Chapter 36: The Dragon of Creation
"All right, here we are: The Tyranno Temple."
It was an awe-inspiring sight. Surrounded by a crimson forest, the temple rose out of the ground like an ancient ziggurat. Even more unnerving, the structure was made entirely out of bones - long bones, ribs, vertebrae, and several skulls of different sizes. It looked more like an altar of evil than a temple of good.
'It's not really that scary,' you thought smugly. However thirty minutes later when the two of you were finally drawing close enough to get an idea of its true size, you silently amended that maybe it was scary after all.
After passing through a torii made of two legbones stuck in the ground and an entire length of tail vertebrae laying atop them, the two of you were standing in a barren courtyard of red soil. All around you dinosaur Digimon were sitting or standing with their eyes closed - meditating? They didn't stir as Ankylomon stomped past, heading for the "door": the eye socket of a sharp-toothed skull half buried in the wall of bones.
"Huh," Ankylomon commented as he ducked (but only slightly) to get through the opening. "That's odd. Normally there's some guards hangin' around to stop commoners from just walking in like this."
"That's because you are not commoners!" Out from the shadows of the temple walked a black and white Tyrannosaurus Rex the same size as Ankylomon. He stepped into a spotlight cast by the eye sockets of a skull at the very peak of the temple roof. You were struck by how similar he looked to the red tyrannosaurs that had been out front meditating. But unlike them his face was wrinkled and grizzled and his remaining eye shone with wisdom and compassion. There was only a scar where the other had once been, so he had clearly walked a harder path of life at one time.
"Well, okay," he continued after a dramatic pause, "you're a commoner, big fellow. But the young woman is not. Her arrival here was preordained by the Creator Dragon's emissary. I've been waiting my whole life for this day." He bowed to you, dropping to one knee so that his nose nearly touched the ground. "It is an honor to meet you, inheritor of the great dragon's spirits. I am MasterTyrannomon."
"U-Um, thanks," you stammered. You bowed awkwardly back to him - your perch on Ankylomon's head was right about at eye level for the master. "I'm glad that my arrival is such good news."
"It's more than that. Through you the soul of the Creator Dragon will return to this world to stop the Destruction Dragon from tearing it down."
"What are you talking about, Master?" Ankylomon asked in bewilderment.
"Ankylomon!" he scolded. "Didn't you pay attention in school?! Everyone learns the tale of the Creator Dragon on their first day!"
"I wonder if that was what I slept through…" Ankylomon mumbled quietly. "But I don't remember it anyway."
"Luckily for you," MasterTyrannomon growled, "I needed to tell the human the story anyway. So pay attention this time!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Now, girl, listen. I will tell you the story of the very beginning of the Digital World.
"Back in the time before there were any Digimon here, the Digital World was just a big ball of dust with nothing more exciting than mud puddles on its surface. There were no trees, no oceans, and no wind.
"But then from the high heavens descended a massive shining dragon onto the lifeless landscape. Its great wings stirred up the dirt into the air but nothing could dull its bright gleam. Much later this celestial monster came to be known as AncientDrakemon.
"AncientDrakemon looked around at the empty world and felt lonely. So she sighed deeply into it spreading data far and wide. And then with a gentle touch of her great horn she gave the spark of life to the data and the first primordial Digimon were born.
"So AncientDrakemon now had company but she had used up the last of her strength to create life. But before she faded away she split herself into eleven pieces, scattered them all over the world, and slept. Ten of those pieces grew into the kingdoms of the Digital World and influenced the Digimon that lived within them allowing them to grow and change their form. The eleventh was thought to have vanished forever, for though the Digimon searched for it all across the world they saw no trace of it.
"That was because the last piece had become the first moon - the red one upon which we now stand - and had brought about the evolution of dinosaur Digimon separately from all the rest. It was the ancient dinosaurs who found the greatest wellspring, but when they touched it, an energy like nothing seen before was released. The force of it even reached the Digital World itself and it caused the initial split between human and beast type Digimon everywhere.
"After its great burst of power the final spring returned to sleep, and to protect it the old dinosaurs built this temple atop it. From then on the leader of the dinosaurs took it upon himself to keep the legend of the Creator Dragon alive. I am the eleventh in the line of such leaders and I had the feeling that I would be meeting the spirit's inheritor."
"And that's me?" you asked.
