Sun Wukong
The boy Matthew was not taking travelling by cloud-soaring very well at all. Wukong had to make many stops along the way, for the boy to heave up his guts in a disgusting manner. Wukong did not mind really, but it was making the journey take much longer than he had hoped.
Eventually they arrived at Wukong’s old home, the Mountain Water Curtain Cave, where his loyal monkey subjects still resided. They passed through the curtain waterfall, and crossed the great bridge over the abyss, to enter the kingdom where he once ruled over his people.
The monkey clans were overjoyed to see him again, and they cheered and applauded and danced with glee. He waved, smiled, and introduced young Matthew to his people. The Troll and Demon Kings were also introduced to young Matthew, and they did their best to set the boy at ease, although Wukong noted the boy’s nervous expression when facing these demon kinds.
After some feasting and merriment, Wukong took Matthew to a building within the cave where three Demon Kings were playing a game of Mah Jong. Wukong stepped through a large blue door and told the boy to wait with the Demon Kings while he was gone.
‘I won’t be long, Matthew,’ Wukong said with a grin. Then he ordered the demons, ‘Look after the boy!’
***
Matthew was a little cold in this room, the place was large, and the walls glistened as if made from ice. The floor was also freezing through his boots. Utredius was cold, too. He wrapped his neck and tail around Matthew’s shin and calf. He stood watching the game of Mah Jong, the three players were an odd bunch.
One had the face of a rooster, with a third eye in the centre of its forehead. His body was humanlike, with grey skin and heavy armour. The second had the head of a lion, with two red cow horns rising from its skull, a black mane, and sharp white teeth. He was also shaped like a man, with thick muscles that shone like tar. They were the two playing the game, while the third seemed to be having a wager on who would win. He had a head shaped like a melon, with only one big yellow eyeball. His arms were like octopus tentacles, he had six in total, and they were stacking red and green betting chips in a slow rhythm.
Wukong was gone for a while, and eventually the three demons got to talking with Matthew. They asked where he was from, how old he was, and who he wanted to be when he grew up. He told them he was ‘from far away,’ and that he was ‘old enough,’ and that when he grew up, he wanted to be ‘incredibly wise.’ The three demons chuckled at his responses and invited him to sit with them.
After some time, the melon headed demon asked, ‘What magic you know, boy?’
‘I know a little,’ Matthew replied honestly. ‘I have some skill with Earth-Magic and Air-Magic, but I know a little Fire, too.’ In truth he had been getting extra tutoring on the three forms of magic from Wukong these last few days of travel, but he was a quick learner.
‘Can you levitate and form a Shield-Spell at the same time?’ the lion headed one asked.
‘I can try,’ Matthew said.
‘Let’s make a small wager then,’ said the melon headed demon. ‘I’ll bet you all that you carry, that you cannot withstand a beating from two of us, using Stone-Fist-Magic, for more than five minutes. What do you say?’
‘What do I get from you if I win?’ Matthew asked with suspicion. He guessed their game was to demand ownership of Utredius, as technically he was something Matthew was carrying.
At this point, the melon headed demon pulled forth a leather sack, and he held it open to show a sparkle of many precious jewels inside.
‘That is all I am carrying,’ said the melon headed demon. Then he slapped the lion headed demon on the shoulder, at which point the lion demon opened a chest that contained six bars of solid gold.
Matthew looked to the rooster demon and asked, ‘What’ve you got to offer?’
The rooster demon held up his arms with palms out flat and gave a few clucks. Matthew guessed he did not want to risk whatever he held.
‘Suit yourself,’ Matthew said. ‘I’m in.’
‘Splendid,’ said the octopus demon. ‘Do you need time to prepare?’
‘How long will Wukong be away?’ Matthew asked with a frown.
‘He should be back soon,’ said the lion demon with a wide toothed grin. ‘He is meeting with an old friend.’
‘Oh, yes!’ said Matthew. ‘He said we were going to meet with his greatest competitor and greatest ally.’
‘That is not Old Bajie, that’s for sure!’ boomed the lion demon. ‘I know who he meant. You will have a long way to travel before you meet him.’
‘Let’s begin then,’ said the octopus demon.
And so, Matthew lay down on a mat made of straw, and began to siphon Air-Magic from his surroundings, to levitate his form a few feet off the ground. He then surrounded his body in thick layers of Earth-Magic resourced from the stone walls of the cave. You could not see these layers of magic, but they were strong! Strong enough to hold off against two of these demons he was pretty certain.
‘You glow, boy!’ the lion demon exclaimed. ‘I fear we made a wrong bet.’
The rooster clucked at this. The octopus demon wore a determined expression.
