Chapter 1: Born of an icy wasteland

Kylen's father returned to the village. The storm had subsided, and he had difficulty reaching the house. Once inside, he saw his wife standing near the entrance, her eyes full of hope. Ignoring her, he went inside and sat down at the table. He took out a bottle of strong liquid, poured it into a bowl and drank it in one gulp, putting his hand to his lips.

" My husband, where is our son? " asked the woman in a trembling voice. She guessed, but was afraid to believe, hoping that he would come home now and return to her.

" He failed, " the head of the family replied coldly, pouring the liquor back into his cup and drinking it in one gulp. Though he didn't seem to care, he had left his own son to die. Deep in his heart, he regretted it, but he didn't show it.

" No, you're lying, aren't you?" The woman asked pleadingly. Tears welled up in her eyes.

" is Volibir's will," the husband replied, avoiding his wife's gaze and pouring the drink back into the cup, emptying it again.

" Why are you doing this to him? It is not his fault that he was born this way " he shouted, falling to the ground. It was as if the hope of her son's return had been extinguished and there was no more strength to stand.

" Yes, it's not his fault, it's yours. You gave birth to a weak heir," he said. The alcohol had worn off, and now he stared out of the small window at the vast wasteland of Freljord.

" You're worse than trolls," she exhaled dazedly. How dare he blame her when he'd led his own son to his death. She was about to curse when she noticed people running around outside. Everyone was in a hurry. Deciding to see if her son had returned, she quickly put on her clothes and went outside.

Kylen's father put down his empty cup and followed in thought. More and more people came out and gathered in a makeshift circle. They were discussing something heatedly, with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

The mother made her way through the crowd and saw her son lying in the snow. His skin was white and his eyes were closed. His lips were blue. She burst into tears, fell to her knees, and began to touch her son's cheek. It was icy cold, without a drop of warmth. The mother thought he was dead and sobbed as she held the child's body close to her. 

The people stopped talking and began to disperse. Only the healer and the father, who stood aside, remained. The follower of the Frost Guardian cult sat down next to the child. She pushed the mother away and examined the child.

" Hmm, he's alive," she said in surprise, touching his hands and face. A soft blue light radiated from her hands. "But he desperately needs help. You, Pillar, take your son and carry him," she called to Kailen's father.

" Is he alive? Please help him," the mother said pleadingly, pulling back the hem of the healer's robe. 

"And what am I doing, you stupid fool," the woman replied angrily, striking the woman on the head with the staff, "If your husband remains standing, your son will die. - The pain brought the woman to her senses and she realized that she was being foolish and quickly turned her attention to her husband.

His father now carried the heir very carefully, his heart filled with pride that he had survived the storm and returned. His father now carried the heir very carefully, his heart filled with pride that he had survived the storm and returned. Now he trusted his wife that his son would become a mighty warrior. Not everyone could survive such a blizzard. Even he, a clan fighter, had to try his best to withstand the storm.

The healer's house was far away from the rest of the village. She wasn't very sociable, only coming to the village when the villagers asked her to heal someone or to provide the warriors with potions to strengthen them, and the villagers weren't too keen on visiting the healer, knowing her bad temper. The healers were almost all from the Frost Guardian clan, having learned the science of life from birth and drawing their power from magic. They were revered by all the people of Freljord, and no one touched them, for the wrath of all the inhabitants awaited trespassers.

Once inside the house, the old healer began to take herbs from the table. She took some cups and started to push them around.

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"Put him on the table and tell your wife to get some water," she said.

The man put the child on the table. The wife did not wait for her husband's command, but took a bucket and went to fetch water herself. Despite the cold climate, villages were located near water sources, which could be a river or a spring hidden under the snow. Often the underground water came up and flowed down from the highest mountains. People would find it and dig it up, then build fortifications and enclosed spaces to draw water in peace.

The healer had already pounded out all the necessary plants and approached the child, placing her hands on his chest. The glow of her palms appeared again. It was as if she was looking at something inside. Even though she wasn't very social, she knew all the settlers, and the child in front of her definitely couldn't survive. But here she felt that the soul was in place and the heart was alive as well as the mind. It was as if the body had been frozen by some magic unknown to her, and so he had survived. "Did the goddess Anivia herself intervene?" the healer wondered.

" Help me take off my clothes," she called to the man.

The two of them quickly began to remove his clothes. The child was very pale, his skin was cold, and it was incomprehensible how he was still alive. When they placed their palms on his bare skin again, the glow increased dramatically. The healer began to whisper with her lips, the glow flowing from her palms into her body. To the naked eye, the glow could be seen spreading like blood through the veins from the center of his chest.

