Beware the Eastern Sun

by Kal Lenin

Warped by the time difference in the digital world and the real world, Tai, Joe, and Izzy return to the digital world to find things starkly different. Things are not what they used to be, and friends may not be friends...

25. Chapter 24

Beware the Eastern Sun

Chapter 24

"...Black-winged Night

Into the bosom of Erebus dark and deep

Laid a wind-born egg, and as the seasons rolled

Forth sprang Love, the longed-for, shining, with wings of gold."

-Aristophanes

Izzy tapped his watch as he pressed the button, illuminating its face. "Three thirty," he announced to the group.

"We need to cover more ground," Joe said.

Just then, Sora tapped on his shoulder and pointed ahead. The dim light of the lantern revealed a large staircase which ended upon a stone wall. Sora looked at Leomon, who nodded back, confirming her suspicions. "Into they abyss," Sora commented.

"More like from the abyss," Izzy said.

They climbed the staircase where Leomon searched the stone surface. He found a switch which he flipped. As he did this the stone slab pushed inward and slid aside silently, allowing them passage into the castle. They were led into an alcove along a dark hallway. The torches were spaced far apart in this area of the castle. A pair of guards whipped briskly around the corner, but fell almost immediately. The only sounds were the twanging of Sora's bow and Izzy's crossbow. Joe muttered, "I coulda had them."

"OK, Leomon," Tai said. "Where to?"

"I'm not quite sure," he responded. "T.K. might know, if you can find him."

"Well, I guess we pick a direction," Tai said. He closed his eyes and pointed left. The others followed after him silently.

T.K. opened his eyes. He glanced at his watch and sniffed the air. He could almost smell the acrid quality in the air, the moisture clinging to his skin. This was it. He knew it, somehow, through that instinct that comes with such refining. He left his chamber and let his mind guide him, Angemon following close behind.

"We're going in circles," Sora complained.

"No we're not," Tai asserted.

"I think I've seen this painting before," Joe commented.

"All right, you lead then," Tai said, frustrated.

"Let us lead," Agumon said. "Digimon have great sense of direction."

"Oh really?" Tai said.

"Sure! We'll be outta here in no time, right guys?" The other digimon nodded.

"Never send a human to do a digimon's job," Gomamon said.

Agumon sniffed the air for a bit. "This way," he said, heading off down a long hallway.

The rounded the corner and nearly bumped into a small squadron of guards. There was a moment of shock where both groups stood immobile and stared at each other, but soon they reacted. "Hey you! What are you doing here?!" the guards shouted. The digidestined backtracked hastily. "Any new ideas?" Tai asked.

"Run!" everyone shouted.

They huffed and puffed along the corridors, making random turns. Luckily, the guards following them did not have any bows, but when Sora glanced back, she saw two detach from the group. "Uh oh," she warned, "looks like they're getting the others."
"OK, split up!" Tai shouted. As they passed a four-way intersection, Joe, Izzy, Gomamon, and Tentamon broke left while they continued straight. The pursuing eight guards split accordingly. Tai continued to run frantically down the hallway, but skidded to a stop. Up ahead was a dead end. He drew his sword and spun around. "Time to stop running!"

Sora began letting loose with her bow, but the arrows bounced off of their armor. "Need more power!" she said.

"Our turn!" Biyomon said.

"You sure you guys have room?" Tai asked. Biyomon flashed him a dirty look, making Tai put up his hands defensively. "I think it's a fair question," he muttered.

"Biyomon, digivolve to…Birdramon!"

"Agumon, digivolve to…Greymon!"

Greymon's head came about a foot short of the ceiling. Birdramon came about a foot short of the side walls. Tai, Sora, and Leomon edged backwards to give them room. "Meteor Wing!" "Nova Blast!"

The guards reversed direction and ducked down another hallway, but the last two were caught in the flames. The raced down the hall, but this time, the guards didn't immediately pursue; they gave them some lead. "There's gotta be a better way to do this!" Tai huffed between breaths.

Greymon stopped himself and smiled. "Why didn't you ask?" He lowered his head.

"Oh no you don't!" Tai shouted. It was too late. Greymon charged into the side wall with a grunt, but kept going. Tai watched in amazement as he plowed through three different walls, leaving behind a wide hole. Greymon stopped and turned around. "You coming?" he asked. Tai and Sora looked at each other once, shrugged, and picked their way over the rubble. Birdramon dedigivolved back into Biyomon and flew through, followed by Leomon.

