The Lost Prince Chapter 6
The past, the present, and a new promise
Around 500 years ago -
There are a lot of misconceptions when someone seals another being into an object, weapon, person, or in their unfortunate case under a mountain.
In theory when a celestial being, monk, or magical artifact seals a creature they expect said creature to be put in a state of stasis. Of course there is a bit of a spectrum to this given the crime and punishment of the sealed being in question. In Wukong's case he was sealed under a mountain but he at least had his head and part of his body poking out so he could witness the passage of time.
This was not the case for the Demon Bull King or his wife Princess Iron fan.
No, for DBK and PIF their imprisonment was a rather unique situation. The spell originally cast by Wukong should have made it so that the King and Queen would be aware enough that they could sense each other and the magics on the mountain that they are sealed in.
To simplify, Wukong made it so that the two would be half asleep, able to sense each other, and any visitors that decided to wander up the mountain. They would be imprisoned in the mountain, unable to move, but they would at least have each other and possibly be able to see the error of their ways with their isolation being punishment enough.
But the key word in all of this is that this is how the sealing should have worked.
Instead in the beginning of their imprisonment they were awake and aware of nearly everything in and on the mountain.
They could sense each other's warmth, hear each other's heartbeat, smell the mustyness of the dirt and mud around them, and could even somewhat communicate to each other through their magic. But they still could not move a muscle or muster enough power to even crack the mountain that they were sealed in. Not even air could get through the hard stone and rock surrounding the husband and wife.
In other words they were essentially buried alive.
Now if that was all they had experienced then the sealing would have been somewhat bearable. They were immortal beings and as such know how to be patient and bide their time, this is how Wukong expected them to feel/react to their imprisonment.
But what Wukong had not even considered to be a factor, what kept the princess and king so awake and aware that not even the Great Sage's magic could put them to sleep was something that Wukong had (at the time) never experienced in his life.
Parental concern.
The princess and king could remember sensing their child on the mountain. It was muffled but they could feel the familiar warmth of his flames and practically hear his cries as they sensed him trying to dig into the earth where they were imprisoned.
They remember for perhaps the second time in their very long lives feeling completely helpless and terrified for their son.
They remember struggling for possibly days and nights with all their strength to try and reach their baby.
But in the end it was useless.
They could do nothing as their energy slowly waned with each passing day, the magic of the seal was persistent in trying to lull them into a near sleep-like state.
They kept resisting and both the princess and king focused what energy they had remaining just to keep aware of their child's magic as it got weaker and weaker.
They remember cursing Wukong as they feared for the life of their only son who was alone, weak, and slowly dying.
It was a cruel torture all of its own, being powerless and unable to be their for their child. They could sense him trying in vain to dig them out. It would only be a matter of time before something noticed the child, they feared for the worst.
And sadly at some point their worst fears came to be reality.
Their child was fighting something, the magic from his opponent was faint and cold. The fight was quick, their child did not win, and they could do nothing as someone just carried their baby off the mountain.
The King and Princess's rage just grew as they sensed their child's magic being taken further and further away from them.
It wasn't right! They should be with their child! He needed his mother! He needed his father! Their baby needed them!
It might have been minutes, hours, or even days. Time had no meaning under the mountain and at this point they only stayed awake out of pure spite. But then they were suddenly assaulted by what was essentially a tidal wave of Wukong's magic.
It was overwhelming and they hated every…single…..moment.
They hated how their jail seemed to have grown stronger but also more constricting, somehow it became even more suffocating.
They hated how they lost their ability to sense anything outside of the mountain, leaving them basically blind to the outside world.
They hated how Wukong, DBK's former sworn-brother, had betrayed them, and subjected them to a fate worse than death!
But most of all they hated that they didn't know if their child was dead or alive!
And as the seal's magic finally gained enough strength to put the princess and king to sleep they would continue to curse Wukong for centuries, waiting for the day when they would be free from their stony prison and take revenge.
As they slept they would both have dreams of their little Red Son holding his arms out to them and tearfully calling for their Mama and Baba.
Present day - with DBK and PIF
"- I will tear the flesh from his bones!"
As her husband continued to yell threats and other profanities into the air, Tieshan Gongzhu watched with gritted teeth as the noodle boy escaped out of the cave.
