It had been a few days after min's encounter with the small fox spirit. Turns out her name was trixx and she's kinda min's spirit animal slash trainer or something. Which was why she's been taking min to a magical arena to learn more about her fox powers, and so they don't risk hurting anyone during training.
And it turns out, one day in the real world is like five days in the arena world, which was why it's been up to thirty days since min started training and she's been improving a lot. But she still has the scar on her cheek problem. Luckily tuliza pops up when ever she needs it.
It's only been six days in the really world and she's missed a lot, along with mk, so the gang decided they should all hang out. Which was why they were at a place called shadow play at the moment.
"I'm so excited! I haven't been to the movies in ages!". Mk exclaimed excitedly, as pigsy gave him a odd look.
"Uh, kid. This ain't a cinema". Pigsy said.
"It's a shadow play. With puppets". Tang added.
"Wha? Puppet? No! I thought we were seeing kung-fu monkey cop the movie!". Mk shows everyone a poster of said movie.
"Uh, check the back". Mei suggested, as mk did as he was told and frowned, seeing that they were right.
Min chuckled. "Oh relax. Shadow plays are just as interesting as movies. They're way more realistic". She said, while mk puts his poster down.
"Oh, mei, min, isn't that the guy who gave us that weird key". He asked,spotting the creepy smiling mayor in the back.
"You mean the magic key that can unlock anything? Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is him. I'm also pretty sure that he's still not actually the mayor". Mei exclaimed, as the three teenagers gave him suspicious looks.
"That's because he isn't". Min muttered, glaring daggers at the mayor, who caught sight of them and waved at them.
"Hellooo! Ho ha!".
Tang looked freaked out while mk nervously waved back, and min continued to glare.
"Well that's not creepy at all". Tang said.
"The point is, whatever we're watching you've earned a break, kids". Pigsy said to mk and min.
"You have been training super hard, and min's been disappearing lately. I can't remember the last time we all just hang out together. I miss this". Mei exclaimed.
"So was sandy just busy or . . ."
The teenagers ignored the scholar.
"What are you talking about? We hang out all the time". Mk exclaimed, as min crossed her arms.
"Six days isn't that far away, mei". She said.
"Huh-uh girlfriend. It's always monkey king this or fox training that or some scary sceleton thing that's with you lately". Mei exclaimed, crossing her arms.
Min got surprised by the sceleton part. Has mk being seeing them too? She was interrupted from her thoughts when tang spoke up.
"Just yesterday, you two blew off checkers night because min had a baby sitting job and you had to study. Study what I might ask?". Tang throws checkers into mk's face.
Mk stood up and began waving his hands to stop everyone from questioning him any further. "Alright! Alright! I get it! It's just . . . Monkey king said . . ."
He paused and frowned, looking like he was remembering something, to which min got concern. He probably must have gone through a lot in the pass few days.
"I just . . . Need to be ready". He sat back on his seat.
"Ready for what?". Pigsy asked, but wasn't able to get a reply when the lights turned off.
Tang quickly shushed the pig demon. "It's starting!".
"Tang, would you-'.
Tang shushed him again by placing a hand on his lips, making pigsy to sweetdrop. Suddenly, a shadow ran by and everyone starts to get uneasy. On stage, a shadow-like puppet drops down and turns to the audience with a creepy purple glowing smiley face.
Tang and pigsy immediately hugged each other out of fear as sweet rolled down their faces.
"Tang, what kind of play did you sat this was?". Pigsy asked, before the curtains opened up to reveal a hooded figure on stage.
"Welcome viewers to a shadow play, the likes, which of have never been seen". He held up a glowing purple lantern as the background showed a figure holding a staff. "It follows the tragic tale of a legendary worrior, and how those who bring light into this world can inevitably bring darkness to those they hold dear".
The shadow play shows the figure being over shadowed by darkness.
"Mei, min, I just realized something". Mk whispered. "
What?". Mei asked.
"Something seems off to you too?". Min asked, guessing he must have thought the play was a little suspicious as well.
"I-i . . . I don't have snacks!".
Min sweetdrops. "That's what this is about?".
