Black Cloud , Red Fire (Part 3)
"Did I REALLY have done that?"
"Yeah! Trust me, I was surprised, just as you now!"
"Wow, I REALLY did use magic."
"Why so surprised?" The cranky old voice of the Keeper cane from the walls of the old caverna: "I told you that you had what was needed! After now, I guess you'll have more trust in your skill."
After the defeat of the Elder, or, like you said, his liberation, you and the Deatined one had a small stop near where the Snake guy was defeated, enough to take your breath, and then started to travel again.
Beyond the wooden shrine that he was protecting, the entrance of once was the old cave of the bear, where he was defeated by Sun Wukong and the assistance of Guanyin. As much as you could say, it was... a cave. Where you guess and old beat should live, but what you didn't know was that it went deeper than it looked.
Before entering, the monkey had taken out of his sack the old mantle that you'd retrieved from the ashes of the original Lingxuzi.l, Extended it to you.
"Why are you giving me this?" You asked, raising your eyebrow.
"Well," he started, "I think it would be better for you to hold it...just in case."
"Just in case forrrrr what?"
"Oh, I don't know...we had been talking about fire for like all this way up here, and I'm...fearing something could happen."
Despite the slightly bad Omen that he had just brought upon you two, you decided to follow Già Insticts and take the mantel. In your hands, you started to notice a few things that you haven't after it's retrieving.
The small rope holding it was made of gold and decorated with jade pearls at the ends of the strings. Golden decorations were visible between the fabrics, along with some more made of the same darker shade of the silk. At the touch, it wasn't cold at all; in fact, a warm feeling crawled through your fingers, almost like touching a freshly ironed piece of garmet.
With the mantle in your sack, moving between the dark and the shadows of the cavern, you were concerned about the last enemy that you two were supposed to meet.
After the long road, the many encounters and enemies, there he was, just a few steps closer. You couldn't believe that, despite it all, you were able to actually make it this far. You felt a strange sense of heavyness; your duty wasn't complete, and you were closer to the relic than even before.
Thinking about that thing, your mind crawled back to the thought of Sun Wukong and his actions.
He wasn't perfect, you got it, and in all honesty, you weren't that convinced that brought him back. Life was the right choice, but you didn't have any choice. He was, now right now, the most reasonable option for you to go back home.
But what if he didn't want to help you out?
This scary idea made you ponder... to the point that you had almost fallen into a giant hole!
"Watch It!" The monkey was fast enough to catch you up, putting you back on your feet.
"Oh, I'm just thinking..."
How could a simple monkey be so perceptive? You looked around. It wasn't the right time to talk about those staff...
"We can... discuss this later? Please?" It was more a prayer than a request. The monkey, on his own, decided to oblige. He knew the matter, and he too wasn't so sure right now.
The cave, the longer you went, seemed to have crossed the mountain itself. Sometimes, it opened to the outsider, allowing plants and trees to grow in a small angle of green. Other times, it was just cliffs that followed the side of the rocks, allowing a view of the outside. More than anytime, it was just a jump in the pitch black of the bowels of the mountain.
Trees grow wherever the sunlight allows, their roots deep in the rock of the cave, growing high, reaching the summit. As far as you could say, it was just a splendid place to leave, not fitting for such a cruel Yaiguai like the bear.
Beautiful, but not without danger.
It was the doorstep of their master household; of course guards and warriors, the best at least, were guarding it without trace of tiredness or fear. Those wolves were different, to say the least, and they preferred to fight in the dark, taking advantage of their knowledge of the structure of the place against the monkey, but every time, like before, none of them were strong enough to beat him.
After a long road between the rocks and some cliffs, a long tunnel took both of you to an exit. The mountain ended there and, guarded by two heavy soldiers, a giant door.
You sensed...something there. Not the relic, but something... alive.
After the two guards were taken off, whatever was waiting for the two of you was just behind the door. The monkey posed his hands on the wooden surface, but he didn't' push; instead, his eyes met yours.
"You know what's waiting for us here... Once we're with him—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Step beside," you said, raising your hand. He waved his own.
"No...be carefull." He seemed stressed, like searching to say something that he had been mustering for some time.
"Listen... When they told me about you, the Bián huá, they didn't tell me everything... I guess that it's for lack of knowledge." His hands left the door, looking at you with a mix of concern and sadness.
"And I know that... it's hard; now I get it. You must feel a lot of things right now. Visions, old memories..."
