Note: I own the following characters: Ariyuki, Midori, Kii, Ariyami, Neomon, Digimon Sovereign, Digimon Baron, Shiromon, Nekomata, Alanoko, Merikah, Lilith Tsutomo, Lyle Tsutomo, William Knightsphere, Sirenmon (more to come in future chapters). I don't own Digimon, the Digidestined, or their parents.
Chapter Eleven:
The Sovereign Revealed
Born from darkness, in the light, the child exists in shadow,
Born from hatred, given love, the child exists to fight.
Yet know he not the road is long and should he stray from right,
Grow cold his heart, grow dark his mind, may evil grow that night.
"Ken! Lilith! Look out!" everyone cried desperately. Ken and Lilith wanted to run, but they'd never make it to the other side on time; the crazy drunk driver was going way too fast. Lilith screamed and covered her eyes; Ken shielded himself hopelessly with his arms.
Please stop! Ken screamed in his mind, knowing that within seconds he and Lilith would be hit. It was like his life flashed before his eyes; they day when his brother, Osamu died. Time seemed to stop as he helplessly watched his brother get slammed into by a van. Though the police and doctors all said he would make it through the night, deep down, Ken knew that his brother was dead the second he saved him by pushing him out of the way. Then, he remembered losing Wormmon; his best friend who only wanted to help him; he couldn't save him either.
Now, it looked like it was his turn; he'd soon die and lose Lilith too. If only he could stop this; if only he could freeze time just once. All at once, every noise around him ceased. He couldn't hear screaming, or calling, or screeching wheels. Confused, he slowly let his arms down and saw right in front of him that the driver had stopped, but his expression was frozen in place; in fact, it seemed everything was frozen in place, but really wasn't; it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen.
He gazed around and saw Kari, Ariyuki, Ariyami, and Lyle across the street, their mouths open in screams, but no sound was coming out and they too were frozen. The silence around him was deafening. He turned to his left where Lilith was; she seemed to be the only thing not frozen or still, her face in a shocked expression, staring at Ken. The next thing Ken knew, Lilith grabbed his arm and ran to the other side of the street; she seemed panic-stricken. Lilith tripped when they were almost there, and they both skidded onto the sidewalk.
At that moment, the jeep behind them took off at high speed right where they used to be. People around were moving again, though just about thirty people flocked Ken and Lilith, helping them off the ground and asking them if they were okay. Kari and the others dashed across the street after them. "Oh, my God! Are you two alright?" Kari asked.
Lilith seemed to be the only person not too shook up about this. "Yes. We're okay." She helped Ken to his shaky feet. The crowd soon began to disperse.
"What was that?" Ariyami asked. "The first second, you two were in the middle of the street, about to become road kill by that crazy screwball, and the next instant you two were on the other side of the road! What gives?"
"I've just figured out what Ken's magical ability is," Lilith announced, slightly breathless. She turned to him and he gave her an apprehensive look. "You can manipulate time."
"What?" Ken's whole body was shaking with the aftermath of shock and what Lilith just said made his knees give out; Ariyami had to catch him. "I thought my magic ability wasn't in that magic book of yours."
"Well, actually, it is. But it's in the Rare Magic section! Only a select few mages posses that kind of power. Even the most gifted mages these days can't manipulate time itself." Lilith seemed just as shocked at Ken was. "I didn't think you'd have it. I figured you might have healing like Ariyuki."
"Forgetting about magic for one second," Kari interrupted, "Are you two alright? You're not hurt or anything, are you?"
"Thanks to Ken we're not." Lilith patted Ken's shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get home; we're making a scene."
While Ariyami took Kari home, Lilith, Ariyuki, Ken, and Lyle headed for her house. While treading down the gravel road, Lilith saw Ken's head droop in sadness. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing. It's just...I don't think I have the ability to control time. If I did, I'd probably be able to save my brother, even if I didn't know about my powers."
"Oh, Ken," Lilith said softly. She and Ken pulled behind the others so they could talk in privacy. "There was nothing you could have done. What happened...it wasn't your fault. You-"
"Why couldn't I have stopped time back then, huh? I wanted so much to save him!" Ken's fists were clenched and his aura gave off a strong sense of self hate or disappointment.
"Back then your powers were asleep, Ken!" Lilith shouted. "You couldn't have done anything! Let go of the past and quit hating yourself!"
By now the other two were at Lilith's house and completely out of ear shot. "How would you know?" Ken bellowed, advancing on her. "How could you possibly know what it was like for me?! I know you lost your parents too, Lilith, but have you ever had that helplessness and the feeling that you know you could have done something more?! have you!?"
Lilith was so enraged that her nails were digging into her palms. She stopped walking and practically burst into tears. "Yes!" she screamed, "I have felt that!" she dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands, shaking with anger and frustration. "Your brother may have been killed in an accident, Ken, but my parents were killed on purpose! That-that monster killed them both, and I couldn't do a thing!" Lilith was now gasping for air from shouting and crying and her shoulders were shaking.
Ken's anger had turned into sympathy; he knelt down next to Lilith and put his hand on her shoulder. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his chest. After Lilith had calmed down and her crying had turned into sniffles, Ken stroked her hair and whispered the question once more: "How did your parents die?"