The child's breath began to come, but it was cold, and the temperature in the room began to drop. The magic within him began to escape, affecting the space around him.

"Quickly get some wood and fire up the stove as hard as you can," she ordered.

He quickly ran out of the house, and a few seconds later he was carrying a large bundle of firewood. He went to the stove and started piling it up, trying to put in as much wood as he could. The temperature in the room began to rise again. By this time his wife had arrived, carrying a full bucket of water.

The healer approached her, scooped a metal bowl into the bucket of water, and placed it on the stove to warm.

" Madam, will my son recover? - asked the woman cautiously. 

" Not if you keep talking and loitering around," the old woman said in a bad mood. She hated being disturbed and pestered with questions.

She began to pour the herbs into the bowl, and the potion began to boil. The metal bowl was very hot, but she took the bowl in her palms without noticing the temperature, and her hands glowed again. She brought the decoction to the child's lips and began to gently pour it in, placing her palm on the child's throat and helping him to drink.

The child's body began to take on its natural color, the pallor faded and he became warm again. His breathing became regular and he was no longer cold.

" Your son will live, I don't know how he survived, and it's none of my business. I just healed him, that's all," the old woman muttered and walked over to the wall where the herbs were hanging and began to pick through them.

The woman tried to approach the healer, but her husband pushed her away. He walked over to his son, wrapped him in his clothes, and took him in his arms. 

" Thank you for your help," said the father. He walked toward the exit and his wife followed.

As the family left the house, the healer looked at them.

" Let's see what happens to you, cold-born," she said and went back to her work.

Meanwhile, Kylen had a strange dream. He was involved in many battles, bloody and brutal. He fought fiercely, winning and sometimes losing. Vengeance burned in his heart, and he pursued his goal. It wasn't until he reached the one he wanted to kill with all his heart. Confusion settled in his soul, forcing him to choose between killing his enemy or forgiving him, realizing that he was only a hostage to the situation. He decided for himself to postpone revenge for the sake of peace; the common goal allowed him to get to know his enemy and respect his will and goals.

Rejecting the path of revenge, he turned to the greater goal of protecting the world and decided to start with his own clan. From there, the memory began to blur and fade.

He realized that he was standing at the top of a hill overlooking the mountains and temples. It was quiet and peaceful. There was a man sitting by a pavilion with a table beside it, drinking from a cup. He noticed Kylen looking in his direction and gestured for him to take a seat across from him.

Kylen cautiously approached the table and finally sat down across from him.

" Tea?" asked the stranger. His face was scarred, as was the rest of his body. His clothes had a blue tint, exposing his arms. The hair on his head was gray, and you could see the fatigue in his appearance, but you could also feel the power and danger that emanated from him.

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Kylen nodded, deciding to be polite and accept the offer. The stranger picked up a small teapot and poured its contents into a cup, the fragrant steam rising and enveloping it. Kylen carefully brought the cup to his lips, took a small sip and immediately spat it out with a cough.

"It doesn't taste very good, does it?" The stranger smiled and took a sip of the strange beverage without even flinching. "This tea doesn't just taste bad, it helps you to realize that despite the power, we are all mortal and subject to simple feelings like disgust," the stranger said.

Kylen thought the man was simply insane. How can you drink something you don't like?

"It's rude to think of your elders that way, and sometimes you have to do things that aren't pleasant, even if you don't feel like it," the stranger said. The child's eyes widened, "Does he know what I'm thinking?" flashed through her mind.

"Yes, I know what you're thinking, it's just the way things are, and I'm you now"

"How?" Kylen asked.

"The circumstances of my world, but now we're connected and there's nothing we can do about it, so let's get acquainted. My name is Master Sub-zero," he said, rising from the table, making a fist and bowing slightly. 

The boy stood up as well and repeated Sub-zero's actions.

"Kylen, of the Bear Fang Clan," the boy said.

"Now to our situation. Your body froze in the snow, but I intercepted the control and forcefully absorbed the ice magic to keep you alive. We were lucky, and the spirit of nature itself helped bring your body back to the village. You're safe now," Sub-zero explained.

"Are you going to take over my body?" The boy asked fearfully, realizing that he could control his body.

"No, I have lived a long time and I will not take another's life for my own. But I can't leave you alone. You are now a member of the Lin Kuei, and you have my power," Sub-zero said. 

"What power?" asked the boy.

In response, the old master brought his palms together, where a ball of swirling chunks of ice began to form. He threw it into the ground, creating a road of ice spikes.

"So what's next?" Kylan asked.

