*The gang is driving in the T.E.A. MK is in the back, drawing.*
MK is humming a simple melody while drawing.
"So, what you doing, MK?" Mei asked, trying to take a look.
"Just doodling." said MK while he was drawing.
"Looking good, bud." said Wukong after grabbing one of the drawings.
Miwa picked up one of the drawings, smiling a bit when it was a drawing of her and Wukong.
"Something caught your interest?" Wukong tried sneaking a glance, but Miwa quickly put it away.
"Nothing much, but MK is very good at drawing." said Miwa as she shoved him to the side.
"Oh. Did you do any drawings of me, MK?" Tang asked curiously.
"Yeah. They're over there." MK pointed to a trashcan full of crumble up drawings of Tang. "I didn't like how any of them turned out, though. It was hard to make you look, uh, cool. You know, you get it."
"What? But I'm like the coolest guy you know." said Tang as he went and picked up some of the thrown-away drawings.
"Don't think too hard on it Tang." Miwa patted his back.
"Hey Freckles! Look another drawing. And with us hugging each other, awww, it's so adorable." said Wukong holding a new drawing.
Miwa sighs and facepalms herself in annoyance.
"Hey guys. Land ho!" shouted Sandy as they were driving into the Lantern City.
Everyone gasps at the sight.
"Oh." said Tang when seeing the city.
"Hasn't changed a bit." said Wukong with a warm smile.
*A bit later, Wukong is standing disguised in a crowded sky train.*
"Okay, maybe it's changed a little." said Wukong as he was being slightly squeezed in the crowd.
"This is what happens when you stay stuck up in your mountain for years." said Miwa rolling her eyes before getting bonked on the head. "Aah!"
"Attitude missy, I don't wanna hear that sass coming from you." Wukong glancing at her with a raised chop hand.
Miwa rolled her eyes. "Old baboon."
Wukong gave her an annoyed glare, but with how crowded the train was, he couldn't do much besides hit her on the head with his hand again.
"Aah!" Miwa rubbed her head in annoyance.
*They arrive in Lantern City.*
"Hmm. So if this map is correct, the last Ring of Samadhi should be around here somewhere. I mean, that looks as good a place as any to look for- hey!" Everyone leaves Tang behind in the monorail car.
"All right. I remember throwing the Ring around here somewhere." said Wukong when taking a look around, trying to figure out where he threw the ring.
"I thought you hid it?" Mei asked while searching for it.
"Yeah, by throwing it, into the crust of the Earth, where no one could find it. Keep up, Dragon Pony Girl." said Wukong as he went to look somewhere else.
"That's not hiding it, that being reckless and not thinking it through." Miwa pointed out.
"She is way too much like Macaque at times." Wukong thought, rolling his eyes. "Sometimes the best way to hide something, is when you aren't thinking about it and just leave it to fate."
"Riiight, because you're the Monkey King, and such a wise sage equal to heaven." said Miwa sarcastically, crossing her arms.
Wukong turned around and lightly placed a finger on her forehead. "Sounds like someone is a little hangry."
Miwa gave him an unimpressed look. "I am not hangry, Dad. If I was, I would be you."
Wukong couldn't help but laugh at this and began ruffling her hair. "That's a good one, Princess! But I'm pretty sure you are, otherwise you wouldn't be giving me this attitude. This whole day."
Miwa slapped his hand away from her hair. "You are so annoying Dad."
"Is there some kind of festival on?" MK questioned, gaining everyone's attention.
"Looks like it." said Pigsy looking at their surroundings.
MK approaches a vendor. "Hi. So what's up, is there some kind of festival going on?"
"Of course. It's the Ring of Light Festival." said the store owner.
"Yeah, that doesn't really explain how—" MK questioned.
"Legends say that Lantern City was once a desolate village, until Monkey King thrust the Ring of Light into the earth, transforming the city into the prosperous metropolis it is today. Every year we hold a festival celebrating Monkey King's gift of the great Ring of Light." The store owner explained.
Everyone slowly turned their attention to Wukong.