Lilith looked up from Ken's chest and into his eyes. She pulled away and sat next to him, her arms around her knees; she was ready to tell him. "My family and I used to live much farther away from Tokyo than me and Lyle do now. We were about thirty miles away in a house not to different from the one I live in now..."
Our house was surrounded by a forest, much like this one, but had a set of stone stairs behind our house that lead to a small path that would take you to a very beautiful spot in the forest; I used to always play around there. I still remember the cherry blossoms the bloomed in the spring time and the pond full of fish that were bigger than I was. Anyway, my mother and I would always go for walks down there; as a matter of fact, that's where I met Nekomata; she was my only friend, but that was all I needed. In my opinion, my life was perfect.
Our family was always happy. And of course with the Knightsphere's living with us, we were perfectly safe. See, my dad and mom were mages in the Order. As a matter of fact, they were in the top council. Mama was already teaching me how to heal people and use my own rare gift; I can't tell you what it is, though; I was always determined to learn everything she could do; I wanted to be just like her.
Lyle would often take me adventuring in the forest with him; he would always tell me that Mama named me in the forest, staring at the crows and the sky. She said my name was that of the Star Goddess, Lilith, who watched over all of the night and kept hope burning brightly for those who had none. We used to have horses and cows, too. Where we lived was like a ranch, really, but it was the best place I'd ever been.
One day we decided to take a trip to see Tokyo. It was to be my first time. I was so excited, I could barely stay in my seat in the car. Lyle's stories made me even more anxious.
When we got there, I was completely stunned. This place was huge! We stayed at one of the better hotels, mainly because Mom and Dad were so rich. We were going to stay for about two weeks. One night me and Mama went out shopping while Dad and Lyle went somewhere else, and the Knightsphere's did their own thing; that night was the worst night of my life.
When me and Mama were heading back to the hotel, we came upon a group of men who didn't look at all pleasant. Instead, we headed down an alley that was pretty dark. Mom lit a bright fire in her hands while I lit a small dim one. While trekking down the alley, we heard, strange enough, a stagecoach or carriage heading toward us. The weird thing about this stagecoach was that there were no horses.
Then it came to a stop and a man came out of it. He was tall with blond, almost white hair, dressed in blue, and had a red cape. Mama must have been worried because she made sure I was behind her. "Good evening, ma'am," he said. Then he looked down at me and grinned; the kind of grin that made me think he knew me or something.
Well, whatever he was, he reached a hand out toward Mom and she ran, holding my hand and making sure I was behind her. I asked her what was going on and who that man was, but she told me to just keep running. The next thing I knew, a red whip-like thing shot out and wrapped around Mom's ankle. She fell over and must have been hurt pretty bad because she couldn't get back up.
I tried to help her up, but was so scared. That man was slowly coming closer, like he was toying with us. Then Mom shoved me away and told me to run and not to look back. At first I protested, but she threatened to burn me if I didn't. So I ran; I ran so fast and so hard that I nearly tripped.
I could hear Mom screaming behind me while that thing was hurting her, and I disobeyed Mom's orders and turned around; That thing was biting her neck like some sort of vampire! As much as I wanted to help Mom, it was like my feet wanted to flee, so I did. Then, he just appeared in front of me. I tried to run the other way, but he grabbed my arms and told me to come with him; I refused and tugged away, then Dad and Lyle showed up. Dad was very angry and attacked the vampire with all his fury.
Lyle grabbed me and we both hid behind a trash can, watching Dad and silently cheering him on. At first, we thought he was going to win; he shot fireballs at the vampire and singed his cape. But then, the vampire called upon his attack called Crimson Lightning and struck Dad hard; he hit the ground and the vampire came closer to him. I tried to run to Dad, but Lyle held me back. In the next few seconds, we watched as my Dad was completely torn apart by that monster.
I was so scared and so...mad. The only things I could really remember was stepping out from behind the garbage can, and red energy all over the place...
"After that, everything went black. I later found out that both of William's parents were dead too. They were killed before my mom." Lilith had tears in her eyes again as her story came to a close.
Ken wrapped his arms around her and tried his best to comfort her. Now he understood; Aika was way off on the details of what happened. Lilith had tried to help her Mom, but her mother wanted her to live, so she made her run. "Maybe we should go inside now, huh?"
Lilith wiped her tears away, sighed, then nodded, smiling, glad to get her story out of her system. When they finally got to her house, Lyle and Ariyuki asked where they had been. After a bit of fibbing, Lilith lead Ken and Ariyuki back upstairs to begin their little magic class. Lilith started with the most basic thing; herbs. "They can save your life or kill you swiftly," she told them.
Ken and Ariyuki glanced at each other, then back at Lilith. "I'm going to show you the most basic herb," she withdrew a green little plant with a red berry in it, "This is called mistletoe, but I'm sure you know what mistletoe is, or do you? You probably know the logical answer; a plant used in Christmas time for kissing a loved one who stands under it, right? Well, that's not all it's used for; it's also used for exorcism. You use it to banish spirits in a house, and I only recommend it on a house. You can use it on possessed people, but it puts their very soul in peril, because mistletoe is an intense plant filled with energy.
"It's normally too strong for weak human bodies and could probably banish the soul within along with the evil spirit. However," she giggled at the two stunned and somewhat afraid boys, "I doubt you guys will have to use exorcism. Here," she handed them each one, "Mistletoe is also used for protection, and by the looks of it, you're gonna need it."