While he was talking, or more like rumbling on his own words, trying to make sense, you noticed one thing: he was worried—like really worried—for you and for whatever was happening in your head.
"What I mean!" I cleared his throat. "It is that if we want to get through this, getting back the sage and getting you back home, we must do it together, so please talk to me. About everything!"
So...he really was worried about you, about your doubts and your second thoughts about bringing back the old Sage...
You needed to get through this, and, despite your uncertainty, you had someone that wanted to back you up.
You felt better, even if Just a Little.
"I will," you said, caressing his shoulder. "Just try not to die on me.. I REALLY don't want to be on the bear menù."
He chukled a little; his hand gave a strong but soft squeeze to your own.
You left his shoulder, following him in the action of opening the wooden door together. A few steps ahead, that was what you needed to do.
Leaves were falling in dim sunlight that slowly was leaving, making the area look darker than ever. Two fires were lit in front of two structures that preceded the main structure of the temple. It wasn't different than the other temples that you had met on your journey, only for this one to be bigger and far more well conserved, just like the one where you met that beast that took the name of the old wolf. Incense aromas flew around, and the sound of bells echoed slowly and gently.
The place radiates calm on a first glance, like every other, but deep down the rumble of something dark and twisted made your guts twisted.
Someone was sitting there, meters from you, in a meditating pose.
It seemed like a man, his vest around his torso, decorated with golden lines and its reddish tone, the long Mala that crossed his chest from his shoulder...
He was a monk, no doubts, but despite the attire, his looks gave more to him. His body was big, the relaxing pose just hidden the muscles that could have been possessed by a fighter, and his skin was covered in old scars, mostly the sign of really bad scratches made by teeth and claws. His face, covered in a well-kept white beard, was stuck in a stern that cracked only when he spotted the two of you entering the gate. He wasn't surprised to see you there; in fact, by the presence of something that seemed like a weapon near him, he seemed like he was expecting the two of you.
He could have fooled someone else, but after all the road, you knew that the monk was no one but the Black Wing Guai.
"Five hundred years." His voice, which seemed perfectly matched for someone like his own, finally broke the silence. He rose up; he wasn't just big; he was taller than expected, a good human foil for a bear. He reached for the weapon, a long spear, conteplating in it, scoping away some dust from it.
"I have rebuilt the temple. Now it's grander in scope."
"More likely made a home for himself and the guais, I would say," the monkey said between his teeth, giving you a smirk. That bear didn't learn so much from Guanyin herself...
Then he kept talking, but time your blood boiled by the subject.
"All those monks consumed by the fire turn to wandering ghosts, roaming in Black Wind Mountain... It was I who granted them eternal repose!"
"Repose?!" You scoffed; your voice was very audible. The monkey looked at you, trying to keep you at a distance, while the bear was looking at you, raising his thick eyebrow. "You tried to revive them! And then you hide away to not lose your face!"
"How dare you speak to me like that?! You should keep your mortal at bay, monkey!"
"OOHH, don't you dare me!" You step closer again, pointing your finger at him. "Those monks were never at peace! They were suffering all along! And the poor wolf, Lingxuzi... You really believed that he would just accept killing his kind just to go along with your plans?!"
" AH!" He laughed "You like to point fingers, but didn't you just stand beside him while he had risked his life?! Unlike, I have even restored the charred scriptures piece by piece! But my matter is not with you...small human."
This one made you sick. Everything he had done—taking away the mountain from the keeper, resuscitating poor souls only to cause them more suffering, hiding his own looks and misdeads with some other acts that were only useful to him! Even if he were a monk, he just weared the mantle, but he surely wasn't even close to one. He started to ingore you, pointing his gaze towards the monkey.
Just like they said...his spitting image.
Oh, he had never forgotten what the Sage had done to him all those years before—the shame to be bound, the years of isolation... He had paid off his debts; he had something in return—something powerful! It was funny to obtain strength from an old enemy that once had almost destroyed you, but such the wheel goes. And even there, that fear was always present in his soul, something that someone could just believe to be the product of a paranoic mind. But every time a new monkey came to the mountain, every time another human was alongside them... With each death, his fears were drowned, making him laugh of himself about this silly nightmare, but this time, his fear had come true.
"But, oh yes, I always knew," he laughed, his aura starting to emanate an aggressive tone. "One day you shall return!"
He struck fast; his spear pierced the air, crushing on the ground. The monkey held you, jumping away from his opponent blow, giving you then the time to move away from the fight. The massive body of the bear was then engulfed in something that reminds you of a black swirl of dead leaves, moving around with such force that even the wood of the piles cracked around. That was his power then! He had surely held the title of his name...