" While you are unconscious, I will train you, and then you will simply have to put this knowledge into practice. The first lesson I will teach you is to refuse to take revenge on your father. I can feel the hatred in your heart, and it will bring you nothing but misery and suffering," Sub-zero said.

"How he left me to die. He didn't try to teach me anything, he just looked at me with contempt," Kylen said angrily.

"Your father is not the best man, but he is only as good as those around him. War and survival always harden men. Revenge is the result of hatred, anger, and jealousy. Do you want your mother to feel that way about you because you would kill your father," the Master said, instructing Kylen.

"All right, Master, I will try, but I will never forgive him," Kylen replied. Although he still wanted revenge, he realized that ruining his relationship with his mother was not worth it. The words made him think. He realized that even if his companions despised him, his father was no better when he was constantly teased; he had heard the taunts of other warriors more than once, not only in his own direction, but in his father's as well.

While the unconscious Kylen lay in the house and his mother tended to him, he comprehended the martial arts and his gift in his mind. The young warrior was not only given personal powers, but also the wisdom of the teachings.

This was how one of the fights went, furious blows meeting perfect technique. Kylen attacked his teacher in vain, but even with all his strength he couldn't touch his body. He only received painful blows in return. Although the battle was in the mind, the space and the laws were so real.

"You are ignoring everything I am teaching you. Be patient, don't let your emotions get the better of you, a cool mind is the foundation of a ninja," Sub-zero instructed his pupil. With another attack, he deftly planted his foot and the man fell to the ground.

"Master, it's impossible, I can't even reach you," he had really grown fond of his teacher during his time here. He was the only one besides his mother who treated him so well. 

"If you studied more, you could," the Master disagreed.

"I'm trying," Kylan said in astonishment.

"Don't try, do it. But no matter how much I want to teach you, it's time to get up. Your body has been out of your mind for a long time, and you can't stay like this any longer," Sub-zero said.

"What will happen to you? - asked the student.

"What about me? I am only a remnant of my former self, nothing more. I will build the knowledge into your mind so that you will continue to learn, and we will not see each other again," the master admitted.

"But I don't want to lose you," Kylan said sadly.

"You won't lose him. I'm just your imagination, nothing more," Sub-zero smiled. Despite the deep scars on his face and his menacing appearance, his face looked kind.

"Then it's time to say goodbye," he looked into his teacher's eyes.

"Yes, be strong," the master said, standing at the student's level and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Gradually, Sub-zero's silhouette began to fade into mist, as did everything around him. Until he disappeared altogether. Kylan came to in his house. He was lying next to the stove, hot and eager to shed all his clothes, which he did. His body was very weak and lazy. He struggled to his feet and sat down.

Kylan thought to himself, "I wonder if this wasn't a dream and I really came home and trained my mind. When he tried to get up, he felt no strength in his legs and fell to the ground. There was no strength to get up and he had to stay where he landed. The front door of the house opened, letting the winter chill in. The cold air reached his body and Kylen found it very pleasant.

The mother froze on the threshold of the house, looking at her son who had come to his senses. She dropped what she was holding and hurried to the child.

"Why did you get up? Gods, I was so worried about you. It's good you're awake." As she cradled her son and laid him on the bed, she held his hand tightly, as if afraid to imagine that it was an illusion and he was still awake.

"How much sleep did I get?" Kylen asked.

"A full week. I asked the healer several times to examine you again, but she refused, saying you were healthy and only sleeping. Then she chased me away with her staff and hit me on the head," her mother said sadly.

This brought a smile to Kylen's face, he missed his mother. It seemed to him that he had been in this state for much longer than a week. Kylen regretted that he would never see his master again.

"Kylen, are you hungry?" His mother asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yes," he said. He felt like he could use some food.

All he needed to do was lie down and recover. He was different now, the desire to learn ice magic and martial arts was burning in him. All the techniques and combinations were vividly imprinted in his memory.

A few minutes later, dinner was ready, and with his mother's help, he made his way to the table, refusing to eat in bed. Just as he was about to eat, his father came into the house. As if it was the same as the day before, he came in, took him and left him in the wasteland of Freljord. 

"Son," his father nodded and sat down next to him. There was a lot of tension between them, "You survived and came back, now you're worthy. As soon as you are better, you will train with the others." He said nothing more and began to eat the food his wife had brought.

Kylen hid his anger. He wanted to take out his lollipop and attack him, even though it wouldn't do any good.

"Forgive him, Kylen, believe me, he regrets his mistake," his mother whispered in his ear.

For his mother's sake, he was willing to forget about it for now, but he would definitely make his father pay for it.