Magic soon became more complicated than Ken thought. Lilith had to show them just about every plant that ever existed and tell them what it does. It was only when Lilith finally got to the magic part when Ken and Ariyuki got excited. Lilith showed Ariyuki the best position for healing a person: sitting straight, head up, and eyes closed. Then Lilith had Ariyuki heal the scrapes on her and Ken's knees from when they tripped back at the street.
After Lilith was through with Ariyuki, she had him go downstairs and play with Lyle while she would try to teach Ken his magic. Since she'd never seen a mage that could control time before, she had to teach Ken while reading from the book. After she showed Ken how to will something to stop in time, she would have him practice by throwing bits of water in the air and have him try to stop them. He failed five times and got pretty soaked before barely managing to keep one in the air, but that was all he could do.
"Lilith," Ken said finally, "How come my time freeze power was so much stronger back in the streets?"
"Remember the primitive power thing?" she reminded him, "It boosts your power level to all time high point, but it only lasts for a few seconds, kind of like the rise and fall of anger and fear. That's why when I realized what you could do, I made sure we ran for it, because when your fear ran out, so would your power." Lilith stood up and stared out her window, "Looks like Ariyami's right. I think it's gonna rain. Well, lets call it quits for today; I'm getting kinda hungry."
Lilith and Ken, feeling somewhat exhausted, trotted down the stairs and both shuddered when they heard thunder boom through the air outside. "Sounds like quite a gale, huh?" Lyle asked from the reclining chair when they entered the vast living room. Ken saw Ariyuki laying on the couch, preparing for a nap. Then he felt Nekomata rub against his legs, purring and mewing for attention.
"That meowing won't work, Nekomata," Lilith told her tartly, "Use your words like a big girl."
Nekomata growled, but stared her great blue eyes up at Ken's and her voice echoed in his head, C'mon, pet me! Love me!
"Jeez, sometimes I wonder who's more childish; Lyle, or Nekomata?" Lilith sat down at the couch and moved Ariyuki's legs so Ken could too. Just then the phone rang and Lyle got up to answer it.
"How much you wanna bet that's Davis?" Ken asked in irritation.
"Ken, it's for you! Davis, I think!" Lyle's voice echoed from the kitchen.
Ken scowled at both Nekomata and Lilith before stalking into the kitchen. Lyle handed him the phone and he reluctantly said, "Hello?"
"Ken! Did you forget about our meeting in the park or what?! C'mon! Everyone's waiting!"
"Davis, how did you find me here?"
"Kari told us where you were. C'mon already! Let's go! We'll see ya in the usual meeting place. See ya!"
Next chance I get, I'm gonna buy a whole cage of rats and let 'em loose in Kari's room, Ken thought bitterly, hanging up the phone and reentering the living room. "I gotta go, guys. Davis and the others are expecting me at the park again."
"Oh, alright, then," said Lilith gently shaking Ariyuki awake. He yawned and rubbed his big eyes, asking what time it was.
"Time for us to get going," Ken told him.
As Ken and the bemused Ariyuki left out the door, Lilith waved good-bye and urged them to be careful of the rain. While trotting down the gravel road and just as little droplets of water hit their heads, Ken and Ariyuki ran across William, apparently in a hurry. "Hi Will!" Ariyuki piped up.
"Oh, uh, what do you two want?" he asked, evidently distracted.
"Listen, Will," Ken said quietly, "I'm sorry about your parents."
"My parents? Oh! Oh, yes! Well, don't mention it again!" and with that, he dashed toward the house.
"He can be really weird sometimes," Ariyuki informed Ken innocently.
More than that, thought Ken. He seemed to hardly remember his parents at all. I still have trouble getting over Sam's death. I just know he up to something.
It wasn't long until the little sprinkle of rain turned into a downpour and Ken and Ariyuki rushed toward the park. They found all the other Digidestined and their Digimon sitting under the shade of a few large umbrellas at the tables. They also spied Ariyami with Neomon, Midori, and Wormmon. "You guys okay?" he asked them.
"We're just fine," Ken told them with a large air of anger and sarcasm.
"Well, we remembered your message about Lilith's dream and the Digimon Sovereign," said Yolei cautiously.
"Yeah, what's goin' on?" Davis added.
"Nothing much," said Ken, sitting down with Ariyuki, "Lilith just had a dream that had the Sovereign speaking of getting stronger. I just thought it might be an important issue."
Cody looked uncertain along with the others. "Ken, we don't mean to sound mean, but we don't think you should be putting all of your trust into Lilith."
"What are you talking about?" Ken asked. "Look, Lilith's one of my best friends. Why do you guys have such a problem with her?"
"Because you're spending way too much time with her!" Yolei told him. "It's like you're not part of the team anymore. You're always at her house or you're always with her! You even showed her the Digital World, Ken! What were you thinking!?"
"Look, that was blackmail! And she's completely trustworthy!" Ken shouted. "You're acting as though she's a spy for the Sovereign or something! She's helping us stop him!"
"Oh, yeah?" said Cody, "Well, when you were the Digimon Emperor and we didn't know who you were, we thought you could help us too. But instead you-"
At that moment Ariyuki knocked Cody to the ground. "I told you to leave Ken alone about that!" he shouted. "And, I don't know why, but you guys don't trust anyone, except people who are Digidestined, barely that!"
