Sunshower

I: Frigid

Chapter 1: Frigid 

A/N:
▸ [adj]: Devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain.
▸ [adj]:  Extremely cold.

– Elements inspired by: https://youtu.be/3T7fmuLavUE [the vid above]

He was a mere child, ignorant and naive, doomed to fate.

The Boy Sage King grinned in triumph on his glorious victory against THE Sun Wukong, The Sage Equal to Heaven, pfft, there would be no way he could survive! 

—~×~—

On second thought, he did. Red Boy let out a low growl of frustration, but otherwise still pursued after the monkey Sage into the forest with utmost certainty of his success. 

—~×~—

Being the arrogant and cocky little brat he was, confidently, he sat on Guanyin's empty lotus throne, proclaimed it as his own, even mimicking her usual posture.

Soft, silky petals morphed to thousands of swords and he shrieked in agony, shock and pain suddenly overwhelming his senses. 

Blades pierced his flesh as he drowned in his own fire, open wounds exposed to the inferno of heat. It was then he realized that the blaze he wielded and commanded, the element he had always adored and treasured, could come back and harm its owner.

Still, he fought desperately, attempting to pull out the sharp blades only for them to turn into halberds, trapping him in their hold.

Pain overriding pride, he pleaded for it all to stop. The Bodhisattva then offered him a deal, to 'become her disciple'. 

'Ridiculous! He was the son of The Great Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan, a noble prince and The Protector as well as Ruler of this Fiery Mountain! How could such an influential figure as him ducked his head and follow the shameful ways of Buddha?!' 

| This is his thoughts only, I am in no way insulting the religion and its belief |

He almost spat out, but barely managed to hold back and accepted. She simply retained her benign smile at his answer and healed his injuries, in addition to releasing him.

—~×~—

He was a fool. The second he tried to pounce at her, having recovered already from the previous fights, ready to attack, she barely spared him a glance with a knowing expression, throwing some sort of a golden headband at him. 

He scoffed at the thing, before witnessing it splitting to 5 and locked onto his head, writs, and legs. The Bodhisattva then chanted a mantra under her breath. The next thing he knew, these 'cuffs' began to tighten.

Bounded by the golden bands, the hellish pain from before returned increasing tenfolds, smudging his consciousness. This time though, he felt his head and limbs being clutched harshly.

Eventually, he gave in and agreed to her terms, the pain becoming unbearable as well as noticing his efforts were futile.

—~×~—

Not only was it such a horrid punishment to be "tamed" by Guanyin, but he would also be stripped of his power, his flames.

He was born with a natural affinity with the said element and through it, he forged his initial talent into The True Fire of Samadhi after a century of training. He couldn't afford to lose it, even if it was just sealed within him. He couldn't.

But what other choices does he have?... He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly, acknowledging his helplessness. 

The monk along with his disciples watched on the sideline with shadow-casted faces and blank expressions, playing the role of spectators. 

—~×~—

Suddenly, his ears perked up as he heard the distant voices, loud and filled with worry and he snapped out of his wearied daze. He could recognize them everywhere. 

Father approached him first, voices low and unbelievably soft. His words are barely above a whisper but Red Boy couldn't help but tear up immediately at how his father said he was proud of having him as his son, how he has always loved him. 

Hardly a minute later, Mother scrambled in, her steps no longer feather-light, her body movements screamed terror, no longer oozed grace and allure.

She panicked, asking if her baby boy could survive such a process. He grimaced as he reassured her. Tenderly her touch as she stroked his cheek, wiping away stray tears while also shedding some of her own.

She exhaled heavily as she withdrew her arm, letting the outrageous "punishment" resume once again, knowing she was incapable of saving her son.

Abruptly, he felt a part of him being violently ripped away as he bit his tongue, his lips pressed to a thin line. He cast his vision to the ground and held his breath, trying his hardest not to let out even a whimper, to not show even a sign of weakness. It's the least he could do for his parents. 

—~×~—

It was a swift procedure. He can already feel the loss of powers, the simmering heat ever-present under his skin, coursing through his organs now frozen, stagnant. His shoulder sagged, head drooped low and body went limp, motionless. 

As if thrown out of a trance, his mother's eyes widened, pupils dilated as she raised her hand, as if to caress his face for comfort, but the skin she touched was icy cold, (akin to a corpse, dead and her child was youthful and alive so it could not have been-), and so incredibly different to her beloved son's warm one that she pulled away, her body recoiled from instincts. 

His heart shattered at her sudden scream, blood ran cold at the sheer pain of it. His mind was sent reeling, begging tired muscles to move, to rush by her side and comfort both her and Father, but his body remained deadly still and stagnant.

For the first time, he truly felt that he was trapped in a cage of flesh, imprisoned in webs of pulsing veins. 

He barely could lift his eyes towards his mother, only to see the sight of her, Mother, Princess Iron Fan, a fierce and fearless warrior that seemed to always emit the air of authority, breaking down completely in Father's embrace, his broad shoulders shaking slightly, as well.

For all of Red Boy's efforts and panic thoughts racing in his head, in reality, he appeared numb. Dull eyes stared aimlessly ahead, expression devoid of emotions.

—~×~—

For a moment, the scene was quiet. Only the sound of his parents weeping for their son. 

He shivered slightly. It was awfully cold. 

A/N: Aside from the animatic, I also relied heavily on "Journey to the West" lore. This chapter is just me mixing the two by retelling some parts of the story. So not much plot.

ALSO, the story with Guanyin assisting Wukong in subduing an unnamed demon, that's totally RS, said that they used Pure Water that is enough to fill an ocean. How. Okay hear me out, in most cases, it would work but c'mon,, Samadhi Fire actively uses water as fuel, as much as normal flames use gasoline. It would turn to a sea of fire, logical speaking. (Maybe Guanyin's water is different, but since it's not specifically stated-). So I'm going with this storyline, instead.

And! 3 centuries of training –> 1, so he's around over 150 - early 200 years old in this. What's canon? Idk it, I haven't watched the show yet.