Chapter 9: Higher Will
The night was there and Ryo was a little unsatisfied. He looked at the two more keys he obtained and didn't know what to make of them. He didn't know how important they are. He just knew it was important, but nothing else. He wasn't mad at Koushiro who explained that the meaning of those keys was extremely well protected and a powerful firewall protected the secret of those keys. He said it will take a while to crack the firewall.
Ryo had to bite his patience, which was getting a little hard. His thought moved to what Millenniumon told him. He remembered that the evil god told him that his real partner was somewhere in his temple.
"He captured him," Ryo said.
He thought about the other chosen children when he told them Millenniumon had his real partner. They replied by telling him that they will help saving his partner.
"I wonder how long my partner is waiting for me?" Ryo asked himself alone. He looked to his left and saw Agumon sleeping. Ryo put his hand on his nose and pat it. "If he's like you, he'll still wait for me."
Ryo tried to sleep, but the dream land wasn't calling for him right now. He stood up and walked outside the house. He walked alone and stopped when a man stood in his way, the same man from before. The man looked at Ryo calmly with his amber eyes.
"We meet again," he told the boy.
Ryo maintained a comfortable distance from old man before replying: "Yes Raziel."
Raziel nodded and said: "You don't look happy to see me again Ryo. Although I'm glad you remember my name."
Ryo bit his lips and whispered: "I'll never be happy to see you."
"What was that?" Raziel asked.
"Nothing. Why are you here again?" Ryo asked.
"Simple. I'm here to congratulate you in saving two more chosen children and their partners. I can also feel your power rising inside of you to another level you aren't aware off," Raziel replied. He chuckled lightly and gave a kind smile to Ryo.
"I already told you that I have no power. I know it's not about strength, but I form no bond with my partner Raziel. I have to find him first," Ryo replied. He dropped his head and wondered if his digimon was alright in the palace or was tortured.
"You are forging a bond with your digimon partner Ryo. You are not aware of it, but you are creating a bond that unites you and him. A chosen child with his destined partner creates a bond in a very different way than most living beings. There is an invisible link uniting you and your partner no matter what the distance is. Everything you think about him create and strength the bond Ryo. When your partner thinks about you, he does the same thing," Raziel explained.
Ryo nodded and smiled lightly. His smile dropped a little when he asked: "Does he think about me?"
"If I feel your power increasing, I can say it is the case," Raziel replied with a smile.
Ryo smiled raised again: "Raziel. Is there another reason you come here?"
"Yes Ryo. I watched you and your...interaction with Millenniumon," Raziel said.
Ryo gasped and glared at Raziel, increasing the distance between them: "How is that possible?! You cannot escape his time control. He can stop a powerful digimon and you're a human like me!"
"Not so loud. You might wake the others," Raziel replied. He then laughed lightly: "Millenniumon is a powerful digimon. He has the power of a god, but his power isn't infinite and he knows it. That's why he's dangerous. The only reason I escape his control was because I have some special protection from the highest thing leading the digital world."
"Highest thing? Don't you mean highest being?" Ryo asked.
Raziel put his fingers on his chin and closed his eyes. He made a small sound coming from his throat: "It's extremely complicated when it comes to this. He gave me protection to make sure everything is going according to what he wants. He's neither alive nor dead, and both alive and dead."
What Raziel said confused Ryo and also put a few things he knew into questions. Gennai told him that the highest beings present were the five Sovereigns. The fifth one was the strongest compare to the others.
"I don't understand what you mean. How something can be those four things at the same time?" Ryo asked.
"No one knows how and neither Millenniumon. I can barely perceive it like a few lucky or unlucky one. That being is the one who made you and the others the chosen children acting in a way no one knows how. I am lucky enough to perceive some fragment of it," Raziel replied.
"Why are you telling me this?" Ryo asked.
"As I said Ryo, you are special. You might not have that ability like me, but it shined upon you," Raziel answered. He pointed his index at Ryo. "It decided that you are the ninth chosen child."
Ryo dropped his head, not by the pressure, but with the questions about what was it and how to process it. He found no answer and asked a question: "What is this...it?"
"It is called by the few of us as: The Will of the digital world," Raziel replied. "It is a will, neither alive nor dead and at the same time; alive and dead. A will that is beyond control of anything and untouchable even by the few who can perceived it."
Ryo didn't reply at those words and thought about it. He couldn't really understand anything Raziel said. He was still a young boy and most of the concepts Raziel said were confusing. Ryo just acted as if he understood it or asked about it and hoped to understand.
"I get it," Ryo said.
"Liar," Raziel chuckled. "What I said is just too complicated to a kid. You just have to know that there's something higher than Millenniumon, the five sovereigns, light and darkness in the digital world. If the will decided that if the darkness could break the balance of the digital world, chosen children are sent to the digital world to fight darkness with light. But when light is dangerous and corrupted, darkness will rise under the command of other chosen children."
