"You're ready," Macaque said.

"Ready for what?"

That was the last recollection before setting out on a hike. Macaque insisted that you stay. You refused to his dismay. Whatever the excuse, you are not letting Mk waltz into a trap. On the subject of MK, it's amazing that man is scrambling his way up a mountain when his training grounds revolve around them. You, on the other hand, are short of breath. You're grateful for the stairwell rather than a bumpy road. "Tired, are we?" Macaque teased. "I bet you regret coming along, right?" You refused to give him the satisfaction of being correct.

"No way. I came to cheer MK on and that's what I'm gonna do." You retorted.

"Well you certainly got spunk, I'll give you that." He complimented.

At last, you reach the top. Towering ahead is the same giant that appeared in the city. An array of questions flurry. You thought the creature was taken care of. Macaque hides behind a boulder sneaking an occasional peek at the monster. "Ok, so the smoke monster is actually an ancient demon. A very, powerful one." He informed. Mk finally joins the huddle in time to hear Macaque. The brunette is equally perplexed to reacquaint with the behemoth. "We need to destroy it once and for all." Macaque pushes his student into the fray, but he retaliates with the spin of his heel.

"Wait what? Last time I couldn't even hit it." He said. He's right. All he did was jump and he was shot down in a snap. How would it change with the limited training he's acquired?

"Totally, but since then you've had me teaching you. You're stronger now. Don't you feel stronger?" You cannot help but suspect the monkey from equivocating to the point that MK is doubting him. As he should. The so-called "ancient demon" seems harmless as it hasn't bothered to bat an eye in your direction.

"Remember, you're the weapon." He shoves the brunette into the field. Alarms go off in the back of your head with every step he takes.

'This is wrong. I don't know how, but my body is reacting. Is this an anxiety attack?' You ball your hand into a fist as if grasping onto reality. 'No, this feels supernatural.'

You scour the area for the cold source. You tense up recognizing the brewing sensation from your first encounter with Macaque only this time, you can hear whispers clear as day. MK prepares for an attack, and the logo on his back begins to shine, reminiscent of the dojo. The hushed chatter loudens, provoking you to locate them. It leads you to the colossus chanting,

"Do it."

"Hurry up!"

"I'm dying to take what's yours!"

Your eyes widen in horror as you slowly shift to Macaque. "This is a setup." He grins from ear to ear as you rush to call out to Mk. Unfortunately, Macaque detains you with his shadow.

"I knew you'd be clever enough to see through my ruse, but I won't have you spoiling my fun." He chuckled. You helplessly watch as MK unveils the target to be the real Macaque. He's left dumbstruck as his powers are stripped away with a jab to the gut. You let out a muffled scream as Mk crashes to the ground. Once again, you failed to evade the unforeseen.

A chilling breeze runs down your vertebrae in disgust, when Macaque pets you. "I wished to spare you, but you stubbornly refused to stand back." He makes his way over to Mk's limp frame and does the same. "Ya know you really are a good kid. Both of you are super nice." Macaque Melts into the floor in the form of a silhouette. As it turns out, you've been conversing with a clone the whole time. The demon absorbs the stolen mana causing a mighty burst to cage the brunette by his staff. He squirms uncomfortably attempting to lift the staff.

"(Y/n)! I'll get us out of here. I just...have to..." He tries again to remove the weapon. Nothing. You don't understand what's happened, but you can guess it's due to the monkey. Macaque hovers in front of you wearing his signature smirk. There is no remorse found anywhere and it ticks you off. You let yourself get stabbed in the back all because you truly believed he could be different. Now you're caught in a predicament that could have been resolved had you followed your instincts.

"Thank you, for giving me all of Monkey King's power." The coyness in his voice is evident. He is no longer trying to hide his true colors. "Oh, no! Can't you hold the magic staff anymore?" He ridiculed. "Well, you know what that means? There isn't anything special about you." He's crossed the line. The fear in Mk's eyes is enough to trigger you. Your pupils begin to glow red and send a dark, telepathic image of ripping the ape to shreds. He loosens his hold inducing you to tackle Macaque in a fit of rage.

"How dare you tell him he's not special. Who the hell are you to decide who gets to be great?" You sock the brute in between insults. "You're a liar and a backstabber who destroys whatever gets in contact with you! Your last jab is halted as he grabs your neck therefore pinning you to the wall.

"No, (Y/n)!" Mk cried. Macaque tightens his grip, closing off oxygen. You've unequivocally aggravated the demon and yet he cackles, amused by your performance.