‘Five minutes,’ said the octopus demon, and he tipped a sand timer upside down as the sand began to pour from the top into the bottom timer.
‘I’m ready!’ Matthew said.
At this point, the two demons began to pummel his Shield-Spell with large heavy fists. Within the first minute, they were pounding with such speed and strength, that their fists began to transform in shape and size. They became large stone wedges that sent shudders through Matthew’s Shield-Magic, and Matthew drew from their magic to reinforce his own. This was something Eldarus had taught him at a young age. And the two demons did not look pleased when they realised that he knew how.
To do this you needed to first draw magic from your Chalice, also commonly referred to as your Grail-Reserve. This was the magic capacity of the wielder, which was weaker or stronger depending on the abilities of each wielder. The Grail-Reserve was said to be stored in the heart, or the soul, so it began with a bright glowing energy expanding from the chest. Magic was first summoned using techniques such as the kinning-source, also known as the kindling, named after setting a match to wood to start a flame. The ability to wield High-Magic must first be ignited.
Secondly, one had to draw from the magic of their opponent by creating a Siphon, also known as a Funnel. Funnels were teeny tiny circles that existed everywhere, so small they could not be seen. By opening and enlarging these circles in the environment, such as around the fists of the demons, a series of Funnels could be used to Siphon the energies or magics of the other wielders.
By the middle of the second minute, their fists began to flare with white heat upon impact, threatening to force cracks through Matthew’s Earth-Shield. They were using the same technique to draw from Matthew’s increase in magic, and it resulted in their stone fists burning white hot. This was a contest in which both sides sought to drain the Chalice of their opponent, until their magic reserves were depleted, resulting in a victory.
By the third minute those wedge fists were blasting the shield with blazes of Fire-Spells. This caused the temperature to increase within Matthew’s enclosed protected space, but he drew from the icy walls of the cave to reduce the effect, which produced a cool flow of Air-Magic throughout his Shield-Spell. This was achieved by first forming a Meld with the icy elements of the stone walls, by first drawing from his Chalice and using a series of Funnels connected to the cave stone, that were then opened as a linked circle within the space of his shield. These were again enlarged circles, also known as Rings, that were multiples of the same source using the Magic of Division. This allowed a series of cool jets of air to fill the chamber. The Siphon effect of both forms of magic also added strength and fuel to his Chalice. This was most displeasing to the two demons.
At the fourth minute Matthew noted that Wukong had returned and was watching with a fierce expression. He was arguing with the demons asking, ‘What is the meaning of this?’
‘We have a wager!’ shouted the octopus-demon, who was now hammering at the shield with all six tentacles. Flames were washing over Matthew’s vision, but he heard Wukong ask, ‘How much did he bet?’
‘Everything he is carrying!’ roared the lion-demon.
‘He is carrying five-hundred gold dragon-marks,’ Wukong replied. ‘You will owe equal in value.’
‘That’s Farimus’s gold!’ Matthew shouted.
‘It is yours for now, Matthew,’ Wukong said with a subtle wave. ‘Stay strong.’
It was then that Matthew was certain he could feel part of the dragon’s magic filtering to his spirit. It was making him stronger. Much stronger. But it should have been five minutes already.
‘How much time left?’ Matthew asked.
‘Two minutes!’ shouted the sweaty faced octopus-demon.
‘It has been over four minutes already!’ Matthew insisted.
It was then that Wukong had another look at the sand timer. He grunted, then shouted at the octopus-demon, ‘You’re up to your old tricks, again! I see the sand is going both ways.’ Then he shouted, ‘Time’s up! The boy wins.’
The two demons fell back on their hides with gasps and groans. ‘You helped him!’ shouted the lion-demon. ‘I sensed it acutely.’
‘I did not,’ Wukong said. ‘It was Utredius.’
The demons looked at the dragon then slapped the sides of their faces as the octopus-demon said, ‘Of course. How foolish not to know the dragon would fuel his magic.’
‘You tried to cheat him!’ Wukong bellowed, as Matthew was lowering his form onto the mat. ‘You will pay double. We take the jewels and gold for now, but I will return to collect the rest.’ The demons moaned and wailed.
‘Matthew won fair and square,’ Wukong said. ‘I might have helped a little. But it serves you both right for gambling with small boys. You will pay up!’
***
When Wukong and Matthew left the Water-Curtain Cave the next day, they brought his old friend Zhu Bajie along for the journey. Wukong felt it would be good to have some backup in case that Jinn-Magician appeared again. Bajie travelled behind them on Wukong’s cloud for the next morning, trailing behind on a smaller cloud of his own that was towed by the one in front. Bajie was in human form when he met the boy, looking of the Chin race of peoples with tan skin and tilted eyes. He was round bellied, in a glorious robe of many bright reds and yellows over green and blue. Large dark orbs like polished stones that were filled with amusement whenever he looked upon young Matthew.