Tai looked back over his shoulder. "I wonder how Joe and Izzy are doing."

"Left!"

"Right!"

"Left!"

"Right!"

It didn't matter—they passed the intersection.

"OK," Izzy said. "Straight."

They ran furiously, but Joe was beginning to wheeze. "Aw, c'mon Joe! All those hours at the gym!" Gomamon teased. Finally, Joe collapsed. "I can't go on!" he panted.

"Do we have to do everything around here?" Gomamon complained.

"Well, we are their digimon," Tentamon commented.

Gomamon sighed. "I guess."

"Gomamon, digivolve to…Ikakumon!"

"Tentamon digivolve to…Kabuterimon!"

The two digimon looked at each other. "You take the high road, I take the low road?" Ikakumon said. Kabuterimon nodded and took to the air.

The guards charged forward. "Electro Shocker!" "Harpoon Torpedo!"

They were blasted aside like dolls. "Boy, we're pretty good," Joe said as they moved on. Just then, they walked into a large hall filled with guards. "Um, retreat?" he said. They turned on their heels at top speed, with whole platoons of guards behind them.

"I hope Tai has better luck," Joe said.

"I'm sure it can't get worse than this," Izzy said.

Tai, Sora, Biyomon, and Leomon followed the trail left by Greymon. Suddenly, Greymon stopped and dedigivolved. Where there was once a charging beast, there was Agumon sitting on the floor and rubbing his head. When Tai caught up, he said, "What happened there, raging bull?"

"I hit a wall," he said

"Oh yeah, one of those." Tai rolled his eyes.

"At least we're getting somewhere," Sora said, pointing to a nearby staircase that lead upwards. "We've got to get to the surface to get our bearings."

They climbed the narrow staircase by twos and threes. When they reached the top, there was a large room, which was apparently some sort of hub leading to many other hallways. In it were many lounging digimon guarding the area. "Hey!" they cried.

Tai sighed as best as he could at top speed. "I suppose it was inevitable."

"Of course," Sora said as they raced down another hallway.

Tai looked at his watch. "Four o' clock."

Leomon commented. "Sunrise at six thirty."

They dodged down a small side corridor and hid in a dark room. The guards raced by. "Whew!" Tai whispered. "That was close!" A rustling came from behind them.

Tai whipped around and turned on the lantern. Huddled together were Izzy and Joe, looking like a group of frightened rabbits. Gomamon and Tentamon were off to the side watching them with pitying eyes. Gomamon looked relieved. "About time some good sense arrived!" He tackled Tai to the floor and stared into his eyes. "Bring back Joe!"

Tai pushed him aside and stared at the couple. "Joe? Izzy? You OK?"

"Well," Izzy began slowly. "It's not quite what you think. We didn't chicken out or anything."

"I'm waiting for an explanation."

"Well, I concluded that since the guards following us had been thoroughly distracted, there was no logical reason for us to go stirring them up. We figured that it was of everyone's best interest that we hide." Joe nodded meekly.

"Oh, get up," Sora said, pulling Joe to his feet.

"So this is the new Joe you were talking about?" Biyomon said to Gomamon.

Gomamon shrugged. "Still needs a little work."

Tai peeked out the room. "Coast is clear. Hurry up!"

They snuck out of the room at a jog, using the most remote and dark hallways that they could. "Look for staircases leading upwards," Tai said.

"The biggest rooms are on the first floor," Leomon said.

They found a staircase and climbed it, knocking out two digimon who were guarding at the top. "Well, things are certainly getting bigger," Tai said.

"And more well guarded," Joe added.

Two staircases later, Tai stopped in frustration. "I can't stand this! Is there no end!"

Agumon rubbed his head and looked at Gomamon. "Your turn."

"Gomamon, digivolve to…Ikakumon!"

"Harpoon torpedo!"

After a flurry of explosions, there was a dim shaft of light coming through a hole in the wall from afar. "This way," Ikakumon said. They all followed without complaints.

Outside, there was a heavy fog which hid the dark gray clouds that swirled above the castle. "Four thirty," Izzy called out. By now, they could hear the shouts of guards from afar, but the fog hindered clear view for more than twenty feet in any direction. Leomon looked up and pointed to the dim outline of a building. "I think Matt is somewhere in there, but I can't be sure."