"Kid, relax! You literally just ate". Pigsy scolded.
"Must get snacks!".
"Ugh, fine. Go grab some snacks!".
"I think I better come with you just in case-". Min didn't get to finish what she was saying when mk darted out of the theatre in the speed of light.
"And don't forget to get me some-".
Pigsy shushed the noodle eating scholar, smirking. Min looked at the door mk ran out off and couldn't help but feel like he was hiding something. She quickly shrugged it off for now and went back to focusing on the play.
"Like light, heroes bring warmth, hope and friendship".
The puppeteer's lantern floats and began shinning brighter as the other as covered their faces from the blinding light, but min still managed to get a peek at the show.
"But it also gives life to the darkness".
Before they knew what was happening, their shadows were being sucked into the lantern and the gang disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Min opened her eyes and saw that she was floating in some kind of dark purple void.
"Woah! Where am I?".
"You're in the lantern, min".
Min turned around at the sudden voice and saw gaung xuming floating there.
"Gaung xuming, it's you!".
"Not exactly, I am nothing but a mare shadow of her".
"Oh, that's still cool I guess. But what are you doing here? And how did I get here". Min asked.
"The person who brought you here is none other than the six-eared macaque himself". Xuming said, as min's eyes widened in realization.
"Macaque, if course! This is a shadow play, so duh! . . . But then, why does he hate me so much?".
"That is why I'm here, child. To tell you the story of the worrior, the hero, and the princess. You already know the tale of the princess?". Xuming smiled down at the girl, who looked confused.
"Princess? . . . Oh, wait! It's you! You're the princess! Then that would mean that the worrior and hero are-".
"Save it for the story, min".
"Oh, right. Sorry".
Xuming chuckled. "The hero and the worrior were like the sun and the moon. Their light, a protective glow shinning upon the world. Together there was nothing that could stop them, either the celestial realms, or on earth. As time went on, the hero attained power beyond comprehension and even befriends the daughter of a great and powerful demon, the princess. The worrior wasn't so found of the princess considering where she came from and her past deeds. He even tried to warn The hero about her, but he did not listen, for he saw good inside of her and he was in love with her as well. And she felt the same way".
Guang xuming smiled at that little piece of memory, before continuing her story.
"As the hero and the princess's love for each other grew, so did the hero's light, but so too did his shadow. And in so, the worrior was cast in that shadow. The princess tried to reason and befriend the worrior, but his envy and hatred towards her was too strong. So in the darkness, the worrior was forgotten by the hero . . .".
Min couldn't help but feel bad for the worrior. "Oh. That's . . . That's really deep".
Immediately she thought of MK and how he must've been feeling all this while. Kinda like the worrior.
"It kind of reminds me about mk".
"Monkey king's successor?". Xuming asked.
"Yeah. Ever since I found trixx, I've been training with her in the arena for six whole days. Well, thirty to be exact. And when I came back here to watch this play with my friends, I've been noticing mk hasn't been himself. And I figured it's because monkey king left and his hiding something from us . . . From me".
Xuming placed a hand on min's shoulder. "You really care about him, don't you?".
"More than anything. Because i-". Min paused. She couldn't believe she was about to say something like that. It's not like it's true or anything, is it?. "I'm worried about him".
"If you're worried about him then you should talk to him".
"I . . . That's not actually a bad idea". Min sighed. "I guess that also means I should find a way to talk to macaque too, huh?".
Guang xuming nodded. "That's a good girl. I just feel sorry that you'll have to fight your lover now".
Min raised a brow in confusion. "My what?".
Suddenly, she felt her body being drawed backwards.
"W-what's happening?".
She looked at her body that was being pulled back by shadowy tenticles and gasp.
"Goodbye, min".
Min looked at the demon that was now disappearing into the darkness.
"Gaung xuming!". She cried, before she was yanked away into the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The second the hero got real power, he couldn't care less about his friends. That's you, bud". Macaque said to Mk.
"Me?". Mk questioned, looking at the shadow of the hero looking back at the worrior before walking away. "I-i'm not like that".
Macaque narrowed his eyes. "Hmm, I beg to differ, kiddo".
