Chapter Text
The Celestial Realm
It was a heavenly utopia spared only for the gods, where order was top priority which helped shield the world from chaos. It is the very foundation that helps keep the universe intact and as it is. Allowing such otherworldly forces to break past its defences would end in ways no god or mortal alike would dare think of.
That is why the residents of this realm lived in contentment. They knew of the responsibilities they held for the world they'd served. And knew that this system was not to be judged, nor questioned.
Of course, that was until rebellion struck.
It's obvious that the Monkey King had struck a deep wound into the Celestial Realm's composure, forming the first hiss of imbalance in the universe, even if it was minor.
Many gods spoke with fury towards the Monkey King, and turned to the Jade Emperor, the highest of gods in the heavenly realm, to help contain this unruly simian. But alas, even then the monkey clung to their precious reputation like a tick, causing havoc wherever he wished.
Truly, no one in the Celestial Realm wished for this ape to form a return.
...except one.
A Celestial warrior by the name of Azure Lion.
Infact, he was the first to stand out in such a way. Finding displeasure in the careless acts the Jade Emperor chose, leaving those in the mortal realm to fall prey to the hands of chaos. Azure Lion was amongst those that witnessed, and longed for change at once.
But obviously the other celestials wouldn't dare go through such feats to disappoint their heavenly emperor's orders. But Azure Lion did not yield to the decision of cowardice. He bared forth the decision to form an alliance with the enemy, and forever seal his fate as one of the rebels.
But of course, merely leaving the Celestial Realm was... Complicated.
Obviously there were enough celestial warriors that if one were to leave willingly, it wouldn't cause a chase.
But it would cause suspicion. And Azure didn't want a target on his back so soon. He considered asking his fellow companions, the Golden-Winged Peng and Yellow-tusked elephant to keep this secret hidden, but he longed for them to join his rebellion, there weren't many others he could place his trust on.
...unless?
Despite there being a lack of a daytime cycle, the celestials always knew when to preform which duty. And Azure Lion knew for sure when the palace was less and less busy with gods and deities roaming about. So he headed to the training grounds to meet an older companion. One he was sure would keep his secret well and hidden.
This particular guard went by the name of Meigui. He seemed to have no family name. Infact, Azure heard that the demon originated from the mortal realm, and not much of the cause of its appearance was discussed.
All Azure knew was that he was formerly a monkey demon roaming the earth, until he supposedly sought out obedience in the celestial realm.
Azure always thought of the tale as somewhat shifty. But decided to not speak of it. As even Meigui himself would not mention it, ever.
The lion's head peeked past a couple of pillars, looking for the ape. It shouldnt have been too difficult, as monkey demons were less common in the heavenly palace, for obvious reasons considering how much trouble certain monkeys seemed to have brought upon the palace. But even then the simian's pale white fur did still blend him in with the heavenly arcitecture, buz Azure wasnt going to give up now. It was an important occasion, after all.
After many empty hallways and courtyards the celestial warrior finally found him. Meigui. The docile demon was passing through on his own, seeminly having trained as his spear looked somewhat duller than usual. The time was perfect! Azure just needed to pounce on the opportunity. Now.
"Meigui, my dearest companion!" Azure strutted over to the other guard, not giving him time to respond as he continued. Stating the reason for his approach. "Meigui. There is something very important that I must tell you. I trust you enough to know you will keep it a secret, yes?"
"Uhm. Yes, of course." Meigui nodded, subtly raising an eyebrow. It wasnt frequent that they'd talk of such matters. If at all. "What is it?"
Azure held back at first, hesitating. It was a very serious topic, tone that he could not bear to allow the heavens from hearing. But his gut told him that he could trust Meigui without doubt. He was one to follow any given order obediently. He was sure that one teeny tiny secret could be held with ease in the grasp. So he spoke up.
"Please," he lowered his voice, worried that somebody could be snooping on them, to which Meigui leaned in, "Do not freak out in any way, alright?"
Meigui nodded. He should probably quit the stalling and get to the point. Directly.
"...I- I plan on joining forces with the Monkey King-" Meigui let out a choked breath as Azure spoke, "alongside Peng and Yellowtusk."