"Then let's get over there," Tai said, already running.

But scores of guards were already heading their way. "Tai, you go with Agumon! We'll hold them back. Hurry!" Joe shouted. He was already swinging furiously, cutting down opponents of all sorts. Izzy and Sora's weapons were singing a duet and Leomon, too, was joining the fray. Tai looked back once before plunging through the iron door, Agumon diving behind him. He shut it behind him and barred the door.

He moved quickly down the halls, sliding as quietly as he could along their high stone walls. Occasionally a few guards would jog past them while they hid in small side hallways. The path was clear though—as Tai delved further and further into the keep, there was more activity.

Finally, he reached a large central chamber with many hallways leading from it. On the East side, though, there was only one large opening with steps leading up to it. At the top of those steps were two guards, one at each end of the hallway entrance. The overall lighting was dim, with the flickering of torches casting multiple shadows in all directions.

Tai eased back into the dark hallway and looked at Agumon. He jerked a thumb in the direction of the guards and held up two fingers. Agumon nodded. Tai scanned the room in search of some means to distract the guards. Finally, he reached into his bag and produced a battery. Agumon gave him a dubious look, but he just shrugged.

He cocked his arm and chucked the battery across the room and into the shadows of one of the other entrances. Both guards turned, but only one went off to investigate. The other took a few steps forward and idly watched his comrade.

Tai silently cursed. He slowly drew out his sword and nudged Agumon. Then he lipped, "One, two, three." On three they both dashed out into the chamber. Tai sprinted up the steps the guard that was still blocking the hallway. The guard heard the noise and whipped out his sword, but then Tai was there. Tai swung down with awesome force, and cleanly sliced through the upraised sword of the guard. Then he came down upon his head with the pommel in a crushing blow, leaving the guard crumpled on the ground. Meanwhile Agumon's Pepper Breath had incapacitate the other guard. Tai and Agumon waited a few tense moments listening for any response. Finally, Tai nodded and the two continued into the hallway.

A shadow flitted in the darkness as they left.

The silence was eerie. Their footsteps echoed off the moist walls to the accompaniment of dripping water. The darkness was equally oppressive, only abbreviated by a few scant torches. But still, the shadows provided them with cover, and would be their only allies in this den deep within the enemy's lair. Up ahead, Tai heard the footsteps of guards and halted to a crouching stop. Their indistinct voices barely reached them, so Tai inched forward. He signaled for Agumon to stay behind. As he crept forth, the guards finally came into view.

"…he in?" one guard was just saying.

"No, he's not to be disturbed," another guard responded. He was posted in front of two large doors.

"We have a message of utmost importance," the accosting guard persisted.

"His majesty said no interruptions, period," the other posted guard said.

"What am I to do then?" the guard asked.

The first posted guard looked around and leaned close. "He's dealing with some pretty shifty stuff." He rubbed his fingers together. "You know, the black art. You won't be wanting to disturb him."

"But we have intruders!"

"Then deal with them!"

The guard looked as if to persist, but then he left in frustration. The other two guards returned to a pose of half-slumber, standing unwavering at their posts. Tai turned and waved Agumon forward. "Time for another plan," he whispered. He led him back down the hallway.

Tai looked at his garb. He had done his best to disguise as a guard. It was very unconvincing, but hopefully it would pass. The guards didn't seem to pay much attention anyway. He took Agumon as if he was captive and whispered, "Remember the plan."

"I still don't think this'll work."

"It doesn't have to. It just has to get us close enough."

"Why can't we just whack them and be done with it?"

Tai hesitated. "It doesn't seem right. Besides, there could be some sort of alarm."

Agumon shrugged. "If you say so."

They walked forward. At first, the guards didn't react, but when Tai made a loud shuffling sound, they both straightened and one addressed him, "Who goes there?"

Tai looked at the floor and grunted. "What do I do with this one?"

"Eh?"

"A prisoner. Tried to escape. What'll I do with him?"

One guard made a sound of disgust. "We don't have time with this, you dolt! Think of something! Give 'em to the captain."

"He said to come here," Tai said.

The other guard stepped forward. "Somethin' ain't right here."

