I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Now the truth comes out! Feels good to finally get to this point in the story!

Trinity

Chapter 47: One and the Same

Willis

Willis let out a soft groan, and slowly opening his eyes, he found himself lying awkwardly under a deep blue sky. The sun was shining brilliantly between the treetops, and as the rays of light from its molten surface filtered through the branches, he squinted, his brain feeling somewhat disoriented. All around him, he could smell a distinct floral aroma, the heavy scent invading his nostrils, and lifting his head, he realized the ground beneath the trees was completely covered in flowers. The blooms appeared to stretch as far as his eyes could see, and reaching out to touch the white and pink petals, he murmured, "Where...am I?"

"Isn't it obvious?" a female responded, the musical tone of her playful words floating on the gentle breeze caressing his face.

Wait a minute...I know that voice...

Willis let out a gasp, and scrambling into a sitting position, he quickly scanned the area for the owner of that voice, the siren song she was fond of singing making him want to gag in disgust. He found her sitting on the edge of an elegant stone fountain, Mikemon curled up comfortably by her side, and as water trickled from the elaborately carved angel that acted as the centerpiece into the basin below, he said calmly, "This is the Garden of Eden."

"Perceptive as ever," Eden replied, giving him an approving look. "This is my sanctuary. My little piece of paradise. Isn't it beautiful?"

Willis raised his eyebrows, and doing his best to remain calm, he said, "Your sanctuary? That's quite the claim you're making."

Eden smiled at him, but before she could respond, a weak voice said, "Willis?"

Lopmon!

Willis was unable to prevent a gasp from escaping his lips, and frantically searching the flowers, he finally spotted his digimon partner moving slowly into a sitting position from a few feet away. Without wasting any time, he quickly hurried over to the little rookie, and gathering Lopmon into his arms, he murmured, "It's okay. I'm right here."

"Oh, Willis, I'm so glad you're safe!" Lopmon cried, snuggling desperately against his chest. "What happened? Where are we?"

Willis turned to gaze at Eden and Mikemon, who were both watching him in silence, and hugging his partner close, he said, "Apparently this is the Garden of Eden we've been searching for. Eden was kind enough to bring us here all on her own."

For a moment Lopmon simply looked confused, and then realizing the seriousness of the situation, the little rookie turned to Eden and said in an accusing voice, "You want to hurt my partner! That's why you brought us here! How...why? Why would the Garden of Eden allow you to enter, and how did you figure out a way to get in here?"

"Oh, that," Mikemon replied, dismissing the rabbit digimon's words with a flick of her paw. "What do you think, my lady? Should we grant them the truth?"

My...lady?

Willis felt his heart skip a beat, and stroking Lopmon's trembling ears, he said quietly, "The truth? So, you were lying then."

"I wouldn't call it lying. Not quite," Eden murmured, laughing softly. "What do you think, my lovely servant?"

"No, my lady. It is not our concern if the victim cannot see past the illusion."

Huh?

Willis could practically feel the blood pounding in his ears, and making a move to stand, he set Lopmon down at his side and said hesitantly, "The prophecy spoke about illusions. We were starting to wonder if you knew more than what you were telling us."

"The Erinyes and the prophecy," Lopmon cried, pointing an angry finger at the female duo. "What else have you been hiding from us?"

Eden hopped gracefully off the base of the fountain, and raising her hand, she said sweetly, "I have no intention of hiding anything from you. Have a seat, you worthless little rookie. The Child of Faith, as well. A perfect specimen like myself deserves a captive audience. Wouldn't you agree, my servant?"

"Yes, my lady," Mikemon replied, quickly joining her partner. "Let us lift the veil of deceit."

Willis immediately felt a sense of oncoming dread, but before he could make a break for it, a blinding flash of violet light forced him to cover his eyes. Beside him, Lopmon cried out in fear, and quickly lowering his arms, he let out a gasp at the sight of his hands. He wasn't quite sure what Eden had done, but it was clear her intentions were far from friendly. Somehow the American female had managed to bind his wrists and ankles with glowing strands of purple light, and judging by the look of his partner, Lopmon had fallen into the same trap. The rabbit digimon's small body was wrapped in violet ribbons, and slowly lowering himself to the ground next to his partner, Willis said calmly, "Tell me who you really are."

"Why tell you when I can show you?" Eden said coldly, slowly extending her arms.