By early afternoon, Matthew was feeling sick again. They returned to solid ground and allowed the boy to heave up his stomach a few times. Then Wukong decided they would have to walk for the rest of the day at least. It was costing more travel time, and he did not like it, but he needed the boy to stay fit and healthy, mentally, physically, and most importantly also spiritually.
The day of walking was hot, humid, and bothersome. There were marsh flies bothering them for a while, and there were also mosquitoes and gnats as there were wide marshlands nearby.
Wukong had magic abilities to guard against such pests, but he thought the boy should learn to create his own spells to deflect such nuisances. Mostly he just complained.
That evening, they made camp before dusk, and Wukong prepared a fire where Matthew sat and ate a bowlful of steamed rice with Bajie, who ate four bowlfuls. It was after nightfall when Wukong sat some distance from the fire, keeping watch and pretending not to eavesdrop on the conversation between Bajie and the boy.
‘You two have a lot in common,’ Bajie said in a gleeful tone.
‘Like, how?’ asked Matthew.
‘Oh, in lots of ways. You are connected to the dragon for example,’ Bajie noted.
‘I guess so.’
‘So is he!’ Bajie hissed, already having had more than a little rice wine from his Unfillable Travel Satchel. It looked more like a plain brown leather sack really, bulging enough to be carrying a whole wild boar. Wukong wondered what he was keeping hidden in there.
‘He’s connected to Utredius, too?’ Matthew asked in disbelief.
‘In more ways than I can explain, right now,’ Bajie confirmed. ‘It is a matter of the True Nature of High Magic. The Dragon brings back Magic of the Old Ways to our reality. Wukong is also incredibly old, and High Magic flows through his every fibre and essence.’
‘What does it all mean?’ Matthew asked.
‘Time will tell,’ Bajie replied with a chuckle. ‘I cannot say for certain.’
They ate a while longer before Matthew asked, ‘How long have you known him?’
‘Who, Wukong?’ Bajie asked with eyes bulging, spied from the corner of Wukong’s vision. ‘Well, we have been friends for ages.’
‘How did you first meet?’
‘That was long ago.’ He smiled. Bright white teeth like that of a horse. ‘We used to work together. He misbehaved, I failed to control him, and eventually we were both punished for it.’
‘Did you both get into a lot of trouble?’ Matthew asked.
‘In a way,’ he replied. ‘But we became better friends some time after that. It was so long ago I forget a lot of the details. But I will tell you about it another night. For now, it is time you went to bed. Eh, Wukong?’ Bajie gazed upon Wukong knowing he was listening in. Wukong grunted, and man and boy climbed into their sleeping blankets and closed their eyes.
***
When Bajie and Matthew were settled down to sleep, Wukong thought back to those early days when he encountered Bajie on the setting out of his journey to the west. His master, Tripitaka, and Wukong, had arrived at a small farm on the first few weeks of their journey. The farm owner explained that a horrible pig demon had stolen away their daughter, and that the pig spirit kept their daughter locked away in the barn, day, and night.
Wukong insisted he would investigate, though the pig spirit often spent time away from the farm, and this was the case when Wukong and his master first arrived. So, Tripitaka asked Wukong to relate the tale of his legendary war against heaven, to pass the time while they waited for the pig spirit to return.
***
I was a stone Monkey when I was birthed, the light from my eyes caught the attention of the gods. I soon became king of the other apes, and my people set up home in a mountain palace, on the other side of a great waterfall that is the entrance to the Water-Curtain Cave. After some time, I began to fear for my mortality, and sought out a teacher to make me an immortal.
I soon met my teacher, who gifted me with the secret to immortality. First my teacher named me Sun Wukong, as well as teaching me to change my form into almost anything. He also taught me to leap across the world flipping and somersaulting on the tops of clouds.
Eventually, I upset my immortal teacher, by showing off my magic abilities to the other students, and I was banished, and so I returned to my mountain kingdom.
I returned to learn that the younger monkeys were stolen by the Demon of Havoc. I set out to face the demon, I fought him, and defeated him. I rescued the young monkeys and returned them to their cave by magic.
Tripitaka listened intently so far, though he seemed troubled. When Wukong asked about this, his master replied that it is troubling to learn that Wukong has killed, though he congratulated him on rescuing his fellow monkeys, and praised his bravery. He cautioned Wukong that he must not destroy the pig spirit. Wukong concedes and continues his tale.
After a time, I sought to build my forces, and so I recruited mountain cats, lions, tigers, and other creatures to serve in my armies, and raided a fortress to gain weapons for my monkey warriors.
