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The blood curdling scream echoed throughout the battle field, sending shivers down everyone spines as they’re once beloved friend cried his throat hoarse. It was like a pause button was pressed on them, forced to stay in this horrific moment for as long as destiny decides. Green blaring eyes locked onto her friend’s face as he clutched desperately at his empty socket.
The harbinger’s remaining pupil snapped up to the solider’s heavy pants leaving his fanged mouth as his tail swished from side to side. His cheeks stained with grim, blood, and flowing tears as he huffed. Stumbling backwards, MK’s feet could hardly keep himself up.
Some yards away, laid the remains of a once shine, star, and dream filled pupil. It was damaged, badly. It didn’t even look like a body part anymore, just a white and red mushed up mess.
Mei’s expression didn’t falter, nor did her body language. Her hands tightened on her sword, trying not to grimace at the way a few veins hung onto it. Flames sparked at her feet, she could feel the fire within her try to force itself out. Burn the creature she once called her best friend too the ground, just so she wouldn’t have to face him any longer.
Suddenly, a flash. A cloud harboring a king flew down from across the destroyed ruined field, landing just a few feet behind Mei as he ripped the staff from his ear. Golden eyes no longer filled with the love he once had for his student, but fear and disgust.
“Mei..what did you do?”
“I..”
MK wailed , his socket flowing buckets worth of blood as his claws practically ripped into the skin he hung onto. The sound’s of his cries made Wukong shudder, and Mei’s lip quiver. However; no one made the attempt to move.
Not his fathers.
Not his friends.
The harbinger’s body was aflame, heat rising in him as he wordlessly gasped for air. His thoughts clouded over with a mist that couldn’t be cleared, a surrounding taunt that bounced off his skull. There was nothing he could do, he was weak, he couldn’t fight any longer, he couldn’t even dare to move without the risk of being stricken down once again.
They watched him scream, they watched him cry for them, they did nothing but stare at him like he was on display in a zoo. Something that’d have a warning sign next to it’s cage, locked up tight out of fear. His eye carefully lifted itself from it’s fallen gaze on the floor, and all he saw in Mei’s eyes was betrayal. She didn’t look the slight bit remorseful, it made him wonder.
‘Had she always been this scared?’
A startled gasp left him as he felt his body be tugged below the earth; the sounds of footsteps rushing to him before they could reach him, they were drowned out with the empty echo of a void. He twisted around, letting his hands fall from his ache. It was numb, however he could feel the skin around it shoot with the pain of a thousands knives.
MK growled under his breath; almost animalistic like as he glanced around this shadowy realm. A salty taste filling his mouth as he felt tears flow down his cheeks and into his parted lips, hissing as it hit the busted skin. He couldn’t see, and suddenly a wave of horror shot into his face. The blood dripping and floating about in this endless dark plain; he could feel the nerves light up, the veins dripping out of his now empty eye socket.
Almost as quickly as he arrived in this mysterious place, he fell back with a gentle grab and right into the heavy arms of someone. Immediately, the harbinger screamed, claws coming up to rip the throat of whoever dared tried to ruin him any further. He could only see the blood in his already red flared eyes.
But, a gentle padded hand grabbed his wrist. MK squirmed, yet the grip on his hands remained as the other held onto his side. Keeping him firmly in place, he couldn’t hear. It was like he was under water, everything sounded muffled, like his body was refusing him to listen to something other then itself.
“Hey, kid..come on, breathe for me. I know you can do that, it’ll be okay..buddy.”
Who was that?
“I’m going to fucking kill them.”
The harbinger whined; plea filled cries leaving his lips as he sobbed. The anger in him seemingly leaking out as he felt his arms grow weak, he harshly hit his head against the assailants chest; blubbering incoherent words as he shook violently in their hold. His body screaming at him to get away, whilst his mind tried to reason with the fighting.
“MK! Calm down, it’s me..it’s me, Macaque!”
He froze. His eye widening as he shot his head up at the shadow demon; breathing heaving as he met the other’s dagger filled glare. Yet, he saw nothing of the sorts. From what he could make out with poor vision he was left with, the shadow was red in the face with anger. His claws clasped around the harbinger, in a tight hold. It felt..comforting, in a protective way. MK’s hands fell from his, immediately latching onto the clothes laying over his frame.
“ Macaque ?”
“What did she do too you..?”
“My—“ His breathe hitched, he could feel his lip quivering as he shook like a leaf in a storm. Suddenly, the harbinger gasped, his head falling into Macaque’s chest as he heaved.
“ My eye—I can’t see..Macaque I can’t see! W-why, fix it! Fix it, now!”
The shadow said nothing; he moved the boy up further into his lap, holding him gently as a hand ran through his greasy unwashed hair. Claws scratching at the dandruff underneath the dark waves, MK whined; pushing further into his body as he squirmed.
“It’s going to be okay, bud. I promise, I’ll fix you, I’ll fix everything..you’re safe. Okay? Safe.”
“M-monkey king..Mei..”
“Don’t. I’ll deal with them, kiddo.”
The harbinger’s tear streaked face felt sticky and dry, though he couldn’t make out what was pathetic cries or gooey blood. Quite frankly, his stomach twisted in knots at the image of his own face currently. That once feral, wild, and animalistic version of himself had completely disappeared. Now, he was just a crying boy, sobbing into the chest of someone he least expected, betrayed by his best friend. The one who tried to lock him away, for fear of what he was capable of.
He flinched at the sound of whooshing; and suddenly a shadow rose from beside him. Instinctively he curled himself into Macaque’s chest, who merely urged him back to laying across his legs. Holding his head up like he was a fragil child.
“It’s okay, MK. It’s not going to hurt.”
The harbinger eyed the black void like it was a monster to be ridden of, he trusted his gut too get away, but he also trusted Macaque.
After-all, it seemed now he was the only one who did.
The shadow fell onto the left side of his face, engulfing the bleeding socket; it felt like a soft towel that used to be put on his wounds to heal, he didn’t know if the feeling was familiar or disturbing.
A soothing nerve entered his body, calming down his aflame nerves and carefully wrapping itself around him like a comforting blanket. The shadow’s effect on his eye didn’t go unnoticed, MK could feel the way it sewed his broken face together. Like he was a doll in need of fixing. The dark void moved throughout the socket, in a way it was almost like a cooling cream he’d put on a rash with how it pacified the feeling of his body melting.
“It’s just going to close up the wound until I can get you to safety, kay? You’re doing so well, kid. Deep breathes.”
Macaque’s voice flew through one ear and out the other, his tail absently flicking around; carefully he felt the other demon wrap his around the boy’s. Holding it gently, as if one wrong move would break the entire thing.
“I’ll take care of you.”
That, broke the harbinger. As the shadow sealed with his wound, MK cried. He wailed loudly as Macaque held him, his heart rate spiking. Frame violently shaking as his shoulders hunched, his throat burned as he sobbed. The screams he tried to shout turned into hoarse whispers of despair. His clawed paws holding onto the other’s clothing so tightly, rips could be heard from the fabric.
All the grief, regret, anger, it left him in waves. One second he would angrily shouting, banging his fits on any surface they found, the next he would be crying into the demon’s chest. Questioning why, why him? He saved people, he was the hero, he was the one who fought against evil. Why did they turn against him, look at him like he was a villain to be slain, a creature from another world, a monster . His best friend, his dads, his mentor, his friends. The look in their eye would never leave his mind, constantly replaying, it mocked him. Destroyed him.
“You’re gonna be okay, MK, you’re gonna be okay.”