"Beneath the Stone Sky"[Part 42] Wukong's Path - An Infinity Kingdom Story

🔷 Introduction

Welcome to part 42 of my Wukong series. We are following three famous fire immortals and their ally Wukong, who is currently training in the arts of fire. They have had a challenging journey as of late, and their adventure is constantly changing with new challenges just beyond the horizon. 

📄 Recap of Part 41:  "Bound in the Mountain"

Our fire heroes wandered into the mountains only to be ambushed and captured by enhanced trolls, led by a powerful shaman who drains their life force to awaken a growing army. As they lie bound in a chamber, they realize too late that their strength is being turned against everything they swore to protect.

🔷 Part 42: "Beneath the Stone Sky"

The cave pulsed with an eerie rhythm, like the slow heartbeat of a dying world. Each thrum from the glowing runes made Wukong’s limbs heavier, his thoughts slower. The shaman paced the perimeter like a vulture, his staff humming with stolen energy.

Seondeok’s fingers twitched where they were bound. Her vision blurred and swam, but deep within her chest, something still burned—a flicker, faint but steady. She turned her head slightly, catching Wu’s gaze. He looked barely conscious, slumped in his restraints. But his fingers tapped twice against the stone. A signal.

Still here. Still thinking.

She exhaled shakily. “He’s feeding off us,” she whispered. “But only because we’re still linked to our power. What if we let go?”

Wukong stirred. “You want to just... give it up?”

“No. Not give. Bury. Hide it. Break the connection. Like severing a rope someone’s pulling.”

The shaman’s staff flared as if it had heard her. He turned, eyes narrowing. “You whisper defiance?” he croaked. “You will fade before you rebel.”

But the seed had been planted.

Seondeok closed her eyes and reached inward, finding the wellspring of her power—seething, bright, and entangled. The shaman’s drain was like a vine wrapped around it, leeching it slowly. With a sharp breath, she visualized a seal over that flame. A cold wall. A vacuum. Her magic dulled. The pain dulled.

The rune beneath her dimmed.

It worked.

One by one, the others followed suit. Wukong pictured his staff as inert wood, nothing more. Hippolyta imagined her strength locked behind a sealed gate. Wu, ever precise, unspooled his qi into silence. The runes flickered. The cave shuddered.

The shaman stumbled, his staff’s glow sputtering. “What have you…”

Seondeok surged forward, snapping her bonds. Not with magic was her power gone—but with raw clarity. The rune holding her had faded enough. Stone cracked. She hit the ground hard but didn’t pause. She grabbed Wukong’s binding and shouted, “NOW!”

He twisted, using momentum to yank himself free, then spun and shattered Wu’s bonds with a burst of sudden speed. Hippolyta tore hers apart with a growl, blood running from her wrists.

The shaman roared, raising his staff. The dormant trolls stirred in their alcoves, twitching toward life.

“Break the runes!” Wu shouted, his voice ragged. “Disrupt the siphon!”

Wukong smashed a rune stone with his elbow. It cracked like brittle ice. Wu darted between pillars, driving a dagger into the base of each, disrupting their delicate carvings. Hippolyta struck the central conduit with the pommel of her blade, shattering the core of the siphon spell.

The magical drain shattered like glass. A surge of raw energy burst from the ground and vanished.

Their power was still sealed away. The shaman's grasp had broken, but so had their strength.

“We need to go,” Seondeok said, breathless. “We’re not ready for this fight. Not like this.”

Wukong nodded grimly, already helping Wu to his feet. Hippolyta grabbed a half-conscious Seondeok and slung her arm over her shoulder.

They fled through the flickering cavern as it began to collapse behind them. The shaman shrieked, flailing through the failing spellwork, too late to chase. Cracks split the floor. Massive trolls appeared in the gaps. The heroes ran swiftly past them. By the time they reached the surface, the morning sun had just broken the horizon. They collapsed beneath its light, gasping for breath, trembling from the chill that still clung to their bones.

“We live,” Wukong said, half to himself.

“Barely,” Seondeok replied, her voice thin. “But we’ve seen what’s coming. And we still have time.”

They would recover.

They would return.

And next time, they will be ready.

📄 Recap Questions

Will our heroes be able to recover in time, or are the trolls hot on their trail? 

Will letting go of their power be a temporary problem, or is it going to be something they will be able to fix quickly?

🔷 Conclusion

Wukong and his friends have gotten themselves out of a mess once again, and this one was more difficult than they could have ever imagined. They never thought their immense strength would ever be able to be used against them in this kind of manner. However, they were able to overcome another difficult situation through calm and collective thinking, which has always been their biggest strength. 

See you next week!

🔷 Hades, Press Officer.

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