Power.
Its my hunger. My thirst. My passion. My secret. My fire. My life.
Everyone is addicted to something. Money. Drugs. Gambling. Fame. But there are a few who are addicted to the most corruptful, rare, and intoxicating substance in the universe.
Power.
Power over citizens and militaries. Power over companies and jobs. Power to choose whether someone lives or dies.
But this is not the power I seek.
I never wanted it. It fell into my lap. I was content, walking around as a rookie in my village and carrying out a normal, dreary life.
And then SHE came along. A human girl, lost in the digital world in search of a partner and an adventure. I just wanted to help her out, give her some provisions and send her on her way. She'd find her partner eventually.
As luck would have it, I turned out to be her match. Partnership was the last thing I expected. But over the years we have formed a bond, a friendship, almost an intimacy together that few can match. We have fought for what we believe in, what is right, and what we needed. Many enemies have fallen to us, few of which lacked power. We were unstoppable.
But, as time wears on, I've become trapped. The closer we become, the more I need to protect her. As a Renamon, I was bound by honor to guard her, as her friend to keep her safe, as someone who wished she would see him as more than a partner, to care for and protect her.
However, our enemies grow more powerful by the day, by the hour, by the bleeding second. I love her, and will do anything to protect my Sarah from harm. Anything.
She was peacefully slumbering as I quietly slipped away from her grasp and stood from the bed without disturbing her. It was so tempting, to lay back down into her arms, sleeping in peace until dawn. But I couldn't. I slipped out of the room and into the cold night air. I took a deep breath.
In. Out.
She didn't know about this. Every time we fought an enemy magnitudes more powerful than us, we always found the strength to win. What she didn't know was where the power came from.
Yes, our bond was one of the strongest imaginable. We drew great power and strength from it. But could you live with yourself if the love of your life died because you weren't strong enough? A fight or argument between us could leave her defenseless, and I wouldn't have even a slight chance of winning. And so I do what I need to do.
I crossed my arms across my chest, knuckles pressed tightly up against my shoulders. I began to build power, energy setting me aglow a deep purple. Bits of data, like pinpoints of light, began to swirl around me. Then, like a beast breaking from a cage, I spread my arms out in one vigorous motion, shattering the energy field that had formed around me, and in a flash and a rush of wind I was gone, not a trace to be found.
I trained vigorously when I was not with her, putting myself through routines few would dare attempt without breaking down or dying. When I was with her we sparred, exercised, ate healthy and meditated. But even still, it wasn't enough.
I reappeared on the far side of the digital world, in an area infested with darkness. Dark digimon roamed here, mindlessly deleting any they could find to become stronger, whether or not they knew better.
One such digimon was ambling through the clearing I was in, oblivious to me. He was a rouge leomon, covered in black cogs, dark rings and spirals, and various tattoos covering his body. A loose set of jeans hung from his waist, held up by a black belt with a small metal skull as a buckle. Even his fur was a few tints darker than normal, betraying how deeply the darkness had sunk into him.
He finally spotted me, sizing me up. A rookie? No trace of darkness? Way out here in void territory? Alone? An evil grin spread across his maw. Easy pickings.
He charged wildly at me, blindingly fast even with his size. Hmf. Reckless. I easily sidestepped him before he could tackle me and used the momentum to deliver a precise kick to a cog protruding from his back. The cog instantly dissolved and he stumbled forward, recovering balance.
Obviously in pain from the loss of the cog, the Leomon whirled on me in a fury, unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches fast and powerful enough to give an ultimate some difficulty. His anger and frustration grew as I effortlessly dodged or blocked whatever he threw. With a quick counter I smashed the dark spirals off his forearms, worsening his pain. He stumbled back a few feet, gripping his forearm, putting some distance between us.
I let it happen, almost bored. He gathered every ounce of strength he had, then added every ounce of energy he could muster. He focused the raw power into his palm, clenching his fingers tightly on it. He aimed his arm directly at me. I chuckled, and spread my arms wide, opening myself up for the attack.
He seemed puzzled, but didn't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity.
"FIST! OF! THE BEAST KIIIING!"
The flaming concentrated inferno hit me dead in the chest, exploding. As the flames died, the dust settled, and the crack of the blast echoed into the distance, he stood in shock.
I hadn't moved, flinched, or even so much as blinked. I let it sink in for a moment, soaking in the moment of total shock, awe, fear, and defeat of my opponent. Then I phased directly in front of him, and in an instant I had broken the dark rings on his wrists. He sank to his knees, his power lessening even more. I slowly sauntered behind his back, and began disintegrating the remaining black cogs. One. By one. By one. Until they were all nothing more than a dark haze surrounding us.
It must have been excruciating.
He lay, a crumpled mess at my feet. And he was whimpering.
"Please, show mercy, let me live."
"So what? You can strap on more dark rings and spirals? Shove black gears into your body? Prowl around looking to murder the next helpless rookie you see so you can steal his data? No. You don't deserve my mercy."
"When I hatch again, I swear I'll...!"
"You won't, I promise. I don't just defeat you for data, you see. I take everything." I began to circle him as I explained the gruesome process. "Data, digicore, energy, life force, even the leftover darkness. I take it all, straight into my program. And you, well. You'll never be heard from again."
I kneeled down next to him, hand on his shoulder, and looked him in the eye. "But, thanks to me, your life means something! You will help me fight for the weak, defend those who can't fight for themselves, and brave the evil that threatens this world. This, this is true honor."
With that, I thrust my hand straight into his chest, gripping the core laid deep inside. I absorbed the entirety of it, feeding its raw components into my muscles, drawing its energy into my own core. I absorbed the data, drinking it in. Dark data from the cogs and spirals, leftover data from the remnants of the leomon, and the raw data of whatever may have been within my range, all of it flowing through me, charging me, strengthening me.
I always made sure that I had the power to protect her. No matter the cost. And because of that need, it had created and fueled my obsession and craving for power. Even now the darkness is trying to corrupt my system, but I needed whatever power I could get. I'd deal with raw evil itself for her.
I charged up and teleported back home, filthy deed done. I snuck silently back inside and tucked myself under the covers. She instinctively wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close, and I returned the embrace and drifted off.
I'd do anything for Sarah. She'd do anything for me. But, for us to survive, I needed, wanted, craved,
Power.