Chapter Text
The dreams always start the same way. She could see crystal shards erupting in front of her. Her body lifted off the ground and a cold, desolate mech followed below her. She watched the mech plunge flaming red swords into the earth and desolate all of China.
Yet, that’s all she could do. Watch. Not being able to control her body and being trapped within it.
She couldn’t recall the last time her dreams were her own…
“Bai He…” A voice whispered. “Bai He… destiny is calling.” Slowly, the voice grew in noise until it surrounded her.
“Bai He!”
Bai He shot up from the table, hitting her head on the hanging lights directly above her in the process. Now, she recalled who that voice belonged to.
Lishan, the café owner, shoved a plate of mooncakes into Bai He’s face. “Break is over. Destiny is calling from table four.” Bai He rubbed the top of her head as she grabbed the plate and slid off the stool.
The café was crowded today. The counter beside the dessert display was lined with coffee, teas, and desserts. The mooncakes were one of seven orders. The circular tables placed haphazardly around the room had at least one to four people seated. Some patrons sipped their coffee from pink-colored cups while working on another task, while some patrons munched on treats while chatting with friends.
Bai He approached table four and placed the mooncakes down while taking the other empty plate. “Hey Bai He, slept in late last night?” Destiny asked.
“Yup. The café always needs a good cleaning. The trouble is it takes hours.” She groaned.
“I bet. I’ll make sure not to leave too much of a mess.” As she says this, Destiny takes a bite of the mooncake and it sprinkles crumbs over the table.
Bai He let out a tired laugh. “Thank you for your generosity.”
She walks back to the counter and gathers up the rest of the orders. Carefully, she serves each table, but on the last order, she's stopped by a patron.
“Hey, you look familiar.” A construction worker asks while rubbing his stubbly chin.
Bai He looks down at her apron with ‘Lishan’s Wonderful Delights’ written in a bubble font. “This is a pretty iconic café…”
“No, I’ve seen you—there!” The man points to a screen behind Bai He.
When she turns around to look, she sees the city being destroyed by crystals shooting out of the ground. The camera tilts up to the sky where Bai He sees herself, floating above, laughing manically as the city falls into ruin. She felt her shoulders tense up at the sight.
“That was.. when I was possessed by the Lady Bone Demon. But, I’m fine now thanks to Mk and—”
“Couldn’t you have fought a little harder?” Another patron piped up from another table. “If you were able to regain control, then we wouldn’t even need to be saved.”
“It’s almost as if she wanted it to happen.” Another patron.
“Who’s to truly say the lady bone demon isn’t still inside of her.” The construction worker narrowed his eyes at her.
Bai He gripped her serving tray tightly. Almost feeling the plastic crack under her fists. She knew they were only frustrated and upset with what happened. But, the way they spoke, she felt as if all eyes were on her. Ready to strike if she made a wrong move, or if she showed her true colors as the demon they once saw her as.
“Oi,” Lishan stood between Bai He and the construction worker, “if you have a problem with my server then it’s best you leave.”
“I don’t, but we can never be sure…”
“Be sure that she’s my best employee and any complaint is a complaint to me. So, do you have something to say to me or do you want to leave?”
The construction worker cleared his throat and went back to drinking his coffee. Lishan huffed and crossed her arms.
“That goes for everyone else. The attack is behind us, let’s just enjoy ourselves.” She announced.
Bai He loosened her grip and a sigh puffed out of her mouth. Despite Lishan’s old age, her mighty stature and stern attitude felt like a grandmother getting after her grandchildren. It was a useful weapon to snap people in line.
Lishan patted Bai He’s shoulder. “You can call in for the day. I don’t want you heading out too late at night.”
Bai He winced at the memory of her chasing Kimi through the alleyways that night. Now, she has trouble with the dark. “Thank you. For everything.”
Lishan grinned. “Like I said, you’re my best employee. Besides, you had it harder than anyone else during the attack.”
Bai He gathered her things to leave for her apartment. Hanging her apron on the hook, she slipped on her white, lavender roller blades and zipped out the back door. The sun was setting and people made their commute around her. Bai He moved past construction zones repairing streets and buildings. Her heart dropped a little at the site. The news reported no one was hurt, but the destruction was like a scar upon everyone. She watched as Mk and his friends used their powers to help the city repair faster, but she couldn’t do anything to help.
But there was still hope.
As Bai He rolled through the docks, she saw construction work being done for a bridge across the water to another island further away from Megapolis. She remembered reports saying that a new town would symbolize a new chapter for everyone with the Monkey King and his protégée's protection assured. This would be a new opportunity for new people to travel here and for citizens to forget the attack. Bai He found it better to see all the construction as a new beginning rather than a nasty ending.
Eventually, she arrived at her apartment complex. She sat on the bench outside of the doors to slip off her roller blades. That was when she heard a meow from above.
Bai He craned her head to look up and saw Kimi balancing himself on her balcony’s railings. Her heart plummeted. “Kimi! What are you doing?! Get down from there this instant!”
Of course, the cat only meows in defiance. Even more, he begins to walk on the railing before lowering himself at the other end.
“Oh no.” Bai He groaned. “You better not jump.”
Of course, the cat jumped. He tried to land on the railing of her neighbor's balcony, however, his back legs didn’t connect and he started to fall from the third story.
Immediately, Bai He sprinted after him. Her arms spread out to catch him, but as she did, she felt something course through her body to her fingertips. A magical circle appeared above her. Ancient writings glowed blue before they disappeared. A flat crystal shard materialized from the side of the apartment complex between the balconies.
Kimi landed on top of it. He meowed above her.
Bai He blinked and rubbed her eyes a few times to process what she was seeing. When she pieced together that this was, in fact, real: she sucked in a breath. Then promptly started freaking out. “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This is not good. Not good at all. How do I get rid of it? They’ll know it’s me! Was it me?” Her rush of thoughts blurting from her mouth stopped when the crystal cracked and disappeared.
Bai He raised up her arms again and caught her cat. She crushed him to her chest as she raced to grab her roller blades by the laces and ran inside. She slammed the door behind her and lowered Kimi to the floor.
He seemed entirely unfazed by the matter, opting to lick himself while Bai He agonized by the door. What was that? That was one hundred percent the Lady Bone Demon’s power. Is she still inside me? Did we not get rid of her? Is she going to take control of me again? She couldn’t stop listing the possibilities. She paced in her living room and chewed on her nails.
“I should go to Mk. But, what if it's nothing and I'm overreacting? Then, I would be a hindrance. Yet, if I wait and she takes control… ah! What should I do?” She lamented.
Bai He paused, however, when she heard Kimi hissing. When she looked, he wasn’t hissing at anything else, but her. Without her noticing, her shadow cast from her apartment room lights grew across her coffee table. A purple hue enveloped the shadow before it seemed to change forms, acquiring a glowing grin.
“She won’t take control.” A voice echoed.
Bai He immediately scanned the room as her body cowered. She whipped to turn behind her and shrieked when his face was inches away from hers. She stumbled backward onto her couch and raised a pillow up towards the mysterious thing in her room.
For a moment she swore it was Monkey King sitting in front of her, but he looked different than him. Darker fur and red streaked across his face. He smiled at her as he crossed his legs on her coffee table.
“Sorry for my intrusion. But, I believe we have matters to discuss.”