Willis gaped in astonishment as the American female suddenly rose into the air, and floating just above the base of the fountain, her slim body began to glow with a strange violet light. The glare was so bright, he had to close his eyes against the harsh mist, and once he was able to open them again, he discovered Eden was nowhere to be found. Hovering in her place was Megareamon, and leaping onto the edge of the fountain again, Mikemon said, "Behold my beautiful master. The queen of Eden. Ruler of the garden."

It can't be...

And yet it was.

No wonder they seemed so similar...

He should have been surprised, but instead he simply felt resigned to the truth. It was as if all the missing pieces of the puzzle had finally fallen into place at once, and suddenly everything made perfect sense. It was impossible, and yet he couldn't ignore what he had seen with his own eyes. Eden and Megareamon were one and the same, and all this time they had allowed themselves to fall right into the hands of their enemies.

How could we have been so easily manipulated?

"There's...just no way," Lopmon gasped, having come to the same conclusions about the female mega. "How is this even possible?"

"Watch your tone while in the presence of Lady Megareamon!" Mikemon snapped, glaring at the little rookie.

For a moment, Willis was at a loss for words, and shifting on the ground to make himself more comfortable, he said slowly, "So I was right about Eden all along. She really wasn't who she said she was."

Megareamon slowly floated back down to the ground, and leaning provocatively against the fountain, she said coldly, "If it hadn't been for you, my role as the Child of Paradise would have full-filled its purpose, but thanks to your meddling, the persona you knew as Eden Arakawa is no longer required. Your actions will not go unpunished, of that I can assure you. We need only now to wait for your fellow Digidestined to enter the Garden of Eden, and once they do, I will send all of you spiraling down into the depths of darkness."

Willis ignored the threat, and gazing at the glowing ropes circling his wrists, he said, "Sorry, threats don't work on me. Since my friends are late to the party, we've got some time. Tell me, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

Megareamon titled her head to the side, and motioning for Mikemon to settle at her feet, she said airily, "Your lack of manners displeases me, but since we cannot proceed further until the Child of Hope arrives, I will humour you. You are familiar with the Wall of Fire, I assume?"

"It's a terrible place," Lopmon moaned, quivering in fear. "One that should be left alone."

"My sisters and I have existed since the dawn of the Digital World," Megareamon murmured, her musical voice drifting over the field of pink and white flowers. "For eons, we lived in the darkness that pulses behind the Wall of Fire, unable to feel the warmth of the sun or experience the world beyond the flames. It was in that darkness that our anger and resentment began to build, and we longed to be free of the emptiness we were born into through no fault of our own. The light was calling to us, but it wasn't until after the defeat of MaloMyotismon that we were finally able to escape the darkness."

Willis frowned, and momentarily forgetting the fact that he was in serious trouble, he said calmly, "How did you manage to break free?"

"I cannot say exactly, but it was our jealously of those who lived in the outside world that fueled our desire to break free. At the time, the Digital World existed in a weakened state, and thus while it was slowly repairing itself, I was able to use my unique talents to fool the feeble flames that barred our passage. As I'm sure you've already guessed, even the Wall of Fire was affected by the actions of MaloMyotismon. It wasn't for long, but after he suffered defeat at the hands of the Digidestined, the flames receded somewhat, and with my power, I was finally able to free myself and my sisters from our prison."

"Don't put the blame on us!" Lopmon cried, struggling within the glowing ropes still binding his small body.

Willis moved close enough that the little rookie could wiggle awkwardly into his lap, and raising his eyebrows, he said, "Unique talents?"

"Have you forgotten the words of the prophecy so quickly?" Megareamon crooned, blatantly mocking him. "Emulous Illusion. I possess the ability to create illusions. With my powers, I can mask myself or anything around me to take on a different appearance, thus fooling the eyes of others into seeing only what I want them to see. That is how you and your comrades came to see me as the human girl called Eden."

"So Eden was a part of the prophecy, just not in the way we thought she would be."

"But...but...the Digivice! The crest and Mikemon! All of it!" Lopmon interrupted, clearly distressed. "How does that make sense then?"

Willis shook his head, and refusing to take his eyes off Megareamon, he said, "Before we get to that, you still didn't answer my first question. What are you trying to accomplish, and how in the Digiworld did you manage to fool your way into the Garden of Eden? There's nothing innocent about you."

"What am I trying to accomplish?" Megareamon asked, laughing softly. "I thought that was obvious. It wasn't enough to simply escape from the Wall of Fire. Once I had a taste of the light beyond, I knew I could make this world my own. Then we heard about the prophecy, and upon realizing that it was referring to myself, naturally I could not allow the Digidestined to interfere with my plans."

