Pretentious Faces (Masquerade Au)

Bring Back The Crown

Prince Nezha was at the mountain, having escaped the attack from Heaven in a desperate attempt to get the heroes' help. But he'd been too late, and now the emperor was gone and the world was splintering.

MK reassured him that they weren't too late, however. "Just listen, Nezha. We can get Wukong back and defeat Azure Lion! You aren't a coward or whatever you think you are for retreating." The boy reassured the deity, holding up the taped-together bamboo, "We can make sure the world isn't fully destroyed. But we need your help."

The lotus prince frowned, thinking for a moment. His injuries throbbed, and his powers were exhausted. But the young hero before him radiated with hope and confidence, making it seem a possible outcome. "...I will aid you, then. I will help the scholar with your retrieval of Sun Wukong." He dutifully ignored the tape in favor of MK's bright grin.

Tang cleared his throat, "So, who's going in?" MK and Macaque both chimed in, and the scholar nodded, "Okay. Now, I need you two to stand inside the circle, once you're inside there shouldn't be a curse anymore." He glanced over towards Nezha, "Right?" The lotus prince hummed, "You claim it to be defeated, so no. It shouldn't be a problem."

MK exhaled softly, stepping into the circle. Macaque followed swiftly after a moment, and it began to glow. Intricate lines looped out and around them, forming symbols as light shot upwards from the ground.

---

Amber-brown eyes blinked away the haze, searching for familiarity. All around him was jungle, foliage he should know by heart, and MK gasped in awe. "Where's Wukong?" Macaque made a small noise of displeasure, suddenly blocking the boy's view with his body, "Not here. This is just a memory, come on."

MK frowned, wondering what the other was hiding, but shrugged it off. "Okay...We just follow the golden cracks, right?" The warrior nodded, ears flickering as they reached a waterfall with a large tear. "Huh. Well, are you ready to king up, bud?"

"What?"

"Cause Wukong had to jump through the waterfall to become...You should really read the book, kid." The shadow user sighed, leaping into the waterfall. MK jumped after him, yelping as he fell from the sky and onto a rooftop. Macaque was fine, of course, and the brunette huffed. The young hero scrambled up into a crouching position, peeking down at the village below.

"Huh. I didn't know there were more monkeys like Wukong." MK pointed at the golden-tinted ginger talking out loud. They were dressed in leaves, back turned to the pair on the rooftop. Their curls shined like amber in the sunlight, and their movements were fluid with confidence.

"That's Wukong, MK. Or more accurately, him from the past." Macaque revealed, his voice oddly quiet and monotone. MK startled, leaning closer to have another look, "What?! That's– Woah. His fur used to be pretty gold-like. Now it's kinda more like autumn."

Macaque shifted, standing up as MK turned to look up at him. The warrior was oddly somber, clearly angry. MK wisely kept his mouth shut, instead following him through another golden tear.

They were now in Subodhi's temple, with a few students watching excitedly as a familiar golden-ginger monkey showed off his transformation powers. He was laughing, pure golden eyes shining with excitement as his nose scrunched with his pearly grins. The peach facial markings and freckles quickly gave away his identity, and MK stumbled.

"Wukong?!" He gawked, taking in his younger mentor's appearance. His fur was untouched, gleaming like amber, fluffy with small curls dancing with each jolt of his body. There were no burned sections or newly healed patches covering scars. The skin showing was clean and clear, bright from the lack of scarring, and his teeth were white instead of silver.