Taken || Lego Monkei Kid

Old Promises

WARNING: Before reading this chapter, this chapter does cover themes of both depression and suicidal thoughts.

The situation took a drastic downturn when Xiaotian reached the age of 17. Silence hung in the air, whispering untold secrets. A tangible tension filled their day-to-day, and though not a word was uttered, he could sense his parents' unease. Something gnawed at them, a hidden worry veiled behind their guarded expressions.

What could it be?

Was something going on out there in the world? He had no means of knowing. There wasn't exactly service all the way out here.

The mystery hung in the air, leaving Xiaotian eager for answers that were cloaked in the silence. He was forced to wait, unable to even voice his thoughts to his best friend.

Getting a hold of Red Son became an increasingly daunting task. Every time he dialed, a cacophony of background noise drowned out his friend's voice, making it hard to catch a single word. Garbled messes of sentences and ear-piercing screeches of metal.

Red Son had officially established his printing press, producing dozens of machines a day.

Xiaotian didn't mind pushing his own curiosities to the side if it meant he could hear Red Son giggling like some child with a new toy. He was printing out warriors like freshly baked cookies- all eagerly jumping into the ranks of Bull King's army.

The power of their forces was rapidly increasing beyond anything any other realm seemed capable of at the moment.

Xiaotian knew he could do it. There wasn't even a sliver of doubt in his mind. Plus, more than anything, that two-year marker was drawing to a close. All Xiaotian wanted was to see Red again. Even just a glimpse, if that was all he was allowed. He would settle even just holding his hands near Red Son's hair like one would a campfire to help warm this bitterness he felt in his soul.

Things at home... Weren't good.

His parents, ever shielding him from what they deemed unnecessary information, decided to act like everything was peachy. Sure, they both were leaving the mountain more and more, sometimes both at the same time, but yeah... Nothing's wrong.

His Uncles could never visit or give a reason why they couldn't, but nothing was wrong.

His Baba once came home with a broken leg- Something about a training accident gone wrong. Nothing. Was. Wrong.

Xiaotian hadn't realized that his parents could be harmed. It was a surprising realization that made his knees feel weak. They always seemed so out of reach to things like illness and injury.

While his life was consumed by such a thing, they appeared immune to such a vulnerability.

"It's alright, Baby," Macaque gently caressed his cheek as Xiaotian hurried over to the couch where he lay sprawled. Xiaotian meticulously examined his father's physique, his tail fluffed up with concern. Babbling question after question, he was soothed with his Baba's lips to his forehead. "I'm fine."

Wukong was already in the midst of preparing the tea that they typically saved exclusively for Xiaotian. Xiaotian could only surmise two reasons they would need to use the tea at all; either his Baba's injury was so extensive that it required such strong care, or his parents could not afford the time to let it heal naturally.

As immortals, they recovered fairly quickly compared to mortals. So what concerned them so much that they needed it fixed within an hour's notice?

Both assured him that it was an accident and nothing was wrong. Was it, though?