LOVE STORY

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Chapter Twenty-Seven
Better than We
Found It
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❝Forever's a long time, bud. Trust me.❞

YOU DIDN'T KNOW how you did it, but you managed to put the scroll together and fly to Mk on your cloud. You went there as fast as you could, you didn't want to get there too late.

You could see that the Shuilian Cave was in horrible state. Parts of it were floating around, being held by mysterious chains. The seal of the cave that doesn't allow anyone in was now exposed to everyone to see it. You flew past your team and jumped on the rocks until you reached your destination. Your eyes widened, seeing Azure losing control of his powers. When the lion saw you, he growled and went to attack you with his claws, but you stopped him.

"Azure, just... stop, okay? You've won. You're going to destroy us, just like you wanted. Us and the entire universe." You told him which made him look at you as if you had said something ridiculous. However, he quickly shook his head, "No. This is not what I wanted. I can still fix this, it's-it's the whole reason I'm here at all!" Azure protested firmly, still insisting that what he did was right. But what he said made you realize something.

"Wait, how are you here?"

Azure stared at you as if you had two heads, "What? What kind of question is that? You know exactly how..."

"No, here and now! I put you in the Underworld myself. How'd you get out? How'd you get the scroll? I know for sure you didn't steal it... you couldn't have!"

Azure got more confused by what you said, "I... I don't know, I... I was..." He didn't know what to tell you, nothing seemed to help him remember. You scoffed, knowing that someone was using Azure for a greater plan, "Azure, who gave you that scroll? Because whoever it was, they must have known this would happen. Wanted this to happen! And they used you to do it." You pointed out to let Azure know that he was a pawn in some twisted game.

Azure stared up at the sky, seeing how everything was such a mess, "I... I just wanted to be with you and let you know how I truly felt. I just wanted to make the world a better place together." Your eyes widened upon hearing his indirect confession.

"You still can. You're the only one who can." Mk finally spoke up to encourage Azure to fix everything before the end reach. With a look of determination, Azure summoned his sword and used all his might to end the mess he created. Surely everything began to get fixed, but his body started to disintegrate, "Wait! Azure!" Mk exclaimed as he noticed what was happening to Azure.

The core of the Jade Emperor's power was becoming more visible to your eyes, confirming that Azure wasn't going to make it. After he was done with his final task, Azure Lion smiled at you one last time, "I'm sorry, Y/N. I just did this because I love you." He finally confessed that it shocked you.

"A-Azure... Y-You-..."

"I hope you would forgive me." With that being said, Azure disappeared completely. You were left hanging, still surprised that Azure genuinely loved you, but you didn't have the same feelings for him. You only love one person... only one that was destined to be your mate. You lowered your head and closed your eyes tightly to seal the tears away. Mk moved to you and hugged you tightly, hoping to soothe you even a little bit.

However, this wasn't over just yet. The core of the Jade Emperor started to become bigger and get out of control. You quickly pushed Mk behind you to protect him from the powerful force of the core, "It's getting out of control... What should I do now?" You thought while gritting your teeth. Just then, Ne Zha landed right in front of you and Mk, forming a shield with his energy, "Yeah, don't worry about it, Y/N, it's fine! I got this. Maybe... No!" When he said that, the core got even bigger than before.

"Monkey Queen, what should we do now?" Mk asked you with panic.

You held his hand tightly in assurance, "Don't worry, bud. It's going to be okay... hopefully."

You witnessed as Ne Zha struggled to control the core. You didn't know what happened, but the Shuilian Cave was placed together and Ne Zha got enough energy to shrink the core and seal it in a lotus flower. The last thing you knew was finding yourself falling down on the ground. You landed on your feet then looked up, seeing Mk laying on the ground, "Mk! You okay, bud?" You rushed to him and picked him up in your arms.

The kid opened his eyes a bit and groaned, "No... but... yeah." You smiled at his silly reply and nuzzled his hair softly. Suddenly, you felt yourself being pushed away by Pigsy, "Kid! Where are you hurt? Did you bonk your head? 'Cause if you did, we should get you to a doctor to make sure you're not concussed or have a brain-urysm or something." He stated with panic while checking on Mk.

"Don't worry, Mk! We won't let you fall asleep!" Tang shouted as he also pushed Pigsy.

"There ain't nothin' a bit of tape can't fix!" Sandy joined them, holding out a ducttape.

Mk couldn't help but laugh at his friends' silly behavior, "Guys, I'm fine. Really." He assured his friends. You smiled softly at your successor, you were glad that he was fine. However, your mind was still preoccupied with what Azure said. You couldn't help but feel guilty as if it was all your fault.

-TIME SKIP-

You all gathered elsewhere on the mountain to discuss what will happen next. Now the scroll and the Jade Emperor's power in Ne Zha's position.

"Uh, you're sure that seal will hold, right?" Tang spoke up, breaking the silence. Because there was no Jade Emperor to keep everything balanced, chaos might start anytime soon. Ne Zha sighed deeply, his eyes still looking at the seal in his hand, "No, but it will have to do. Without a Jade Emperor, I'm not certain what is to be done with his power. But for now, it will remain under my protection." He explained with a serious expression, teleporting the core to safety.

"Yeah, 'cause that's worked so well in the past." You joked, earning a glare from Ne Zha.

"As for the scroll, I will free those trapped within and return it safely to where it belongs, and hope that it does not fall into the wrong hands again."

All of you turned to Yellowtusk who was chained down, he didn't even raise his head up, "I will not condemn the noble intentions of my brotherhood. We hoped to create a better world, to protect it with all our mights. But it took me far too long to learn what... real heroes looked like." When Yellowtusk finished, Ne Zha summoned his spear and teleported with Yellowtusk to the Celestial Realm.

Your gaze shifted to Mk who was sitting on the edge of the mountain alone and went to sit beside him, "You ever wish things will just... stay like this? Like they are right now?" He asked you, giving you a hopeful smile.

"Pssh, where's the fun in that?" You replied with a question of your own as a joke.

"Uh, Monkey Queen, we need to have a serious conversation about your idea of "fun."" Tang pointed out while giving you a scolding look. Mei suddenly appeared beside you, laying on her side, "At least we fixed something for a change, instead of destroying it." She joined.

Mk smiled and nodded in agreement, "Yeah! So long as we leave the world in better shape than we found it, than it's all good, right?" He said with a shrug, making you pull him in a hug.

You were just so proud of this boy.