Chapter Text
35 years old
Forcing his 6 ears to listen all the way to the moon was a good idea and a bad idea
It was a good idea because it opened up another way for him to continue searching for Sun Wukong, but it was also terribly bad because of the side effects it caused afterwards, his ears were still not ready to hear at such a distance all at once
After trying it for the first time Liu Er was left with a persistent pain in his eardrums, the headaches were constant and his ears would get irritated at the slightest sound
It was annoying and uncomfortable from time to time, but nothing he couldn't handle. The problems arose when he started having a series of random fainting spells and seizures, anywhere, anytime, in front of anyone
In front of monkeys
In front of Princess Iron Fan
But it all had to come to a climax at some point
And Liu Er wasn't prepared for the kind of battle he would have to face this time
It started out as a quiet day, the monkeys were carrying baskets full of fruits that they left on various blankets on the ground, it was one of those days where they all sat down to eat together, groom each other and take a nap to strengthen the bond between them and be thankful for the peaceful life they had now
Queen's idea, of course
All the food was put in its place, there were baskets of flowers as well in case someone was encouraged to make a wreath or a bouquet to give as a gift
*The important thing is to be thankful that we are together" thought Macaque as he settled on one of the blankets, the generals were kind enough to put pillows around him in case of an unexpected fainting spell, for which he was grateful
With everything ready, the little monkeys settled wherever they wanted within the comfortable blankets, some facing each other, others huddled together, and even the bold youngsters in the process of courtship were shameless enough to hug or sit on their partners' laps, but all avoided turning their backs on the other members of the tribe
The food was delicious, the variety of fruit trees they planted over time grew and yielded juicy and delicious fruit, even some that the monkeys had never tasted before
All thanks to Princess Iron Fan's eccentric tastes
With elegance and the proper demeanor, Liu Er gently asked for some silence, something that in any other tribe would have been completely impossible, the monkeys were known for being loud and rambunctious with no chance of finding control, but not on Flower Fruit Mountain, not for Sun Wukong's subjects, not for those under the queen's care, all kept silent, as respect and appreciation for their leader
"I am very happy to be able to share this moment with all of you, we all know that the last few years have been difficult and that not everyone is here that we wish were present just now" he paused, looking at the faces of some of his subjects, who were averting their eyes with nostalgia or smiling sadly, he understood them completely "However, even with everything against us, we remained strong and regained our balance, please look around, all this is thanks to our effort, today we have delicious food to share, soft blankets to lie on and most importantly, new members are present today and many more will come in the future" as he finished the sentence, he waved his hand at his companion monkeys
The 2 little monkeys Lanhua and Qianhua passed by placing wreaths of wild flowers on the heads of all the young men, a large sunflower for the generals, necklaces of laurels and good-smelling medicinal plants for the elders, bouquets of special roses for the pregnant mothers of the season, and plump red strawberries for the babies
All gifts of love from the queen
"These gifts may be small, but this is how we started too, taking small steps to what we are now, we got up, moved on and did it together as a family, so every day on this mountain in your company is the greatest gift to me, even if it is very small, to me it is everything" Liu Er bowed slightly before his subjects
The monkeys chirped praises to their leader, thanking him for his beautiful gifts and precious words, one by one, they all took turns to leave him their own offerings in return, accompanied by affectionate words and squeaks
In a second, Liu Er was surrounded by fruits, flowers and wreaths, the gesture made him chirp in happiness, his subjects responded to the sound
The sound of the monkeys chirping together gave the celestial monkey a pang of pain, he tried to keep his posture upright and relaxed but the pain was becoming so sharp that it became unbearable
Like needles piercing his eardrums slowly
First, his hands began to shake uncontrollably, cold sweat trickled down his temples in thick dewdrops, he squeezed the folds of his clothes tightly, thinking that by holding on so tightly the pain would pass on its own, but all he managed to do was end up with the torn fabric between his fingers
He tried to stand his ground from all the stares around him, but his need to scream just now from the pain was eating him alive, he could feel the sharp tip breaking something inside his ears, in his head, tearing flesh, piercing skin, he bit his lips hard to avoid any sound, hooking the sharp fangs into the tender flesh until it bled in red threads down his chin to his clothes
Unable to take it anymore, his muscles failed, letting him fall and convulse into the pillows, his nasal breathing quickened, as he still was still in the throes of releasing any sound, his head throbbed with each contraction, a deafening whistle drilled into his head like no other sound he had heard before, he could not block it out, as if it was coming from himself
The first to offer help were the generals, pitifully familiar with their poor leader's hearing attacks. They asked everyone else to keep quiet while the queen recovered, helped him lie properly on the pillows and placed wet cloths to soothe the pain in his ears and block the sound at the same time, they were also gentle enough wiping the blood from the celestial monkey's mouth, gently prompting him to stop piercing his lips until finally Liu Er unclenched his teeth, letting out puffs of hot air
Liu Er hyperventilated not knowing what to hold on to, a feeling of vertigo and nausea tackled him, he suddenly wanted to vomit up everything he had eaten since he was born, everything around him began to spin nonstop, black spots and colored dots blocked his view, forcing him to close his eyes to lessen the dizziness, which didn't help much anyway either
Gradually, the pain began to pass and so did the sounds
He took in as much air as he could, thinking that a sigh might be his last, he filled his lungs until they hurt, expelled it as soon as he could and took in more again, in the midst of his scrambled mind, he worried about being able to swallow all the oxygen in the world, leaving nothing for the other monkeys, with that thought in mind his puffs of air slowed down, pacing his heartbeat
Already when he could calm down enough, he got up from the pillows with the help of Marshal Liu and General Beng, he could feel Marshal Ma rubbing his back to comfort him from the shock, General Ba was holding a bowl of water which he soon offered him to drink
All was silent, which Liu Er was grateful for, with slow hands he accepted the bowl of water and thanked his generals as he drank greedily
He didn't hear them say anything, probably so as not to unsettle his ears
But he began to panic when he realized that there were not even sounds of nature around him, where was the wind blowing in the leaves of the trees? The water of the waterfall falling? Everything couldn't suddenly go silent, could it?