"I really do like your spunk, but you're starting to be a thorn in my side." He presses the staff deeper, squeezing your friend in a twisted, leisurely fashion. "It's so cute that you think you can take me down. A pesky girl, and a kid with a stick." You can no longer fight as your vision fades in and out.

'Is this...how I die? A coward who's done nothing but run?'

Minutes before giving out, you hear a booming voice shout, "enough!" In the blink of an eye, Macaque is sent flying with you in tow. Midway into the air, you're released and fall into the arms of someone. You gasp and cough for oxygen while regaining consciousness. Feathery fingers brush strands of hair behind your ear. When you come to, you find Sun Wukong hovering over you with concern written on his face. He sighs in relief knowing he's saved you in time.

"Sun..." You said hoarsely. It hurts to speak and Macaque's chokehold has left a bruise on your neck.

"Shhh, you did great, sweetheart. You're safe." Even in the worst time, you're swooning for the simian. The fact that he's calling you by your nickname means something.

"Monkey King!" Mk hollered. Said monkey shoots the kid a deadly glare. The brunette sweat drops forgetting what he did. The hero sets you on your feet before someone unpleasant calls for him.

"Monkey King~! It's good to see ya, bud." The last bit was Macaque's attempt at insulting Sun Wukong. It was shockingly spot on. Sun guards you protectively from any future assault.

"Are you ever gonna get sick of living in my shadow? It's time to get back what you stole." He growled. He is beyond angry that his enemy had taken his protege's energy, but even more so that he put his hands on you.

Macaque is unfazed, excited in truth, to flex. "You are such a gem. It's gonna be so satisfying to kill you with your own powers."

The sage clashes with his doppelganger. You marvel from the sidelines as they exchange blows. The intensity radiating off of them was like observing the Gods fight. Each swing breaks sound barriers. How on Earth were you ever going to stop a demon with the skills to drive the Monkey King through a row of mountains? You were insane for attempting, but you didn't know then what you do now.

While Sun Wukong is dealing with Macaque, you make haste in assisting Mk. You tugged repeatedly hoping to pry the weapon off. You aren't the chosen one, but you didn't expect it to be dense. It's no wonder MK is in distress. "How do we get this off?" You grunted.

"You can't." MK huffed. "And I can't either." He hangs his head in subjugation as Macaque's remarks blight him. "He took my powers. I'm weak and unworthy." You cup his weeping face, tenderly as he proceeds to vent. "I should have listened to you and Monkey King. You were both steering me on the right path and we're in a rut because of me."

"No Mk. It isn't your fault. You were just doing what you thought was best for yourself. I understand being eager to jump ahead of the next game, but sometimes you have to pace yourself. There is no guarantee that you won't fall now and then, but you can't give up. Not even if it seems pointless." You blink away your tears. It's not about you this time. "Remember what Money King said, "if you believe in yourself just a smidge, you will go a long way". Your friend sniffles, reclaiming himself. "Now don't give up. Everyone needs you." You cheered. Both you and MK manage to move the staff on the second try.

The moment is short-lived when a large shadow casts overhead. You can sense the darkness crawl whisper. Standing behind you is Macaque in his demon form, unscathed. "No." You mumbled under your breath.

"Oh yes. Ya miss me?" He quipped. You frantically start scouting around. "You looking for someone?"

"Where is Sun?" You shouted.

"I'm a little hurt. You care so much about him over me after we shared a sentimental moment?" He feigned offense.

"Where is he?" You snarled.

"Don't get so bent out of shape, doll. Your little boyfriend is wrestling with my clones." From a distance, Sun is sustained by Macaque's shadows. "I'll deal with him later, right now I have a score to settle." He starts to emit light as he powers up for an attack. "Sorry guys nothing personal." MK squirms vigorously to slip out of his imprisonment, however, you will not let him suffer. You stretch your arms to shield MK.

"(Y/n)? What are you doing? Get out of here." MK pleaded.

"No! You're important and I've been running away for far too long. I'm not going to do that anymore. If this is my demise so be it as long as you're safe." You don't know where the resolve came from, but you weren't going to die without some dignity. As the giant fist emerges, your life flashes before your eyes, from your days with your mother, through your teenage years until the day you left. Like an awakening, your eyes glow a rainbow color. "I'll see ya soon..." You close your eyes and await the impact.

Alternatively, it never came for Sun Wukong is perpetuating the inevitable. Macaque, on the other hand, is annoyed with his counterpart's fixation on being a savior. "Come on! Show me the real Sun Wukong! The old you would have leveled this whole mountain range to stop me, but you're scared of hurting some kid, and an unstable girl?" Macaque puts forth more energy into his thrust forcing Sun to slide back a few inches.

