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After his mother, Princess Iron Fan, gave Red Son the seal that could open up the path to the old factory building, Red Son made his way there alongside MK who insistent to join the prince during his times of confusion.
When they arrived at the factory, the demon couldn't help but feel uneasy as they looked around the facility to check for any signs that it's not safe to stay here. The hole in which the Lady Bone Demon's coffin was found in stood out to him the most. Images of his possessed father flashed briefly before his eyes. The memories of his father's attack being directed at him still haunted him to this day.
When MK looked over to Red Son to check up on him, the prince simply shook it off and walked past the hole and over to his old worktable which was covered in old blueprints and dust all over. Together with MK, they took some of their time in order to get this place cleaned up. It took a while to get the old factory cleaned and sanitized enough so neither of them would need to sleep in dirty sheets or sneeze every time they took a deep breath in due to the dust littered around the place.
Those events transpired a few days ago and both the demon bull prince and the celestial monkey have settled into the factory building below the city where they've been running various tests on Red Sons physical health. Red Son was the one running the experiments, to be more precise. The prince specifically requested for the celestial monkey to stay back during testings as to avoid any accidents. With Red Sons powers acting up, he didn't want to take any chances that it could accidentally hurt MK when things spiral out of control.
While Red Son was busy experimenting on himself, MK was standing at a distance, worry evident on the boys features. Most of the experiments were harmless enough. Those experiments consisted of doing various allergy tests to see if his immune system may have changed over time or checking if he caught the common cold, a fever, or any other sickness. While Red Son wanted to leave no option out in the open, he couldn't help but question his testings. After all, he has never acted this way before when he'd grown sick and as far as his records state, he's not allergic to anything.
These series of tests lasted a few days, every single one of them handled with precise care and caution in order to get the most accurate results. Yet at the end of it all, every test was negative. There has been no decline of his physical heath in any way.
Red Son paced around the factory while lost deep in thought. It was in the middle of the night and the demon couldn't fall asleep with worry plaguing his mind. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him. The very few times he used his fire during their stay in the old facility ended up in a disaster. He wasn't even able to light up a candle properly without damaging anything around it.
It was all too similar to his earlier years of life when he was an inexperienced toddler who couldn't control his actions. The long lost memory of his mothers scolding for when he burned down the curtains came flooding back and he stopped dead in his tracks. He felt lost. How can it be that he feels like a helpless child again..
Red Son didn't sleep that night, just like other nights before. It was hard trying to tell MK that everything was fine when the other could read him like an open book at this point. Yet he persisted and kept saying that things were fine and that he could handle the situation. Of course, MK didn't believe him but also knew of Red Sons stubbornness and hoped that the prince would approach him himself soon.
After yet another sleepless night, plagued by his worries and memories of his incompetence, he finally decided that perhaps things didn't lay within the fact that his physical health was declining, but his core changing. After all, with him double checking every test result, what else was there?
With his mind made up, he sneaked out of the bed and made his way over to the main room of the factory where he chose a place he deemed good enough to meditate and sat down, already internally hoping that his assumption would be proven wrong.
He crossed his legs and placed his hands down on his lap before closing his and taking a deep breath in and out. He continued to focus on his breathing, making sure that his body slowly began to relax as he calmed his hectic mind. Once he was sure that his mind was clear of any distractions, he concentrated on his pulsing core deeply rooted within his very being.
And there it was, a core that resembled the form of a flame, the red and black flames gently dancing from side to side. It didn't seem abnormal to him until he decided to look a little closer. Was that.. a seal placed on his core?
---
MK, who was currently half asleep, wanted to wrap his arms around Red Son but after a bit of fumbling around the bed, he noticed that said demon was missing. This woke up the celestial monkey, his eyes slowly opened to look around the dimly lit room taking notice of the fact that Red Son was not here. MK called out to Red Son with no response coming back. Worry started to take over his mind as he wondered where Red Son could've wandered off to in the middle of the night. With that feeling nagging MK in the back of his mind, the celestial monkey stood up from the bed and slowly started to wander to the main room of the factory
---
After he made sure he wasn't hallucinating, Red Son confirmed that there was a seal placed on his core. The thing that made him worry, however, wasn't the placement of a seal, but that the seal was showing signs of cracking and breaking. Whatever it was that was meant to be kept under wraps was starting to creep out through the cracks making it's way to the surface and it felt so.. familiar, yet a feeling of uneasiness started to grow.
Was it..? It couldn't be. They separated it from him. That's what his parents have told him. That's what he's seen. That's what.. that's what made Mei the Lady Bone Demon's target.
