Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon and never will. It's a painful fact, but I've come to accept it and so should you. The basic premise is taken from the story of the Hero Twins, Hunapu and Xbalenque (with the "X" pronounced like the English "Sh," a convention I follow in the names of some digimon in this story). The title is a play on the Six Tests of Xibalba (the Mayan underworld) from the Popol Vuh.

Chronology: Takes place two years after the defeat of Myotismon at the end of Season Two.

The Six Tests of Digibalba

Chapter 1: Dark Prognostication

Gloomy, mercurial clouds spun wildly overhead. To one side was a deserted street, to the other a grassy park, also strangely devoid of life. The quiet, raven-haired boy of thirteen walked down the sidewalk, looking around uncertainly, not entirely sure where on Earth he was and what on Earth he was doing there. The ground dissolved beneath his feet, and he fell into darkness. He found himself in a vast plain of black mud. The sky above was a dull reddish, without a sun or moon. He stood up and turned around slowly. He saw a black-brick wall with a single door. His blue eyes narrowed. This seemed...familiar. Eerily familiar.

As he started walking toward the door, the mud started bubbling and sucking. A second wall exploded from the mud. It curved inward to meet the first wall at the far ends, forming an eye-shaped enclosure.

"Who are you?" an inhumanly deep voice echoed.

"What?" the boy asked. He had heard the question clearly, but didn't understand why the voice would ask such a thing.

"WHO ARE YOU?" The voice came louder and more threatening.

"Ken Ichijouji."

"No," the voice said.

Ken's eyebrow wrinkled. "What?"

"No. You are the Digimon Emperor."

"No," Ken said slowly. "I'm Ken Ichijouji. You must have misheard me. I'm the partner of my digimon, the son of my parents, and the friend of the digidestined."

"You are wrong!" the voice sounded adamant, and eerily amused. "You are the Digimon Emperor. Partner of oppression, son of darkness, friend of hatred."

Ken shook his head. "No!" he shouted. "I am Ken Ichijouji!"

"You may have escaped for now, but we will get you back surely."

Fog as black as oblivion rose out of the mud. It swirled around itself, gaining strength and solidifying, coiled around Ken like a serpent, then started closing in.

"No!" Ken thrashed and fell out of bed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"What is it, Ken?" Wormmon inquired drowsily.

Before he could answer, the door opened and Ken's parents entered.

"Did you have a nightmare, Honey?" his mother asked.

"That sounded like a bad one," his father remarked.

It took Ken a moment to find his voice. "Yeah." He smiled sleepily. "But it's over now. I'm okay now. Thanks."

His parents murmured words of comfort and left the room. Ken climbed back into bed, and Wormmon scurried onto his stomach. They both closed their eyes. But Ken didn't go back to sleep. He didn't want to make his parents worry; he never wanted them to have to worry about him again. That was why he hadn't told them how far from okay he was. This nightmare had been different. So real.