Tundra's Trial

Sub-Zero lies beaten. Over him stands his brother, the undead wraith Noob Saibot, clutching him by the collar. Nearby, Sareena is on her knees with a blade held up to her neck. Sylence, the First Wraith of Noob Saibot’s army, holds it to her and forces her to watch her husband’s defeat. With tears in her eyes Sareena watched Kuai Liang fend off the attacks of the one who was once Bi-Han, her former love. Sub-Zero was more than a match for the shadow warrior, but from the darkness of the room came Noob’s rescuer: Havik. The cleric of chaos wielded a spiked mace and struck Sub-Zero in the legs, allowing Noob to unleash a devastating dual-attack with his shadowy clone, Saibot. Kuai Liang was defeated by the combined might of the wraith and chaosrealmer.

Around them, the Lin Kuei temple is full of the sounds of battle as members of the Brotherhood of Shadow loyal to Noob Saibot attack the perimeter while a small force of chaosrealmers bound to Havik’s service attack from within. The methodology of Chaosrealm warfare involves tricking the enemy and spreading chaos from it and that is just what they did. When the Brotherhood of Shadow attacked, all of the Lin Kuei were not expecting enemies to appear within their halls from Chaosrealm portals, but that is exactly what happened. They quickly and efficiently attacked the Lin Kuei warriors from behind, much like Havik had done to their leader.

Noob leans down to look his living brother in the eyes. “And to think, you said I had no friends,” Noob says as he leers.

“Now to be fair my good wraith, nobody ever truly expects someone to ally with chaos,” Havik said, a laugh rumbling in his throat.

Kuai reaches up and grabs Noob’s wrist, trying to pry him off. Noob stomps on his brother’s chest, causing him to grunt in pain.

“Stop!” Sareena cries from nearby.

Noob’s cold eyes rest upon her and he points a black finger her way. “I’ll deal with you in a moment, traitor.” They return to Kuai as he increases the pressure on his chest, rubbing his boot in. “First, a moment with my little brother.”

“You… are no… brother of mine!” Kuai manages to choke out from underneath his broken blue mask.

“You forget yourself, Kuai,” he says, leaning down. “I’m not merely your brother; I was always the better brother. You are a pretender, and always will be.”

At that moment, a chaosrealmer stumbles into the room. Havik and Noob look at him. He has an arrow in his chest. “My lord, they are—”

He is cut off suddenly as another arrow flies through his skull. Havik wastes no time in running up to him and kicking him out of the room before closing the doors, sliding his mace through the handles to bar it. “We’ve no time,” he says. “Our forces are outnumbered. We must leave.”

“Not before I’m done here,” Noob says. He holds out a hand and conjures his sctythe, a wicked tool with a black blade. “Soon enough you’ll see, brother.”

Kuai grits his teeth and continues to struggle as Noob hefts the weapon up. At that moment, Noob’s attack is interrupted by another. Not Sareena, nor Smoke—a child. The boy runs out of the corner he had been hiding in and jumps at Noob Saibot, attacking his leg. The wraith stumbles a bit and grabs the boy as Kuai reaches for him.

The child, a mere ten years old, has raven-black hair, pale skin and bright blue eyes. “What have we here?” Noob asks, holding the struggling child up by the neck.

“No!” Sareena shouts, moving to reach for him. Sylence keeps her in place. “Put him down!”

Noob looks at the child, then Sareena and finally at his brother, who is getting back up to his feet. “Brother, I had no idea. You never told me.”

“Put him down…” Sub-Zero says, his voice low and threatening.

“My nephew,” Noob remarks, looking the child in the eyes, “my own blood; what does he think of me, I wonder? Have you told him about me? Am I his boogeyman?”

The boy continues to kick and struggle but is rapidly losing air.

“Put down my son!” Kuai shouts at him, putting his hands together and preparing an attack.

In response, Noob holds the scythe to the boy’s head. Sareena screams and Sub-Zero hesitates. Noob gives his brother one final look before holding the blade back and preparing to swing it, only to be stopped by Havik grabbing the shaft of the scythe. “Stay your hand,” Havik advises him.