The Samadhi Fire is within Mei now, right? What he's seeing is simply his sleep deprived state playing tricks with him. It has to be..
---
The factory was too quiet for Red Son do be doing any testings, MK concluded after walking around a bit. Not only that, but Red Son also wasn't at the usual work station they've put together either. MK's worry continued to grow as there weren't any signs of the demon's presence. That is until eventually, MK saw a soft glow come from a more secluded area of the factory. As he slowly crept closer, the form of Red Son in his meditative state could be seen, the others untied burning hair being the source of the glow MK saw earlier.
“Sunray..?” MK asked cautiously as he approached.
---
Memories of past events continued to flood in. The sounds of manic laughter of an infant rang in his ears and the image of Mei stuck in that giant block of ice while fighting off the flames was all he could focus on. He remembers the feeling. That feeling of when he broke through and came into direct contact with the Samadhi Fire again. At that moment he didn't realize it but now.. it was clear that this feeling felt like something was calling to him. What was it? Everyone's desperate screams as they tried to safe the world? Or was it the force of the Samadhi Fire greeting him with open arms? The laughter grew louder and with it joined the pained screams of the ones that tried to stop him.. of his parents as they watched their son being consumed by his own power.
---
The celestial Monkey slowly got closer to the demon prince and leaned in closer to see the others face. MK saw how Red Son's brows furrowed, and that his breathing seems to be irregular. The worry he felt throughout this entire time made sense to him now, now that he sees the state Red Son was in.
---
He couldn't get out. The memories that took over his mind keeping him inside his own head like a prison cell. He couldn't help but hear that terrible laughter and the piercing screams of his loved ones. He wanted to put his hands on his ears to drown out the noise but his body wasn't responding, all he cold do was float there and take it all in.
It was all too much. The screaming, the laughter, the images of burned bodies, and Mei who was doing everything in her power to not succumb to the Fire. Worst of all? The image of his parents terrified faces combined with their desperate scream in order to try to lure him back his senses.
---
“Hey Sunray? Can you hear me..?” he asked as he slowly wrapped his left arm around Red Sons shoulder, mindful of the burning state of the others hair. Red Son once told him that his hair was a visible representation of his power, usually manifested through emotions. What was it that made Red Son feel like this?
---
Suddenly the only sound that rang through his ears was the pained filled scream of MK.
He felt like he was back inside his body, finally able to move and to see the place he remembers going to together with-
“Xiaotian!”
The prince's eyes widen in horror as he watches how MK jumped away from him while clutching his arm, clear burn marks visible on the others palm and forearm, his eyes wide with shock due to what happened moments prior.
“No.. I-”
He did this.. didn't he?
..
Tears started to swell up in his eyes.
..
Those burns are his doing.. aren't they..
..
The tears started to fall down his face.
He couldn't move, only watch and listen as MK hissed in pain from the burn marks which he caused.
Red Son didn't fully register what was happening, only that he suddenly felt hot. There was an ache in his chest and for what felt like forever, it was the only thing he was able to feel. That is until he once again felt MK's hand on his shoulder.
“Sunray hey.. it's okay you-” MK tried to speak but the hand he placed on Red Sons shoulder was quickly slapped away.
“DON'T COME NEAR ME!” Red Son shouted panicked as he scrambled away from MK, putting a distance between them.
MK looked heartbroken at Red Son's reaction but he wasn't about to give up just yet. “Listen to me Sunray.. calm down and we can take care of this together.. okay?” he said in a hushed voice as he slowly started to walk closer to Red Son again.
Red Son however only seemed to back away more with every step that MK came closer. Red Son kept murmuring for MK to stay away, to keep his distance , to leave him alone but MK wouldn't listen. He kept coming closer and Red Son was starting to hit a dead end, feeling like a cornered animal.
“I SAID GO. AWAY!”
The seal that desperately kept the Samadhi Fire at bay for all these years shattered as Red Son's emotions were all over the place. Nothing left to stop it from seeping out and coming back to the surface.
In an attempt to keep MK away, Red Son created a ring of fire. His chest rose and fell as he took shaky breaths. His posture equaling that of a lost child more than the brave facade he puts on as the bull demon prince. He felt scared.. confused and .. helpless.
“Please just.. go... I don't want to hurt anyone I love.. I can't-.. I can't do this..not again” The prince, for the first time since forever, broke down in tears. His sobs echoing through the factory's walls.
And MK? MK could do nothing but watch as his partner crumbled.
[End]