"Kid! We're definitely going to have words later, but it's time for the hero stuff." Sun started. Mk finds the inspiration to break free. Whatever it was that caused a blockade ended up overcoming it. The staff sparks with life as MK staggers his way to Macaque with Sun Wukong refreshing him of his lesson. "Patience. Focus."

Mk generates enough power to make the staff weightless again. "Step into the strike!" He throws the weapon directly at the weak spot. The demon explodes creating a blast enough to carry rubble. Like a boomerang, the staff returns to it's rightful owner, just in time for Sun to cover both you and MK from the debris.

Finally, the skies are clear after an eventful day. It's even more enlightening that you found some peace of mind considering you almost died. Mk plops on the edge of the cliff beside the Monkey King. Now it's your turn to decide what move you will make. You said you would stop running and Sun is one of the people you were avoiding. You take a second to dust yourself off.

'It's now or never.'

You sneak up behind the pair and station in the background. You want so badly to read Sun Wukong's aura, but it wouldn't do any good hearing his thoughts. It would be proper to find out the old-fashioned way. MK sends you a small smile then drops to his staff. Surprisingly, your mentor breaks the silence. "You did it, bud. You remembered what I told you." He sighed. Now is the chance to speak up and say something, but who will do it is anyone's guess. You grant MK the chance to apologize first.

"I'm sorry," MK said.

"Oh, you totally should be. I can't believe you totally two-timed me on your training." His piercing gaze switch to your quiet form. "And you!" You jolt as he continues his lecture. "I can't believe that you would cheat on me the most."

"(Y/n) didn't train with Macaque." Mk defended.

"Oh and I'm supposed to believe that when she has his scent all over her? She has been training with him which is why she hasn't shown up for class in a month." You are officially confused as to what he was saying, spouting nonsense but for what reason? "You felt so guilty that you couldn't face me, didn't ya?"

"No! You're wrong."MK tries his best to convince the Monkey King of your absence.

"Stay out of this, kid. I want to hear it from her." The brunette was shocked that he could be so ignorant. You stop him from straining the relationship further. You redirect your attention, slightly frightened of his wrath. It's a new side of him that you didn't want to be on the other end of. There is impatience in his body language. His boot is tapping onto the floor and his tail twitching behind him. His posture is straight puffing his chest with his arms crossed over it. You may not be magically reading his emotions but you can guess he's hinting about something more. Now that you have assessed the situation, you're ready to disclose why you've left him in the dark, starting with a bow.

"I'm so sorry for not coming to see you. You must have been so alone without me. I was-" You paused. "-I was fighting my demons. I needed time to figure out my crisis. Please understand that I'm not intentionally trying to push you away. I'll be more considerate next time." You raise your head to find the simian discontent. "You have every right to be angry with me, and I can't ask you to forgive me right away so please take your time and find me when you're ready." With that, you curtsy home without an answer. It was best for both parties to take a break.

You stumble through the door of your complex feeling ill. At first, you felt tired while walking through the streets. You thought nothing of it until you entered the cafe. Your body started throbbing, and arduous to climb the stairs. Ever Macaque brought a rise out of you, something inside of you snapped. Now it's taking a toll, corrupting you from the inside. It's like a burning fever blurring sucking out all of your energy. Your knees begin to buckle, nevertheless, you advance to the bathroom where you examine your condition. You spot a distinguishing change in eye color altering between pallets. As if that isn't mortifying, there are crack marks below your eyes. "Wh-what is this?" You trace the lines solidifying your answer. "How is this possible?" You dig your nail into the skin to peel the skin off. You yelp at the lightest touch. "So it's not a good idea." You surmised the obvious then notice your handshaking. You're starting to sweat from the unknown effects. "What's going on with me? What do I do?"

You take two steps forward and collapse to your knees. You don't have much to go on so you crawl. You reach the living room where your jacket resides. In it's pockets contains your phone to dial for help. It's no use, you cringe at the aching headache interfering with your senses. All you can hear is crackling glass on a chalkboard. "Shut up!" You shouted, to no avail. Nothing you do or say solves whatever is going on. Instead, you give in to the noise and lay on the carpet until it died down. All you hear is ringing while panting heavily from the fever.

'What's going to happen to me? Will I die or is this just a sickness?'

As you lay in thought of what is to come, someone flips you on your back and cradles you in their arms. Your fingers stretch to their cheek. They respond by taking your hand in theirs. "Please...don't tell anyone." That is all you said before you black out.