He made his lantern bring out shadows of mei, pigsy, tang and min, to which mk gasp.
"Guys!".
"Oh, did you just realize they were missing? Classic hero manoeuvre. Maybe it's just me, but these guys don't look to happy about being left in the shadow of the great monkie kid. You even neglected the hybrid. So much for promising to always protect her".
Shadow pigsy charged at mk but he was able to hold his punch. Shadow tang leaped into the air and came down kicking mk on the head. Mk could've sworn he saw a struggling tang trying to break free before he was kicked away and crashed into the wall.
"Also, side note, how did you not know it was me? Shadows? It's kind of my gimmick, isn't it? Even the hybrid kitsune would've figured it out by now".
MK growls angrily and was about to charge at him until shadow mei appeared from behind and grabbed him.
"Hay, don't look at me. Focus!"
Shadow mei disappears and shadow min reappears and throws mk to the ground. Hard.
"Ooh! This bit might hurt!".
The shadow gang piled up on mk, pinning him to the ground.
"Mk, don't give up"
Min's voice was heard coming from her shadow clone as mk got new found determination. He activated his gold vision and looked at the cackling macaque before looking at the lantern containing his friends souls.
"That's it!".
MK begins to grunt as he sees flashes of the young girl with spider queen and of his friends.
"We believe in you. I believe in you".
"Enough!".
MK pushes the shadow clones off him as he summons his staff. He hits the ground with it before leaping into the ceiling and charged at a shocked macaque, swinging his staff.
Macaque quickly recovers and blocks the staff from hitting him. Mk blinks as his eyes turned back to normal and he gasp in surprise.
"You're right. That is enough. Ya know, you really are just that bit too much like him. But it's good to see there's some potential".
Macaque breaks the lantern and the others souls returned to their shadows as they were sent flying back.
Once the smoke cleared up, the theatre is revealed to be destroyed while the gang were on the ground, groaning.
Min gets up to her knees as she runs her head. "Ow. My head hurts".
"Guys!". Mk ran over and tackled everyone into a bone crushing hug as he tears up.
Mei glances around. "What happened? Wait! Is that?".
They see the doors shutting close and mk glares. He then ran out just in time to see macaque walking away.
"What is your deal? Why did you do that?". Mk asked, as macaque turned to him.
"Hmm? Oh! Why'd I break the lamp? Well, I was gonna do the whole watch the hero be tormented by their own mistakes thing, but seems like you're kinda already doing that to yourself, which honestly has been an absolute pleasure to watch".
MK looks back after hearing the dark monkey's voice behind him but saw nothing as he began looking around the alley he was in while macaque's voice. echoed.
"Ya know, I meant what i said, you really are a good kid. A good kid with a really terrible teacher".
MK narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were my teacher".
Macaque chuckled. "Ohohho! Ouch!".
MK the realized something. "It was you, wasn't it? In the story. Monkey king was the hero, and the worrior was you, right?".
"Maybe you're not as dense as you look".
MK turned around at macaque's voice but he disappeared. Mk glared and squeezed his fist.
"Something's coming".
MK turns and saw macaque standing on top of A building.
"Something you're not even close to ready for. And keep a close eye on that half-demon of yours. She could use it. But don't worry, you can never have too many teachers, right?".
With that, macaque disappeared. Suddenly, the others busted out of the doors.
"Kid, explain. Now!". Pigsy demanded, as mk turned to them, tapping his fingers together.
"Uh, okay. But we're definitely gonna need snacks".
Everyone gave him a disbelief look but decided to agree to it, then turned around to go back into the theatre. Mk was about to follow until a hand grabbed his hand, making him to turned around to see min.
"Mins?".
"I heard everything macaque said, mk. Talk to me".
MK sighed. "Min . . ."
"Look, I know you've been deviated ever since monkey king left. Not only that, but you've been seeing sceletons as well. Please mk, tell me what's going on. You already made a promise to keep no more secrets from me".
MK looked into her eyes and knew she was dead serious. He sighed, giving into her demand. "Alright".
Min grinned and nodded. "Good".