The mental image clouded reality. He was underwater, same angle, touching the same pillar. His arm was covered in fur, and beside him was a bearded man telling him to step away. He repeated the words like a memory.
“Shrink.”
He blinked and snapped back to reality. The pillar didn’t respond. Its light faded as if it were ignoring him. When he turned, he saw the monkey exhale in relief. Maddie looked disoriented, the glowing eyes had vanished, and a surge of electricity jolted through Kai’s hand.
He recoiled instantly, clutching his stinging hand. The monkey seemed startled, even afraid for a moment, before lowering his head and thoughtfully stroking his beard.
“It’s rejecting him,” the monkey muttered to himself. Kai watched him, noticing the monkey’s tail curl into a tight spiral. “This is bad. We don’t have time for this.”
The monkey looked frustrated, even angry. He turned and began walking ahead. Maddie gave Kai an encouraging smile and followed.
Kai’s tail slowly uncurled and dropped with defeat. Gritting his teeth, he moved forward, clutching his arm, still numb from the shock. He looked back one last time at the pillar, and for a brief moment, it felt like it was glaring at him in disgust.
They continued walking along the wall, occasionally catching glimpses of the city below. Eventually, they reached another oriental-style palace—much larger this time. The monkey opened the door and, bowing his head respectfully, gestured for them to enter.
Inside, Maddie moved forward as if she knew the place well, but Kai couldn’t stop staring in awe. He stood in a vast hall carved directly into the mountain’s rock, clearly inspired by East Asian architecture. Stone pillars adorned with carvings of clouds, dragons, and lotus flowers rose up throughout the space, supporting an immense ceiling that seemed to vanish over a hundred feet above.
The place was alive—hundreds of rooms opened on every level, and monkeys hurried in and out carrying baskets of fruit, rolls of fabric, gleaming weapons, and strange objects. Some paused when they saw Kai—some with fear, others with reverence, and a few with wide, worshipful eyes.
At the center of the chamber, dominating the space, a massive golden staircase spiraled downward from the heights above. Its edges were etched with ancient Chinese symbols that shimmered with a warm, gentle glow—like the stairs themselves were breathing history and power.
They began ascending quickly. Though the staircase was continuous all the way to the top, each level was clearly defined—around 80 feet tall. Kai’s legs already ached just thinking about it.
As soon as they reached the second floor, a wave of heat hit him. The clanging of hammers striking metal echoed through the air. The entire level was filled with weapons—rows upon rows of them—all forged from a dark steel similar to the pillar’s, but duller… clearly a lower-grade variant.
The third floor opened into a vast circular library, where the books stretched all the way up to the ceiling.
The fourth floor immediately caught Kai's attention. It was a green area with no walls—an open space supported by slender columns holding up the floors above. The place was filled with peach trees, with servants tending to the fruit, but none of them seemed to be picking it, even though the peaches looked ripe, vibrant, and strangely tempting.
"How many floors are there?" Kai asked, already feeling the burn in his legs. His workout routine usually involved eating chips and playing video games—he was not built for hiking up staircases the size of skyscrapers.
"Two more to go," the monkey replied.
Kai cursed under his breath. He also noticed Maddie struggling to keep up; she was probably still recovering from his wounds.
But she didn’t complain and kept moving.
The fifth floor opened into a hall with no obvious purpose. Kai saw walls covered in murals that looked like the visions he'd seen while unconscious.
On the sixth floor, the staircase was sealed off by a wall. A massive door stood out, drawing Kai’s attention as they continued climbing. They were finally just meters away from the top floor. His legs were practically crying for mercy.
The silence felt heavier here, like it was waiting. Kai assumed it must be some kind of war council—just like in the movies.
The space narrowed, leading to a single, simple wooden door. It felt almost anticlimactic.
“This door is from the very first palace,” the monkey said. “One of the few things we’ve never changed since the first Monkey King.”
Kai gave it a curious look. He was familiar with the legend, but he still didn’t quite understand what was happening.
The monkey sighed—clearly, he was used to this kind of reaction. He pulled a key from his armor, and as soon as it turned in the lock, the mystical silence shattered.
A woman’s high-pitched voice echoed from inside.
“And who the hell made you general, you spiky-haired idiot!?”
“Oh god, they’re still going?” Maddie groaned, rubbing her temples as if just hearing the voice gave her a headache. “Ever since that woman showed up, she hasn’t stopped fighting with Nezha.”
“I asked my divine balls and they said yes, you French bitch,” Nezha’s voice rang out in response.
Kai glanced at Maddie, who looked away.
“Maybe Nezha isn’t totally innocent either.”
