Chapter Text
Flower Fruit Mountain. About a day's journey from the Endless Sea and a few gusts of wind away from a tropical cyclone that could tear even rocks from the ground. It’s located solidly on the meridian of misery. My village still stands after several generations. However, the buildings are all new. We have food galore, large jungles and forests, a clear crystal pond, and tall mountains that would put the clouds to shame as they scrape the heavens. The only problem is the pests. Normal people have roaches or mice. We have…
SLAM
The door shuts harshly behind me as I slam it. I can feel the scalding water boiling on the other side of the door. The steaming water sprays inside the house, wetting the wooden floors and soaking everything it touches.
“Monsters…!”
Most people would probably leave, pack up, and go after the first sight of a Phoenix sending fireballs at their camp. Not us, though. We are demons. We have egotistical stubbornness issues.
My name is Mk. Great name, I know. But it’s not the worst. Honestly, it’s more of a nickname for everyone but my father. The people on my mountain believe that proudly saying weird names will frighten off misfortune. It’s not like our friendly demeanour wouldn’t do that. Screams and battle cries echo around me as fire and scalding water fire in every direction while I run. Running demons and agitated creatures fight around me as I try to slither through the chaos.
A concentrated yet chaotic blast from a Hundun sends me stumbling back, landing on my back as a big snake demon yells above me.
“RAAGH!! Morning, kid!”
I quickly continue running as he jumps off. Villagers yell at me to go home and get back inside, but I ignore them all. However, just as I’m passing through the village square, I’m grabbed by the collar of my scratchy beige tunic just as a Qiongqi blasts rays of heat down the path leading to the magically sealed cave.
“Mk! What is he doing out again-!? What are you doing out? Get inside!” The Monkey King shouted as I was aggressively shoved to the side. That’s Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the King of Flower Fruit Mountain. They say that when he was a baby, he blasted a monster’s head clean off its body with a laser beam. Do I believe it? Yes, I do.
Large flaming pillars with bases of iron rise into the sky as I run into the blacksmith's hut, weapons lining the walls as the fire blazes in the forge. Stone bangs against metal while a large pig demon hammers a sword. A cowardly human hides underneath a table, shaking and flinching at every loud sound coming from outside the shop.
“Nice of you to join us! Tang was getting worried you had gotten snatched.” The pig demon snorts, his sarcastic words followed by a smile that holds the slightest hint of gruff care. However, the frown that replaces it perfectly masks the smirk.
“Yeah, you can’t keep us waiting like that, Mk!” The scholar tries to add on, but shrinks back underneath the table at the sound of another attack.
“What? You mean me? No, I’m waaay too furry for their tastes! They would get fluff stuck in their teeth!”
I retort, gently kicking a long tasting spoon into the other room with a grin while my hands busy themselves with tying the knot on my leather apron.
“Well, they need toothbrushes, don’t they?”
The pig demon with an attitude and cooking tools stuffed into a corner is Pigsy. He’s the only one who would give me a job on the island. However, he doesn’t pay me at all. We don’t have much use for money around here. It’s mostly trade. So, for the best help I can give, he teaches me to cook and gives me free noodles on occasion. I’ve worked for him ever since I was little. Well, little-er. Despite his cold exterior, he does care, just in his own way, usually by cooking delicious food for Tang and me.
I grab an armful of busted weapons from the windowed counter and take them over to the heating area. I press down on the large bellows, using almost my entire body weight just to press the simple mechanism all the way down. A burning watery blast shakes the ground as it hits its target, a responding whimper coming from the side of the room.
The human hiding under the table is Tang, Pigsy’s husband and the village's most knowledgeable scholar. He used to tell me stories of the King’s great accomplishments, as well as other great tales from demon history. Despite him being a wimp when it comes to the creatures he’s an expert on, he’s the most liked human on the island. He’s a real sweetheart most of the time, though, and treats me considerably well.
A house is suddenly struck by a fireball as an avian screech reverberates through the air. The house burns quickly, the blaze spreading like a flood of flames, devouring the wooden building. See? Old village, lots and lots of new houses.
“Fire!” Someone shouts in the distance, alerting the group responsible for damage control.
A group of teens sprints past the weaponry as I’m about to grab another armful of weapons. However, they quickly steal my attention as a few of them grab buckets of water from a big barrel of water on wheels. I lean out the window, eagerly wanting to watch the others my age.
That’s Syntax, Huntsman, the twins, Jin and Yin, and their leader, a fire demon who can fire flames without water.
Fire swirls around the boy in a practiced dance as I stare in amazement from the blacksmith window. I can’t help but watch in awe. No one can do anything as amazingly as he does.
