Chapter 2: Reforged

It was Sora who spoke first. "What is he talking about, Gennai?"

And Gennai, whom I had known for so long, in war after war after war, could say nothing. He gaped at me, his eyes wide, as purely shocked as I had ever seen him.

"How—how could you possibly know that?"

"Oikawa's barrier is not impenetrable," I said. "Not from this side, at least."

"But this," he said, "how do we—"

"Calm down," I said. "I have a plan."

"What?"

"Gather an army. Fight him."

"Oh, yes," he said sarcastically, throwing up his hands. "Brilliant. Do you have one hiding in your pocket, by chance?"

"Of course not," I said. "I plan to conquer the world first."

Gomamon looked up at Joe. "They bicker like an old married couple," he said.

"Or family," Joe said.

I cocked my head at that. "We're not related," I said.

Joe jumped. He'd thought I couldn't hear him. "Well," he said, "you sound like me and my brother when we're butting heads."

"We've known each other longer than you've been alive," I said.

"Not really," Gennai said.

"Subjectively speaking, we have," I said. "But now isn't the time to go into metaphysics."

"Meta-what?" Palmon said.

"Never mind," I said. "Gennai, I brought you here so you could confirm that I am who I say I am."

"Maybe you could try taking off that hood so you don't look like a Sith Lord."

"That's it!" Davis yelled.

"What?"

"That's what he looks like! It was on the tip of my tongue. I just couldn't remember what it was."

Again I rolled my eyes. "You begin to annoy me, Davis."

"Oh yeah? Take off that hood and say it to my face."

I nodded. "As you wish." And I reached up and lowered the hood.

Silence fell. Perhaps they had been expecting someone handsome. I would have been, had my life been otherwise. But the face they saw was about Joe's age, Caucasian, and the right half of it was covered with burn scars: relic of a battle long-past. The nerves on the right side of my face had been damaged, and I have always found it difficult to make expressions with that side of my face. My right eye was milk-white. Much of my scalp had been seared, and hair no longer grew there. On the left side of my face, a huge scar ran from my temple to my jaw. It was an old wound, and the scar tissue had long since turned white.

Mimi flinched away. "What happened to you?"

I traced the line of the scar. "A gift from a Phantomon." I pointed to the burns. "This? A legacy of the final battle with our great foe. The same one who returned to face you when you came to this world. The one I failed to destroy."

"Apocalymon," Kari said.

I nodded. "I could only defeat him for a time. He returned, and it was not my fate to face him again, though I could have beaten him."

"He would have just come back," Gennai said.

"Yes," I said, "and I would have beat him again."

"And again he would have returned."

"I know," I said. "Only he could destroy himself at the last."

I faced the rest of the Digidestined. "Do you believe that I am who I say I am? Do you believe at last?"

Biyomon stepped forward. "You still haven't told us your name."

"No," I said. "I haven't." I raised my head, squared my shoulders. "My name is Alex Mason. I am—I was—from the US, but this world is now my home. I have trodden the bare earth of the Digital World for more than five-and-a-half millennia. Of my old life, only the faintest memory remains. This is my home, my world, and I shall fight with all my power to defend it. None may stand against me."

The last words rang out like a trumpet blast. Its echoes rang across the beach, and the very clouds retreated. I stood there with my head thrown back, my eyes matching the glare of the sun without blinking.

"You are so full of yourself," Gennai said.

I smiled at that. "You know me," I said. "I love a good show."

"And yet, according to you, Dagomon is gathering an army, and you're here grandstanding."

I nodded. "Right. To business, then." I turned to face Gennai. "I hereby charge you to alert the Sovereigns to our plight. Tell them that I intend to raise my banners and gather all the armies of this world to march against our enemy. I ask for their aid. Our enemy is strong, and he will only become stronger as time goes by. We have a year, maybe two, before he will be powerful enough to breach the barriers between our worlds. We will need all our strength to face him. Tell them that for me, Gennai. Then return to me. Bring your clones. I will have need of them."

Gennai considered me for a moment. "I'll do it," he said. "But what about you? What do you intend to do first?"

My mouth twitched in a momentary smile. "I will retrieve my Digimon."

Gennai leaned back. "He was corrupted long ago."

"The corruptor is gone," I said. "He will never return. And I was weak before, but now I am strong. Strong enough, at least, to bring him back to me."

"It's your funeral."