"So much for the Rings being a secret." said Pigsy.
"Mm-hmm." Tang agreed.
"Why am I not surprised?" Miwa groans and shook her head.
Wukong gave an awkward laugh as he slowly slide away from the glances they were giving him.
"So. You gonna buy something?" The store owner asked.
MK pays. Everyone is decked out in festive apparel.
"So what? We're just going to wander around until we stumble upon the Ring, or–" Pigsy asked.
"Of course not, Pigsy. I think I know exactly where the Ring is." said Tang about to explain before being cut off.
"It's in the giant lantern in the middle of the city." said Wukong while leaning back against a railing and looking up at the lantern he was referring to.
"Hey! That's what I was going to say!" shouted Tang.
"How do you figure?" MK asked.
"Somehow, the villagers found my super well-hidden magic ring, there's a giant magic lantern in the middle of the city, I'm going to say they put it in that. It's two plus two, bud." Wukong explained.
"And two plus two is three. The third ring." said MK, joining Wukong along with the others from where he was watching.
"Big brain boy coming through." said Mei high-fiving MK.
Pigsy groans. Wukong passes Sandy a flier.
"here you go, blue guy. You haven't said anything in a while. Read this." said Wukong when giving him the flier.
"Can't read?" MKK asked.
"I get stage fright. Or something..." said Wukong with a shrug.
"Oh, just like Miwa. She gets easily stage fright. Right Lulu?" MK turned to look at Miwa but couldn't see her anywhere. "Ummm, where did Miwa go?"
"My guess, she is out stealing. With this festival, there is no way for her to resist not stealing." Pigsy groans in annoyance. "Of all times, why right now? We don't have time for this."
"I could go and look for her." MK offered to help.
"I'm sure she will find us after her little.... adventure. For now, maybe we should focus on this." Wukong pointed to the flier in Sandy's hands.
*With Miwa.*
Miwa hummed in a soft tone as she had just stolen a few skewers of roasted meat. "Guess Dad was right about me being a little hungry." She finished one of the skewers and dropped the stick into a trash can.
While walking around she noticed a few tents in what seemed to be the main festive area. One of those tents ended up being a shadow play that was starting in a few minutes.
Miwa had missed a good shadow play like Macaque's until he went and ruined her life. But even so, she would never say no to watch this play. So Miwa entered the tent and found herself a seat in the very back where there would be fewer people.
"I wonder what this play is about. As shadow plays aren't being done much anymore." Miwa wondered to herself a little excited for something nice to keep her mind off everything else that had happened.
"Welcome ladies, gentlemen, girls and boys. Please remember to turn off your phones and put away your cameras, as we won't want any disturbance that could ruin the play." spoke an elderly woman standing on the stage.
Miwa made sure her phone was turned off and then waited for the play to start.
After everyone in the tent had turned off their phones and put away their cameras. All the lights inside went dim and the shadow play had started.
"Long, long ago, far in the very past. There once was a demon, who was a mighty warrior of his clan." Silhouettes of a snake demon welding a sword standing along with other snake demons.
"This demon was very different from his kind. Because unlike the rest, he wanted to make peace with the humans. But this very reason made his clan see him as being nothing else but naive and ridiculous." The silhouettes showed the other snake demons laughing and taunting the snake warrior.
"The only reason they didn't threw him out of the clan, was because he was the strongest warrior and were just about the be promoted to General... but then one night everything went up in flames. As the clan got ambushed by a human army." Shadows of an army of humans attacking the snake demon clan, wiping out most of those demons from the clan.
The snake warrior is then shown, all weaken while holding something in his left arm as he leads the surviving snake demons to safety.
Miwa listened closely as she watched the play, but was slowly growing a headache as random memories started coming again.
"When what was left of the snake demon clan, had found safety in a cave. The snake warrior were crying out from the loss of his wife, and from finding the very egg in his arms being crushed. As it was meant to carry their child."
The snake warrior is shown sitting on the ground in tears while holding a crushed egg in his arms.
