Seeing Through the Trauma

One Glance (16)

(Context for the art if you didn't read the author's note at the bottom last time- Basically I just started trying to learn digital art. I'm a landscape oil painter primarily so I basically never draw people at all but I've always wanted to be able to so I've decided to learn! (So be nice, okay guys! I'm very sensitive.) 

I am face blind (Prosopagnosia), so I kinda struggle a lot with expressions and stuff because I literally don't recognize them so if anyone else is an artist that deals with that I'd super appreciate some tips. 

This is just a drawing (using paint) of Qi Xiaotian (an itty baby who's freaking adorable) and Wukong and I hope you like it! Now let's get into the chapter.) 

After getting his kaiju obliterated by an ice spike headed right for him, Macaque let himself fall instead of getting hit, falling into a portal and reappearing in the shadow beneath Wukong's feet, pulling himself out of the darkness and reappearing next to the worried king. 

"MK!" He saw Wukong move to lung forward, magic sparking beneath his feet like he was about to summon his cloud but Macaque grabbed his arm before he could leave, ignoring the other's growl at the interruption. 

"Chill out, Wukong. The kid's fine." They both could see the kid falling from where they were now that the fog wasn't in the way, and Macaque felt pride warm his chest as he watched the kid concentrate while falling, a dark glow to his hands telling him that he was making a portal. 

He knew why, and his ears flicked as he listened for the sound of Nezha dropping behind the Bone Demon, Wukong still tense and watching their child as he glowed golden and transformed into a bird, swooping down over to where Macaque knew his friends to be. 

Good, hopefully, that would keep him out of trouble. 

"Besides, we've gotta help Nezha. Be careful not to look at the mirror, okay?" Macaque said to Wukong, relieved that the immortal listened to him, and turned back into his fighting stance, eyes surveying the area around them including the bone Demon, who was looking up, her eyes watching their son as he dropped down only a few miles away.

"Bah, I wouldn't even worry, I mean, I crossed my name out of the Book of the Dead, remember? That mirror probably doesn't even work on me." Wukong chuffed dismissively, a cheeky tone in his voice that had Macaque rolling his eyes. That stubborn idiot. 

"But still, just to be sure, be careful, okay?" He asked, a touch worried and Wukong smirked at him, obviously understanding and relishing in the fact that Macaque was worried and he nodded. 

"Sure. Now let's end this, once and for all." Wukong said as he dropped back into a serious demeanor, gritting his teeth and darting forward and Macaque was quick to follow, watching Wukong send a punch at the woman to keep her distracted until Nezha was ready. 

She blocked it with ice, predictably, and Macaque noted that it took a second for Wukong's fist to actually shatter the ice, a bead of sweat dripping down his neck. 

The Bone Demon didn't even look tired at all, despite the large amounts of magic she was using and Macaque had a feeling it was because of all that power rattling around inside her. Power that was spreading across the island and slowly consuming everything with ice. 

That included the ground, which Macaque noticed tiredly was slipperier than it should be, covered in a thin layer of ice, and made sure to keep his stance a little wider than he normally would so he didn't fall or slip.

Macaque kept on guard as he kept an eye out for Nezha, watching the prince sneak as close as he could to the preoccupied woman's back before uncovering the mirror and Macaque quickly looked away, making sure he didn't accidentally look at the thing as he listened to Wukong shatter another spike, yelling when he was caught by one of the flicking chains and was thrown backward and smacked into another ice pillar, a loud crack and grunt making Macaque wince.