I grinned. "I'm strong, Gennai. As strong as I've ever been since the binding. I will not fail."

"See that you don't." He looked to Izzy's computer. "Can you send me to Azulongmon?"

I shook my head. "There's somewhere I want you to stop on the way there."

"I'm sorry, but I seem to be all out of planes at the moment. Maybe you'd like to fly me there yourself?"

I sighed. "You are such an annoying old bastard."

That made Gennai grin. "I've learned a lot from you."

I rolled my eyes, then waved my hand toward an open area of beach. There was a swirl of sand, and a Mekanorimon appeared there.

Gennai raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you learn to do that?"

"A couple of centuries ago. You need to keep up with things better."

"Whatever. Is it real, or some sort of construct?"

"Yes," I said.

Now Gennai rolled his eyes. "Where is it you want me to stop?"

"Crusadermon's fortress. Tell him that I'm calling him to war. Tell him I want to see him at Megiddo."

"You're using that place as your base?"

"Plenty of flat, open land," I said. "Perfect for maneuvering large armies on." I hesitated. "After you speak to Azulongmon, go to Dome City and see if you can recruit the Guardromon there. Bring them to Hidelion and hire the Tankmon Corps."

"And what am I supposed to pay them with?"

"Tell them my name, and that I will pay in weapons-based data." I held up my hand. A white pearl coalesced in my palm. I tossed it toward Gennai, and he caught it. "Give this to their leader as a demonstration of what I can do for them. Send them all to Megiddo."

"Benjamin is nearer to Hidelion. I'll transfer the data to him and have him hire the Tankmon."

"Do it," I said. "You know how to reach me."

Gennai nodded. "I'll be back soon." He turned to the Mekanorimon.

"Wait just a minute!" Mimi shouted.

Gennai stopped and turned to her. "What?"

"Just what is going on here? We need answers!"

"In time," I said. "Go, Gennai; I'll deal with them."

"Right." He paused at the foot of the Mekanorimon. "You will not hurt them."

"No more than is necessary," I said.

"Not good enough," he said.

"I will need them," I said, "just as I will need you. I won't hurt them."

He eyed me for a moment.

"I don't kill without need," I said, "nor do I cause pain without reason. You know this."

"You did before."

"So did you," I said. "Neither of us is as innocent as we pretend."

Around us, the Digidestined exchanged looks. They could not know, could not understand the words that passed between us, words invested with so many memories that the whole telling of the tale would take days upon days, and still they would not know or understand the sufferings we faced, what we lost, how lost we became. Memory is both a curse and a blessing. For the young, a blessing; to remember bright days under a happy sun, the singing of birds on the wind, the laughter of friends and family, and the high call of youth to the world's delights. And for the old, a curse: to look back on the days that came before and remember with sorrow a time when you were happy.

I am going to break these children. Tear them down and build them up again, stronger than before. They will know what it means to lose, to fail in all that you hope to achieve. For I knew, as I know now, that this would not be a war like anything they, or even I, had faced before. The Digital World was mine, and I could feel, as only I and the Sovereigns could, the will of the Dark Ocean's master as it stirred up chaos. There were great powers in the world, forces that the Digidestined knew nothing of. Some of them would ally with Dagomon, seeing in his victory the chance for greater power for themselves. There were others, too, others who desired nothing but destruction for the world. Dagomon would be a powerful ally to them. No, this was not just about gathering armies to face Dagomon. There would be wars between Digimon, and only I could lead such armies, wielding as I do the powers of both Digimon and Digidestined as well as the powers of Gennai's kind, the Agents. Five of the Agents, to be precise.

As to why I wield such powers, the hour for that telling has not yet come. Patience is a virtue.

Gennai was silent for a moment, and he turned his face downward, but he did not see the sand. He was lost in memory, in reflection, as I had been. Only a moment, and then he looked up at me and nodded. "Be careful," he said.

"And you, too," I said.

Gennai sighed, then looked to the Digidestined. "I trust him, to an extent. He is who he says he is, and what he told you about himself is true. Be wary of him. He won't hesitate to sacrifice you if he feels it necessary." He paused. "But he'll also sacrifice himself if he thinks he needs to. He'll do everything in his power to save this world. If you can trust anything about him, trust that."

"Gennai, you're just digging a deeper hole for me to climb out of. Go, now."

