could use whatever information he gathered to his advantage.

"the Lin Kuei knows their limits. We only want to be recognize as our own nation. Not control the whole of earth realm." a counter, a poor one but even Bi-Han knows that controlling all of earth realm is a stupid plan. One must know the limits, and besides...