Takuya has long since lost track of the passage of time when the Trailmon finally slid to a stop. He felt the movements around him slow, and he managed to pry himself away from slumber with a little bit of effort. He still felt absolutely dreadful, but the added rest had helped him an unprecedented amount. When Takuya tried to rise to his feet, he actually felt as if he would be able to support his own weight. His eyes were still droopy and heavy, but he was still more than willing to accept the fact that he could stand at all as an overwhelming positive.
Takuya walked out of the Trailmon slowly alongside the rest of the group. Hinoka and Yumiko both walked to the front of the train to give the Digimon their thanks and apologies as the rest of the group examined their surroundings. Takuya felt as if his initial judgements about the space couldn't have been more wrong. With the crystals and delicate sunshine that thrived around him, Takuya felt as if he had been sent back to Evergreen Dawn. He knew that it wasn't possible since Evergreen Dawn had been destroyed ages ago, but he still couldn't eliminate the idea of how similar the space was to Seraphimon's domain.
A gasp from Mayumi earned Takuya's attention, and he glanced over to see that she was grinning brightly. "This is Abraxas!" she cried out, turning to face Haroi. She grabbed onto his hands firmly before starting to bounce up and down on her toes and heels. "Haroi and I wound up here when we first arrived in the Digital World!"
Takuya nodded to himself at Mayumi's words. That most certainly made sense. Mayumi and Haroi had described Abraxas as being a crystallite space when they first joined the team. It was almost uncanny how similar the area looked to Evergreen Dawn. Part of him wondered if perhaps Rose Morning Star had once looked the same way before Cherubimon fell to corruption.
The Trailmon began to slip away from the station as Yumiko and Hinoka fully joined the rest of the team. Takuya glanced over to them before turning his attention back to his feet. He didn't know what to do since they had managed to escape the grasp of the enemy. It was only a matter of time before the Royal Knights returned, and he wasn't looking forward to it in the slightest.
"We should try to come up with a plan," Saki declared, and Takuya looked up at them with a frown. As much as he hated to admit it, they were right. Takuya wanted nothing more than to rest until they were feeling up to fighting once again, but that time would never come. The group had been running off anxiety, exhaustion, and desperation since they first arrived in the Continent of Darkness. The Royal Knights were simply the straw that broke the camel's back, and the Legendary Warriors were left to crumble under the weight of the strength that the Royal Knights had displayed.
Mayumi and Haroi took the lead in leading the group into the main area of the castle from the Trailmon station. Haroi gestured for everyone else to follow them as Mayumi continued to speak. "I didn't even know there was a Trailmon that came in here directly," she commented. "When Haroi and I first got here, we were dropped off at a nearby station, and we had to walk here on our own terms."
"It would make sense that there wouldn't be a Trailmon directly from Earth to here. After all, the last thing that anyone would want would be for someone to stumble into Ophanimon's castle and disturb the peace here," Haroi pointed out. "Everyone was gone by the time that we first arrived because Cherubimon frightened them into hiding, but... I imagine that this place is rather lively and bright when everyone is here to enjoy the space and its energy."
Mayumi and Haroi led the group through a grand entryway before moving towards a library that existed off a side hallway. Takuya's jaw practically dropped as soon as he saw the countless books that lined the walls of the room, and he wondered if perhaps Seraphimon had once possessed such an impressive library. Evergreen Dawn and everything inside of its halls had been destroyed, but he still wished that he had been given the chance to explore the palace on his own terms before it fell to Cherubimon's influence.
It didn't take the team long to settle into the library after Mayumi and Haroi said that they had arrived at their destination. Takuya himself slid into a couch, and Chihiro and Izumi slotted in on either side of him. Other chairs were pulled up from other spaces in the library, and a large bench was pushed in as well. Mayumi, Koichi, and Tomoki took up the bench while the remainder of the team decided to take up residence in their own individual seats. They were all sitting in a circle by the time that someone next spoke up.
The person to break through the silence was Saki, and they glanced over to Bokomon solemnly. "I want you to tell us everything that you know about the Royal Knights," they said firmly. "If we're going to find victory, we're going to need to know everything that we possibly can. They're strong, and we need to prepare for that."