But you didn't want to walk away like that!
"It's too-" He pushed you away again, dodging a swift of the spear. "RISKY!"
"Oh, what's the matter, oh destined one?! Since when the Great Sage is so afraid of letting a mortal get hurt?! She's not your master even!" The bear kept on attacking the monkey, taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't properly respond to his blow with you around. He was taunting him, or taunting Wukong to be more precise.
If those weren't working on him, they did work on you. You wanted to help so badly, you could use at least one spell! But...you didn't know how, and last time was just by chance.
"Please, Y/N!" The monkey screamed, "You'll help me! Let me handle this one! I promise!"
"Oh, but let her, Great Sage! I'll give her the right lesson that she so desperately wants to learn!" Out of the blue, the object of his attacks changed, striking now towards you. You started to retreat quickly, begging for your power to just start to work.
"Y/N!" The monkey darted to you, using his staff to counterattack against the bear. "Too scared to take on me that you had to go against her?! You truly are a coward, like the story said."
This time it was the turn of the monkey to taunt the bear, and he surely was more touched by his words and remarks. Despite the technique of the guai, the new spells and the ability of the monkey gave him more advantage in certain situations: taking new forms, the binding spell, his gourd that helped him to retrieve more strengths... Just like the last time, the monkey had always an ace up his sleeves.
That damn monkey...why did he have to return and ruin everything again?!
The fight kept on going again and again, giving you little choice but to back down. You felt so useless. Why did you have to find out that you could do something and still be a dead weight in his fight?! He still wanted to protect you, but you wanted to be of assistance to him!
Between your doubts and more destruction of the temple, a final blow of your monkey was enough to finally strike down the monk. He stumbles on his feet, losing grip on his spear, holding instead of his side, hurting from the battering.
"You have some cheap tricks... Meet me at the summit if you dare!"
Without the both of you could do anything, he vanished in the swirl, flying away from your sight.
"He had run away!" You screamed, almost trying to run after him.
"He just has the relic with him!" The monkey pointed out, sensing nothing unusual in the place around you.
Insted, another smoke appeared, alongside some scoff. The old Keeper had reappered!
"The spell he just cast may appear intricate, but it's not hard to learn!"
"Hello there, old one..." you sighed.
"You say?" the monkey continued, "it seemed quite strong!"
"Ah! That black bear's expertise is lacking! Serving Guanyin didn't help him much!"
You laughed, hearing how much this grand protector that he claimed to be was just wussing a big mouth!
"This is just making my day! Now, what ar-" Suddenly, a strange gale engulfed the three of you in a string swirl of leaves that could cut your skin. You tried to cover your eyes, protecting yourself from the dust, when you felt a strong paw holding your waist, rising you from the ground. You couldn't see much, the black swirl making it hard to see at all! What the monkey could see, isntead, was that black mass before moving around, leaving an empty spot where once you were!
"Y/N!" The monkey screamed, noticing the fainting tone of your robes in that black swirl.
"COME AND FIGHT MONKEY!" His laughter echoed around you, making your ear hurt. "AND BE FAST BEFORE I MAKE THIS ONE MY DINNER TONIGHT!"
Laughing, the bear started to ascend the mountain while you were struggling with all your strength to get loose his grips.
The monkey tried to run, but as soon as he reached the limit of the temple, you were gone.
"No no no no!" He started to panic. Who could possibly know what could happen to you alone with that beast? Before he could move another step, the old Keeper had already blocked his passage.
"Hold it, little one!" he sais, trying to calm down. "This is not the time to be taken by fear!"
"He took you! I must go and help her!"
"I know! He knows what he could do, but here in this temple are hidden treasures that will aid you! Quickly! Find them and only then rise to the top!"
The Keeper was right; he needed to recover from a few wounds too, but the idea of taking too much time was unbearable! Yet he reluctantly started to search, prying to not be late.
Everything was moving around you. It felt like you were dragged everywhere and yet stayed in the same place. Struggling was hard because you didn't know how to struggle.
You couldn't see where you were going; you guessed higher by what the bear had said; the only understandable object in that confusion was the setting sun on the horizon, slowly fading behind the mountains.