Ahhh, Red son…
“Their job is so much cooler than mine…” I mutter, thinking aloud, before I’m snatched away from the counter with a growl from Pigsy.
“Nope!”
“Aw, come on! Please let me go, I need to make my mark!” I beg, hoping to try at least to join the fight.
“Oh, you’ve made plenty of marks, kid. All in the wrong places!”
“Please, just two minutes. I’ll kill a monster. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date!” I plead, a slight desperation in my voice. Even if I got a kill, I doubt it would be anything big enough to get Red Son to go on a date with me. He probably wouldn't even look at me.
“You can‘t throw, you can't swing a staff, and your powers are messy and out of control every time you try to use them.”
“Okay, fine, but this can throw them for me!”
I announced proudly, presenting the semi-magical machine I built, which, when I placed a hand on it, shot a bola straight at a passing demon outside the window. It would’ve been Pigsy if he hadn't dodged at the last second. Tang let out a small yelp at the sight, startled by the sudden malfunction.
“See, this is exactly what I'm talking about.”
The weapon-making cook shouts, pointing at the confused demon as they fall to the floor.
“A mild calibration issue—”
I try to defend myself, but I'm quickly interrupted by the pig demon.
“Mk. If you want to get out there and fight monsters, you need to stop all of… this.” He says, gesturing his hands at me.
“But you just pointed to all of me?”
“Yes! That’s it! Stop being all of you!” Pigsy points at me, lightly poking my chest. The action causes me to take a step back.
“Oooooh,” I gasp dramatically, feigning indignance towards my boss.
“Oooh,” Tang echoed, quietly cheering me on with a smile from underneath the table.
“Oh, yes.”
“You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping all this, raw… demon contained. There will be consequences!” I exclaim, a golden light shining from my hands as I attempt to awaken a power inherited from my father, only for it to sputter out disappointingly.
“I’ll take my chances,” Pigsy walks away unamused before shoving a long sword into my arms. “Sword. Sharpen. Now.”
I grunt from the weight of the weapon cradled in my weak arms, taking it over to the grindstone. Sparks fly as the blade touches the spinning stone.
One day, I’ll get out there because killing a monster is everything here. A Hundun is sure to get me at least noticed; they’re big but easy to take down. A Qiongqi is tough; taking down one of those would definitely get me a partner. Nine-Tailed Foxes? Exotic, two creatures, twice the status. And then there’s the Phoenix; only the strongest demons take those on. They have this nasty habit of constantly being on fire.
But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one’s ever seen. We call it the-
“EMERALD FURY!” Someone cries in the distance. The scrape of metal against stone halts as I stop sharpening the sword to listen.
A dragonic screech followed by a blur of green soars through the night sky. A blast of bright green fire shoots down a catapult in the distance.
It never steals food, never shows itself,
Another blast of green flames hits the tower, the force of the attack collapsing the entire building with a crash of stone and wood.
I drop the sword on the table that hides the human scholar, and run towards the counter window, hoping to catch a glance of the mysterious creature.
And never misses. The dragon’s fire is stronger than even a Phoenix’s burning away at anything so fast that it can rarely be saved. No one has ever slain an Emerald Fury. That’s why I’m going to be the first to do it.
“Man the fort, Mk. They need me out there.” Pigsy orders, grabbing his magical nine-toothed rake from the wall it was leaning on, and began to head for the exit. He pauses and turns back to me.
“Stay. Put. There.” I roll my eyes with a slight frown.
“You know what I mean.” The demon gruffs before running outside to join the chaos. I run to grab my machine and run out of the blacksmith’s hut, leaving a defenceless Tang behind as he calls out to me.
“Mk, where are you going!?” The human starts to get out from under his hiding spot, but quickly crawls back under after another loud bang. “Come back here!”
“I’ll be right back!” I yell back, a large grin on my face as I eagerly push my creation through the village. I dodge and weave through battling demons, heading towards the cliff just outside the town.
Arriving at my destination, I push the machine a few feet away from the edge, pulling a lever to unravel the mechanics. A bola-launcher in the rough shape of a crossbow pops out of the machine’s insides, and I begin setting it up until it’s loaded and prepared to fire. I aim it at the night sky, my eyes darting around for the target I so desperately crave to hit.
“Come on, give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at,” I whisper at nothing, eyes trained on the black sky sprinkled in white dots with determination.
A faint cry from the Emerald Fury comes from the dark sky, getting louder as I peer through the sight on my machine. The dim lighting makes it difficult, but I can see a vague outline of the beast.
Just as an emerald fireball shoots from the dragon’s mouth, I brace myself and fire the weapon. The recoil sends me flying back, and I land harshly on my rear. But then I hear it. It took a moment for the bola to reach its target, but it hit. I shot down an Emerald Fury.