"Ya know," said Ariyami coolly to everyone, "You guys are kinda getting uptight about this. It's just a dream issue, people. Let's just go to the Digital World and find out if she's right or not. We should have done that in the first place instead of engage in a name-calling fest."
"Ariyami's right," said T.K, talking for the first time since the fight started. "Worrying about how reliable Lilith is isn't gonna help us any, is it? If anything, we should go in and find out!"
"Alright! T.J's got a plan!" Davis broadcasted.
So, after settling the argument in a few short seconds, the Digidestined all made their way to Davis's house since it was the closest. It seemed Davis's room got messier every time they came in; there were soda cans littering the floor and some green fuzzy stuff in the corner. While Davis stepped on his clothes to get to his computer, everyone else tried to keep as much distance as possible from them, unknowing what kind of things, living or dead, could be hiding in them. Ariyuki then asked Ken how often Davis's mom would do a room inspection.
"I'm willing to bet that she never wants to come in here again," Ken told him.
"Alright, guys!" David announced, "Are we ready to go?"
"Please!" everyone shouted simultaneously. Davis grumbled, but put his digivice to the screen anyway. In a flash they were gone. Through the ride to the Digital World, Ariyami volunteered to hold Ariyuki through the whole trip so he wouldn't get too sick. Everyone landed on their feet in the Digital World; everyone except Davis, that is, who lands on his feet then falls over on his backside.
They sky all around was filled with an unnatural darkness; Ariyuki and Ariyami's white Digivices began to hum and vibrate. It was like the same cloud of darkness the Digimon Sovereign called upon last time. "What's going on, Ken?" Ariyuki asked, tugging at his sleeve.
"I don't know, Ariyuki, but I think Lilith was right. Look at this place!" then he aimed his Digivice at Wormmon, "Try to Digivolve, Wormmon!"
"I can't, Ken," he said after about five tries. The strange cloud of darkness was acting like a control spire itself.
"Alright, then!" declared Ariyuki. "Midori! Crystal Digivolve!"
"Kailomon, Crystal Digivolve to...Mysticmon!"
"Well, it looks like Ariyuki's Digimon can still digivolve," said Yolei.
"Ariyami, it's your Digimon's turn." Kari told him.
"Right," Ariyami aimed his white digivice at Neomon, "Crystal Digivolve, Neomon!"
"Neomon, Crystal Digivolve to...Shadowmon!"
"Don't worry, Ariyuki, we'll scout around and find out what's going on around here," Midori said, soaring up into the sky.
"Yes, stay here and wait. We'll be back soon," added Shadowmon.
"Wow, Ariyami. We never knew your Digimon could Crystal Digivolve too," said Yolei, impressed. While all eight Digidestined waited, Ariyami told them all about his Digimon's ability to Crystal Digivolve. It was only when he go to the part where Shadowmon burst a hole through the Sovereign's roof did Midori and Shadowmon return.
"We found out that the this strange cloud of Darkness is coming from the Digimon Sovereign's base," Shadowmon told them all, removing his black hood.
"Then we just need to go there," advised Ariyami.
"Alright! You two carry us, alright?" Davis informed Midori and Shadowmon. Midori scooped Ariyuki into her arms along with Kari, Yolei, and Cody, while Shadowmon carried Davis, T.K, and Ken. Each Digidestined carried their own Digimon. Ariyami, of course having the ability to fly, stayed close to Shadowmon. It was even harder to find the Sovereign's crystal fortress now that the sun wasn't out to reflect off it.
However, it wasn't as hard as trying to find the little hold at the side of the third crystal to the right. Once it was discovered thought, Midori and Shadowmon Digivolve Downgraded so they could fit through the tunnel. "This place is amazing," said Gatomon in awe.
"Yeah, the Digimon Sovereign really redecorated your base, Ken," added Ariyami, patting his back. Once they came upon the same height identification door, Kari let it scan her again while everyone else stepped back. The doors slid open and they saw, not to Kari or Ariyami's surprise, the room that resembled a forest. However, instead of being empty, the forest was brimming with life. Rookie level Digimon were dotted here and there.
Gizamon munched on some grass while a clan of Elecmon played a type of tag game. Gekomon and a Shellmon relaxed in the water. The Digidestined noticed, however, that every one of the Digimon had a dark ring. "This seems to be some sort of Digimon habitat," said Ken thoughtfully. "I wonder what the other two crystals have..."
"Master," an electronic voice sounded from the speaker next to the Digimon Sovereign who was working in his dark and highly advanced control room. "Intruders, master, in habitat two."
The Sovereign pushed a blue button on the large control panel in front of him and a monitor for Habitat two lit up. He grinned watching the Digidestined walking about in the habitat. "Well, let's see how welcome these fools feel if I do this." he smashed another button next to the first one.
All the Digimon around the Digidestined with dark rings were writhing in pain as their rings glowed red. Then their eyes flashed red and they stared hungrily at the Digidestined. "Now, my Digimon, attack!" the Sovereign cried maniacally through a speaker. The Gizamon charged, their feet thumping the ground.
"They're coming right at us!" Yolei shouted in panic.