When your body had finally taken its form back, your captor had thrown you on the ground, making you roll for a few meters. You coughed, feeling the air coming back in your lungs, massaging your abdomen, and feeling the aching of every possible muscle in your body. Facing the sky, there was no mountain in sight, only the vast expanse of blue and a few clouds. He had taken you to the top of the mountain...
The pavement where he had thrown you away was made by hand, a large forecourt sourronded by giant pines and, towering like the same mountain where it was built, a pagoda made of stone.
While you were coughing and trying to understand where your captor had taken you, you felt a strange sound: the flattering of a pair of wings.
The sound was strange. It was like your ears stopped working for everything, except for that sound.
It was constant, almost like a bird butterfly trying to fly frantically against the wind, and, with that, you had the clear sensation that something was observing you. Then you noticed something small and yet shiny, like a small sun irradiating a light at the summit of the pagoda, posed like a flag on the structure.
You felt it, like a bolt running inside your brain. The relics, you found it!
Without thinking, you stood up and tried to launch yourself towards the pagoda when a strong hand clutched you in his grasp, raising your body like a rag doll.
"Not so fast, Little One..." His voice sounded far more sinister, more deeper than before: "I have some more plans for you!"
His body was battered, full of the wounds that your friend inflicted on him on his first meeting, but what really started to upset you was his skin. It seemed loose, like a dress that started to lose stiffness, and from the wounds you were clearing, see some...furr?!
His face, which seemed almost like it was melting on itself, was contorted in a beastly grime, showing a set of sharp teeth that could rip a leg in one bite. He was furious, but his grin showed a side completely far from the act of the pious monk that he had showed to everyone.
"LET go of me, you Creep!" You started to kick and punch the hand and arm that were holding you midair, but the few damages that you made were mostly ajinn that kept on falling, revealing even more of his true nature. He laughed at your attempt, slowly piercing his own face with his free hand, which now was more similar to a paw than a human limb.
His talons, sharp and big as a knife, puerced his own skin, slowly shredding it like some piece of paper. You stopped trying to get free from his grasp, your eyes glued in horror to that horrifying show. Blood started to purr, only to be absorbed by the thick, black furry of the beast that slowly started to get bigger and bigger. The hand that was holding your shirt was now a paw that big that you seemed like a Barbie in his clasp. The dark eyes slowly became like two furnaces, looking at you with a malevolent glim.
"No more talking, ah, Little One?"
The monk was now gone; what remained of him were shreds of skin and a pool of blood at your feet. Now in front of you stood the Black Bear Guai, a giant made of pure muscles and brute force.
You trembled in his grasp, realizing now in what kind of mess you were. That thing was able to rip you a part by just pulling you by a limb; instead, he started to slowly walk towards the pagoda. The sound of the wings became stronger and more frantic—a scare and aggressive bird.
You kept on punching and kicking, now more than ever useless against that walking mass that held you hostage. With a small push, he opened the granite doors of the tower; a few brached here and there, and, with his free hand, he took one, still approaching the center of the room. The room was full of every possible treasure that a bear could find appealing, such as food and goodies from the woods and what a human could die for—golds, jewelry, and precious religious items—and everything was stored in piles or in old barrels.
So much to be a poor and pious monk.
Without a care, he threw you on the ground; your back collided with a small pile of apples that had fallen on the ground, rolling on the stone pavement.
You hissed for the pain while he was looking at you menacingly, the bracier still fuming in his paws.
"Last time," his beastly voice resonated like thunder. "That damn monkey had made quite a mess at the temple, allowing everything to burn. He saved that monk the last time. Let's see how good he's now."
And with that, he launched the bracier towards a few jars that broke at the impact with it, and, with a roar, a pyre of fire suddenly started, eating everything that was near it.
With a roaring laugh, the bear disappeared in the same cloud of black leaves, shutting the rock doors behind him. He wanted to roast you alive!
You tried to open the door with all your strength while hearing the fire cracking and burning everything with it. There must have been some wine in those jars, because the explosion just spread the same liquid around, making the fire run faster. Smoke started to invade the room, and your only way out was close shut!
You started to panic; breathing was already hard without clean air; now it was just impossible! You wanted to scream; your nails started to dig in the rock, and your shoulders just hurt after the many impacts on the surface of the door. Was that it?! Was that really the end?! Burned alive after that long road, just a few feet away from the relic?!
The more the fire grows, the more the fear starts to set in you.
"I...I don't... I don't want... I promised to tell you everything... I don't want to die!"
You screamed, feeling the tears start to accumulate in your eyes. In those moments, many thoughts come to you and to your friend...Your friend...