He stared at his subjects, he could see their mouths moving, probably asking him how he felt, he turned to look at his generals, who were also moving their lips with worried expressions
But Liu Er could not hear them
Fear gripped him
40 years
He spent 5 full years without hearing
He lost his hearing completely by forcing his eardrums to work beyond their capabilities, his healing magic could not repair them no matter how hard he tried, at least the headaches and fainting also disappeared, but that did not make the 6-eared monkey feel any better
He had nothing to defend himself with anymore, his ears were the only thing that allowed him to connect with the outside world and kept the mountain safe, and now he didn't even have that
Everything was gone
It was hard to stop relying on his hearing, after training so hard to strengthen it, it felt like nothing was worth it, so many years of wasted training, the search for Sun Wukong, it all went to waste
Because of him
Liu Er let out a groan of anguish at those thoughts, not that he could hear himself either anyway
He felt vulnerable and useless, he was the only hope left for his poor kingless tribe and now he had no way to help them anymore
It would have been better if the celestial army had taken him instead of Sun Wukong, maybe things would have turned out better, the troop would have been protected from the evils outside, after all his sun always found a way to get by
He felt like crying, he even missed the chance to meet him, he would never hear the beating of his heart again, nor that velvet voice whispering promises of love
Sitting on the edge of the cliff, tears were about to fall from his face, on the verge of absolute sorrow, but a glint in the corner of his eye made him restrain himself and turn in her direction
Some baby monkeys came taking little steps in his direction, they were all disheveled with leaves and twigs in their fur, but with flower stalks in their mouths and tiny seeds in their claws, they remained static when the queen looked at them
Liu Er recognized them at once, they were the little bundle born of the season's new mothers, on several occasions he volunteered to look after them when their exhausted mothers needed a nap, he spent sleepless nights humming and gurgling these little babies to get them to sleep
And now those tiny little eyes that in the past he wiped away their tears at night were watching him shed theirs like a giant baby
Macaque tried to swallow the lump in his throat, completely ignoring the moisture in his eyes, offering the monkeys a warm, motherly smile
*Act natural, he said to himself
The little babies, who numbered 8 in all, watched him and blinked in tandem, in other circumstances Macaque would have laughed at the timing, but what happened next left him breathless and unwilling to laugh
After gazing restlessly at the queen and then looking at each other, they resumed walking in his direction, one by one they snagged at his clothes, climbing up his chest, arms and back, settling where they fell, with the purpose of reaching his head
Not all of them made it, obviously, Liu Er would not have been able to hold 8 little monkeys on his shoulders, but with effort and teamwork, all 8 babies settled on the shoulders, head and lap of the celestial monkey
Their tiny little hands wandered all over the place, the little monkeys below who were not able to reach very far handed their flowers to the ones above to arrange for them, and within 10 minutes, a confused 6-eared monkey had a full head of wildflowers in his hair
He couldn't hear their gurgles, but he knew they were of happiness as he felt them vibrate against his own body, the little seeds the babies brought were deposited in their large hands in comparison as if they were clay dishes
With their appearance finished the babies rubbed against his fur until they were tired, every now and then they would groom him with their little paws, giving him comforting touches like when he would put them to sleep
Macaque, dazed and confused, no longer felt like crying
*So that's how babies feel...", he said to himself
47 years old
It had been a couple of years since he stopped listening, fortunately, the anxiety and panic attacks diminished with the passing of time, after all, the monkeys never left their queen alone again under any circumstances
Macaque always carried an escort, sometimes his companion monkeys, the generals or even the babies, but they all refused to let him roam the mountain alone for fear that something might happen to him when no one was watching, but Liu Er knew that inside they all longed to be near him so he wouldn't feel so lonely
So abandoned
And as much as he wished for a moment of privacy alone from time to time, he was eternally grateful to those little ones who filled his heart with warmth every day
However, there were times during the day that he could enjoy almost as much as when he was alone, like now
His escorts for the day were Lanhua and Qianhua, who were sitting next to him, one on each side, guarding his sides and part of his back, both were very protective, much more so now that the queen had weak points that left him vulnerable to other creatures
The 3 looked at the great crater that became a lagoon where the relatives lost in battle rested eternally, the area was beautified over the years, the flora grew tirelessly in a spectacular green landscape, wildflowers rested on the banks of the river, between the stones that were placed all along the edge to avoid accidents
The deep blue center of the lagoon gave it a magical but mysterious touch, since in the center of the lake rested the bodies covered with earth and water, but it seemed that the light did not reach to illuminate that particular area, it seemed deep in the ocean
The water was not drinkable, it was salt water after all
Liu Er still wondered how it was really filled
He and the monkeys couldn't have cried that much, could they?
The queen and his escort stood there all afternoon, just contemplating the lake and its mystical atmosphere, until the sun began to set and gradually the little monkeys fell asleep
Macaque considered that they had been outside long enough and that it was time to take his escort monkeys to sleep in their respective nests, he got up gently from where he was, shaking off his clothes first
Just as he was about to take Qianhua in his arms he paused, one of his ears twitched
"Liu Er"
Okay, he definitely heard that
He looked around looking for the source of the sound, but it was impossible, the wind was blowing over the trees and he couldn't hear that
Then how?