"Millenniumon is destroying the digital world," Ryo said.
"That is true. He is conquering the digital world, but, did you ask yourself why?" Raziel said looking at Ryo.
"He's evil. Just look what he did to the chosen children and Agumon," Ryo replied.
Raziel smiled and replied: "That's true. You have the consequence, but not his reason and purpose. Although, you are right to say it doesn't matter. He is doing something evil. No matter what the reason, evil must be stopped. But when you know the reason and purpose, other ways to stop the evil appears in your path."
Ryo yawned and was about to return inside when Raziel chuckled. Ryo turned around and asked: "What is it?"
"Millenniumon is right about one thing. Light can be tainted Ryo. In the digital world, there are three types of light: the shining light, the simple light and the tainted light, and three types of darkness: the bright darkness, simple darkness and blacken darkness," Raziel told him. He then said one last thing before turning around and walked away: "Ryo. Millenniumon is a digimon of darkness, but in which of the three darkness Millenniumon is? Is he the bright darkness, just darkness or blacken darkness?"
Once Raziel was gone, he left Ryo more confused than before.
"He must do it on purpose. He's just trying to tease me with all of this," Ryo looked at the empty space where Raziel was before he disappeared. Ryo sighted and added: "Higher will. What is he talking about?" Ryo gave up in trying to understand what he said and focused on his mission. He felt his body getting tired and finally ready to rest. He returned in the house and told himself he'll ask Gennai about it tomorrow.
It was soon the day and Millenniumon walked out of his chamber. He sipped the rest of a Seadramon tail in his mouth and felt the bones breaking between his powerful muscular jaw and his solid teeth. He walked in his throne and sat on it. He wanted to check what his destined partner was doing, but he had an issue to deal with. He waited for his servant to come. He didn't have to find for long before Devidramon entered and knee.
"Did you find everything I asked?" Millenniumon said with a warning grunt.
"Yes. I just don't understand why you asked for this?" Devidramon asked.
"The reason isn't of your business. I have something special to prepare. Leave them in my chamber," Millenniumon said.
"Understood. About the issue you have for, you have a message for Vamdemon right?" Devidramon asked adjusting his tuxedo.
Millenniumon said nothing and watched the Devidramon adjusting his tuxedo. Even after a few days, he couldn't really get over it.
"My lord?" Devidramon asked.
"Yes. Tell him that he has to fight to the end, or he'll meet the same fate as Etemon. Tell him that I will crush his bones and ate his flesh while making sure he fells everything until I decide to finish him us. Also, warn him that Ryo and Agumon won't come alone," Millenniumon said.
"Understood," Devidramon said before walking away.
Millenniumon laughed at the object he asked from Devidramon. He was sure no chosen children, including Ryo, will like what he had in store.
Ryo woke up and saw that Agumon was still resting. He let him sleep and walked outside the house. He noticed that most chosen children and their partner were sleeping except Koushiro who was typing at his computer. He saw Gennai near him.
Ryo joined them and said: "Hi. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," Koushiro replied. He typed on his portable computer and grunted. "This firewall is extremely sophisticated, complex and complicated. It more protected than anything else in the digital world."
"Those keys must remain a mystery so the object containing it won't fall in the wrong hands," Gennai replied.
"Gennai. I have a question to ask," Ryo said keeping some distance with the old man.
Gennai turned his head at Ryo direction and said: "What is it?"
"I was wondering if you know something called, the Will of the digital world," Ryo asked.
Gennai watched Ryo before moving his head right and left: "I'm sorry Ryo, but I don't know what you are talking about. Why are you asking this?"
Ryo hesitated to reply, but remembered that Raziel never asked to keep his existence a secret: "A man named Raziel told me he could perceive it."
"I never heard of him," Gennai replied.
Koushiro typed the name on his computer and said: "Raziel. It's the name of an Archangel known as «Keeper of secrets» and as «angel of mysteries»."
Ryo and Gennai watched Koushiro.
"It's clearly not his real name," Gennai replied.
Ryo nodded.
"I didn't know there was another human than us in the digital world," Gennai said a little worried.
"He said he was interested in me," Ryo replied. He then resumed what he spoke with him.
Koushiro searched and said after Ryo finished explaining: "I can't find anything about the will of the digital world. From what he said, it's not something put in a program."
"It is useless to search about it then," Ryo sighted.
"The next time he comes, ask him some details about it," Gennai suggested.
Ryo nodded and heard something shouting his name. He turned around and saw Agumon running at him.
"I got to go eat something and prepare to save the other chosen children," Ryo said.
He walked away and felt the two others alone. Koushiro continued typing on his portable and tried to find a way to pass the firewall. He grunted. It was the first time he couldn't find anything to pass a program.
Gennai left him alone; he needed to think about what Ryo said.
AC: This is the end of chapter 9.
If you are wondering what the Will of the digital world is, you will have to wait for it. Although it appeared once in the story.
Chapter 10: March to the vampire domain.