She held her fan in a tight grip and took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Did she want to go after the little brat with the staff and tear him to shreds with her winds?
Yes, with extreme prejudice.
She doesn't know how exactly that a child could lift up a magical staff that only the monkey king should be able to wield but his involvement reeked of Wukongs intervention.
In truth Gongzhu wanted nothing more than to destroy the area like her husband was currently doing…but….they had more important concerns.
An image flashed through her mind of small arms reaching for her, red eyes that mirrored her own but full of tears, and a sweet but scared little voice begging her to stay.
She took another deep breath and ran her hand through her long hair. She frowns when she feels her hand hit a tangle but shoves those feelings deep within herself. She needs to focus on what is in front of her first and foremost.
She turns around to look at her husband who is still yelling at the cavern's exit and studies him. Wine red eyes observe her husband's battered and bloody body and can feel her own fatigue from their imprisonment hit her.
"Niú, calm down." Her voice is soft but stern and her husband freezes.
She watches as he turns to her, his breathing is leighbored and there is some smoke being expelled from his mouth. No doubt he was trying to restrain himself from blowing this entire area into rubble.
But, just like her, he takes a deep breath, she watches as her husband walks towards her. His giant frame crouches down so that his eyes can meet hers without looking down at her. His eyes still hold rage but she knew it was not directed at her, never at her.
"Gongzhu….. Are you alright?"
His voice was rough from the yelling or perhaps it was from disuse after being under that mountain for so long, but he still talked to her so gently.
He offers one of his large clawed hands on the ground, an obvious invitation for her to step on. She obliges with a small smile, one hand still holding her fan and the other holding her husband's thumb to further support herself as he raises them to his full height.
"I am fine my love….but we cannot waste our energy." She rubs her hand against his, a frown begins to form as she acknowledges that his once soft burgundy fur is practically nonexistent. No doubt a result from the stress of protecting her while under the mountain.
She swallows her own bitterness and anger before looking at her husband once more to speak.
"We don't know how long we have been sealed, nor are we in any shape to fight."
He frowns and begins to speak but she holds up her hand, a silent request for him to listen.
"I am ashamed to admit it but we won't be able to confront Wukong as we are now. I believe that the best thing for us to do is recover and gather information."
"You propose we hide…." Niú's grimaces at the suggestion.
"No. I propose we recover and learn so as to not be at a disadvantage. We have more important things to consider than that noodle boy."
She gives a smile filled with malicious intent, a plan forming in her head while her husband cannot look away.
"We will learn about this new world, we will regain our strength, and we will bring this world to its knees.~ "
She leans forward and her husband does the same, they are leaning their heads on one another, gold and red eyes meeting each other once more.
"Wukong will come to us and we will tear him limb from limb until he tells us where our boy is….."
Her husband's smile is nearly radiant, he gives a pleased grunt as she gently runs her hands along his chin. Her winds begin to surround the both of them, gaining speed until they are not visible to the human eye.
"And even then we won't stop, we will take our pound of flesh and bone from the simian….."
Her smile softens into something more genuine as she enjoys the familiar feeling of her magic. She closes her eyes as the air flows around them, bending them to her will and becoming one with it. She imagine's their castle, their home filled with fire and metal.
"And even after that we'll continue until not even Wukong's immortalities can save him from our wrath~.
And in that next moment the King and Princess were gone leaving behind nothing except for rubble from their jail and a small bird that had been forgotten in the chaos.
The Demon Bull castle in its early years was a marvel of engineering. The castle and the land which the Demon Bull family ruled was filled with life and prosperity even though it was surrounded by death and destruction.
Its chosen location, a volcano, should have been inhospitable to most mortal and immortal beings but the Demon Bull family were well known to be aligned with fire and the earth so it was of no concern to them.
Their castle was made of steel that could withstand even the hottest of fires, built traps that would most certainly detain/maim/kill any trespassers, and then conquered surrounding villages so that they would be able to decorate their castle in opulence as the royalty they came to be.
To their subjects and any onlookers who observed the castle's outward appearance was an unforgiving and cruel place where only the strong could set foot and reside.
To visitors it was a status symbol of the family's wealth and strength, a warning that this family was not to be taken lightly lest you be conquered as well.