“Why should I?” Noob asks, irritated.

“Think on what it could mean,” Havik insists. “Leave a mark. Follow the blood.”

Noob looks at the cleric of chaos at first in confusion, but then sees Havik gazing at Sub-Zero. The wraith takes in the sight of the scar upon Kuai’s face, running from his forehead, down his right eye and cheek. Then, after a moment, he understood.

He looks at the boy in his arms, whose eyes are wide with fear. “A gift from your uncle,” he says as he brings the scythe to his face. Sareena and Kuai both scream as the father runs to his son, but Havik interferes yet again, his torso and spine twisting in an impossible manner to bring around an arm to clothesline him and knock him to the floor. This gives Noob the time he needs to finish his work. He cuts deeply down the boy’s face as his mother struggles to escape and save her child.

When he is done, he holds up his work to admire it before tossing the boy at Sareena. Sylence lets go of her to allow her to catch her son and look upon his face. There is banging at the door as the Lin Kuei warriors, having fended off the joint attack, threaten to barge in. “It’s time,” Havik says before heading to the exit.

Sub-Zero, now on his feet, roars with fury as he attempts to tackle Noob Saibot to the floor, but the shadowy wraith slips away in a dark portal, appearing across the chamber. Kuai tackles nothing and falls near Sareena. Sylence steps into the shadows as well, vanishing from sight.

Noob looks upon the three of them, staring specifically at the mother with her wounded son in her arms. “I’ll see you soon,” he promises before leaving after Havik. The doors break open and the Lin Kuei flood within, but the damage had been done. Tears streak Sareena’s cheeks as she holds her baby boy, who now bore a scar himself, a mockery of his father’s. He would never see from that eye again.

===

Zian awakens in a cold sweat. This would seem unusual for someone who has a quarter of cryomancer ancestry in his blood, but this happens often. He is plagued by nightmares. Throughout his life, ever since his childhood encounter with the wraith Noob Saibot—his uncle—he has been cursed with them. They are usually the same, or with similar imagery: he sees the Lin Kuei that his father has struggled to build swallowed by darkness. Long ago, before he was born, the Brotherhood of Shadow threatened to destroy the rebuilt clan, much like the Cyber Initiative once did. But just as his father defeated the Cyber Initiative, so too did he defeat the Brotherhood of Shadow. Not alone, of course, he had valuable allies.

But in his dreams the young man sees his home, his family and himself consumed by a growing shadow. Recent whispers of goings-on in the Netherrealm, of the civil war and the Army of Darkness led by none other than the wraith who had given him the scar across his eye, a vicious mockery of his father’s, have only added to his worry. In his dreams he sees a force far greater than any the Lin Kuei can assemble. His clan fights valiantly, bravely—but it is all for nothing. The sheer numbers and power of the formless darkness becomes overwhelming, spilling over the walls of the temple and slaughtering all in their path. He closes his eyes and can still see the lights of the temple snuffed out, like the lives of those within, when the wraiths come.

He turns and sits on the edge of his bed before rising and dressing. His room is dark, but he never needed much light to see by in his most personal of quarters. With only one working eye he has trained his senses to compensate for his halved vision. A year of training alongside Master Kenshi has been worth more than several years of training alone and he is forever grateful that the blind swordsman imparted his wisdom upon him. He may not have the telekinetic and telepathic abilities that Kenshi does, but his insight into the nature of a warrior’s senses were invaluable to overcoming his own deficiency.

Once dressed, he leaves his room and walks through the halls, passing by statues and figures holding candles and braziers. The temple is often silent at night; even the howling winds of Arctika outside seem muted while walking through its halls. It’s also very warm. Fitting, considering that the temple used to be dedicated to some kind of fire deity, or so the Lin Kuei assumes. The temple was barren when his father originally discovered it and only some of its secrets have become apparent. It is a strong structure, built to withstand the cold and wind, and much of it is built into a large glacier, with some portions built on top of it.

He approaches the primary chamber, known as the Grandmaster’s Hall. Walking up to the large doors, he pushes them open and steps into the well-lit chamber, discovering that it is currently inhabited. He often came here to meditate before the old statues and candles alone to find his center and collect his thoughts, but on this evening, someone else had the same idea.