"Yes. Surely someone told you that your spirit of Dramon is the human manifestation of AncientDrakemon? And her fire is a weaker version of AncientDrakemon's creating abilities."
You vaguely remembered hearing something like that come out of Bokomon's mouth but the memory felt like it was years old. "Hm, it sounds familiar but I don't know any details."
"Bah!" he scoffed. "The storytellers on the Digiworld's surface need to polish their skills if they can't even convey our origin story properly!"
That particular opinion was one you wouldn't be passing on to Bokomon. He seemed to take his "fountain of knowledge" role very seriously.
"Anyway," you said before he could launch into another story. "You mentioned a Destruction Dragon before. What is it? What does it want?"
With a heavy sigh, MasterTyrannomon turned away so his face was in shadow. "The Destruction Dragon is a mystery. No one knows where it's from or what its true form is. But a prophecy handed down by the Creator Dragon herself foretold its coming with absolute certainty. As for what it wants…"
His one eye held you spellbound as his next words echoed around the temple. "What it wants is simple. It wants only to destroy everything that the Creator Dragon made. The world, the moons, and all the Digimon in existence."
"Then I need to hurry and get back to the world's surface!" you said urgently. "I've seen the Destruction Dragon up close - kind of - and it's started to come after the spirits actively instead of sending warped monsters to fight us."
"That is very bad news indeed. Much as I respect the Creator Dragon, I'd hoped her prediction would be wrong."
"Is there anything we can do, Master?" Ankylomon asked.
"We must assist the human however we can." With renewed energy, MasterTyrannomon began to pace back and forth across the temple floor. "So tell us how you came to the moon so we can get you back."
"Uh, well, I don't really know."
"Then that's how we'll - what?!" MasterTyrannomon interrupted his pacing to stare at you in disbelief. "You don't know?!"
"No," you said in a small voice. "Ankylomon said that you would know how to get me back."
"Might. I said 'might know'."
"Unfortunately, human, I have no idea how to get to the world's surface. Dinosaur Digimon have always existed only on the moon." MasterTyrannomon started to pace again, thoughtfully stroking his muzzle with his long claws.
"But I can't just stay here!" you shouted and stamped your feet on Ankylomon's head. "My friends and the world are counting on me! I"m not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs!"
"Well, there is a chance…" the black dinosaur began to ponder. "The Creator Dragon's emissary at the heart of the moon's data wellspring may be able to help you. It's really meant for you, after all. I'll show you the way."
Apparently the room you all had been in wasn't even the main part of the temple. MasterTyrannomon led your group through another doorway and into an even bigger space lit by a glowing fountain of pixels. It sizzled and hummed with life and it felt like every atom in your body was vibrating in response to its presence. And all around the fountain were red dinosaur Digimon that reminded you of MasterTyrannomon. They were meditating in a huge circle, their claws gently linked.
"Behold the Fountain of the Soul of the Creator Dragon!" the master announced. He took a knee and bowed with the utmost respect to the data geyser, as did you and Ankylomon. "Here resides the source of all digivolution since the dawn of Digimon."
As if in response to his words, the data surged and energy burst forth from the hole in the ground. The plume was so powerful that it reached almost all the way to the top of the bone temple, which seemed to be a mile above you. Within the vertical stream of energy appeared a small form that you instantly recognized as a spirit. It looked like a metallic dragon, which wasn't surprising given that it was presumably a spirit of the Creator Dragon. You wondered which spirit this was - maybe Agunimon? Would Takuya finally get his spirit and shut up?! You were filled with hope.
Then the soul appeared and your mind was filled only with awe.
It was massive, dwarfing the inner space of the temple. It was a green, two-legged, two-winged monster with cyborg parts bolted to its shining scales. Its armor was gold that looked almost orange in the reddish light but the bladed edges of its wings and claws were a deeper hue. From the sides of its head sprouted two curved horns and a stubby spike studded its helmeted head on the end of a long armored neck. Then it leaned down toward you and its ghostly tail swept through the other Digimon with no effect.
"You have finally come." From between its armored jaws long fangs flashed at you in the dim light.
"The Dragon's emissary!" MasterTyrannomon threw himself onto all fours and Ankylomon did the same a second later. Unfortunately the sudden motion threw you off his head and sent you tumbling into the dirt.
With a flash of light Dramon appeared kneeling by your side. "Be careful, Ankylomon! You could've hurt Ally!"