Gennai turned back to me. "As my lord wishes." He saluted (badly) to me, and climbed up the Mekanorimon. After a moment, its jet ignited, and we all had to turn away as it kicked up plumes of sand. I had created it a bit too close to us: its flame was hot enough to cause sweat to break out on some of the Digidestined's faces, and Cody fell back toward the forest so he didn't get burned. Then it was gone.

Silence reigned for a moment. Then the Digidestined turned back to me. The whole of what had happened seemed too great to express in words. They were out of their depth, trying to come to grips with the new structure of their world.

Then Tai said, "Will someone please explain what the hell has been happening here?"

A smile passed briefly across my face. "There will be time for that," I said, "but for now, know that Dagomon, the ruler of the Dark Ocean—the dimension where you sent Daemon—is preparing for war against the Digital World. He is strong, and his armies are vast. I believe he will try for the human realm as well, but not until he conquers this world. Digimon are, as a species, far more powerful than humans. And there are powers here to dwarf anything your world can muster. He will strike us here, and strike us hard. I must gather the armies of the world and bring them together to face Dagomon. I shall gather them at the Plain of Megiddo on the continent of Server. From that place, I can begin my conquest of the world. I will have no other challenger, no rival to gainsay my will. This world is mine, and I shall make it so."

Ken stepped forward, a snarl of anger on his face. "What gives you the right?" he said. "I thought I could do what I did because I was Emperor, and the Digimon were lesser beings than me, but I learned better. What makes you better than me?"

I shrugged. "Nothing," I said. "Rights are an illusion. The only right humans are born with is to die. You are not even guaranteed the right to live, as any mother who has given birth to a stillborn child can tell you. Your birthright is death, and the only thing that gives you anything else—'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,' as they say in my home country—is the collective belief of humanity. Rights are as ephemeral as mercy, or justice, or hope—they do not exist in any concrete way, being only ideas that humans imagine to make themselves feel better. Delusions, in other words."

"You're wrong," T.K. said. "I held the Crest of Hope in my hands; I know it's real."

"Think, boy," I said. "The Digital World reflects and refracts the human world. Hope only exists in a concrete form here because humans believe it exists in your world. It is a lie, like courage, friendship, and even love. They are lies that humans tell to themselves. Important lies, yes, ones very important to being human, but lies nonetheless."

"How can you live, thinking like that?" Sora asked.

"I've had a long time to figure this out," I said. "In any case, it doesn't make those things any less precious; in fact, it makes them more precious, precisely because they have to be given meaning by humans. And Digimon, in our case."

"You still haven't answered my question," Ken said. "What gives you the right to rule this world?"

"Power," I said. "The truth is, kids, that Might does make Right. I have the right because I have the power to force the world to do what I want. If the world doesn't want to do it, I can punish them. That is the basis of all law and authority, even in your world. You may not like it, but that's the way it is. Deal with it."

Ah, there it was. The looks of anger, the righteous denial of my words. I expected this. They would know the truth of what I said, in time. But tempus was fugiting very quickly, and I had a job to do.

"I have more important things to do than explain my political philosophies to you right now," I said, "so I'm going to speak very simply. You are soldiers now. Nothing matters but the war. School, home, they are all inconsequential. You can return to those after we're done saving this world." I did not say, If you're still alive.

Yolei stepped forward. "You can't just—"

My hand snapped up, and Yolei found herself unable to speak. "Be very careful," I said, "about telling me what I can and cannot do." I met each of their eyes in turn. "You wish to know how seriously I take this war? So be it. Watch."

I raised both hands to the sky. Wind rushed toward me; sand flew up in a whirlwind. In the distance, clouds gathered and thunder rumbled. I called upon the powers within me, the powers of those Agents, Gennai's kind, and with them I remade the Tags and Crests of the elder Digidestined, and forged new Tags and Crests for the newer Digidestined. They fell into my hands, six into each one, and I held them up for all to see.

"It can't be," Tai said.

"But Apocalymon destroyed them!" Biyomon said.

"What is unmade," I said, "can be remade." I lowered my left hand, displaying the Crests in my right. "Courage, Friendship, Knowledge, Love, Sincerity, Reliability." Then I lowered my right hand and raised my left. "Hope, Light, Kindness, Miracles, Justice, and Mercy. They are yours, each in turn, and I give them to you freely."

I walked toward them, both hands extended in offering. They tensed and stepped backward, caution and fear mixing in their expressions.