"Queen"
He turned his head so fast he swore he felt one of his bones creak but that was the least of his worries
The lake
The sound definitely came from the lake
He slowly approached to the edge, waiting patiently for the slightest disturbance in the water, but nothing happened, he just started to get anxious, as if he felt the need to jump in
With a tentative hand he stroked the surface of the water, nothing strange felt at first glance
Until he submerged it
Nothing was growing under the water, so the moment he felt something soft and warm brushing his hand he found no logical explanation, and if that wasn't alarming, all the water was painted a black as deep as the night cloak
Yet he felt no fear, for some reason, it felt warm and familiar
The lake was inviting him in, and he was finding more and more reasons to do so
He looked back, making sure that both monkeys were still sleeping peacefully before doing something crazy, the moonbeam resting on the surface of the water hypnotized him, giving him the last encouragement to get completely into the water, he floated for a few moments, without sinking his head
It was almost the same as swimming in the sea, in a way
"Liu Er" he heard again, this time, from the depth of the water
He took a deep breath before he submerged completely
The inside of the lake was very dark, with only the moonlight casting strange shadows from time to time
He felt in a strange peace, just letting himself be carried away by the sensation of lightness in the body
He swam aimlessly where there was still some light, the inside of the lake felt bigger and more vast from the inside than from the outside, almost as if it were an empty ocean, for a moment, Macaque feared he was lost in its vastness
"Queen" an underwater current ran through him, he felt almost like when baby monkeys would latch onto the cloth of his clothes to climb up to reach his shoulders, he had a sense of longing and melancholy
An unintelligible noise rumbled under the water, shaking everything, even the celestial monkey himself, everything was so dark that when a small purple light sprouted like a germinating seed from the center of the lake, where the bodies should still be resting, it captured the monkey's full attention
The light was the size of the heart of a peach and shone as brightly as a star, after it, 6 other small purple lights sprouted, smaller, as if they were fireflies
"Queen" was heard, the 7 lights floated up from deep within, in the direction of the 6-eared monkey
Despite the uncertainty of the unknown, Macaque felt no fear, but let them approach, even swimming into the depths to reach the lights faster
Facing each other, the larger light landed in front of his chest, as if asking permission to touch him, Liu Er cradled the light in his hands and brought it close to his heart, the light felt warm and comforting in his palms
The light pierced his chest, as if it was nothing really, the warmth settled inside him, something felt different but he couldn't identify what it was, his insides churned and his fur stirred under the water, as if something was peeling away from his skin
The other 6 small lights also approached, each one of them went inside a colorful ear, something bubbled inside Macaque's head, as if uncovering a closed channel
"Queen"
Something gurgled from the bottom of the lake, Liu Er was losing what air was left in his lungs
"Queen"
Slowly, Macaque began to swim to the surface from lack of air
"Queen, please"
Macaque began to swim faster, feeling that his lungs would not hold out much longer
"Don't give up"
Liu Er surfaced, taking a big gulp of air to supply his squeezed lungs, there on the shore, the 2 hysterical little monkeys shrieked as they saw him float away
"Queen! How could you even think of getting in there! You almost gave us a heart attack!"
Liu Er swam over to the shore to try to get out, the lake water was no longer black and there was no longer a moonbeam above his head
Both monkeys exclaimed in awe at the sight of him
"Queen! His fur!"
"It's white again!"
50 years
Strange things began to happen after he regained his hearing
As he rejoined his old training, not only did the wind begin to follow him around
The shadows also began to obey his orders
They gathered under his feet, waiting calmly and silently for some command to be carried out, which was conveniently useful when projecting images of what the wind brought him from his travels, as in the past he had to use a lot of interpretation to the sounds he heard, imagining in his mind the movements and surroundings
With the shadow, that was no longer necessary
Wind and shadow began to travel the world together, giving Liu Er a full view of what was going on out there, the wind would bring him the sounds and the shadow would bring him the image, a perfect balance between the 2
Although sometimes, at night, when he was in solitude and with nothing to do, Macaque would try his best to ignore the figures cast in the shadows, which perfectly matched some of the little monkeys that were no longer on the earthly plane
By now, Macaque was convinced that these were the spirits of his family projecting themselves to help him, for every now and then, when it seemed that no one was watching, the little shadows would play with each other like cubs, chasing each other, silently, but it only took a glance to know that if they could make even the slightest sound, it would be giggles and playful chirps
The shadows were very obedient, they followed any order without hesitation, however, Macaque noticed as time went by that the shadows had their own temper and would not always agree with his actions
Which was very annoying as they were a bad influence on his wind, which became rebellious as well, making both elements turn against him
As now
It was a couple of hours before sunrise and Liu Er still hadn't slept at all, as usual, he was completely exhausted, but they couldn't blame him, organizing Sun Wukong's trophy room was a suicide mission for anyone, among so many trophies, weapons and shiny junk just walking through the room without stumbling was already an achievement
This room had been bothering Macaque for decades, the amount of clutter and the memories that each artifact brought back only made him sulk twice as much
Even more so when in the past he had asked the monkey king again and again and again to clean up his pig sty
But Sun Wukong was like a forgetful brat when his parents sent him to pick up his room, without proper adult supervision he will reluctantly start cleaning up and after 3 minutes he will start snooping through all his junk until he completely forgot his main mission, leaving an even worse mess behind
"In a second Liu Er, don't touch anything I'll clean it up Liu Er, I'll do it tomorrow Liu Er" recited the queen in a slightly higher pitched and childish voice, as if trying to imitate the king, Macaque snorted at the mere memory
At this point he was just separating weapons from vases and scrolls without giving them much importance, his conscience could not be at peace until he had at least separated all the garbage into 4 different categories
However, the wind and the shadow did not think the same way
It was time to rest, whether the queen liked it or not
The shadows began to swallow the objects before Liu Er could grab them, submerging them in small portals of shadows that opened and closed so fast that sometimes Liu Er stopped to blink in confusion at the disappearance of the object he had just had his eye on
"Very funny, no matter how much mischief they get up to, I won't go to sleep until I'm done here, my conscience will be as dirty as this place!" exclaimed the simian, trying to appease the shadows so that they would let him work
The wind, a complete traitor, followed the shadows' game with overwhelming speed, every time Macaque managed to grab an object before a portal swallowed it, a gust of air rushed through his hands with enough force to make him drop them and let them fall
"Okey, yeah, how nice, you make a great team, seriously, when you guys work together you really make everything work the way you want it to, but that doesn't mean it should be at my expense! aren't you supposed to be helping me?!" he shrieked indignantly after the wind snatched a vase out of his hands, as he dropped it a portal immediately swallowed it in a dark puddle
