The next morning, the team gathered at the training center, eager to start their day's session. However, Frost was noticeably absent, and the boys exchanged worried glances.
"Where's Frost?" Sky asked, checking his watch for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I don't know, but I'm going to go look for her," Rage said, already heading towards the door.
Just then, the door swung open, and Frost walked in, followed by Karma. The team's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hey, guys," Frost said, trying to sound casual. "Sorry I'm late. I was just... um... showing Karma around the facility."
Karma smiled charmingly, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Yes, Frost has been an excellent host. I'm grateful for her... hospitality."
The boys exchanged skeptical glances. "What's going on, Frost?" Dikstra asked, his voice low and concerned. "You've been spending a lot of time with Karma lately. Is everything okay?"
Frost hesitated, her eyes darting to Karma before returning to her teammates. "Of course, everything's fine. I'm just trying to be friendly, that's all."
Rage frowned. "Friendly? With Karma? After what he's done?"
Karma chuckled. "Ah, come now, Rage. Don't be so quick to judge. I'm not all bad."
Frost forced a laugh. "See, guys? Karma's not so bad once you get to know him."
Sky raised an eyebrow. "What does he want from you, Frost? Is he threatening you or something?"
Frost's smile faltered for a moment before she recovered. "No, no, nothing like that. We just... bond over our shared love of... um... cooking."
The team stared at her, unconvinced. Dikstra spoke up, "Frost, we know you're not telling us the truth. What's going on?"
Frost's eyes flashed with defiance. "I told you, everything's fine. Drop it, okay?". The tension in the room was palpable, and it was clear that Frost was hiding something.
Shannon entered the training center, greeted the team, and was taken aback by Karma's presence. "What is he doing here?" Shannon asked, his eyes narrowing.
Karma smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Ah, Shannon, always so quick to question. Frost invited me, didn't you, darling?"
Frost nodded hastily, avoiding Shannon's questioning gaze. "Yes, that's right."
Shannon's eyes lingered on Frost before turning back to Karma. "Very well, let's begin. Skylar and Florence, spar!"
The two teammates faced off, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. Skylar charged at Florence, who dodged and countered with a series of swift kicks. Skylar blocked each kick with his arms, but Florence's speed and agility allowed her to evade his counterattacks.
The sparring continued, with neither gaining the upper hand, until Skylar landed a decisive blow, striking Florence's shoulder with a perfectly executed judo throw. Florence stumbled back, defeated.
Karma applauded, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Bravo, Skylar! You have a certain... But let's see how you fare against me, shall we?"
Shannon raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning, Karma?"
Karma chuckled, his voice low and menacing. "Oh, Shannon, I'm just going to have a little... fun. Kurd, Skylar, come and play with me."
The two teammates stood back-to-back, ready to face Karma. Kurd charged at Karma with a series of powerful punches, but Karma dodged and countered with a swift kick that sent Kurd stumbling back. Skylar jumped into the fray, but Karma's speed and agility allowed him to evade their attacks with ease.
With a swift combination of punches and kicks, Karma took down Skylar and Kurd, one after the other.
Karma stood over them, his chest heaving with exertion. "Pathetic. You're both so... weak. But don't worry, I'll let you live... for now."
With a dismissive laugh, Karma turned and walked away, leaving the team stunned and defeated.
(LOCATION FROST'S ROOM)
Frost's heart skipped a beat as she picked up the note from her bed. It was from Karma, and all it had was an address. But it was an address that made her heart race - the address where her mother lived.
She felt a mix of emotions - excitement, fear, and uncertainty. She had been searching for her mother for so long, and now Karma was just handing her the information on a silver platter.
Frost's eyes scanned the address, her mind racing with questions. Why was Karma giving her this information? What did he want in return? And was this some kind of trap?
But she couldn't afford to hesitate. She had to know if her mother was really alive and living at this address.
Without saying a word to anyone, Frost quickly got dressed and slipped out of the training center. She made her way to the address, her heart pounding in her chest.