Ho, could you forget that?! He had given you that because he felt it was right! Whatever kind of deity gave him that hunch, BLESS IT!
Trying to control your shaking hands, you reached for your bag, and, after sensing the silk in your hand, you extracted from it the red robe. As you sensed the danger, the mantle magically spread over you, covering your trembling figure in one move, and the golden string fastened itself to your neck.
Suddenly, it was like the fire wasn't even there. The heat was long gone; only the gentle warmth of the mantle was there, and, to your surprise, that wasn't the only merit of the mantle: the air, thick of smoke, was now fresh like a summer breeze. You took a long breath, feeling finally the freshness and the cleanliness in your lungs. You felt like, in that moment, another message from the universe for you.
You were meant to live; you needed to survive.
The fire was spreading, but knowing that now you were protected again by your dear friend, even if unintentionally, you felt secured and calmer now. Your eyes were safe from the smoke, alongside your lungs, but you needed a few minutes to find what you believed was your only way out of that: a small ladder leading to the next level of the pagida. Well, it was a tower after all; it was meant to go up.
And so, up was your way out, near the relic... You started to move, prying that your friend had the same uck as you.
Another strike, another foe fallen to the ground against the charge of the monkey. His calm demeanor was completely gone, now possessed by a rage after the bear had captured you.
He had found many treasures in the temple, but most of all, he wanted to find the bear who just broke his head in half. The road after that wasn't that difficult; this time he had the Keeper to guide him, showing him the right way, a long path full of the remains of others structured that lead at the summit of the mountain. Finding the enyrance of the climb was almost a lucky event, hidden behind some fabrics and blocked by debris.
He was sure that there he would have found you, the bear, and hopely the relic.
Of course that was the last defense of the bear's most polite possession, because now all the enemies that he had encountered were stronger and more aggressive than before. Their weapons now were meant to kill him, to stop him more than ever, but he was far away from being done.
Now, other than anger, fear started to crawl through his spine. During his climb, he had seen smoke and the smell of it, and it wasn't good, especially since the more he ascended, the more the scent became stronger than before. He prayed that nothing bad was happening, that you remembered the message that he gave you, and to be smart enough to be out of the fight. And between some curses and prayers, his fears took form.
A pagoda, burning like a torch in the night, the smoke like a dark cloud full of rain, grew in the sky. The fire had spread toward the courtyard, now devouring the trees and the statues that decorated the area.
He frantically searched for you, hoping that his guts were wrong, when that damn voice spoke again.
"He once told me: Out of sight, out of mind is a fool's task; seeing but seeing through is what wise men do.
But didn't he turn mad...by what he saw too?!"
His laugh echoed between the roars of the fire; the dark cloud came back like before, this time larger and darker than before. His foe reappered, now fully changed, and a black bear double the normal size roared to him, showing him his claws and teeth, ready to end the fight in his favor.
The monkey did not stand down, only rising his staff, pinting at him in anger.
"Where's Y/N?! Where's my friend?!"
"Oh," he mocked, "she reaced her ancestors already. Let me help you reach her!"
The monkey looked back at the pagoda. Maybe there was still time! He launched and tried to avoid the bear getting closer, only to get hit by one of his paws. He was pure muscle in one strike; the m-onkey, now only the size of a child confronted to him, had a small disadvantage, but he didn't care at all.
What he cared was for his friend, stuck in a burning structure that could have collapsed at any moment! He stood back again with one jump, regaining his posture, while the bear only laughed again.
The monkey started running again; this time he was able to avoid another of the bear punches, but as soon as he was near the pagoda, the ground started to shake in a single shake, making him lose balance and get hit again.
"Oh, destiny! Your master is not so pleased! I thought you wanted to take the relic! But one human is enough to make you lose interest?!"
He used his staff against the bear face, striking directly in his eye. A huge howl, even for an animal, came from the Guai that started to back away. Holding his snout in his paws, he cried and destroyed everything in his path, lamenting the loss of one of his eyes.
While the bear finally had him catch a break from his assault, he tried another time, but this time it wasn't the beast that didn't give him enough time to reach the door; it was the unsufferable heat coming from the fire. It had already taken the ground level; whatever it contained was lost to the fire and the smoke, and soon, the entire structure was about to fall down.