"And what are those plans exactly?"

"I intend to become the queen of the Digital World, and once I do, I will plunge this wretched land into darkness. Not the darkness that lurks behind the Wall of Fire, but a darkness created by the jealously that pulses within me. A deep twilight of my own making. Once I do, all digimon and humans alike will bow before my beauty. They will feel the thrill of rage and grow envious at my immense power, and knowing they can do nothing to overthrow my reign, they will succumb to their own weaknesses and serve me as my humble slaves. Let us see how cocky they are when their precious light is stolen from them!"

"We'll never bow down to you!" Lopmon shouted, glaring at the female mega.

Unlike his partner, Willis wasn't that concerned about Megareamon's plans, at least not when it came to plunging the Digital World into darkness. It was really no different than what most evil digimon wanted to accomplish, and thus he didn't bother with a response. The only part that truly concerned him were her plans for T.K., but that could wait. Right now he was more interested in getting the facts straight so he could use that knowledge to help T.K. if it was needed, and trying to piece together the timeline in his head, he said slowly, "But the statue under Infinity Mountain..."

"The pathways beneath Infinity Mountain opened after the incident with Spiral Mountain and the Dark Masters, but the statue didn't exist until after MaloMyotismon," Megareamon explained, sounding bored. "You can thank Seermon and her assistant Sorcermon for that. It was Sorcermon who carved it based upon Seermon's visions. I'm assuming it was placed there as a reminder in case the prophecy became a reality."

All this time, I was right about Eden. She wasn't a Digidestined, just like I suspected. She wasn't even human, which makes me wonder...If Eden really is Megareamon, where did she get that crest and Digivice from, and how is Mikemon able to digivolve at her command? Also, how was she able to use the gates to get to the human world? How did she enter the Garden of Eden when she lacks the innocence of children?

At least her story about the statue made sense, and unlike when she was pretending to be Eden, he could tell the female mega was being truthful. Since she seemed in the mood to chat, he figured he might as well get some answers to his questions, especially if doing so would help him warn the others.

"I am so confused right now," Lopmon moaned, shaking his head.

Unable to give the little rookie a soothing pat on the head, Willis let out a sigh and said, "I have to say, the likeness is uncanny. That's some talent. Not that you've ever met Sorcermon, or Seermon for that matter."

Megareamon let out a musical laugh, and fluttering her wings, she smiled and said sweetly, "Ah yes, I'm impressed. You saw through my lies quite easily. Since you've already figured that out, I suppose I'll give you the truth to Eden's lies. You are correct, I never met with Azulongmon or Seermon. The prophecy is exactly as you say. The holy trinity. The barrier that stands in the way of my ambitious plans. Naturally, I couldn't allow the three of you to remain close. No matter the cost, you can be sure I will not allow you to fulfill the prophecy, which is why the three of you must disappear into the darkness."

I was right. T.K., Kari, and I are connected. Izzy told me not to give up on my beliefs despite Eden coming into the picture. I knew. All this time, I knew. I never should have doubted myself...

"So that's why you were trying to turn all the Digidestined against each other and make them fight," Lopmon said, sounding outraged. "You wanted them to hate each other to fulfill the words of the prophecy."

"And the crest? The Digivice?" Willis interrupted, going back to his partner's earlier questions. "How were you sneaking into the human world, and how did you weasel your way in here?"

"Allow me to answer, my lady," Mikemon intervened, coming slowly towards him. "As you've obviously figured out already, my master's story about Eden's life in Colorado was a complete lie. The Digivice and crest are fakes."

Willis could feel the blood pounding in his ears, and attempting to remain calm, he said, "Fakes? Where did you get them from?"

"I did not get them from anywhere," Megareamon said coldly, waving her servant aside. "I created them. Like Eden, they are merely an illusion. The violet light that stems from both trinkets is a result of my own power. Would you like to see their true form?"

The female mega held out both the crest and the Digivice in her hands, and Willis watched in astonishment as they slowly began to change form. In a flash of purple light, the Digivice became a rock that could have been picked up from anywhere, and the crest became nothing more than a broken shard of glass. As a wave of understanding washed over him, he said, "So that's why our Digivices couldn't pick up your signal. It was never a Digivice to begin with. Let me guess, you used the same attack on those objects to make them appear as something different that you used on yourself to take on the form of a human girl."

"Which also explains why our signals didn't appear on Eden's Digivice," Lopmon added. "That still doesn't explain Mikemon, though."

