Mortal Kombat Fan Fiction ❯ Of Butterflies and Blizzards ❯ Trials pt. 3: Will ( Chapter 12 )

Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go,

Just remember how far you've come.

Remember everything you have faced,

All the battles you have won,

And all the fears you have overcome.' - Allcupation

She was cold, that was all she knew. Her powers had faded away and now all she could feel was the cold. The bitter biting cold that was turning her finger tips bright red. Her muscles ached and her lungs screamed as she stumbled into the caves.

Voices in front of her made her gasp.

"Hello?" She croaked.

"Shit, Izzy?! Oh god, you look like hell frozen over."

She smiled at Safi, "Feel like it too."

"You overextended your abilities didn't you?"

"Maybe a little. I didn't expect the storm."

Safi shrugged, "None of us did. Come on, Fay has a fire going. We should wait it out."

Fay shot to her feet when she saw Isabeau, immediately running to her side to help her.

"Izzy! Have you seen anyone else?"

A shake of her head is the only answer she gets for a moment then Izzy looks at them both oddly.

"I thought I saw someone out there but as I turned to look at them it was like they faded into the whiteout. It was weird. "

Fay shook her head, "With how bad the storm is, we shouldn't even be here either. If there is someone out there, maybe they might need help?"

"I don't think it was anyone. Probably just seeing things. Lets rest for a bit, then move on."

"Okay."

When the warmth of the fire started to seep into her flesh, she nodded off. And her mind whirled with flashes of memory.

One in particular kept catching her attention and she let herself fall into it...however painful it might have been.

/  -  /  -  /  -  / 

When she opened the door to her mother's bedroom, she didn't find her there. That alarmed her.

"Mom?"

"Out here, honey."

She was outside...Isabeau rushed towards the backdoor, concern flooding her features. Her mother had been sick for so long that she was bedridden. How could she have gotten up...let alone outside.

When the door swung open, she saw her mother sitting on a rocking chair right at the edge of her porch, staring out into the snow dusted horizon.

"Mom, you shouldn't be out here. You're going to catch a cold. The doctor said that wouldn't be good for your lungs."

Her mother just looked at her and smiled softly, holding her arms out to her.

"Give me a hug, sweetpea."

"But mom-"

"A hug, then I'll go back, okay?"

Izzy nodded and leaned over her, stopping when her mother traced her features with her fingers and smiled widely.

"You have grown into such a beautiful young woman, Isabeau. I'm proud of you."

She fell into her mother's arms with a sigh.

Her mother wrapped her arms around her, petting her hair.

"I know you'll do great things, Isabeau. I love you." Her hand slowed until it stilled complete, slipping from her hair, to hang off the rocking chair.

Isabeau pulled back suddenly, tears spilling from her eyes as she noticed her mother was unnaturally still, eyes closed with a smile on her face.

"Mom?"

No answer.

She was gone.

Ice exploded around her.

/  -  /  -  /  -  /

"Izzy..."

"Mmm...mom?"

"Izzy come with me."

Groggily she stood, moving away from the other two and continuing until she stood at the mouth of the cave.

"Mom?"

Peering out into the swirling mass of snow and ice she could make out a figure, their arms reaching out to her as if beckoning her outside.

For a moment, she panicked. This wasn't mom...mom died...she's been dead for 3 years. Why was her voice here? Why was she calling her? Was it her time? Was she meant to die on this mountain? 

But one thought kept breaking through and she embraced it fiercely. No, she wouldn't die here. She would fight tooth and nail through this storm if it meant one thing...

'I will see Kuai again.'

She shook her head viciously, "I won't go! You won't stop me. I'm not giving up! I'll reach the peak!"

As if saying it had been some balm to her, she felt renewed vigor in her task and her hands exploded into ice. but a large rumbling sound filled her ears and she watched in horror as snow came crashing down over the cave entrance and nearly pushing her off the ledge.

Quickly forming daggers she slammed them into the rockface, catching herself and climbing back up to the ledge. The wind whipped wildly, cutting into her exposed skin so hard it caused welts to form. Her empty eye socket burned with pain and she grit her teeth in agony.

She had to push forward now. There was no shelter for her out here. She had to climb.

Her hands slipped and she nearly fell but caught herself, pulling up to the next hand hold. Her fingers were turning bright red again, barely able to feel them but she pushed on. Isabeau looked at her hands closer and found that the skin had broken open, leaving bloody handprints behind.

The wind slipped between her and the mountainside and her bottom half lost touch for a moment as she floated in the air connected only by the daggers. All of a sudden the wind leaves her and she falls back against the rock, crying out as she felt ribs break from the impact.

Her hand scrambled above her and she screamed in frustration. 

"Damn it, reach! Reach Izzy!"

Her brother's voice echoed in her ears.

'You got this, kid. Just a little further.'

"Caleb?"

'Come on, reach!'

And she does, stretching her arm up as far as she can, feeling her muscles aching and her ribs throbbing sharply.

But just before she drops back a hand grips hers and pulls her up the rest of the way and she lies on the freezing ground gasping for breath.

'Well done, Isabeau.'

A sob caught in her throat as her eye fell on the crystalline petals of the ice flowers and she crawled, hissing in pain as the movement jarred her ribs further and she fell into a coughing fit, drops of blood hitting the flower.

Isabeau gripped the flower in her hand and plucked it quickly.

She did it.

A chiming laughter filled her ears and she jolted, her good eye falling on bare, icey feet that looked like clear glass. He gaze tilted up and found a woman made of glasslike ice wrapped in ribbons of snow and sleet. Her hair was like brown branches entombed in ice. Her eyes were pure white and glowing.

They knelt down beside her and the temperature dropped significantly and she shivered violently, pushing herself up to a kneeling position clutching her side.

"Wǒ huānyíng nǐ de qiánjǐng."

Isabeau tried speaking but could only gasp in pain as the creature placed a hand over her heart.

"Yī kē jiānqiáng de xīn(A strong heart), Jiānqiáng de tóunǎo(a strong mind), Jiānqiáng de yìzhì(A strong will), Nǐ chénggōngle(you have succeeded) Xiǎo xuěhuā(little snowflower)."

The pain in her ribs lessened as the creature smiled down at her, their features cracking and crumbling and a strange sensation rushed through her.

As the creature crumbled into sparkling dust around her, a familiar voice echoed through her mind.

"I know you'll do great things."

The air exploded around her into a flurry of sleet and wind pushing out from the peak and as quickly as the storm covered the mountain it fled...as a shadow fleeing from the sun.

And she fell forward, unconscious, clutching a single ice flower.