✓𝐀𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 『𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔』

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 57: Entrusted

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'I'm sorry, Xiu,' Monkey King flew on his somersault cloud, heading straight towards the towering mech in Megapolis at incredible speed. He may or may not end up failing in this task, but he's certain that the Bone Demon won't kill him. He's done everything to get his powers back while juggling everything he needed to do, if anything, he'll be the most valuable pawn in her game. The simian shakes his head at the negative thoughts, 'Snap out of it. I will win this. I need to win this.'

His hand reaches in his armor where he kept the candles, his lifeline for the next task he's going to do after this one. The moon showed visibly on the sky as the sun started to set on the horizon, another day is ending, he's got only seven days to count.

'I'll come back for you.'

"Let me out of here!" Xiu screams at the simian that kept jumping in and out of portals every time she raises her voice and blades at him. He's annoyed beyond belief, and his perfectly good hearing added to the headache of keeping her safe here in the shadow realm.

He reappears behind her and quickly ties her messy hair back with a ribbon, "No can do, sweetheart. It's your boyfriend's orders." She swings her weapon behind her, but he's unfortunately much faster than her.

"I thought you and him aren't getting along well?"

"True, but I have my own fair share of what I ought to do," his voice echoed around her. He walks out of the shadow to her right, one hand up to clean his ringing ear, "You're lucky I like you that much at least, or I would've kicked you out already."

Xiu grips her blades, glaring at him. But that frustration eases as she knows there isn't a way to get out of here unless he wills it. It's his domain, after all, "What's the point of keeping me here. I'm sure you know it already, but once I have the blades in my possession, it was only a matter of time before I get killed by it. Especially now since it found a suitable target."

"And what good will it do to release you out there? The only thing you can do is swing those blades around blindly, and that... other personality of yours—"

Xiu flinched as he brought up the dreading topic.

He sighs, squaring up his shoulders to release tension, "There's a lot of things going on here that we need to fix before I deem you worthy of going out of here. You and I both know you're a risk to those around you and yourself. You almost killed me twice, I assume you don't want the same happening to those around you."

"Then take me to the Lady Bone Demon. Let me rampage to defeat her—"

"And then what?" his brows furrowed in a glare, "You let that... thing— that weapon— control you?"

"Then help me! I can't just stand here knowing I could. She can steal powers, I can do that too. I've been sucking up lives of others throughout the years, I'm stronger now."

"You'll lose the battle even before starting it. Believe me, I know how powerful she is. If you can't even kill me— or Sun Wukong— then what chance do you think you have against her?"

A moment of silence lingers between them, then she releases a sigh, falling from one leg and the other into a cross-legged sitting position, setting her blades beside her. He's right. It's foolish to jump at uncertain things without a plan, it's pretty much how Wukong did with them on this journey, and it all ended up pretty badly. Who knows what happened to them now.

Xiu then remembers her friend's situation, snapping her eyes back up at him. "Mei. I-I've been trying to help her—"

"She's fine," his ear twitched. "She's with the Demon Bull King's spawn right now. Surprisingly, she got the Samadhi Fire under control in the end, but she separated herself from the others."

The woman blinks, her arms slumping against the surface of the void, "You... But you've been here all the time. How would you—"

"Sweetheart, have you forgotten who I am already?" he chuckles, pointing to his ears before removing the glamour he placed to reveal three ears on each side, "I'm Six Eared Macaque. I can hear everything."

Her surprised smile faltered slightly as her worries increased over a certain simian—whom he said to have ordered him to bring her here, "And Wukong?..."

His smirk turns into a grimace, "He's... headed for Megapolis. Alone." Macaque knew she'd be complaining about it, so he added, "He's fine. He's not one to be killed easily. Taking his own armor and cudgel into account, at least. Wukong's got the power to stand against her for the time being, but it won't be for long until he's controlled by her just as I was."

His gaze softened at the expression he held, Xiu can tell that he had a hard time about it, he has been ever since he started pursuing them. "... How... did she even get you to do her will in the first place?"

It's a conversation that he'd most likely try to sweep under the rug, but seeing as he can't come out of hiding for now after freeing himself of Bone Demon's control using the fire, there's no better way to pass the current time other than talking. And so talking he did, laying out just a bit of his own problem on the table. Macaque sat down on the spot in front of her, sighing as he tries to finally get just a speck of his troubles out his chest, "I died once."

Xiu's eyes widens, "Huh? You did?"

"I did... But that was before we've formally met. Lady Bone Demon pulled me out of that fate for a simple request," he shrugs, "but I wasn't about to comply under anyone's orders after everything I experienced, so I forgot the deed and... well, got what was coming for me."

"She... pulled you out from death? How is that even possible?"

The simian chuckles, "I've heard rumors, but I wasn't sure whether to believe them. She could be of another realm— which my ears doesn't have access to, of course." He straightens up, a serious expression now visible on his face, "You want to stop someone like that, then you have to learn how not to die first," Xiu follows as his eyes headed down to one of the blades on her right, "and not let that thing take the wheels."

She gulps, her head tilting down to stare at her arms. The primary limbs for holding the weapon are the first to be consumed by the power hungry blades, and it's already gotten pretty bad and at a quicker rate at that. Her last lifetimes had unknown events that she wasn't able to clear up until the last one, five hundred years ago. The memories doesn't add up, but it seems like someone else was in control. And it was the creator of the blades, Chimangjing herself.

"If you're still up for it... I guess I can train you for a bit while we're here. Master of evasion, able to keep myself alive after many years— aside from one particular event," he coughs his own embarrassment away, his elbow resting on his knee, leaning himself forward with his usual smirk, "I might be able to help you keep yourself alive, find the right mindset to hammer down on you. Learn what you need and I'll let you go after the Bone Demon. After all, I'm still your mentor, aren't I?"

Xiu slowly found herself smiling back at him, seeing his familiar 'I ain't interested, but I'm helping you' sort of attitude from the black furred simian. "I knew it. You're not suitable to act as a villain," she cackles a laughter.

Macaque shrugs, "You know me, I'm just in it for the drama effect. I got them though, didn't I?"

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