The quartet set out early the next morning.

Still thinking about what she'd seen in the Memory Space, Tripitaka purposely lagged behind and kept trying to catch Monkey's attention from where he was leading up front. When he turned and finally noticed how far back she was, he hurried to her side.

"You shouldn't fall behind, little monk," he told her. "Not out here."

"I know."

Pigsy and Sandy paused when this happened, but upon seeing that nothing was wrong, continued forwards with Pigsy now taking the lead. Monkey and Tripitaka started walking again, too.

When the two other Gods were out of earshot, Tripitaka turned to Monkey and said, "I don't think it's your memories I'm seeing."

"Then whose?" he asked.

"I don't know. Cada's, maybe?" She shrugged. "But I think I might know why I'm seeing them. I saw her talking to another War Maiden. Padma?"

"I knew her," said Monkey. "She was Cada's closest friend. Except for me, of course."

"Of course." Tripitaka smiled a little. "They had a confrontation with two Gods. Brothers. Jin and Yin?"

Monkey clutched his staff tighter, his anger evident. "They were Gods of a higher status who loved to take advantage of the Gods' bureaucracy. Jin wanted to marry Cada, and was using the imperfect system to give her no choice in the matter. She joined the War Maidens in order to avoid it. Same story with Padma."

"I thought the Gods would be above arranged marriages," said Tripitaka. It had been bothering her for a while, ever since Cada had alluded to it in the second memory.

"They were for the most part – unless one of the higher Gods wanted to marry a lower God," Monkey explained. "It was a complicated system and I didn't understand all of it, but they could basically throw their weight around and the lower God would be pressured into it. The Master was trying to rewrite the system to stop that from happening, before he…"

The God trailed off, but he didn't need to finish. Tripitaka understood what he meant.

Wanting to get her friend's mind off that painful memory, Tripitaka continued. "After the brothers left, Padma mentioned a God she was having an affair with. Wolf? Did you know him, too?"

"I only met him once," Monkey replied. "Hair like a flame. He was a forest God, and preferred to spend most of his time away from Jade Mountain. From what I remember, Padma met him when she was out fighting demons with the other War Maidens."

"Padma also said that Wolf found the God Yue Lao," said Tripitaka. "The weaver of the Red Thread of Fate. Do you think that's why I'm seeing these memories? Because they're connected to the scroll?"

Monkey sighed. "It's possible. Yue Lao was the God who wrote the Scroll of Love."

"Did you meet him?"

He nodded. "When Cada and I sought him out, in order to… to bind us together."

In his eyes, Tripitaka could see great love but also great sorrow. She wondered what it was like, to be loved so completely by this God who could potentially tear down mountains with his passion and fury. A part of her longed for it; longed for him.

But she wasn't jealous of Cada. She was a big girl, and knew when to push her feelings down and let someone she cared about be happy without her. "You married her?"

"Marriage is a simple human term," said Monkey. "What we did was so much more. Our souls were bound together by the Red Thread of Fate. Even if one of us died, we wouldn't stay separated for long. Only…"

"What?"

"I was briefly in Heaven, before returning to life," he continued. "But Cada wasn't there. And I can't think of anywhere else she would be."

That was enough to tell Tripitaka what had happened to the Goddess. Processing what he'd also said, she told him, "What if she reincarnated? You said that death couldn't separate you for long, right? Maybe her soul reincarnated in order to find you."

Monkey looked at her with hope in his eyes, and for a moment, Tripitaka sensed something momentous just out of her reach. But before she could consider what it was, the moment passed and Monkey was smiling at her.

"I hope you're right," he said, and they continued walking.

They reached the pine forest just after midday. It was darker than any normal forest, but they could still see where they were going. Tripitaka sensed Monkey moving closer to her, though it wasn't just him; Pigsy and Sandy positioned themselves so that all the Gods surrounded her.

"I appreciate the protection, guys, but I've been getting better at combat," she said.

"I don't think I've ever seen a human learn as fast as you, Tripitaka," said Sandy. "It's almost as if you're remembering moves instead of learning them."

The other two Gods frowned at her odd choice of wording.

"But this demon sounds powerful," said Pigsy. "And dark forests like these are no place for fragile human girls."

Tripitaka was about to snap back that she wasn't fragile, but then rustling in the nearby bushes caught everyone's attention. The three Gods raised their weapons, and Tripitaka pulled out Kaedo's dagger. They waited as the footsteps got closer.

The bushes parted, and a human girl appeared. She was dressed in men's clothes; a white shirt and a long coat, with brown trousers and boots, and a sword at her hip. Her dark hair was tied up, and her light brown skin was the same tone as King Rajesh's.

She drew her sword and pointed it at the quartet. "It was unwise to come here, demons."

With a start, Tripitaka realised that this was Princess Peony. She wasn't what they had expected, and she certainly wasn't a pink-wearing flower child. Tripitaka stepped in front of her friends and raised her arms. "My friends aren't demons. They're Gods. And I'm human."

The Princess narrowed her brown eyes at all of them – until her gaze landed on Monkey, and those same eyes widened. "Monkey King!" She put away her sword and relaxed her posture. "My apologies."

Monkey frowned. "You know who I am?"

"It's a long story," she admitted.

"Can you tell it on the way back to the palace?" Pigsy suggested.

She frowned. "Palace?" And then rolled her eyes. "Oh Gods, this again. I'm sorry that arrogant prick put you up to this, but I don't need rescuing. I ran away because I was tired of King Rajesh treating me like I'm just another one of his many possessions that he can barter away at will."

Tripitaka blinked in surprise. This was definitely something she hadn't expected, and judging by the looks of her friends, they were in the same boat as her. Though looking the Princess up and down, it made sense; she looked like a young woman who could take care of herself.

"But…" Sandy spoke up, "what about the demon?"

The bushes rustled again, and out stepped a very familiar demon.

And the quartet immediately tensed up. "You?"

The Font Demon smiled. "Me."

"It's OK," assured the Princess. "He's with me."

Monkey pointed his staff at the Font Demon, and Tripitaka could tell he was itching for an excuse to beat the demon into oblivion. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy him right here, right now."

The Princess smiled at him. "You never change, Monkey. I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't recognise us, since we're in different bodies. The demon is Wolf. And I'm Padma."