A Son Of Two Dad's

Still no further

It was more reliving than he could put into words when it worked and he carefully but quickly raced over the volcanic ring in shadow form, feeling uncomfortable as he went over the small bit of water afterward that separated the island from the ring of solidified lava.

He pulled out of the shadows and stumbled back onto his feet as soon as he made contact with the land, standing on the beach as he took deep breaths and tried not to think about how anxiety he hadn't even noticed had lessoned now he was here, the release of weight leaving him breathless and light even with how tired and unnaturally dizzy that small trip had made him. 

He looked up at the mountain in front of him with determined eyes and with a stern expression that didn't really suit him he began walking up the mountain, his energy too zapped and tired for him to want to use the shadows to do it quicker. 

When he made it to the top he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands shaking with nerves as he came face to face with the waterfall that concealed the Monkey King's home, that only the Monkey King (and him) could pass. 

He took a deep breath as he approached it, jumping across the stones poking out of the water with unsteady footing and wished silently that he was in his normal form so that he had his tail around to help him balance. 

And if that didn't bring up a bunch of thoughts about who he was and how he was going to tell Monkey King by itself, filling his nerves with more panic and worry. 

He stepped forwards, pressing a hand closer to the sheet of water that ran down, and noticed that his fingers were trembling. He pulled them back, taking a deep breath before touching it. There was no resistance and his hand went through the water, immediately getting wet as he stumbled in surprise, tipping forwards and falling straight into the waterfall in one movement. 

He yelped as he landed on rock on his hands and knees, his legs getting sprayed with the water behind him until he pulled himself up, heart pounding in his chest as he shuffled away from the opening and deeper into the cave. 

The fact that there was anything here at all was promising but as he looked around it was obvious that this was not like it was before. There was no mural on the wall and he ran further on desperately, chest aching as he struggled to race forwards towards the light. 

He came to the opening of the cave, the place where it opened up, the place where that little wooden house stood. 

It was empty. 

Everything was the same, the areas of grass, how big it was, and where the walls of the cave were but the area where that little house MK knew was there was not. Leaving nothing but a gap. 

His breath caught in his throat and his breathing picked up, coming out in harsh rasps as his chest complained in a tight squeeze that felt him feeling like he couldn't draw any air in.

there was just... nothing. 

Everything was the same only it was like Monkey King had never existed. 

Tears stung at his eyes and he dropped to his knees, staring out mournfully like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Like he couldn't take it. 

What if... what if Pigsy was right? What if MK had hit his head this morning really hard and somehow thought that the dream he'd had was real. 

He shook his head, tears flowing down his face as the feeling welled up inside him, filling him to the brim painfully until he let out a sharp cry, his voice echoing lonely across the cavern walls in anguish. 

That couldn't have all been fake, could it? The staff, Monkey King training with him, getting to know him, fighting Macaque, saving him from her. That couldn't have all been a lie, could it? The answer was staring at him in the face and he lowered his eyes from the empty space, wishing he would make up from this nightmare.