But first and foremost the castle was a home, there were thousands of servants each doing their job to maintain said castle and take care of the royal family.
It had served to protect the royal family for thousands of years and had helped to raise many Demon Bull Kings and their progeny. The castle's mighty walls protected their young as the heat helped to nurture strong bodies and resilient spirits.
When teleporting Princess Iron Fan and her husband she remembered this mighty castle surrounded by steel and iron, of large rooms decorated in gold and red, of the heat that reminded her so much of her beloved and her little flame.
But when PIF and DBK arrived at the castle that is not what they experienced. The fire and heat were still there given that the location was a volcano, but the once majestic home of the Bull family was now a shell of its former self.
The castle to put it simply was seemingly forgotten in time as the couple walked into their old home.
Gongzhu, with a frown on her face, had gripped her fan harder and leaned onto her husband's head as she sat upon his shoulder. In return Niú had lifted one hand to steady her and lightly grip her in comfort before continuing forward.
Both gold and red eyes studied their home noticing the gold that was stripped from the walls, the insignia of the once proud family either stolen or completely destroyed, how the traps had all seemed to have been sprung (Niú lips twitched briefly as he noticed the skeletons of some fools who had fallen for the spear trap in the hallway nearest to the dining room), and even the smell of ash and dirt that made the air around them practically suffocating (good thing Gongzhu was previously a wind celestial, purifying the air around them was child's play even in her weakened state).
As they continued forward they noticed how there were sounds coming from the throne room.
(Crack!)
(Screech!)
(Bang!)
"Ha serves ya right!"
"Ack! C'mon mate what did ya do that for!"
"Because it was funny."
"Putting a bucket o'water over the door is funny, what's not funny is when I get a bump on my noggin from the bucket!...Is this because of last night? I said I was sorry!"
"Well maybe you shouldn't have left the wrench out on the floor last night!"
"Again that was last night and I said I was sorry!"
"No ya didn't! I slipped on that stupid wrench, ya laughed at me, and then left me on the ground unconscious!"
"...pfft hehehehehe"
"That's it!"
The sounds of a scuffle ensued and the two heavily accented voices continued to shout insults at each other.
The Princess and King both looked at each other for a moment before smirking.
"It seems that we have some rodents in our home dear, shall we bid them welcome?" PIF smirk turned into a vicious smile as had the wind carry her off her husband's shoulder and onto the ground, resting the heavy fan across her own shoulder as she gestured to the throne room.
"With pleasure" DBK returned the smile and cracked his knuckles.
"Just make sure you don't damage them too much darling~ They might be useful."
"...I make no promises."
The Princess and King walked to the throne room only to see that what was once a large room full of majesty and elegance was essentially turned into a mechanic's workshop.
Parts of half completed machinery and blueprints were scattered around the area, wires ran along the walls and ground, the steady hum of electricity buzzed through the air as many air conditioners and fans worked throughout the area trying in vain to cool down an entire room that was surrounded by lava.
And in the middle of all this chaos next to a large table, that held something that looked like a calabash but glowing and attached to different wires, were two familiar looking blue and orange demons fighting like a couple of rabid racoons.
The two demons were so engrossed in their spat that they were caught by surprise when the princess, with a mighty swing of her banana leaf fan, lifted the two into the air with small tornadoes and dropped them just as quickly into her husband's waiting claws.
"Ack!"
"Oompf!"
The demon king held the two demons tightly in his fists, for a few moments the demon king tightened his grip and was ready to squash the two then and there, but he loosened his grip at the last moment remembering his wife's request.
"Hey what's the big idea!" Said the orange demon while the blue demon tried to unsuccessfully bite DBK's hand.
DBK snarled, breathing out smoke from his nostrils and squeezed the two tighter to the point where they turned blue (or in the blue demons case purple). "You trespass on our home, make a mess of my throne room, and then dare to say "What's the big idea!" know your place insects!"
"Ahh were we trespassing? Our mistake! Now if you could loosen your g-grip a bit! P-please!" gasped the blue demon who was quickly running out of air.
And while it was entertaining watching her husband squeeze the two demon's like one would a dog's squeaky toy, they have to get back on subject.
So Iron fan put her hand on her husband's foot and smiled up at him as he looked at her.