The Emerald Fury goes down with an agonized cry as golden lightning illuminates its long, snake-like form, stunning the monster and sending it crashing to the ground. It lands on the opposite side of the island, far into the distance, and quickly falls out of sight.
“I hit it… Oh, yes, I hit it!” I exclaim, jumping up in excitement with my arms in the air. I laugh to myself, slightly breathless from my fall.
“Did anyone see that?” I ask proudly, turning around to see if anyone was watching. But my pride is swiftly squashed as I hear a low clicking sound behind me.
“Except for you…” I say, dejected from my previous accomplishment, as I turn to see a rather agitated Phoenix creeping up behind me. The large flaming bird crushes my machine with its massive talon, destroying any evidence of my achievement.
I run and scream my lungs off, running so fast I think my legs are going to fall off. I run all the way back to the village square, an angry avian chasing and breathing fire at my fleeing body. I pant, pushing myself off a stone wall before hiding behind one of the wooden pillars holding the caged blazing bowls in the sky, similar to giant torches. I tense as the Phoenix fires blazing hot flames at the pillar behind me. Once the flames cease, slowly chewing away at the wooden pillar, I turn to my right, praying that the beast has left me alone. Sadly, that isn’t the case.
Just as the Phoenix is about to bite, the heat of its flames tickling my fur, Sun Wukong comes to my rescue and tackles the blazing bird away. He stands with his fists clenched, the avian shaking its head in an attempt to shake away the stun from the sudden tackle. It tries to fire another stream of burning inferno, but chokes on its own flames, the fire of its body dimming slightly in embarrassment.
“You’re all burnt up.” He says with a shit-eating grin on his face, summoning a protection spell on his hands as he cracks his neck. The gold of his armour glints from the firelight as he steps up to the Phoenix.
The Monkey King throws a right hook at the flaming beast, continuing to attack it with punches as it backs up. The Phoenix flies away after a few hits, looking back for a moment before taking to the sky. The orange-furred Great Sage turns around as it flees, eyes locked on the burning pillar. The wood burns until it can no longer support the massive torch. It falls, crashing against the stone ground and burning the grass and trees before plummeting into the ocean. I cringe at the sounds of demons screaming at the runaway pillar's top.
Oh, and there’s one more thing you need to know.
“Sorry, Baba.”
Escaped monsters fly off with sheep, fish, and other animals. I hold my wrist nervously, glancing at my father with an innocent yet awkward look.
“Ok, but I hit an Emerald Fury.” I try to deflect the topic of the disaster I just caused. However, the rough grab on the collar of my shirt from my father is proof that it failed. I’m dragged backwards, my smaller legs struggling to keep up with my taller parent.
“Waait–! It’s not like the last couple of times! I mean, I really hit it, Baba! You guys were busy, and I had a very clear shot! It went down just off Sanzuwu Point. Let’s get a search party out there before it–” I pleaded before getting interrupted by Sun Wukong’s booming voice.
“Enough! Just- stop.” I shut up instantly. “Every time you try to do something, disaster strikes! Can you not see that I have bigger problems to deal with? Winter is approaching, and I have an entire mountain to feed!”
The King’s words are filled with a disappointment that makes me hunch slightly in shame.
“Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don’t you think?” I joke, trying to lessen the tension flooding the conversation.
“This isn’t a joke, Xiaotian!” He bellows, barely containing his anger, fueling his words before he sighs heavily. I can tell that he doesn’t believe my words. “Why can’t you follow the simplest orders?”
“I can’t stop myself! I see a monster, and I just have to… kill it, you know? It’s who I am, Baba.”
“You are many things, Xiaotian. But a monster killer is not one of them. Get back to the house.” His dismissal disheartens me, but I know that I'm telling the truth.
“Make sure he gets there! I have to clean up after him.” The King yells to Tang, cocking his head towards our home.
“Quite the performance out there!” Teased Jin as his twin barely holds back his laughter.
“I have never seen anyone mess up that badly before! That helped!”
Huntsman laughs, meeting a glare from the human scholar as we walk past them.
“Thank you, thank you, I was trying…” I bow half-heartedly, trying to save what little dignity I have left.
“I really did hit one.” I moan to Tang, hoping to convince at least one person of my deeds.
“Sure you did.”
“He never listens to me.”
“Well, it runs in the family.”
“And when he does, it’s always with this disgruntled scowl like someone gave him an undersized peach.” I start, beginning to imitate my father receiving me as a baby. “Excuse me, barmaid. I think you gave me the wrong kid. I wanted a big, strong demon with powers that could rival Buddha himself. This here is some kind of talking twig.”