Meigui had to slam his hands over his mouth for a moment, the fur on his tail standing on end.
Eventually he lowered his hands and spoke up, "Azure, are you mad?"
For a statement so accusatory, he still sounded calm.
Azure bit the inside of his cheek. "Let me explain." He rubbed his hands together. Since Meigui didnt object, he decided to continue, "Ive already told you of my... thoughts on how the Jade Emperor rules the realms. It is unfair to those of lower class. But alas, he does nothing to improve!"
Meigui looked at him as if he were crazy. He probably sounded such.
"That is why I wish to become the Monkey King's ally. I've observed his doings. And I truly believe we can bring forth a better ruler to care for the realms!" The feline bared his teeth in a grin, but Meigui's eyes held concern all the way. But that was to be expected.
"Meigui, think about it. I know how they've treated you!-"
"Dont bring me into this." Meigui looked away, almost ashamed to hear Azure talk about it with such pride. Befriending the rebel... tsk. "Azure, you can't possibly- I- H-How are you going to go against the Jade Empeor?"
Azure winced, alright, this was getting on his nerve a little bit. "I know, I know. It all sounds crazy at first, but the Monkey King is all but ordinary! If he follows through, victory will be flawless, you hear?"
Meigui bit his lip, "Knowing you, you're sticking with this decision. Nothing I say will convince you otherwise, hm?" He fidgeted with the handle of his polearm. "This is alot to take in, but, Alright. I... I suppose I'll keep your promise..." Meigui sighed, "So, when are you leaving? Is it soon?"
"Yes, once I discuss this with the others properly I- we will be gone by the upcoming 'day'."
Azure saw Meigui wince, so he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You could always join-"
"No!" Meigui shook his head, "Azure that- I- I couldn't-" But Azure cut him off before he could finish what he was saying, "Alright, alright! I won't force you, but the offer still stands. I'd love to have you with us." The feline smiles, removing his hand from the simian's shoulder.
"But," Meigui began, "how are you so sure that the Monkey King will just accept you as his ally? Considering your celestial status, he may be wary. I don't want you to regret this decision. I doubt it's one you can come back from."
"I am aware." Azure nodded his head, "But I just have this gut feeling. And it tells me that this decision is a good one. Just trust me on this, my friend." Azure said, a smile tugging at his lips.
Meigui looked up at him, then sighed. "Alright, I trust you. And I will keep your promise to myself. As for your offer... I'll... think about it." He said.
Azure's smile grew into a grin as he swooped in and picked up the smaller celestial in a gentle hug. Meigui awkardly returned it with a gentle pat on Azure's muscular arm before he was eventually released. But the ape had no time to bid a proper farewell as Azure Lion had aleady made his way down the hall, probably on his way to tell the other two the news. Meigui squeezed his spear tightly as he stared off to where Azure had formerly stood, praying that this decision would not lead to turmoil.
But only time would reveal what it has in store for them.
At first, when Azure Lion had spoken to Meigui of his plan, the latter had tried his bet not to believe him, assuming that the Lion would eventually snap back to reason and quit his foolish idea alltogether. But alas, he felt his hopes crash when he found not a single sign of the Lion, nor of his companions.
'So they went through with it, hm?' Meigui leaned against a lone pillar, picking at the golden base of his spear.
"..." He thought of Azure's offer at first. If his suspicions were correct they were heading off to Flower Fruit Mountain, the land the Monkey King ruled over. It was no secret, really.
At first he'd considered it, coming along with them. Infact, just thinking about them facing the Monkey King made his fur spike with anxiety. But his duties held him back. For if too many celestials just disappeared out of nowhere, it could cause intense suspicion. But he didn't feel fine with just sitting here at the celestial realm either, without a single clue to how the other's were.
But for 'days', or however long it was, Meigui tried to keep this feeling to himself. It'd surely pass, right? Surely.
But it didn't.
No matter how hard he busied himself with his work, these thoughts kept gnawing at him. And as much as he didn't want to, he eventually caved in.
He needed to at the very least find out they were doing well. Yes. Just a sneaky little check-up would be fine.
Meigui sighed. He was going through with this, wasn't he?
He gnawed at his lip as he stood in the empty training grounds by himself.
