How had it gone so wrong?
The Brotherhood and Wukong were so close to victory...
But then his friends were surrounded, and as he stared into Macaque's eyes the Jade Emperor appeared before him. The deity had demanded that Wukong surrender... or his mortal companions would be killed. And Wukong's choice was obvious.
They had then decided to attempt to kill him off, which obviously failed. So they threw him into a furnace, a desperate attempt of containment, really. The metal had been gradually heating up, and the monkey winced as his clothes started to burn. His boots began to melt, his fur began to dry out, and then his vision started to blur as tears began to build up.
--
Wukong yowled, pounding his fists against the red-hot metal, demanding he be let out. The king whimpered as the smoke stung his eyes relentlessly, and he blinked harshly as his tear ducts caused tears to flow freely. But soon enough they dried up as soon as they formed, joining the seething air.
The monkey squeezed his eyes shut as they protested with how dry they were. Wukong continued to pound his fists against the furnace's interior, screaming as rage boiled feverishly within him.
--
Wukong snarled, red eyes glowing vibrantly as he clumsily stomped forward. Smoke and ash bellowed out around him, and his vision was heavily blurred.
All he could see were the souls of each celestial present before him, as unique as a fingerprint. He was so enraged he didn't notice his lack of sight or his new Eyes of Truth. So he leaped forward, attacking whoever was unfortunate enough to get snagged in his grasp.
And then Buddha was called down.
Wukong's Gold Vision had run out by then, and it dawned on him that he couldn't see.
Everything was blurred, shifting colors and then a booming voice was all he was aware of. Something large moved to touch him, and Wukong snarled, slashing furiously at the offending object.
The object was Buddha's hand.
--
Wukong sobbed tearlessly, trapped beneath a mountain.
He couldn't shed any tears, the damage done to his eyes extended to his tear ducts. They were itchy and dry, and he could smell infection from his upper face. His eyes... He wouldn't be surprised if his eyes had gotten infected.
The infection ran rampant, and he let out another dry sob as his fever left him trembling. He snivled, wishing he had tears to wash out the gunk in his eyes and the grime on his face. Wukong wished desperately, begging for his mind to wander.
He began to daydream, tracing out each memory he still had.
Wukong imagined laughing with his warrior as they threw fruit at each other childishly. A sudden thought dimmed his small joy, I will eventually forget what he looks like. Macaque...will he forget Wukong..?
His hazy eyes snapped open, reminding him once again he couldn't see.
--
The monk... Was strange.
He was a white-and-beige blur smudged with gold, speaking softly, "Are you Sun Wukong?" The monkey had received a visit from Guanyin a while back, she had told him that he'd be freed as long as he protected Tang Sanzang, or Tripitaka, on his journey to deliver scrolls. Wukong lifted his head, activating his Gold Vision, and was blinded by the sheer amount of golden light the holy man's soul emitted.
Wukong grimaced, "...Are you Tang Sanzang?"
The monk had then freed him, and to ensure it really was a mountain Wukong was trapped underneath, the monkey had cautiously used his strength to wiggle his way out. After all, what if it wasn't a mountain? What if it was something that could get the monk carelessly killed? So he only shoved boulders apart, finally standing up in front of who he assumed was Tripitaka.
"Lead the way, master."
--
They were ambushed, and the black and gray blobs claimed to be thieves.
Wukong squinted his eyes, nudging the monk and whispering, "Are they actually dangerous..?" The man beside him nodded, and Wukong could hear his headpiece's fabric tails move, "I see. Okay, you run, and I'll hit them with my staff."
Before Tripitaka could say anything, Wukong had already dove forward, hitting any men he could with his powerful weapon. Red fell around him, and he honestly couldn't tell if it was due to injury or death.
Once the thieves were no longer fighting-- either they fled, or-- Wukong turned around to face the monk's blurred figure, "...Are they gone..?" Sue him for asking. He hadn't exactly been able to get used to his new...circumstances.
The monk swallowed thickly, "You killed some of the thieves! Monkey, as my disciple you cannot take a life so savagely!" Wukong blinked owlishly, and the monk took note of how his line of sight went past him. "I'm sorry master, but I couldn't tell I was hurting them so badly."
Wukong knew by now that Heaven was aware of his eyes, Guanyin had said so herself! She had even introduced herself to Wukong, allowing him to observe her soul and everything! Surely they'd told the monk before strapping Wukong to him!
"...I see. Well, please be more aware next time."
Wukong nodded, trying to ignore the way his charred clothes rubbed against his sore skin and fur. The duo continued to walk, Wukong simply following the holy man.
--
They had new companions.
Wukong simply had to announce who they were and each member made themselves present! ...Well, except Pigsy. Wukong had to track him down via Gold Vision and drag him kicking and screaming into the journey.
The pig demon huffed loudly, "Pass me that, will ya?" Wukong stared at the pink and blue blur-- Swine's arm..?-- And eyed the colors on the white cloth.
"...Hand you what?" The pig groaned loudly, "I'm literally pointing at the apple, stupid monkey! Were you born an idiot or something?" Wujing gasped, "Baiji! Do not call him an idiot!"
See, the river demon and Tripitaka had come up with theories together. Along with Ao Lie, using his intel from spending time with Wukong, to explain his odd behaviors.
Like how the monkey sniffed things before actually facing them. Or how he only reacted to living beings whenever he made his eyes glow with the use of Gold Vision, which he claimed allowed him to see a person's soul. He couldn't seem to focus his eyes on anything specific. And he constantly asked questions that seemed fairly obvious.
Recently he'd become better at managing his strange habits. But there were still issues, such as the fruit mixup that happened just now. And this was just another example added to the list of reasons why something was up with their monkey companion.