"It's all right, Dramon," you said as you rose and rubbed your backside. "The gravity is so low I could probably fall from the roof and be fine."
"Sorry, human." Then he blinked and grunted with surprise. "Hey! Now I can see yer friends!"
The other souls had appeared ranged around you, though they seemed more interested in the new spirit than in your well-being.
"At last we've found Wyvernmon," Mercurymon sighed. "You certainly led us on a long, merry chase."
"You talk as if you weren't aware of where I was the entire time," Wyvernmon quipped, tilting its - her? - head to give the steel warrior a look that was unmistakably the stinkeye. "If you polished your acting as much as you do your face then I might've believed you were actually upset with me."
Giggles burst from you in an energetic explosion though you quickly clapped your hands over your mouth when Mercurymon glared at you fiercely. It seemed the enormous new spirit had a lightning-quick wit.
"Enough!" he snapped. "Scan the spirit, girl, and let's be off. We're in a hurry in case you'd forgotten."
"I didn't forget!" you cried. "Wyvernmon, can you transport us back down to the surface? My friends are in danger."
"No, I can't."
You paused as your brain completely rejected the sentence blurb it had just processed. "Um, 'scuse me, what?"
"I do not possess the ability to travel across the space between here and the Digital World," she clarified. "Otherwise you would not have had to come here to get me."
A bare second passed while you tried to control the sudden deluge of emotions that rose up in your. And failed.
"THEN WHAT THE FARK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!" you shrieked. "DON'T DIGIMON EVER HAVE TO GET OFF THIS MOON?! HOW DO THEY DO IT?!"
You fell forward, tucking your head into the crook of one of your arms and pounding the soil with your free hand while you kept shouting. In retrospect you couldn't remember exactly what you said, but undoubtedly it revolved around there being no way off the stupid moon.
Finally Wyvernmon's voice broke through your distress. "Calm down, human, and scan my spirit. There is a way back down. It has been in your possession this entire time."
"Oh, Wyvernmon. You could have let her panic just a little while longer."
"Oh, Mercurymon," Dramon sighed, "you would be the key to getting back without telling us."
"No one asked me if I could."
"YOU KNEW HOW TO GET BACK THIS ENTIRE TIME AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!"
"Again, no one asked me. But anyway we couldn't leave until you obtained your beast spirit."
There was that term again, the one you didn't quite understand. "Hey, you guys keep talking about human Digimon and beast Digimon. What do you mean by 'human' and 'beast'?"
"It's simple, Ally." Dramon waved her claws to indicate the circle of souls standing by her sides. "Human Digimon are like us: humanoid in form and generally in size."
"Whereas beast Digimon," MasterTyrannomon chimed in with a rumble, "are like Ankylomon and myself. We would never be mistaken for humans like you and the other Digidestined."
"That's very true," you mumbled.
"The split was brought about by my previous form," Wyvernmon stated. "The form I had when Dramon and I were still fused."
"It allowed Digimon everywhere to evolve farther than ever before. Though it was also partly responsible for causing the great war between the human and beast types," Dramon continued.
"Which gave rise to Lucemon, which gave rise to us Legendary Warriors," Mercurymon added. "And like all other Digimon we have a human form and a beast form. Dramon is your human spirit and Wyvernmon is your beast spirit."
"Oh," you said. "So you're my second spirit."
"Yes. Now scan me and Mercurymon shall have the power to get you back."
"Okay," you said doubtfully. Somehow you weren't sure if you believed the two of them could do it but anything was worth a try. You took out your D-Tector and aimed it into the depths of Wyvernmon's image where the spirit was hovering. It was drawn into the device with a whoosh and you felt a rush of energy that supercharged your every cell.
"Now!" Mercurymon ordered. "Evolve and shift to Dramon's metal form so that you can use my teleportation abilities. With Wyvermon's strength we'll be able to reach the world's surface."
"SPIRIT EVOLUTION - Dramon! ELEMENTAL SHIFT - Mercurydramon!"
With only the briefest of glances down at your newest (and extremely shiny) form you concentrated and reached out blindly, feeling for something familiar down on the world's surface. Suddenly you felt something warm and inviting and jumped to transport yourself but at the last second you lost your hold. It was too late to stop the jump though and with a shout of "goodbye" you vanished into one of the mirrors on your arms.