"Spiral Saw!" they screamed simultaneously. Just before their horns made contact with Kari, Ariyami stepped in the way and waved his hands. A wave of blue light surrounded the Gizamon and they stopped running and fell to the floor, snoring; Ariyami had knocked them out. Then the Shellmon leapt out of the water and shot his Hydro Blaster attack at all of them, destroying a few enslaved Elecmon in the process. Neomon leapt in front of the Digidestined and instantly digivolved into Shadowmon; Midori did the same.
Shadowmon drew out his vast sword and used his dark "Sword of Faith!" attack on the water blast, splitting it in two so that it missed the Digidestined. Midori stepped onto the deep water and used a special attack, combining her Twilight Flash with the now glowing mystical water and launched it at Shellmon, destroying him in an instant. Now every Digimon in the habitat was either asleep or deleted. Stepping out of the water, Midori fell to her knees and began chanting something.
"What's she doing-?" Davis began, but was unable to finish the question because Shadowmon put up a hand.
"Be silent. She is praying for the lost loves of the Digimon," he told them.
"Well, isn't this just touching?" taunted a voice behind them, "I mean, doesn't it just make you wanna cry, Baron?"
"Actually, I feel like I wanna puke."
"Sovereign!" T.K. barked, "What do you want now?"
"I think the question is, what do you want now? You're in my fortress, after all."
"Why don't you give up your cruel ways?! You're hurting innocent Digimon! Can't you see that?!" Cody roared.
"Honestly, you break into my fortress and you accuse me of wrongdoing? I feel so hurt. However, I don't hurt as much as you will, especially since you trespassed in the territory of the most powerful being in the Digital World." the Digimon Sovereign sneered.
T.K. smirked; this was all too familiar. It reminded him of the time when Ken told him that. "Ya know, at first I thought you were nothing like Ken. I figured you were more clever or smarter, but really, you're just like he was. You claim to be the most power being here, but do you really know what you're doing, or the secrets that surround this place?"
The Digimon Baron's anger was rising to the peak, but the Sovereign kept his cool. He simply started to laugh. "I know more about the Digital World than you could ever learn. I've been in the Digital World for centuries now, Digidestined, not that you ever knew." his face grew even more smug, "I am superior to you in every way. A perfect being; something Ken tried to be, but couldn't accomplish because his heart got in the way; a weakness that befalls almost everyone."
"Having a heart isn't a weakness, Sovereign, it's a strength!" Ken retorted.
"Yeah!" shouted Yolei, "Something you never had and probably never will!"
"You may be powerful, Sovereign, but it won't get you anywhere if you don't have a heart!" Ariyami added. "A heart is what makes you a person! It's what makes you kind, sincere, and even reliable! Without a heart, you're nothing!"
"Indeed? Do you even know what having a heart is, Digidestined?" he suddenly became extremely angry and his voice level rose. "I lost my heart centuries ago because of them!" he pointed at the Digimon. "Having a heart is when you have extreme power and you use it only for good! I lived among the Digimon once! I was reliable! I was sincere! I was...kind!
"Then they stabbed me and Baron in the back and destroyed who we once were! I was alone and scared for years upon years! Do you have any idea what it's like?! Helpless and friendless; I'll make them pay! I'll make you all pay!" dark, murky energy erupted from the Digimon Sovereign. He drew is silver blade out and charged for Ken. Ken dodged just in time, swerved back, and grabbed the Digimon Sovereign's wrists.
In an instant he disappeared, but the sword fell to the floor. Ken picked it up and studied it; however, it wasn't long until he was using it. At that moment, the Sovereign reappeared in the air above Ken. He screamed madly and used an aerial attack with a blue beam sword that nearly chopped Ken's head off.
Then Ken and the Sovereign engaged in a swift and deadly duel. Their weapons would clash together and create streaks of lightning, similar to what would happen during the fight between the Sovereign and Ariyami. Ken, who had never used a sword in his life, was using clumsy moves and tactics in an attempt to get away from the Sovereign in one piece. Then, the boy took one quick swipe and slashed Ken's shoulder; blood instantly began to flow to the floor.
Ken fell to his knees, whimpering and cradling his shoulder. The Digimon Sovereign stood over him, triumph in his smirk. His visage slid in and out of focus, though. Ken could hardly see; he was weak and exhausted. What he could see was the Sovereign raising his rapier high.
Ken snapped his eyes shut, knowing what would soon follow. The Digimon Sovereign brought the sword swishing down when...
"No!" Ken heard an oddly familiar voice cry. It caught his attention, and his concentration returned along with his vision. He looked up and saw the Sovereign holding his head, apparently in pain.
"What is the matter with you?!" he heard him bellow. After about a minute of Ken watching him, the Sovereign regained his strength and rematerialized his beam sword. Thinking quick, however, Ken grabbed the silver sword and made one wild swing toward him. With a shriek of agony the Digimon Sovereign jumped away, supporting his bleeding right arm; Ken had left a long gash from his elbow joint to his wrist.
Blood dripped onto the floor, similar to when it did when Ken was cut. Now it was the Sovereign's turn to be on his knees; Ken loomed over him, throwing the rapier into a tree. "Now we're gonna find out who you are," Ken told him. "The threat ends here, Sovereign!"