Agumon broke Tai's grip. "True." He tackled the one close guard. Tai bawled forward and caught the feet of the other guard. He felt a few blows immediately to his head, and backed away to clear it. He saw the guard reaching for some sort of switch on the wall, but Agumon was already on him. The other guard got up and pursued Agumon, but Tai tripped him and began assaulting him with a series of blows with his gauntlets. He heard a small shriek as Agumon utilized his claws and made quick work of the guard's armor. The two then stood up, leaving the two guards groaning. They both dusted their hands. Tai ditched the dirty garb and shook hands with Agumon. "Not too shabby," he said.

"You were pretty good yourself," Agumon responded.

They then looked at the big doors, and then back at each other. Tai pushed the doors lightly. They made a creaking sound as it swung inward slowly. Taking a deep breath, he headed into the almost pitch black room. Agumon gave a suspicious look once back down the hallway where they came from, but then shook his head and followed Tai in.

They proceeded down a long hallway with pillars lining both sides. The only light came from two torches above a set of double doors all the way at the end of the hallway. An old carpet, soaked with moisture and torn in many places, led the way to the doors. The pillars were of Greek design, perhaps Ionic or Doric. Their designs were long since etched away by acid, and the white stone was dark green with moss. Agumon felt a tingling sensation. "There's something wrong here."

"Of course. It's called nervousness."

Agumon persisted. "No, I mean something weird."

"Just keep moving."

They walked on, their steps sometimes cushioned by the thin layer of carpet. Agumon kept looking back over his shoulder. He thought he saw a shadow. Shaking the feeling off, he tried to divert his attention by examining the pillars. This worked for a time, but then he realized that when he looked between the pillars, he could not see the walls beyond them. There could be acres of empty space and they wouldn't be aware of it.

Tai crept up to the doors, and pressed his ear upon it. He heard strange noises from beyond, then Matt's muffled voice briefly. He smiled. With as much caution as possible, he pushed lightly on the doors. They swung in easily and silently. As he stepped through, a loud sound issued forth from behind him. He spun around and saw the hulk of Garurumon in the hallway. "Agumon!" he shouted. But as he reached out, the doors closed shut. Tai spun around again just in time to catch the distant shadow of Matt stir.

Agumon lay on his back, wincing from the pain. A hot, smelly breath assaulted his face. "Did you miss me?" a gruff voice whispered.

Agumon opened his eyes and allowed them to focus. Pinning him to the floor was Garurumon. "Oh, it's nice to see you." Garurumon was thrown back as Agumon digivolved instantly into Greymon.

He got up. "I was wondering when you'd finally get here," Garurumon said, lunging forward.

Greymon sidestepped and wrapped his arms around Garurumon. "Truly," he grunted, "the pleasure's mine."

Garurumon broke free. He dashed behind a pillar, Greymon pursuing him. Garurumon leaped at him from high and Greymon ducked, making Garurumon overshoot. "So, how's Matt?" Greymon asked, leaning his head forward and charging.

Gryemon was hit in his midsection and fell over. He rolled to his feet. "Just peachy. And Tai? Howling Blaster!"

Greymon absorbed the blow and stumbled backwards. "Fine. Nova Blast!"

Garurumon dodged aside. "This grows tiresome!" He digivolved into Weregarurumon.

"Two can play that game!" Greymon digivolved into Metalgreymon.

"Now this I like," Weregarurumon said, lunging low and reaching for Metalgreymon's legs.

Metalgreymon kicked him back and slashed with his metal claws. The blow flung Weregarurumon to the ground, but he rolled and pushed off the floor to his feet, spun around and planted a Garurukick right into Metalgreymon's midsection. The exchange continued as the two endlessly matched each other blow for blow, using all of their attacks. In that vast chamber filled with darkness they grappled to the death, rolling to and fro between the columns.

Matt rose and spoke eerily, "I have waited long for this moment."

Tai stood motionless. He felt a tingling in his gauntlets as they lit to life with blue fire. He tightened his grip on the sword. "Let's just make this quick. You and me. Now."

"But what's the rush," Matt asked coolly. "So quick to battle. So easily do you throw everything into armed conflict. Come. Let us talk."

"I won't be tricked by you," Tai said. He took a determined pose, planting his feet into the ground.