"Y/N! Y/N!!" He screamed, hoping to hear your voice, but nothing came. He needed to open those doors, or just try to get on the untouched levels of the pagoda, but the same paws that had attacked him had already pinned him on the ground this time. Fire was devouring the bear furr, emanating a disgusting smell of burnt flesh, but it seemed that the pain wasn't in the beast's concerns right now. The monkey struggled, trying to escape from his clutches and the fire, trying to reach with his hand the lost staff that had flown a few meters away from the impact.
"You had ruined everything! I'll kill you like I did with that stupid mortal!"
Then, an apple struck him in the head with a loud smash, poulp scattered on his muzzled and on his still good eye.
You tried to hold your grip on the parapet of one of the pagoda windows, trying to not fall to your not so unpleasant death by falling down from the third level of the building. When the bear saw you, for a moment he seemed confused and scared. How did you even survive!?
"I have more here with me, you cheap off Winnie Pooh!"
The monkey saw you, and a gleam of relief and happiness colored his face.
The bear growled to you, realizing that you did not just survive, but you were even mocking him! He was nice enough to let you die by the fire, but if you wanted to die from his own hands, then fine! So be it!
He launched towards the building; his massive body collided with the structure that was already losing security. You lost grip on the window by the string shake that he had provoked, but, lucky for you, while slipping from the curved roof, you avoided a big fall on the ground by grasping the edge. You started to try to get back on the same roof while filing the flames and the bear breath under yourself.
He had almost catched you when, at the corner of his eyes, he saw something growing and a stick on his face, making him fly on the other side.
"What's the matter?! Getting distracted?!"
The monkey laughed when the table turned, and, with the help of his staff, he had caught you, helping you land on the ground safely.
When both of your feet touched the ground, his arms crashed on you just like yours on him, hugging each other in relief.
"Oh Gods, I've almost... thought that..." He couldn't even pronounce those words; he had imagined the worst for you. You squeezed him tigthly, feeling his breath near your neck.
"You won't get rid of me that easily!" You tried to laugh about it, freeing him from your arms. Then, you put the mantle around him, feeling that this time he needed more than you. In the distance, the bear had rose again, furious by your constant strike and coming back.
"Go and give him a lesson, Tiger! We have a mission to accomplish!"
And, with a huge grin and his refound security, he marched towards the bear, facing him with not a single trace of fear. This time, it was personal.
This time the bear had lost his upper hand. He was furious, angry, and without control, while the monkey kept his cool in every strike and every blow, using all of his new tricks that he had learned. Maybe it was the fact that he knew that you were alive, but the fight from before was just a small act on what he was able to do. In fact, the bear couldn't take a chance, and, with another of the staff blows, he falls to the ground, making a huge cloud of smoke appear.
He knew that he couldn't win; that damn monkey was... something else. After emitting a last roar, he dissipated again in the same clouds from before. Intuitively, the monkey held your hand, fearful of another kidnapping attempt, but this time the bear did not aim for you or him.
"You cunning wretches, I'll spare your sorries lives for today!"
In his form, he reached the edge of the pagoda, towards the light that was shining at its summit.
"Fortune is no longer on your side! No one will come to your aid!"
"The relic!" You screamed, seeing that he had already snatched the light, starting to fly around.
"All I need is to take it elsewhere and rebuild everything anew!"
His laugh echoed in the sky, savoring his final victory against you too. You wanted to run after him, but the monkey stopped you, pointing him with his finger.
"Something is...off here..."
In fact, there was something off. The light seemed to have reacted to the sudden snatching, emitting some light esplosion that made the projectory of the bear confused and random. Even the bear's voice seemed to be in pain and confused about what's happening, until the same light emitted a final and huge explosion that made the guai fall to the ground and retake his original form.
Those were the words that he had spoken, while the light now, on your ears, emitted the cry of a bird.While looking at you and your friend, his voice sounded more apologetic, and he started to bow in reverence.
"Oh, pardon me, Young Sage! Mercy, Young Sage! Have mercy! Please, honorable lady, show mercy on this poor bear!"
"Oh?!" The monkey mocked, "What's happened to all that bravado that you showed us before?! Now we're the Young Sage and the Honorable Lady?!"
The bear bowed again, touching the ground with his massive head.
"I was just a pawn of the Celestial Court! If given a choice, who'd dare to challenge the mighty Wrecker of the Celstial Palace?!"
"Oh please!" you cointued, completely unwaved by his cries, "like the Celestial Court could trust someone like you!"
"His words ring true." The Keeper suddenly appeared between you and the monkey, gesturing with his staff towards the bear.
"Old Keeper! Do you buy his story?!" The monkey gestured towards his now apologetic challenger.
