Preview: Memoirs of Victory: Taming the Instincts

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".

Sora Takenouchi swats her boyfriend in the arm. "Don't say that." She tells him. "I haven't looked for gifts for anybody yet".

"Not even mine?"

Sora narrows her eyes seductively. "Well, I may have something special planed for you…"

It's at this point that I clear my throat to remind my two perverted friends that I'm sitting right beside them. Sora blushes and turns back to the game, while Matt glares daggers through my skull from his position across from her. I grin devilishly. Hookup terminated.

I turn back to the game playing out before us. The Shinjuku Raiders against the Odaiba Tigers. Or, as it's more commonly known for us, Ken Ichijouji against Davis Motomiya. The last two years Ken's team has bested Davis', but the games have always been close and competitive, and one or the other often ends up with a bloody lip or a bruised knee. Or worse.

Those two have a crazy weird friendship. I'm almost envious.

My D-Terminal buzzes. Instinctively I reach into my pocket, thinking little of it. Izzy had mentioned wanting to talk about rules and procedures regarding blahblahblah… honestly, Izzy goes on and on about things few of us care about. Davis has the ball at his feet and is racing through defender after defender on his way towards the goal. Ken is keeping good time. I take my eyes off the game with the full intent to look up again as soon as possible.

Who are you?


A Heretics Glossary

Digidestined: A group of humans chosen by the Sovereigns to partner with Digimon save the Digital world from corruption. For many years they were considered by the Digital world to be the ultimate heros. Today they operate much like NATO in the Real World, involving themselves in struggles only when the participants can no longer protect themselves. Their number has grown over the years, with the legendary twelve taking more of a back seat as newer, younger Digidestined work with Tamers against the forces of evil.

Digivolution: Digivolving. The aging process of Digimon. Unlike humans, who slowly change over time, a Digimon's change is instantaneous.

Elpidius: The secret name of Takeru "T.K." Takaishi's partner, Patamon. It means to hope, or hope in latin.

Freshling: an affectionate slang for Fresh level Digimon. It's alternate, 'Freshie' is seen as an insult.

Folder: a large continent adjacent to Server, and home of the Golden City. Unlike Server, which is mostly desert, Folder is known for its wide open fields and sparse forests. Until the Three-Days War [SEE BELOW], the area was known for the ongoing struggle between the residents of Pandemonium and the Golden City. With both relatively destroyed, Folder is entering new territory. Years ago, Tai Kamiya was accidentally transported there to have an adventure with Zeromaru the Veedramon.

Golden City, The: The City of Heavenly lights. The Golden City of Folder has long been the bastion of good in the digital world. It was ruled by the wise, but strict Triumvirate. All are welcome. But once you become a citizen, and take their holy ring, you were not allowed to leave without authorization. Patamon/Dominimon broke this rule on numerous occasions to see Gatomon, an action he has chosen not to regret.

Holy Ring: An ancient artifact of Vaccine types developed and worn in the Golden city. They hold considerable power, but focus whatever your personal will to such a degree that it almost becomes a separate entity. However, if your will is pure and your intentions true, the ring works as a catalyst for warp digivolution, not unlike the original tags and crests.

Life-Mates: The Digimon equivalent of Lovers and/or Marriage. Two Digimon decide to join together to produce offspring. A common misconception among humans is that Digimon ideas of love and sex are the same. Most Life-Mates are not in 'love' with each other. Rather, they respect each other enough to want to raise a nest with them, and feel that the added care and protection will help them reach the next level. To become a life-mate, a Digimon must reveal their 'name'. The process is generally started by the one who will be considered head of the household. Current life-mates among the Digidestined include, but are not limited to; Greymon and Birdramon, Veemon & American Digidestined Tatum's Dracomon, Gatomon and Garurumon (and Patamon), and Hawkmon and a Falcomon.

Life-Mates Sacrilege: the betrayal of the vows spoken between Life-Mates. Typically, either the offending party ends the life of one of his mates, severing that connection and leaving him with only one, or the offending party is him/herself deleted; usually by a witness [SEE BELOW] but often the offended Life-Mate themselves. This is the situation Gatomon and Patamon have found themselves in, although one side of the problem has now been rectified.

Mara: The secret name of Triumvirate member Ophanimon. It means bitter in Hebrew.

Meirit: The secret name of Kari Kamiya's partner, Gatomon. It means light, or to give light in Hebrew.

Names: An important part of the Life-Mate process. Names are secret codes of data that form a general description of what that Digimon represents. These names are passed from Parents to offspring via coding in the digiegg. They are kept secret from all save the one individual a Digimon wants to spend the rest of their lives with.

Naturals: The term used to divide Digimon between those bred and those created. The Digidestined Digimon were specially created using unwanted nestlings(baby-digimon) and the ancients power, and therefore are not Naturals.

Pandemonium: The exact opposite of the Golden City, Pandemonium was the stronghold for the Seven Demon Lords who ruled half of Folder. Their ongoing struggle against the Golden City was one of the defining points about Folder. With the disappearance of the Seven Demon Lords at the outset of the Three-Days War [SEE BELOW], the fate of Pandemonium is up in the air.

Royal Knights, The: A group of thirteen Holy Knight Digimon who use their own brand of Justice to protect the Digital World. After the Alphamon Fiasco (in which their, leader Alphamon merged with the rampaging OuuRyuumon in the center of Tokyo, setting off an EMP that destroyed two-thirds of the city), the Royal Knights have sworn their allegiance to the Digidestined.

Sovereigns: Also known as the Harmonious ones. The 'gods' of the Digital world. They aren't seen as deities so much as they are guardians and keepers. They are Azulongmon, Ebonwumon, Zhuqiaomon, and Baihumon. They are often seen as manipulative by many of the Digidestined Digimon.

Three-Days War, The: A bloody failed coup d'état led by Ophanimon (Core) against the Triumvirate. After disposing of the Seven Demon Lords, Ophanimon betrayed the Triumvirate, assasinating Seraphimon and instigating a rebellion. Because of the unique nature of those involved (Ophanimon's life mate being a Digidestined and his children in danger) members of the Legendary twelve and their partners descended upon the Golden City and, with their Royal Knight allies, smote the rebellion and deleted Ophanimon Core. The damage to the surrounding area was quite severe, and no one knows how (or even if) the city will recover.

Triumvirate: Former three man governmental system in place in the Golden city. The three in question – Seraphimon, Cherubimon, and Ophanimon, had ruled for many years and were willing to sacrifice anyone, and anything for their cause. However, as time wore one, fissures within the current Triumvirate alignment formed, leading to Ophanimon's overthrow and the Three-Days War [SEE ABOVE].

Witness: A crucial part of the Life-Mate process. After the vows are said, and before they are sealed, a witness is to confer with both. A second set of vows is spoken then; the gist of which being that, should the one Mate every stray from the other, the witness will be responsible for tracking down and, should the need arise, delete the wayward partner. In modern times, the witness is mostly a formality, much like a best man in a human wedding. However, it is still an expected part of the Life-Mate process, and no union can be official without one.

Zenith Gate: An ancient digital gate leading from the Golden City of Folder to a location of unknown origin. Some postulate that this location is the Dark Zone, though others disagree, and say that the location leads to the end of the world.