Wukong clumsily grabbed the apple, throwing it at the pig. Baiji yelped when the fruit hit him in the chest, and he glared at the king, "You didn't have to throw it, jerk!" The monkey grinned, "Sorry. I couldn't tell where to throw it."
Tripitaka suddenly lit up, "Ah! Wukong, I actually got you something when we stopped by the village!" He held up a neatly folded stack of fresh clothes. The others winced, once again reminded of the monkey's sorry state of clothing. They were basically worn-down charred rags hanging off his dirtied body.
Wukong stared past the clothes, wrinkling his nose in confusion, "...What is it..?"
Tripitaka sighed, "All right, that's enough. Wukong, we've tried waiting for you to say something, but clearly, we can't beat around the bush anymore." Wukong blinked, "...Beat around a bush..? Why are you beating a bush..?" Wujing chuckled softly as Ao Lie shifted into his more casual form, "Wukong, what he means to say is that we know there's something going on with you but all we've been doing is speculate."
The monkey's eyes widened, "Oh my word. You guys really didn't know!" He cackled loudly, collapsing on his bottom as he rolled along the grass. Baiji grumbled, "What? Why are you laughing?"
Wukong sat up, wiping away imaginary tears, "I'm blind! When I was placed in the furnace, the smoke damaged them, and then later on they were damaged further under that 'mountain'! My vision is blurred beyond repair." Wukong suddenly rested his chin on the palm of his hand, humming, "...Was it actually a mountain? Like, a big, jagged mountain?"
The others stared at him in blankly and Ao Lie held up the pile of items, "...Tripitaka brought you clothes."
--
Tripitaka narrowed his eyes at 'Wukong' as he smiled and waved. The others were just as wary, and Wujing had been sent out to find Wukong under the guise of searching for a village.
Wukong had gone off to Guanyin under Tripitaka's orders. The monkey had been suffering from his dry eyes, and without tears to at least help lubricate them, he was constantly walking around with his eyes completely closed. So the monk had ordered him to get some sort of medicine to help him.
But when Wukong had 'returned'... He was obviously a fake.
The biggest reason was the fact that he could see. He looked Tripitaka in the eye, golden pupils focused solely on his as he greeted the monk. And he wasn't tripping or dropping things.
And sure, Wukong wasn't terribly clumsy. But he still stumbled and missed items when he reached for them too hastily. This imposter, however, had no such problems.
"Master, are you hungry?" The monkey held up a bowl of rice, smiling sweetly. The monk took note of how 'Wukong' didn't sniff the rice first or examine it thoroughly with his Gold Vision to ensure it was normal everyday rice.
Tripitaka politely declined, "Thank you, but I am not yet hungry."
--
Wujing arrived, carrying Wukong on his shoulders.
The monkey squinted his eyes, "Master? Who is this?" He hopped down, nearly falling on top of Ao Lie, whose green robes blended into the grass, "Sorry, Dragon Boy. Didn't see you there!" The dragon chuckled, "I know, Wukong."
'Wukong' stood in shock. How did they know who was who..?
Wukong walked up to the other monkey, sniffing him, "You smell familiar. I know you, don't I?" His eyes suddenly glowed and he grinned, "Wait a minute! I know that soul of yours anywhere! Macaque, what are you doing here? I thought you'd escaped with the others."
Macaque seethed, dropping his disguise, "You left us. You surrendered! You, of all people-- What? Did they promise to let you off scotch-free? And here you are, new buddies in tow--" Wukong frowned, "Wait, wait, wait! Hold up, you guys think nothing happened to me? Seriously?"
Only then did Macaque notice how the king's eyes...looked past him.
"...They did something to you. Oh, gods, Wukong what did they..." Wukong shrugged, trying to keep the mood light, "I surrendered to help you all escape, it's the least I could do after dragging you all to your doom. And the celestials had their...revenge? Fun? I don't really know."
Macaque felt a surge of anger and confusion crash into him, "Wukong."
"What did they do to you."
The king sighed, closing his eyes tightly as he remembered each mistake he'd ever committed. He smiled softly, still trying to savage the mood.
"Nothing I didn't deserve."
--
Macaque was still reeling, unsure of what to think.
Wukong was blinded, trapped, tortured--
And he'd done it so he and the Brotherhood could escape. And all this time they'd assumed the worst of him... Macaque sobbed, "Oh, they wanted to fight again! All except for Demon Bull King. Heard he's married now, the others... I tried to tell them not to! They wouldn't listen--"
Wukong squeezed him, "Oh. They're trapped too, right? Like how I was?"
"A scroll. They deemed them dangerous, so now they're in a scroll." Wukong nodded slowly, "I see."
Macaque frowned, Wukong's sacrifice had been in vane after all. At least the others on the journey had granted them space to reconcile.
The only reason they hadn't attacked the shadow user was simply due to the obvious fact that Wukong was so happy to reunite with him, completely unaware that he'd impersonated the king.
A stab of guilt cut into the warrior as he stopped crying, "Wukong?"
Unfocused red eyes attempted to look into his, "Hm?" Black-furred hands groomed the king's messed-up curls, "I'm staying with you. We'll help you navigate better than any other, deal?" Wukong beamed, accidentally looking above Macaque's form, "Really? You mean it?"
The king's lip quivered and his nose wrinkled, a tell-tale sign that he was tearing up.
Macaque felt another stab of guilt as Wukong hugged him, letting out a dry sob.
Wukong couldn't form tears, after all.
--------------------
Next chapter will also be around the journey's time frame but we will get to the Monkie Kid stuff soon enough!
How Wukong's vision appears to him:
Gold Vision/ Eyes of Truth:
In JTTW he is described to be a bit blind after the furnace, like a person who needs glasses (Tang). However, I decided that wasn't enough and then based his poor sight off of some research my accompl-- friend sent me at some point 😀