#and eventually i'll post the complete & connected version onto ao3 (and provide a link of it on an edited version of this post)

[fluffypotatey]

Monkie Destiny Challenge 2024 Day 2

thanks to this new prompt list from @lunar-wandering, i was able to complete the second half of this ficlet!!!! took me a year :) but i did it :D tournament au we are so back (we're not)

prompt: Shadow//Light

words: 1038

* * * * * * * *

There have been a few times when Macaque remembers waking up into the unknown. One of those was dying. The dark shadows that hung over the blue lights, almost like you were being watched, was not a fun experience. Another was after Macaque was raised from the dead with a sealed contract bound to his soul. Cold veins slowly growing warm, whole stiff muscles almost seemed to defrost after being motionless for centuries.

The third time was actually his first: waking up in a strange house with some weirdo monkey watching over him. Sun Wukong, his first friend. He had asked Macaque what his deal was, golden eyes pensive with his body sat in forced relaxation. Macaque told him to shove it, they fought, and were best friends ever since. Until he died, of course.

But that’s besides the point. The actual point was finding out where he was currently, and why he woke up in a square stone room. There were only a couple torches that hung on the walls, so light was scarce. No blue flames, though, so it was a plus. Somewhat. Not to mention the scarce light meant he was surrounded in mostly shadow

Whoever seemed to have brought him here had very poor insight on him it seems. Very poor insight. Unless…

Macaque attempted to summon a shadow clone. Immediately, the room darkened and gave off a purplish glow. This, of course, was simply step one in summoning a shadow and took little to no effort at all. Actually, getting that fucker off the wall? 

“What the–?” Macaque grunted as the shadow resisted his call. Trying again, only made the shadow resist harder. 

Macaque stopped himself after the third attempt, the room’s light returning once more. If he had pushed the shadow even further, his situation would have gotten worse than just being stuck in an abandoned room. While Macaque likes to consider himself the Master of Shadows, he will never be fully in control of them. If he pushes them too hard, they could swallow him whole, and he wasn’t so keen on that option. At all.

Checking himself for any seals, Macaque found nothing, so whoever trapped him was self-assured enough that Macaque wouldn’t have enough power to escape swiftly. Which he didn’t, currently. Actually, Macaque was completely drained of all magic power. All that was left was his lifeforce which he couldn’t use because of…reasons (the necromantic kind, if you catch his drift).

So, essentially, Macaque’s magic was useless. Can’t-even-summon-his-cudgel kind of useless. How wonderful. How perfect. 

Stupendous.

It felt weird not being able to wield his weapon in such an unfamiliar place. He felt vulnerable, left open, outcasted, abandoned. Macaque hated it.

-

There’s a kind of insanity that comes with being cooped up in a room you cannot escape no matter how hard you try. The continuous pull on the shadows, the drag of exhaustion that enters after each use of your already drained magic. Macaque wondered when the decay would start up again. His magic was the only thing keeping it at bay.

“This is a terrible place to die,” he muttered, tail flicking to and fro behind him while he laid on the makeshift bed of blankets and sheets. “And boring.”

As if being challenged, the side wall to Macaque’s right bursted open, chunks of stone and dust clouds covering the room. More light even poured in, showing the empty and chalky yellow room for what it was.

Maybe the universe can be kind.

“You know,” said an eerily familiar voice through the dust cloud, “I am getting real sick and tired of being incapacitated like it's nothing. You’d think with my reputation, people would stop. Doing it.”

And the universe was back to being a cruel little shit.

“Maybe it’s because you have a tendency to piss everyone off.”

Wukong’s silhouette came to view as Macaque turned his head to the giant hole in the wall. It shifted in response to Macaque’s voice and he heard the monkey scoff. There was a touch of something— Macaque wasn’t sure how to describe it but relief was not one he wished to consider— as the Monkey King stepped through the new entryway, his fur covered in dust and pebbles.

“You threaten a dragon one time”—

“It was three if I recall.”

“You threaten a dragon one time”—

“Oh we’re sticking with one?”

“I could just leave you here.”

“And what would the kid say?” Macaque was unafraid to use Wukong’s attachment to MK as his ace. Sure, the two agreed to reach a consensus of a truce, but nothing was said about continuing to be petty. “Think he’d be okay with you leaving me for dead?”

“Wouldn’t need to,” the monkey huffed, stomping his foot as well (Macaque could not suppress the smirk even if he tried). “You’re dead as is. Basically a walking corpse who got off lucky, yeah.”

“And the Honorable Monkey King’s kindness knows no bounds!”

“YOU–! You wouldn’t know honor if it bit you in the ass!”

“I’m just not a huge fan of being bitten in the ass, frankly.” He shrugged. “But I won’t judge. Living a long time can lead to certain discoveries.”

Wukong choked, stammered, then stomped in a circle sputtering inteligible rants or curses to Macaque. The stone floors trembled and some of the loose bricks from the side wall fell in congruent to the stomping.

“See if I try and free you again!”

Ah, Wukong was back to speaking coherently. 

“Not like I even meant to. Do you have any idea how many walls I’ve punched through? A lot. If you even care.”

Nevermind, this was worse. Macaque really hoped he found MK soon so there'd be at least some kind of buffer.

“Oh and some weird smoke guy decided to taunt me in my face as if that was a smart thing to do. When I get my hands on that little shit!”

“I thought he was made of smoke. So, you know, that would be hard.”

Wukong’s tail twitched. “I would find a way.”

Or maybe the universe could just kill him now. Yeah, Macaque won’t even be mad. Just strike him down and end his suffering.