“ M-Master ….” the Monkey stuttered as he tried to comprehend what was happening before him . Tears warmed his eyes . “ B-But- ”
“ Guan Yin reincarnated me .” His warm black eyes looked straight into Wukong ’ s teary golden ones . “ And can I say I really am glad to see you again .”
“… I-I ’ m not worthy to be your apprentice ….” Wukong ’ s voice started to shake heavily as memories flashed before his eyes . “ I-I killed so m-many k-kids ... thousands …. b-buddhists d-don ’ t kill , y-you told me that right ? w-well , guess what , I ’ ve b-broken that now , like I always do- ”
The monk embraced the monkey as he started breaking down in tears . “ T-These kids d-died for nothing …. t-they were innocent a-and ... o-oh , their faces …” “ Shh , shh , Wukong- ”
“ Pigsy and Sandy left b-because o-of that …. I-I wanted to s-set everyone free ... b-but that ’ s no excuse for killing , r-right ..?”
“ Wukong … hey ..”
“ a-and , every d-day , i drank s-so much …. T-The Jade Emperor ... H-he worried a-about m-me …. I f- failed him ... I failed everyone ... and y-you ... I ’ m sorry ... I ’ m so sorry .. I ’ m so sorry- ”
“ H-hey , Wukong , look at me .” Xuan Zang held the monkey being ’ s cheeks and forced him to look up at him .
“ I told you to obey the rules on our journey because killing was optional .” He said , in a gentle but firm voice as he wiped the monkey ’ s tears with his thumb . “ But here , those demons made it the only choice to kill children to break the seal . By killing me , the demon child forced you to kill him-It was never your fault . I knew that from the start . And from then on , you wanted to free them , did you not ? You didn ’ t kill thousands of children for your own gain-you did it for everyone . I ’ m sure they all commemorate your achievements , not count your losses .” His smile faded . “ But , bottling all your feelings and grief and acting like you ’ re alright isn ’ t the way to go . You don ’ t have to face anything alone-your citizens , the Heavenly kingdom , Pigsy and Wujing , and I , we ’ ll always be here for you .” He smiled again . as Wukong tried to speak . “ And Pigsy and Wujing will forgive you . They ’ ll understand what you ’ re going through .”
For what felt like the first time in forever , a true smile appeared on Sun Wukong ’ s face . “ Thank you ... Master ..” The monkey could only say as he hugged back . “ thank you ... thank you …”
“ You don ’ t have to thank me , Monkey , because you deserve this .” He pulled back slightly . “... I will break the seal now .” Xuan Zang replied with a touch of regret . “ But we ’ ll see each other again soon , where we belong . And always remember this , Monkey-You ’ ll get through whatever perils thrown at you . You are the Great Sage Equal to Heaven , after all .” Wukong chuckled at that .
“ Yeah .” Wukong felt his master fading as he wiped stray tears from his eye . “ See you soon .”