Give me some fixation

“Let him tell you in his own time. It was difficult.” Macaque explained, and after gently tussling MK’s hair, he slipped away into the shadows again.

MK spent the whole morning of the day of his return curled up on the sofa with his Pa and Dadsy, silently crying while they held him. By the end of the day, he was able to explain what had happened.

Wukong was lost in a state of catatonia. After waking from the unconsciousness Tongbi had forced him into, he’d found himself being held by Wu Zhiqi, swaddled tightly and whole, his sharp claws filed dull and a powerful binding seal on his primordial power, rendering it useless until the seal was removed. He’d cried, refusing to speak of his reasons beyond repeating that he was tired and done.

He continued to cry silent tears for the following four days, becoming completely hypokinetic, staring at nothing, robotically moving from place to place with who ever was watching him for the day, mute save the broken mimicked hoots and chips he’d heard from distant troop members, and when not swaddled and coaxed to close his eyes, an action to help it a little more believable for MK that he was resting them while the younger Monkey slept close by, he would just sit, looking but not seeing, his tail limp and still beside him, as he just sat for hours on end. He only ate because he was copying the motion of chewing and swallowing from MK, Macaque, Tongbi and Wu Zhiqi as they ate around him.

Even though Wu Zhiqi had sealed and bolted away all the weapons in the Palace, the risk of Wukong trying again was too high, he was never left alone, either carried on Wu Zhiqi’s back, against Tongbi’s chest, or guided by Macaque or MK’s tails. As Wukong had reshaped sections of the Palace to better suit his and Macaque’s needs, he would know any and all hidden passages he might have made and might have a means to access another means of hurting himself.

The fifth day had been the same as the four before, but when Wu Zhiqi had tried to coax Wukong back into a swaddle after bathing, the ginger monkey had become violently agitated. MK hadn’t seen the whole fight that followed, only the end of it when Wu Zhiqi had used his bigger size to pin Wukong down and hold him down until his agitation faded, leaving him once again hypokinetic.

The swaddling stopped after that, but Wukong was still not permitted to be by himself and over the following days, an irregular pattern had formed, some days Wukong stayed utterly catatonic, but others he would lash out at seemingly nothing, leading to a short fight until his own body simply refused to let him continue and the anger would fade back into the broken silence of catatonia.

Nights were worse.

When MK or the cubs climbed into the nest with Wukong, he didn’t react beyond the reflex of holding them, he didn’t speak, just hooted and chittered back at them until they fell asleep. He noticeably stiffened and flinched when Tongbi or Wu Zhiqi came close to him, going silent and rigid, as if expecting them to strike him, but it was his reaction to Macaque that had driven the black furred monkey to sleeping at the edge of the nest or in the once shared room he had claimed as his own.

Wukong went limp and let his throat be exposed, a silent submission and acceptance of a kill bite. He would stay that way the whole night unless moved by one of his brothers, no tears, no fight, no resistance or even an attempt to protect himself from a bite that wouldn’t come. Macaque spent his nights either curled up and sobbing quietly into a pillow behind Tongbi, in their once shared room, or behind Wukong, one arm across his chest, a visible and physical block against a strike to Wukong’s scared chest, holding him to his chest using his chin atop Wukong’s head to make him hide his neck.

MK had wanted to try and stay, to continue helping both Macaque and Wukong with whatever subconscious instinctual triggers that had made the healing just a little easier, and for a time his presence had helped. During the nights, Wukong got brief clusters of sleep when MK was cuddled under his arms, he ate more, even if not much more than a bite or two when MK ate with him, he followed MK’s coaxing with almost no resistance…

But after the latest burst of aggression, a fight that had led to Macaque looking the way he had when he’d dropped MK off that morning, Wukong completely stopped responding to MK’s presence, no longer echoing the chitters and hoots, no longer reacting to his closeness with reflex grips or letting himself be coaxed along.

As it seemed there was no longer anything MK could do, Wu Zhiqi had, with great reluctance, suggested it might be better for both MK and Macaque to take time away from the matter while he and Tongbi handled what came next. MK hadn’t wanted to leave, but after three days of being ignored and looked through, he had let Macaque bring him home. Macaque would be staying with the Demon Bull Family and working at his dojo or the theater to pass the time, while the three cubs played and explored the city through the shadows.

When word of what had happened to cause this sudden sharp drop in Wukong’s recovery, Ao Bing had been the one to collect the ruined relic to seal it away with its sibling knives, and upon his return he had reported that Wukong’s state hadn’t improved but it also hadn’t worsened, and that news seemed to help settle MK’s nerves enough that he wasn’t on the verge of going back on his own.

When Bai He heard the name of the relic Wukong had tried to use, she had a panic attack, the name having triggered the memory of her own possessed hands handing the same knife to Grandpa Wukong and sending her into a spiral of her own. It was so bad, MK had to call Macaque and within an hour, the black furred Monkey came back to the shop with Rumble, Savage and Thunder to find Bai He curled up under the blanket of the bed of her room in the apartment above the shop, her cat purring and nuzzling her chest and face, trying to offer her comfort while MK coaxed her to take small spoonfuls of noodle broth with soft words and assurances.

Rumble and Savage fell over themselves trying to reach the little girl before Thunder heaved them both up onto the bed and climbed up herself, the three of them crawled under the blanket and snuggled with Bai He until she felt brave enough to sit up and speak.

“Are you mad at me?” She asked, her voice hoarse and weak from sobbing.

“Never.” Macaque promised, gently stroking her hair as he sat on the mattress beside her. “You didn’t give him that knife Bai He, she did. You were traumatized by her. No one, not even the mighty High Above can blame you for anything that happened. And no one will.”

“But I knew… and I didn’t say anything.” Bai He said, blame still clinging to her with stubborn fingers. “Its my-”

“Do you remember what I told you, about what happens to the mind when someone is possessed?” Macaque asked, gently pulling the little girl into his lap while Thunder carefully began grooming through her hair, Savage and Rumble settling against her stomach, letting Bai He’s shaky hands pet and stroke through their fur while cooing and hooting softly.

“You said, it can mess with memories and… And make things foggy.” Bai He recalled. “It’s why possession is viewed as a crime…” 

“And why no one ever blames the victim for things they can’t recall or remember doing during the time they were forced to be the host of such a villainous person.” Macaque added, gently squeezing Bai He in a hug. “No one is angry with you, Bai He, and no one hates you.” 

“And none of this is your fault.” MK added, moving to crotch down in front of Bai He, gently using his thumb to wipe away the tears. “Wukong is just very upset inside, and he’s struggling a lot. It’s making him very frustrated with himself and he’s lashing out because of that.”

“Like Uncle Bull, before Grandpa Sun put him under the Mountain for Time-Out?” Bai He asked, and Macaque made a sound between a snort and a sob, knowing that Chi Yue had to have had a hand in explaining the situation with the Demon Bull Family and Sun Wukong for Bai He to call it that.

“A little bit, but also not quite the same.” MK shook his head with a small smile. “I think Wukong has been hiding just how upset he is from everyone, for a very long time. And it’s just gotten too heavy to carry anymore.”

“Will he be okay?” The child sniffled.

“We don’t know yet.” Macaque admitted, using his tail to swipe the tears away from his own eyes before they could fall. “But, like that dumb peach-brain stone always says, we just have to believe hard enough, and it’ll all work out right.”

“Okay.” Bai He nodded sniffling.

MK gave Macaque a sharp bap with his tail tip to the nose in reprimand. “Don’t call your little brother mean names.” He scolded.

“Ouch, baby brother. Big brothers’ are rubbing off on you.” Macaque playfully teased and then made a show of letting Rumble and Savage tug on his bangs in further reprimand, knowing it would make Bai He feel better to see such childish and comical behaviour, distracting her from the pull of the spiral that was trying to keep her in its confines. 

“I can’t reach him without breaking him, Tongbi.” Wu Zhiqi sighed heavily, his shoulders slumped in defeat and his black eyes shining with tears that hissed as they evaporated. 

After Mihou and Xiaotain had left, Shíhòu had let himself be guided to the nest in their room, and was currently sitting at the edge of it, looking but not seeing the view out the window. He didn’t respond to them in the same way he did Mihou and Xiaotain, the echoing chitters and hoots were less and the mimicked chewing and swallowing was near none existent.

Wu Zhiqi knew how to help, he’d known from the start what needed to be done to bring his little brother peace, but he had not offered it, because the offer would not have been taken as it was intended. It would have been seen as an escape from the moment, a way to cheat the very real need to heal and reflect, and a way to continue ignoring the problems that would linger and wait until the eventual return.

So he had not spoken up, he had not mentioned the technique he knew would bring relief from this awful situation, and now, he was faced with the direct consequence of that choice.

He had known, having watched it play out repeatedly over the cycles that little Shíhòu, the stone cub who had been shaped and formed by his fire, blessed with the glowing warmth of his own core and born with more power then he knew what to do with, felt deeply, loved openly, and was fiercely protective and loyal to those who found their way into his heart.

He loved his adopted family, loved his troop, loved his hope and his sworn brothers, he loved making their lives easier even if in only small ways. He loved to learn, to explore, to experience things with a youthfulness that rivaled the cubs of the void. But more than that, he endured the anger and injustice of the Jade Court’s Wrath and the cruelty of Heaven’s will alone, sparing his loved ones the pains whenever and wherever he could.

He made mistakes, but from those mistakes he learnt new lessons and improved himself. 

But now, having lived an unstable cycle with a soul older than his body, haunted by pains and grievances he didn’t wholly understand and further tormented actions of those he cared for as a result of his actions, their anger and misunderstandings that should never have become the norm. Having found and loved and lost people, suffered betrayal and distance from those he called family, having his heart broken and lived with the burden of believing it was his actions alone that drove others to ruin and suffering because of him, little Shíhòu had reached his emotional limits and was now at a point he was no longer willing to try.

He was waiting on old habits to break free of their newly found restraints, waiting for frustration to drive young Mihou to his limit and make him lash out. It was why they sent both Mihou and Xiaotain away from the Mountain. With Mihou gone and Xiaotain absent, Shíhòu would be left without their familiarity to rely on and that meant it now fell to Wu Zhiqi and Tongbi to handle this matter themselves.

“The words I want to say- that need to be said to him. If I say them to him while he is like this, I’m no better than she was.” Wu Zhiqi admitted.

“You could never be like that wretched worm.” Tongbi scolded softly. “Do not consider yourself to ever be the same as her again. It would only sadden me.”

“I know how to help him, Tongbi, I have known from the start. But to suggest it then, or even now… I would ruin everything for him, Mihou and Xiaotain. I know what to do, but to do it, I damn him and hurt them.” Wu Zhiqi explained himself, rubbing his face. “There is no good to come from my speaking with him when he is this way.”

“Then let me speak to him first.” Tongbi said, coaxing Wu Zhiqi to move his hands away from his face and cupped it with his own, gently wiping the heated tears away with his thumbs. “I could not speak with Mihou, he is too much like me in his anger, but little Shíhòu, he is your mirror as Mihou is mine. I know how to reach him.”

Wu Zhiqi nodded, leaning into Tongbi’s touch, reaching around to hold the grey monkey by the waist. “I fear he has inherited a little too much of my old mindset, that he believes a door once closed should never be crossed again, even if it is held open for him…”

“Then I shall teach him otherwise, just as I taught you.” Tongbi assured, and pressed a soft kiss to the older monkey’s forehead. “Watch over us?”

“Always.” The red furred monkey promised with a deep rumbling purr.

Wu Zhiqi let Tongbi pull away from him and seat himself into a relaxed lotus position, gently pulling Shíhòu’s limp, unresponsive hand until the ginger monkey moved with listless and clumsy movements to sit so his body was facing Tongbi’s, his face still turned towards the slowly drifting clouds outside as if they would somehow grant him what no one and nothing else had.

“Shíhòu.” He called softly.

There was no response, but he had not expected one. Shíhòu’s attention was wholly focused inwards and thus, external stimulants were ignored unless they were close to a trigger. With a soft smile, Tongbi reached up and softly cupped Shíhòu cheek, guiding the unglamoured red and golden gaze of his little brother to his own, letting his own glamour fall to show the true white and black eyes.

“Lingming Shíhòu.” He tried again, allowing the smallest hint of his power to bleed into his words, and there was a fleeting flicker of acknowledgement in those deep red gold eyes.

It was all that was needed and in the next moment, Tongbi pulled Shíhòu with him into the Mindscape. 

With their minds focused elsewhere, their bodies went entirely limp and slumped down. Shíhòu, at an odd angle and unbalanced, began to fall, taking Tongbi with him but neither of them landed harshly, Wu Zhiqi caught them easily and gently laid them both down against the largest pillows of the nest. He shrugged off his cloak and carefully tucked them both under its warm softness.

This deep within the Mindscape, their primordial forms were docile and calm, connected to them through the faintest thread of power that when pulled upon, brought the whole of their Primordial power to the fore. War was the first to be seen, seated with crossed legs and arms folded across his stomach, his head tucked low, seemingly sleeping. If not for the soft flickering of burning flames that licked at his eyes, a tell that the eldest being was aware and alert despite the relaxed peace of the Mindscape, Tongbi might have believed him genuinely sleeping.

From War’s chest, close to the death scar, a length of bright red energy and chi drifted away from the Mindscape, and if it were to be followed, Tongbi knew it would lead him to Wu Zhiqi’s mindscape, and then deeper, into Wu Zhiqi’s very core.

If danger or threat dared to approach, it would be him who sensed it first, and he who ruined that threat.

Death was laid down, tucked close against War’s side and partly hidden amongst the long red fur that hung from War’s arm and head. Both arms tightly wrapped around the amber form of the youngest cub while his eye scanned the low level, watchful but unafraid. Order felt content and safe enough to actually sleep, curled against Death’s side, while his cyan eyed shadow amused itself with chasing and tugging on the shapeless clouds.

Tongbi’s eyes fell upon Strife, who was crouched behind War, holding Fury’s body steady against his chest, three of his four hands holding firm at the points were Tongbi had sharply struck with his claws on Shíhòu’s body, forcing shut the misaligned gateways where the power had bled through the strongest and with those strikes, the link between primordial and vessel forms was weakened, leaving the golden form a shuddering mess. 

Fury’s lowest arms were raised, cradling something in his palms while the middle and upper arms weakly braced himself up. His three faces bearing matching expressions of quilt, sorrow and pain and two of his three great tails were tangled together with the purple and amber tails of his siblings.

The third tail was raised up, and curled into his own golden palms.

Seeing him, Fury shuddered and bowed his head low, but made no other show of acknowledgement or reaction, and Tongbi understood, despite the will of his vessel, Fury had not wanted this path. Nor had he wanted to bring harm to his vessel in such a way as he had.

Strife reached down with his free fourth hand and lifted him up to the cupped golden palms.

Shíhòu lay there, dressed only in his red pants, though they bore signs of disrepair, his glamour completely removed and his aura so weak it was impossible to sense. He was chilled to the point that even with the radiating warmth of his primordial self’s palms and tail, he was violently shivering. His back, without the glamour of thick fur, was on full display and even with the stone plating over his spine and shoulders, the skin was lined and marred with so many scars Tongbi could not tell clearly where one began and another ended, nor how old or recent some were from others.

Tongbi had known, having done this once before many years ago, he would not like what he found here. He knew he would see little Shíhòu at his utter lowest and worst, just as he had found Wu Zhiqi after his reformation from Chikao Mahou. And still, he found himself deeply shocked and utterly disgusted that Heaven had allowed such shame and dishonour against his young cub, this clever, loving child of his heart he had longed to call his little pebble, but restrained himself, and only called him his little brother.

Shíhòu should have long been left unbothered by the heavy weight of Heaven’s failings, instead, he had suffered repeatedly and now, his body, mind and very soul were rejecting the idea that there could be a peaceful existence so long as he remained awake.

“Oh, Shíhòu…” He said, unable to bear the sight, he tugged a single short grey hair from his shoulder and with a shimmer, it changed from a single hair to a quilted blanket. Shíhòu said nothing at first, only lay listlessly as Tongbi tucked the blanket around him, attempting to offer a comfort and warmth that had become a familiar gesture between them.

“Why did you stop me?”

The question was heavy with emotions and hurt that should not have been upon one so much younger than he. And yet, by the actions and neglect of those once trusted to protect and uphold justice and honour, the burdens were solely upon the shoulders of a cub who had long ago earnt the right to peace.

“Face me, Shíhòu.” Tongbi requested, his voice soft and tone even. “Please.”

Slowly, with limbs heavy from pain and straining against weeks of disuse, Shíhòu moved himself to kneel, reluctantly letting Tongbi help him when his left arm gave out from under him. He didn’t fight when Tongbi then adjusted the blanket so it covered his shoulders, continuing to warm his quivering body.

“Tell me.” Tongbi asked, his voice calm and steady. “If I tell you the whole truth, not just of my reasons, but the means by which we could aid you when you are better. Will you listen with an open mind?”

“What good is an open mind to me now? I have nothing worth staying for, no reason to linger, no anchor to tether me. I am tired, I am so, very, very tired. What more does this world want to take from me before I am allowed to have just a few decades of sleep?” Shíhòu asked in return, shaking his head.

“Do you truly believe you have nothing of worth? No true reason or anchor?” The grey monkey questioned, reaching out to gently stroke the brittle fur from Shíhòu’s face. “Or are you speaking aloud the thoughts of your other selves?”

“Does it matter?” Shíhòu questioned.

“Yes.” There was no room to argue or question further. “I came here to talk to my little stone cub, the cub hatched from the egg Wu Zhiqi crafted from his warmth and an earthen shell so thick we feared the cub within might struggle to break free.” Ruined blood red golden eyes looked into unglamoured white and black ones, shocked at the admission and claim that came so naturally. “I came to talk to my second son, my pebble; Lingming Shíhòu. Not Sun Wukong, not the Victorious Fighting Buddha, not The Sun of Death, not the Handsome Monkey King and not The Great Sage Equal to Heaven.”

For a long time neither said anything, neither moved and around them, time itself seemed not to even dare and breathe.

Tongbi had wanted to wait, to keep this as strictly an elder brother speaking to his junior, as that was the agreement they’d made long ago, that until they’d all had time and chance to rebuild the connections that were still so terribly brittle and frail between them, they were Brothers first, Life Givers and Cubs second. But seeing Shíhòu this way, seeing him so sure there was nothing to stay for, he chose to push the matter the same way he had pushed it with Wu Zhiqi when they knelt like this in the palms of War and Strife after the battle that had earned Wu Zhiqi his title of ‘The Reborn Monkey King’. No, waiting would not help here, not when his cub was so sure he was unwanted he wasn’t even speaking for himself.

Only when those ruined eyes widened ever so slightly and bloody tears silently fell and something so terribly fragile flickered behind them did Tongbi speak up to ask. “Tell me truthfully, do you want them to partake, or do you want them to be quiet?”

“...” Shíhòu was quiet for a time, then admitted through unrestrained tears, his voice quiet and shaky. “They are very loud, and unhappy… I just want it all to stop. They said they would handle it, make it all stop. Now they’re just arguing. They won’t listen to me… Please make them quiet.”

Tongbi nodded once, and reached his hand out again, gently pressing two fingertips to Shíhòu’s forehead, right over the scar of the tightening band, and pushed less than a drop of his own chi through the ginger monkey’s mind, silencing all but Shíhòu’s singular voice within his own mind.

“You may have your turns when you have calmed down.” Tongbi said.

Above them, Fury closed his eyes and when the voices tried to push against Tongbi’s power, ready to argue that they ought to go first, he growled with warning, keeping himself and the other voices restrained from speaking for the moment as some of the tension finally faded from Shíhòu’s face and his shoulders slumped down just a fraction.

“Thank you.” He breathed.

“Now, I ask you again, Lingming Shíhòu; will you listen with an open mind?” Tongbi repeated his question from before.

Shíhòu gave a weak nod. “I will.”

“Thank you.” Tongbi said, gently squeezing Shíhòu’s hands in his. “First, the matter of suffering you have endured. I understand, due to our time away, that you have suffered many lifetimes of wrongs, not only because of people in the Jade Court, but throughout all Three Realms. Had we the power, we would have come back, even if it led to ruination. Believe me, my little Shíhòu, had we known the true depths of what was going on, there would have never been so many cycles.” 

“I understand that, Tongbi but… it doesn’t change anything…” Shíhòu said, shaking his head.

“You’re right.” Tongbi nodded. “But you know now that the False Cycle was a flawed reset and thus all that was good and joyful, was doubly so in your heart. For you, precious cub of the Earth itself, feel as deeply as the soil and as openly as the vast continents. And just as you feel intense joys and happinesses, you also feel intense pains, wrongs and betrayals.” 