"How did you do that?" Kari said. She alone did not step back. Indeed, she leaned forward, and the Crest of Light began to shine as she neared, shone brighter the closer she came, until it seemed that a star dangled from my fist.

"Take it," I said.

She looked up at me, and I saw her swallow. Mine was not a comforting visage. But she reached out and took her Crest. In her hand, it blazed pink, then faded to the muted reflections of sunlight. Kari put it on, and there was a brief flash, as though the Crest was sighing upon coming home, and then it was still.

Kari smiled and turned to the others. "It's all right," she said. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

I flicked my right hand and flung the Crests in it at their owners. Each caught them as deftly as a baseball player catching a slow toss, as though they had known where they would fly instinctively. Light burst in a rainbow of colors, and then all was still. Almost as one, the Digidestined raised their Crests over their heads and placed them around their necks. A brief glow in all colors, and it was over for them. In their faces was a new glow, that of contentment, as if peace had indeed descended upon them.

I held up my left hand. "T.K., you already had a Crest. Now I give it back to you. I will have need of its power very soon."

T.K., who had been walking toward me, stopped abruptly. "What do you mean?"

"All in time," I said. "Take it." And as I held out the Crest of Hope, a flash of knowledge burst over me: once more would I offer something to this boy, to Takeru Takaishi, and his choice, whether to take or deny it, would decide the fate of the world. And I did not know which it would be, which choice would damn the world and which save it. I have grown used to this; it is part of being the Chosen of Fate, to see the future and yet still face those mysteries that lie hidden in time.

It was annoying, too, but you take what you can get.

T.K. met my gaze, his blue eyes matching the glare from my white and grey ones. Then he gulped and looked down, as Kari had.

"A benison," I said.

He looked up. "What?"

"My Crest," I said, "is that of Fate." I reached to my neck and pulled a Tag and Crest from under my shirt. It dangled from my fist and spun in the air; sunlight gleamed off the gold of the Tag, illumining the symbol of Fate: a sideways S, each end curling into a knob. "I am its Chosen wielder, and with its power, I can at times see the future. This secret I have gleaned, and know it for true: Hope and Light are but two vertices of a star of power, and I foretell that in time you will learn of the other three. The Five Powers are the greatest in all the worlds, and you are the Chosen of one of them. When the shadow of night falls upon you and all seems utterly lost, remember these words, and know that Hope yet lives."

The last words I spoke in a whisper, and I saw his eyes go far away, looking not at me but at some distant vista, some glimmer of a future he hoped would be.

There is a reason sorcerers cast spells, for a spell is both the words spoken and a formula of power over the living and the dead. Words are power, and one needs no magic to wield them.

A long time it seemed that he stared into imagination, but in truth it was no more than a moment. T.K. shook himself and focused on me. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Say a few words and then, poof, the world changes." He waved a hand as if to demonstrate.

"I am old," I said. "Because of what I am, and what was done to me, my age in the Digital World matched what it would have been in the human world."

"Wait a minute," Izzy said. "Before we beat Apocalymon, a minute in the Real World equaled a day in the Digital World. How long was it in the Real World between when you came here and us beating Apocalymon?"

Ah. The crux of the matter. "About four years."

"So that means you were here for..."

"More than five thousand years." I smiled. "When I say I'm older than dirt, I'm not kidding."

"That's impossible," Izzy said. "Time doesn't work that way, not in either world."

"The Digital World is made of data," I said. "Of data, which is manipulable. That is how things such as the Crests are made. The datasphere—which is all the Digital World really is—can be changed by someone who has both the knowledge and power. It's why those symbols in that labyrinth you found on this Island can change the nature of those ruins. It is the Code, which is the very power of the world in written form. He—or she—who knows it can bend this world to his or her will. The will of the mighty can change the Code that is written into the fabric of reality, manipulating the world without need of the written Code. Therefore I am able to make a Mekanorimon out of thin air, or reforge the Tags and Crests from nothing. Gennai could have done it, if he'd had enough of his fellows. I have powers he does not, powers beyond anything else in this world, and I can do things he can only dream of."

"How?" Tentomon asked. "How is it you can do all this?"

I paused, considering whether to tell him. "I will tell you in time, that I swear. The hour, though, has not yet come for that tale to see the light of day."

My words seemed to quell them, though I could see that doubt lingered. I could not answer their need, not now, when so much still needed to be done.

I turned to Ken. "You know this Crest," I said.