"The snake warrior was in a deep despair, after fighting so hard to wanting to make peace with the humans. Only for that hope to be destroyed by those very humans..."
The crowd watching all felt sorry for the snake warrior, and couldn't believe having lost all of that. Most of the parents took a glance at each other and their kids, as they couldn't imagine how hurt he must have felt.
"But just as he thought he had lost everything, he remembered an old saying; "Wish upon a star, and your wish shall be granted. When granted the wish, a star will fall from the sky and shine ever so bright."—"
"—Becoming a shooting star. When the wish has been fulfilled, the star shall once more return to the night among the other stars." Miwa mumbled as she remembered saying this once, but still didn't know where she had heard it from.
"Taking what chance he had to still having a family, the snake warrior snuck out of the cave in the middle of the night with his crushed egg. When he found an open area he looked towards the stars and made a wish." Silhouettes of five stars in the sky with the snake warrior on his knees holding up what's left of his egg as he made his wish.
Miwa felt a strong headache as flashes of memories appeared in her head.
*Flashback.*
"Oh, stars as old as time, in the ancient sky of night. Grant me this wish as I, oh so, desire. Let my wish reach you, oh so far away and yet so close. Oh Wishing Stars, grant my desired wish." A green snake demon spoke in a hoarse but determined voice, looking up at the stars.
.
.
.
.
"I'll grant this wish. It's very clear how deeply emotional this one is." said Red Star in a soft tone.
"Not to mention precious, when was the last time we had such a wish?" Yellow Star said happily.
"A few years ago, when I last granted such a wish. Sweet one while it lasted." said Purple Star with a slight sigh.
"Let's not forget that whenever we grant such a wish, our colors will always appear on them until we can separate from the wish. Should it even survive long enough for that to happen?" spoke Green Star in a concerning voice. "Not to mention most of the snake demons are green, blue, yellow or even brown. You sure a red snake is wise?"
"Wasn't his wife a mix of blue and orange?" Blue Star pointed out.
Red Star simply chuckled. "I'll take your concerns into consideration, Green. I'll try and change the shade of the colors and patterns to blend in better."
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.
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.
.
The snake demon kept staring at the sky, not wanting to give up yet and just hoped for a sign that his wish had been heard.
And a sign he got as suddenly five colorful stars appeared in the sky and the red star was seen shooting across the sky and down at the egg in his hands. Shining a bright red light.
When the light faded out, the snake demon open his eyes in shock as lying in his hands was a white little snake demon baby with a few pink and red colored patterns.
The snake demon couldn't believe this, he thought he was just seeing things or by chance it was a dream. Yet, an actual baby snake demon, breathing soundly was in his hands. A true miracle.
"T-thank you so much." whispered the snake demon with tears running down his face in joy.
*End of the flashback.*
"The wish had been granted, the snake warrior was overjoyed his child was alive and couldn't wait to show it to his clan. They might have lost a lot to the humans, yet they still got something good." The elderly woman spoke softly as shadows of the snake demons and the little snake baby appeared.
The crowd clapped and cheered at how good the show was, yet the lights in the tent hadn't lighten up. As the show wasn't over yet it seemed.
"But this happiness didn't last long... As only a few years later when the child had grown into a young boy, he one day ran into a human child." The little snake demon appeared from the shadows along with a human child as they looked at each other in surprise and then smiling.
*Flashback.*
"I told you, stay away you freaking demon!" A girl screamed as she fell over on the ground with her basket of flowers on the ground.
The white snake boy seemed to ignore her screaming as he walked over and picked up the basket and put the dropped flowers back in it. "Here, you dropped this." He held the up towards her.
"Huh?" The girl had stopped screaming, and was now looking at him confused. "You not gonna eat me?"
"Why would I eat you? A meal that sounds like a screaming monkey would just ruin the taste." The snake boy stuck out his tongue in disgust.
"W-What?! I do not sound like a screaming monkey!" The girl exclaimed with a red face as she took back her basket of flowers forcefully.
The snake boy laughed and pointed at her. "You so do!"