Kai sighed. Whenever Maddie liked a guy, her sense of judgment became
very
one-sided.
Ma Da Jun sighed and opened the door.
The scene inside was… odd, to say the least.
A half-naked, two-meter-tall muscular guy in full Mayan garb was leaning casually against the wall, clearly enjoying the chaos. Three other monkeys sat on thrones—one in light armor, another in formal Chinese noble robes, and the last one wore only pants, with golden rings floating silently behind him.
Then Kai noticed… an angel?
A burly woman with two white wings hovered above the floor, visibly bored. She wore what looked like Viking war gear: horned helmet, thick fur clothing, and a scowl that said she had better things to do than listen to this. Her wings flapped lazily as she floated.
A group of three men and three women stood nearby, all clad in medieval-style armor—the kind Kai had only ever seen in museums. They were clearly trying to get the attention of the bickering duo in the center of the room.
And there, at the heart of the chaos, was the source of all the yelling.
A blonde woman with violet eyes stood bloodied and disheveled in full armor, definitely part of the same group of knights. Her eyes burned with fury as she faced Nezha, who had stepped right into her space, leaning down to meet her face-to-face. Flames flickered from his body, heating the entire room, though the woman didn’t seem bothered at all.
“And why is he even here?” she snapped. “We don’t need some eternal child planning our strategies.”
“I could ask the same,” Nezha fired back without hesitation. “Your one job was to summon Quetzalcoatl. No one needs your opinion.”
He tapped her forehead with a single finger, mockingly.
She immediately drew her sword and swung for his neck.
Ma Da Jun cleared his throat loudly.
The blade froze, just inches from Nezha’s skin. He didn’t even blink—just flicked his eyes over toward the monkey.
With a sigh, Nezha stepped back. The woman lowered her sword and sheathed it, clicking her tongue in frustration.
Maddie slipped in behind Ma Da Jun, and Nezha and the monkeys greeted her with cheerful waves. For someone who’d only been here a day, she was already surprisingly popular.
Kai had always envied that about her.
He, on the other hand, wasn’t even sure he
wanted
to step into the room.
Ma Da Jun gave him a formal gesture, inviting him inside, then went to sit on the throne next to the monkey in light armor.
Kai was left standing alone, now fully visible to everyone.
Every pair of eyes in the room focused on him. His tail bristled instantly, twitching with nervous tension. The angel woman opened her eyes wide, then slowly descended to the floor. The knights shuffled awkwardly in place.
Kai felt a knot tighten in his throat. He subtly grabbed his arm for comfort as he stepped forward into the chamber.
“Is that him?” one of the knights asked the winged woman.
“He’s awfully scrawny, isn’t he?” she replied, not bothering to lower her voice.
Kai glanced around, scanning the room for friendly faces—not finding many. When he turned, he nearly jumped: the tall, shirtless Maya warrior was suddenly standing right in front of him, sizing him up from head to toe with a neutral, unreadable expression.
Kai gave a nervous chuckle and kept walking. The monkey
yed him suspiciously, as if weighing him, judging him. Kai hated that feeling—being scrutinized like that. Everyone here seemed to project their expectations onto him, and all he could feel was how much he probably let them down.
At least, until he caught her gaze.
The blonde girl with the violet eyes was staring at him with an intensity that made him freeze. Her face lit up in awe, like a child seeing their parent walk into daycare. It made Kai feel good, admittedly—she was beautiful, and clearly thrilled to see him—but it also freaked him out. The way she looked at him was almost… too much.
Kai stopped awkwardly in the middle of the room. Directly in front of him stood a golden throne shaped like a cloud, its seat and back lined in deep red. He had no idea if he was supposed to sit there.
The silence was suffocating.
“He’s just…” the Maya man finally spoke, his voice low and weary, heavy with disappointment. “A scrawny teenager.”
The words hit Kai like a truck. His tail drooped behind him, as if apologizing for his existence. Maddie stood to defend him, but Nezha cut her off with a sharp glare that said,
Don’t.
“We were aware he’d be young,” Ma Da Jun said calmly, stepping in to defend him. Kai gave him a grateful glance.
“But we didn’t expect him to
look
so pathetic,” muttered the monkey in light armor.
Kai clenched his jaw at the insult.
“A stiff breeze could snap him in two,” added the angel woman, openly mocking.
“He’s still the one,” Nezha growled, clearly annoyed by the judgment. “Need I remind you how they treated the original—and what happened to the Jade Palace?”
“I remember him smashing your face in,” the angel shot back. “And let’s not forget
you
caused the Chinese their share of trouble too. Maybe all of you are just weak.”
Nezha’s flames flared dangerously. His eyes narrowed.