"No matter how daring he was," he explained, "he had not the nerve to harm the Great Sage."
"So it's true...it was the Celestial Court?!" You said, now more shocked. Yes, the Court did send armies to kill Sun Wukong, but why gave to the bear the relic?! "But why?!"
"The meaning, I do not know. There must be someone else pulling all the strings."
This information was...ominous. That meant that someone had clearly orchestrated the entire affair, but then why? For what purpose?! The bear raised his head, looking to you and your friend.
"Exactely! And this thing is eerie! I had no idea how to make use of its power, except to enshrine it up there, tricking lesser yaoguais into offerings."
"So...you tricked the all?! They believed you were there to help them!"
"Ma Tianba was right," the monkey continued, "you were just telling lies!"
For a moment, the bear feared for another beating. Another idea pops up in his mind.
"If you'd pardon me,I-I'll go back to Guanyin to atone for my actions and be put back on the Encaging Band! You will never see me out there anymore!"
"Oh, ignore his nonsense!" The Keeper spoke before you could just say what you thought about the bear and his sorries and excuses."Go now, young ones, go and retrieve the great sage's relic."
I'll go back to Guanyin to atone for my actions and be put back on the Encaging Band! You will never see me out there anymore!"
"Oh, ignore his nonsense!" The Keeper spoke before you could just say what you thought about the bear and his sorries and excuses."Go now, young ones, go and retrieve the great sage's relic."
You and the monkey looked at each other, realizing now more than ever that you did make it to the end. The light, in a few movements, loses his first appearance, showing its true form: a bird, similar to a rooster in certain ways, started to fly in the air, like stretching its wings after a long period of sleep.
Its sound was crystal, sweet, and kind in your ears, and with such grace it posed on the monkey arm, looking at you both. Only now have you noticed the curious presence of two iris in both of its eyes.
"His eyes...this is...the Great Sage eyes," he whispered, trying to touch the bird that enjoyed the small scratches.
"You did it," you whispered. "You really did it!"
"We did it," he whispered back.
When the first sentinels saw the two of you reaching the Mountain, the first cry of joy emerged from the monkeys village. If a monkey didn't come back from its voyage, it didn't come back at all, so when the news that you were coming back came, everybody was ALREADY in a festive mood, screaming and exclaiming about their brother and the Bián huá returning home.
"Brother is back! Big Brother is back!"
"They haven't been eaten!"
The smallest one started to run around and jump in his arms, laughing and hugging. With the bird on your shoulder, you watched the scene tenderized by the bond that all of them shared. You had to admit, you were a little jealous...until a bunch of other monkeys decided to jump on you in happiness.
"Y/n! Y/N! You're back and alive!"
"I am"you tried to break free, "but I think I'll soon die here!"
While holding one of his younger siblings, the Money couldn't stop smiling watching you. It was a hell of an adventure, but you grow up so fast... He wasn't lying when he swore that a spark had lightened in you!
"And so, the two pilgrims came back from their journey..." The cranky old voice of the old monkey came from the small path of rock, surrounded by some youngsters following their master in welcoming you and your friend.
"An unusual sight, I must say..."
"Master," the monkey came forward, bowing in respect, "we did it. We retrieved the relic."
The sound of flapping and the sweet chirp came from above. The bird gently posed itself on your shoulder, and, for some reason, while it was looking at the old monkey, you almost thought that they... knew each other? Nah, just an impression.
The old one gently caressed its feathers; a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"It seemed that you had quite the adventure, huh?"
"Oh, we had!" You said with enthusiasm, "He was incredible! We met the old keeper of the Mountain; he actually knew Sun Wukong! And there were so many monsters, but we met so many new friends!"
The old one laughed at your description, almost like a child describing their day to their parents. You sighed, your hands on your hips, looking at your friend with a hint of sadness.
"Well, too bad I had to go now..."
"Hehe...go where exactly?" The old monkey stepped forward, ChiLiang at your confused face.
"...Home? My job is done here; we found the relic."
"Relics, y/n. More than one." Said your friend, noticing your perplexion, "There's six senses, remember?"
"But you found the First One. The first step had been taken, my dear..."
"I almost died back there..." You retorted to the old monkey, "No one knows if we could take the others..."
"No one knew you could retrieve the first one either... and yet..." His trembling hand motioned towards the bird, singing happily to be back in a place that it seemed to remember.
"Every adventure has a beginning and an end. But, for now... you rest."