“Father,” Zian says as he enters.

Kuai Liang, Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, better known as Sub-Zero, sits cross-legged in the heart of the chamber. Underneath him is a grand symbol carved into the stone, that of the dragon of the Elder Gods. The high ceiling of the chamber can hardly be glimpsed in the light of the torches, candles and braziers. As Zian approaches, Kuai opens his eyes and looks upon him. His bearded, scarred face is soft, almost contemplative.

“My son,” he greets him. Zian takes a moment to bow before sitting in front of his father. “You are troubled?”

“The nightmares again,” he whispers. “They’re always so clear that I think they’re real. When I wake up, I never know if everything is alright or if everyone is already dead.”

Sub-Zero looks upon Tundra with great concern. Their lives may not be normal, as warriors and guardians of Earthrealm, but no child should have to go through what he suffered at the hands of his dead elder brother. For him to have suffered throughout his childhood at the hands of these night terrors up until now, even as a capable and strong young adult, is greatly troubling to him.

“And are they the same? Have your dreams changed?”

Zian is quiet for a moment. “Yes,” he speaks up. “I see something that is terrifying me.”

“Tell me,” he asks in a soft tone.

“I see something… I’m not sure what it is, exactly. A spirit. Something cold. Not like us, but not entirely unlike us either. It’s a thing of winter, of death. I don’t know if it’s a demon or a wraith or something else entirely, but it’s…” his voice trails off. “…Difficult to describe.”

“Try.”

Zian closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “It’s like a force of nature. A dark aspect of it. It delights in spreading the cold—not like we do, in battle or in meditation, more like… I have felt it, father. I’ve felt its love for killing grass and plants that it snows upon or freezes with wind, because it goes deeper than that, it loves to kill nature. Loves to feel its icy grip choking the last bits of life out of everything it freezes. It’s not like what you’ve taught me, about nature and the balance of water and ice. It wants nothing else but to freeze and destroy everything that is warm and good. Comfortable.”

“And in your dreams, what does it do?”

Zian is silent for a moment. When Kuai is about to ask him again, he speaks. “It takes me over. I become something else, like a vessel or an extension of its will. Like it’s some kind of primeval force and I’m nothing but a pawn for it to spread the dead of cold through.” He looks up at his father. “In my dreams, I kill you and mother.”

His eyes drift down as his father reflects on what he has told him. As Zian looks back down in fearful shame, he reaches out and lays a hand upon his son’s shoulder, making him look back up into his eyes. “In every life we face challenges that go beyond what we think is possible for us to undergo. For some it is a terrible injury, a fatal illness, the loss of the loved one. These are the challenges that those whose lives are considered normal usually face. We live another life than they, and our sacrifice allows them to live as they choose to live, sinner or saint alike. The things we must face are often harder. Monsters, demons, beings from other realms—and sometimes, the things inside of us.”

Sub-Zero removes his hand and scratches his beard for a moment. “Consider Master Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu. Bi-Han killed him, but Quan Chi’s sorcery and deception is what truly turned him into Scorpion. He was consumed by his desire for revenge and became a spectre of the Netherrealm. By the grace of the Elder Gods he was given a chance to redeem himself, but for many years he was lost in what had overtaken him. We faced each other many times and I saw in him the power of what one can become when they fall. But that is all he was: a demon of vengeance. Bi-Han is now not so different, but Noob Saibot is a much darker being. They are the kinds of foes that we must face, but more than that, we must also face the fact that becoming like them is all too possible.”

“Then what do I do?” Zian asks, his voice on the edge of panic. “How can I stop it? Am I destined to—”

“No,” Kuai interrupts him. “No, you are not destined to become some… scion of winter’s wrath. You are my son. You carry the strength of all cryomancers within you, just as I do.”

Zian averts his eyes and says, “So did my uncle.”