"Dear we can't get our answers out of them if they can't breathe.~" She heard him growl, but conceded to her request and stopped squeezing the two smaller demons.
With the two immobilized and trying to catch their breath, PIF used the air to land once more on her husband's shoulder so she could study them more closely. She noticed that a sigil of a nine tailed vixen was engraved on the metal worn on their chests.…...well that certainly was familiar.
"Tell me, are you two perhaps related to the nine tailed vixen from Dragon suppressing cave? And please do answer quickly, as you can see my husband and I are running out of patience for any more foolishness." PIF glared down at the two while DBK growled in warning.
"Y-yea! Our Ma was Huli Jing!" The demons gave a strained smile and quickly nodded their heads.
"I'm Jin!" Said the orange demon.
"And I'm Yin!" Said the blue demon.
"And we are the gold and silver dem...ack!" They both shouted in unison until DBK decided they were becoming too loud and squeezed them again.
The princess sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, their relationship with the vixen makes things more complicated.
In the past she had asked the Vixen for her assistance in trying to help teach Red Son how to control the fire of Samadhi, but sadly her child was still too young and instead lit the Vixen's home on fire.
The result of that incident was that she owed the other woman a blood oath, but because of Wukong's intervention during his journey to the west that favor is now passed down to her children.
"….right, well Jin and Yin here is what is going to happen."
Princess Iron fan lifted her fan over her shoulder like one would to a baseball bat while leaning on her husband.
"In respect to your mother we will not kill you. But you are going to answer all of our questions or else we'll show you something much more painful than a simple bucket to the head. Do you understand?" She gave them a cold look while DBK grunted and dropped the two demons onto the ground.
(Thud)
"Ack!" Both Yin and Jin quickly scuttled to embrace each other before looking back at the King and Princess.
"Ah g-gotcha your highnesses!" Jin gave a salute with a shaky smile still clutching his brother.
"Y-yea! J-just ask away!" Almost simultaneously Yin gave the same salute and shaky smile while clutching his brother with his opposite arm.
"Pathetic." Demon Bull King snorted at the sight before walking up to his old throne, (which surprisingly didn't have any wires on it) before sitting down.
The Bull rested his head on one hand as he finally had the chance to relax, and then glared down at the two demons with disdain.
"Alright insects, the first question is a simple one. How long have we been imprisoned in that accursed mountain?"
Both PIF and DBK watched as the demons looked at each other before scrambling to answer.
"W-well you see your highnesses-" Jin started before Yin cut in.
"You've been in the mountain for about…..500 years?" Yin looked at Jin for confirmation to which Jin nodded.
"Bout 500 years." Yin said before looking back at the couple on the throne.
Iron fan, still sitting on her husband's shoulder, seemed to have tensed up but her expression was as cold as ice.
Meanwhile DBK nearly broke the throne as he gripped the armrest with his claws. He seemed like he was about to start yelling again before a light touch and look from PIF seemed to calm him.
"And what of our home? How did it come to such…disrepair." PIF asked with a disgusted look on her face as she gestured to the room around them.
"Ahh well you see-" Yin started to say before Jin pushed his face to push himself forward.
"After you were sealed up a bunch of demons started fighting for everything!" Said Jin before Yin started to push him again.
"Yea Uncle- (Iron fan narrowed her eyes at that) I mean immortal Ruyi! The Immortal Ruryi couldn't fight all of'em so he left the empire and well at some point everyone just cut their losses and left." Yin said and both demons shrugged as they gestured around the throne room.
"So my younger brother wasn't strong enough to retain power and ran like a coward….how disappointing." DBK pinched the bridge of his nose while PIF looked down at the two demons, her wine red eyes sharp.
"Then why pray tell, did you decide to make even more of a mess in our home? As I recall Huli Jing had a brother, so what are you doing here? And why aren't you wrecking your family's home instead of trespassing on ours." PIF's cold stare did not waver as the two demons started to sweat, her husband grunting in agreement.
"A-ah well you see we actually do have permission!" Jin practically yelled out in panic and before either DBK or PIF could respond Yin continued to speak quickly.