I later visited the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea and demanded that the dragon provide me with a weapon and armour. The dragon offered a chunk of heavenly metal, that is too heavy for anyone to lift, though I was able to manipulate the metal to make a cudgel of any size I saw fit.
I then demanded armour from the dragon, and the dragon requested his brother dragons to join them and provide a suitable armour. The dragons then conspired to report me to Heaven.
After a banquet with my fellow monkeys, I was taken in sleep to the Realm of the Dead.
I met the Ten Judges of the Emperor of Death, where I made a little trouble, attacking the judges, and I scratched out my name, and the names of many of my fellow monkeys from the Book of the Dead.
Tripitaka still listened intently, though this time Wukong noticed his master was very troubled. When Wukong asked of this, Tripitaka explained that his own father was sent to the Realm of the Dead before Tripitaka was even born, and that he spent many years in service to a water dragon, before he was rescued from death and freed from his curse.
Tripitaka offered deep sympathy to Wukong for his ordeal, though again cautioned him to control his temper. He was greatly concerned for the trouble Wukong had caused the Ten Judges of the King of Death. Though his master Tripitaka laughed and congratulated Wukong for scribbling out his own name and the names of his friends from the book of death.
I visited heaven, after being summoned by the gods to an official meeting. The gods attempted to give me an official role to soothe my temper over the incident with the Ten Judges of Death. I was made a stable boy of heaven. I then learnt that the stableboy occupation I was given, is lowly, and I was outraged!
Again, the gods sought to appease my temper, and offered me the role of minding the sacred peach trees of heaven. I was then placed in charge of the peach orchards. I ate many of the sacred peaches, which fortified my body to make me almost invincible. I also stole precious heavenly elixirs that increased my physical strength.
When I was captured and punished, the gods could not wound me no matter what weapon or technique they attempted.
Eventually they tried to cook me in a pot, after this my eyes were burning red. This punishment angered me so much that I raged in the heavens, causing havoc.
I battled with many warriors of heaven, wielding my cudgel, and dividing my form to become many identical versions of myself that beat those heavenly folks into submission.
Eventually I fought my way out of heaven and rode my magic flying cloud back to my mountain cave where my monkey army remained.
I then summoned all of my servants, Demon Kings, the birds, and beasts of the wilds, along with my monkey subjects, and we prepared to face the forces of heaven in a great battle.
Tripitaka had listened very closely, and tears began to fall from his eyes. When Wukong asked what troubled him, Tripitaka was enraged. He screamed at Wukong, calling him ‘senseless, wild and wicked!’ Tripitaka now knew the truth of the legend of the monkey that caused havoc in the heavens. Tripitaka told Wukong that it is his own fault that he was punished so severely.
It was now dark, and the pig spirit should have been arriving soon, so I prepared myself, after telling my master that he obviously does not understand the pain I have experienced. The outrage I felt to find myself in the Realm of the Dead.
Tripitaka appealed to Wukong to take stock from his punishment and accept that what he did was wrong. Tripitaka insisted that it is not right to attack and hurt and kill.
I was enraged as I pointed out that this is exactly what my master is condoning to deal with this pig demon.
Tripitaka argued against this notion. Stating that I was to subdue the pig spirit, by force if necessary, but not to seek to seriously wound or fatally injure the creature. Tripitaka insisted that I was now a part of a sacred pilgrimage, a disciple of the faith, and that I must learn to control my aggression and seek the path of inner peace.
Tripitaka argued that only through contemplation of my wrong doings, can I hope for and gain forgiveness from the heavens.
I stormed out of there. Making my way to the outside barn where I awaited the Demon Pig.
I made my way inside the barn where the pig spirit had imprisoned the farmer’s daughter. I rescued her from the barn earlier in the day. I sat remembering her story that the pig spirit had not been unkind to her, and so I learnt that although the woman was terrified of the spirit, who was in fact her husband who had married her before he changed form, she did not feel that he had been brutish or forceful with her. I contemplated this while brooding on my argument with Tripitaka.
As the hours passed by, I reflected on my master’s words, and as I sat in a changed mood, it appeared that a ray of light suddenly surrounded me, like moonlight falling through a hole in the barn roof. This signified to me the path to inner peace truly awakening.
I began to cry.
***
As Wukong sat deep in thought on those memories, he felt emotions stir, having looked back on those early days of his journey with his master. The pressure in his chest was like a dam waiting to burst, and he gave a sniff as a single tear fell from one eye. He wiped it clear before Bajie rolled over and gazed upon him with one lazy eye opening.
‘Go back to sleep,’ Wukong said at a near whisper. Bajie chuckled and scratched his belly, though soon he was sleeping soundly once more, his even breathing broken by the occasional grunt-like snore.