Sub-Zero nods. “Yes. He did. And he forsook his life and became a wraith of the Netherrealm. But was he destined to do this? Did the fates conspire against him and force him to do as he did? No. He made his choice. He killed Hanzo and when his choice came back to take his own life, he was reborn as a thing of darkness. My brother made his choices and now he chooses life as a wraith.”

“But he didn’t choose to be a wraith. It’s just what he came back as.”

“He came back as a reflection of what he was in life. Just as Scorpion was a reflection of what consumed Hanzo Hasashi. Zian, listen to me: do not let these fears control you. Do not let yourself fall prey to anything that comes from within. We all live with fear and uncertainty in our hearts but we cannot allow them to take root within us so much that they dictate what we do. That is why beings like Noob Saibot and Scorpion were allowed to take form.”

“So is it just a matter of being good?”

“In theory, but things are never so simple in practice. We train to be disciplined, we fight to protect, but sometimes we make hard choices. You recall the time I myself ventured into the Netherrealm?”

“When Tomas died,” Zian says, remembering well the tale of Smoke’s demise. Thankfully the formerly dead Smoke is no longer among the revenants of hell after Shinnok’s failed invasion.

“But there is a deeper level to the tale that one must understand. Only those with darkness in their hearts, be it just a shred or a heart of black, can travel and exist within that hellish waste. That is how I was able to enter it in the first place. I am not perfect. I have killed and taken lives in the names of other masters in the past and in the defense of Earthrealm. But I do not let it control me; instead I control the darkness within me. I live with it and know it is a part of me. I do not fear it, I do not deny its existence or hide from it.”

After a moment of listening, Zian says, “I think I understand, father.”

“You are what you choose to be, son. You are destined for nothing except greatness.” Kuai smiles as he places his hand on Zian’s shoulder again, giving him a proud smile. “And know that no matter what, you have made me proud.”

Zian smiles back and feels warmth from his father’s words of wisdom. He takes a relieved breath and feels his anxieties melt and wash away like snow in spring. But deep inside, he knows that it will only be a matter of time before winter comes, and with it, the same fears and nightmares.

Perhaps that is the key of it, then: understanding that throughout all dark times of struggle and fear, there is sunlight coming over the horizon. Winters, like troubles, come and go. How we deal with them is what truly matters.

“Thank you,” he says as Sub-Zero resumes sitting with his hands in his lap. Tundra changes the topic then, “I don’t mean to pry, Grandmaster, but why are you here so late?”

“There is something that I have been considering for some time,” the older cryomancer admits. “Tomas has received a letter from Andela detailing her journey with Kaito. He and Jade are ecstatic that she appears to be making considerable progress coming out of her shell.”

“She always was very shy,” Zian nods, remembering how long it took for her to become comfortable around him, even though they were raised together in this very temple.

“Well, part of the letter she wrote describes one of the crew on his ship, an outworlder northerner named Wolf. She writes that he describes the land he comes from, one of ice and snow, to be home to an ancient civilization. A long-dead one, but among the tales of his people are those of the white-skinned ancients who could wield the power of cold and frost.”

“He’s describing the ancient cryomancers, you mean?”

“I do not believe it could be anything else,” Kuai replies with a nod. “I told you about the ancient tomb I discovered in the lands of Lost Edenia before Edenia was separated from Outworld, and the armor I found within.”

“The armor that was destroyed by Shinnok, right?”

“Correct. But these legends that Wolf speaks of describe much more than that: in the tales of his people, they rode dragons of white. Frost dragons, whose breath was as winter.”

“Ice dragons,” Zian mutters. “What a power that would be.”

“Andela wrote that the cryomancers are no more, but Wolf’s people have seen the ancient city. And the dragons.”

Zian, ever quick to understand his father, puts it all together. “You want to go there and find what can be found,” he says with a smile.

“No, I don’t,” Kuai says with a straight face. Zian’s face changes to one of confusion before his father goes on to say, “I want you to.”

“Me? But I’m—”

“You’ve learned all you can learn here in the temple, Zian. You need what Andela is receiving: experience through travel. I want you to go to Outworld and sail for the northern seas and seek out these nomadic tribesmen. Earn their respect and have them show you the path to the ancient city of the cryomancers, our ancestors. Go there and learn what you can from the remnants of their civilization.”