Matt stared at him for a moment, as if pondering some strange notion, then continued. "Fine. Let it be, then. You only hasten your own doom." Matt turned around and withdrew a large double-edged battleaxe. As he touched it, it glowed red. Tai felt the heat from his gauntlets flare as this happened, as if it were eager to meet its foe. The words of the prophecy fell upon him. The prophecy will be your strongest ally. He felt his pocket. The book was still there.

Matt sat down on a luxurious chair and made as if cleaning his fingernails. "You will see that the battle will not be so easy. But let us even the playing field, then, shall we?" As he said this, the only source of light, the sacrificial brazier, dimmed down such that only thing visible was the shrine itself. However, the glowing blue of Tai's gauntlets and the glowing red of Matt's axe remained telltale markers of their location. He heard Matt's voice, "And no cheating, please?" He felt the copy of the prophecy slip from his pocket and yelped in surprise, but it was too late. The book drifted through the air and landed into Matt's hands, where he presumably examined it. "Ah, the last copy? Well let's have no trouble from that." He tossed it in the brazier which momentarily flared before dying down. In that moment of light, he saw Matt. He was surrounded with a black aura which almost absorbed the light from around him. It was then that Tai knew he would not just be battling Matt.

The prophecy will be your strongest ally.

But how will I use it if I don't have it? Tai was losing some of his edge, especially with the darkness. He began shifting his stance. "What's the matter, Tai? Deprived of your special weapon?" The axe began floating back and forth.

"Crest of Courage?," he continued. "Hardly. You should've had my crest, Tai. Do you know why? Because you always have to rely on your friends to get things done. You could never do anything yourself."

Tai felt the anger rising. He took a few aggressive steps forward. Matt chuckled. "Ah there we are. Come now, let us have it," Matt taunted.

Tai took a deep breath. Then, he charged forward and screamed. But at the last moment, the axe bobbed and suddenly Tai was flying to the floor. The laughing from behind him again. "C'mon, Tai! You can do better!"
He felt himself being kicked. He rolled aside and got up. He swung through the air towards the axe, which hovered to meet his attack. When the two weapons clashed a brilliance of sparks flew from the pint of contact. They stung on Tai's skin, but Matt seemed to revel in the pain. Again, the light showed a brief image of Matt. This time, Tai was terrified. He looked as if some beast with messy blond hair. He had almost grown in size and was making horrible sounds of perverted pleasure as they exchanged blows.

Every time he hit Matt, he just seemed to grow stronger. It became increasingly harder to ward off the blows. Finally, Tai fell over on his back and his sword cluttered away from him. Immediately, Matt kicked the sword farther away. Tai rolled behind a pillar and took a few deep breaths. Then he stripped his gloves and threw them aside so Matt could not see the glow and crawled to a corner of the room where he cowered in fear.

"We can't hold them back much longer!" Sora said. They were nearly backed against a wall.

Izzy was busy tapping away on his laptop. "I think I have something here."

"Well we don't have much time! Figure it out!" Joe screamed. Then he continued on his bout of deranged violent acts, accompanied with screaming. Zudamon, Megakabuterimon, Phoenixmon, and Angewomon were doing their best to hold off the attacks of various digimon. But they were already beginning to falter. Zudamon and Megakabuterimon dedigivolved shortly. "Izzy, N-O-W, NOW!" Joe shouted

But then Joe was pinned down. Izzy was the only one within reach. He was still intent on his laptop. "Almost! Just a few more moments! But I have to watch it carefully!"

"Izzy!" Joe shouted as he received an incapacitating blow. His thoughts drifted to the dream, where he sat passively as Joe was in pain. He was torn between the decision—how could he help his friends better? On the long-term, perhaps the computer solution would work. But the situation demanded action. To sacrifice an advantage? He'd always been taught to win the war, not the battle, but without friends…?

He glanced once at his laptop and then at Joe and did the most logical thing. He reached for his laptop and smashed it upon the head of the attacking digimon, knocking him cold. Then he sighed and hunched over Joe. "Joe! Are you OK?"

"Later, Izzy!" Sora shouted.

Birdramon swooped down and grabbed Joe while they began to flee. "Circle to the back of this building. We're not letting Tai off so easy!"

They regrouped and set up a perimeter defense. Already they heard a banging at the front doors which they abandoned. Sora glanced up a the roiling clouds in the sky an then at her watch. Five thirty. One hour left.

"Mimi, where are you…"

"Shhhhh!"