Ken swallowed. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Kindness. I've never deserved it."

"Shadows lie in all hearts. All that you did was done under the influence of the dark spore, the power of which is to corrupt. You were freed from that power, and have done much to alleviate the sufferings of those you hurt. Know that you will never fully pay your debt, but the very act of trying sets you on the path of redemption. You have earned this Crest, Ken Ichijouji, and I say this with the authority of one Chosen by Fate."

"That's it," T.K. said, pointing at me. "That's one of the great powers you told me about."

I nodded. "I am one of the Five, and mightiest of all."

"Who are the other two?"

I raised a hand to silence him. "Not now." To Ken I said, "Will you take it?"

He shook his head. "I don't deserve it."

"Those wiser than you have decided otherwise. Take it."

I held out the Crest of Kindness. After a moment, Ken reached for it, but as the Crest began to glow with an indigo light, he hesitated. His lips moved in a whisper so low that only I could hear it: "You should have Chosen someone else."

I looked down at Wormmon. Such a look of hope was in his eyes that for a moment I felt sorry for him, knowing as I did the path this would send his partner down. But I am who I am, and I said nothing of this.

Then my gaze turned back to Ken. "You are Chosen, Ken. Chosen, I say, and there are reasons beyond what reason knows. I say this to you with the eyes of prophecy: you will come to earn that Crest, earn it in ways that you cannot foresee. Power is a burden, child; or it should be. I see into your heart: this burden is yours. You will bear it well."

He met my eyes for a moment, then looked to his Crest. "Promise me that you're telling the truth. That I'm not going to fail."

"Would it matter? You're having trouble believing that I even exist. Why should you believe what I say?"

"Because," he said, "it's the only hope for me."

"My judgment?" I said, laughing. "I've done more terrible things than you as the Digimon Emperor could have done had you lived a thousand years. I know the hell I will go to when I die, should that ever happen. Don't give me your sob story, Ken. Mine is worse, infinitely worse, and you know nothing of it."

"If that's so," he said, "how can you stand here so calmly, just saying all this?"

"Time heals all wounds," I said.

Ken raised an eyebrow, and his eyes flickered across my face. "Not all."

There was a slight tilt to my head as I looked him over. "We are the sum of our scars, boy. Do not think that this face is the most hideous part of me."

He narrowed his eyes, but he took the Crest of Kindness from me. Indigo light flashed and then faded as he placed it around his neck. "If all you are is a scar," he said, "what is it that was healed?"

I could not help it: I laughed, long and loud, and got strange looks in return. "That," I said, wiping away tears from my eyes, "is possibly the most astute thing any of you has ever said." The laughter slowed, stopped. I lost my smile. "But don't presume on what you can't know."

Ken opened his mouth as if to say more, but he closed it again. Wisdom yet again. Perhaps Azulongmon had been right about them.

Only three remained. I turned then to Cody. He looked at me with suspicion in his eyes. Just as he had once looked at Ken, I noted. I wanted to smirk at him, but it would ruin the moment. And I knew that it would hurt him in days to come, when he looked back and saw that I dismissed him as a child. I, too, had been in his place, being only seven when I came to the Digital World, and I had felt the anger as my elders dismissed me as something less than they were, simply because of my age.

Stern, Cody was, and in him I saw an anger that transcended the shiver of anticipation that made his clenched fists shake. "And what do you think of me, Cody?"

"I don't trust you," he said, "and I don't think I ever will."

"Wise choice," I said, "but why?"

"You laugh at pain, and you talk about killing as if it's nothing to you. Gennai is afraid of you, and you want to use us like we're pawns in a chess game."

"And just how well do you know chess?" I asked.

"Well enough," he said.

"Then you also know that the pawns are some of the most important pieces on the board. They shape the field and establish the parameters of battle. Lose the wrong one and you can lose the game."

"And you're supposed to be the king, I take it?"

"Life is not a chess game, Cody, and we don't get to restart once the game is finished. This game is played only once, and for stakes higher than you can imagine. As I told your friend, don't presume on what you don't know."

A chill wind sliced through the air, bringing shivers to the Digidestined. My wind, born from my will, passed in moments, but when it was gone, I stood there with a haughty look on my face, holding tight to the threads of my power, calling shadows to dance around me. They saw this, these children born of the light, and stepped back involuntarily.