“No, no, you’re thinking of it all wrong! It’s not what you look like, it’s what’s inside that he can't stand!” Tang comments, trying to lift my spirits with a soft smile.
“Oh, thanks for summing it up for me.” I grin sarcastically, trying to brush off the remark like always.
“Look, what I’m trying to say is, you need to stop trying to be someone you're not,” Tang says, more seriously this time. He’s more careful with his words this time, but they seem to have the opposite effect of what he intended.
“I’m just trying to be one of you,” I mumble half-heartedly, turning away and heading inside. The door slams behind me as Tang sighs before walking away.
As soon as I hear him leave, I rush out the back door, heading towards the jungle with a map I drew myself and a charcoal pencil.
“Either we kill them, or they’ll kill us!”
My voice carries loudly across the interior of the large cave, standing at the head of a long table. Tapestries and paintings hang from the stone walls, wildlife creeping up pillars and walls of carved rock. I stand tall, staff tucked into my ear as I face the hundreds of demons I rule over. Over years of leadership, I’ve learned that if you aren’t the loudest voice in the room, no one will listen.
“It’s the only way to be rid of them for good! If we find and destroy the nest, the monsters will leave and find a new home.” I take out my staff and slam it onto the map laid out on the table, just hard enough to make a loud bang reverberate through the grand war room and possibly crack the table. “One final search, before the ice sets in.”
“Those ships never come back.” I hear a demon say from the crowd.
“We’re demons, it’s a hazard to our way of life! Now who’s with me?” However, despite my fantastic attempts to persuade my subjects, they fail as all I get in return are mumbled excuses.
“Alright, those who stay will look after Mk.”
The threat of taking care of my son scares the demons more than the monsters themselves, and sure enough, every single one raises their hand in eager participation. Turns out, they would rather go on a suicide mission than keep my kid company.
“Oh, yeah, that’s more like it,” I say smugly, crossing my arms with a grin. “Dismissed! We sail at dawn.”
As everyone starts to leave, I look over to Pigsy and Tang, who had been quietly sitting beside me during the meeting. “I’ll start packing your gear,” The scholar declares, starting to get up, followed by his husband, before I interject.
“No, I need you two to stay back and train some recruits.” My words are firm as I sit down in my seat, the human following my action as Pigsy snorts in amusement while leaning against the table.
“Oh sure, and while we’re busy, Mk can take over the forge and the noodle shop. Boiling water, sharp knives and weapons, molten steel, plenty of time unsupervised. What could go wrong?”
“Ugh, what am I going to do with him?”
“Put him in training with the other young demons,” Tang suggests, his husband nodding beside him.
“I’m serious, Tang,” I growl, my brows furrowing at the mere thought of Mk going into a ring with a monster.
“So am I.” He replies insistently.
“He would get himself killed before you even let the first monster out of its cage!” Despite the agitated tone of my voice, a hint of worry can be heard in my words.
“Oh, you don’t know that,” Pigsy accuses.
“I do know that, actually.” I shake my head calmly.
“No, you don’t.”
“No, actually, I do.”
“No, you don’t!” The pig demon replies hotly to my obstinacy, clearly frustrated.
“Listen, you know what he’s like. From the moment he hatched, he’s been… different.” I rise from the table, pushing away my seat and walking behind them with my nose pinched between my fingers. “He doesn’t listen. He has the attention span of a squirrel. I take him hunting, and he goes looking for… for ghosts!”
“Ghosts exist! They drag you down to the underworld, but only sometimes. What’s with that?” The human interrupts, only to be met with two glares that tell him to bite his tongue.
“When I was his age,” I begin in a knowing tone.
“Oh, here we go...” Pigsy muttered.
“I travelled the world, fought enemies and gained allies. I put myself at risk for the people I cared about. And you know what happened?” Undeterred, I continue my story, turning to question the two still sitting at the table.
“You hurt yourself.” The pig demon chuckles, earning a jab in the arm from Tang’s elbow.
“I came back stronger and became king. I realized that I could do anything I put my mind to. I could destroy mountains, tear down forests like grass, and tame wild seas. Even as a child, I knew who I was and who I wanted to be. But Xiaotian is not that child.”
I finish my speech with a sigh, sitting back down beside the couple.
“You can’t stop him, Wukong. You can only prepare him. I know it seems hopeless, but the truth is that you're not always going to be around to protect him. He’s going to get out there again. He’s probably out there now.” Tang replies empathetically, a soft smile on his lips as he turns his head to me.
The scholar’s words make me look away in thought, because even though I hate to admit it, Mk is just as stubborn as he was when he was young.