While none of the accompanying items had a voice, Macaque could feel them laughing at him
The simian let out a plaintive groan as he looked at the sheer number of objects and items that still couldn't find a suitable place in the room, but it's not like he was getting much help just now either, all he would get out of this would be wasted time and more hours of sleep in vain
With all the pain in his soul, he decided that Sun Wukong's treasure room would have to remain in complete disarray for a while longer
"I guess it's time to sleep now..." he blurted out into the air, resigned
The wind and shadows stirred with joy at his crushing victory
60 years
Even under that wake of peace, it's only natural that nightmares occurred from time to time
If it happened to Liu Er it was okay, he would just sigh and get out of bed, unwilling to go back to sleep since his mind will only keep projecting unwanted images in his head
Even when his body would scream for him to go back to sleep
But he was fine
He could deal with that
But the situation would become very different when what woke him up in the middle of the night is none other than the whining of one of the mountain monkeys
The mere birth of a cry from the mouth of another living being woke him up instantly, alert and fur bristling, as if at any moment the enemy was going to pounce on him
Liu Er jumped out of bed with lightning speed, knocking over a few pillows and blankets on the way, but none of that mattered, one of his monkeys needed him. He ran to the exit of his cave, following the sound of crying, his ears flicked in all directions, looking for some sign of danger that might have escaped him while he slept, but the whining of the little monkey was the only alarming sound in or around the mountain, the sound was not loud at all, so the sleep of the other monkeys would not be interrupted, but Liu Er heard it loud and clear
So close
So sad
Liu Er crossed the waterfall, the temples, and the forest, with a steady course, he knew exactly where the crying was coming from and even who it was coming from, after all he knew perfectly all the breaths and heart rates of each member of the tribe, it made it easier to identify them from a distance
That's why he knew he had to hurry
With no obstacle able to stop him, he reached a desolate area of the mountain, a place the monkeys avoided at all costs
The old nests
Even with all the nature that grew around them, some of the old nests were still intact, most of them were hit by fire and had to be removed, even more so considering that some of them had...
Bodies
Liu Er shook his head, not wanting those terrible images to return to his mind, he could not allow himself to sink into grief when there was unrelieved crying
With that idea in mind, Liu Er approached one of the few remaining nests at a slow pace
And he saw it
Baozang
It was a young monkey, the peach of immortality that Liu Er distributed among the tribesmen caused them to grow up and age much slower, if he had given a whole peach to each of the monkeys in the tribe they would probably be eternally young
Baozang was one of the few newborns to survive the mountain attack. His mother, Yingsu, a monkey of great character and brave heart, gave up her life to save the life of her baby, going through the flames and enduring the pain of burns on her palms and feet, Yingsu was badly injured, so when she reached the waterfall with her baby safely, she collapsed, she never woke up after that
Yingsu and Baozang's nest was quite characteristic, for in addition to the leaves and twigs typical of monkey nests, it was also covered with poppies of various colors, the mother's favorite flowers
Baozang was a very cheerful little monkey, he would infiltrate other monkeys' nests, and even Macaque himself claims to have woken up with the baby snuggled against his chest on some occasions. Like all the orphans in the mountain, the community took them in and cared for them together
But Baozang missed his mother
That's why he clung so tightly to the poppy nest
Liu Er watched him shrink in on himself, as if inside he wished to become smaller and smaller, until he was once again the baby his mother protected
Waiting for him to come and get it
The 6-eared monkey sighed, the shadows stirred under his fingers, anxious, wanting to get closer and coo at the little monkey. Liu Er understood, there was still some life left in the shadows after all. Slowly so as not to frighten Baozang but with sure stride, Liu Er approached the poppy nest, kneeling down beside the sobbing creature
He heard it hiccup quietly, as if his presence would incite the little monkey to stop crying, but as soon as Liu Er laid his hand on the tiny back, Baozang burst into tears again
"It's not fair! It's not! It's not! It's not! Why my mom!? Why did I have to be the one left alone?! It's not fair!" sobbed the little boy, hiding his face in the flowers
Liu Er tried to swallow the lump in his throat, despite the time, he never stopped feeling guilty for the amount of casualties that day, if only he had run faster, or had been stronger, many of those who are no longer here could continue to play among the branches forever with their loved ones
Perhaps, Wukong would be here too
He wasn't sure what he could say to calm the little one, nothing he hadn't been told before at least, the other monkeys were always telling Baozang how brave his mother was, but they couldn't ask a child to understand the actions of an adult
Baozang didn't care if his mother was the bravest, noblest, most intelligent monkey to ever walk the earth
He just wanted her to be by his side
Liu Er didn't say a word, instead, he raised his hand in the direction of the little monkey, his shadows rippled between his fingers, creating familiar shapes on the palm of the adult monkey's hand
Baozang, still with tears falling from his little eyes, watched the silhouettes dance on his leader's hand, mesmerized by the constant swaying of the magic. The shadows clustered together until they formed the silhouette of a small dancing monkey, twisting and turning endlessly around the palm, latching onto Liu Er's fingers as if climbing the trunks of the mountain trees, with a fluidity worthy of a monkey in its full youth and wild spirit. Baozang let out a curious chirp that was immediately answered with a soft coo from Liu Er
The little shadow monkey on the palm jumped as high as it could, attracting attention and making a fuss, from between Liu Er's fingers, more shadows sprouted and transformed into dancing friends jumping happily in all directions
With a total of 6 dancing shadow monkeys in the palm of his hand, Liu Er gazed at Baozang, his little olive eyes shining under the purple magic, marveling and amused by the little shadow act his queen was doing just for him
One by one, the little dancing monkeys joined in, creating a dark ball that grew bigger and bigger, even bigger than Liu Er's hands, who was a bit perplexed by the change, after all, he had just lost control in his magic and the shadows were moving of their own volition
The dark ball, now even bigger than the little Baozang, gradually took shape, first a tail, then hands, legs, torso, ears, until it ended with a graceful, smiling face under a crown of poppy flowers
Finally, Liu Er understood the wishes of the shadows
Yingsu was also missing her baby
Baozang stood motionless, as if facing a predator, his little nose flushed and irritated from crying twitched, trying to catch the scent of the dark creature in front of him, who stood motionless like a painting, the shadow was not breathing and Liu Er certainly did not feel a heartbeat inside, but he was absolutely sure that Yingsu was there
Finally, the shadow let out what sounded like a soft, low trill, loving and full of confidence, like a mother calling the attention of her cub
