Aftermath: A Sovereign's Sacrifice

Gennai just wanted to sit down. He was getting too old for this, leaving his comfortable home behind and gallivanting about. He stretched and cracked his back, trying to ease the phantom ache that was killing him. He'd spent faaaar too long as an old man, and even with his younger form restored he still felt aged and worn even if he didn't look it. It was a mind-set, and all the worrying he'd been doing didn't help with his stress levels.

Gennai sighed heavily, glancing up, and over the grasses. The good thing about his younger form was that he was much, much taller. If he'd still been the stumpy old man he was used to…well, he would have been far too short to see over the field of golden grasses. As it was he could see the grey stone drawing ever closer. He knew this area better than most, but if he wasn't careful even he would get lost.

This area was special. There was a reason he'd moved his home after the defeat of the Dark Masters. Only part of it was that he'd been tired of looking out the window to see fish swimming idly by, or the Gomamon who liked to play pranks and make faces up against the glass. Only part of it was that he missed seeing the sky, feeling the wind. Only part of it was that he no longer needed to hide.

But mostly, it was for a single grey stone, located an hour's walk from the lake.

He pushed through the grass at length, stepping out into the open space surrounding the stone. He tilted his head, taking in the great bulk of the towering pullar of rock.

The Guardian Stone.

The Doorway.

The Nexus.

He wasn't as nimble as he once was, even with his youth restored, but Gennai managed the climb, hands and feet finding purchase in the weathered sides. Hand and foot holds that vanished after he used them, he knew, fading back into the indistinct grey.

The top was remarkably flat, more than large enough for him to settle comfortably, easing his aching bones to the cool stone, looking out over the rolling fields of gold, rippling in the breeze. In one direction were the indistinct haze of purple mountains—the other, a forest, one which he knew was hiding the sparkling lake where he made his home.

Gennai captured the scene in his mind, even down to the puffs of cloud drifting across the sky. Then he closed his eyes to block the sun, the warmth still blanketing his skin.

In his mind's eye, he could still see the landscape spreading out before him, but it was different. Streams of data blanketed the sky, sad little trickles where a roaring river should be. Parched, cut off from its sources.

Before a few months ago, he had never seen this level of deprivation, the sad little rivulets fighting to supply the energy the world needed to function. To keep calculating. To keep growing.

The network was failing. It was only a matter of time now.

The air shimmered before him, a stream of data answering his call, stretching down, down, looping and curling amongst itself, almost serpentine in its motions.

The heat from the sun faded, and Gennai knew his request had been answered.

He let go of the network, letting it fade. He opened his eyes, taking in the flickering image before him. Great transparent coils of cloud blanketed the sky, forming the body of an enormous chain-wrapped dragon, his great blue and gold head hovered before the stone.

"It isn't looking too good." Gennai said quietly, watching the image of Qinglongmon shudder, fuzzing in and out. A snort sent the dragon's mustache and beard dancing in the wind.

"We've relied on their gifts for too long. The network is unstable without it. Even my support is barely enough."

"What of the other Sovereigns? Couldn't they ease your burden?"

"They are supporting their own regions. Indeed, Zhuquomon claims this whole mess is my responsibility, since I 'kept' them all together in the east instead of spreading them around."

"Why did you?" That was one thing Gennai's research never could figure out. He'd been a low ranking worker, stationed in the lab created to study evolution. He hadn't been privy to any of the information before his creation, except from what he'd been able to dig up since this whole mess started. But even he could see the issues with this set-up—placing seven of the eight so close together. They were lucky the knowledge of the Sanctums had been lost, hidden behind the legends of the crests. If Etemon, Vamdemon, or godsforbid the Dark Masters had thought to look beyond the cover story…the crests… Even he hadn't known about it until Gennai started to do research on the Crests to release the sovereigns, and that was just the barest minimum.

"They did not wish to be apart. Who am I to separate them?"