"You mean my ability to digivolve to ultimate?" Mikemon asked, her tail flicking back and forth. "That has nothing to do with my master or the fake Digivice. In fact, you can blame yourselves for that. Over the last four years, I've been following you closely. Your friends have been to the Digital World many times to visit since MaloMyotismon was defeated, and during those visits they often used their Digivices. Unbeknownst to them, I made sure I was exposed to that light, which allowed me to harness the ability to digivolve on my own. I suppose you could say it was similar to what happened with your ally Leomon, minus the black gears, of course. I have excellent control over it, and as a result, whenever my master would use her fake Digivice, I simply digivolved on my own accordingly to make it look like it was a result of the Digivice's power."

Though he would never admit it, Willis couldn't help feeling impressed at how much thought and effort they had put into their plan, and raising his eyebrows, he said, "You still haven't explained how you were able to get to the human world."

"Thanks to the prophecy, the barriers between the human world and the Digital World are not as strong as they should be. While it may have appeared that I was leaving through the gate, I was actually just fazing between the two worlds with help from my ability to create illusions. Combined with the Powers of Darkness and a weak barrier, I was able to trick the gate into letting me pass. While I was in the human world, I spent many nights observing your precious Child of Hope."

Willis felt a spark of anger flare in his chest, and unable to hide the disgust in his voice, he said quietly, "If you think I'm going to let you get away with what you've done to T.K., think again. How did you get in here?"

"Temper, Child of Faith," Megareamon scolded, shaking her finger at him. "I entered the Garden of Eden the same way I've done everything else. I was allowed to pass through while disguised as the Child of Paradise. The darkness within me and the force of my illusions allowed me to manipulate the garden, granting me entrance. Once here, I was able to bend the garden to my will, allowing my sisters to join me. This is the seat of my throne, and it is from here that I will rule this world."

"Speaking of your sisters, where are they?" Lopmon demanded, his ears perking up.

Willis glanced at his partner, and attempting to rearrange his expression to hide the anger building inside his heart, he said dryly, "I'm sure they're around here somewhere. I get it now."

"Get what?" Lopmon asked, looking confused.

"How Tisiphomon and Alectomon always seemed to know where we were. It's because Megareamon always knew where we were."

"All because Megareamon was actually Eden the whole time, and between her spying on us and Izzy informing her of our plans, it's no wonder they were always popping up in the right place at the right time."

Willis smiled gently at his partner, and glancing warily at Mikemon, who was glaring at him, he said, "She must have had a way of communicating with them even while she was with us."

"My dear sisters and I are telepathically connected," Megareamon crooned, seating herself among the flowers. "We can speak with only our minds. It is a lovely experience."

"Ah, your spacing out moments when you were Eden. I wondered what that was about. It was because you were talking telepathically to your sisters and ratting out our location."

"I told you to mind your tongue in the presence of my lady," Mikemon spat at him, raising her paws in a threatening manner. "If you continue to disregard my warnings, I will make you suffer."

"Calm yourself, my servant," Megareamon crooned, reaching out to stroke the feline digimon's furry head. "Humans are naturally curious, and I do love to tell a good story. I must admit, Child of Faith, I'm impressed at how quickly you've caught on. That is correct. During those moments where I would disconnect from reality, I was guiding my sisters to our location."

"Until you decided to come for us yourself."

"You and your friends were not cooperating," Megareamon admonished, her violet hair and armour gleaming in the sunshine. "I knew then that I needed to step in. In order to do that I had to make up that ridiculous story about the car accident. I couldn't very well be in two places at once, so Eden had to disappear."

Willis could feel his throat closing up, and barely able to speak, he murmured, "That was the day you took Kari from us."

"The Child of Light was becoming a problem, though in the end you proved yourself to be the larger threat."

Willis felt a deep satisfaction at those words, and frowning, he said, "You were with us all those times your sisters were attacking us, which explains why I always felt like you weren't putting in your best effort. It always seemed like you were holding back, like you weren't trying to fight hard enough. Now I know why."

"I couldn't very well hurt my dear sisters, now could I," Megareamon said calmly, her violet eyes burning with desire. "Instead, I used my time to observe you all, and now I intend to use that knowledge to my advantage."

Huh?

Willis didn't even want to know what she meant by that, but it also wasn't something he could ignore. Whatever her plans were, he knew they revolved around T.K., and thinking about the Japanese blond, he said quietly, "What did you do to T.K.? When you made him touch that fake Digivice of yours, what happened to him?"