“You want me to show you how weak I am?”
“I’d
love
to see you try.”
The argument flared up again. Maddie sighed, exasperated. This was supposed to be a war council, but it felt more like the school cafeteria when no one could agree where to sit.
The knights were trying to calm the gods down—but no one was listening.
“Hey…,” Kai began, frustrated.
“So what, we’re supposed to put our last hope in some skinny Monkey King?” said the monkey in the light armor.
“Damn it, Ling Kong. You should know by now that incarnations are never the same,” snapped the monkey dressed like a noble. The one in pants said nothing, just sighed in boredom.
“Monkey King?” Kai muttered to himself.
The arguing went on. Kai was starting to get annoyed. Sure, he could feel awkward and out of place, but even he had a limit to how much crap he’d take from complete strangers.
“The original Monkey King took seven years to reach the level of a god,” Nezha added. “What do you think, Quetzalcoatl?” he asked, turning to the Maya-looking man.
Kai blinked in confusion. Why the hell was he calling that guy by the name of the Mesoamerican god of wind? He wanted to dismiss it as some sort of ceremonial title… but deep down, he didn’t believe that.
“I don’t think we
have
seven years to figure out if he has potential,” the feathered serpent replied, brushing his long black hair back.
“We don’t need seven years,” countered the noble monkey. “We just need him to regain his memories and train his body. We can do it before the deadline.”
Ma Da Jun looked down at the floor, thoughtful.
The argument was getting worse. It wasn’t going to stay civil much longer. The blonde girl looked ready to step in—visibly pissed but still staring at Kai like he hung the moon.
But then—
“HEY, IDIOTS!” Kai’s shout echoed through the chamber. The air went stiff, and a burst of energy rippled through the room. The French girl’s eyes lit up, sensing the sudden power shift.
Maddie noticed it too—Kai’s eyes had begun to glow again… turning reddish.
Kai didn’t know
how
he had done that. He just knew he wasn’t going to stand there like some loser while everyone threw insults his way. The whole room fell silent, now watching him with curious, intrigued expressions.
“What a pathetic circus,” Kai snapped, stepping forward. “Would any of you geniuses mind
not
talking about me like I’m not standing right here?”
He took another step. “And maybe one of you assholes could actually explain what the hell is going on?”
The sudden force of his words seemed to shake them out of it. Everyone looked like they’d just realized they were arguing for the sake of it.
Nezha sighed and shot a glare at the angel woman.
Quetzalcoatl stepped back and leaned against the wall again.
“He’s right,” he said. “My apologies, Monkey King.”
"First of all," Kai said, eyeing the monkeys with confusion. His eyes were slowly returning to normal, but it seemed like his outburst had worked—at least temporarily. "What the hell are you even talking about?"
Everyone glanced at each other, silently debating whether it was the right time to explain it all.
"Well, it means that you—" Ma Da Jun began.
"It means you’re the Monkey King," the blonde girl said cheerfully, stepping closer to Kai. He flinched as she got too close for comfort.
"No offense, but I don’t remember storming the heavens," Kai replied, narrowing his eyes. The girl let out a light laugh.
"You’re not
that
Monkey King. That being died over a thousand years ago," she explained in a much softer, almost melodic voice—completely different from how she’d sounded before. The knights subtly repositioned themselves into a triangle, with the blonde girl at the front like a spearhead. "But he made sure his soul wouldn't end up in hell, even if his body perished. You are..."
"His reincarnation," Kai finished the sentence almost without thinking, remembering what that monk had told him and those strange visions flashing in his mind. A tingling sensation ran up his spine, and his tail twitched with excitement. "But that’s... impossible."
He muttered the words, not fully grasping their meaning. His mind raced, trying to connect the dots, heart pounding in his chest. The same energy he'd unleashed before now felt like it was crushing him.
The monkeys rose from their thrones and bowed, even Ling Kong—though clearly not enthusiastically.
Quetzalcóatl and the winged woman simply dipped their heads respectfully.
The knights dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the floor. Kai’s confusion only deepened. Why had everyone’s behavior shifted so suddenly?
The only ones who didn’t move were Maddie—who looked just as baffled as he felt—and Nezha, who just smirked arrogantly.
"My name is Camille de Arco," the blonde said, lowering to one knee and locking eyes with Kai. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lord.”
“I… My Lord?" Kai stammered, feeling his whole face go red. Now he felt more out of place than ever.
"I am at your service," Camille continued with growing warmth and reverence in her voice. "As a devout follower of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, it is an
honneur
to finally meet you, Kai West—oh, final reincarnation of the great Sun Wukong."
End of chapter.