Qinglongmon's voice sounded old. Old and worn. This was the first time he'd been able to speak to Qinglongmon since the Sanctum of Light went offline. The first time since the structures supporting the network had failed completely, leaving the burden on the Sovereign alone…

The Sanctums. So far he'd managed to work out their connection to the Crests, and their connection to the network…but he still didn't know.

He still didn't know what they were.

The Sovereigns were likely the only ones who knew the full story. Anubimon, once the head of an ancient order of holy digimon, was mentioned in the texts as having helped with the networking. Other than that, the only mentions Gennai could find were deep in the Order's databases—a request from the Sovereigns for nine machines to form the support network, to house artefacts that had been only known as Essences. Only eight of which were ever completed.

Essences of what, hadn't been stated. The Legend for the Crests weren't mentioned at all in the old texts.

And the Virtues…Gennai remembered selecting the Virtues, all those years ago. Gennai remembered his colleagues finding those eight special children, that day—only a short decade ago in the human world—a millennia ago in the digital world—and taking the strongest virtue of each. They were to be keys, he remembered. But keys to what? Digivolution? And what of Kindness? Gennai's order didn't make the ninth crest. He hadn't even known it existed until the Chosen had brought him the news.

"What were they?" Gennai mumbled, more to himself than a question. He didn't think Qinglongmon would answer him. "What was there before the Sanctums?"

"Before…?" Qinglongmon almost sounded…wistful, "Before…they were our children."

Children…? But all digimon were technically the Sovereign's children.

"They did not wish to be apart."

They.

There were Nine Crests.

Nine Machines were made.

But only Eight completed.

Each Digimental had a Crest. Each Crest had a Sanctum. Except…Kindness.

If the order didn't create Kindness—whose to say there wasn't a tenth out there? Miracles?

Or should have been.

Ten…

Ten Digimon.

One was killed.

One vanished.

Eight remained.

It was an old, old legend. One whose only record was destroyed with File Island.

"If they chose…" Gennai began slowly, piecing it together, "Then why was Light in the Dark Area?"

If it wasn't the Order who chose…

"Why…? To guide the lost one home."

…Damn. He didn't want to be right. Patterns. The Digital World was made up of patterns.

Qinglongmon's image fuzzed, breaking up like an analogue television image in a storm. Gennai pulled himself out of his racing thoughts—he only had a limited amount of time. If Qinglongmon was indeed the one supporting the network right now, every moment he remained here was taxing him even further. "Is there something you wanted from me, Qinglongmon?"

He'd been the one summoned, after all. He knew better than to think he had a right to demand an audience with the Sovereign without gaining permission.

"I have been watching the children. They seek to activate the Sanctum of Kindness."

Nine machines. One was never completed.

Because one vanished… The nagging thought whispered through his mind. He shook it off, "How? Where—" And then he stopped. The where was obvious. Where else were the children?

"How doesn't matter. The fact is, Anubimon will know the moment they do. He carefully watches the data flows."

"What can we do?"

Something shimmered in Qinglongmon's claws. Gennai's breath caught in his throat. Three sky blue orbs rotated about each of Qinglongmon's claws. One detached itself from the others, floating gently down towards Gennai. It settled in his outstretched hands.

The glass-like sphere was heavy in his arms, something glimmered from within, and if Gennai looked he would be able to see the data-bits locked within the depths. He admired it for a moment, but a sharp cry of pain caught his attention.

The image of Qinglongmon was going crazy—fritzing out. The dragon was writhing in pain.

"I can't—hold it— Go. The crests of Hope and Light freed me, I return the power. It should feel—" Qinglongmon hissed, fading, "—like an essence. Use it to draw the hunters away. Buy them time."

And then he was gone.

Gennai clutched the orb—feeling it humming in his hands. This. This was a kingly gift. Godly even. A portion of the Sovereign's power rested innocently in his possession. This was dangerous. Even before his gift—this Digi-Core—Qinglongmon had been struggling to keep the network stable. Now…

A distant howl set Gennai's heart beating furiously, pulling the digi-core protectively against his chest. Smoke was rising in the distance.

Fire. The grasses were on fire.