Mimi crept along the wall past the guards with Palmon following behind her. "Something's going on outside, and I'm going to find out."

"Do you think they're here?"

"They must be! Did you see the look on Matt's face?"

Mimi finally climbed out to one of the small windows and looked down. "Palmon, a hand?"

Palmon latched onto the metal windowsill with her Poison Ivy and descended carrying Mimi. They landed and looked around. Guards were running around in every direction, paying them no heed. Mimi looked at the sky with its black swirling clouds and shivered. "Something's not right," Palmon said, taking the words from her mouth.

She looked around and tried to remember which direction she saw Matt head. She spotted the building, but it seemed to be swarming with guards who were engaged in battle. She ran from structure to structure until finally only a courtyard separated her from the building. Looking at Palmon she said, "You ready to make a dash for it?" Palmon nodded.

Gathering her courage and her dress, she ran as fast as she could, Palmon following. The sounds of battle raged around her. She had seen Matt enter this building before through a back entrance, which she strived to find.

"Mimi!"

"Metalgreymon, digivolve to…Wargreymon!"

"Weregarurumon, digivolve to…Metalgarurumon!"

They faced each other from opposite ends of the room. "Terra Force!" "Ice Wolf Claw!"

Explosions raged around them, threatening to bring down the building around them. Metalgarurumon charged after Wargreymon, but Wargreymon flew straight up through three layers of stone and into the sky. Metalgarurumon followed suit. They hovered above the entire castle, with the dark gray clouds shooting lighting off into the heavens like some huge generator. Down below, the battle raged between the digidestined and their foes. Inside the stout stone building, the Chosen battled. All the while, the final moment loomed around the corner. Six o' clock.

"Where are you?"

A crash sounded at Matt struck behind a pillar in search for Matt. Tai sat behind the next pillar and held his knees to his chest. How could he defeat him, with all of his magic? And the powers of that monstrous demon. It was all too much. He rested his forehead on his knees.

The prophecy will be your strongest ally.

But he didn't have it! Matt burned it in the brazier, he thought to himself, recalling his hopes dying with the flames. All he could do was sacrifice himself bravely, but even that was stripped from him. Here he stood, cowering away in fear while Matt hunted him down.

The prophecy will be your strongest ally.

But still the words echoed in his head! Why, why?! There was nothing he could do…nothing.

The light must reach forward and bring forth the dark.

Those words suddenly came to his mind as he recalled the prophecy. He raised his head in realization. And then perhaps that is the way it must be—unarmed, but not helpless. He stood up and searched the darkness. Soon, he found his backpack. He reached in and withdrew the lantern. Distancing himself from the glow of Matt's axe, he turned on the light to full power. Mat spun around with a smile on his face. The red glow was now not only covered the axe, but seemed to course through him as well.

Tai stood, silent and weaponless, and stared at Matt. At first Matt took a few steps forward, but then he stopped and frowned. He hesitated an looked around, trying to spot some sort of trick. There was a brief struggle before the cool smile returned to his face. "I see you've returned, Tai. For a moment, I thought I'd already defeated you."

"Here I am, Matt," Tai said. "Go ahead. Let's end this now."

"Ah, so noble of you. Are you sure you don't wish to prolong your agony?"

"I know you won't. You can't."

Matt laughed. "Such a fool. Have you been watching to much Star Wars, Luke?"

Tai's face remained unmoved. "'And in the face of darkness, the chosen child will bring light upon all.'" He held up the lantern. The prophecy was with him—in his mind. He had memorized it, and the passages were what he needed to combat map. He had chosen the weapon—they would not be swords and arrows, they would be words and thoughts.

Matt took up the challenge. "'The light will quail to the might of the dark, and the dark shall hold the superior force.'"

Tai took a step closer. "'Though the dark shall hold the power of force, the light shall hold the power of the heart.'"

"'And this will be his failing…'"

"'…As well as his savior.'"

"'In the moment of Truth, the powers of Destiny and Fate shall ordain one child, the child of the dark.'"

"'And the light shall bear witness upon this, as victory will be his.'"

Matt smiled and chuckled, casting his axe aside. "You will never win."

"A possibility," Tai said, "but my job is just to make sure that you don't."

"Terra Force!" A hurricane of orange energy shot through the sky.

"Ice Wolf Claw!" A blue energy met it with explosive force.