"Yea! Unc-I mean the immortal Ruyi after he left the throne made friends with our uncle! W-we also got a new boss a few centuries ago and w-well we needed a new place to work b-but we couldn't find one! So unc- I mean the Immortal Ruyi let us live here and uhh gave us permission to …work …here." Yin's quick speech slowly tapered off getting quieter and quieter as DBK glared down at him.
"That still doesn't answer our question, insects. What are you doing here?" DBK snarled, gripping his throne once again before calming down thanks to another quick touch from PIF.
"W-well! We do a lot of things, but mostly we build stuff that our tiny boss designs and test-em." Yin exclaimed while gesturing around the room.
"Yea! Our tiny boss is really smart and has us make a bunch of cool stuff! Like remember those tuff bull robots?" Jin said, looking at his brother.
"Oh and that glove that could let you hold any magical object or that new armor they have been working on? Man, I think the design should be done today too! " Yin nodded and smiled at his brother as they both seemed to have lost their fear in lieu of discussing their "tiny boss's" inventions.
Although it annoyed both DBK and PIF to be ignored by the two demons as they rambled on about the inventions their "tiny boss" creates. Their interest did pique as they mentioned the glove and the armor.
(Bang!)
Both Jin and Yin shut up immediately and looked back towards DBK and PIF. PIF had seemed to have banged the end of her banana leaf fan against the throne.
"Although I am interested in hearing about your employer's inventions, let me remind you that you are in our home. And I do not appreciate being ignored inside our home. Do I make myself clear?" PIF's tone was sharp and the look in her eyes could freeze a desert.
Both Jin and Yin gulped simultaneously saying a quick "Yes ma'am".
"A-anyways, th-they, our boss is really smart and really good with making stuff!" Jin exclaimed and Yin nodded in agreement.
"Yea! They're pretty young, haven't even reached their first millennium yet, but they have a lot of great ideas and designs! They've even helped us fix our own inventions sometimes and in exchange we help them build and test the stuff that the big boss won't let them do for themselves." Yin explained while gesturing around the room to some of the blueprints.
"Like our calabash! Originally it was supposed to trap anyone who responded to their chosen name and well melt them into goo. Really quite nasty actually, but they helped us modify it so we can trap our enemies and make a whole world inside of the calabash itself!" Jin gestured to the calabash connected in wires as the two royal demons leaned forward to get a better look.
"Interesting…and you mentioned the glove and armor? What exactly are their properties?" Questioned the Princess.
"Ah yea! Apparently the big boss really hates the monkey king, so tiny boss likes to try and build stuff that they could use to fight against him one day. The gloves are supposed to be used to pick up the staff and I quote this from the tiny boss "Return the favor and bash that idiot monkey's brain in." Yin shrugged before pointing back at a large gauntlet at another table.
"And the armor is supposed to increase the power of the user by destroying and absorbing the power of an object thrown into it, the more rare and valuable the item is the more powerful the user will become!" Jin explained animatedly.
"Interesting…..it seems the child could be useful. Now explain who exactly is this "Big boss"?" Demon Bull King questioned and even Princess iron fan raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Ah yea..him….the big boss is the tiny boss's dad and he's real protective of'em. We've only met him a few times with tiny boss but …" Jin shivers and Yin puts a hand on his shoulder in comfort before continuing as DBK gestured for them to continue.
"No offense to your royal highnesses, but I really don't think using tiny boss will be a good idea. The big boss is really strong! I remember the first time we met them when we…..borrowed….(cough stole cough) one of tiny boss's first bull robots and they tracked us down. " It was Yin's turn to shiver at the memories that took hold.
"Let's just say that we were lucky that our tiny boss is much kinder than his dad." Jin nodded at his brother's choice of words.
"Hmmm, perhaps we should set up a meeting dear. If these other demons are so capable then they could be useful as allies against the simian." Princess Iron fan looked up to DBK who nodded in agreement.
"This sounds acceptable." DBK grunted once more before looking down at the gold and silver demons. "Insects, I want an audience with your "bosses" as soon as possible, is that understood?" DBK glared at the two demons as they saluted the Princess and King.
"Y-yea no problem!" Said Jin while Yin got a small device and started to tap on it.
"Aaaand done! It might take a while for tiny boss to respond back but it shouldn't take more than an hour or two!" Yin smiled before giving a thumbs up at the Princess and King.