"W-w-well, you're just an ugly demon!" said the girl in annoyance.
"And you are an ugly human." said the snake boy crossing his arms.
"I am not!" shouted the girl.
"Are too!" shouted the snake boy.
The two went back and forth until they started laughing at how stupid they were sounding.
"So what's your name?" The girl asked as the two had found some rounds by a waterfall and sat down.
"Jing Yin, and what's yours human?" Jing asked while looking at her.
"You can just call me Liu." said Liu smiling at him.
"Liu, okay." said Jing looking up at the sky. "So what are you doing here? You do know this is demon territory, right?"
Liu gave a sigh. "My mom is very sick, I heard these special flowers can be used to make a tea that should help her. But they only grown out here." She hugged the basket of flowers in her arms.
"Oh..." A sad look grew on Jing's face since he never knew who his mother was, only heard stories about her from his father whenever he felt like it. "You should probably go, I wouldn't want you running into another demon."
"I guess so... my dad and grandparents are probably worried about where I am." said Liu getting off the rock.
"Follow me, I knew a shortcut to the human territory." Jing began leading her the way through the forest, avoiding any of the demons that patrolled the area.
It didn't take them long until they got to the border of the two territories.
"Hey Jing, I know we are meant to be enemies but you don't seem like a bad demon." Liu gave him a sweet smile.
A slight blush grew on Jing's face, very visible because of his white scales. He rubbed the back of his head as he avoided eye contact. "Thanks... I guess you humans aren't that bad... at least not you."
Liu smiled as she pulled him into a tight hug. "Then why don't we become friends! We can meet here every second day."
"Uhhh..." Jing was surprised by the hug, but wasn't sure this was a good idea since he knew his father and his clan hated the humans after what they did.
"Please, I've never had a demon friend, and if we can become friends. Then I don't see how everyone else can't too. Both humans and demons." said Liu smiling at him.
"Alright, alright! But if we get caught we are gonna be in so much trouble." said Jing pouting a little.
"Yay!" Liu cheered, hugging him once more before she then ran back home.
A soft smile grew on Jing's face. "Humans and demons, friends?... We just met, yet she already sees me as one." His smile slowly faded. "I really am a freak as my clan says, unable to make friends because I look so different from all of them, yet I had more luck with a human."
Jing stomped his foot in frustration as tears formed in his red-colored eyes. "Humans that took my mom away from me, it's not fair!" He kicked a stone as he started heading back home.
*End of flashback.*
Miwa held in a growl as the headaches were only getting worse by these memories. "Why do I have these memories, when it doesn't have anything to do with me?" A single tear ran down her face. "Yet, these feelings seem like my own. What the fuck is going on here?"
"The two went on to meet each other in secret, but what they didn't know at the time was that snake boy's father the snake warrior and the rest of the clan had caught the scent of human on him." The story went on with the silhouettes of the shadows on the stage.
"No one had said anything, by the snake warrior's orders who had instead sent a few to spy on them. After what happened to their clan, they saw this as a chance to get back at those humans. The snake warrior had been very strict with his son's upbringing as he didn't want to lose him again, nor have him end up as his mother."
Miwa didn't know when but at some point when she was having her flashbacks, the crowd in the tent had grown bigger as people from the outside grew curious and as the story went on people wanted to know how the story would end.
"Damn, an elderly woman is beating Macaque in shadow play. Never thought that would happen." Miwa giggled to herself, only to get shushed by some of the audience.
The story went on with the human child and snake boy meeting each other in secret for a few years until one fateful day.
"The two had grown close, the snake boy once skeptical of being friends with a human were now all happy about them having met. Some say the two might have even fallen for each other. A demon and a human, but no one will ever know that. Because one night changed everything." The shadows on the stage showed the two growing older and closer, while the surrounding shadows grew bigger around them.
*Flashback.*
"Y-you want me to do what father?" Jing the snake boy look at his father a bit surprised.
"Don't play stupid with me now, my son. You thought I wouldn't notice you being around a human all this time?" The snake warrior walked around his son while speaking in a stern tone.