Factual statements, laid out calmly and honestly, without fanfare or grand explanation. Truths that Shíhòu himself had admitted and confirmed before.

“Have I spoken wrong?”

“No.” Shíhòu said through chattering teeth, shaking his head as Fury’s tail curled just a little tighter around him, trying to give him more warmth. “You speak truth and wisdom.”

“Then, I ask you, in all these years, what is it that truly pushes you to think there is no reason to stay?” He asked. “You have seen, even before he knew you were his brother, how much dear baby Xiaotain loves and admires you, how he clings to you, not just for lessons in his power, but simply to enjoy your company. Ao Lie, dear child of the dragons who suffered pains came to you for aid and still, before that, he was genuine in his enjoyment of your company and time, because you treated him as an equal. And Chi Yue, blessed little maiden, she loves you as she loves her twin, she has rallied many to your case and pushed and fought on your behalf against the Courts of Heaven for you.”

Shíhòu blinked, confusion written across his face. “She has?”

“She has, and others.” Tongbi nodded, pulling the smallest thread of power from this space and before them a ripple appeared, bringing faint translucent images into view as if someone had recorded the events and were now replaying them.

The Jade Court, a meeting of old officials, ministers and generals, overseen by the Jade Emperor and the three elder Dragon Kings. Ao Bing is arguing, trying to put a point into detail but the men are making it difficult. Standing beside Ao Bing, Chi Yue is leaning on a cane to remain upright, thick winter furs over her shoulders. There is a fire in her eyes that brings the smallest smile to Shíhòu’s scared lips.

“When was this?” He asked.

“Shortly after the end of your Journey West. It was an auspicious event and thus, foreseen by me.” Tongbi explained and let the memory play. 

He watched Shíhòu’s face slowly shift as he listened to Chi Yue defend him to the Heavens, using his mistreatment at their hands as a gateway to force Heaven to openly admit its mistakes and wrongs. Tearing down lies and slanders against him with a fire that left many of the old guard of Heaven badly burned. Nezha, arguing with his father on Wukong’s behalf, even under the threat of the Pagoda as punishment, dragging evidence to the court about the lies and plots of others against him just to prove his innocence. Erlang Shen, quietly pushing sheets of paper with noted times and dates in front of His Uncle, quietly making it difficult for others who intended to make trouble for him while also making sure no one knew it was him doing it.

Slowly, the look of shock shifted into one of fondness and gratitude. By the time the memory faded away, Shíhòu’s tears were no longer strictly self loathing in nature.

“She never told me.” Shíhòu said, his tears were slower now but still falling. “Nezha and Erlang never spoke of this to me.”

“Like you, Chi Yue wishes not to burden others with her struggles, but where you have closed yourself off so tightly it seems impossible to reach you, she has allowed others to carry her for a while, and let them help when she struggles.” Tongbi said. “Is that why you suddenly have come to see her as untrustworthy and unable to keep her word?”

“You knew?” Shíhòu asked, genuinely surprised by that revelation. “About the compromise she promised?”

“She spoke with me before she found you at the Ball.” Tongbi nodded. “She asked me if she did offer you such an opportunity, would I help her draw up a seal spell with enough power to maintain the effect of the tea inside you, to keep you asleep long enough to let stone take you as you wished. It seems for all her power, she thought her deep slumber tonic was not enough to grant you truly restful slumber, and thus, wanted an extra layer of power to help you achieve what you wanted.”

Shíhòu bowed his head in shame, and Tongbi ignored the way the other selves of his son began to press against the barrier again, not to argue or yell, just there, wanting to speak but knowing they had no right to it at that moment. “They doubted her.”

“As did you, my cub.” Tongbi remarked, not a complete reprimand, but still scolding in its own way as he reached up and coaxed Shíhòu’s head back up. “Or you would have argued louder.”

Shíhòu said nothing more on that matter, but didn’t let his head fall again when Tongbi released him.

“You are loved, my son. Loved beyond reason because you have given so much of yourself for others. And while yes, some have hurt you, turning your gentle nature into a weapon to hurt not only you but your troop and mate, and to trick you cruelly into acting on their behalf, there are a select few who have never done wrong, nor betrayed you. Chi Yue is one of those precious few, Shíhòu, and when she is made aware of this matter-”

“She’ll cry.” Shíhòu acknowledged, sniffling. “And then she’ll come yell at me, and cry more. Then she’ll make me pick weeds from her garden while reciting tea recipes as punishment for making her cry.”

“And she will still love you.” Tongbi said. “As she loves Mihou, Xiaotain, and others.”

Shíhòu nodded.

“Is she not a tether to stay awake?” Tongbi asked and allowed the barrier to fall away now that the other selves were no longer in the state of mind to argue.

His son shook his head. “She survived well enough before she met me, and even after meeting me she has lived well and long without any help from me beyond the house I gifted her. She has never really needed me or Macaque and Demon Bull King to survive.”

“Yet she stays, even if at a distance.” Tongbi said, “And she is not the only one. Erlang Shen, Nephew of the Late Emperor, has helped protect your troop from heaven’s gaze, and Nezha, for all that you both tease each other, respects you and will defy his own father for you if the need ever comes.”

“Erlang is trying to make amends with Chi Yue for what he did to her. By helping me, he appeases her anger.” Sun Wukong explained, though there was a note of stubborn dislike in those words. “And Nezha will do anything to anger his father in spite. As he should, given how much of an ass Li Jing is.”

“And yet, both the Little Lotus Prince and the Illustrious Sage have argued for you just as fiercely as Chi Yue.” Tongbi reminded, gently poking his nose with his claw tip in reprimand for the insult. “Mind your language.”

“I left instructions for Nezha to be given full permission to visit and stay on the Mountain to escape Heaven and his Father if he ever needed to, and permission for Erlang Shen to visit to gather medicinal herbs if the stores of Heaven fail.” Shíhòu said.

“And you believe that was enough to sate the debts between you while you slept until some unknown calamity woke you again?” Tongbi asked.

The Handsome Monkey King nodded. “All the years I lived, all the lives I ruined with my mistakes, I repaid what I could with tasks and gold, as is law of Demon kind. What I promised in youth to others I left in ink with Old Beng to give when the appointed times came. I have nothing unsettled and thus, I have no reason to stay awake and continue to watch the world move on when I can find peace in sleep. No one would have missed me.”

“Mihou.” Tongbi said.

Sun Wukong shook his head. “No he wouldn’t. Macaque has no love for me left, only regret he misunderstood a matter between us and bitterness he wasted half a lifetime on this fool.”

Tongbi gave his nose another, firmer jab. “Do not speak lowly of yourself, my son.”

“I am not wrong. What else does one call a person who ruined themselves and others for useless things? What else is a person for choosing action over thought? I have made too many messes and unforgivable mistakes to be anything but a fool.” Sun Wukong said, rubbing his irritated face harshly. “Mi- The Six-Eared Macaque has never truly held me in his heart, so I will not hold him in mine any longer. We are two halves of one whole, and brothers. Nothing more.”

“Were you not my little stone cub, I might believe the lies you just spewed with such a brave tone.” Tongbi said, taking hold of his face with both hands and wiping the bloody tears away with his thumbs. “Do you know why Mihou feared giving you his whole heart?”

“Because he heard something and clung to it as a confirmed truth.” The ginger monkey said, half a guess, half a considered answer as he leant into Tongbi’s cool palms, the itch of the tear stains soothed by the touch.

“Then you know his actions were not truly solely his own, but those of his other selves,” Tongbi said, like a teacher to a student. “Do you also understand your inner turmoil and grief is not solely your own, but the combination of your other selves?”

“I do. But the situation is different.” Shíhòu said, taking the chance to rub his face again and recite what he knew as facts about the matter. “The Six-Eared Macaque hears Past and Future, but is only Near-Omnipotent and thus, can only guess the accurate future on whispers and estimations. I have no such gift as him, nor do I fully understand Yin and Yang as Wu Zhiqi has long since mastered. I also can not speak of understanding the inauspicious and auspicious events as you do. My gift, my curse is Intelligence and with it, the vast wealth and burden of knowing and learning many things, and retaining them only because I am able to incarnate myself into constitutions, each one unique but still me and able to better categorise the intelligence I hold into situations where they are needed. We interchange easily and so, no one knows when one slips in and another slips out.” 

Something is unsaid there, but Tongbi doesn’t push for it, knowing another chance would come later as long as the situation was kept calm and the triggers were neutralised. “And?”

“And, where Mihou can silence his otherselves, I can only rotate between each self, maintaining my sanity through the combined intelligence and capacity of each self, but also having to fight with each self when heart, mind and soul are not united.” Shíhòu finished. “The more selves I have, the harder it becomes to be unified without conjoining some to others or granting them assigned clones like MK has with Mink, Porty, Artsy and Del.”

“How many constitutions do you have now?” Tongbi asked, noting the uncorrected slips.

“Five, six if Fury is counted apart from the Sun of Death.” Shíhòu said. “People confuse them for different beings because they have only ever seen Fury as a mass of colour and robes, never the true Primordial glory he could be.”

“Strike one.” Tongbi scolded, firm, sharp and pointed, making Shíhòu flinched. “Do not lie to me again.”

“Six.” Sun Wukong corrected after a moment. “There are six of us.”

“Name all of them.”

“First is Lingming Shíhòu, the cub who grew under Old Feng’s care and who slayed the Tiger Demons who killed his troop. Second is The Handsome Monkey King, the King who ruled Flower and Fruit Mountain and established a home and kingdom before he was found by Master Subodhi. Third is Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, he who learnt the lessons of the Sages and who endured the tricks and falsenesses of Heaven, who has the most distrust towards them. Fourth is the Victorious Fighting Buddha, who understands and accepts the Enlightenment, but has no trust or desire to be part of their deception and false grandeur. Fifth is The Sun of Death, Fury.” Shíhòu explained and above them, Fury gave a low purr, acknowledged and content. “They are indifferent to the matters of the Three Realms, only arguing when they must… they don’t like the idea of sleeping but they accept it is my choice…”

“And the sixth?” Tongbi asked.

“He is… different. Older. He will not tell me his name, nor let me assign him one.” Shíhòu admitted, reluctant and fearful. “He is angry, hateful… Different and yet…” He shuddered, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. “He isn’t happy that you and Wu Zhiqi are back, and he doesn’t want to sleep…”

Tongbi didn’t need to hear anymore to guess who this self was. He knew, in his heart, who it was and why they were different from the others, and that this self, who refused to give his name but still emitted such a presence that all others were uneasy about him only further solidified that knowledge. Tongbi acknowledged him, but would not name him until he made it necessary.

“And the rest of you?” Tongbi asked. “Wholly and truly in this matter of sleep, are Lingming Shíhòu, Sun Wukong, The Victorious Fighting Buddha, The Handsome Monkey King, and the sixth, all united in mind, body and soul?”

“No.”

It was snapped before his own hand slammed harshly over his own mouth as he pushed himself away from Tongbi suddenly.

Above them, Fury growled deeply, his second and third faces twisting into pained grimaces and scowls as if forced into such expressions before Fury violently shook his head. 

“Mind yourself.” Tongbi instructed firmly, eyes suddenly sharp and voice firm, a parent scolding a particularly rude child. “There is no reason to be harsh towards them.”

“Mph-mrph! Mph!” Shíhòu tried to speak through his hand, wincing as his claws dug into his own chin, before his other hand reached up and tore his hand from his own mouth. “They will not let me speak without being forceful. Not that you care-”

“Do not accuse me of your assumptions.” Tongbi commanded, his tone sharp as ice. “Lingming Shíhòu asked that you be silenced so that he may have peace in our conversation. You have no right to be angry with him for that choice when you argue to the point of drowning him out. Nor do you have the right to snarl at me when I ask you a question from parent to child.”

“You dare to claim us as yours? When you have been absent so lo-mph!” Both Shíhòu’s hands slammed over his mouth this time and above them, Fury growled deeply.

Tongbi didn’t react with the anger clear behind his eyes, instead he spoke calmly. “Tell me, have I rendered you and the others mute? Deaf? Have I stripped all of you of your abilities to speak up and push into the fore of the mind? Have I rendered you into little more than specters? Returned you to nought but voices in the mind?”

The answer was a trembling shake of the head, though clearly words and actions were being battled over from within.

“Are you uncomfortable with me calling you my son?” Tongbi asked and this time the hands didn’t quite muffle the curse that was aimed for his ears. “Remove your hands from your mouth. If you angry self wishes to speak their grievances themself, then let him.” Shíhòu shook his head violently, closing his eyes and new tears spilled. “Shíhòu-”

“He won’t let me speak again if I let him out now! He’ll make you mad and that’ll just make everything worse! I don’t want that! I don’t want any of this! I-We just want to sleep! To be left alone and pretend it will be enough! No more pain, no more stupid trials and tricks from Heaven, no more ruining everything we touch, just sleep and stone!” Shíhòu sobbed within the mindscape, his aura flaring out in defence against an attack. “That’s all we-argh!!!” 

“You want sleep and stone because you’re all too afraid to let me out! Too ashamed to admit you want to ruin every single one of them for what they’ve done to us!” The accusation tore from Shíhòu’s throat as blood painted the air and spilled from the now ruined palm of Shíhòu’s harshly bitten palm. The golden aura around him beginning to flicker with streaks of crimson and black bleeding into it. 

Tongbi saw the moment Shíhòu was pulled back into the mind, shielded by the constitution of the Victorious Fighting Buddha as the constitutions of The Handsome Monkey King and Sun Wukong, who snarled and hissed at the other self, blocking his attempts to harm their origin while taking the brunt of the assault themselves.

It was a battle for control over the body just as much as it was a battle of survival amongst the constitutions. A fight that would have no clear winner so long as the origin was weakened and the body they fought over was frail and barely strong enough to handle the sheer effort to live.

A surge of anger, and the others were forced deeper into themself, leaving the angry self in full control. “They lied to us! They tricked us into servitude and then tried to have us killed! They trapped us for a crime we didn’t commit and then sent us on a useless journey to try and tame us! They knew it was worthless! They knew the outcome of that day and did nothing to stop it! Nothing to help us! They all deserve to die and since you won’t dare, I will! I’ll remind them all why they should have left us alone!!”

Tongbi was silent, unable to stop the memory of this same scene years ago, but instead of his son, it was his mate who wept and fought so violently with his other self.

“They ruined us! Tricked us into becoming this- this wretched, wicked thing who knows only death and ruin and corruption! They wanted a monster and now they know they can’t control it, they send forces to slaughter it like a savage beast! FINE! LET THEM COME. LET THEM LEARN JUST HOW SAVAGE CHIKAO MAHOU CAN BE!!”

“You think you can do what even your own Life Giver couldn’t?” Tongbi asked, his tone even and his words colder than the deepest winter snow. There was a warning in those words, a promise of something painful, something long buried slowly stretching itself, preparing to strike if the fool provoking it didn’t consider their next choice carefully.

“Chikao Mahou was a fool who let love blind him.” Shíhòu snarled.

In the next instance Tongbi was no longer there and after a moment, Shíhòu’s body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut into Fury’s palms, shaking violently, bloody tears raining down from vacant eyes, breathless and utterly petrified.

Around them, the clouds grew dark, and thick, rounded curled edges growing sharp and jagged as the wind grew chilled and bitter, to the point Fury clutched his vessel to his chest and curled into Strife’s embrace as he pulled them closer to War and his siblings, seeking comfort and further protection for his vessel from what was to come.

The sudden sense of pain in his chest woke MK with a sudden jolt. “Ah!?”

“MK?” Mei asked from the bed, one hand already reaching ready to grab her sword from the enchanted sheath at her side while keeping Bai He tucked at her side. Flames flickered up from Red Son’s hair as he looked around, ready to lunge at whatever threat had dared try its luck.

Thunder gave a low growl, looking out the window towards the paling horizon while Savage and Rumble whined, clinging to MK and hiding their faces in his chest.

“I’m good. Just, give me a minute.” He assured, taking a moment to recenter and focus himself and then reach into the Mindscape. What happened just now? My chest felt tight suddenly.

Tongbi just cut himself and Wukong off from the shared Mindscape entirely. Macaque explained, sounding calm but still worried. Wu Zhiqi put up a barrier to stop the backlash reaching us, but the link we share with our Primordial selves is strong enough to be sensed even through it. The tightness is instinct telling you something happened.

It is a warning of danger. Wu Zhiqi said, his voice firm and commanding. You must not linger here baby brother. This matter is delicate and for the protection of yourself and your family, you must not come back into the shared mindscape until we say it is safe again. Mihou, leave the cubs and come back here. Now.

What’s happening? MK asked again.

A fragment of Shíhòu’s mind is succumbing to Madness. I will explain more when you return to the Mountain. Wu Zhiqi stated and MK felt himself shudder as Macaque cursed loudly. For now, please, go out and seal yourself off from this place.

Okay. MK agreed before slipping back out of the Mindscape, letting Mink, Porty, Artsy and Del block the way and cut the link off, leaving him suddenly very aware of how normal sharing the Mindscape had become to him.

Then he felt Macaque and Wu Zhiqi sever their links to him, closing him off entirely and even though he knew it was for his safety, he still winced.

“MK?” Red Son asked in worry as MK hugged himself tightly.

“The Mindscape isn’t safe right now.” MK explained. “I’m shut out of it until further notice. They cut me off just to be sure.”

“Oh.” Mei said, recalling how Old Beng had explained the Mindscape to them and how unnatural it was to be cut out of it or made to leave it. “Do you need anything?”

“Not to think about it. And I don't think I’ll be able to sleep again.” MK admitted and Mei smiled, pulling herself off the bed and feeling around under it for something while Red Son pulled the extra blanket from the wardrobe, draping it around MK and the cubs.

Bai He stirred, slowly sitting up and rubbing her eyes, taking in the actions of her adopted elder siblings and crawled out of the bed and over to MK, climbing into his lap and hugging him tightly. “It’ll all be okay.” She said, voice heavy with sleep but steady and firm. “As long as we believe, it’ll all work out.” 

MK gave a weak smile, and nodded, hugging Bai He in return as Mei pulled out a large box filled with colourful cards and tokens. “I suggest predawn card and board games to help ignore things we don’t want to think about.”

“Seconded.” Red Son said, standing and moving to the fridge of the room to fetch a juice box for Bai He, while refilling the glasses he, Mei and MK had rinsed and set aside before settling to sleep.

Macaque all but flung himself into the shadows after severing the link with MK, letting the void itself carry him with such speed and force that he broke the door to the room, hinges and frame all, as he slammed into it, letting shadows slip out of him with the intent to restrain and if necessary, ready to kill.

He found no threat, only the realization that Tongbi was deep in meditation, his hold on Wukong, once a tender thing, was now loose, Wu Zhiqi stood guard over them, while Wukong lay still and deathly pale, breathing shallow and faint.

“Is he-”

“He is very weak.” Wu Zhiqi explained, letting Macaque climb unto the nest behind him and check for himself with shaking hands. Wukong’s pulse was faint and irregular, even after months of treatment and care, seeing him like this was a horrid reminder of just how close to death Wukong had allowed himself to stay, waiting for the moment he could slip into a slumber so deep it could be compared to death. “Tongbi took his succumbing self deep into his own mindscape.”

“How is this possible?” The black furred monkey asked, forgetting himself for a moment as a snarl laced through his words. “He shouldn’t be… Madness can not take the minds of those who are ascended, he is, and Enlightened and blessed by the Heavens, he shouldn’t be-”

“A lie to sooth the minds of Heaven’s still brash and foolish youth of our time.” Wu Zhiqi admitted grimly. “Tongbi’s part in my rebirth was heavily guarded, leading to many falsehoods about Madness and its prerequisites. But regardless of that, given how powerful this part of Shíhòu is when compared to others, he has likely been under its grasp for many years, or more accurately, for multiple cycles.”

“But, but how?” Macaque questioned searching his memories for the tells he knew, unable to see even the slightest hints of them in any actions Wukong had taken. “He hasn’t-”

He stopped talking, the words dying in his throat as he noticed a fresh bleeding wound on Wukong’s forehead, the size of Tongbi’s index and middle finger.

“I can only suspect that, like me, he formed this self to contain the anger and hatred he felt within his heart, believing his will power alone enough to suppress it. And like me, that youthful arrogance has risen to bite back.” Wu Zhiqi explained. “If Tongbi can’t reach a point of compromise with him, he is going to do to him what he was forced to do back then.”

“But that could-”

“We have no choice, Mihou.” Wu Zhiqi admitted lowering his head just enough to look at Macaque. “If this is not stopped now by Tongbi’s hand, it will consume Shíhòu entirely as it did me and you, and if that happens there will be no sparing him a death at our hands, or worse, Xiaotain’s.”

