Black Frost

I am Frost, the Lin Kuei's finest warrior... At least I thought I was until Sub-Zero proved that I am not nearly as powerful and disciplined as he... I proved myself as a spectacular fighter to Sifu - I mean, Grandmaster Sub-Zero, and won his respect. In fact, he thought so highly of me, he brought me on a special expedition to another realm called Outworld to stop two sorcerers named Shang Tsung and Quan Chi from resurrecting an ancient king's Undefeatable Mummified Army. It sounded as unbelievable and ridiculous then as it does now... Anyway, it was even a request from the Thunder God Raiden that I join them. It took me virtually no effort to earn their respect! Not even the God detected my true purposes for being there! My plans were coming together so delightfully...

With the help of Queen Sindel's army and the vile, fat Bo' Rai Cho, Sub-Zero and I searched for Quan Chi in his fortress. It had been left completely abandoned and all we found were the remains of Tarkata, ripped apart and eaten, and an immobile Mummified Army, standing at the ready for orders that never came. It seemed as though Quan Chi had just disappeared. Eventually, Raiden ordered us to leave, and Sub-Zero and I were offered Queen Sindel's Dragon Fly to take us back to the portal.

As Si- er, Grandmaster Sub-Zero and I traveled alone on this fantastical machine, he told me about the Dragon Medallion and how he fought a great battle against a former Lin Kuei named Sektor to obtain the right to wear it. He told me of its haunting power and how it elevated his abilities to new heights that not even he thought were possible. He then told me how significant it was that he defeated Sektor back then, as to Sub-Zero, it symbolized his avenging his friend Smoke, who kept Sektor at bay while Sub-Zero fled, costing Smoke his humanity. Sub-Zero didn't destroy Sektor because he wanted Sektor to live with the knowledge that a ``mere human'' bested him in battle. Grandmaster Sub-Zero is a great man, but even he can become distracted when storytelling.

Revealing his sentimental side only made it easier for me to want to secure my place as his superior. Sub-Zero was a terrific leader, but he relied too much on his emotions. An emotional leader is a weak leader, and a weak leader can only command a feeble following. I wanted to show him what a true Ice Queen could do with a relic like his and demonstrate how he should lead the Lin Kuei! I froze him and ripped the medallion from his chest, letting its power flow through me... It made me feel spectacular, amazing, almost indestructible! But then I began to feel a horrible chill, a darkness sweep over me... I couldn't control what was happening anymore. Sub-Zero looked in terror as I froze before him, unable to manipulate the new level of power I achieved.

I eventually awoke, my body aching with pain as Grandmaster Sub-Zero held me in his arms and brought me to the Lin Kuei base. We were no longer alone; a beautiful, tattooed woman was with us, and handled the cold extremely well despite her revealing clothes. As I groaned and attempted to move, Sub-Zero looked down at me and grunted, eyes filled with hate, and returned his attention to the woman. There was no need for words here, as there was nothing he could say to make me feel worse... He saved me... Had I succeeded in stealing his medallion I'd have most likely banished him from the Lin Kuei for his age and weak mind, but instead of leaving me in Outworld trapped in an icy cocoon, he took the time to free me, and even brought me back to Earth... Despite how emotional he was, Sifu was a true gentle, honourable man, and I was certain that I lost every ounce of his respect. I failed at becoming the new Grandmaster, and would never have the opportunity to get close to him ever again.

Surprisingly, over the weeks that followed, I recovered with Sub-Zero by my side. I waited for him to prove me wrong about his kindness, and mercilessly kill me in the middle of the night, but he helped me until I was able to walk unaided... My desire to take control of the Lin Kuei waned as I was in no condition to betray someone who saved me from the brink of death. How could I bring myself to do that again, especially when ultimately his kindness was what kept me alive? No matter how much I despised his inability to kill his enemies or take full advantage of his powers, I finally saw that his goodness was a strength, an admirable one that Raiden and the other heroes saw. Even if I was capable of fighting at the time, it would have been useless, since he was in a very different league of power.

Once he was certain that I no longer required his assistance, he left me alone... No more private training sessions, no more advice to improve my methods... Not even as much as a hello if we happened to cross paths in the hallways or caught sight of one-another in the communal training sessions. I was branded a pariah by the other members and had no communication with anyone. My exploits in Outworld had spread to my peers, and it was understandable that they would react negatively; I had almost killed their leader, and I had no choice but to accept the shame and stigma that came with it. I realized that Sub-Zero was showing me kindness by letting me live and remain with the Lin Kuei, but still showing strength and leadership by doing exactly what he did to Sektor... He was leaving me with my guilt to hopefully learn the error of my ways. I had to earn his and the clan's forgiveness before I would be addressed as an equal.

The only person who even acknowledged my presence was the Demon-woman Sareena, and even she made sure to avoid me, mostly because she spent her time with Sif-er Sub-Zero. Sometimes he would allow Sareena to regale us with stories of the Netherealm and how it was a horrible, disgusting, putrid place filled with the screams of the tormented and how her kind was so cruel and treacherous compared to everyone she has met on Earth. It seemed unusual that she would act so distant concerning her culture and birth realm when describing everything she knew, but given that she preferred looking and being among Humans, she probably thought that Earthrealm was a better place to spend her life.