Jing grew nervous as his body almost froze when he only now thought about how he might have been smelling like a human from Liu whenever she would give him a hug.
"I could have had that human killed long ago when I first found out. But I didn't, you know why?" The snake warrior looked him straight in the face.
"W-why?" Jing stuttered but stood where he stand.
"Because thanks to you and that human, we were able to learn a lot and tonight they'll pay for what they did to our people, to your mother." said the snake warrior with a deadly look in his eyes.
Jing's eyes widened in realization. "Father don't do this please, Liu doesn't have anything to do with what happened so long ago. If we could try making peace instead of raise war maybe we—"
"Live together?" The snake warrior gave a cold laugh. "I thought that too long ago, until the humans attacked our clan." He pulled out a dagger and placed it in his son's hand. "When you meet your human friend, you will kill her. If I find out that you didn't, I'll force you to watch one of the others in the clan kill her."
Jing couldn't believe what he was making on do, he looked at the dagger in his hand. Liu was his first ever real friend and his father wanted him to kill her.
The snake warrior observed his son when he noticed his eyes changing to a more vivid red color than normal.
"Taking an innocent life should never be an option." Jing glanced at him, as his presence seemed different.
"The humans didn't think that when they attacked our people, and your mother." The snake warrior placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can't lose you too, son."
Jing narrowed his eyes at him but gave a sigh as his eyes returned to normal. "... I understand father."
The snake warrior nodded and let his son go, watching his back as he left until he couldn't see him anymore. "So those old tales were right, this one better not ruin my son."
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Jing went to the meeting place he and Liu usually met at. He looked around nervously while hiding the dagger behind his back.
"JiJi!" shouted Liu running over to him with a big smile.
Jing rolled his eyes with a nervous smile. "I told you to stop calling me that."
Liu just giggled at his annoyance knowing he didn't really mind it. "I'm surprised your clan hasn't caught on to you sneaking out."
"I could say the same to you, yet here you are once more." Jing shook his head, while his hand behind his back tightened on the handle of the dagger.
"Anyway, I brought us some of my mother's homemade bread since you liked it so much last time." Liu pulled up the basket of bread she had brought.
"Oh, umm thanks." said Jing with a small smile as he grabbed the basket with his free hand.
Though the moment his focus was on the basket full of bread, he felt a sharp pain going through his chest. Dropping the basket when he then noticed Liu had stabbed him with a dagger that he hadn't even notice.
"Sorry Jing, it's nothing personal." said Liu as she pushed the dagger deeper into his chest.
Jing fell to the ground as he dropped his own dagger. "W-why L-Liu? I thought we were f-f-friends."
"Me friend with a demon? Don't be stupid, we both know humans and demons can't be friends. I mean, you even brought a dagger to kill me didn't you?" Liu taunted him as she glanced at his dropped dagger.
Tears began running down his face as his breathing was growing weaker, since the dagger she had used was made to specifically kill demons. "M-my father o-o-ordered me to, b-but I couldn't do it."
Liu just scoffed at him. "Why not? Because you were scared?"
"Of course I was s-scared... l-l-losing the only person that... ever wanted to be my... f-f-friend." Jing's voice grew weak with his eyes slowly becoming blurry.
Liu looked at him thinking he was joking, but when he didn't say another word. A single tear ran down her face. "What have I done..."
*End of flashback.*
"When the snake warrior found out his son had been murdered by that human that tricked him. The snake warrior ordered his clan to kill the humans that very night and to kill the human to took his son away." The silhouettes showed the snake boy lying dead on the ground with a dagger in his chest while the human was crying for what she had done.
The silhouettes then changed to the snake demons attacking the human village, everyone in that village had been killed. Yet the human friend had been able to get away.
"No one knows what became of the snake boy's human friend, but the snake warrior swore that he could find her and avenge his son's death." The story finished as the lights finally turned back up.
The crowd cheered and clapped while some wondered what really became of that human friend and even the snake warrior. But a few felt a little annoyed and couldn't believe the human friend actually killed the snake boy, her very own friend.