"Just following the wishes of your master again, are you MetalGarurumon?" Wargreymon taunted. "Proving loyal as ever?"

"As I should. And you, I suppose, serve the interests of your pitiful master."

"True. 'He who holds the light shall know no wrong.'"

Metalgarurumon chuckled. "'In the dark, the light shall be crushed by the force of the darkness.'"

"'But will rise renewed with the power of Fate.'"

"You like rolling the dice with Fate? I prefer Destiny."

"Fate and Destiny, twin sisters, one and inseparable."

Wargreymon lunged forward and the battle continued.

Tai stepped even closer. "'The dark shall fear the light and his power.'"

"'The dark shall use his power to rule.'"

"'Yet his reign will be short.'" Tai took another step forward. Matt held his ground.

Matt raised his arms into the air, his voice rising. "'And the world shall reel from the vengeance of the dark! The child of darkness will rise and conquer all!'"

Tai stepped closer. They were now within ten feet from each other. "'And the light shall descend to the depths of the darkness to rescue the child of the dark.'" He reached forward his hand.

Matt stared at it hesitantly. He was sweating. There was something in his eyes…but then it was gone. The rage returned. He picked up his axe and charged at Tai, swinging furiously. Tai hit the ground, rolled aside, and scooped up his sword from where it lay on the ground all in one motion. Once again, the two were clashing, the sound of arms rattling through the eerie predawn light.

"Mimi!"

Mimi looked with joy as Sora approached, but then gasped in horror as something shot through the air and wrapped itself around her neck. She fell to the floor choking. When Mimi reached her, she saw that there was nothing around her neck.

"Sora!"

Sora gesticulated, but could not utter a sound. In a moment, Izzy, Joe, and Kari were there too. "Magic?" Izzy asked.

"Gas," Joe said. He rummaged through his medical kit. "Cover me."

They fought as well as they could, even Mimi. She picked up Joe's sword awkwardly, and swung haphazardly at the enemies. It caused confusion among their ranks, which was enough for the time being. Seconds stretched into eternity as Joe struggled to treat Sora. Finally, a few tense moments later a gasping sound came from Sora. Then she spoke, "What was that? Verification that Tai is a prophet?"

"What? No thank you?" Joe said as she helped her up and pushed her along. Izzy ran alongside, followed by Kari.

Mimi pointed ahead at the building. "Is Matt in there?"

"You bet he is," Tai answered.

Mimi shouted back, "There's a back entrance."

"Which I almost found," Izzy said out loud to himself.

"Hmmm?" Mimi said.

"I almost found the entrance, but didn't," Izzy mused. "Yet things worked out in the end. Hmmfff, well what'll you know."

"I suppose that means you'll be putting a little more faith in your friends from now on?" Kari said, smiling.

"I guess that's it, then," Izzy said.

Sora looked at them with exasperation. "If there's a way in, show us! I don't know what you fools are mulling about."

"Right!" Mimi said, dashing off with abnormal speed. The others struggled to follow her.

"We will be triumphant," Wargreymon asserted. "We always are."

"Confidence is usually our job, though," Metalgarurumon said. "You are supposed to doubt yourself, while we are overconfident, which leads to our downfall."

"In the archetypal version."

"Exactly. I say with equal confidence that good always triumphs over evil."

Wargreymon chuckled. "You predict your own downfall?"

"No," Metalgarurumon said. "I mean that we are the good and you are the evil."

He shot forward in the air and the battle raged on.

Tai finally dashed behind a pillar. No, he thought. This is not the conflict I want. "In the game of strength, the dark shall always win." He cast aside his sword and sidestepped Matt's swing. Matt stopped. "Do we go here again?"

"Yes."

"Why should I not just strike you down now?"

"Ask yourself."

This caught Matt off guard. He stood in a moment of indecision. He rubbed his chin. "I see your point. Why not?"

Matt reared back his axe with a double handed grip. Tai bit his lip and stood his ground unflinchingly. This is it, Tai, this is your moment. The child of the light shall stand his ground here. Perhaps Matt can redeem himself. And even if he does strike me down, perhaps he will see his folly. That's all I can hope for. I have played my role well—the best I could. These thoughts all surged through his mind as the axe seemed to slowly move above Matt's head.

As the axe came down, Tai closed his eyes and felt a peace come over him. Here, in my death, I embrace life. The words came to him. It was inscribed in what would be the dedication page of the prophecy. He finally understood its meaning. In death, there can only be peace, he thought to himself.

