Molten Iresis (FurnaceRedAU)

14- A Moon And Two Rings

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Wukong glowed vibrantly, leaning against the railing.

The kids trained with Macaque, dodging his kicks with soft laughs as the other adults sat and watched, basking in the sun.

"Mac, come on! I know you're old, but-- ACK I'M SORRY-!" MK grunted as he was swung over the warrior's shoulder, landing roughly on his back. Mei cackled wildly, "Old man, one! Young dingdong, zero!" The boy whined, "Mac, I swear-- Mac?"

Everyone, save for Wukong, stepped back as the ebony monkey growled, clutching his head. He tried and failed to open a portal, to get away from them.

He stopped fighting himself.

MK yelled out a warning as the monkey sunk into bone-white shadows laced in blue, chasing down its path, "Stop-! Macaque!" The shadows continued to move, darting straight for the glowing king. MK reached out, fingers brushing against his mentor's clothes--

Gone.

The hero stumbled, bumping against the railing, "Wukong!" Mei gasped, pointing up, "There!"

Macaque stood eerily still, the unresponsive monkey in his hands as he held him over the ship's edge. Sandy raised his hands, "Come on, Mac...just place him down slowly..." Tang fumbled, "On the ship! Not into the trees."

Macaque's bright blue eyes didn't move. His breathing could be seen as cool vapor, framing his blinding white facial markings. His arms trembled, bending slightly before suddenly throwing the king.

MK yelped, leaping forward and using his staff to launch himself over the railing, Mei and Sandy keeping the staff balanced as MK caught his mentor, nearly slipping off. The brunette shrunk his staff, sending him and Wukong barreling into the ship.

Mei and Sandy barely managed to push their end of the staff down, launching MK and Wukong in an arch overhead, sending them crashing down. Stars erupted from within MK's eyes, causing the world to spin. He clumsily sat up, blinking slowly.

Macaque was being watched by Pigsy and Tang. The former had a spoon in one hand, bent on smacking any shadows back. Tang simply flipped through his book, trying to find a way to help the warrior.

A sudden flash of golden light shone through, and a figure was standing, sniffing the air, "Don't worry, Master! I've got this!" He threw himself forward, startling the possessed shadow user. Wukong grabbed Macaque by the shirt, leaning in and sniffing the air, "...Mac..? What are you doing, silly? You smell like that witch!"

MK barely let out a warning as the king was hit, pushing him back, "He's possessed, Wukong!"

The freckled monkey gasped angrily, "That damned ice witch did this!" He huffed, magic erupting from his hands as he brushed them up against Macaque, dodging any attacks with simple side-steps.

"Wujing, help a monkey out and grab Mac! C'mon, Big Blue!" Sandy blinked in surprise, "...He's calling me something else?" The scholar cried out, "Great! A possessed Macaque and an amnestic Wukong. FUN!" Tang laughed anxiously as Sandy snuck up behind the warrior.

Years of being a cat owner actually improved his stealth, funny enough.

Macaque hissed as large hands wrapped around his body, joined by golden magic that was much warmer than the ice within his body. The warrior grunted in pain as he managed to fight against the demoness's powers, blinking hesitantly, "...Hi."

Wukong grinned as Sandy placed the warrior down, and Wukong hugged him happily, "Macaque! You're okay!"

Not for long, Macaque knew. His time was running out, and they still needed one last ring. As the monkeys hugged, the shadows took a specific scroll held within the king's clothes.

"Hey, Wukong? It's getting dark and we're all pretty tired. Why don't you go help Pi-- Baiji set up dinner?" The ginger smiled, hands out and eyes glowing as he carefully searched for the pig, "...Huh, his soul's kinda different." Macaque made sure not to be in the other's line of sight as he pushed him forward, "Yup, now go ahead. Chop chop!"

He then glanced at Mei.

---

The shadow clone replaced him seamlessly, Wukong wrapped his arms around it, unaware it wasn't his friend.

Macaque slinked about, moving along the quiet ship. The darkness was familiar to him, it was a part of him, after all. But the guilt thundering in his chest threatened to burst wide open as he appeared within the dragon girl's room.

She was sleeping soundly, sprawled across her bed and snoring just as loudly as Wukong whenever he had had a busy day.

He unrolled the scroll, staring at the words and symbols instructing him on what to do. The warrior stepped forward, hands outstretched. Mei didn't budge as he began to softly chant, twitching his fingers as he sensed her magic and the ring's within her.

He grabbed onto a violent string of power, hissing mutely as it seared his palms. He continued to pull anyway, pulled gleaming gold as it began to form above her head. The same spot Ao Lie had been struck.

Macaque grabbed the newly formed ring, staring at Mei's now silent figure. He listened to her heart, taking note she seemed unaffected thanks to the scroll's knowledge.

He snuck out of the room, ring in hand.

---

"Wukong, wake up."

The warrior shook Wukong's shoulder, and the stone monkey blinked owlishly, yawning, "Mmh?"

Macaque shoved something around the king's wrist, making the ring shrink into a bracelet before pulling Wukong's sleeves over it, "I need you to take care of this. Please, please don't let anything happen. Okay?"

Guilt swirled like a violent storm at sea, threatening to swallow him whole as Wukong groggily nodded, "I promise. What is it?" Macaque pushed the king back into bed, "Magic jewelry. To keep the kids safe. Go to sleep, I'm gonna go...make sure the trail ahead is okay."

He used his shadows to coax the sage to sleep, standing back as a cold twinge of power called for him.

---

When Wukong woke up, his memories had returned.

Kind of. Some stuff was still missing, but he knew they were on a trip to defeat LBD, and they had all three rings. Now to remind himself where they were flying to.