Zian feels his blood rush a bit as his father bestows this important task upon him. He immediately nods. “I will. I’ll return with everything I can learn there.”

“There’s more than just that,” Sub-Zero admits. “I must be as honest with you as you have been with me. I have kept you here out of fear of my own, Zian. Your mother fears as well… ever since that day. I suppose every parent does fear for their child. But what would you become if I never let you see the world and kept you only where I could keep you safe?”

The son is quiet at first. “I understand. You don’t have to worry. I’ll be alright.”

“I know you will. You’re my son.”

Zian smiles. “But what about the dragons?”

“Eggs would be nice,” Kuai muses. “The shaolin have a dragon’s egg that they hatched with fire. Perhaps we can hatch a white dragon’s eggs with ice.”

Zian’s eyes widen a bit. “Ice dragons under Lin Kuei control would be…”

“They could turn the tide in any battle we face,” Kuai finishes his son’s thoughts. “Including, if it comes to pass, a battle against Noob Saibot and his Army of Darkness.”

Zian stares up into his father’s eyes and sees his smile and soon he wears one that matches. His imagination flashes with images of Lin Kuei warriors riding dragon mounts into battle, like something out of grand fantasy—only very well within the realm of possibility. With such power under their command, and the mobility that dragons would afford them on the battlefield, the Lin Kuei would be a powerhouse to rival any other.

“When do I leave?” Tundra asks.

“There is one other thing,” Sub-Zero says. “I want you to bring Frost.”

Zian pauses for a moment, blinking. “Frost? You’re not trying to set me up with her again, are you?”

Sub-Zero sighs. “No, Zian, and I have never done that.”

“I’m just saying, you’re always pairing us up for stuff and this quest is going to be pretty big. With her and me being the last cryomancers…”

“I didn’t marry your mother because of what she is, I married her because I loved her,” Sub-Zero says firmly, his tone effectively stamping out any other ideas. “Why would I tell you everything I told you about choosing your own fate and then deliberately attempt to set you up with someone?”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Zian says in a calm voice. “I was just confused, Grandmaster. She and I haven’t always gotten along and this quest might take a while.” Zian briefly recalls some particularly stinging moments the two have had together; she has always been more than a bit abrasive.

“I intend it to,” Sub-Zero replies. “I want you both to get out of this temple and experience more beyond what I can offer you. I want you to learn to work together and depend on each other, regardless of how you feel about each other. But more than that, I want you both to learn more about your origins: both of your bloodlines may very well be traced back to this ancient city. And she needs some time away as well… I think it would do her some good.”

“Alright. I understand, father.”

Sub-Zero rises to his feet and so does his son. “Be strong in Outworld, Zian. It can be a very dangerous place. But I would not send you on this mission if I did not think you were ready. I know how capable you can be and I have complete trust and confidence in you.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“I know.”

They bow to each other before departing from the room, with Kuai describing the intricate details of the things his son will need to prepare for his journey and how he will get to Outworld. Within the chamber, however, a shadow lingers unbeknownst to them both. An invisible shade of an astral projection of a dark soul, silently observing them and listening to every word.

Deep in the Netherrealm, in a deep and low level of that infinite plane, a place of shadow and oily lakes, Noob Saibot stands within his obsidian citadel. Upon a black chalice sits a sphere of pure glowing white, the powerful artifact that has allowed the Wraith King to project himself into other realms to spy and collect information, but also to influence his nephew. Every now and then he projects himself into the boy’s chambers and influences his dreams. He shows him the future that the wraith will make come true: the destruction of his brother’s Lin Kuei. His previous attempt failed, but soon he will be king of the Netherrealm, when this battle against the Brothers Chi is concluded and results in his inevitable victory.

He takes his hand off of the orb once his projected soul returns to his body. He opens his bright blue eyes and takes in the sight of the sphere. Behind him, another figure enters from the shadows.

“What did you see?” Havik asks, his voice telling the wraith that if his mouth still had skin he would be smiling.

“Opportunity,” Noob replies. “The wolf is finally sending the pup out of the den.”