Two weeks had passed. My brother had not returned from the Mortal Kombat tournament, and for the first time in my life, I felt fearful. Fearful that something happened to my brother. As a Lin Kuei, I was tought to show no emotion and to show no fear. But he was my flesh and blood; he was the only family I had left. He's the one who took care of me and trained me when our father died in an ambush by the Shirai Ryu, and I was the only one he shared his secrets with.

Day in and day out, I sat in my quarters waiting for my brother's return...or the news regarding his fate since he left for the Mortal Kombat tournament. He was personally invited to compete by none other than the tournament's host, Shang Tsung, himself. However, a mysterious benefactor caught wind that my brother was invited to compete, and only a few days later, to both my surprise and my brother's, the Lin Kuei signed a contract out on Shang Tsung's life. Apparently, this "mysterious benefactor" is extremely wealthy, and loathes Shang Tsung. And since it was my brother who was the Lin Kuei invited to compete in Shang Tsung's tournament, it was only natural that it would be him to complete the contract. However, I have heard some ugly rumors about Shang Tsung, so it's no wonder someone would be paying a shitload of money to have him iced, either figuratively, or in my brother's case, literally.

Suddenly, a knock came to my door. Like a needle to my skin, I snapped out of my thoughts and opened the door. It was Smoke, my best friend in the clan. Like all the other Lin Kuei, his uniform was the exact same as mine. The only difference is the color of his sash, shin guards, and face mask. While mine and my brother's were blue, his was gray. "Smoke, let me guess...it's about my brother, right?" Smoke shrugged his shoulders. "Well..." He paused for a moment. "To make a long story short, yes."

My eyes widened. "Please explain."

"Well, our surveillance is picking up some strange shit, and we think it has to do with the tournament," Smoke replied. "Of course, we've all heard the rumors; Shang Tsung, this vile sorceror working for Shao Kahn to have 10 tournaments in a row to have him invade our realm to rape and pillage as he sees fit," he added. "Let's not forget the fact that your brother hasn't returned."

I nodded, and said, "And there's evidence that this shit is true, correct?"

"How did you guess, Tundra?" Yes, my codename at the time was "Tundra." But my brother and I made a solemn oath, and the Grandmaster overheard it. Should my brother die before I do, the name "Sub-Zero" was to be transferred to me. Should I die before him, the name "Tundra" was to be transferred to him. The only one I told about this oath was Smoke.

"Well, you did say 'our surveillance is picking up some strange shit.' Is my guess inaccurate or something, Smoke?"

A short pause, but the look in Smoke's eyes told me something was up. "I think you're right on the money..." Another short pause. "...Sub-Zero."

The minute he referred to me as "Sub-Zero" is the minute I cried for the first time in my life. Smoke had confirmed that my worst fears had become reality. My brother was gone.

"I'm sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news. I understand you need time to cope with your loss. However, "time" is something we do not have. The Grandmaster requests your presence immediately."

Smoke's words sunk in. I put my hands over my eyes, and my tears froze. Then gripped my face tight to shatter the ice, to hide my tears from the Grandmaster. Surely, he wouldn't be pleased to see me showing emotion.

"Thank you Smoke. Let him know I'm on my way to his chamber." Smoke nodded and left. Before I departed my quarters, I took one last look at the last thing he left behind; his journal. All the skeletons in his closet written in one notebook. I stashed it in my closet, underneath my matress, and left my chambers.