Macaque felt his body stiffen, knowing how that would end, how deeply that loss would cut, how horrid that would be for not only them but MK as well.

“Will he survive?” He asked, gritting his teeth as he forced away the thought that it was hopeless. “What Tongbi has to do… will Shíhòu survive?”

“That choice is entirely up to him, Mihou.” Wu Zhiqi said, returning his gaze to the horizon, waiting and ready for a reason to attack or relax.

He said nothing of the tears that spilled from Mihou’s face, nor of the way he gathered Shíhòu’s frail body to his chest and held him tightly, whispering apologies and pleas in hope that he could still, even at this late hour, somehow convince Shíhòu to stay.

He had hoped he would not return so soon to this dark, bitter corner of his mind. But for his son, he would allow that part of himself this one final moment of merciless indulgence.

Tongbi’s feet touched the ruined and cracked ground a few feet from where his offender’s form was laid in a heap of limps, clutching their stomach, struggling to breath as they coughed out blood. Snow chilled winds were already rushing to reblanket the rough and broken stone around them as deeply as it had been before.

They were a near perfect mirror of Shíhòu, the same ruined and scared body, the same bloody red eyes with twin golden pupils, the same voice, even the same scent of tropical forests and damp earth, with a hint of sweet ripe peaches, but the fur? That was not the familiar bright, vibrant golden-orange that was entirely Shíhòu’s own, this form was covered in a deep burgundy fur, closer to the shade that had once been distinctly unique to another monkey.

“Speak ill of your sire, my mate again, and I will not be so restrained in my reprimand of your insults.” Tongbi declared, still cold and still restrained, no longer parental.

“I am not wrong!” The separated self of Shíhòu snarled in furious indignation, clawing the ground with broken claws before forcing himself to stand. “He let himself be caged and weakened for you! He let Heaven shackle him because they knew they’d never tame him without the deal just like they ruined us! All their talk of being better, of forgiveness and letting go is lies! A cruel joke they play over and over and over again on everyone just to see how far they can break us! I’m owed more than just a pathetic apology and formal acknowledgment of their wrongs! I am owed more than they can ever repay for what they’ve done to me!!”

“And you believe yourself worthy enough to take what you are owed by force?” Tongbi asked.

“I know I do.” The auburn copy of Shíhòu asserted, a familiar arrogance and near feral aura, stolen dregs of Shíhòu’s golden energy held tight by unresolved anger and sheer refusal to let go. “I refuse to be ignored and denied what I am owed any longer!”

“Then prove it.” Tongbi invited, dragging one foot back and lifted his hands with natural ease.

The auburn clone charged.

Each strike sent cuts of air ripping across the snow, cutting through it and then down into the already brittle and fragmented stone beneath, shaking the already cracked and ruined ground into shards, then dust. Every snarl and howl forced the heavy snow to scatter and disperse, the flakes themselves shattering as immovable stone met unyielding wind.

“They started all of this! They dragged me up there for no reason but to gawk and jeer at me! A beast tamed and made a fool of for their pleasure! They plotted against me!” He snarled, claws inches from Tongbi’s eye, restrained only by the long arms of the elder monkey. “Lied and schemed to have me executed for their own selfish need to be superior and greater than all others! They robbed me of any choice!”

Tongbi hissed and twisted ever so slightly, then with a burst of icy wind, threw the clone upwards, moving with lightning speed and swiftness unmatched in the three realms to arrive behind the clone and deliver a bone breaking kick to the side, feeling four ribs crack.

“They knew, everyone one of them knew what Azure Lion was willing to do to see the old bastard dead for his negligence of the Three Realms and they did nothing! They let him act, just because he is the son of the Azure Tiger and now they permit his rebirth as if he is some grand hero!” The clone continued unprompted, spilling the reasoning and logic sharpened and honed over the lifetimes it had endured while trying over and over to land a strike on Tongbi’s form all while Tongbi stepped backwards as if retreating. The clone was skilled and struck with confidence befitting someone who had become accustomed to the underhanded and merciless ways of conflict, honour was not a part of this, only survival and brutal domination. “What of the blood on his hands!? The lives he destroyed and ruined! The ruination he caused me!?”

“He was not the sole course of your ruin.” Tongbi started coldly, back handing the clone’s incoming strike with graceful ease and sending the auburn one crashing backwards into the stone and snow. “He is but one of many who were trapped and forced into a repeating cycle of torment and abuse because of her.”

“And yet he is given honours! Praised and rewarded for building a utopia despite the thousands of lives stolen and buried in the sands to sustain his delusions! He does not deserve the second chance being offered to him! None of them deserve any of the graces and honours they have!” The clone snarled lunging at Tongbi again. “They’ve known for millenia that I was never to blame for anything and still, still they come, over and over and over again to ruin my life!”

“And you believe being left alone would have solved anything?” Tongbi asked, catching the swipe in one hand and flinging the auburn monkey over his shoulder with precise grace, letting gravity and momentum force him to land heavily on his already bleeding back, leaving him momentarily stunned and breathless. 

It was a battle to prove worth and a battle to gain control over a life long coveted, but the longer the fight went on, the weaker the clone’s strikes had become. He was a clone after all, able to survive only on chi and stolen aura. Now, without a solid connection to the mindscape of his origin and the frail condition of his origin’s body, he could only take so much before his copied body failed and he was forced to stop.

“You were predestined to ascend into the Heavenly ranks and beyond the moment your egg hatched ‘neath the eyes of the Heavens. You are the second son of Wu Zhiqi and myself, the heir to powers even the Highest Heavenly beings bow to, you would have had to have faced their ire and displeasure one way or another, no matter the path you walked.”

“And yet every time, they determined my worth, my path and my trials! They decided they had the right to command and shape me into something they could use and discard when they no longer needed me! They took everything from me!!”

“They took nothing from you.” Tongbi corrected. “The rift between you and the Demon Bull King is a natural consequence of ageing and maturing, your distance from Mihou is-”

“They ruined me!” The auburn clone snarled, claws cutting through the fabric of Tongbi’s sleeve. “They tossed me into that wretched pot to try and cook the immortalities out of me! They burnt me to bones and aura, they sought to rend me down to dust and ash! And when that failed they cheated me!”

“Tathagata does not cheat.” Tongbi said, striking the clone’s face harshly. “Are you so arrogant that you forget what the Little Buddha taught you in this lifetime?”

The auburn clone stepped back, anger shifting to sudden confusion. “How do you-”

“Unfilial child!” Tongbi abolished sharply and the clone stopped, suddenly and genuinely stunned. “Do you think I don’t know you like I know my Liu’er Mihou? That I am blind to you just because you have hidden yourself away until now?”

“You-” The clone staggered back with a hint of something behind his eyes before he growled, lunging at Tongbi again. “Shut up!”

“No.” Tongbi said calmly, stepping easily around the new wave of strikes from the clone, no longer retreating, but not yet attacking. “You are made of anger, resentment and unresolved things, just as your sire and brother before you. You are no less careless or foolish then they were at their peak. Though I admit, they were wise enough to know when to accept defeat.”

“I am owed an unpayable debt by the world! I deserve-”

“Nothing.” Tongbi denied firmly, catching the clone’s tail and heaved him around and around several times before releasing the limb and letting the clone crash through two peaks and one small hill before coming to a stop in a bloody mess of limbs and debris. “You are owned exactly nothing, because you, Chikao Lingming, son of Chikao Mahou, are nothing but a constitution given life by Lingming Shíhòu, son of Wu Zhiqi and Tongbi Yuanhou, brother of Liu’er Mihou and Qi Xiaotain. And he, for all his grief, all his desire to sleep, will not allow you to become the monster they designed you to be.”

“Because he is a fool, too weak to do what should be done. Too soft to take what rightfully belongs to us.” The clone, Chikao Lingming spat around a mouthful of blood, left arm hanging limp at the elbow, right hand missing two fingers and back snapping in a sickening way as he forced himself to stand again. “Not that it matters. Even if he and the others chose to sleep, it will not rid them of me.”

“You think so?” Tongbi asked, tone calm, despite the faintest smile that played on his lips. The snow and winds masked the shift of his clothes as he reached up, pulling a single strand of fur from his neck, letting it slip from his finger tips into the wind.

“When the world wakes us again, which it will. For all that Heaven loves to proclaim itself the highest and mightiest power and authority, they are nothing but pretty fodder.” Chikao Lingming chuckled mirthlessly, unaware of the danger he was in. “They need me, and when they wake me, demanding help because they failed yet again, I will rip control of our body from him and the others, and finally have the power to take what I am owed!”

“You will not.” Was breathed softly against the shell of Chikao Lingming’s ear, before the clone could react, merciless hands grabbed his ruined back and flung him backwards, slamming him harshly into the ground again.

Chikao Lingming gagged, coughing up blood as he swiped at the air around him blindly, only to scream as claws laced through his fingers and pierced through his knuckles, forcing him to look up and meet the eyes of his attacker.

Eyes that had once been white were now entirely black pools with twin pits of jade green, that shone unnaturally bright. A third eye opened wide and unblinking, glaring at him. Fur that should be short and fine now long and thick, but not so much that it hid the swell of his attacker’s chest. No longer silver but faded gold, with streaks of bright bloody red, the colour of scars. And most frightening of all, the pitch black, deep festering bite mark along the right side of the neck, flesh and muscle ripped away with force to expose the collar and upper spine.

A death scar. One that did not heal because the one who bore it was a clone, a clone tainted by the same Madness that had borne him and Chikao Mahou.

“Your son’s plot of ruin upon Heaven and all who wronged him threatens our deal, Chikao Yuanhou.” Tongbi explained, the name of his clone forcing blooms of fear and uncertainty to blossom throughout Chikao Lingming’s body. “Correct him as you see fit.”

“You’re… When…?”

“I will not allow you to ruin this family, my son,” Chikao Yuanhou snarled, showing a mouthful of bloody teeth. “Not when I have died to keep it once already.”

The temperature of the room dropped sharply and Wukong gave a weak, broken chitter. A plea for warmth, for comfort and not to be left alone again.

Macaque flinched, clenching his teeth so tightly his gums bled, ignoring his own tears and trembling, focused solely upon keeping Wukong’s defenceless and frail body shielded and protected from whatever harm he could. He grabbed the nearest blanket and threw it over both himself and Wukong’s still deadly frail form, shielding them both from the sudden chill, cooing and hooting in response to Wukong’s plea, a promise to stay, to never leave again.

Wu Zhiqi closed his eyes before he laid beside his mate and sons, covering them with the long fur of his arms as he tucked them all tight against his chest, protecting them as he promised he always would.

Chikao Lingming choked on blood as he struggled beneath the bigger monkey’s assault.

Chikao Yuanhou was nothing like any opponent before, where other moved with predictable steps and followed patterns, she was like wind itself, deftly swift and unpredictable, making it impossible to draw on the collected knowledge and intelligence to combat and counter the onslaught of strikes and attacks that were utterly decimating his already ruined and broken body. She had managed to pin him down within only a handful of minutes, and now she was above him, heavy weight keeping him pinned even as he struggled, ruined fingers and broken claws tangling and caught in her long thick fur.

“You’ll kill us!” He accused before a slap connected with his face and jolted his upper spine with such force his throat momentarily clenched, leaving him struggling to breath and heaving horridly. “My Origin is weak! He will-”

“You have been cut off from the precious little stone. The others have cut themselves off from us and him. You alone will be killed here if you continue to defy your mother.” She snarled each statement, punctuating them with strikes that left him dazed and horridly unprepared for the next. “Submit and you may yet live as your youngest brother does. Continue this plot to ruin and blood shed, and I will send you to Chikao Mahou and your elder brother myself.”

Chikao Lingming hissed, daring to try and bite the hand holding his face, only to scream out as icy winds tore through and about his teeth, setting the nerve ablaze.

“That is your second strike. I shall not spare you again.” Chikao Yuanhou warned, a deadly tone cutting the air. “Submit.”

“You!” Chikao Lingming barked out, trying to struggle free, but the fire that had kept him going this long was dying, having burnt so brightly without sustainable fuel, the flames were now dying embers. “I won’t! I won’t! I won’t!”

“My son-”

“I DON’T NEED A MOTHER!” Chikao Lingming yelled, bloody tears of frustration and something else slipping free. “Neither of you were here for us! All your talk of loving us, wanting us to be family yet not once did you actually try to come back and help us when they abused us! You could have come back lifetimes ago. Stopped all of it from being constantly repeated and you didn’t! You don’t love us! You don’t care about us! You’re liars! Just like everyone else!”

“And this gives you the right to destroy everything? To become no better than the sovereign beasts that rule beyond our home? Has my son become stupid in his anger or are you deliberately being ignorant?” Chikao Yuanhou asked, keeping her weight on him, but not striking him.

“What else is there!? No one alive could stop me! And no one can deny I am owed an impossible debt! They did this to me knowing it would ruin everything for me! They deserve to be obliterated from the history books!” Chikao Lingming snarled, though his words were straining, no longer solely fueled by rage and discontent, but sorrow and bitter loathing. “They caused all of this! None of this would have happened if not for them! I wouldn’t be stuck with a duty I didn’t want! I wouldn’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt! I wouldn’t be like THIS!!”

“You cannot blame the Heavens for all your burdens, my son.” She said sternly, shifting her weight just enough to no longer be crushing, but still not letting him up. “They are an instigator to much of it, but not all your grievances are their doing.”

“They started it! Every time things reset, they could have left me alone! Left us alone! I didn’t want anything to do with them! I never wanted Immortality or fame or the rest of their bullshit! I just wanted my troop happy, my mountain safe and my mate! They ruined all of that for me!”

“Then why didn’t you show yourself sooner?” 

Chikao Lingming twisted his head sharply towards Tongbi, who stood atop a broken spire a few feet away from them, both hands behind his back and face calm. 

“You were aware of the cycles, and yet, you did not speak up, even before the other parts of yourself formed. You could have whispered the truth to Shíhòu, even if only in warning, yet you stayed silent and allowed him to suffer repeatedly.” 

“I… I…”

“You can not blame others when you yourself are complacent.” 

“He wouldn’t have listened to me!” Chikao Lingming tried to defend his lack of action. “He wouldn’t-”

“How can you dare say he wouldn’t have listened when you didn’t even try?” Tongbi questioned. “You talk big, and you fight like a savage, but for all your bluster and display you’re not angry at the world. You’re angry at yourself.”

Chikao Lingming tried to argue, screaming insults into Chikao Yuanhou’s hand as she covered his mouth, until she squeezed just tight enough to make him stop and resolve to only glaring at the two of them through tear heavy eyes. “When you can speak without insults I will remove my hand.”

More muffled insults answered that statement.

“It is the truth, you are angry at your own lack of action, angry that you, despite knowing the outcome, did nothing to stop or prevent the pains and heartache Shíhòu suffered, because you are made not only of anger, resentment and unresolved things, but fear as well. Fear, self doubt and self-deprivation.” Tongbi went on, each word earning more muffled yells from the auburn clone, as there was little strength left to actually fight his way free from under the Mad clone of his. “You hate that you did nothing to stop it, and you fear that if you admit your failings, there will truly be nothing keeping others at your side. And so to hide it, you lash out, you argue and you fight to the point you will pin blame and anger upon everyone but yourself.”

That got a burst of struggling and furious snarls in response, but it was more akin to a kitten trying to struggle free from under the paw of a tiger. Tongbi steeled himself to focus on the ground beside the auburn clone as he said what had to be said, promising to repent for his coldness in full, whatever it might take.

He had to pull these harmful and wretched truths that his son had hidden within this auburn clone, he had to expose the truths of these twisted lies that kept his second son from truly healing, preventing him from truly opening his heart once again.

He had to reach the core of this clone’s form, the fragment of his son that gave him life and purpose, and convince that fragment it too was loved and wanted, before he was truly lost to the same vile Madness that had tainted Wu Zhiqi, Mihou and even him. It was possible, he knew it was possible now that he’d seen Mink, once at the very brink of Madness, now accepted and loved, tainted to the point of physical change and appearance from other clones, but free of the Madness entirely. All because he had let himself be vulnerable and honest with his Origin, with his fellow clones and in turn, they had accepted him across two lifetimes, without fear, without regret and wholly aware that while different from them, he was the strongest and only defence against threats Xiaotain still needed time to prepare for.

He could not be the one to do this for Mihou, not when Mihou needed the firm hand and ruthless truths only Wu Zhiqi had the stomach to speak aloud, without careful sweetness and tenderness to hide the sting of truth. Tongbi had never had the strength of his mate, but he did have the power to rip apart the false and twisted reasoning, and that, right now, was his only hope of reaching the true heart of this matter and properly confront and comfort this fragmented part of his son.

“You are afraid of admitting you are angry, admitting that you want to actively hurt those who have hurt you, that you have been actively hurting yourself because you know it will keep Mihou close with regret, he will denounce you and go back to actively avoiding you, that Xiaotain will come to fear you and avoid you. And worse of all in your mind,” He continued, finally looking at the auburn clone’s face, mentally slapping himself for being the course of both the tears and utter betrayal in those copied red gold eyes. “You fear being left alone by Wu Zhiqi and I again.”

Chikao Lingming released another string of curses and an attempt was made to lash out, but his hold on the stolen aura and chi from his Origin was all but gone now, leaving him with nought but the frail ashes, that were quickly shriveling away. Chikao Yuanhou removed her hand from his mouth when it became clear he was no longer insulting and cursing her Origin, but did not let him up.

“You weren’t here! You left us to their care and when they abused us you did NOTHING! You have so much power to your names and yet you allowed us to be tormented and tortured over and over again! You left us! And now you’re back, acting like you care, acting like we should be grateful you deemed us worthy to have your attention!” Chikao Lingming snarled through tears and lingering resentment, his struggling now so weak Chikao Yuanhou was actively keeping her weight off him to avoid crushing his already brittle bones. 

“My son-”

“No! You don’t get to call me that! You abandoned us and now you expect us to just forgive that and be greatful!? No! Origin and the others can enjoy the lie, but I won’t!” The auburn clone snarled, his voice torn and his body shivering, trying to forcibly rip the blockade that kept him from drawing power from his Origin to keep fighting, but even he knew there was no way to get through now he was so weak. “I won’t let fake concern and false affection make us weak again!”

“Unfilial-” Chikao Yuanhou began to accuse, only to be silenced as Tongbi himself sharply jabbed a claw against the festering death scar, dispelling her and letting the strand of fur that was hers return to his neck. 

Chikao Lingming braced for a strike, knowing it would send him back to the mindscape of his origin, where the others would suppress him again.

“You and Mihou are not our first cubs.” Tongbi said, his voice calm and tone factual, leaving Chikao Lingming lost for the moment.

When he tried to look up and retort, his voice died in his throat.

All around them, the translucent images of a time lost to the flames of the calamity played out in the snowfall, moments when the two of them sat together, cradling Tongbi’s lightly rounded belly, and then, Tongbi sobbing into his hands as Wu Zhiqi held him.

“We tried many methods, and eventually conceived a pair of twins. But they slipped away before we could hold them. I blamed myself, and when the Madness took hold of Wu Zhiqi, leading to the battle for dominance between him and Chikao Mahou, I learnt he had also blamed himself.”

The remembrance was a silent battle of brutal force, one that had far surpassed the fight Chikao Lingming had just endured, Tongbi using both his hands, the raw air currents and a sanjiegun to keep Chikao Mahou at bay, then the both of them falling into the waters that masked the truth of that battle’s end. Then, the two of them in a nest, cradling Thunder between them, and moments where they grew close again.

“We reconciled, and after recovering fully, we tried again, this time, it was he who conceived, but just as before, the child slipped away before birth. It was then that the calamity came, and the thought of leaving children to suffer that fate again postponed our dream. It was only when the Pillar of Heaven was discussed that we decided that we would shape our children from the elements of water and stone, just as we had been shaped by fire and air. That was when the liar tried to offer her assistance.”

The auburn clone flinched but didn’t stop himself growling at the mention of the late Goddess of Life. Her image did not appear in the snowfall, but the way both Wu Zhiqi and Tongbi’s remembrances moved away from someone was decisive and firm. Then the two of them, seated apart and focused as something small formed in their palms.

“We refused her,” Tongbi went on, “In the early days, even with all her power, we felt allowing someone else to carve our children was a mockery of our own abilities, and so we declined her offer and instead, we let the Primordial energies from whence we came flow through us once again as we shaped your eggs. In those early days, the risks of such a method gave us a ninety percent chance of failing.”

“Ninety… why would you risk it?” Chikao Lingming wheezed out, though it was choked and frail.