A metallic clanging sounded. Tai winced, but did not feel a thing except for the heat of sparks falling on his face. "'The child of dark shall meet his blood and battle the image of himself.'" a voice called out. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the sword Icewind before him, holding back the axe. He followed the line of the blade and traced it back to its user. He opened his mouth in astonishment.

T.K. stood holding the sword and wearing the gauntlets. He was surrounded by a white aura which made Tai's eyes hurt. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the axe flying back to its wielder. T.K. stepped forward with attacks, which Matt countered. Tai stepped back to give them room, and could not but stare at the sight in awe.

T.K. wore a white shirt and pants, with a white cape that flowed behind him. He wore no armor to conceal himself but the gauntlets which shone blue. The sword glowed with a radiant energy too, as it flashed back and forth, kissing the axe time after time. Matt, on the other side, stood shrouded with black armor. His axe covered him with a pulsating red energy that gave Tai a headache just looking at it. So there it was: the light open and naked, the dark closed and shrouded.

The battle raged on and on, with neither side attaining a clear advantage for more than a moment. When T.K. retreated, he always counterattacked, sending Matt back onto the defensive. Each blow would be met by a complimentary force which maintained this stalemate. Tai looked at his watch. Six twenty. The time was running down. He heard a yelp.

Matt reeled as he was grazed by a blow from T.K. He looked up with a fire in his eyes and then was a person no longer. He came forth with a surge of unearthly energy and maintained a flurry of assaults which T.K. could barely hold back. Finally, his efforts were not enough. T.K. fell to the ground. Matt jumped forward, but T.K. get to his feet. He held up his sword and looked Matt fiercely in the eye. For a moment they maintained this visual contact.

Then T.K. took a deep breath and his muscles loosened. He straightened his posture, but kept his sword in front of him in a half guard. As Tai watched, the brilliance of the light around him seemed to grow. Matt smiled and stepped forward, putting all his might into a giant swing.

T.K. stood still and did not move as the blow struck him. He did not even utter a sound as fell to the floor. His eyes lazily looked up and focused on Matt as he collapsed to the floor and then out of consciousness.

Matt was breathing hard with a look of victory on his face. But as he looked down upon T.K., he saw the blood soak through his clothes and stain the white cloak. A detached look slowly spread across his face, which became suddenly dull, as if he had just realized what he had done. He knelt before T.K. and examined his body. A giant slash was visible across the chest. Deep enough to die from without treatment. A slow, arduous death it would be, though.

Matt reached a hand forward, but hesitated. Then, he finally go the courage to continue. He touched the wound. T.K. did not stir. He felt the warmth of the blood, which still pulsated slightly as it gushed forth from the wound. He brought his fingers to his eyes, rubbing them together as if to feel the blood. As he did this, he flexed his mechanical hand. For a long time, he sat there and stared at the blood on his fingers.

"Matt!"

A crashing sound came as Mimi ran in from a side passageway. Following behind her was Sora, who headed immediately for Tai. Izzy, Joe, and Kari came in shortly, but when they entered the room they collapsed. Outside, the sounds of battle subsided as Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon entered the room followed closely by Magna Angemon.

"Matt!"

Her voice seemed to wake him from a trance. Slowly, he stood and dropped his axe. "Oh, Mimi," he said weakly, as Mimi ran to her, "what have I done? What have I done?"

Mimi embraced him and comforted him like a child. "Is it all over, this nightmare? How could I have gone so far in this madness?" he whispered. He sobbed. "I cannot be redeemed. My sins cannot be atoned for. I am vile beyond all imagination, to betray my friends so."

Mimi held him in front of him. "No, that not so!" she asserted. Matt turned his face aside, but Mimi straightened it again, forcing his eyes to look directly into hers. "There was love. In your feelings for T.K., for me. You loved; not everything was hate. And in that love, you redeemed yourself."

Matt regarded her with solemn eyes. "Then let us never part again."

Mimi looked at Matt and Matt looked at Mimi. Their eyes locked and their emotions poured forth. They joined hands and then kissed, a long, sensual kiss. As they held this embrace, a white light shined from T.K. and suffused throughout the room.

Sora took Tai's hand and squeezed as a thousand words went unsaid between the two.