Wukong woke up an hour before they arrived at the Demon Bull King Family's fortress. It was surrounded by lava and steamed, blacked rocks marking the land. The king had embraced MK for the rest of the drive, chirping weakly to calm himself down.
"We'll be fine." MK whispered, smile soft on his rounded face. Wukong exhaled, wispy puffs of air escaping his lips. His heart was thundering in his chest as he spoke, "Bao bei, what if he still hates me? What if we have to deceive him?" The brunette shrugged, wiggling in place, "He won't. You're brothers, too."
The king pulled away, a sad gaze on his face. MK felt his heart stutter and weighed down, "No, really, I promise you'll be okay." Wukong laughed, "I should be the one telling you this! It must be daunting." MK's smile fell, "I sealed him away, too." Wukong grimaced, shaking his head, "No, you didn't. MK, you aren't... You didn't--"
MK pulled away, smiling as if nothing had happened, "We're here. Come on, Mei is coming to get us."
---
Red Son gawked at the group before hesitantly letting them inside.
Now, sitting around the dining table with the Demon Bull King Family, MK wanted nothing more but to disappear. But he wouldn't do anything too rash, not with Wukong gripping his hand beneath the table, shakily breathing with a calm smile on his face.
MK was the one who spoke up, "We need the Samadhi Fire. We need your ring, please." Mei spoke out next, grinning confidently, "I can wield the Samadhi. We can save everyone!" Princess Iron Fan denied, glare set on her face, "That fire cannot be controlled! The world will be destroyed--"
"More than it already has been?"
Silence.
MK swallowed thickly, knowing he could take back what he'd said.
"The Lady Bone Demon is literally freezing the world over. She will stop at nothing to make it nothing. Literally nothing." MK tapped the table, ignoring the food in front of him, "The fire's the only thing that can stop her." He then looked over at Red Son.
"Is that why he's always angry?" The small boy looked up into red-gold eyes, "Because they took his fire?" Wukong smiled, shaking his head, "No, it's because he is like his mother." He then gave a teasing smirk, "And she's a whole whirlwind!" Qi Xiaotian laughed, shaking his head, "How is that possible? She makes wind, how did he make the Samadhi?"
"We can't save anyone without your fire." MK watched as the redhead's eyes widened. He looked up at his parents, mouth hanging in shock. The Demon Bull King exhaled slowly, recounting a story from long ago. A story of a little boy, born from a demon and a celestial, with power his small body could not handle.
Wukong exhaled slowly through his nose, and MK duly noted how he hadn't eaten, "We need your ring. Please." The resigned tone echoed out, crushing them down. The bull stared at the monkey, and suddenly glanced over at MK.
"...Fine. But you better be true to your words."
---
Red Son avoided MK for a while. He insisted it was to train Mei as much as he could until they had to leave again, but it hurt.
Wukong had said Mk wasn't the one who'd sealed away the Demon Bull King. And the worst part was that the king had been so sure and so terribly honest. MK had believed his words to be universal. But now he wasn't so sure.
"You doin okay, kid?" Pigsy patted the brunette's back, eyes glazed with worry. MK exhaled, wilting.
What was he doing wrong? What was he missing? What was he not understanding? His past lives keep insisting he isn't them, and yet... They are. They are the same soul, different minds. Memories merged and combined, and it made MK want to scream.
YOU ARE READING
Incarnate
Fanfiction(Restart AU) Legends had it that the Monkey King, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, had created a being much like him. The spirit of a celestial primate, birthed to inhabit a different body after each cycle of their life. Every century, they are rebor...