“Because we wanted children of our own.” Tongbi said, as if it was the most obvious answer to such a question, kneeling beside Chikao Lingming. “Children who were ours by blood, choice and of their own will. And so, we settled atop the two ancient mountains that had become part of the inner Pillar, and atop them, we forged your Primordial eggs. We would switch between mountains, sharing the task of cradling and feeding you our energies. We were there with you from your smallest flickers that threatened to die at a moment’s notice, to full, brightly burning cores that couldn’t be extinguished by anything or anyone. Only when we knew you would survive, did we agree to the plan of joining the boundary force being sent to fight off the lingering calamity. But in our haste to give you the safest and most stable home we never had, we grew complacent, and failed to properly vet our people.”

The wind began to pick up around them, to the point Chikao Lingming’s teeth were chattering. Tongbi reached out, and with the same hands that he brought pain just moments ago, gently pulled the auburn form into his chest, shielding him from the chill. He stiffened, expecting to be hurt again, but instead, the embrace was warm and distantly familiar.

“We knew that the boundary did not need both of us to survive, only to be properly established before we could share the duty of protecting it between us, one serving a few centuries to battle the calamity while the other raised and cared for the two of you. That had always been our plan.” The grey furred monkey explained, as the blizzard around them fell slowly silent and warmth slowly crept back over them, along with the sound of purring, and faint, muffled whispers from beyond the mindscape drifted in. “So on the day the boundary expedition began, we left caretakers, allies and all our love behind, in hopes that you would want for nothing and have every fortune and favour if you hatched before we could return, and set out to help establish the post that would become our first and last defence. Our intention was to help establish the boundary and then, I would come back and stay a few centuries, waiting for you both to hatch and caring for you both until Wu Zhiqi required rest and time to recover. Then I would go to the boundary and he would see to your care and rearing.”

“You… you both…” Chikao Lingming babbled, then shook his head violently, trying to cling to the anger that was fading away. “No… no this… this can’t… You… you don’t… you didn’t…”

There was a faint tug and Chikao Lingming knew he was no longer separated from the other constitutions of his Origin. They had returned to the deeper shared mindscape, in the palms of Fury, held in the joint embrace of Strife, Death, War and Order. He took a breath, ready for the pain that would send him under again, but the suppression he expected didn’t come. Instead, they embraced him, holding him as they often did Origin, silent, but protective and gentle.

He didn’t fight it, too tired to try and too raw to question it.

“You... Didn’t abandon us?” Shíhòu dared to ask, fresh tears spilling down his face.

“We never meant to leave you alone, my son. All these years, we’ve raged and tried to breach the pillar from the outside, trying to return to you both… so many millenia, I have cursed that worm for her cruelty, but more than that, I have cursed myself for not doing more to make sure you both knew how much we loved you, how much we wanted you, and how precious you are to us.” Tongbi said, letting the unshed tears in his own eyes finally fall as he cradled his son in his arms. “We failed you, and for that, I am so, so sorry, bǎobèi.”

“You… you won’t… leave?”

“Never again, my son.” Tongbi promised, feeling dampness spread along his chest as Shíhòu’s still trembling arms reach around and cling to him, desperate to believe just one last time that such a promise could be kept. “Never ever again.”

The chill of the room faded as Wukong went limp in Macaque’s arms, spreading panic and dread through the dark furred monkey’s body for all of a moment before the smallest pull came from a thread so frail and brittle Macaque feared it had already snapped by his own actions and words long ago.

It is weak, faint, actively trying to be ignored, but he felt it and had to force himself not to flood it with too much all at once, no matter how much his heart screamed at him to do so. Instead, he waited, feeling that delicate thread quiver before the smallest breath of familiar warmth of Wukong’s chi slipped along it, testing the stability while trying not to be noticed, fearing rejection. He let that warmth creep closer, until it almost reached his core. But it dared not make an attempt to connect with him fully. 

Unable to bear the thought of losing this chance to try and mend what was between them, he reached out, letting a bead of his own chi slip out and coil around Wukong’s, following it back to the source and brushed against it, not to force the connection, not to unite them again, just to make it clear he was there, he wanted to reconnect and he was willing to try and earn the right to this closeness again.

He felt Tongbi and Wu Zhiqi shift around them, but said nothing, only faintly hearing them speak as sleep crept over him.

“Wu Zhiqi… I…” Tongbi began, his voice weak and words trembling. “I…”

“You are tired.” Wu Zhiqi said softly, moving his hand to gently cradle Tongbi’s face as he held all three of them in his arms, protected and warm. “Sleep. We shall speak of what happened after you and our cubs have properly rested.”

“I hurt him…” Tongbi sobbed, a broken sound that Macaque hated hearing. “Our little pebble… I- I hurt him so much… I-”

“We have both hurt our sons, my love. And you will apologise for the pain you caused our pebble today, when you are both calm and rested. Just as I did when I spoke with our droplet.” Wu Zhiqi assured, and Macaque realised ‘pebble’ and ‘droplet’ were affectionate pet names for Wukong and him respectively. “Let it be put aside for the time being, and rest, my love. I am here and I have you and our cubs in my arms. As long as I am here, no harm will befall any of you.”

The sound of Tongbi’s soft affirmation was the last clear thing heard before Macaque felt the once laxed arms of the gibbon move and cradled both him and Wukong close, silent tears soaking the pillow above them while still trembling fingers gently carded through their fur, both to offer them comfort and to sooth the lingering unhappiness in Tongbi’s heart.

Tomorrow was not going to be easy. But for the moment, Macaque was willing to let himself ignore what was to come in favour of the very real possibility that Wukong wasn’t lost to him entirely.

It was early in the evening when MK flew back to the Mountain on his nimbus cloud, Thunder clinging to his back while Savage and Rumble clung to his chest, hidden under his jacket to keep them from getting a chill from the wind, until they passed the flaming mountains that enclosed the island, and the winds turned gentle and warm, coaxing the three to peak out and reach out, tracing the low clouds with their finger tips, cooing and hooting in wonder. 

He smiled, and slowed down, just enough to let them play and enjoy the clouds a little longer before he shifted his nimbus’ path and brought them down and into the heart of the Mountain, passing through the barrier easily and coming to a stop by one of the glassless windows, smiling as the cubs climbed down to the floor and walked on their own.

They reached Wu Zhiqi and Tongbi’s room, and found it open slightly, the scent of tears heavy from within, after a moment the cubs peeked into the room and Thunder gave a weak questioning hoot.

“It’s alright cubs.” Tongbi coaxed softly, his voice rough from crying. “You can come in.” The cubs cooed sadly and hurried in, scrambling up onto the bed.

MK followed after them, smiling a sad smile at the scene before him. Wu Zhiqi sat up at the edge of the nest, peeling tangerines and picking the pith from them before setting them into a bowl with other peeled and cut fruits. Tongbi was leant against his side, face tearstained and eyes red, but there was a smile on his face. Thunder had climbed up and settled herself in Tongbi’s lap, using her hands to wipe away the lingering tears while Rumble and Savage had crawled under Wu Zhiqi’s cloak and were now cooing at Macque and Wukong, who were both quiet, safe the soft sniffles and gentle hoots in response to the twins.

Clearly, the three of them were exhausted, but whole and for now, stable and for the first time in what MK guessed was a lifetime, cuddling. Tails tangled in a loose coil, Wukong tucked into Macaque’s chest, his arms around the black monkey’s back and tears silently falling, Macaque’s arms around Wukong’s back, one hand gently stroking the back of Wukong’s head.

“Come.” Wu Zhiqi bid softly, and MK smiled, climbing into the nest and settled with Tongbi and Wu Zhiqi, letting Tongbi groom him to calm himself while Wukong and Macaque rested.

“What now?” MK asked before the quiet calm could begin to make Wukong feel unsteady.

“In thirty days, if Shíhòu is recovered enough from the injuries he sustained today, I intend to take him somewhere and let him make a choice without pressure.”

“Where?” MK asked.

“A place once used to try and harm me, but instead became my place of rebirth.” Wu Zhiqi said, “Its name was stricken from the Realms, and the memory of it erased so cleanly, only Tathagata and myself remember the pathway to enter it.”

“Will you be gone long?” MK asked.

“It will be a few hours for you, but for us, it will be a celestial century.” Wu Zhiqi admitted. “You will forgive my clinging upon our return, won’t you?”

MK chuckled. “I might, if you let me paint a mural in the palace,” he offered.

Wu Zhiqi chuckled and tussled his fur enough to dislodge the head ribbon so it covered his eyes. “Cheeky, I would let you do that anyway. This palace is your home just as it is ours, I ask only that you not paint over any of the existing art, unless it is to restore them.” He said and MK smiled brightly. “I will acquire some rare celestial paints and brushes for you, as added compensation for this separation.”

“Thank you, big brother.” MK chirped, thoroughly pleased with himself, and accepted the offered slice of apricot from Tongbi, leaning into the loose hug from the grey monkey happy to let him continue grooming through his fur.

He would ask later about what had happened in the mindscape and the time since they came back. But for now, he was happy to be hugged and groomed, fed fruit and babied after being away. 

It would take further work and care, but now both Macaque and Wukong had allowed themselves to let go of the roots of their shared grief and pain, true healing could begin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*hands out tissue boxes and water bottles* no, there are no ninja's chopping onions, nor is someone venting tear gas into the room. Yes you are allowed to take extra tissue boxes and water bottles.

This one was hard, very, very hard and I want you all to know I struggled with this one.

Also the word 'Bǎobèi' ( 寶貝 ) can mean Baby, but can also mean Treasure and/or Treasured Object, both of which I think suit this story line.

Seated in a place high above the proceedings, the elderly members of the heavens who had requested to witness this event for the prosperity of it all were served a choice of wine or tea, fine meal and allowed to sit and watch in peace.

It was meant to be a place of peaceful consideration and quiet admiration of the young and upcoming heirs and nobility as they were announced and given the blessings of the Heavenly Rulers. And while today was a little different, with such a much bigger and much more powerful audience in attendance, the scene below was a familiar one to many of them.

And it seemed, despite the very real threat and promise of punishment if anyone dared to make trouble, a table of elderly lords, ones who clung to the limited and ever shrinking authority that had been forced from their hands now that Erlang Shen was working to actively change the way it had always been, were brewing up a dark mood that stained the festive and joyful mood.

This boy, this one singular child who had been used as a vessel of unimaginable magic and power, who had endured lifetimes of birth, moments of life and the painful death only to relive it over and over again. This mortal raised boy who couldn’t be more than two decades of age, a literal baby when compared to the heirs who watched him now, studying him, dissecting every movement, every word, every slight twitch…

He made absolutely no sense!

He ought to be nervous, scared and utterly awestruck at the splendour of the heavens around him, and yet, he barely seemed to acknowledge the grandeur and opulence that surrounded him. He should be tripping over his words, struggling to find the right words to speak in answer to questions and yet, he was not only speaking with confidence and clarity, he was better spoken then several heirs who were thrice his age!

And! And he somehow knew the unspoken rules of etiquette. He did not speak until personally addressed properly by those who approached him and his brothers, he didn’t bow until given a name and title to bow to. He did not wander out of the reach of his elders, nor leave their sights when he was talking to someone, and if someone tried to offer to refill his drink or made a recommendation on food, he politely declined, stating he had promised to go for dinner with his friends to celebrate another event unrelated to this.

How in all the realms and spaces was this boy, this child, this monkey, not some uneducated, uncivilised uncultured-

“You are turning a very interesting shade of purple, sirs.” Someone said shape and disgusted, not at the boy, at them. 

They turned, ready to brush the statement off, only to pale rapidly at the sight of not only The Whiteclad Noble, Chang Hao, but the Loyal Hound of the Heavens Xiaotian Quan standing behind them, and around them, others were glaring from behind their fans and sleeves. “Compose yourself, or excuse yourself from this event, sir. His Highness will tolerate no mistakes and no scenes from the Heavenly body while the Monkey Kings are here. Especially not concerning the Monkey Prince.”

Realizing they were not going to find good company, the group of old lords made their polite excuses and slipped away.

Shíhòu.

Yes Tongbi? Wukong questioned glancing towards his elder brother for a second before returning his gaze to his eldest and youngest brothers.

They wish to speak with you. The grey monkey prompted, inclining his head just so to his left, where Guanyin was standing with the Great Monk.

I do not wish to speak with them. Wukong said, keeping his tone even and calm, not looking towards the space Tongbi had indicated towards. Not today.

Another time then? Tongbi asked.

Another time. The ginger monkey king promised.

Very well. Tongbi permitted.

With Wu Zhiqi walking with MK, a silent show of authority and power they had agreed upon before sending the letter up here to keep MK safe, it may seem to others that Wukong and Macaque were in a state of ease, chatting with the Brother Hood of Plum hill, Nezha, his brothers, and Ao Bing.

They were not.

Macaque’s ears, unglamoured only because there was no point in hiding them up here, were flared wide , following and listening to everything said near and about MK, the slight stiffness in his tail as it flicked and twitched behind him told of the tension under his fur. He was ready to lunge from where he stood to wherever MK was at the first hint of trouble coming his way.

And Wukong, one hand holding Ruyi Jingu Bang in a seemingly relaxed grip behind his shoulder while the other cradled the now empty tea cup from Her Highness, was scanning the crowd. Watching for the microscopic tells he’d long come to read as indications of coming trouble, ready to turn the entire space into a bloody field if anyone so much as breathed wrong.

Nezha and Ao Bing were more aware of it then others, as they both made sure to shift and move themselves in ways that meant they didn’t block Wukong’s line of sight, they spoke quietly, so they didn’t drown out the voices of others Macaque was listening to. And while the brothers of Erlang Shen were making a show of enjoying the company of the two, Tongbi had noticed how they would give a subtle signal to each other, and how some people in the massive crowd were confronted by either Chang Hao and Xiaotian Quan or Wu Long, and would quickly slip away.

“He is not inclined to speak with us, is he?” The question was heavy with a mix of emotion that Tongbi chose not to try and untangle. 

“As is his right, Great Monk.” Tongbi said, his tone polite but laced with the slightest hint of warning. “This celebration is meant for our youngest brother and his future, not to remind everyone of the past.” 

He did not particularly like the Great Monk, having watched him repeatedly cause his younger brother harm, to the point of permanently scaring him, but accepted that he was a key figure in the story of how the Great Sage became the Victorious Fighting Buddha and so, he did not allow himself to hold on to the anger. It was not forgiveness so much as a quiet acceptance of the man’s continued existence. 

“He is still angry.” Guanyin said, her voice painted in sad resignation and acceptance.

“He is tired.” Maitreya corrected, his tone firm and lacking its previous joyfulness. “This False Cycle was unstable to begin with, and Heaven has not helped as it ought to have done. The Great Sage’s soul is older than his mind, and much older than his body. Heaven’s treatment of him has not helped.”

“They had little guidance.” Guanyin tried to defend.

“They lacked the desire to change.” The child Buddha corrected again, tone sharpening to a dangerous edge. “Do not try and excuse their knowing ignorance and neglect, Merciful Guanyin. They do not deserve nor have they earnt such mercy.”

“There is no need, Maitreya.” Tongbi said. “My brothers and I have long accepted that Heaven only has a few rare allies for us, and they are the only ones who have any worth. The rest are simply fodder for everyone with greater power to move and push about a board they don’t fully understand.”

Guanyin lowered her head and did not argue. 

Maitreya had been against the idea of cycles and had tried to reason that someone outside Nuwa and her chosen to be involved in the matter, but with lacking time to think of a better option, his protests had been noted but ultimately ignored. He was one of the first to begin questioning the length of time they spent repeating cycles, the first to say that the calamity was subdued enough that the cycles should end, and the first to celebrate when the Last Cycle had ended. And he was one of the loudest voices that had demanded Nuwa be punished for her crimes when she began the False Cycle.

He had spent many cycles advocating for change, and when the Union of the False Cycle had come to Heaven, the Little Buddha had become their biggest and loudest supporter, even going so far as to lesson his holy aura to near nothing so that he could go down and oversee some of the early trials and judgements. He made no secret of his feelings about the way Heaven had treated and handled the Monkey Kings, and how they had done nothing to stop the cycles sooner. And having learnt all they had and seen what Nuwa was willing to do, Guanyin knew there was no winning him over or changing his mind.

And Tongbi, while a Buddha himself, had lost much of his trust in the Heavens not only after what they had done to Macaque and Sun Wukong, but also what they had failed to stop happening to Qi Xiaotain. He had no patience nor tolerance for anyone who had allowed or been complicit in the needless torment and harm of his family.

There was no alternative and so, Guanyin remained silent, letting the topic lie where it had fallen.

Tongbi pretended not to notice the way the golden winged Fenhuang on Tathagata’s shoulder watched the entire interaction with curiosity and confusion, or how Yellow Tusk the Wise had made a conscious effort to stay back from the main group as Xiaotain and Wu Zhiqi made their way over.

“You are smiling, my love.” His wife noted, a soft tease under her gentle voice as she cradled an untouched goblet of sweet wine in one hand while the other gently smoothed an imaginary crease from the edge of his robes.

“I am.” He admitted, lifting his own ignored goblet of wine to hers in a silent toast. “He is absolutely destroying the mental images Heaven had of him, rewriting the way they see him, all while simultaneously winning over every single undecided heart, and he hasn’t even spoken a word to anyone outside those he knows already.”

“You are enjoying the show.” Qiongqi practically purred. “Not that we can say we aren’t. The Star is indeed nothing as anyone might have expected.”

“One does hope he does not suffer the same mistreatment as the Sun of Death and Moon of Life.” Sizhui said, shifting his heavy weight slightly, letting Yinglou lean against his shell.

“If they dare try such outrageous means to slander that child, so help me there will be no need for the Acting Emperor to act on his threat.” Yinglou assured, a deep growl barely hidden under her words as Huaisang used a wing to gently sooth down her rising fur and offer her comfort.

“Now, now, Yinglou, let us not get ahead of ourselves.” Hundun said, a small lash of chaos energy snapping between Taotie and Taowu, stopping Taowu from the mischief they were plotting against Taotie as he drank deep of a large cup of wine. “We have no right to act, unless it becomes clear that the Star of Unity needs someone with more weight than his brothers to step in on his behalf.”

“I highly doubt he will need anyone to step in for him.” Qinglong said, a confidence in his voice that hadn’t been heard in lifetimes. “He is far stronger than any of them could ever hope to be.”

“Indeed he is.” Xiangliu agreed, continuing to watch the scene unfold before them.

“Do you intend to tell them tonight?” The question made Yinglou blink and turn her attention to Hundun. “About your news?”

The Azure Tiger sighed and curled her tail about herself, looking back to where the Sun of Death and Moon of Life stood, talking with apparent ease to the Little Fire Lotus Prince. They looked well, and seemed at peace, it would be so easy for her to take that as face value and state her wish to them.

But she was old, and observant enough to see the unseen tension and still fleeting shimmers of pain, of unsaid words and unhealed trauma… Her news, while a joyful blessing and gift she had thought lost to her, would likely not be the best news to be given to the two of them right now, but by that same logic, leaving it until later may only cause them harm and difficulty later.

“I am unsure how I ought to go about it.” She admitted. “They deserve to know, more than any others they ought to be told what will happen, and how things will be different this time. But I know, no amount of words from me will ever undo what was done, never bring back what was so cruelly taken… I fear I may only make things worse for them if I speak too soon, but to speak too late would hurt not only them, but the Star of Unity as well.”

“If this lowly one may offer a suggestion to the Azure Tiger?” Bai Ging asked, bowing politely.

“Speak freely.” Yinglou permitted.

“Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque will not like what you wish to tell them, and they will not like that things seem to have been forgiven. But, they are not cruel, nor are they wicked. They will listen, they will accept, and they will make clear their own boundaries in the matter. Beyond that, it is not for us to know.” The Twin Headed White Snake Demon expressed. “It can not be said that the Azure Tiger does not consider all sides of a matter before she speaks, but there is no right or wrong time to tell them, only a point at which they ought to be told before they learn of this matter from someone with little concern for their feelings on the matter. If not from your own mouth, maybe it would be better to explain things to Wu Zhiqi and Tongbi, and allow them to deliver this news in your stead?"

“The Emissary of Order is correct. This news is indeed a joyful thing to you, Yinglou. And your happiness is a blessing not to be ignored, but it can not be denied that, in his life, the little one made many mistakes and hurt many people in his attempts to right what was wrong. Even if his efforts were entirely misguided.” Sizhui said, his deep voice carrying a note of reprimand before softening. “They may not like what they hear, but I do not believe they will act rashly.”

Yinglou was quiet, taking time to consider the matter carefully.

The sudden shrill scream of Lady Yin, the sound of shattering glass, and a death cry cut through the air, silencing the rippling murmurs of the Heavenly crowd.