As soon as Baozang heard that familiar trill, he burst into tears immediately, probably the sound was still engraved in his memory from when he was a newborn, his instinct screamed at him to cling to the shadow, which received the little one with open arms, perhaps it did not express enough warmth for a living being, but feeling those arms surrounding him with such sweetness only made Baozang cry
Liu Er watched them in silence, trying to understand how it was that in spite of everything, his family still supported him and helped him in his time of need
On countless occasions Liu Er himself felt the dark cloak lull him at night, when the lack of Wukong's warmth beside him hit him the hardest after a particularly bad nightmare, the shadows were always there to sustain him in his worst moments
His shadows
His family
They were always there
After several minutes of sobbing, Baozang finally fell asleep in the arms of Yingsu, who ran her dark fingers through the fur on the back of her baby's neck gently, with the same gentle, charming smile that Yingsu wore in life. The monkey took the cub more firmly in her arms and turned to look at Liu Er, bowing in the process, before taking the little sleeper and placing it in the queen's arms gently
With the royal warmth emanating from Liu Er's fur, Baozang snuggled comfortably and purred softly, warbling in his sleep, calling out to his mommy
Liu Er and Yingsu shared one last intense look, the albino monkey also bowed deeply to the mother, wanting to express his respect, gratitude and ask for forgiveness. Yingsu patted her leader's cheek twice, as if to say "it's okay" before the shadows split and returned to their master where they belonged
Macaque stood in the middle of the desolate nests with a sleeping baby monkey in his arms, but somehow, he felt that it was the right thing to do
He returned to his cave, near the water curtain and snuggled against the nest of blankets again, with an extra guest clinging to his clothes that with every move Liu Er made, the more he hooked his little paws
It always felt good to have an extra companion in the nest, it helped Liu Er fall asleep easier, as if his mind was telling him "there's someone else here, you're not alone, it's not that cold, it's okay"
As the queen of the mountain fell into a deep sleep, he began to wander, with various thoughts jumbled together
Baozang is still suffering from the loss of his mother
Qianhua, one of her companion monkeys, also lost her newborn baby in the fire, so she took to overprotecting the queen
Baozang needs a figurehead to give him the love and care he needs
Qianhua needs someone to give her the love and care she was unable to give
Maybe
It could work
70 years old
Liu Er was ready
After years of training to return to his former condition and even surpass it by polishing his new skills, finally, he felt able to pick up his quest at the exact point where he left off
The moon
His ears vibrated with pure excitement at the challenge ahead of them
However, he could no longer strain his hearing abilities in the same stupid way he did in the past, the consequences for that cost him dearly and he was not sure he would have the same luck again
He will take advantage of this new opportunity as carefully as possible
*I won't fail this time, small steps bring big results Liu Er* he said to himself, silently advising himself not to fall into the same mistakes of years ago
He sat on the edge of the cliff, as usual, however there was no longer the sun reflecting on the horizon as usual, the sky was not tinged with orange colors that from time to time reminded him of that soft and shiny fur he wished to scratch sweetly with his nails, or that peach colored mark on a face he wished to outline softly with his fingertips
All there was in the sky was a dark blanket covered with stars that have seen and lived far more than Macaque will ever live, a cold and uncertain vastness, like the portals he has grown so accustomed to using in recent years
The moon greeted him at its highest point, shining cold and unperturbed on that magnificent stage of lights millions of years away from his hands
He closed his eyes softly, pushing away all traces of doubt or fear that remained in his chest
*Everything will be all right
He pushed away unnecessary sounds, his own palpitations, even those intrusive thoughts that screamed at him that everything would go wrong were silenced
Liu Er listened
As far away as he could
The air, the whistling of pressure as he went higher and higher
Up
Up
Up
Until he stopped, and he heard no more
He tried to keep calm, maybe he was going the wrong way
He went back the way he came and sighed with relief as he heard the wet sound of the clouds being blown by the wind
*It's not my ears," he declared more calmly
*A man born deaf will never miss a sound he has never heard, yet for those who have felt it and lost it, there is no greater anguish than to lose it again* Marshal Ma had said those words to him once some years ago, just now, Liu Er could fully affirm them
He felt uncomfortable to stop listening to such an extent, the emptiness of the star mantle did not comfort him in the slightest, it brought back unpleasant memories that he did not wish to repeat
However, one thing was clear, without straining his ears until they exploded, he would never cross the silent barrier surrounding the moon
He finished his research session by retracting his 6 ears until he gradually recovered the sounds he had pushed out of the way, until the water of the waterfall breaking on the rocks and the chirping of sleepy monkeys were the main sounds he picked up
He relaxed his posture, leaning back on the earth of cold green grass, wagging his tail elegantly through the slow, soft grass as he thought
"In these conditions I won't be able to get very far..." murmured Liu Er in contemplation, connecting glances with the moon, as if the big glowing rock in the sky was also curious to know what his next move would be
He spent a long time there, lying under the stars looking up at the moon, searching for some alternative that might help him
Shadows swirled beneath his silhouette, following the steady hypnotic sway of his tail, the wind swept across the crown of his head, not strong enough to leave him feeling cold, barely like a caress
"My brain is mango pulp right now, any ideas?" the 6-eared monkey asked, draping his arms behind the back of his neck like a pillow for more comfort instead of the hard ground
The shadows stirred, trying to get his attention somehow, circling around him again and again, as if he was a child eager to give his opinion, Liu Er followed him with his eyes, amused by such a display of enthusiasm
"Looks like you guys want to share something with the class, alright, what do you have for me?" Macaque sat with perfect posture, waiting patiently and tenderly, as if they were the little monkeys
*Maybe they are* he said to himself, chuckling to himself at the accurate reality
The shadows finally stood still, forming a large puddle as black as ink, exactly the same as the lake of tears was that time he went swimming in its waters, long ago Macaque came to the conclusion that what he dived into that day was not water, it was not even the lake
When he talked about it with Princess Iron Fan, he discovered that in the celestial realm it is known as 'shadow dimension', a place empty as the dead sea and dark as the depths, a mysterious place inside those portals that were able to take him anywhere he wished, not many have been able to enter, but ultimately no one has managed to get out, so the poor creatures ended up becoming nothing more than shadows bound to that dimension forever
Liu Er pushed those memories aside to give his full attention to the shadows in front of him, which had already split into two smaller puddles, a breeze swept across the lawn, passing strongly over a daisy growing solitary among the grass, the air swept the petals in a steady stream around the monkey, as if the wind wanted to make sure Macaque was paying enough attention
After circling a couple of times, the air current carried the petals through the small puddle-shaped portal to the monkey's left, only to appear from the right portal, carrying the plucked remains of the flower fully intact, as if it had passed from one end of a tunnel to the other
Wait a minute...