Bokomon nodded in response. "If you want the truth, not much is known about the Royal Knights in the grand scheme of the Digital World's history. I know that they were part of Lucemon's army back in the day. Believe it or not, the Digital World was not entirely against Lucemon at the time. Some thought that his mistreatment of other Digimon was justified. Others sided with him because they wanted to be on the side of the one who they thought was going to end the war. Then there were the Digimon who were simply loyal to him because of their own morals," he began.
"Judging by how the Royal Knights were talking, I'm willing to guess that third category applies to them," Junpei commented, a frown appearing on his features. He leaned forward, pressing his elbows into his knees as he spoke, and Takuya saw an uncomfortable shadow cross Junpei's face.
"That's correct," Bokomon confirmed. "They decided to fight with Lucemon because it fit with their definition of justice. It's simply how they are, I suppose. They were loyal to Lucemon long before the war was declared, and they continued to fight at his side until Lucemon was sealed away. It was widely suspected that they died in the battle, but they apparently survived, and it seems as if they've been waiting for years to see Lucemon brought back to life."
"I don't know how anyone could have sided with Lucemon," Neemon admitted with a heavy frown. It was odd to see him so upset, but Takuya couldn't blame him in the slightest. Even Neemon, casual and airy and lighthearted, could only stand so much of the punishment that the group had been given in the past few weeks.
"They believed that Lucemon was the only one deserving of ruling over the Digital World, and they were partially responsible for his brutality against the other Digimon living at the time," Bokomon went on. "If Lucemon didn't like someone and he wasn't in the mood to confront them himself, he would simply send a member of the Royal Knights out to take care of them. The Royal Knights were feared by all, and the Legendary Warriors were the only ones who could ever stand up to them."
"Most of the Legendary Warriors died in the original war, and I'm willing to guess that the Royal Knights were somehow involved with that," Saki commented with a small sigh. "As far as I can tell, the Warriors of Fire and Light were the only two who actually survived to the end of the fighting, and they laid themselves to rest as soon as their work was done."
"The Royal Knights were probably allies of our original incarnations then," Haroi murmured, glancing over to Mayumi nervously. It took Takuya a moment to catch on and figure out what he meant, but when he did, he frowned to himself. He had heard quite some time ago, back when Mayumi and Haroi were first explaining their shared adventures in the Digital World, that the Warriors of Energy and Cosmos had betrayed the rest of their team. They had left behind the Legendary Warriors in favor of fighting with Lucemon.
Takuya wondered briefly what their motive could have been among the list that Bokomon had proposed before. He eventually came to the conclusion that the Warriors of Energy and Cosmos had likely found it pointless to stand up against Lucemon, believing that he would win the war. Their surrender and alliance had likely been an attempt to pacify Lucemon's aggression, though it was clear as day how that had turned out. Lucemon had taken advantage of the Warriors who Mayumi and Haroi were connected to before taking their power for himself and using them to grow stronger than anyone could have ever imagined.
"They're stronger than we can stand up to, if I'm being honest with you," Saki suddenly said, snapping Takuya out of his curious trance. He glanced over to them with a frown, and he watched patiently as they continued. "Even one of them could have absolutely obliterated all of us. If we're going to defeat them, we're going to need to isolate them and gang up on them with everything that we have. We'll have to make a plan to get one of them alone so that we can fight them specifically and leave the rest of the team out of it."
Takuya nodded slowly, understanding that Saki had a point but hating how right they were. The Royal Knights were so ridiculously powerful that it bothered him. There was no point in the Royal Knights staying together though, and that was the one benefit that Takuya could see to all of this. With Cherubimon's defeat, the Legendary Warriors were at the top of the power pyramid since they had overthrown the corrupted Celestial. Even one of the Royal Warriors was capable of wiping all of them out, so the Royal Knights wouldn't need to stay together. They would be more than able to split up, leaving the Legendary Warriors with the chance to gather their bearings and fight back.
"I want to know what their goal is," Hinoka murmured next. One of her hands was pressed against her chest, and the other played with a strand of her hair absentmindedly. "They have to have some reason for doing all of this, but we don't know what it is. If there's something that we need to do in order to get in the way of their progress, we need to know what their ending objective is. We can't find the answer to our questions until we know what questions we should be asking in the first place."
"They're trying to bring back Lucemon, I think," Neemon told her with a tilt of his head to the side. "Though I guess that we don't know how they would even do that... Hm. It sure is a mystery, huh?"