“Oh-ho? Has the stupidity finally boiled over?” Hundun asked.

“It would seem so.” Qinglong huffed, but did not begrudge the Chaoses as they leaned just a little further in, ready to savour whatever drama was about to begin.

He didn’t know what had happened, all he knew was he’d heard the scream and then Macaque was behind him, Tongbi was beside him and there was a sudden beautiful flare of pink flames only a few feet from them. 

“Where is Wukong?” He asked.

“Someone loosed an arrow.” Wu Zhiqi said and MK peaked around the elder monkeys to see the scene for himself.

Nezha was ablaze with pink fire, his weapon in hand and his eyes fixed on the rooftop behind them, his mother stood behind him, his glass a broken mess of shards and spilled wine on the floor as she was shielded by her husband’s broader form, his jade green aura alive in an intense protective barrier, their elder sons, Muzha and Jinzha in flanking positions, their own weapons and respected blue and yellow auras flickering brilliantly.

An arrow lay in splintered and shattered ruin near the fallen glass.

The Li patriarch and his three sons stood united in their shared goal of defending their wife and mother, but somehow, they had not attacked the perpetrator.

MK followed their glare.

A person in the garb of a celestial guard, helmet knocked off to show a lizard-like face, skin once a living shade of blue and white now quickly fading to a pale, ashen dullness as blood seeped down the gold and red staff that had pierced through their chest.

Wukong was up there, his back to the crowd, his shoulders relaxed and his tail perfectly still, Ruyi Jingu Bang held in one hand and falling from his knuckles, the steady drip, drip, drip of blood. The Great Monk opened his mouth, an old reprimand ghosting in his breath, but Guanyin put a hand to his shoulder and shook her head.

A bow and quiver of arrows clattered to the roof tiles, then with out care for who was in the path, Wukong swung his staff towards where Erlang Shen was seated, sending the failing body into an uncontrolled plummet to the ground, watching it fall and crumple harshly with unforgiving blood red eyes.

From the sleeve of the stolen garb, a token fell.

That’s the same guy who tried to cause trouble for you. Mink said. The one who interfered with the separation of power while Wukong’s Core was missing.

“He is one of her children.” MK explained what Mink had told him as Yang Xian retrieved the fallen token and brought it to Erlang Shen to inspect. “The one who tried to make trouble during the separation of power.”

“His name was Xiǎolóng.” Princess Ai Lie said, though their voice held no tone of affection or familial love. “He was her only remaining loyalist, after the False Cycle began. There is no loss of love at his death.”

“He was aiming at the Monkey Prince.” Lady Yin said, her voice shaky and frightful, but sure. “I saw the glint of the head and I… is the Prince-?”

“I am unharmed, Lady Yin.” MK assured, and Tongbe shifted just enough to let the Li Family see him, unharmed and safe. “Are you hurt?”

The Lady of the Li family took a moment to compose herself before shaking her head. “No, I am alright.” She nodded.

“Then we need only answer one question.” Wukong’s voice was quiet, but the words held a fury that left many in heaven shuddering.

There was no accusation in his question that MK could hear, only the ruthless demand for answers, for reasons and assurance it would not happen again, but it seemed someone amongst the Heavenly crowd mistook one or all those things for accusation and spoke up.

“You believe anyone would allow such a disgraced fiend into such a grand event?” 

“Mulang. Silence yourself.” Li Jing snapped, his voice a whip crack across the space and instantly the crowd parted to show another man, a general adorned in grand armour standing from his seat.

“Mulang? Like the Yellow Robed Demon?” MK asked, looking to Macaque for the answer or denial.

“Same name, different general.” Macaque nodded. “Kui Mulang was the Wood Wolf of Legs, one of the twenty eight Mansions before he became the Devourer of Earthly Souls. That is Fáng Mulang, The Sun Rabbit of Room.”

“So, a brother in arms?” MK guessed.

“Something like that.”

“It has long been proven that very few in Heaven can be trusted to keep their word when I or mine are involved in a matter.” Wukong stated, cold and factual to the point it made many pale as they watched the bloody eyes settle upon Fáng Mulang. 

Everyone was thoroughly aware of the sheer devastation his anger had and once again could rain upon them and theirs at the slightest hint this whole event was an attempt to lay harm upon his kin. 

“He wears the garb of a guard.” Tongbi stated, his voice easily heard over the whispers and mumbles behind fans and sleeves. “And those are Blessed Celestial Arrows, the kind only the highest ranks of Heavenly archers can craft and lose free of restrictions.”

“This token is one offered to the highest ranked guards. And we have reports of such a token being missing from our inventory after the date for this event was set in ink.” Erlang Shen said, tone calm but eyes dark with suspicion. “I am more than sure I made it very clear that all on duty today were to be thoroughly checked before they were permitted into this event.”

“You did, sire.” Li Jing agreed.

“So tell me,” Wukong asked, slowly scanning the crowd for the crack, the slipped mask, the shame and anger that wasn’t hidden properly. “Who is to blame? Because I am in no mood to let this Realm of ungrateful swines and bastards ruin my little brother’s life as you have ours.”

“You presume to speak for all-” Someone began to say only to yell in panic as a fire washed over his body, the fire refused to die, and within moments, screams and smoke filled the air, along with the scent of quickly charring meat.

“Do not presume yourselves wise enough to know what those better than yourselves would want and desire.” Wu Zhiqi said, flames dancing around his fingers as shadows coiled and curled protectively around Macaque and Xiaotain, shielding them.

The dread of facing Wukong’s wrath shifted and deepened as Heaven remembered that while Wukong was powerful, he had kept his Havoc localized to the Jade Court. Macaque would drag any fool who tried to run into the Void from which there was no escape, only a lifetime as a plaything to the Void’s inhabitants. Wu Zhiqi, The Red Bottomed Horse Monkey, THE Monkey King, the Ape of Fire who had not only survived the primordial world, but been one of the first to tame it before the Three Realms were created as a heaven from the turmoil and harshness of that life, was more than capable of spreading his flames across all the Heavens.

“You threaten Heaven?” Some one questioned.

Tongbi stepped up beside Wu Zhiqi, his arms alight with the promise of ruin and a merciless gleam in his eyes.

It was no longer a threat, it was a promise.

Sun Wukong and Macaque would destroy this space and all within just to see no further harm came upon their kin, Wu Zhiqi would burn the rest and render Heaven powerless with fire so old it would never burn out, and Tongbi. 

Tongbi, The Long-Armed Gibbon, The Jade Ape of the Winds, once a founder of the very Realms themselves, he would tear apart the floor of the Celestial Realm and leave it unstable and ultimately beyond rebuilding. 

It's going to be a bloodbath. Del shuddered.

Heaven deserves it. Mink stated, blunt as always.

You know how to find the answer. MK said. So only the ones who deserve the pain get it.

The one who can move unseen by all of Heaven, despite the many eyes upon them. Mink said, mirroring the words Wu Zhiqi had said during that first conversation. You thought it was the Zodiac Monkey, and no one corrected you because it was safer that way. 

Then who the donk is it? Porty asked, a growl in his voice. This ain’t the time for riddle talk, Minky.

She’s watching us right now, and if you want only those who deserve it to suffer, you have to give her the opening to speak. Mink stated, completely unphased by the growl from the party loving clone. Look around, and see what everyone overlooks.

MK looked around.

Lady Yin was closest, her eyes on her youngest son as he continued to burn, ready to protect and shelter his family from the incoming danger. Guanyin was further away, her eyes downcast and filled with grief that fate was repeating itself yet again. Bai Qing was behind Xiangliu, protected but not looking away from the scene before her. The Azure Tiger Yinglou was watching the conflict with a look of disgust at the Heavens.

He looked towards the Queen Mother of the West, and met her gaze. For a moment she did not move, but then, slowly, she moved her eyes ever so slightly, down and to the left. He followed the hint, his eyes passing over a few maidens, until they met the soft blue depths that were the Moon Goddess’s eyes.

“Chang’e?” He called and suddenly, all eyes were upon him and the Moon Goddess. “Did you see what happened?”

“I did, Young Prince.” The Moon Goddess nodded, stepping out from the crowd so that she could be seen by everyone.

“Will you tell us what you saw?”

“What can she possibly know? She is no longer of Heav- Agh!” Someone yelled only to gasp as a shadow lashed at them, strengthening the scent of blood in the air. They weren’t dead, but they were choking heavily.

“Those with vile tongues ought not have them.” Macaque growled, the shadows vibrating with every syllable.

“Chang’e may not reside in the Heavens any longer, but she is and always will be welcome to speak.” The Queen Mother of the West declared, her voice firm and final on the matter as she stood up, taking the small opening MK had made and tearing it wide as she offered a bow to the Four Monkey Kings. “Sires, the Goddess of the Moon has long been fair and honest in her words, and has long made clear she has no wish to play any part in the repeated games and plots of the Cycles. She is unbiased and unaffiliated with the Heavens beyond her birth rite titles and the Luna Palace that acts as a go between for her merchandise. I know I have no right to ask, but I beg your patience, only so that we may offer you the truly guilty parties in this scandal for your chosen retaliation.”

She did not speak of innocence, nor justice, those concepts were no longer things the Monkey Kings care about in the Heavenly Realms and so, it was pointless to plead for their leniency towards them.

“I trust Chang’e.”

It shouldn’t have meant anything, not in the face of the lifetimes of bitterness and anger between Heaven and the Monkeys, not when whatever trust had once been there was now little more than broken shades that would never again fit perfectly together, but the declaration of trust from their youngest brother in Chang’e did something Heaven did not expect.

The flames at Wu Zhiqi’s finger tips cooled from a clear orange to a dull reddish shade, Wukong’s furious glare calmed just a fraction, the jagged shadows around them softened and the chilling air settled just before the exhaled breaths of the crowd could become visible.

“If old norms are not challenged, things will never change.” MK said to no one in particular, but everyone heard him.

“That one arrived here shortly after myself.” Chang’e explained. “During the early hours of this gathering, I was up in the seated space, talking with the Zodiac Rabbit when I noticed that a soldier seemed unwell, slight trembles in the hands and feverish sweat. I passed a note about it to Her Highness through her attendants and within half an hour, that soldier was removed from the event, his replacement was that one.” She nodded to the corpse. “He had arrived timely and I thought the matter was done with. Until I noticed how little attention he paid to his duty in favour of watching the crowd.”

“Why did you not alert anyone?” Someone demanded, only to gasp as the air in their lungs was suddenly and violently ripped out.

“Do not interrupt.” Tongbi instructed, his voice colder than death and his eyes sharp with the unspoken threat of what he would do to anyone else who did interrupt again.

“As previously stated, very few people listen to my words, and so, I chose to keep my silence and watch, but I did make sure to alert the Zodiacs to the problem.” Chang’e continued and those few brave ones who did look around noticed the Zodiacs, each one close enough to have stepped in, the Zodiac Monkey having been closest, literally standing underneath Wukong in amongst the seated elder gods.

Everyone knew she could have stopped Wukong’s strike, but had chosen not to. 

No one dared mention it.

Chang’e offered the Monkey Kings a polite bow. “Had I any hint his target was your youngest brother, I would have approached and told you of the danger myself.” She assured, “I had no idea that he was a child of the disgraced one, I had assumed he was someone’s paid fool to try and take a shot at one of the Union’s silent partners, as I saw him speaking to Juling Shen.” She concluded her explanation and the entire space went suddenly and deafly silent.

Juling Shen. One of the oldest river spirits of Heaven, born of the Yellow River and famed for his splitting the Western Mountain of the Five Great Mountains, and a worshipped god even to this day. The first general Li Jing had commanded into battle to face Sun Wukong during the Havoc is Heaven, the general who had lost almost his entire vanguard in the attempt.

“Macaque.” It was Wu Zhiqi who broke the silence and no one dared breath as the shadows suddenly tore open a hole before the Monkey Kings and spat out the large man with a startled and undignified sound.

Whatever insult or curse the man was about to say died at the sight of the Acting Emperor, the Queen Mother of the West and the burned eyes of not just Sun Wukong, but the Six-Eared Macaque, The Long-Armed Gibbon and The Red Bottomed Horse Monkey.

Juling Shen showed no fear as he looked at space and landed on the corpse that had been his would be weapon against the Monkey Kings, and gave a heavy accepting sigh. “How pitiful.”

It was a confession.

The promise of impending ruin perfumed the air with a sickening sweetness Heaven remembered and it seemed some of them had found sense enough to shuffle out of the immediate danger zone. 

Wukong’s golden aura was already bleeding from his body, fangs growing and claws lengthening as Macaque’s fur grew darker, shadows creeping along the floor, filled with eyes that refused to be ignored. Tongbi’s short fur rippled and moved as the temperature of the space crept lower and then higher as flames flickered and leapt about Wu Zhiqi’s body.

“Why?”

All eyes fell on the Monkey Prince, his question the only barricade now holding his elder brothers’ rage from being unleashed.

“Is it not obvious, little boy?” Juling Shen questioned, lifting his head to look at MK, a begrudging show of respect he didn’t truly feel, but was showing in what were no doubt his last minutes of life. There was no fight or arrogance left in him, just a regret that he had been caught and was being given no leniency from those he had once called allies.

“No.” MK said, letting his years of gathered information from countless late night deep dives into internet forms and forgotten ledgers swarm to the fore of his mind as he spoke with an honesty his family praised and encouraged from him. “The truth of Heaven’s abuse of power and neglect has long been known to Demons and while only recently made public to Humans, Mortal and lesser gods, spirits and the royal family were more than aware of the truths behind the legends and myths that make the foundation of Godly Worship. Everyone who knows the story of the Journey to the West, everyone who has read the unwritten lines between chapters and everyone who has any real idea of how the Three Realms really work, knows that of the Three realms, Heaven is the most deceptive, underhanded and untrustworthy of them all.”

Li Jing opened his mouth, but before he could breath the first syllable of what he wanted to say, his wife tugged softly on his sleeve, a look of soft reprimand enough to render him mute, though he looked offended at the child’s words.

“What you so boldly call abuse is the authority that has kept the Three Realms stable and balanced.” Juling Shen reminded.

“The Three Realms were balanced and stable before the Heavens proclaimed themselves the highest authority.” MK countered and nodded to the eight beasts. “They are living proof of that stability and balance. If the realms were at risk of discord and destarter, they would be the first to know and the second to react.”

“The second?” Jinzha’s question was little more than a breath in the wind, but it was heard by others and for all of a terrifying moment, fear gripped the Heavens.

No retaliation came. No lash of shadows, no strike of the blood stained staff, no combustion, no loss of breath.

“As beings born of pure Primordial energy and power, the five of them would be the first to act if anything truly devastating were beginning to stir in our world.” Lady Yin answered the question of her eldest son, her voice soft and calm, despite the tension of the moment.

“Lady Yin is correct.” Tongbi clarified.

“Heaven has no excuse for their behaviour, not just in the repeated cycles but in the years before the Calamity.” MK said.

“What gives you the right to judge the actions taken in a time before your conception.” Juling questioned.

“The same thing that gives Wukong and Macaque the right to rend Heaven and all its ugliness to mythical dust for the lifetimes they have suffered because of men like you.” The Monkey Prince said, the smallest hint of a power equal to that of his brothers’ bleeding into his words for just a moment before he took a moment to breathe, recomposing himself before he speaks again. “We are born of the very thing Heaven claims to yield to. And thus, we above all others have the right to question, to challenge and to judge. Answer my question, if you wish to have any truth told about your reason for dying.”

“Child.”

“He aided in the plot to kill my little brother, in the middle of an event hosted by the Heavenly Rulers, amongst the highest standing Gods, Immortals and in front of the Eight Beasts. Knowing that such an act would not only enrage me and my brothers, but all of those who have come to call my little brother their friend, their child, and their family.” Wukong said, his voice a deadly calm that hadn’t been heard in Heaven since the day he broke free of the Furnace as he cut the Great Monk’s attempt to plead leniency off. “Enprisonent will not work for this man, Monk. He, much like the Lady Bone Demon, will not change his views, just because he spends centuries isolated in a box. I would have thought you’d have learnt that by now.”

“Some people simply can’t change.” Erlang Shen said, his voice heavy with unspoken anger but clear with intent. “Juling Shen, you have not only plotted against a child, but conspired with a child of a disgraced figure. I will not permit leniency, nor will I or anyone else here today beg for it on your behalf. This will be your last chance to speak any and all truths you wish known and recorded.”

The God of the Yellow River only gave a hollowed out laughter. “I have no regrets, but you must know, I am not the only one who plots the demise of the Monkey Prince. I’m just the first to be caught.”

“Then you will be the example of what is to become of any who dare threaten our kin.” Wu Zhiqi’s voice was deathly cold.

Attention split, some focused on Wukong, some on Macaque, some on Tongbi and others on Wu Zhiqi, waiting for the kill strike they knew would not be stopped.

It did not come from any of them.

It came from the Monkey Prince.

A condensed beam that formed from the five coloured stones of the boy’s crown. The instant it hit Juling Shen, the man’s body began to convulse, blood began to spill from his mouth, nose and ears, his eyes opened to show erratic movements as they dulled and then darken as the blood vessels inside began to burst violently. 

Above him, a stone began to form, a blend of natural blues and yellows blending and shifting together to form a palette of colour similar to a parti sapphire, it began no bigger than a grain of sand, but as the scene continued to unfold, the bigger it became. 

It lasted all of a minute. Juling Shen’s body seemed to melt from within, becoming nothing more than a mucky puddle that hissed as it evaporated. The parti stone, now the size of an ostrich egg, floated for a second longer then was guided to hover before Erlang Shen.

“As Acting Emperor, I hope you might find someone better suited to take on the power and legacy of the Yellow River.” The Monkey Prince said.

The Acting Emperor nodded and let the stone, heavy and humming with the stored power of the former Spirit of the Yellow River, rest in his hand for a moment before sending it elsewhere for the moment.

And then MK’s legs gave out from under him, but before he could hit the ground, Tongbi caught him and gently cradled him to his chest. “Easy, Xiaotain. I have you.”

“Tongbi, my head hurts.” The Little Metal Monkey complained.

“It’s normal Xiaotain, using your power like that for the first time would be a draining thing, you are safe, we have you.” Wu Zhiqi assured softly. “Close your eyes and rest a while.”

“Yes Wu Zhiqi.” MK nodded, resting his head on Tongbi’s shoulder. 

And with that, the spell of fearful silence upon the crowd was broken.

“What!?” Someone gasped. “What is that power?!”

“That is not Heaven’s concern.” Maitreya said, his voice filled with calm authority that everyone heeded.

“The Little Star of Unity is indeed a very precious child.” Hundun purred, a sickening delight etched into every word that reminded everyone in attendance why they feared the Beast of Chaos’s temper. “And so well trained in his restraint.”

“Indeed.” Huaisang agreed. “And such careful consideration for the consequences of actions. Truly far wiser than Heaven’s so-called ‘fair’ trials.”

“We have places to be.” Wu Zhiqi said, his voice cutting through the air like a sharp whip as he stood to his full height. “When you have cleaned your house, we may consider inviting you to our home for a private ceremony. Outside of a Calamity, do not expect our attendance in any Celestial display again.”

The Monkey Kings were done. Wukong leapt from his place on the roof and landed heavily beside his brothers as shadows peeled themselves free of their casters and began to darken into a pool beneath their feet.

“Eclipsed Sun,” Yinglou called out from her place as they sank into the shadows. “I have a matter I wish to speak of with you and your brothers.” 

“Then you may visit us when you have time to spare.” Wu Zhiqi permitted.

And they were gone.

Before anyone could complete processing their exit, Erlang Shen’s borrowed power slammed down into them all, forcing all exits shut and sealed with a violent pulse, as his voice cut sharply through the air. “Chang Hao, Zhu Zizhen, Yang Xian. The entire estate of the Yellow River Spirit is to be searched and checked with the finest comb you have. Everything he knew, everything he has ever said or plotted with others, I want it on my desk as soon as possible. Wu Long, Jin Dasheng, Li Jing. Search the ranks of the guards for any other unwelcome and unwanted guests. Zodiacs. Please increase any and all seals, runes, spells and enchantments used on every and all entrances and exits of the Court’s boundaries to prevent any further attempts as this one today. Prince Ao Bing, I would like to speak with you later this evening regarding a guardian for theYellow River. Jinzha, Muzha, Nezha. Please escort Her Highness, Princess Ai Lie, the Buddhas and your mother to Lotus Estate. I will meet you there and offer proper apologies when I am done cleaning this mess.”

“Yes Sire.” Several voices chorused.