Megareamon yanked a pink flower free from the ground, and holding it up to study the blush petals, she said smoothly, "I just brought him a little bit closer to the darkness in his heart. I can be very persuasive, you know. He was slowly succumbing to the power of my illusions, and having come in contact with the light from my power, it made him sink even deeper into the attraction that was slowly bringing him closer to the non-existent Eden and away from his friends. That power still holds sway over him, but unfortunately it hasn't been having quite as strong of an effect lately."

"I take it I'm to blame for that?"

"As I said before, lately you have proven yourself to be even more dangerous than the Child of Light," Megareamon hissed, flinging the flower away in disgust. "And for that you are going to pay dearly."

Despite the danger he was in, Willis felt a deep satisfaction at the way he was throwing a wrench into her carefully fabricated plans, and allowing the warmth of his digimon partner's small body to sooth his taunt nerves, he said, "Is that why you went after me? Revenge for protecting T.K.? You failed to hurt Kari because of me, and T.K. still hasn't succumbed to the darkness. I guess you blame me for that, too."

"Of course I do," Megareamon hissed, her lavender eyes flashing as she once again slowly rose into the air. "The Child of Hope is at the centre of the prophecy, and according to Seermon's visions, only the holy trinity has the power to defeat me. If I send you and the Child of Light spiraling down into the depths of darkness, the Child of Hope will never be able to rise to his true potential. As a result, the prophecy will never come to pass, and I will reign supreme as queen over this world!"

Willis thought back on the words of the prophecy, and heart filling with dread, he realized she was right. The darkness spoken of in the poem did refer to the Erinyes, with Megareamon at the centre. It had warned them that the female mega would go after T.K., and she would do so by fooling the Child of Hope with her illusions. Megareamon was the 'evil with a pleasant face' that had remained hidden from them, and because both he and Kari had suffered moments of weakness in the past, T.K.'s strength was the main target. T.K. had the power not only to keep the three of them together, but also the whole Digidestined team, and that was why the Erinyes wanted to snuff out his light. Without T.K., there was no hope.

He really is the rock that holds us all up and keeps us together. Without him I don't know if the rest of us could survive the darkness, which is exactly what Megareamon is counting on.

That was why the female mega wanted T.K. He was the major obstacle standing in the way of her plans to defeat the Digidestined, nullify the prophecy, and ultimately take over the Digital World.

Except she's forgetting one thing. The last verse of the prophecy hints that T.K. can be saved even if he does succumb to the darkness, and the power to save him lies with Kari and myself...

"Willis, what are we going to do?" Lopmon asked, sounding worried. "We can't let her hurt T.K.!"

Willis kept his attention focused solely on Megareamon, and flexing his fingers to test the glowing ropes, he said as calmly as he could, "What are you going to do to T.K.? Tell me!"

Megareamon laughed, the musical tones of her voice sending chills down his spine, and raising her hand to point a finger at him, she said seductively, "The Child of Hope will surely fall to the darkness if he's forced to watch you suffer. After all, it's a truly terrifying experience to witness your nightmares coming to life right before your very eyes."

"What do you mean?"

"Willis, look!" Lopmon gasped, staring at him in horror.

Willis blinked as his body began to glow with a faint purple light, and realizing it was coming from the finger that was pointed in his direction, he cried out in shock as the words of the prophecy slowly began to materialize on his skin.

The logical side of his brain knew it was only an illusion created to fool T.K., but seeing the fancy handwriting slowly carving itself into his flesh made him want to scream. It looked exactly like how it had appeared in the visions created by the dark orbs that had assaulted him previously, and there was no doubt in his mind that the words were a mirror image of what T.K. would have witnessed in his dream.

No! I can't let her do this! I can't let her play with T.K.'s mind...

"Do you understand now?" Megareamon sang out, her lips curving into a malevolent smile. "I'm going to use you to make the Child of Hope fall into the depths of his own madness. The girl will suffer next, and once I destroy the trinity, the rest of your friends will die, as well. A new prophecy shall be written henceforth, one where I am hailed as queen of the Digital World, and as for you, the girl, and the Child of Hope, death will be your only escape from the darkness!"

Willis wanted to reply, but before he could come up with a defiant retort, a glowing strip of lavender ribbon wrapped itself around his mouth, preventing him from using his voice. The same violet tape assaulted Lopmon's mouth, and unable to speak, they gazed at each other in silence, both thinking the same thing.

T.K. was in serious trouble, and if they couldn't find a way to free themselves, Megareamon's terrible plans were very likely to succeed.