Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 197

I finally had the chance to take a good look at my comrades. WuKong was untouched, but Bajie and SaTsang
were hanging by a thread. They whimpered incoherently. WuKong was looking at them too, unflinching. His
eyes filled with tears, but his gaze was vacant and traumatised, like he was reliving a painful memory. WuKong
dropped everything and rushed to SaTsang. At that moment, SaTsang was his little sister all over again, dying
and begging for help. I gathered all my strength and went to their side. Once again, WuKong was faced with
the same dilemma. His hand laid over SaTsang’s throbbing wound gently, fingertips itching with magic. He
shakily withdrew his hand only to place it back onto SaTsang’s flesh again. The sparks of magic crackled at
his finger tips. I knew he wanted to heal him. He knew he could have done it - to end all the pain. He
debated against it once again. Instead, he squatted down and tended their wounds silently. A thin layer of glass
formed over his eyes, barely holding back the flood of tears. His lips trembled as he looked up at me - almost
in regret and guilt.
“Come on! WuKong! Heal him! What are you waiting for?” I shrieked. A pretentious voice, one that even I
didn’t recognize. BaJie looked at him, pain overflowing his eyes. WuKong’s eyes widened, his mouth agape,
searching for the answer that never came. I knew he felt betrayed. No one but I knew about his power, and I
chose to reveal it now.
“Is this real?” he asked.
Silence.
WuKong looked down at his hand. “Is this real?” BaJie repeated. “You’re not denying.” He shook his head in
disbelief. “Then why didn’t you heal us before?” He looked up the sky, laughing sarcastically. “God, I’m such
a fool to think that you were our friend!”
I was getting stronger as they argued. The voices inside my head laughed, though it sounded more like the
cries of a wicked creature. “Good, good. Keep going.” I hissed at them. They shifted their attention to me.
“Oh, no, don’t mind me. Keep arguing.” My voice barely resembled what I used to sound like. Instead, it
sounded like the voices inside my head - strident. Inside, I was terrified. The monster inside of me had
gotten so strong that it had unleashed itself from our tether and completely overpowered me.
Ferocious pain ripped through my body. My muscles tore as my bones elongated. My fur shed in handful,
replaced by scales. My canine teeth fell, and rows of tiny razor blades poked out of the roof of my mouth. My
spine merged to allow new wings to break through my thick skin. The pain was greater than anything I’ve
experience, but in a twisted sense, it felt comforting knowing that this transformation would bring me to
ultimate success. I finally have the chance to win - to possess my rightful scroll.
My thoughts jumbled. Words slurred. I could no longer think logically. My thoughts were in animalistic
growls and roars. Below my enormous body, WuKong and BaJie cowered in dread.
“Have you two hug and made up? You better, or you won’t stand a chance against me!” I said, though my
voice didn’t sound human at all. It was the sound of an erupting volcano, a devastating storm - the sound of
nightmares.
WuKong and BaJie looked frail. I liked the sensation of power vibrating through my new body - the devil in
me was unleashed. The turmoil surrounding me fed me. The darkness devour every ray of light, and I felt
dissociated from myself. I was watching myself in a far away cage, unable to reach out, to shake myself out of
this craze. Voices were muffled, but I was seeing crystal clear.
I waited for that glorious sensation of feeding on their fear. And I waited, but it never came. I growled
impatiently. WuKong gathered all his strength and stood on his trembling legs, followed by BaJie. “What is
this? Stop it!” This insignificant act made me felt as if my life was being sucked from my body. “I said, stop
this madness!”