With these words, the old monkey had left the both of you to talk about your adventure with the youngest ones, so eager to know about the fight that you spoke of.
That night, the village decided to hold a party to celebrate your victory, with fruits and food from all the mountains as the main course and wine that flows as fast as a river. Despite the realization that your duty wasn't complete, you must admit that the joyous atmosphere was contagious even with you, and after some time of overthinking about your situation, you soon joined the party, alongside your friend.
"I'm exhausted..." You said, collapsing on a soft cushion not so far from the bonfire of the party, the monkey soon followed you with two peaches in his hands, handing you one of them.
"I noticed! But don't you dare get away now; we have a bargain, remember?"
"Uh?... Oh right..." You remembered the promise that you two made before the fight. "But I don't want you to ruin your mood..."
"My mood," he continued, biting the peach. "It's about you talking to me."
"Wow, you really care for this, don't you?" You sighed while he looked at you with some half-closed eyes.
"... That old sage wasn't that good, was he?"
"... He was... difficult, I guess." He was measuring his words, but clearly he did hold him in some regard, his old king...even if now he had some doubts of his own.
"He hurt so many monks back there...he didn't care if they were good or bad..."
"He wanted to protect his master; he had his own motivation."
"...would you do the same? Hurting others for protecting me?"
He didn't respond, since he ALREADY did.
"... I don't want you to become aggressive and have some clearly anger management issues!"
"My point," you sliced in two the Peach, "is that we found some good guys on the road...and the one that we learned their story was just...sad old souls...even the Elder..."
He looked at you; your sad expression was full of compassion even for the ones that wanted to hurt you, and you understood their motive... everyone there was a victim.
"...in that case, when we bring him back, we're both going to teach him a lesson!" He said, throwing away the seed of the peach.
"You don't have to do anything if you don't want to..."
"No, you're right. He needs to properly tò pay some respect for all of those dead monks AND for the troubles he had put US in!" He laughed a little, and, deep down, you felt better. Yes, that was certainly a thing to do on the list.
"And we need to understand some more things... what the Keeper said was kinda ominous..."
"Yes," you responded, "but... one step at a time. Firstly, you need to teach me how to defend myself. This damsel in distress thing is cute and all, but it's kind of overwhelming, and I'm really fed up with being the dead weight on you."
"Oh, I don't mind! I like feeling important..." You both laughed at his stupid look when he said this. Then, you clapped your hands, an idea coming to you.
"Oh, I GOT it! We should give you a name!"
"Well, a proper one! I don't want to call you Just Monkey forever!"
He was... baffled, somehow. Tò received a name; it's not something that monkeys usually do. A few of them received One, really important monkey, to be precise, but this was the first time that this idea was presented to him...
Not like it wasn't appealing, but a name means... a lot. It means to be more than just part of the Monkey clan; it means to exist.
"I... well... if you like?"
"All right... umm," you started to ponder... It needed to be a fitting name, something that could depict him.
"...How do you say Destined One in your language?"
"Ummm...well...Destiny Is Yuán fèn and—wait, hold it!" He looked at you, straight in your eyes, "Are you calling me the Destined One, just in another way?!"
You looked at him, holding your breath...then a blasting laugh escaped from your mouth, and you needed to hold yourself to not fall behind.
"It fit! Perfectly actually!"
Despite the stupidity, it was in fact a fitting name... And he started laughing.
Yuán fèn...It wasn't such a bad idea!
Between the frogs, the cricket, and the birds, the sound of some paws crashing on the water was heard in the swamp.
The heavy breath of a canine, far different from the ones that had decided to stay on the mountain under the Keeper's watchful eye, stopped the silence that brought the water. A scout searched for something in the shallow waters, sniffing and moving around with delicateness, fearing for whatever it was searching for to be crushed or hurt.
It stopped, clearly aware that it had found what it was tasked to find, clearly satisfied, judging by the tail swinging.
"Yes, yes, I'm here... He took his sweet time to send you to fetch me; at least I regained an actual form..."
White scales shined in the moonlight that were reflected in the waters, a contrast between the yellow irises. Slowly, it started to crawl on the black fur ,finding a good place to avoid hurting its searcher and tò not fall on the ground during the run.
"They actually did it; they freed the Elder and the souls of the monks...and the relic..." He sighed, "It's still too early to know if they're the right ones..."
A White came from the creature while starting to leave the pond and the swamp.
"Eh...maybe you're right...if my brother has hope, then I'll pray for them too..."
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