Chapter 1: The Legacy of a Fallen Hero (1/3)
It's has been five months since Raiden left Jaden Kang to train with Master Bo' Rai Cho. Jaden started his training the next day after his arrival, Bo' Rai Cho didn't take easy on him since Jaden assured to Bo' Rai Cho that he wanted to be stronger than his father was. So he trained Jaden in the most intense way possible but Jaden didn't complain or lazed around and did everything his master did. Jaden wore a white shaolin outfit for his training.
Bo' Rai Cho was shocked by the boy in many ways. He was impressed by his level of discipline at such a young age and his willpower, the amount of times Jaden kept going when most would collapse amazed him. Alongside this there was some questions on his mind, and he decided to see if the boy had the answers.
After his daily training ended, Jaden and Bo' Rai Cho both had dinner together.
"Do you mind if I ask you some questions Jaden Kang?" Bo' Rai Cho asked his student.
"Yes Master." Jaden answered with a low voice.
"I know it took long for me to ask those questions but." Bo' Rai Cho was trying to find the right words.
"Whatever questions you have you can ask Master." Jaden said while he ate his food.
"Alright. Who else knows about you?." Bo' Rai Cho still wondering why Raiden didn't told him about Jaden sooner.
"If you mean about who my parents are and that I'm their son. Just Lord Raiden and Lord Fujin and now you." Jaden was told by Raiden to never revealed it to anyone.
"And do you have any idea why he keeps this secret?" Bo' Rai Cho kept trying to find the answer but he couldn't think of anything.
"He just said that it was dangerous. But once I overheard him talking with Lord Fujin about... The throne of Outworld I think." Jaden answered.
The moment Jaden said that Bo' Rai Cho understood the reason. Jaden is the heir of Edenia and he's technically Mileena's nephew no matter the circumstances of her creation, which means that he has a claim to the throne of Outworld since to some degree he's technically also Shao Kahn's grandson as well. If Milenna finds out about it.
"I see. Another question, What do you know about your parents?" Bo' Rai Cho was wondering if he knew who his mother was.
"Well... not much really, I know who they were but I don't really know what they were like." Jaden answered.
"Ok, Just one more question?" Jaden was starting to get annoyed but he didn't let it show. "Why do you train so hard?"
"Ummmm..." Jaden was struggling to find a answer. "I want to be strong, so I can help Lord Raiden protect Earthrealm like my father did."
"Very well then." That's all that Bo' Rai Cho said.
The next day Bo' Rai Cho took Jaden to a village in order to buy some supplies. Though Jaden suspects that by "supplies" he actually means more alcohol.
"Now Jaden, I need you to find something for me." He hands a paper to Jaden.
Jaden takes a good look at the paper and makes a puzzled face. It was a really poor drawing of a medal with a smiling Asian face. "Umm... What exactly is this?"
"It's my Warrior Medallion. I lost it sometime ago." His master tells him.
"May I ask where was the last time you saw it?" Jaden asked.
"It was a busy day, I have passed through alot of places. I went to the Martial arts school,The docks and a house that used to belong to someone I know." He then handed Jaden a map of the city and marked the spots.
Jaden was sure that this was a test and decided to do what he's told. "Alright, I'll see if I can find it."
The first spot was a Martial arts school.
When Jaden arrived he found the school to be pretty small, but he couldn't really say much about it until he saw it inside. He noticed that there were some children at the front. They were all training the Shaolin fist style.
Jaden saw a bald men standing in front of them, which he assumes it's the master.
He approaches the men while he observes the students.
"Excuse me?" Jaden asked.
"Oh hello, if you came to train you'll have to come back tomorrow." The master declared.
"No Sir. I'm looking for a amulet that my Master lost." Jaden responded and handed the bad drawing.
"Oh I recall seeing this."
"Where?"
"If you beat my best student I'll tell you."
"What?"
Jaden gave him the exact same puzzled look that he made when he first saw the drawing.
"I'm not a fool boy." The bald master stated "This is a Warrior Medallion. It is not a easy task to receive one, so I'm a assuming your master is a skilled warrior."
"Yes" Jaden responded
"Alright then. So I'm sure you wouldn't refuse a challenge." The man challenged
"I guess not." Jaden just wanted to get this over with.
In few minutes all the students made a circle around Jaden and another boy. The other boy was bigger and a little fatter then he was.
Jaden and the boy made the shaolin fist stance. Jaden had knowledge of several styles but he thought it would be fair to use the same as his opponent.
"Fight." The master said.
The boy charged at Jaden swinging his fists at him. Jaden easily evaded the attacks and threw a kick to his stomach making him fall on his back. He quickly stood up and charged at Jaden again this time trying to kick him. This time Jaden blocked the kick with a hammer fist, then palm strike him at the nose and then he knocked him out with a spinning heal kick to his cheek.
"So can you tell me now?"
Jaden and the master were outside the village's medic after his fight with the student.
"You fractured his cheekbone." The master complained to him.
"I'm sorry but it was your fault for insisting in this fight to begin with." Jaden himself could see that the boy was not ready for the fight, so it was the master's fault for insisting.
"Fine. I saw a boy with a bow taking it from Bo' Rai Cho's pocket. He went in the direction of the docks." The master said in anger.
"Wait what?, You saw it and didn't say anything!?" Jaden snapped.
"That lazy drunk always act like he's better than all the other masters, he deserved to be stolen." The master denounced.
"Considering that I just beat your best student without much effort, I don't think he's wrong." Jaden retaliated.
"Just get out here." The master Commanded.
Jaden left the man there and made his way to the docks.
Jaden walked a bit until he finally arrived at the dock, there were some fisherman there and he decided to ask around a bit for information. A boy with a bow took the amulet and that's all Jaden knew. He spend the next hour asking some random fisherman if they had seem a boy with a bow, unfortunately no one seem to have seem him.
Finally at the final house, there is old man sitting at the front on a wooden chair.
"Excuse me?" Jaden asked.
"Huh? What is it?" The old fisherman asked.
"Have you seen a boy with a bow pass through here?" Jaden asked not having much hope that he did.
"You mean Kung Jin."
"Who?" The name seems familiar to Jaden somehow but he can't remember where he heard it.
"Kung Jin is the boy that always carry a bow." The old fisherman affirmed.
"Where can I find him?"
"You seen like a strong boy, could you help me a bit first?" The fisherman asked.
At first Jaden was annoyed by the question but then he saw that the fisherman looked really tired so he decided to help.
"What do you need?"
"Could you deliver these fishes to the local market?" He gave him a back of fishes, it was heavy but Jaden could handle the weight.
"Ok." Jaden didn't questioned in any way.
Jaden lifts the bag to his shoulder and makes his way back to the village. Right now he was seriously regretting accepting to help that old man, but it was too late to complain now. Unfortunately Jaden came a cross some stairs that he forgot were there. "You gotta be kidding me!?". He was cursing himself for forgetting about them.
He quickly climbed the stairs but as slow as he could since a wrong move will cause him to fall down.
While he was almost on the last step, he hears something.
(WHISTLE)
Jaden looks to the side to see where this sound came from. But when he does, he sees a boy wearing a hood with a straight arrow pointing at him.
"Have you been looking for me?"