The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning in the middle of a storm
Send a portal of shadows to the moon, leave another portal in the mountain
Listening through the connection of the two portals...
"I'm not sure I can send a portal that far, the moon is too far away you know?" he spoke to both elements, who were playing with each other passing flowers back and forth, the action made him laugh a little, they looked like a couple of children
*I still can't believe the shadows have spoiled my wind like that, my king would make fun of me if he saw me* he thought with amusement and a bit of nostalgia
"Well, if we don't try we won't know" he declared standing up, immediately his accompanying elements gave him full attention, the shadows snaked across his body until they slipped between his fingers, eager to receive a command, Macaque tentatively tasted the darkness between his fingers, that moved between his phalanges with elegance and complete surrender, a crawling sensation that would leave anyone with chills, like the gait of an insect, but not for Liu Er, this is HIS element, cold on the outside, warm inside, with an immensity inside full of mysteries
Slowly and gracefully, every fragment of darkness on the mountain was drawn in until it found its place under Liu Er's feet, the sight was surreal, not even the largest tree under the moonlight cast the slightest shadow, finally, without any other dark drop to claim, the great cumulus transformed into a portal, swallowing the 6-eared ape so fast that it left not the slightest trace of him in front of the cliff
Liu Er contemplated and embraced the vast darkness of the shadow dimension once he was inside, floating aimlessly was disconcerting in a way, but it always felt so pleasant to let go that getting lost in its vastness did not frighten him
The celestial monkey took a deep breath, listening to his shadows, it would be hard to explain to anyone that it was possible to find the slightest noise in something that doesn't move at all, but Macaque found the sound in that empty inside, they were like whispers echoing under the damp earth on a rainy day, watery noises, distorted by the overwhelming amount of them, rain could get so outrageous
The shadows too, they were so greedy, so hungry, swallowing every ray of light until it was extinguished, every sound, every picture
The darkness of the universe was concentrated here, it was just a matter of finding the right combination
The immense silence and at the same time the excess of sound overwhelmed Liu Er, the echo of the universe rumbled under his ears, not knowing the origin or the time, just a great cacophony of all that outside the mountain and what he knew
It was awesome
And terrifying
He wondered for a second if he could hear Wukong here, even the shadow of the great monkey king should be shrieking relentlessly together now, chaotic and explosive, just like his husband, but like everything related to the stone monkey these days, it was silent
Liu Er applied everything he learned in training, this was just another obstacle. With patience, he pushed away every irrelevant sound, every human, demon or living thing that stepped on the earth was muted
*Come on, even on the moon there should be darkness...* he said to himself, searching for any key sounds that might help
An ecstatic chuckle caught his attention
"Look Bun Bun, my vegetables grew stupendously these days!" echoed in one of his ears
Liu Er caught the sound, taking it to himself and following it until he found the source, a portal projected amidst the darkness, hurting the monkey's eyesight a bit, who pulled himself together a few moments later
The shadows projected a woman kneeling in front of an orchard, the characteristic lunar craters around her, the starry sky in the distance, the earth itself in the distance
She was on the moon
"I've got you..." the simian whispered, swerving into the shadows to create a small portal under a leafy bush, away from anyone's view and unnoticed as just another shadow
Macaque made sure the small portal stayed permanently anchored to the ground to finally decide to leave the dimension of shadows where he came from, ending up on the firm and safe ground of his own mountain
"Alright, let's see if this works" he mumbled through his teeth, creating another portal in front of him, similar in size to the one he left placed on the moon, then he waved his hands, calling to his air element, which swirled around him like a torrent of water following the ocean current "May you arrive safely, dear friend..." he implored in whispers, before releasing the wind into the inside of the portal
He waited a few moments, letting the air take its time, coursing through whatever it wanted and stored to bring him, it was no different than what they already did on earth anyway
For Macaque, the minutes took forever, he could feel his heart pounding in his throat from uncontrollable nerves, under any other circumstances he would maintain a demeanor worthy of someone with his title, but right now all his progress depended on a thread, there was no way he could be at ease
Finally, the wind returned to him, bringing with it new and intriguing sounds, Liu Er took them, greedily, not letting anything escape, his ears flapped in excitement at the new unexplored noises, the information filtered through the small but mighty colorful appendages, who received them with undivided attention
"If we plant more vegetables around here, they'll grow perfectly!"
"Bun Bun! Follow me!"
"I can think of a perfect recipe for this!"
"Let's cook!"
"I'm Chang'e! Of course I can prepare something delicious with anything, I'm offended that you doubt it Bun Bun!"