PIF nodded before using her winds to gracefully fly to the ground, her feet making a gentle tapping sound they made contact with the earth.
"Perfect, in the meantime I wish to freshen myself before the meeting. I want you two to bring medicine and bandages, I will treat my husband's wounds when I return." As the two demons nodded the princess shrunk her fan and put it somewhere on her person before straightening posture and putting both hands behind her back. She looked back at her husband who remained on his throne.
"I will be back soon dear~, please try not to kill these two while I'm gone." She smiled teasingly at him as he snorted before looking at the other two demons in the room.
"...no promises. Now tell me insects, you mentioned something about the child making "bull robots." PIF smiled before walking away to where she remembered their bedroom used to be, the sounds of Jin and Yin rambling growing fainter with each step.
She continued her path to her old room. A little magic would be able to help cleanse the water in the worst case scenario and a simple glamor would suffice until she could obtain more proper clothing.
As the princess made her through the large hallways towards her old bedroom she stopped at a doorway close to it.
She hesitated briefly as the palm of her hand gently rested on the door handle, her eyes narrowed in determination before taking a deep breath and opening the door.
The first thing that Gonghzu noticed when she entered the room was that it was filled with dust, she quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from coughing as she walked further. The once bright red walls were faded and peeling from age, all the furniture was either turned over and/or had a mountain of dust compiled on top while faded children's toys were abandoned on the floor. But what caught Gonghzu's attention the most was above a child's bed was a mural of her cradling her baby while Niu held them both in his hands.
It had faded from age and dust but with a quick flick of her wrist the dust dissipated and her magic helped to repair the painting back to its former glory.
She stared up at the image with a wistful frown on her face, her little Hong Haier wasn't even 100 days old when it was painted. She could still remember how warm he was, how he seemed so tiny and frail.
She felt tears starting to form as unbidden memories of her little boy ran through her mind. His smile when she brought him to fly on the winds, how he would laugh as Niu would cradle him in his hands and gently lift him up and down, the way he would call for "MãMã and BàBà whenever he wanted to show them a new trick he learned with his fire.
"500 years…...we have been gone for 500 years…..would he even remember us?"
An image flashed through her mind, the last time she saw her son.
They were in a small cave near where the simian and her husband were fighting. The sounds of the ground breaking, the smell of ash, and heat from her beloved's fires as well as his grunts of pain were the only things on her mind at the time as panic for her husband was consuming her. She still remembered his son's small arm clutching at her skirt while the other reached for her, his eyes filled with fear and tears as she gently pushed him away.
"M-mãmã…hic…Bàbà…hic..bàbà…p-pl-ease….hic…..please don go!"
She remembered how he tried to move towards her again before she raised a hand for him to stop. Her sweet, sweet boy looked so scared but still listened to her silent request even when he couldn't stop his tears.
She tried smiling as she gently cradled his face in one hand and rubbed her thumb soothingly against his cheek.
"It's going to be okay, Mãmã is going to help Bàbà. Now I need you to be a strong boy and stay here. Wait until Mãmã and Bàbà come and get you alright my little flame?"
She remembered feeling so proud of her son's strength as he nodded. Even though her heart was breaking as she watched his lip tremble as tears continued to stream down his face.
"O…hic….okay…hic…j-jus…hic…p-pwomise…c-come…hic…..back mãmã." She gently raised her little Red Son's head before planting a kiss on his forehead right where his red birthmark was placed before looking directly into his eyes.
"I promise my dear sweet boy. I'll be back soon, so be good and wait."
She remembered hearing him continue to cry even as she left the cave to help her husband in battle, the desire to quickly finish the battle so she could get back to him was the only thing running through her mind.
As the memories continued Gongzhu gritted her teeth and rubbed at the corner of her eyes, she could not allow the tears to fall. She pushed back all of her anguish, her pain, and her regrets deep within her heart as she looked at the painting of her son.
"My dear sweet boy, forgive this foolish mother for leaving you for so long."
As she started walking back out of the room her features shifted into a more determined look as she made a silent promise to herself.
"But don't worry my little flame, your Mãmã and Bàbà will never give up. We will find you and our family will become whole once more. This I promise you my dear Hong Haier"
And with that Princess Iron Fan continued her trek back to her room to prepare for the meetings to come.