However, with a flash of brutal claws, Ken staggered backwards, a cut on his face. Shiromon had joined the fray. Then he turned to the Sovereign. "Oh, master! Are you alright?"
"I'll live," he grunted. He then pulled a black pearl whistle out of one of his pockets and put his lips to it. It made a shrill sound that seemed to fill the entire fortress. At first, nothing happened; it was silent all around. Then, with a sudden roar, the massive Kimeramon burst through the crystal wall, destroying a few Digimon who were sleeping; Ariyami managed to rescue a few, though and remove their dark rings.
"Good baby," cooed the Digimon Sovereign, "Now, attack these cowering fools!" Kimeramon nodded and obeyed, charging the Digidestined and their rookie Digimon.
Thinking fast, Ariyuki called his Digimon. "Midori, we'll go and find the Sovereign's control room! If we can shut off the power, maybe we get rid of the darkness cloud too and the others can Digivolve!"
Midori nodded. "Let's go!" now back at her rookie level, Midori followed Ariyuki to a ventilation shaft where he kicked the vent in and they crawled through. "Let's just pray the others can survive a little longer."
Meanwhile, Shadowmon was distracting Kimeramon while the others thought of a plan. "If we can't get our Digimon to digivolve soon, we're dead!" Davis shouted while they sought refuge under a tree.
"We can't leave Shadowmon out there for much longer!" Ariyami told them all, "He's not strong enough to take on that thing!"
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"Ariyuki, we've gotta pick up the pace. The others are counting on us!"
"I know, but I just don't know where to go." Ariyuki was crawling in the lead, occasionally peering through different vents to check and see if they could be in the right place. He knew they were really stuck when they came upon a fork in the vent.
"Now what?" Midori asked.
"Shh. Maybe, if I feel for it with my digivice, I might be able to find the right direction." Ariyuki drew his white Digivice out of his pocket and held it tightly in his hands. Please, he though desperately, Please, help me find the right way. I need to help my friends! Please help me!
"Ariyuki?" he heard a familiar voice say. He opened his eyes and found himself once again in the water realm. The same beautiful, gentle waterfalls trickled from somewhere high in the sky, shimmering an enchanting purple. And, before him, was Kii; still as beautiful and as enchanting as ever, her violet hair brushing the floor. "You call upon me again? How has your training been with Lilith?"
"It's been good," he said honestly. "I'm getting better and not as tired."
"I am proud for you. However, now you are trying to find a power within yourself, are you not? Trying to see which path is the right one?" Kii approached Ariyuki.
"Uh, huh. It's just, if I don't hurry, Kimeramon might destroy everyone! All my friends are in trouble, Kii!"
"I know, Ariyuki. However, you must not panic and you must not fear, or your mind will cloud quickly," Kii told him wisely. "And, my young one, even if you do manage to destroy Kimeramon, there will still be the Sovereign to worry about. This child is infused with magic centuries old, along with the spirit. Ariyuki, you do not yet know who the Sovereign is, but when you do learn, be kind and understanding."
Ariyuki didn't know what Kii was talking about, but nodded. "You seem to now know, Ariyuki, that when you are in need to me, you simply need to have your digivice in hand and your soul searching for me. I will find you and bring guidance when I feel you need it. Ariyuki, the control room you are searching for is filled with darkness. You know that your digivice responds to darkness's call by humming; find and evade all darknesses this way."
"Thanks, Kii," Ariyuki said, holding his digivice. "Bye, bye!" soon everything went black again and Ariyuki found himself back in the ventilation shaft; no time had passed again. He held his digivice close and felt for the control room. First he pointed right, but nothing happened; then he pointed left and it vibrated in his hands. "This way!"
Ariyuki and Midori crawled down the left shaft and scanned different vents for the control room. Then, somewhere near the end of the shaft, they found it. The digivice hummed out of control when they peeked through another vent and found themselves gazing at a dark room. Ariyuki kicked the vent out and jumped onto the floor, Midori following suit. Gazing around, Ariyuki felt shivers run up and down his spine.
The room was full of technology; different capsules full of dark rings and spirals seemed to fill the corner to the right. Whips, guns, and various other weapons rested on a shelf to left of them. Right ahead of them was a high-tech chair and a control panel that stretched from the left to the right. There was only one screen on and that was the monitor that showed habitat two. Ariyuki's eyes were glued to what he saw; Shadowmon was being thrown from wall to wall and beaten by several different arms.
"Shadowmon!" Ariyuki cried helplessly.
"Ariyuki! One of these buttons has to shut off the power! Let's look for it!" Midori instructed.
"It all looks so complicated," Ariyuki mused, staring at each button. "Better try everything. How 'bout this one?" he pushed a large green button and all the lights turned on in the control room. "Nope," he pressed it again and the room went dark save for the monitor.
"Ooh! Look at this shiny red one, Ariyuki!" Midori pointed out.
"Great. Push it!" he told her.
She obeyed and instantly red sirens went off everywhere and a voice sounded out, "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" the voice even echoed in habitat two.
"Sounds like the little guy's found the control room," Ariyami pointed out.
"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Ariyuki shouted in panic, covering his ears. She pressed it again, but nothing happened; the noise still continued to blare. Unable to bear the horribly shrill sound, Ariyuki and Midori smashed every button they could find, but nothing happened. Then Ariyuki saw it; a large switch on the wall tot he left of him. He grabbed it and pushed down with all of his power, but it was making slow progress; the thing was almost as big as him.