Anyway, while Sifu was conducting an outdoor group training session, with Sareena and I also participating, a horde of fiery warriors came down a nearby mountain at amazing speed. Sub-Zero ordered us to prepare for battle, and slid towards the base of the mountain, creating a gigantic wall of ice to block the invaders. He then slid back to us and organized the battle lines so that fighters who mastered the Nejin technique joined him at the front, myself included. As he shielded his body in a heavy suit of ice armour, he empowered our hearts and minds with a breathtaking speech, and most importantly of all, told me to be careful. It was the first time he had spoken to me in a while, and it was genuine concern! I felt so happy that I almost forgot that we were about to go to war... We all hoped the wall would hold, but when we saw the group transform into a gigantic red dragon, spewing flames that melted most of it, we knew it would be a long battle ahead of us. Thankfully, they could not keep the dragon form, and separated into individuals once they crashed through the weakened wall.

I fought off many Red Dragon warriors, but I was unable to freeze them thanks to their mysterious fire powers... I watched as Sub-Zero froze many of them at once and I could not help but admire and loathe how easily he did it... I had a twinge of jealousy in watching him, especially when Sareena helped me fight. I should not have needed her help for these inferior warriors. I was trained well by Sub-Zero and even bested Raiden while sparring, I needed no help! I could be as strong as him if I just got his medallion!

When Sub-Zero and the Red Dragon leader fought, they summoned so much energy in their own confrontation, the battles surrounding them quickly ended as every warrior stared in awe. So much power and discipline... No wonder Sub-Zero could use the medallion so well, even against these beings channelling strength from some fire spirit... It was almost surreal to watch as they clashed... But missile blasts from an unexpected foe ended their fight and forced us all to come face-to-face with a new enemy.

A massive, red machine stood in the entry way of a white portal, launching a second wave of missiles at all of us... Grandmaster tried to stop the oncoming missiles with another ice wall, but it was the quick-thinking of the Red Dragon that saved us all from the attack; the Red Dragon members each grabbed a Lin Kuei and flew them away from the projectiles as Sub-Zero shouted ``SEKTOR!'' Was this the Sektor that Sub-Zero had told me about? The one he had defeated long ago to become leader of the Lin Kuei? It seemed all Sub-Zero did was leave a loose end he should have dealt with properly. This ``man'' went from a minor nuisance to a warlord thanks to Grandmaster's incompetence!

I couldn't hear the verbal exchange between Grandmaster and the Red Dragon leader, but seeing Sub-Zero reluctantly shake his hand showed that for now, we would fight together to stop a common threat. Sektor lost no time in sending out his own fighting units to defeat or capture us.

At first, it seemed as though the machines would be no threat to our combined forces, but the leader proved to be a stronger and smarter being than we thought. The Red Dragon army merged into their fiery dragon form and attacked him with a stream of intense flames while he stood by the portal. The robot was engulfed, but retaliated with a single powerful, electrical beam that knocked the Red Dragon back and forced them to separate - yes, one single blast stopped what my former master could not. The portal changed from white to red and the machine summoned more fighters, this time consisting of Oni and the Mummies from Onaga's Undefeatable Army! I thought we stopped the two sorcerers from completing their plans to resurrect them, but now they were joining the fray. The Mummies and Demons combined with the machines, creating new warriors with powers that were too much for the Lin Kuei and Red Dragon to handle. We fought as well as we could, but in the end, we all had to retreat... The Red Dragon warriors each grabbed a Lin Kuei and took them as far away as possible from the assault, but I was grabbed by Sareena and broken into thousands of pieces as she teleported me to another location.

When we reassembled, I recognized the area as some part of Mongolia, and before us were two ominous figures. One was a man dressed in black armour, similar to that of the Mummies, but without a helmet, and sported an open black trench coat, as well as sunglasses, and smooth, jet-black skin. Next to him was a very large man with white skin, striking blue eyes with black make-up surrounding them, similar to Sareena, and black and grey hair. His armour was impressive, blood red and covered with protruding spikes and various ornamental skulls. They both looked at Sareena, who smiled at them, saying I was the only one she saw fit to bring.

I pushed Sareena away and created a set of twin ice daggers, prepared to fight for my life, but the shadowy one removed his sunglasses, revealing beautiful blue eyes, and told me to not be afraid. He said he could feel the darkness that ran through my body, my ambition to become a better leader than Sub-Zero, my jealousy for not having the same kind of strength as Sifu, my desire to be what he wasn't... I never said any of this before, at least not out loud... He revealed that his species of Demon had limited psychic abilities, allowing his kind to enter people's minds and learn from them. He called himself Noob Saibot, and stated that he, Sareena, and his associate Reiko were all Shadow Demons. He told of how he was originally the only one of his kind, but after he had absorbed tremendous amounts of Netherealm essence, was able to spread his abilities to others and make them Shadow Demons like him, no matter what they were before; he even pointed out that Sareena and Reiko were different kinds of Demons before they were changed. Sareena often told of how ugly she was as a Demon, but she transformed before my very eyes and looked almost like her Human form, albeit with black skin, blue eyes, longer hair, sharpened teeth and claws, and a much more muscular build.