"I am beyond your judgment, Iori Hida," I said. Cody narrowed his eyes at my use of his given name. "Look now to your Digimon." I gestured at Armadillomon. "He is wise for his years. He withholds judgment until he understands what there is to know about a person. Your haste to condemn those you perceive to have done wrong is your greatest weakness. Do not judge me based solely on what Gennai said. You presume that you know the truth of him, of what he has done in the long ages of his life. Your ignorance of the past leads you to an unsubtle picture of him as noble, a servant of the powers of good. But he was not always so. Darkness lies in every soul, even his. Even yours. Cast it out if you wish. As for me, I chose long ago to hold it close, to know it and myself. You, denying your shadow, are vulnerable in ways you do not see. The unsuspecting soul is open to those who might choose to do it harm. Be wary, Cody. A shadow lies upon all the worlds, and it seeks ever for those it might deceive. Your haste in judging me could bring about the very ruin you have fought to avoid."

With that, the shadows around me faded to nothing, and I let the haughty look pass from my face. "I will not say that I do not deserve judgment, but judgment must often be delayed when greater events threaten. This is such a time. I ask that you stay your hand until the present crisis is finished."

"You'd submit yourself to real justice? Not some pretended thing?"

I nodded.

Cody said nothing for a moment. Then: "I don't want my Crest. Not if it comes from someone like you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You would forsake the power I offer without price in the name of your principles?"

"Yes," he said. "I would."

"Hold on, Cody," T.K. said. "I think you should think this through first. You might need that Crest someday."

"It's not worth it," he said, glancing at the other boy. "Not if it comes from him."

"But—"

"I said no, T.K. Don't make me say it again."

I considered him for a moment. "So be it," I said, and pocketed the Crest of Justice. "When you have need of it, you need only ask."

"I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon."

"As you wish," I said, and turned to Yolei. "Now to you," I said.

"Wait a minute," she said, "I know that Davis has the Crest of Miracles because of the Golden Digi-Egg, but why do I have the Crest of Mercy?"

"It has another name," I said. "It is also called the Crest of Forgiveness."

"But why? What did I ever do to deserve that?"

"Do you remember," I said, "what you were thinking when Hawkmon first Digivolved to Aquilamon?"

"I was—how do you know about that?"

"Answer the question, Yolei."

She hesitated, and a red flush creeped up her cheeks.

"Yolei," Hawkmon said, "I think you should tell him."

She replied in a whisper. "But it's so embarrassing!"

"Why? Because it shows that you're capable of having feelings that show more than just your gung-ho, take-on-the-world side? Besides, everyone else here must have felt something similar."

"Gah. Fine," she said, "you win." She took a deep breath. "I was thinking about Ken, when he was fighing the Golemon, about how he really had changed. That was—that was when I really forgave him for what he did as the Digimon Emperor."

And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ken look at Yolei as though seeing her for the first time. Another thread woven in the tapestry.

"And yet," I said, "you ask me why you deserve the Crest of Mercy." I smiled. "Take it, with my blessing." And as I held out the Crest, it began to glow with crimson light. Yolei's hands shook as she took it from me. There was a flash of light, and then the Tag and Crest were looped around Yolei's neck.

One last Crest, and then to business.

"Davis," I said, turning to him, "you know what this is." The Crest of Miracles began to glow with a golden light.

"Yeah," he said, and then he fell silent and watched me expectantly.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to say something to me?"

"Such as?"

"I don't know. Maybe how I'm so special that I got something as cool as the Crest of Miracles."

I raised an eyebrow. "To be perfectly honest, I think it's a miracle you're still alive. If I'd tried to pull off the stupid shit you've done when I first came to the Digital World, I'd have been dead a hundred times over. The only thing that's saved your ass so far is the fact that the power of Miracles Chose you. Without that, you'd be dead."

In the background, I heard Tai whisper, "He knows Davis pretty well, doesn't he?" Someone stifled a laugh.

Davis muttered something so low even I couldn't hear it, though I would bet there was a word in there that rhymed with 'muck'.

I turned a great and beneficent smile on the Digidestined. "So it is done. The Tags and Crests are remade, and your powers are made anew. I told you I would need the power of your Crest, T.K."

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "But why?"

"As to that..." I blurred forward in a burst of speed. I slammed into T.K., wrenched him away from the others. They whirled to face us, and there I stood, a sword in hand, held to T.K.'s throat.

"As to that," I said, "you have something I need. And now I plan to take it."