Midori then came to help. After a whole minute of trying and attempting to remain sane under the horrid siren, Ariyuki and Midori gave one mighty push and the breaker hit the bottom; all at once the entire room went black. All throughout the fortress, the power shut off and the siren deceased its loud call. The silence was wonderful to Ariyuki and Midori's throbbing ears.
Then they noticed light entering the room through a window. They checked it and found that the sky was blue again. Ariyuki was right! By shutting off the power, he had shut off the dark cloud itself!
They even had light back in habitat two because of the gigantic hole in the wall made by Kimeramon. "Alright!" cried Yolei, aiming her digivice at Hawkmon, "Digivolve!"
"Hawkmon, Digivolve to...Aquilamon!"
The other Digidestined did the same. The only Digimon who couldn't digivolve was Neomon, who had passed out from being beaten so much. While he and Ariyami watched from the sidelines, the other six Digidestined charged Kimeramon.
"Hey, Ariyuki. Look at this!" Ariyuki went to inspect what Midori had found. She was pointing at a large green button that was on the wall and surrounded by glass.
"Hey, that's a self destruct button." Ariyuki's face lit up. "Let's push it! We can stop the Digimon Sovereign here and now!" using a wrench that was lying on a desk, Ariyuki broke open the glass and pressed the green button. The entire fortress shook momentarily, then...
"Attention! The self destruct sequence has been activated! Five minutes to detonation! Please evacuate the premises at once!"
"That little nut set off the self destruct switch!" the Baron howled. "I'll get him for this!"
"No, Baron! We're getting out of here while we can!" the Sovereign scooped up Shiromon and leapt out of the hole in the fortress, the Baron following.
"Let's get out of here, guys!" T.K. advised. "Looks like Ariyuki went overboard!" all seven of the Digidestined soared out of the hole, each riding their Digimon, while Ariyami carried Neomon.
When they were safely away from the base, they turned around to watch it detonate. Then something hit Ken that made his insides turn over. "Where's Ariyuki, guys?!"
"Oh, my God!" cried Yolei. "he must still be inside!"
"Alright! Let's get outta here, Midori!" Ariyuki ran to the door across the room, but it wouldn't budge.
Then he heard over the intercom, "All doors are now locked!"
"Midori, we're locked in!" Ariyuki cried, "Crystal Digivolve!"
Once Midori was Mysticmon, she blew a hole through the door and they both dashed out. Running down the halls Ariyuki heard the electronic voice. "One minute to detonation!" then they came upon a dead end with five doors.
"We won't be able to try them all in time, Ariyuki! Pick one, quick!" Midori shouted.
Ariyuki thought fast. He pointed to the one to his very right. "That one!" Midori shot her Twilight Flash and blew it open. They immediately saw sky. Midori grabbed Ariyuki and soared out. Just as they were fifty feet out, the fortress exploded, and Midori and Ariyuki were caught in the blast.
All seven of the other Digidestined watched in horror as they both were engulfed in smoke. "No!" Ken screamed. He and Stingmon tried to fly to them, but the others held them back; it wasn't safe yet.
Then Ariyami looked down and saw two figures lying on the ground; one was little green Midori and the other was Ariyuki. Ariyami dropped down to the ground as fast as he could, the others following him. They can't be dead! Not now! They were so close!
Ariyami landed and ran straight to Ariyuki. "Ariyuki! C'mon, little guy, wake up, please!" he shook the little one, but his head simply bobbed from side to side.
The others were soon beside Ariyami. "Is he...he isn't...he can't be...dead?" Yolei begged, tears streaming down her face. She buried her face in her gloved hands and looked away.
"He gave his life to help us stop the Sovereign," whispered T.K, removing his bucket hat.
"Sovereign!" Ariyami roared. "he's responsible for this! Where is that little scum bag?!"
Then Midori stirred behind them. She groaned as she tried to stand up, but one look at Ariyuki snapped her eyes open and she ran toward him. However, she tripped over a large rock and was sent flying right into Ariyuki's stomach. His eyes shot open and he gasped for air. He got up on his hands and knees, and coughed, vomiting a little.
"Hey, guys, he's okay!" Davis announced joyfully.
Ariyuki moaned and held his throbbing head. "What happened?" he asked bemusedly.
"Once again, it seems this little tyke has nine lives or something," said T.K.
Ariyami picked Ariyuki up and held him tightly. "We're glad you're okay, little buddy," then he pulled away and looked Ariyuki in the face. "I must say you gave us all a little scare there. We thought you'd pushed up daisies."
Yolei then thumped Ariyami on the head. "This is no time to joke, you insensitive jerk! Let me hold him!" she took Ariyuki from his other counterpart and cuddled him like a teddy bear. "Are you okay, though? You're not hurt or anything?"
"No, I think I'm okay," Ariyuki admitted sleepily.
While everyone gathered around Ariyuki to hold him or congratulate him, high on a sand dune, overlooking the fiery ruins that was once his mighty fortress, the Sovereign sighed. "Well, so much for Kimeramon. Oh, well. My powers have now reached their peak anyway; it's time to find that talisman so I can get my revenge over with."