Mount Huago, Flower Fruit Mountain. That's where he needed to go.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. It was just going to be a short trip. And then he'd return to his duties as if it never happened. Easy.
Meigui raised his hands, a soft, rosey light forming in his palms as he drew a specific seal into the air, slowly. He needed to be careful.
Eventually the seal spread open. A portal to Flower Fruit Mountain.
He reached down to pick up his weapon, sparing one final glance around to make sure nobody was watching before he quickly stepped through, the portal shutting behind him immediately.
Chirp... chirp....
At first, Meigui had to hold a hand over his eyes, shielding them from the burning sun, letting out a hiss under his breath. He looked around, feeling the mid-summer breeze brush against him.
Oh crap.
Meigui's eyes widened a little as he looked up the towering hills of Mount Huago. Those three could be anywhere by now.
...Better get searching.
Meigui huffed as he made his way up one of the hills, keeping a sharp eye out for any possible threats. He was technically on the enemy's land, after all.
"Ook?"
Meigui immediately jumped and spun on his heel, pointing his blade at a... monkey?
Oh, well, obviously it was a monkey. Monkey King, King of monkeys. He should've expected to see a handful of these little ones. Meigui tried to kneel down to get a closer look at the little one, but the tiny monkey chirped loudly and rushed past him. Well, guess he had to continue searching.
Meigui looked west first, and didnt exactly find anything of true worth, then he went north. and kept going and going and going. He could feel his shoulders slouch. Was this even worth it? He didn't find time to think as he heard a shuffle of leaves behind him, but this time decided to rule it as just being another curious monkey.
Well... he was half right in a way?
Considering how sloppy he was about his supposed stealth, he ended up being apotted by the one person he never in his life wanted to see.
Meigui yelped in pain as his face was slammed into the tree infront of him, to which he was then immediately yanked back. Just his luck.
"Hmph. Look what the monkeys dragged in. Although I never expected to see a fourth celestial end up on my mounain." The person that held Meigui in a tight headlock gruffly said, Meigui could barely get a good look at him. But there was no need. He already knew who this was.
"Ugh- Hellooo? I'm tallking to you, you know! It's rude to ignore the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven." The figure squeezed Meigui's head a little more tightly. "I didn't exactly expect any company. Especially not from another celestial. So state your business already!"
Meigui growled, about to throw a snappy comeback at him until he heard a familiar voice.
"Brother! Wait!"
That was Azure Lion! Wait- brother?
"Oomf!" Meigui yelped as he was dropped, rubbing his neck as he finally had the freedom to look over his shoulder. And there they were. Azure Lion, alongside the Monkey King: Sun Wukong.
"-and Meigui!" Azure Lion's voice cut through his thoughts. "I knew you'd come around eventually!" Azure helped him stand up, standing between the two simians. "Err- Meigui, I want you to meet, Sun Wukong. My newest brother, and ally. And Monkey King, This is the Meigui I had told you about! I promise he means no harm."
The aformentioned Sun Wukong crosses his arms, looking Meigui up and down. "Another monkey, eh?" He hopped over, stepping around Meigui to get a closer look. "Heh, well obviously I dont mind new rebels joining in-"
"Oh- I'm... not here to join. I just wanted to check up on you, Azure."
The Monkey King pouted; but stepped back to give the two of them talking room,, "Fine. But dont take too long m'kay?" He shot Meigui one final glare before leaving.
Meigui sighed. "Azure, are you-"
"I'm doing great! Azure threw back his violet cape, letting it flutter freely. "Why Meigui, you should really join us, maybe for this next meeting- or dinner-"
"Azure- I'm- I'm... Not interested in joining-"
"Well it doesnt have to be official yet. You could just have a look around."
"I'm not sure I'm wanted here-"
"No no no. Meigui, this time I insist. Please, join us. Or at the very least think it over! Just an afternoon, I promise it'll be worth it!"
Meigui narrowed his eyes. "...Fine. But just this once."
Azure Lion grinned, "Alright. come with! I promise it'll be worth your while!"
And, as always, Meigui had no room to protest as he was immediately dragged along. He hoped that Azure was right and this was truly worth his time...