As she walked, the silence was deafening. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was walking into a trap, but she had to take the risk.
Finally, she arrived at the address. She looked up at the building, her heart racing with anticipation.
And then, she turned and disappeared into the night, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.
(LOCATION: SHANNON'S ROOM)
Courage's eyes widened in confusion as he received the call from Shannon. "What's going on, Shannon? Why are we sending a hitman after this guy?"
Shannon's voice was cold and detached. "He's been causing trouble in WaterFalls Village. We can't let him continue to disrupt the peace."
"But... I thought we were a team, not a group of killers," Courage said, his voice laced with uncertainty.
Shannon's response sent a chill down Courage's spine. "We are what we need to be, Courage. And right now, we need to be the ones who take care of problems like this. The Incursio doesn't tolerate threats to our stability. That's an order, Courage. Go now."
Courage hesitated, his mind racing with doubts. But Shannon's words echoed in his mind - "That's an order." He knew he had to follow through.
With a heavy heart, Courage set out on the mission, his thoughts consumed by the moral implications of his actions. Was this really what The Incursio stood for? And what had he gotten himself into?
(LOCATION SHANNON LARE)
Shannon's eyes narrowed as he realized Frost wasn't in her room. He focused his mind, reaching out with his powers to locate her.
He sensed her emotions, a mix of sadness and anger, and followed the trail to WaterFalls bar. He could feel her presence, her energy signature, and knew she was inside.
Shannon's instincts told him something was off. He quickly made his way to the bar, his mind racing with possibilities.
(LOCATION WATERFALLS BAR)
When he arrived, he saw Frost running out of the bar, tears streaming down her face. He quickly followed her, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Frost, wait!" he called out, but she didn't stop.
Shannon caught up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "What's going on?" he demanded. "What happened?"
Frost's eyes were red and puffy, and she looked like she had been crying for hours. "I found my mother," she said, her voice shaking.
Shannon's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Where?"
Frost took a deep breath. "At the bar. She's a bartender. And she... she doesn't even remember me."
Shannon's expression softened, and he pulled Frost into a hug. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I had no idea."
Frost pulled back, her eyes flashing with anger. "You knew, didn't you? You knew she was alive."
Shannon hesitated, and Frost's eyes narrowed. "Tell me the truth," she demanded.
Karma arrived, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Tell her the truth, Shannon," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "Or should I?"
Frost's eyes narrowed. "This is all your fault, Shannon. You're a monster."
Shannon's face twisted in anger. "This is all your doing, Karma."
Karma chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, I'm just the catalyst, Father. You're the one who's been playing with fire."
Frost's eyes welled up with tears. "Tell me the truth, Shannon."
But Shannon remained silent, his expression cold and unyielding.
Frost laughed, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, I had forgotten. You and my mother are the same. You dumped Keon for your stupid reasons."
Karma's grin widened. "Ah, yes. The truth begins to unravel. And soon, dear Frost, you'll see that everything you thought you knew was a lie."
Karma ran towards Flora in superspeed, grabbing her and bringing her back to Frost. "What's going on?" Flora asked, confused.
Karma's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Just a little family reunion, dear Flora. And soon, all your secrets will be out."
She saw Shannon and her eyes widened in recognition. "You," she spat.
Shannon tried to run towards Karma, but Frost froze his feet in place. "You're not going anywhere," she said, her voice cold.
Flora screamed, and the people at the bar heard her. They started to come outside, curious about the commotion.
Karma ran in superspeed, grabbing Frost and Flora and taking them away from the scene before the people saw them.
As they disappeared into the night, Shannon was left standing alone, his feet still frozen in place. He knew he had to come up with a plan to fix this situation, and fast.
(LOCATION: SNOW FOREST)
Karma stopped at the spot where Flora had abandoned Florence all those years ago. Flora struggled in his grip, her eyes wide with fear.
"Let go of me!" she screamed, but Karma just smiled.