Still clutching my ice daggers, I continued backing away from the three of them and demanded to know why I was brought there. Noob Saibot chuckled and broke into black sand and covered me. I tried swatting him away, but I awoke in a dreamlike state, in a black auditorium completely naked and in front of Noob Saibot. He looked at me, chuckling again as I covered my body with a black blanket that was on the floor. We were in my mind, where we could talk more privately.

Noob sensed my eagerness to please my former teacher as well as surpass him in every aspect. I admired Sub-Zero so much I wanted to be like him, but seeing his faults pushed me to be more than he could ever be. Even as powerful as I was, though, I could not best Sub-Zero and had no idea how to overcome his decades of training combined with his Dragon Medallion. Noob Saibot offered me a solution.

To surpass Sub-Zero required more than power but a desire to be a true hero; to save whomever truly needed it. The Brotherhood of the Shadow members were aspiring heroes like Noob Saibot. When they changed into powerful Shadow Demons, they acquired similar abilities as him, and retained any talents they had before they changed, though they would be modified. I would no longer be Sub-Zero's pale shadow but a new cryokinetic force.

Another striking difference about this group was its devotion to helping and aiding the weak by allowing them to join their ranks and become Shadow Demons. Unlike the Lin Kuei, where only the strongest and most skilled could enter, the Brotherhood allowed anyone and everyone to become a member, whether they wanted help or they wanted to help others. They are granted the same powers and privileges as the other members. Sub-Zero and the other Earthrealm fighters spend their time stopping Shang Tsung and other evil men, but nobody helps the victims of their tyranny; the Brotherhood was the answer to this. I thought about it for only a few moments... The black room flickered with the images of my thoughts as I pondered his proposition and all that came with it. Pictures of the friends I made in the Lin Kuei, the way I helped in Outworld, and of how proud Sifu was... No, that's not right... I corrected myself in my mind, reminded myself that Sub-Zero was no longer my personal teacher... Then I heard Sub-Zero's story of his battle against Sektor, and images flashed of the metal monster taking innocent people and forcing them to become machines like him... Where was Sub-Zero to save the hundreds of people we were forced to fight? Despite his great power, Sub-Zero did not use it to stop a threat, only satisfy his selfish need to punish one who should have been put down. He was responsible for ending the lives of too many innocent people... My body changed and shifted with each thought and hesitation, and eventually, I dropped the blanket I wore, revealing what I thought would be a nice, new, black uniform to wear. I asked what the price would be for membership.

Noob Saibot exited my mind and I found myself still clutching my ice daggers and still in my Lin Kuei attire with Reiko and Sareena nearby. Noob reformed and I dropped my daggers as I no longer felt threatened, and lowered my mask to reveal my face. Noob smiled and told me that to join them, I would need to become a Shadow Demon. Living people tend to become Oni Demons when they are exposed to Netherealm essence, but Shadow Demons could not be from living souls; therefore, I would have to die to become one of them.

I was taken aback by what he just said - naturally, if there was one thing I never wanted to do, it was die, but he saw my worried look and asked Reiko to help convince me. All three laughed as Reiko placed a hand on each of Noob's shoulders and ripped him in half as easily as paper, holding both sides up like a prize. However, before any blood hit the floor, Noob's halves exploded into black sand and came together, reforming his body completely unscathed.

He explained their wounds healed exponentially in relation to how grave the injury was; it would take more time to heal a cut than it would to re-grow a limb, and anything that would be fatal would only amount to a full regeneration of the body. Now I knew there must've been a high price for immortality, and he said it would be but a trinket that I would never notice... All he asked for was a kiss. Sareena looked at Noob Saibot for a moment with a hint of disgust, but I ignored it. More powers, becoming a greater being than my former Grandmaster, and immortality, for the price of a kiss? I could not turn it down.

I walked slowly towards the trio of Shadow Demons and Noob smiled. He approached me cautiously, perhaps waiting to make sure I was all right with what would happen. I knew there would be a kiss, but what would happen after, I could never be prepared for. We wrapped our arms around our bodies and our lips met. It wasn't anything special, just like any other French kiss, but when he pressed his hands against the small of my back and the back of my head, he forced me to stay attached. I panicked. He only held on tighter as our throats began to vibrate and a brilliant white light shone in his eyes. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I felt a mixture of pain and ecstasy roll over me the same way his tongue rolled in my mouth, and a horrible cold came from it, rushing my insides and chilling my very core with horror and despair. My skin paled and my eyes lit up with the same white light as we slowly released each other and I breathed and gathered myself, only to separate into thousands of little white specks of snow and ice.