"Master, what about...um-" the Baron began.
"Oh, yes. The permanent host thing. This body will do fine. Tomorrow we'll do the quick ritual, make my soul everlasting, then we'll go looking for the talisman. Good thinking, Baron. Let's go home now."
"We're so proud of you, though, Ariyuki! You and Midori really make a great team!" it was Ken's turn to give Ariyuki some praise for his bravery.
"Ken," moaned Ariyuki, "I really wanna go home now. I'm really sleepy." he yawned and buried his face in Ken's not bloody shoulder.
"Yeah, I think sleep is what you need right now. We'll see you guys later; tomorrow, maybe! Bye!" Ken and Ariyami waved good-bye to the others while also searching for a portal back home.
By the time they had gotten back through the portal home, Ariyuki was already asleep. Ken laid him down on his bottom bunk and covered him up in warm blankets. Midori then found a place to settle down near Ariyuki's feet; smiling, Ken and Ariyami sauntered into the living room, tired, but happy to be home. Molly greeted them cheerfully from the kitchen while tending to her noodles and chicken.
Ken and Ariyami were shocked but quite pleased when they spotted Cal sitting on the sofa. He had been released from the hospital because the doctors said there was nothing else wrong with him. "Hey, guys," he greeted them cheerfully.
"Hey Dad," Ken and Ariyami both said, sitting down next to him.
"It's ten thirty-four. Where have you two been?" he asked.
"You know, the usual. Defeating evil tyrants, destroying strange creations, blowing things up...Nothing out of the ordinary," Ariyami replied, sighing and yawning. All three of them laughed heartily while Molly set the table for supper.
What a strange room she was in; it seemed to be made up of a forest. Ken was kneeling on the ground in front of her, whimpering and holding his arm, which was bleeding. Lilith wanted to help Ken and was approaching him, but then she came to a stop and raised a blue sword up high. She was going to kill him! What was she thinking?!
"No!" Lilith sprang up in bed, her hand reaching out to nothing. Realizing where she really was, she fell back on her back, her shaking hands on her splitting head. "Why do I keep having these dreams, these nightmares?" she sat up and stared outside her window; the sun was shining and she could hear birds chirping merrily.
Suddenly Lilith's arm began to throb with pain. She gasped in surprise and ache and gazed down at her hurting limb. It was bleeding heavily. Shocked, she dashed out of her room, across the hall, and into the bathroom to clean and wrap her mysterious wound.
After binding it with bandages, Lilith dressed herself in black jeans, a white T-shirt and black vest, brushed her short, fiery hair and stumbled downstairs, her right arm still hurting. "Mornin', Sunshine!" Lyle sang when Lilith entered the kitchen. His expression changed, however, when he saw Lilith's bandages that ranged from her elbow to her wrist. "My God, Lilith! What happened?!"
"It was another dream, Lyle," she replied, grabbing a plate, fork, and three pancakes.
"Lilith, this is the fifth time this has happened!" Lyle told her while she seated herself and poured syrup on her pancakes. "I think I should consult with Fennel about this; what do you think? He's one of the best healing mages in the Order and knows an awful lot about dreams and their nature."
"I don't think that would be such a bad idea, Lyle," Lilith replied nonchalantly, pouring some milk in a saucer and placing it on the table for Nekomata. Lyle smiled and just then the phone rang. "I'll get it," Lilith called. She walked next to the sink and picked up the phone that was hanging on the wall. "Tsutomo residence. Oh, hi, Ken!"
"Hey, Lilith! Sleep well?"
"So-so. How have you been? Was your picnic any fun?" Lilith scowled at Lyle when she was him flash his eyelashes and pucker his lips tauntingly.
"I wouldn't exactly say 'Fun'," he replied, sounding exhausted just remembering it. "We ended up fighting the Digimon Sovereign in his own base yesterday! He was quite a little monster; slashed my shoulder with his beam sword!"
"He did?" Lilith asked, shocked. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine; better than fine. I got a little revenge on him."
Lilith grinned. "What did you do?"
"I used his own sword against him and cut his arm straight from his elbow to wrist! I got him good!"
Lilith was about to laugh when she took notice to her own arm. Her heart froze. "Uh, Ken? That sounds interesting. Which arm did you get?"
"I slashed his right arm! He'll be feeling that today."
"I think he is," Lilith murmured.
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing. Um, I guess I'll talk to ya later. I've got some chores to do. Bye!" Lilith slammed the phone on the receiver and made to go upstairs, her heart thumping madly.
"Lilith, where are ya going?" Lyle asked her.
"N-nowhere. I just feel a little dizzy. I'm gonna lay down." and with that, she darted upstairs to her room. She shut the door and locked it, approaching her bed. Could this be true? No, there's no way. This has to be some bizarre coincidence.
Then her dreams entered her head; from the blizzard and snow storm, to the nightmare she just had. Could these all be...? Then, she heard screaming; petrified screaming from thousands of Digimon in pain, begging for mercy while a cackle filled the air. The cackle of a voice that was far too familiar. Lilith fell to her knees and covered her ears, trying to block out all the crying and screaming.
"What's happening to me?!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. Then, it all came to a stop as Lilith realized the brutal, painful truth. She cried for hours on end afterward, knowing who she was. "I'm the Digimon Sovereign."