He sat with his back against the wall, tail tightly wound around his ankles, his arms folded over his knees and head buried in his arms. The hut was a mess, the old laptop was smashed and broken into several pieces, the tv was overturned and smoking in the corner, the wash basin was in tiny shards, the few cups and plates he kept in the hut were smashed either against one wall or another. The sofa was a pile of shredded and smashed wood, fabric and stuffing, the supporting beam of the roof was bowing dangerously, sporting several claw marks and cracks, evidence of the weakness that would ultimately lead to the hut’s collapse if it wasn’t addressed soon.

He ignored all of it. Ignored the pain of his own claws digging deep into his own skin, the pain of his eyes as bloody tears stained his face.

He really shouldn’t be surprised. Really, he shouldn’t. He knew, even if things seemed to be going well, seemed to be getting better, there was just no possible way anything would ever fix what he’d broken. No possible way anything would ever just be simple and straightforward. 

Heaven- No, not even Heaven- Life, just didn’t go the way he wanted it to go.

He’d done it to himself, letting himself think that it was ever possible for him to find some kind of happiness and not have something hovering in the distance ready to destroy it when they grew bored or simply decided he was too happy in whatever meager existence he irked out for himself.

He’d let himself forget the rules, forget that any happiness, any joy, and peace he found and cherished, no matter how small, was a temporary thing. A moment in his eternal life that would come to an end one way or another, a debt he owed for a lifetime of mistakes and the stains of spilt blood on his hands.

That’s how life worked. That had always been how life worked, and he was the fool who let himself forget that one simple lesson he’d learnt over and over and over again. He’d let himself think that just maybe, just maybe he could have something nice, he could be a good big brother and just… exist with his brothers…

He’d let himself hope, he’d let himself want, and life had come full force to remind him that he was not allowed nice things, he was not allowed to want, to hope, to enjoy.

He’d ruined the good things in his life once already, he wasn’t allowed anymore.

We should have just gone to sleep. None of this would be happening if we had just gone to sleep. A part of him stated, the part of him that was tired and old with pain.

We promised Chi Yue we would build up our strength again so we wouldn’t succumb to the Madness that took Macaque and Wu Zhiqi. The part of him that was tired but reasonable reminded him.

We did. And we are. But look what staying awake and getting stronger has gotten us; We’re right back at square one because we forgot the most basic lesson life ever taught us. The old part of him remarked.

We promised. We don’t break promises. Chi Yue will come soon and once we tell her we still want to sleep, she’ll brew us a pot and let us go to sleep.

There is another way. A way that doesn’t involve her tea. Another part of him whispered, soft as a breath and wishful, as it lay broken and frail in the ruins of his pride and ambitions.

No. A promise that should not be broken, not when she would blame herself if she found out what he’d kept from her. No. He had made a promise to his sister, and he would not let himself be selfish and hurt her.

Yes we did promise to wait and speak with her when we were better. And we are better now, strong enough to fight, strong enough to kill. She can’t argue that. But remember, she said we would speak of a compromise. She will only brew us a sleep tea for a temporary slumber.

Stone will take us by the time her tea wears off. The reasonable part of himself said.

Are we sure about that? The broken part of him asked.

……

…

It wouldn’t hurt, if we did it ourself. We have numbing pills stashed in the bathroom, under the floor boards… Six Eared Macaque is in the Void now, he won’t hear us… Tongbi and Wu Zhiqi are in the Palace across the island with Xiaotain… They won’t reach us in time to stop us… If they even bother to try…

…

…

It would be more certain than waiting. The reasonable part of himself admitted after a long silence. And, they won’t let Xiaotain come here again after we… 

We growled at him… The broken part whimpered.

He hadn’t meant to growl at his little brother. None of this was the kid’s fault, and he shouldn’t have been the target for his anger… He was just so angry and just wanted to be left alone…

He should apologise. 

We have paper and ink. The old part of himself reminded in a whisper. We wrote letters for the Demon Bull King and Chi Yue, and a proper apology to Macaque… We can write another for him. Tongbi or Wu Zhiqi will make sure he gets it.

…

…

…

…

Syntax paused brushing his teeth and looked at his buzzing phone.

Before he could reach over for it, Spindrax appeared at his door, her long night robe tied neatly at the waist and a towel wrapped around her hair as she showed him her phone screen. Messages were flooding the ‘Joys of Heirs’ chat shared between himself, MK, Mei, Red Son and Spindrax, a place they could talk about the ‘fun’ of being heirs and hairesses to powerful families and clans without censoring their language for Bai He. 

MK was requesting a video call. That meant his time in Heaven was over, and while to him it had only been an hour or two, to the Mortal Realm it had been a month and some weeks.

“Oh boy,” Syntax sighed and after rinsing his mouth out, he set his phone into a stand he used for his live streams and answered the request.

Mei was already on the call with MK, who looked utterly devastated but unharmed as he sat on his bed. They were both dressed in their evening wear, MK in a pair of yellow sleep shorts and looked ready to sleep for the week as the three cubs groomed his fur. Mei was in a long green nightie, her hair held back from her face with a dragon themed scrunch while she patted her face dry, likely having just finished her morning facial care.

Syntax himself was in a pair of silken pyjamas, patterned with little Sleep Bug images that the Queen had woven for him, a matching set to go with the ones she’s also woven for Huntsman and Goliath for when Bai He slept over.

Red Son joined last, his hair down and his hands around a steaming mug of tea, wearing a short sleeved deep red and gold silk set, looking well rested.

“So how’d it go?” Mei asked, hugging a plushie dragon to her chest.

“It was going well.” MK admitted, with a heavy sigh, rubbing his face with his hands as he sat cross legged on his bed, his phone had to be propped up on his desk. Rumble brought him a slice of apple which he nibbles at pitifully. “And, then it wasn’t.”

“What happened?” Red Son asked, sounding resigned to the fact something terrible he had already thought of had in fact become a reality.

They listened as MK explained the whole thing, from being hidden on Wu Zhiqi’s back, their arrival in Heaven on Tongbi’s shoulder, the brief but pleasant conversation with Nezha about training and his mother, who promised to send some Lotus sweets down when she’d had the chance to bake some fresh ones, it all had seemed to be going very well.

And then the arrow had been loosed and while no one was hurt, Wukong had killed the shooter and now there was even more tension between heaven and the ginger monkey.

“Not to sound all knowing, but is it really such a shock to you, MK?” Red Son asked. “Heaven has no love for Demons, and they have made it very clear they despise anything and everything to do with Sun Wukong. That fact they were willing to risk harming Lady Yin to hurt him is simply a testament to their desperation to ruin him.”

“The arrow was aimed at me.” MK admitted, likely without thinking about who he was speaking too at that moment.

Silence, and then, a terrible crackle of static as the mug in Red Son’s hands shattered and Mei stood up, their respective flames already flickering with deadly intent.

“Stop it, both of you. Wukong already killed the guy who fired it and I dealt with the mastermind.” MK quickly explained and after a moment, Red Son managed to calm himself enough not to burn his room to ashes while Mei sat back down with a scowl on her face.

“You dealt with the mastermind?” Syntax asked, hoping to distract the two fiery tempered members of their group from their rage. 

MK nodded and explained how, after Chang’e had explained who the mastermind was, Macaque had dragged him to the event via a shadow portal and while the conversation wasn’t very productive, the truth that others were still plotting to ruin the little peace they’d managed to form had been enough to trigger old angers and rages. Wukong had killed without pause or concern for his status in Heaven, and when people tried to stir up anger at the scene, Wu Zhiqi had incinerated someone, Tongbi had suffocated another and Macaque had cut the tongue out of another’s mouth leaving him choking on his own blood.

He explained how he had been the one to rend the Yellow River Spirit Juling Shen to nothing while removing the old River Spirit’s core and power wholly before giving it to Erlang Shen to find a new host and how after that, they had returned to the Mountain. He explained how Macaque and Wukong had been furious, to the point Macaque had sunk into the shadows and come back out an hour later, bloody and bruised, still angry, but no longer at the verge of losing what little control he’d managed to keep up in Heaven. Wukong had gone to his hut, and when he’d returned, his fur was damp and cold to the touch. 

They all slept separately that night, and it hadn’t been a restful sleep.

“Stars above… No wonder you look so upset.” Red Son sighed heavily.

“Are you alright?” Mei asked.

“No. Wait yes- I mean- I was- I AM okay, I’m not hurt, or anything. Just… everything seemed stable enough with Wukong and Macaque, until the Azure Tiger came down a few hours ago.” MK said, shaking his head. “I thought she was visiting to speak of a problem with Tongbi or Wu Zhiqi, but instead she said… She said she had been offered a gift from King Yama. She said she was going to do it right this time, that she was going to raise her son as he should have been raised before all this mess, and that she would like Wukong and Macaque to separate his first life from his second. That they would understand they’d never see him again, but that he would live a better life away from the influences that had ruined him the first time…”

“What do you mean?” Red Son asked.

MK explained how, according to the Azure Tiger, she had birthed a son only a few days before the Calamity had come to an end, the only remaining evidence of her mate, who had died protecting her and the nameless warrior in one of the final battles, and in order to protect him, she had left him to be raised in Heaven the same way Wu Zhiqi and Tongbi had left Wukong, Macaque and himself. 

But because he was mistreated and abused by those in power, her son had often died at a young age or had reached his adult hood, only to die at the hands of an assassin sent by Heaven during his attempts to settle into a life away from Heaven’s eyes.

The Azure Tiger had never had the chance to know her son, and so, King Yama had offered her a deal; if the Azure Tiger could gain the blessings of the people most affected by the actions of her son, and promise that he would never again set foot in to the Mortal Realms, then upon the end of his trials in the afterlife, King Yama and the Ten Kings would perform both a reincarnation and a pregnancy ritual, placing the reincarnated soul of her son into a new embryo, allowing the Azure Tiger to carry and birth her son again.

“How is that worse?” Mei asked. “It doesn’t sound like a bad thing to let a mother raise her lost son.”

“Who is her son?” Spindrax questioned, though judging by her tone, she had an idea of who it was but was hoping he was wrong.

“Azure Lion.” MK said, sniffling a Thunder nuzzled her head into his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

“WHAT?!” Mei and Red Son demanded.

“That explained why it got worse.” Syntax said, shaking his head, recalling the information he’d been told about what Azure lion had done to trick the Monkeys and Demon Bull King into assaulting Heaven.

“She didn’t mean to be hurtful, but… but hearing that he was getting a second chance, that he was going to be alive again and completely innocent of the crimes he committed… Wukong went quiet and then he just shrugged and said-” MK paused, taking a shaky breath to try and steady himself as he hugged his knees to his chest while the cubs pulled a blanket around him and then wiggled into his arms. “He said he wouldn’t object as long as Azure Lion never set foot near any Monkey, demon or otherwise, ever again and Macaque… Macaque wouldn’t say anything. After she left, he- they both…”

“They fought?” Spindrax guested as Spindrax wrung her hands behind him.

“But I thought they were getting better about talking things through without Mac snarling and growling like an angry chihuahua?” Mei asked, trying to use a little humour to help calm MK.

“They were, but being up there and the attack against me…” MK said, trying to smile, but it didn’t quite work, instead he ended up sniffling and swiping tears that were gathering, but hadn’t yet fallen. “It triggered them both in different ways and hearing about Azure Lion… Wukong was trying to be reasonable about it, but…”

“But Macaque doesn’t listen when he’s angry.” Red Son sighed, rubbing his eyes. “What about Tongbi and Wu Zhiqi?”

“They stepped in, but they were both still really angry… Macaque is somewhere in the Void right now and Wukong is in his hut. The door is bolted from inside and windows are barred.” MK admitted, his tail wound itself tightly around his legs. “He wouldn’t even let me in… he growled at me. He actually growled at me.”

“Oh MK.” Mei said, clearly wanting nothing more than to teleport to the monkey’s side and hug him tightly.

“Do you want us to come over?” Red Son asked.

“Yes, but you shouldn’t right now. Wu Zhiqi said it was better to not have people over until this is over with. I called because I needed to talk about it with someone before I tried to sleep.” MK admitted, wiping his eyes again. “Me being here is the only reason they haven’t come to blows again yet.”

“Cruel, but understandable.” Syntax sighed, “you are the baby of the family, having you in close proximity, even if not within arms reach, subconsciously forced them to refrain from actively coming to death blows, at least for now.”

“But it’s not going to work forever.” Red Son remarked. “Macaque and Wukong both have deep seated hatred for Azure Lion, even if he does come back with utterly no memory of the past and is an entirely different being, his past actions are remembered. Not to mention the generational trauma the troop of Flower Fruit Mountain has because of him. Even if a whole lifetime had passed, bringing him back would trigger unimaginable unrest.”

“Tongbi said that, and it’s why the deal is structured the way it is with King Yama.” MK explained, sniffling “As part of this deal, the Azure Tiger has to have the blessings of the majority of people wronged by Azure Lion, and she is going to raise him in the Higher Plains, where no one but the Highest authorities of the Heavens can enter unless exclusively invited.”

“So, only a handful of people will know he’s back outside of the Eight Beasts, and the Highest Authorities? Not even Yellow Tusk?” Mei asked.

“I didn’t ask. But I can guess that she might visit the Demon Bull Family about this.” MK admitted and Red Son sighed heavily, already dreading that encounter. 

“Do you want us to send you anything so you have something to do while your brothers try and sort themselves out?” Syntax asked and everyone knew it was a deliberate redirection, trying to stop MK from spiraling. “Games? Music? Snacks? Bad jokes from those cheap chocolate bars Yin and Jin share in the other chat trying to make Bai He laugh?”

It worked, as after a minute MK nodded. “I know I missed at least a month… so, games and music please, I’ll check the other chat for the jokes when I’m not feeling so… Blah.”

“Alright. And when things calm down over there we’ll send Bai He over. She’s missed you.” Spindrax promised knowing that the idea of Bai He coming over for the back log of hugs and time she was owed with the Monkeys would give MK and the others something to look forward to.

“Thanks guys.” MK nodded. “I’ll text when things are calm again.” He promised before leaving the call.

With MK gone, Syntax cracked his fingers “I’ll get to work on the care package for him. I trust the three of you are already planning and plotting a few less than pleasing things for the Heavenly Heirs and Heiresses?”

“If Ao Bing hasn’t already told it to Ao Lie.” Mei said, already typing on her own computer, “I’ve got a few preplanned streams I can post up while I’m busy mingling with the other young Heirs of the Dragon Clans. Heaven isn’t going to have any luck with us for a long time.”

“I’ll call my cousin and let her know what happened and about the Yellow River Spirit. Mortal Realm Demon Society will be aware of the shift in power and the attempted assasination within the hour.” Red Son agreed. “Unless you have a digital way to spread it faster, Syntax?”

“The Fox Clan will spread the news across the land faster than any hack or virus I could plug into the network.” Syntax admitted. “Not to mention they can spread it down into the Underworld. Prices on trade and goods will be at an all time high for the next four to five Celestial years.”

“We will inform my Mother and Aunt of the matter.” Spindrax assured. “Silk is about to become a very expensive luxury up there.”

“Fair enough. Talk later.” And with that brief good bye, Mei and Red Son both dropped from the call causing it to end automatically.

They might not be the biggest Court of their generation, but they were one of the most influential, and the Heavenly Heirs who thought they were to become the kings and Queens of the Realm due to their higher birthright, were about to learn just how vicious and unforgiving Mortals and Demons could be when one of their own, a beloved one and the literal baby of the newly established Courts at that, was offended.

THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING! DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT IF THE WARNING AT THE START OF THIS CHAPTER APPLIES TO YOU!

He blinked, suddenly aware that he was stood in front of the last shard of a mirror that had been hung in his hut’s bath room, even with the glamour up, the lack of proper grooming care and utter exhaustion were obvious, the bloody tearstains were just a new addition to the already miserable face.

Why was he in the-

Movement outside the window caught his attention, he turned to focus on the source of the movement.

One of the monkeys was at the edge of the barrier he’s put up to keep his brothers away from his hut for a while. They didn’t notice him, but they seemed to be searching for a way to get past or through the barrier to reach him.

He ignored them.

He was in no mood for company.

There was a page bearing his handwriting in his hand.

MK,

If you are reading this, then I’ve used my last resort to put myself into a deep sleep, and you won’t be able to wake me for at least ten thousand years, if at all.

Don’t blame yourself, bud. I’ve been tired for a very long time, and I ‘ve lived long enough to know that life just isn’t going to let me have anything nice ever again.

I’m sorry I growled at you, when you tried to come see if I was ok after the Azure Tiger’s visit, it wasn’t your fault, and I shouldn’t have done it.

Please look after Ruyi Jingu Bang, they like you a lot, and it isn’t fair of me to keep them with me when I’m likely going to be a literal stone monkey.

Remember to believe in yourself, even if it’s just a smidge, and know that you are a better hero then I could ever have been.

Your mentor, friend and brother,

Sun Wukong.

Had he really written- yes he had, there was ink on his fingers, and the scent of the pigment hung in the air, mixing with the scent of his own blood. His feet hurt from stepping on shards and splinters, as well as several new cuts and scraps along his knuckles.

We are tired. The reasonable part of himself excused the disassociated and lost time.

He sighed and tucked the letter into his sleeve before going down to his knees and brushing away the broken glass shards, ignoring the prick and cuts of the sharp edges as he searched for the loose floor board he knew was there. He found and pulled it up to show a shallow space only a few inches deep and a foot wide. Inside the large mortar was a cloth bundle that he knew was filled with the powerful numbing pills he’d made for Ao Lie in those early days of him holding the Samadhi Fire.

There had been enough to last a few years before, now there was only enough to last another six months, if that. He’d been using them to stop himself dreaming when he slept, to numb the pain enough that he could pretend he was okay.

Two would usually knock him out for a few hours, three might just be enough to force his mind to stay asleep.

One more, just to be sure. The broken part of himself whispered.

He took four of the pills and forced himself to dry swallow them, wincing at the bitter taste that  lingered in his throat, before moving to the room he’d built a nest in. It was a pathetic thing really, thread bear sheets over old moss and splintered hay, but it was more than he deserved.

He passed it and then reached up to the very top shelf, using his tail to reach higher, and with careful hands, he found the paper thin linen cloth that hid his last resort. Bringing it to his nest, he settled on his knees and unwrapped the cloth. Inside was a hollow glass knife, a beautiful thing, the blade smoothed and polished to a perfect edge and tip with a handle of stained wood, carved to depict a rip cage around a mobius loop.

A Time Knife, specifically the Mobius Knife, one of three relics from the bygone ages. This knife, along with the Heart and Soul Knives had been lost within the histories and buried in myths so deep many had long forgotten there should have been three of them when the Heart and Soul knives had been discovered in an ancient tomb of the Underworld, alongside the shattered remains of a third knife.

The Heart Knife, as the name suggested, used the heart of a person as a source point of their magic, when a person or persons’ chest were pierced by the knife, even if only shallowly, the magic of the knife would take hold and their body would become limp, listless and unresponsive, as if the person was within a deep coma. Then when an allotted time had passed, or a set time was reached, the affected heart or hearts would start to beat again. The Soul Knife did the same thing, but with the added effect that the soul of a person was taken into the knife and held within its hollow until returned to the preserved body.

The Mobius Knife was unique.

It could do either what the Heart and Soul Knives could do, or it could do both.

He took a steadying breath and with slowly numbing hands, he dragged the heavy scent blocking certain around his nest, and began to undo the knot of his two tailed cloak, removing the chest plate and the ruined shirt from his upper body, ignoring the faint sting of the fabric pulling at the place his own claws had dug into his skin.

The letter. The old part of him whispered.

He placed it atop the chest plate, and to make sure it didn’t flutter away, he set his two tailed crown atop it. Then he picked up the knife and pushed a small drop of his own chi into its handle, feeling the wood become heavy with new intent and purpose.

It had been a ‘gift’ from the Lady Bone Demon, a tool to rid herself of him once the world belonged to her. She had tainted the Mobius Knife with her ice, and had intended to command him to pierce his own chest with it, to forever trap his body in a suspended state of being, but keep his mind active, forcing him to witness the absolution of her ‘perfect’ world. With her gone, the taint of her magic was gone from the knife, leaving it without directive and in a state of dormancy that had allowed Wukong to hide it so easily, preventing it being taken and locked away where he couldn’t easily reach it should he had need of it. 

He hadn’t thought of it again until now.

We didn’t need it until now. Chi Yue is honest, but she wouldn’t brew a tea strong enough to keep us under until stone takes us again… The broken part of him expressed with a shaky voice.

It was true, the Mobius Knife would remove his soul, forcing his body into a coma and guaranteeing his mind would be silent and undisturbed, allowing stone to take him faster. All while his soul, isolated within the knife’s hollow blade would be suspended in a state of dormancy, quiet and protected from harm.