"Ah, Flora," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "We meet again. And this time, you'll face the consequences of your actions."
Flora's gaze fell upon Frost, who stood beside Karma, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Who are you people?" Flora demanded, trying to hide the tremble in her voice.
Karma chuckled. "We're the ones who know your secrets, Flora. And we're here to make you pay."
Flora's eyes widened in terror as Karma's grip tightened around her wrist. "Let go of me!" she screamed, struggling to break free.
Karma's smile was cruel. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, Flora," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "This lovely young woman standing before you is Florence the child you threw away."
Flora's gaze fell upon Frost, and her eyes filled with a mix of fear and revulsion. "That's impossible," she whispered. "She's dead. I left her to die."
Frost's eyes flashed with anger. "You abandoned me, Mother," she spat. "You left me to die in the cold."
Flora's face contorted in a snarl. "You're a curse, Florence. A monster. I did what needed to be done to protect myself."
Karma's chuckle sent shivers down Flora's spine. "Ah, but you see, Flora, Florence is more than just a curse. She's a powerful force, and she knows exactly what to do with her powers."
Frost's eyes locked onto her mother, her gaze burning with intensity. "I'll show you what I can do," she hissed, her voice trembling with rage.
Karma's smile grew wider. "Yes, Florence. Show her. Show her the true extent of your powers."
Frost's hands began to glow with an icy light, and Flora's eyes went wide with terror. "No, please...don't..."
But Frost's powers surged forward, ice spikes erupting from the ground and piercing Flora's flesh. Flora's screams echoed through the night as Frost's emotions reached a boiling point and she turned to Karma.
Karma's eyes widened in shock as Frost's ice dagger pierced his chest. But instead of feeling pain, he felt a sudden surge of memories flood his mind. Memories that weren't his own, but Frost's.
Frost's eyes locked onto Karma's, and she saw something there that gave her pause. A deep-seated pain, a wound that had never healed. And then, she was sucked into his memories, reliving the traumas of his past.
She saw a young Karma, no more than ten years old, being pushed down the stairs by his mother. "Die, you curse!" his mother screamed, her face twisted in hatred.
Frost saw Karma being beaten mercilessly for fighting with Courage, his mother's words echoing in his mind. "You're a monster, a curse upon this family!"
She saw Karma being forced to drink poison, his mother's eyes cold and unyielding. "Drink it, and die," she spat.
Frost saw Karma being kicked out of the house, left to fend for himself on the streets. She saw him being beaten like an animal, his body broken and bruised.
And through it all, Frost felt Karma's pain, his anguish, his deep-seated desire for revenge against the world that had wronged him. She saw the scars that had never healed, the wounds that still lingered.
As the memories faded, Frost's gaze locked onto Karma's, and she saw something there that gave her pause. A glimmer of recognition, a sense of understanding. For the first time, she saw Karma not as a villain, but as a victim, a product of a childhood that had been marked by trauma and pain.
Frost's voice was barely above a whisper. "No one deserves to live like that, Karma. No one deserves to be hurt so deeply."
Karma's eyes flashed with anger, but Frost could see the pain lurking beneath. "You don't understand," he spat. "You don't know what it's like to be me."
Frost's grip on her ice dagger tightened. "I may not know exactly what you've gone through, but I know what it's like to be hurt. To be abandoned. And I know that no one deserves that."
Karma's laughter was harsh. "You think you can fix me, Frost? You think you can make everything better?"
Frost shook her head. "I'm not trying to fix you, Karma. I'm just trying to understand. And I'm trying to tell you that you don't have to be controlled by your past. You don't have to let it define you."
Karma's tears fell, and he shouted, his voice echoing through the night. "You don't know what you're talking about! You don't know what it's like to be me!"
Frost took a step forward, her eyes locked on Karma's. "Then tell me," she said, her voice soft. "Tell me what it's like to be you."
But Karma just shook his head, his eyes streaming with tears. "No," he whispered. "Just leave me alone."