Miwa slowly got up from her seat as she left the tent, but her head was still filled with memories. But this was different since she had had flashes of them when she trained with Wukong to get her memories. Her headaches kept going, causing her to lean against a wall breathing heavily.
*Flashback.*
"Stop this madness! I don't even know who you are demon!" shouted a human girl with red and white hair, who was welding a sword against an older snake demon since her home was being invaded by these demons.
The snake demon charged at her with his own sword, since he was much older and had been through a lot of battles. He had a lot more experiences and with that came revenge against the humans.
He knocked the girl's sword out of her hands and stabbed her right in the guts as she let out a painful scream.
"Lady Xia! Someone go and save lady Xia, quickly!" shouted a servant before getting their head cut off by another snake demon.
"Tell me Wishing Star, what is your life even worth? Having to go through this every time when someone makes that same kind of wish." The snake demon asked as he knocked her to the ground and cut off her legs.
Xia screamed in pain when her legs got cut off, she looked for her sword and tried reaching it but the snake demon kicked it out of her reach. "I don't know what you are *coughs up blood* talking about."
The snake demon gave her a deadly glance as he went on to cut off her right arm. "Don't play dumb with me Wishing Star, I've lived a long time and funny enough this is the second time we've met. Though the situation was different, it still ended the same way."
Xia let out another painful scream as more parts of her body were cut apart. "And I'm telling you! I don't know!"
"Such a sad thing to say to your father, my dear Xia. But I guess even in this wish, you choose the wrong side." said the snake demon coldly.
Xia could feel herself growing weaker as she had lost a lot of blood, her black eyes suddenly changed to red as she gave him an eerie glare. "It doesn't matter who is on the right or wrong side....after all we are all living beings in some way. *coughs up more blood* We can only follow what we believe in."
The snake demon let out a maniacal laugh. "So now you finally decide to show your true self Wishing Star, but I'm sure we will meet again, Red Star."
He raised his sword and swung it towards her head.
"Maybe, but not in this life." Houngse slowly raised her hand and a bright red beam struck the snake demon. But instead of killing him, she instead had most of his memories erased. "Sorry I couldn't protect your son, Xin Li..."
Closing her eyes, Red Star left the body of Xia who had died from the invasion of the snake demons.
*End of flashback.*
Miwa fell to the ground, breathing heavily with tears running down her face. "T-these aren't my memories, yet they feel so real. Like I was those people, and I went through their lives."
Her body was shaking in fear when raising one of her hands. "... I'm not a real person I'm... I'm a —." A painful shock went through her body at this realization. Tears ran down Miwa's face as her body was fading in and out rapidly which only made the shocks worse, she struggled moving as she snuck into the an alley. Having changed back to her normal form.
Unable to control her emotions, and the rapid painful shocks coursing through her body. Her eyes changed colors as Red Star took control once more, stopping the shocks and her body from fading out.
"This isn't good at all, Miwa knows what she is. Making these shocks more frequent now." Red Star looked up at the sky, a concerned glance at the wishing stars. "... Should they succeed in ending this wish, I sure hope my backup plan works. As long as a specific person doesn't mess it up somehow..."
Red Star closed her eyes, taking a few calm breaths. Making sure she was all calm and it was safe to give Miwa back control.
When opening her eyes, Miwa was back and took a look around when suddenly an explosion of ice spikes appeared.
"What the fuck?!" Miwa quickly took to the air and was surprised to see the city was slowly being taken over by ice. "How is this possible? I thought she was still back at Megapolis City."
"Miwa!" Someone shouted.
Gaining her attention, Miwa looked around until she saw MK and the others.
"It's Macaque, he is here. We need to get out of here quickly!" shouted MK while carrying the rings.
"... Macaque." Knowing he was here made Miwa grow uneasy. But decided to leave it for later. For her own sanity, well what little she had left and just focus on the task at hand.
"Got it!" Miwa skated down to the gang as they headed to the sky train so they could get out of the city fast.