Finally
Liu Er pushed the sounds away, letting out a laugh of pure relief, sitting down gently on the grass, relaxing every tense muscle in the process
"I made it!" he declared ecstatically, gazing up at the large celestial body in the sky, which was glowing brightly, as if congratulating him
The wind and shadows stirred around him, cheering for the celestial monkey's great achievement
90 years
Having auditory control on the moon was only the first step to a bigger plan, after all the shadow dimension was very useful on the earthly plane, but it was not capable of reaching the celestial realm or the demonic realm on its own, for that a special teleportation portal was needed
However Liu Er took things slowly, he spent 20 years just navigating the inside of the dark dimension to discover its secrets and get the most out of them, so over the years, he learned some useful things
If he wanted to, the shadows could transport him to any place he wanted, in just seconds, as long as there was a shadow at his destination, although Macaque still didn't put it into practice, after all he wouldn't be so foolish as to leave the mountain to explore and polish his abilities
That story has already been told once
And it did not end well
besides, the shadows were capable of transforming into whatever he wanted, so now he had a nice shadow stick with sharp spikes on the tips, the shaded colors gave him an elegant touch that matched the black fur he liked to sport from time to time
His first coat dye change might not have been the most appropriate, it was his scorched fur after all, but now that it regained its original silver hue, Liu Er could actually admit out loud that black didn't look bad on him at all, they couldn't blame him for wanting to wear it to look elegant
Although monkeys would praise his appearance even with a dead chicken on his head but that's not the point
Maybe it was simple vanity, or Princess Iron Fan's advice prompting him to try new things, or just watching Chang 'e with her graceful and well-groomed style that he wanted to imitate and try a new look
"A queen must look presentable" was the excuse he always used
And PIF was the most pleased about it
"I'll bring you lovely fabrics to match that black dye next time I come, some earrings would look perfect on you too, you have 6 ears to show them off Didi" chuckled the lady with horns in her hair as she sipped a glass of liquor
"My ears are striking on their own, wouldn't it be too much overkill to decorate them even more? Besides, you know perfectly well that jewelry is not my thing, cold metal doesn't feel good against my fur" dismissed the simian with a slight wave of the hand
"Oh, I know from experience, I scoured heaven, sea and earth looking for the perfect metal to have an elegant battle armor made for you to match that dirty husband of yours that you never wore in the end, now that was a disaster, that simian was very lucky you even accepted his wedding ring" at this point, the alcohol had already loosened a bit of PIF's biting words so there was no longer that filter to say things more delicately
Liu Er looked at his own ring in silence, examining it up and down, finding in it a thousand memories of the one who gave him the jewel in the first instance, at first it felt strange to wear it, the metal was not his favorite texture, it was too hard and cold, but at this point and being the only tangible reminder that showed him that Sun Wukong existed and walked the earth once upon a time long ago, taking the priceless jewel off his finger now felt even worse
He decided to push intrusive thoughts out of his mind, this was no time to dwell on that, instead, he looked at his sister with a chagrined smile
"The armor you gave me is beautiful Jiejie, seriously, but if I didn't wear it before, I'm even less likely to wear it now, it's peaceful times on the mountain and I plan to keep it that way" Liu Er replied cradling his ring gently between his hands folded on his lap
"I wouldn't be so sure Didi, don't think I don't know what you are planning, you know I support everything you do, but what you are doing with those shadows sooner or later will get the attention of the celestial realm, we both know they are terrified of not having control over everyone below them, if you managed to get in there and hear all their secrets they would really go crazy" PIF finished the rest of his drink in one sip, the drunkenness tinged her cheeks pink, which made an incredible contrast to her current scowl
"I just want to find Wukong, I'm not doing anything wrong" every word made him shrink more in his seat, his tail wagged uneasily, Liu Er really wasn't able to remain calm in the face of a scolding from his Jiejie
Princess Iron Fan flicked a lock of her hair away, her posture became rigid in a second, despite slurring her words from time to time and the pink tint on her face she looked as imposing as a divine queen about to give an order, Macaque really admired that woman a lot
"Do you think they'll give you time to explain if they catch you? They barely respect each other, I lived there remember? Listen to me, for that you have 6 ears, you must be very careful, the fact that you remain locked up here does not give you a guarantee of being safe from the eye of the celestial realm, one false move and you could have the whole army in heaven on your head again, your monkeys have a peaceful life after surviving the pain, don't make them suffer anymore, you are the only thing they have left, if any divine punishment comes be assured that you won't be the only one who will suffer" firmly, the lady took her little brother's hands, looking him in the eyes, her gaze softened a little, as if she was scolding a child
Liu Er didn't know what to reply to that, his sister was right, just looking for Sun Wukong was already too dangerous to want to infiltrate the celestial realm to look for him, it might attract unwanted attention if he wasn't careful, and he definitely didn't want another war to develop in his beloved eternal summer paradise, it took years of healing to get back to where they were, he couldn't just throw all his people's hard work away like it was nothing, a punishment wasn't an option either, without him, the tribe would be left unprotected and vulnerable to any malicious being with enough courage to wish to claim the territory of the acclaimed Monkey King
But he had already come this far, years of training, gathering information, learning, healing, he could not stop now that he was about to get a real clue to the whereabouts of his king
The black-haired monkey looked down at his joined hands, the ring shone beautifully under a small ray of sunshine, for some reason, every time Liu Er looked at it when he didn't know what to do, an idea would come to his mind, as if all the wacky creativity of his beloved sun was deposited in the precious jewel
Macaque looked up, immediately connecting with his sister's worried eyes
"If I become one of them the punishment won't be so severe"
Princess Iron Fan let out a laugh so raucous it could be heard all over the mountain
91 years old
PIF was still not completely convinced that infiltrating the celestial realm was a good idea, but with the passage of time and her little brother's constant pleas she couldn't resist for long, so she ended up teaching him how to create a portal to the celestial realm
The training was quiet and calm, both were extremely patient, each step was calculated and studied with great dedication
It was not enough to create a portal, Liu Er needed to create one that was small enough to go unnoticed among the celestials and durable enough for his first exploration