But we promised… A small part of him tried to argue. Chi Yue, she’s never done wrong by us before. Why would she start now?

She loves us… The old tired part of himself agreed, but she also loves Macaque and Xiaotain. If they ask her, she may waver in her resolve to help us.

She has never-

She might. And that is a chance we do not want to take. The reasonable part of himself declared, silencing the small argumentative side of himself entirely.

He adjusted his hold on the knife’s handle, noting that it should hurt more, given how it caught on and worsened the small cuts in his palm, and the slowly blurring edges of his vision.

The pills were working as he intended them too.

He took a breath, steadying himself as the smallest, faintest nips of relief and genuine calm tried to slip through the cracks and fractures of the walls he’d built up to protect himself of the years. He couldn’t allow them in just yet. 

Not until he was sure this would work.

Not until the hollow knife was pushed in, just beneath his sternum and angled slightly to the left.

Not until the darkness swept in to take him.

He guided the knife’s tip to his scared chest and angled it just so, feeling the faintest pressure of the knife tip against his chest, letting it rest there for a moment as he exhaled and slowly inhaled again, letting the tip push through the mess of scar tissue and release a small drop of his own blood.

There was no pain.

Before he could plunge the knife home, the door to the hut was violently blown open. “Shíhòu!?”

No… the old part of himself breathed.

Something grey lashed out.

No. The reasonable part of himself panicked.

It smacked the knife from his hands with such force he was knocked over, leaving him no choice but to try and catch himself before he hit the floor.

No! The broken part of himself sobbed.

He heard the shattering of glass and when he lifted his head to the source of the sound.

“No…” He gasped as he watched as the last of the magic he had been hoping would grant him peace was blown away.

“NO!!” He heard himself howl, heard his own bones, his own teeth and claws shifting, cracking and trying to reshape themselves to suit the fury that tore through his body, ripping through the already frail and brittle restraint and control he did nothing to maintain.

He had been so close! There had been a bead of blood! He was doing everyone a favour! Why?! Why couldn’t anything he planned ever end in success?! Why did no one understand?! Why did nothing ever go right?! Why?! WHY?! WHY?!

“Wukong!?” “Keep back, he’s unstable!”  “What’s happening to him?!”

He paid the yelling around him no mind, letting the now untethered fury of his own nature tear and rip at his numbed body, careless and heedless of the damage he was doing to himself as the primordial energies the had famed his Havoc in Heaven, the great power that made him Fourth Celestial Primate and the most feared Monkey King of the modern era tore through his broken body.

Shíhòu, you have to stop! You’ll shatter yourself!! Stop!!

His body couldn’t handle it. It was a combination of shared chi with his elders, sheer adrenalin and the drive to protect his baby brother from that wretched worm that had sustained him before, but now, he was rejecting the attempts to share chi, ignoring the frantic way they tried to reach him.

If the world refused to let him use relics, drugs or poisons to fall into the stone slumber, then he would let his worthless body be torn apart by the same power the world gave him.

Sharp claws jabbed at him, once to the forehead, once to the center of his chest, once to the stomach and finally, once in the left side of his neck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm sorry Shadowpeach fans. But I promise, eventually I'll get to the point where the pain stops being so raw for the the Monkeys... Eventually.

It was one of the rare times when a tropical storm system passed through the land, and without Wukong’s barriers to keep the worst of the weather at bay, Flower and Fruit Mountain was weathering the storm the old fashioned way. Xiaotain and Shíhòu had been out for a day’s walk with Bai He, a promise they’d made to her when she was still healing from her time as the Lady Bone Demon’s host, but when the storm had started coming in during the early evening of the previous day, Shíhòu had said it would be safer for them to stay in the city until it passed. And so, Xiaotain was with his Pa and Dadsy until the storm passed, while Shíhòu was with Chi Yue and her twin, waiting out the storm in safety and warmth.

Meanwhile, Wu Zhiqi was seated in the grand office of the Stone Palace, working his way though one of the many piles of papers that Shíhòu had set aside for Old Beng and Xiaotain, all of them neatly arranged and properly signed with Shíhòu’s signature, they just needed dating and proof reading. The newer towers of paper work could wait a few weeks, as they were mostly letters and receipts from traders and smaller clans who used land and territory that belonged to Flower and Fruit Mountain that needed proper organizing and filing away.

It was a painful thing for Mihou, to realise just how much work Shíhòu had done and prepared to make the task of ruling so simple for Old Beng and Xiaotain, and how much work Shíhòu had done alone during their early years. Another strike that further punished and silenced the once loud and angry voice of the Past that had been the driving force behind Mihou’s actions for so long, leaving Mihou scrambling to figure out his emotions and thoughts without the anger and hurt clouding his reasoning.

Meditation and self reflection had become a daily activity for Mihou, often during the time Shíhòu would settle down to nap, or before the dark furred monkey turned in for the evening.

Wu Zhiqi’s thoughts came to a halt when he looked at the page in front of him and he smiled.

“Zhiqi?” Ah, it was time to switch jobs.

“I’m here.” Wu Zhiqi assured quietly as Tongbi stepped into the room, keeping his voice low. “Come look at this.”

“More errors in the papers?” Tongbi guessed as he came over, a fresh pot of tea in one hand and a plate of snacks to pick through as he worked through the paperwork.

“No, notes for painting from our baby brother.” Wu Zhiqi smiled, showing Tongbi the slightly crumpled page in his hand.

It was no secret that their youngest brother was an artist, and that one of his clones took that skill and talent to an entirely new extreme. So, really, none of them were shocked to learn that he had a scrap of paper with brief details about each of them, and with little notes to help their baby brother organize things with his art clone for what they assumed was one of many projects.

One of the little ones had likely found the page in the corridors, and had brought it to the office room, thinking it was something important that had slipped free of the large tower of papers they were slowly working through, rather than one of Xiaotain’s pages from his scrapbooks.

Wu Zhiqi, Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey. Eldest and first none Heavenly being to obtain longevity without the use of tonics, foods or relics, and the first being outside the Heavens to understand both yin and yang. Tallest of the five and covered in long red fur. Head fur is more akin to a lion’s mane.  Need smaller and finer brushes for highlights and detailing. Also need lighting references for fur tones. No shirt, fur makes up for it, wears a pair of faded golden pants, held up at  the waist by a length of hemp rope, and a pair of simple sandals on his feet.  More practice and references for hemp rope textures. Wears bangle rings on tail, wrists and ankles, one black and one white. Yin and yang symbology built into design already, only need more black and white paint as well as paint thinner. Weighted guard of metal to hold a cape over the shoulders and neck.  Light reflection and refraction references are still needed, also we’ve got new metallic paints coming from Mei.

Tongbi, the Long-Armed Gibbon. Second and once whispered to have been a close friend to the First Jade Emperor, the one who had held the Sun and Moon aloft whilst the Realms were being formed so long ago and the one who had knowledge and understanding of both auspicious and inauspicious events. Need to experiment with gray and shadings more, fur can look platinum in some lighting. Only a head shorter than Wu Zhiqi. Sometimes wears Wu Zhiqi’s cape over his shoulders. Colour contrasting and background story telling to help show that the cape is borrowed, difficult but doable. Shortest fur of all of us, less highlighting and shading, but more detailing.  More practice for facial expressions.  Wears dark zhiduo and a jiasha, no shoes, but does have bandages around his feet. References needed for further practice.

Their baby brother was clearly planning to do some painting in the near future, either using them as models, or including them with great detail, and it seemed his artistic clone was helping with note taking and keeping his thoughts organized whenever possible.

“I’m tempted to let him paint some murals in the empty chambers, just to see some fresh colours in the Palace again.” Wu Zhiqi smiled.

“I’d agree with you, but maybe wait until Mihou and Shíhòu are in a better place. Too much change, even small and harmless, may hinder them rather than help.” Tongbi said, and carefully tucked stray furs out of Wu Zhiqi’s face.

“Very well,” Wu Zhiqi said, leaning into the brief touch. “Speaking of, should I speak with Mihou about his attitude soon? Or would it be better to wait until after the Celestial busy-bodies have conducted themselves enough to host their round of ‘enriching gatherings for the next generation?’” He asked, knowing it was a conversation that had to be had, even if it was not an easy one, but also very aware of how mentally draining the celestial gatherings were going to be for both Mihou and Shíhòu.

Tongbi hesitated, but only for a moment before sighing heavily through his nose and nodded. “It will help him to better understand the Madness that took him and why he lashed out the way he did.” He agreed. “But, please try and be gentle with him, Zhiqi, he is frail and I am afraid he has inherited my temper with your short fuse.”

Wu Zhiqi smiled softly, and gently tugged Tongbi into his space as he stood from the chair, holding the silver monkey in a tender embrace. “I will be as gentle as I can be with him, Tongbi. But if he pushes, he will learn from me as our little Shíhòu is learning.” The red furred monkey offered, nuzzling into Tongbi’s soft fur.

It was not something they enjoyed, or liked about the situation, having to correct and take authority from their younger brothers after so long apart. But Shíhòu’s frustrations about the whole matter were at a point where he couldn’t hold them in anymore, all his years of careful planning and preparing for one outcome, now denied and redirected. That, on top of his weakened state and raw emotions that he’d spent years carefully hiding or covering up with the broken shreds of cockiness and confidence were slowly being peeled open and pulled back, had led to a few outbursts.

It was understandable that he’d lash out at them, but it didn’t mean they were going to let the anger and aggression become the norm, nor were they going to let the fighting become just another way for Shíhòu and Mihou to continue to harm themselves by hurting each other. It was difficult sometimes, because even though they had the same goal, they had different ways of correcting the younger monkeys, and Wu Zhiqi’s method was admittedly the harshest of the two.

But, at times, the harshest methods were the most appropriate.

“Given that the Celestials are still a few weeks from even remotely being ready for such an event, perhaps right now is the best time to have this conversation. He’s in their- his room.” Tongbi corrected himself.

It had hurt them all to see how uncomfortable just being in the Palace made Shíhòu, much more so when they realised he was actively avoiding the corridor where the room he himself had built not only a nest, but a place for himself and Mihou to be at ease and content. He couldn’t even look at the door when he was guided past it to the office, and whenever he could, he would take the long way around the Palace to avoid the room, as if being near it again would somehow ruin it forever. 

They had only recently come to compromise, after one particularly bad day when Mihou and Shíhòu had both lost their tempers with each other while Tongbi and he were away for the moment, almost coming to blows when Xiaotain had arrived.

Baby Xiaotain had, admittedly rather harshly but effectively for such a young monkey, been the one to correct both his older brothers and after hearing the whole issue from all sides, had reasoned that while them all being together in the Palace would be more ideal, having a separate space for a time until everyone got adjusted would be more comfortable, and so, even if not in the same corridor as the other older monkeys, Shíhòu would have a room of his own in the Palace while Mihou had agreed to take the once shared room for himself. In the end, Shíhòu’s room was the small side chamber on the other side of the palace between Wu Zhiqi’s indoor garden room and what was now Xiaotain’s room.

Wu Zhiqi knew Mihou’s choice to use the room for himself was a form of self inflected punishment on the black furred monkey’s part. To be in the place Shíhòu had made for them both to share, believing it would be a solid foundation stone of their relationship, a place that should have been where they could have spoken openly about anything and everything was now a constant reminder of what could have been. A space frozen in time turned into a self made prison that would remind Mihou that his choices, his inability to speak honestly and to pull away without trying to explain had been a strike against their bond.

It was a mirror of how Tongbi had behaved after he’d killed Wu Zhiqi, isolating himself in the endless work, either spending days without rest in the office, busying himself in the vast library or obsessively scrubbing his hands and arms near raw while washing the blankets and sheets by himself. Avoiding the reality of his actions as long as possible…

Mihou didn’t have the chance to do that now, as both Tongbi and Wu Zhiqi were handling the work load, but that did not mean Mihou wasn’t finding his own ways to punish himself further. Choosing to nest in the room that had once been shared between them, losing himself is memories of the shared past, over and over again, trying to stay close even when he knew Shíhòu was likely to pull away, it was all just small ways to further hurt himself.

Selfish, and also damaging to Shíhòu, who was still at a point of blaming himself for everything that was wrong in their fractured family. It needed to stop, and Tongbi simply didn’t have the means to make it happen, because for all his wisdom, he had not been the one to set their relationship right back then.

“Then I will speak with him now, and return this page to Xiaotain’s room later.” Wu Zhiqi said, and in an act that was both habit and comforting, removed his cape and tucked it around Tongbi, then poured him a cup of tea before taking the page in hand and leaving the office.

As he made his way through the palace, he took the time to calm himself for the talk that was to come, and consider his method more carefully now that he had a new wealth of information he had lacked before. 

It was clear, having watched the Demon Heirs and current Demons of power over the last few weeks during the Balls, that there was a very strict hierarchy at play that kept the old and tired Demons in a state of ‘active retirement’. They were a group of advisers that aided in small ways while the young ‘ruled’ the clans and tribes and the children were permitted their freedom to grow, learn, challenge, change and adapt to the world as it changed into a new generation. A simple chain of command, and one that had proven flawless when compared to the mess that it had been during Wu Zhiqi and Tongbi’s youthful years.

This clear line of power allowed Wu Zhiqi to easily find where troublesome threats would lie for Xiaotain, and also where the majority, if not all those who had bedded Mihou, were situated and what if any trouble they might cause in the future.

It would hurt Mihou to be reminded of these partners, especially if Mihou, as Tongbi expected, had inherited Tongbi’s temper with Wu Zhiqi’s admittedly very short fuse. But if Mihou was to mend his behaviour, he needed to be told and made to accept that his choices had brought him to this and now, he would have to live with the consequence of those choices, just like Wu Zhiqi had to live with the knowledge he had taken pleasure from others before he met and mated with Tongbi.

Coming to the doors of the room, Wu Zhiqi tapped his knuckles against the wood, and after a moment, two tiny hands pulled the door open for him and Savage climbed up onto his shoulder with a happy chirp. Taking that as permission, the red furred monkey stepped into the room quietly.

Rumble was sat up on the head board, a toy ball in his hands and he waited for Savage to return so they could keep playing while Mihou was by the window, his lantern hovering before him as he balanced on his tail, legs crossed and arms folded as small wisps of shadows danced about him like the rising ribbons of smoke from incense burners. His glamour had fallen, showing the scar that had robbed him of site in his right eye, as well as the pronounced darkness of his skin that marked where the Lady Bone Demon’s possession and power had taken hold and covered the whole right side of his face and ears, black fur thinned and slowly regrowing around his ears and around his face.

His ears were low, but the soft glow of teal emanating from his lower ears and the steady stream of tears falling from his eyes were a clear indication of what Mihou was doing.

With a light huff, he took the time to peel and slice several fruits from the bowl on the table and set them un a plate for the cubs, as well as pour two fresh cups of berry juice for the cubs to drink from before he sat in front of Mihou and closed his eyes.

It took him only a moment to find Mihou’s wandering consciousness, lost in a collection of past memories of gentleness, between simple closeness that brought warmth and affection, tendernesses shared privately where no one else mattered and moments where his touch wasn’t feared and his voice wasn’t venomous.

“How do you know how to make clothes?” Mihou’s question was quiet, as if he didn’t dare speak too loudly, lest he ruin whatever spell he was witnessing.

He was crouched a little away from Shíhòu, cradling a sleeping Rumble while Savage stood up right on a stool, arms spread wide and still as his little body would allow, all while Shíhòu carefully worked a needle and thread along a seam at the back of a small shirt.

“My Master taught me, after I told him some of the little ones were easily chilled despite the warmth of the seasons here.” Shíhòu told him, tying off the thread and cutting it with the edge of his claw. “Try moving around, see if it needs any more adjustments.”

Savage hooted happily and went off around the room, jumping, swinging, climbing and rolling as much as he pleased, testing the new shirt the way only a little one knew how.

“Will you teach me?” Mihou asked.

“Of course.”

I ruined this…

“We should be up already, Mihou.” Shíhòu whispered, though he made no move to push himself up or dislodge Mihou from his place atop him.

“No~ five more minutes…” Mihou begged through sandfilled eyes, nuzzling into Shíhòu’s soft chest fur. “Please?”

“Fine, five more minutes.” Shíhòu allowed, softly stroking the space just behind Mihou’s ears.

I ruined us…

“One for each of the children.” Shíhòu’s voice explained faintly as they laid together in the quiet of the night. “And maybe, one day, we’ll add something else. Something unique, like the sun and moon.”

“You think we’d make good parental figures?” Mihou asked. “We are nowhere near old enough or wise enough.”

“When we’ve matured more, who knows! It’ll be another adventure.” Shíhòu said with genuine promise. “One where we go together, every step of the way, just you and me.”

I ruined him…

This could not continue.

Liu’er Mihou. Wu Zhiqi projected into their bond, feeling Mihou startle somewhere in the unseen edges of the memories at the use of his full name in monkey tongue.

Neither of them were used to others being able to speak to them directly like this, and both were still learning just how much of their abilities were inherited from their elder brothers.

Y-yes, Wu Zhiqi? Mihou answered, soft purple light shining from one eye while the other was sightlessly pale.

We need to have a conversation, you and I. Come out of these memories. It was said gently, but with enough authority to coax Mihou into leaving the memories he was tormenting himself with and return to the present so they could speak. 

It took a moment, but after composing himself, Mihou let himself sink to the floor, tail curling around himself for comfort. “About?” He asked, hands busying themselves with the hem of his sleeves.

“Two things, first, your current behaviour and the reason it must stop. And second, your past actions, why they now haunt you and, if you will listen to this old one’s wisdom on the matter, how you might reach a point where such vile actions will not be such a source of pain for yourself.”

“Is this really the best time?” Mihou questioned, but the flutter of his ears made it clear a part of him already knew the answer. “Heaven-”

“Heaven’s masses will take a few more weeks of their time to sort themselves out enough for one of their youth events. That gives us a few months, maybe even a year or so, before they bother with we of the Between and the Below. So yes, Mihou, this is the best time.” The elder monkey said and Mihou sank down into himself a little. “I promised Tongbi I would be gentle with you, but that does not mean I will not correct you if you misstep, so, I will ask you only this once; do you want me to bespell your Past and Future selves so that we may speak without their whispers in your mind, or do you want them involved as well?”

“You would do that?” Mihou asked, shocked and surprised. “I thought it was- I thought, silencing them was what…”

“Your abilities are an evolution, both of my own abilities to perceive the future and understand the past, and Tongbi’s abilities to read auspicious and inauspicious events before they happen. Silencing the whispers of our own selves was often the only way either of us gained a moment of peace in our youthful years.” The elder explained, “but, it is not without risks. Silencing those parts of us too often or for too long is what leads to internal imbalance. I’m sure you understand that.”

Mihou nodded, knowing he had no reason to speak of the Madness that had taken him and ultimately what had led to the death scar that now lay over his heart.

“But, you and I have both endured the Madness, and been freed of it. We are no longer able to fall into that state again.” The elder expressed, “at worse, silencing them this way now will lead to a few hours of muffled whispers from both of them until the spell fully fades away.”

“Oh.” Mihou said, and looked out the window, as if somehow he’d find an answer out there. The elder knew, thanks to the tremble and flick of the younger’s ears that he was in fact speaking to his other selves.

“Your answer, Mihou.” Wu Zhiqi prompted after Mihou’s ears stopped twitching.

“They will only argue later if they are silenced now.” Mihou said, and faintly his upper and lower ears began to glow, an indication that all three selves were focusing on the here and the now rather than the whens and was of the past and to be and could bes of the future. “We’re listening.”

“Very well.” The elder said. “Now tell me honestly, why are you punishing yourselves this way?”

“We deserve it.” Mihou said, all selves in agreement. “We let anger and misunderstanding guide us, even after we came back, we did not try to understand or consider any other option then he had betrayed us. We wanted to hurt him, no matter the cost to ourselves.”

“Yet, you stopped.” Wu Zhiqi said. “You haven’t laid with anyone in many years.”

“They did not like others’ scents on us.” Mihou admitted and Wu Zhiqi did not need to ask who he meant, the two pairs of eyes that watched from the bed were obvious enough. “I stopped for them.”

“Only for them?” 

Mihou was quiet for a time, trying to consider his words and behaviour in front of his elder, but accusation bled into his tone when the teal glow grew brighter. 

Past?! Don’t- “You already know the answer.”

Wu Zhiqi’s claw prodded sharply against Mihou’s nose, firm and corrective. “You let anger and misunderstanding consume you, to a point you refuse to listen to anyone but yourself. The past is set and unchangeable, but that does not mean it is clear or precise when cross checked with others and their accounts of the matters. You did not want to listen to the chance that it could be any other way, because you were hurting and wanted to make it everyone else’s problem.” He said and Mihou lowered his gaze, sinking into himself again. “First warning, do not make it to three.”