But it wasn't natural fire. It was green. Demon fire.

The howls were coming closer as Gennai struggled to climb down from the Guardian Stone, only able to use one hand on the way down. He jumped the last few feet, his knees aching and throbbing from the impact. He couldn't stop to worry about them though, as something dog-like and snarling jumped out of the grass behind him. Gennai didn't even bother to look.

He ran.

x-x-x

"I have news." Anubimon. It had to be Anubimon. Only he would dare enter this hall.

LordKnightmon turned reluctantly away from admiring his almost complete collection, although these days he tended to do less admiring and more stewing on the glaring holes marring the perfection. Even without looking at them, they still burned in his mind. Only eight statues, each with a colored orb clasped in stone claws, the matching digimental placed at their feet. It felt…wrong. There should be ten.

There were ten digimentals, even if he only had eight in his possession.

Ten.

He shook off the notion, carried over from his home world. These…so-called Crests were not the Elements, even if there appeared to be similarities between them. This world had rejected its darkness, locking it away in this small space, leaving it to fester and grow. His home had accepted its darkness, realizing that you needed balance to create order.

It had been a beautiful system. And then the Celestials betrayed his master. Sealed the Knights away. Without Lucemon's firm hand, and his peacekeepers, was it any wonder that it had fallen into chaos?

That was one thing he planned to rectify in this world. Darkness had its place. He would make one for it. The child-emperor held a great darkness. A seed, planted long ago, nurtured in hatred and cruelty. He could use that to balance the forces.

But for balance, he needed to get his hands on Light. It was the only statue whose claws were empty.

That infuriating boy.

LordKnightmon let out a carefully controlled exhale, releasing the anger the thought had triggered in him. No matter. He wasn't sure if he could substitute the spirits for the Essence, but at least he consoled himself that he would finally be able to rid himself of the human once he successfully removed the data he wanted.

Control the forces, and you control the world.

Anubimon's words came back to him, the promise the jackal-headed digimon had given him when they'd first met, years ago, when the god-man digimon had caught his tortured soul, cast out by the death of a god, thrown down by children.

That very digimon stood before him now, waiting patiently in the door to the room. LordKnightmon composed himself, grateful—and not for the first time—that he had a helmet to hide behind unlike other digimon. No one would see an ugly expression that reflected ugly thoughts, only serene calm, nobility, and beauty. "Yes? Have you made progress?"

"Of sorts." The winged digimon responded calmly, "My trackers have picked up on the Light's signature. But they do not have the means to pursue it, not in enough time to do anything productive."

Time. They had all the time in the world. LordKnighmon sniffed, "Where has it gone that you can do nothing? You assured me your hounds can travel anywhere within the digital world."

"The Digital World…yes." Anubimon inclined his head, "But not the Human World. Not even I may go there. Not without specific circumstances. My trackers pursued the energy to one of the children's…gates. And then nothing. The network shudders with its passing. I did not think they would be foolish enough to remove it completely.

"The Human World…" He mused. Once, he and Dynasmon had aspired to rule it. A boon, to be granted for…services rendered. Now, however, he had the Digital World by the throat. He did. Not Lucemon. As much as he…respected his master, being the ones to hold the reins of power was glorious.

The Human World meant nothing to him in face of that. What good was a place full of those disgusting meatbags? They had no place in the world of digimon. The world of their betters.

But…he might have to deal with it if they sought to hide the essence there. He did not believe he would be able to cross the worlds if Anubimon could not. But…he knew of one who could.

One who'd told him of a human's ambition.

"Summon ParaAngewomon. Tell her I have a job for her at last."

x-x-x

A/N: It's a bit on the short side, but they were intended to be Aftermaths initially. Then again it's about the length the last was supposed to be. I'm interested to hear any conclusions ya'll draw from this chapter, so I'm not going to explain further.

Next chapter will go back to the 02 Chosen, and is titled All the Things We've Missed. I might change the title…let's just say the Chosen finally realize there is something going on.

Comments and Questions always welcomed! See you next Wednesday!