He created many portals, some large, some small, his wind and shadows were eager to pass through them and bring whatever the celestial monkey desired, but Macaque would not allow it, he would only let them go when he was convinced the portal was perfect, there was no chance of failure
Screwing up could be very expensive
1 full year it took to create a portal good enough to be approved by Liu Er's critical eye
PIF was by his side throughout the whole process, giving advice from time to time and congratulating his progress, she really was a good teacher
But finally the moment of truth came
"You still have time to take this back" PIF kept her arms folded, waiting expectantly under the shade of a tree, her wind kept stirring around her to send her a cool gust that could lessen the heat from the powerful rays of the sun, some of the younger monkeys also kept her company, ecstatic at the blowing of the wind ruffling their hair
Liu Er stood meditating on the edge of the cliff, as always, preparing himself physically and mentally for what he was about to do
"I've made up my mind Jiejie, I'll be careful I promise, it'll just be to go in, take the information I need and leave, no one will find out anything" the now albino monkey said, his 6 ears twitched in anticipation, energy coursed through his veins like a torrent, ready to be used
Iron Fan believed it, after all, his little brother was always very intelligent, cautious and of good judgment, perhaps the only stupid thing he has ever seen him do was to accept the courtship and subsequently the marriage proposal from the bastard monkey that had him in this trouble now
However, there was still something that she was worried about
"If something goes wrong you will have my support, but 1 year ago you told me you would become one of them to avoid too great a punishment, tell me Liu Er, do you really plan to follow in the same footsteps as him? Wasn't it his desire to get involved with the heavenly realm that led Sun Wukong to his ruin?" it was a touchy subject and PIF knew it, talking about the monkey king always made her adored brother sensitive, but she could no longer keep that concern to herself
Liu Er hummed as he stood up, shaking off any dirt that might have been left between the folds of his clothes, before looking at Princess Iron Fan with a thoughtful and somewhat melancholic look
"My sun made the wrong decisions for the right reasons, he always made it clear to me that he wanted all that power to lift us high and keep me and our home away from danger, I really am still upset at how reckless he was and that he left us all those times just to make himself stronger or bring treasures that today are nothing but trash in his trophy room, but I can't blame him when his only wish was for us to be safe, I have no right to criticize him when I am doing the same, I just want to bring him home, where he belongs" saying this, he raised his hands gently creating a tiny circle where barely a finger would fit, inside it small perfect symbols were drawn in a mystical golden color
The wind and shadows stirred, slipping through his fingers, eager to please the queen of Flower Fruit Mountain
PIF watched him, completely perplexed but quickly understanding the 6-eared monkey's feelings, after so long, the anger evaporates and you just want to see your loved ones again, no matter how many wrongs they have done
*If I lost my love like that I too would wish to see him more than anything. It's almost 100 years, drag that stupid monkey's ass back home Didi* thought the wind lady, already resigned to her sworn brother's decisions
The portal remained stable, just as Macaque wished, once he was sure that the portal would remain in perfect condition he decided to send his wind and shadows through it, letting out a silent prayer
*Go well and bring me what I desire, please, you are my last hope*
The minutes became eternal, both brothers waited in complete silence, even the little monkeys decided to move away from the place because of the heavy and overwhelming atmosphere, not even the insects or the birds that passed by dared to chirp
Anxiety was eating Liu Er alive, he felt in complete disconnection with his elements, the feeling was not at all similar to hearing even the moon through the shadow dimension, its wind and darkness were on another plane just now, and he couldn't feel them, it terrified him
PIF wouldn't admit her nervousness, trying to maintain a calm and relaxed posture, but the slight twitch in her eye and her nails splintering between them said otherwise
Finally, the wind came out of the portal, being followed by the shadows, both elements swirled around the monkey, depositing in it everything they managed to gather, the 6 eager ears greedily absorbed everything the wind had to offer, every sound, every noise, whisper, rustle, murmur or shout released into the air, and their longing eyes caught every image that was swallowed by the darkness of the shadows, getting a full view of what was on the other side
Liu Er's eyes marveled at the images the shadows brought to him. Glittering, pristine gold at every corner, a nightless palace bathed in a celestial energy like no other, protected under the blanket of the perfect fluffy clouds, unable to carry a single drop of water. The polished corridors where not even the smallest stone was out of place, and the jade carved statues standing in their splendor without any kind of imperfection
A perfect place to hide the greatest riches known to life itself
Even the sounds that boomed in Liu Er's ears were unlike anything he had heard before, no booming, out of place sounds or overly loud voices
So quiet, so pure, so dignified
So wise
*This is the peace you so longed for, Wukong?
Liu Er thought, sighing at the sounds so soothing and stimulating to his sensitive ears
Princess Iron Fan watched him silently, smiling as she saw her brother's ears twitch at the pleasant stimulation, he probably had no idea, but she didn't have the heart to say so, not when those 6 colorful ears moved like the fluttering of a butterfly
Not wanting to be distracted any further, Liu Er dismissed the useless sounds one by one, looking for familiar voices or sounds, heart palpitations, sighs, gasps, anything
Any sound that would guide him to his sun
The voices of the celestial beings were moderate in tone, they spoke with pauses and orderly, their hearts beat at a quiet, long-lived rhythm, yet something in the timbre of voice sounded rather unpleasant to the ear
They were all so...
Prepotent
Living with Sun Wukong, who was vanity and pride embodied in one being, should have prepared him to listen to the gods of the celestial realm, even overlook or ignore them outright
But Wukong was never like that
Yes, he was a fool with airs and graces
Yes, he believed he could defeat the entire celestial realm single-handedly
Yes, he considered himself the best of them all and beat the crap out of those who didn't feel the same way
But Wukong never looked down with such disdain
All life forms were precious
And Wukong cherished them
Liu Er pushed those thoughts away, grimacing slightly as he only found more and more dull chatter among those pompous and vain monks and scholars
Until he slowed down in his tracks, politely asking the wind to repeat the last sentence his 6 eager ears picked up on
"Only an idiot like Sun Wukong would be foolish enough to challenge the Buddha"
Liu Er's ears flapped
At last
Finally someone called out his name
"But it was fortunate that he lost that bet, or else he'd still be around causing chaos"
Macaque's teeth clenched, with a growl stuck in his throat
"I just hope it never occurs to them to take that mountain off him, just thinking about him gives me a headache"
Liu Er froze
What...
What mountain?...