Let us back into the fore, Past. Before you do even more damage then good. Future you’re not helping! He will get us all beat if he stays-

“I couldn’t hear anything. Azure had us- me locked in a cell with celestial binds and no way to properly hear anything. I couldn’t use my abilities no matter what I tried and he- Shíhòu was different. He wasn’t as I knew him anymore, and the way he spoke at Camel Ridge, the look in his eyes, it… it scared us.” Mihou admitted, tail curling tighter around himself and hands curling into tight fists as he tried to control the shaking that was creeping over him, teal ears still growing brightest.

“Why did it scare you?” Wu Zhiqi asked. “You had laid with him, willingly and wholly, before you argued beneath the Mountain, and you said you took time apart to evaluate and assess what you had with the intention to return to him. And you said it yourself, he had no knowledge of your presence at Camel Ridge, yes?” Mihou nodded. “Then why did his anger towards Azure Lion scare you, you had done nothing to earn it upon yourself, had you?”

“I don’t know.” Mihou said after a long silence, his ears twitching and body shaking, trying to find some kind of answer, something to explain, a reason- anything! But he found nothing, no point in time or actions taken against him by Shíhòu that made him so fearful of the ginger monkey’s anger. No harsh word, no unjust correction, nothing, not even a cross look had ever been sent Mihou’s way without reason or need, and never, not even when clearly angry at something, had Shíhòu ever unleashed his temper upon him or the Demon Bull King for that matter. 

He had no reason, just…

“We are done.”

Just that.

The faintest, distant thing that had come to them, so soft even a whisper seemed thunderous and yet, so heavy with truth it had become impossible to let go of over the years, even though it had never grown louder or clearer.

“You don’t know, or you refuse to admit you made an assumption on something you heard faintly and have been proven wrong?” Wu Zhiqi asked.

“You-” Mihou stopped himself before he could snarl, and it was only because he made the effort to stop Wu Zhiqi chose to ignore the glint of teeth and claws for the moment.

Can he read us like Tongbi? No. he’s not that way inclined. He’s just old enough to know what to say and where to press to make us flinch and squirm.

“You can not keep lying, Mihou, not to me, not to Tongbi, not to Shíhòu and Xiaotain, and certainly not to yourself. And since you refuse to be honest, I will tell you what I know, and you will listen.” The elder said, tone hard and words sharp with truths Mihou refused to speak even to himself. “You heard, saw, or felt something in those early years, even if for only a moment in time and only subconsciously, that told you Shíhòu wasn’t safe, and that something, whatever it was, has stopped you accepting that everything he has done, big and small, has been driven by his need to prove himself worthy of you. Shíhòu knew this and over the years that followed, he changed himself for you and still, you didn’t dare to try and let him into your heart the way he let you into his.” 

“He didn’t change.” Mihou dared to say, wincing as his own voice yelled at him in unison.

“He gave up opportunities and ignored invitations that would have advanced and bettered his rank and standing in Demon Society to focus on his duties to rule his own kingdom and spend more time with you and his people. He lined the walls of this Palace and recarved the doors and glassed window frames to reduce the level of noise that reverberated throughout the halls, for your comfort. He learnt how to cook dishes from the region around Snow Kissed Shadow Mountain to offer at the shrine you made for your uncle and to share with the other troops so he would not be forgotten.” Wu Zhiqi listened off and Mihou’s ears fluttered and twisted as each truth was heard and reverberated though his skull, each one another layer of false protection torn aside to reach the root of the problem. “All that and more, and still you avoid him, you run from him and then, when given the chance to try and talk, like the adult you claim yourself to be, instead of approaching him and letting him help you, you behave like a jilted maiden of the Heavens lost to her own envy, watching him from afar and tormenting yourself to the point Madness took you and forced his hand.”

“I-” Mihou caught himself again, but only just, and Wu Zhiqi watched Rumble and Savage rush out of the room as the shadows darkened. “We needed time.”

“Time for what, Mihou? To decide if you could give up your independence? As if Shíhòu would ever cage you to the throne if you ever hinted at wanting to leave. To secure a reputation of your own? Your name is known and renowned in the Below as one of the very few who can stand shoulder to shoulder with King Yama and the Ghost Kings. You needed no further recognition than that.” Wu Zhiqi explained, tone even but words edged with warning as the temperature rose just a little more in the room. 

“We… I…” Mihou tried to speak, but kept cutting himself off, arguing with himself.

Let us back to the fore, NOW Past! Please, don’t make him mad at us.

“You had everything you could possibly need, Mihou; A stable and safe home, a troop that loved you and still loves you, a Court that stood with you and a mate who was willing to weaken himself so you did not suffer through another labour so you both could have a cub of your own.” Wu Zhiqi stated, knowing he was prodding a bleeding wound Mihou didn’t want to admit was hurting. “I don’t think you wanted time to accept this, nor did you want to admit you’d found such happiness. You let some half heard whisper, some fleeting chance of ruination or departure from that happiness into your heart and you let it linger, let it fester and grow into something the Madness could twist and abuse until you forced an end to it all yourself.” 

“I didn’t-.” Mihou winced, teeth growing long and claws ripping fabric.

Don’t do it, Past! Don’t you dare challenge him! If you lash out at him he will put us down!

“Then, because you simply had to ruin him as well,” Wu Zhiqi said, no longer prodding the open wound but ripping the old bandages away and jabbing it mercilessly. “You turned all that anger and fear you’d let fester and rot inside onto Shíhòu, as if he were the source of your lacking control and poor understanding of your abilities. And you enjoyed it. All those years of youth you’d spent struggling and alone with only one soul who bothered to care for you while Shíhòu had a whole troop who adored and loved him, all the frustrations and hard knocks you took to become who you were, while he got the easy and comfortable life of a worshipped King without any apparent effort. You wanted that, so much so that you lied to him, used him and his position to try and garner your own fame and legends. Worse, you lied about loving him.”

That’s IT! Past no! Don’t-!

The shadows erupted.

Tongbi stopped mid word on the page and forced himself not to shudder. The storm outside grew in intensity for just a moment outside, lightning dancing along the heavenly ceiling above with thunder at its heels and rain soaked deep into the soil below it may well have begun to seep into the Underworld.

Mihou had lashed out, violently.

I will not hurt him, but he must be corrected. Wu Zhiqi explained, voice soft and heavy with regret at what had to be done.

I understand. The Cubs are with me. He answered, and effortlessly scooped up both Rumble and Savage as the two ran to him, tears in their eyes as they clung to him. 

“Hush now, dearest little ones. All will be well in time, I promise.” He assured, softly nuzzling the cubs as a soft purr rumbled from his chest.

“And then he- whoa…” MK suddenly cut himself off and braced himself against the door frame as the storm outside seemed to grow wild for a moment.

“MK?” Pa asked him, dropping his book and catching MK before he could stumble. “Pigsy!”

“What’s happening?!” Pigsy asked as he came in, ready to shift sizes and either carry his son to the nearest hospital or protect them both from harm.

“I’m okay! I’m okay, I promise, it’s just… something between brothers.” MK quickly assured, as the dizziness and sudden sensation of numbness over his brain faded away again. “Hang on a sec…” he pleaded, letting Pa cradle him as he slipped into the mindscape, seeking answers.

Big brothers? He called into the smoke and ash that filled their shared space. What’s going on?

Just dealing with Mihou’s outburst, baby brother. You need not fret. Wu Zhiqi assured, tone firm and clear even though MK couldn’t see anything. Take a nap, and eat something, plenty of water too. You’ll need it.

Okay. He bid and ‘woke’ to find Pa and Dadsy looking down at him with worry. “Macaque and Wu Zhiqi are having a conversation Macaque doesn’t want to have.” He explained, and both his parents relaxed in relief.

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, then you’re going to bed for a little while.” Pigsy said.

“Yes Dadsy.” MK nodded, letting Pa help him back to his feet and over to the dinner table.

Wukong had been helping package tea blocks for Chi Yue’s shop when the sense of danger swept over his back and pain bloomed from within his head, causing him to sag in his seat as he hissed and clutched his head.

“Oh dear.” He heard Yao say as Chi Yue caught him before he could fall out of his chair, using herself to cushion his impact as Yao placed a hand to Wukong’s back, feeding him chi to soothe the pain as best he could.

“A migraine?” She asked him, voice soft even as she pulled her shawl up and over his head, blocking the light of the room as best she could for him.

He shook his head. “A shift in the Mindscape… My brothers are having a conversation… or an argument there.”

Do not go in, Shíhòu, the fire is at its hottest right now. Tongbi warned, gentle and loving despite the obvious grief in his words.

So, Wu Zhiqi and Macaque are talking… Are the cubs alright? He asked.

They are. They’re with me right now. Tongbi assured, voice soft and affectionate. When you and Xiaotain return, I will place a barrier to lessen the impact for the three of you when these conversations are happening and shift to the mindscape. For now, go take a nap, you will feel better for it.

Okay…

“Chi Yue… do you mind if I-?” The ginger monkey began to ask.

“Curl up on the guest bed for a bit?” She finished for him and he nodded. “I’ll fetch you some peach tea and have some fruit ready for you when you wake up.”

“Thanks little sister.” Wukong nodded, and let them help him back to his feet and towards the guest bed room.

Wu Zhiqi did not use his claws or teeth. Just caught their wrist, yanked them off balance and flipped them over and slammed them hard into the ground.

That was the only reason they weren’t bleeding out as they lay, swaddled in cooling magma, spared the worst of the pain by the shadows and water that they’d barely managed to blanket themself with after their attempt to strike out was blocked and countered. 

We warned you, Past. He is the strongest of us all, what did you think we could do against him? Shut up! He knows the answers to everything he’s asking! He’s just tormenting us because he made Wukong’s egg! He doesn’t care about us or what we went through! He doesn’t care more about Shíhòu more than he cares about us or Tongbi. He’s trying to help us. Shut up, Future! Shut up! Shutupshutupshutup!!!

“Now then, Liu'er Mihou.” The elder monkey said and they winced as he took hold of their hair and pulled him upright by it, his touch firm, but not yet harmful. The cooling magma moved with them to keep them restrained as he brought them up to his eye level. “Let us see what you thought was so real a whisper of the future that it sent you into Madness.”

“No!” They snarled, closing their eyes and trying to struggle, to pull free and flee from this. “I don’t want-”

“I don’t care what you want, voice of the Past.” Wu Zhiqi snarled, and they cried out as his touch became harsh and cruel. “I gave you the chance to do this willingly and calmly. But it seems your temper is indeed just like Tongbi’s. Like him, you must be shown the error of your ways and the root of them before anyone can even hope to correct your path. Now open your eyes and look at me.”

“No!” They screamed, squeezing their eyes tightly shut. “We won’t!”

Past! Stop fighting this. You’ll only make it worse!

“Liu'er Mihou.” The elder commanded and they felt his free hand come up and grab their face, heat barely contained beneath cracked and callous worn skin that they knew could be so much gentler, so much kinder than this. “Open. Your. Eyes.”

“I won’t!”

Yes. We will.NO!!!

Purple met black and the mindscape shifted in a swirling dance of shadows and flames, disjointed figures, broken words, false memories and mimicked moments unravel and rewrote themselves until a false moment snapped into existence around them.

The Stone Palace’s Throne room, adorned in Heavenly gold and warmth. Mihou himself is stood before the throne, adorned in Celestial finary and jewels, both eyes seeing the world and his chest unscared, while Shíhòu stands at the foot of the steps leading up to the throne, armour broken and fragmented from battle, the scars of his journey west raw and fresh and the tiredness of a lifetime filled with mistakes and regrets unlived, leaving him young again.

There is no warmth between them. Mihou’s face is pained, ears flat to his head and posture defensive but hopeful while Shíhòu’s face is a familiar blank mask and his posture that of a defeated man who feels he has lost everything.

“You have what you always wanted, why must you continue this falseness? Does it please you to see me rendered to nothing more than an eternal fool?” Shíhòu asks, voice cold and words devoid of all emotion.

“I didn’t want this! I wanted to prove I was worthy of more than just your shadow! Not to take everything from you! Please you must-” Mihou tries to explain, but Shíhòu cuts him off with a wave of his hand and shakes his head.

“I spent years trying to make a home for us, everything I did, everything I changed was for our future and yet, I return to find you have not only undermined everything I built and worked so hard for, but that you were in league with Heaven this whole time. You lied to me, for so many years, and I was stupid enough… Desperate enough to believe anyone could want me now I am this…”

“Wukong please-” Mihou tries to say again, but Shíhòu steps back when Mihou tries to step towards him.

“Congratulations, Near-Omnipotent Six-Eared Macaque, King of Snow Kissed Shadow Mountain and now King of Flower and Fruit Mountain as well. You have done the impossible and defeated Old Sun Wukong, so that the heavens can finally conquer the Monkey Troops of the World.” 

“Wukong-”

“As you said beneath Five Phases Mountain; Beyond our roles as two halves of the same whole, we are done.” Shíhòu says and turns away.

“Shíhòu, please- I didn’t-” Mihou pleads, only to stumble back when the twin feathered crown Shíhòu wears is thrown back to him and knocks him into the Throne.

“You chose not to let me into your heart wholly and truly as I did you, I have nothing more to give you. Our Union, whatever remains of it, is yours to detail to others as you wish within the Heavenly archives.” Shíhòu says as he walks out of the Throne Room, never once looking back. “Enjoy the Crown you worked so hard to prove you deserved, I will never return for it.”

The fire asked the shadow. When did you see this?

The shadow answered. We didn’t see it, only heard him say we are done. The rest is new.

The fire explained. It is a falseness planted in your head.

The shadow asked the fire. How? Why?

The fire rewound the display and instructed. Listen to his voice again. Listen carefully. 

I spent years trying to make a home for us, everything I did, everything I changed was for our future and yet, I return to find you have not only undermined everything I built and worked so hard for, but that you were in league with Heaven this whole time. You lied to me, for so many years, and I was stupid enough… Desperate enough to believe anyone could want me now I am this…

I. Changed. Everything. For. Heaven. The voice was so close, but there was an echo, a slight shift in enunciation, a whispered undertone that rang proudly.

Congratulations, Near-Omnipotent Six-Eared Macaque, King of Snow Kissed Shadow Mountain and now King of Flower and Fruit Mountain as well. You have done the impossible and defeated Old Sun Wukong, so that the heavens can finally conquer the Monkey Troops of the World.

Have. Defeated. Sun Wukong. Again, the voice was close, but this time the undertone was clearer, a victory that never came… 

The shadow knew this voice now, knew it like he knew his own.

The shadow rages. Mimicry!? Lies?! How?! When?!

The fire asserts. You know when. You know how. You were a child without a mentor and without guidance, for all that you are theirs, they were not yet yours when this was poured into your ears.

The shadow weeps. Why? Why let it stay? Why let it fester and rot? Why not take it away from me after I bore them hosts. Why continue to hurt me? Why?

The fire reminds the shadow. They were cast away by one who should have loved them, forced to an eternal prison of shadows, too young to know better. They are used to being ignored, their words leading to nothing. Your Future heard the smallest whisper, and let it go, knowing there was only ever a fleeting chance it could be real, but your Past clung to it, fearful and weary in a way only the pained and jaded can be. And as tensions grew between you and him, the falseness of it all became real. 

The shadow pulls away. How can you know this? You are light.

The fire admits. I did not begin this way.

Black met purple and again the mindscape shifted, flames rose high and ash began to rain down, conflicts long since past, victories won and celebrations unwound as words and sounds vanished into the flames until shadow and fire stood in a memory of soot and ash upon broken molten stone and oozing magma.

Wu- No, not Wu Zhiqi, not as he is now, not the kind and gentle fire that burns to protect and love them, not yet.

This is Chikao Mahou. This is who he was before the Madness took him, fur black as coal and eyes devoid of warmth or love. He was cruel, arrogant, foul tempered and wicked in unspeakable ways. He is knelt, cradling something… someone…

The fire explains, voice drenched in grief and sorrow. Madness can only take root if we allow its seed to bed down within the soil of our minds. This is what I was shown, and in the moments before the Immortal Killing Blade landed true, the Void showed me its lie.Proof I had in part failed the test the Void set me.

Tongbi lays in Chikao Mahou’s arms, arms mangled, fur stained crimson and chest eviscerated.

There is blood in Chikao Mahou’s fur… blood around his chin… on his lips… in his mouth…

The shadow wretches at a shared darkness shown so vividly, portrayed against them in such a way. Why this? Why him?

The fire explains. Because even in that lost state, my mind, soul and heart were one. If my hands laid such harm upon him, then I ought let the Primordial Sea take me back and render me to nought but fragmented myth.

The flames shift again and suddenly-

Tongbi is there. Alive, whole and holding a small cub of ember and charcoal fur, cooing softly as the little one clung to him. “She came to me when you began to change… She knew my full name and called you hers… How have I never seen her with you before?” He asks, softly rocking the little one with a natural tenderness that seems endless.

“She chooses who can see her and when.” Wu Zhiqi explains as the cub nuzzles herself against Tongbi’s chest, content and happy chitters spilling from her lips. “Her name is Thunder, and she has been with me since I discovered the Void.”

“She is of the Void?” Tongbi asks, curious and awestruck, not fearful or disgusted, and that seems only to endear him to the cub even more, as she hooted and cooed at Tongbi, holding tighter and nuzzling deeper into his chest. “How? I thought the Void couldn’t manifest a solid form for itself?”

“It can’t, without a willing host offering something for them to inherit.” Wu Zhiqi explains, reaching over with trembling limbs and gently knuckling the little cub’s face, bringing a delighted purr from Thunder’s throat. “Before you came to this place, I offered the Void one of my eggs and in return, some of the Void’s youngest beings joined with me. I knew they were within my body, growing and shifting to better exist outside the Void’s embrace and I allowed it. Four months later, I woke to find her curled up at my chest. She has been with me ever since, learning, experiencing, witnessing and simply being, allowing the Void to behold all things as a child should. Through her, they see, hear, smell, feel and taste things they have long been denied, and in return, they kept Death from me until it was needed to free me from Madness.”

“Should your death not have ended this trade?” Tongbi asks, fearful only at the thought that the little one would leave.

“No. The Madness took hold of all the anger and rage I held, tore power from the waters the Corrupted Heaven tried to drown me in and channeled it into something wretched and vile. Chikao Mahou, who I was before, broke the promise I made long ago, and as such, will no longer be party to the deal made with the Void. Wu Zhiqi, who I am now, needed help to see Chikao Mahou removed from control of my Primordial self, that is the reason she came to you.”

“Then she is their senses given form through you, and now further bound to that duty through me.” Tongbi realizes, smiling as Thunder’s little feet hold his arm tight while her hands reach out and hold Wu Zhiqi’s hand in hers, trying to hold them both. 

“Cuddle!” She hoots. “Cuddle make all better.”

“If that is what you wish.” Tongbi says and Wu Zhiqi nods.

The fire asks. Do you understand why now? Having seen what was presented to me, and the outcome that followed?

The shadow sobs.

A test.

The three words had been a test, and while the outcome their Past had come to fear never came to be, the thought of it, the chance that it could be, had been enough to allow a seed of Madness to bed itself down and grow…

The shadow did not fight nor resist as the fire engulfed all that had been displayed and returning it to obscurities only shadows and fire would ever know. Nor did they register when everything became weightless as the Void itself swallowed them…

Wu Zhiqi said nothing as he cradled Mihou, shielding him from the countless eyes of the void that now peered at them from everywhere. They knew they were to blame for the tears that drifted about their space now, and they knew nothing they did would soothe them. Still, he did not scold them, nor shoo them away as they crept closer, not to harm, not to hold, but to try and offer gentleness and softness in their own way.

He reacted to only one presence, a small cub of charcoal and ember fur who attached herself to his back and then climbed her way over his shoulder and squeezed under his arm and settled against Mihou.

“Cuddle make all better.” she said, and he smiled softly.

“Will you come out with us?” He asked.

“Will come out.” Thunder said, with a nod, small hands wiping tears from Mihou’s face. “Want to meet, little cousins. Want to, explore again.”

Wu Zhiqi nodded, and let himself drift in the void, cradling both his chosen child and his brother, safe and protected against his chest, waiting for the broken mind to mend itself once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Set only a few weeks after the first two shorts, still before Nuwa's death. the rest of the shorts will be set after her death, starting with Visitors.

Wu Zhiqi - Talking in mindscape/using power Tongbi - Talking in mindscape/using power Macaque - Talking in mindscape/using power Wukong - Talking in mindscape/using power MK/Xiaotain - Talking in the mindscape

Say hi to Thuder guys! She is older then Rumble and Savage, but still just a little baby.