"Lucemon is the most powerful being known in the Digital World. Breaking the seal that he's been trapped under is going to be difficult. I suspect that the Digital World itself is acting as the lock on the hole that he's been trapped in for all these years. The existence of the Digital World is keeping him locked away. That's a seal that's nearly foolproof, after all," Junpei explained. "Think about it. That would make sense with why Cherubimon was so set on destroying the Digital World."
"He was being controlled by Lucemon the whole time, so it would make sense that he was trying to destroy the Digital World. If he got rid of the world as a whole, that would leave Lucemon free to break free once again. Lucemon's ridiculous power levels would give him the chance to reconstruct the Digital World in his own image too," Koichi commented. He closed his eyes and shook his head, and Takuya pretended not to notice the way that Koichi was so clearly unnerved by the mere suggestion that Lucemon would break free. "We have to defeat the Royal Knights before they can free Lucemon. If Lucemon is set free, it'll be over for all of us."
"Our predecessors barely managed to defeat him, and even so, most of them gave their lives to end the war," Tomoki commented, his voice shaking slightly. "They had a lifetime of experience to get to know themselves and the power that they possess, but we aren't like that. We just happened to stumble upon the Digital World a few weeks ago, and we aren't strong that way. We're fragile and breakable by comparison."
Takuya didn't say it, but he knew that Tomoki was thinking about the way that everyone had been left hurt in the aftermath of the previous fight against the Royal Knights. Takuya didn't think he would ever be able to forget the sensation of losing himself to Fractal Code. Even if he had come back a moment later, it had left him with a terrifying sensation that his body didn't belong to him, that he was trapped outside the place that he was supposed to call home. The mere idea made him feel as if he was going to be sick.
Takuya did his best to shove such thoughts aside though, and he looked to the group with a smile on his face. He knew that he was lying right through his teeth as he continued to grin, but he couldn't convince himself to stop either. "We're just going to have to find a way to push through this then. We'll come up with a plan and make sure that we know what we're doing when they next show themselves. As soon as we see a weakness in their defenses, we'll break through and make sure that they know that we're not going to be tolerating their treatment of the Digital World and its occupants," he declared.
Koji nodded slowly, and Takuya couldn't help but feel pride deep down despite the blatant way he was speaking of empty optimism. Koji seemed to understand that there was a distinction between Takuya's prior brazen confidence and hope that came through deliberation and planning. It made Takuya far more satisfied than he would ever care to admit.
"Takuya's right," Koji agreed before glancing up at the library around them. "We've got infinite resources to use, so let's take advantage of them and see if there's anything we can learn about the Royal Knights here. There has to be something here that can tell us about a weakness that we could exploit. No creature is invincible. We simply need to find the crack in their armor and then pry it wide open."
"Seems like we have a plan then," Saki said simply before starting to rise to their feet. "We'll meet up as soon as we find something. We can use this as a chance to somewhat recuperate our strength before the next fight. Don't push yourselves too far. We only have one shot at life, and we can't throw it away before these monsters. Understood?"
A chorus of agreement rose up from the crowd as the Legendary Warriors began to scatter to different points of the library. Takuya watched them all with a frown on his face before deciding to approach Saki. Something about their words struck him as odd in a way that he didn't know how to describe, and he figured that asking them about it would be the best way to learn more.
"Saki?" Takuya questioned. He had followed them into the most secluded corner of the library, and he figured that it made sense they had come so far out from the group's original meeting place. It wasn't as if Saki was comfortable or open with the rest of the team quite yet, so it was only natural that they would be more secretive than anyone else.
"What is it?" Saki asked, their voice nonchalant and deadpan as they sifted through book titles. They didn't even look up to Takuya, and he could see that their gaze was back to being just as hazy and glassy as it had been before the encounter with the Royal Knights. The moment of honesty that they had shared with Junpei had long since ended, and he couldn't help but wish that he had been given the chance to see it for themselves.
"I was just going to ask you about what you said to the rest of the group," Takuya replied simply. He shrugged his shoulders simply before getting on with his own search. He crouched down next to Saki's legs and scanned the covers that were closer to the floor. Nothing there seemed to be particularly useful, so he slowly began to rise back to his full height.
"What about it?" Saki questioned, glancing down to him. Their gaze was piercing in a way that he hadn't anticipated, and he felt as if their brown irises were secretly daggers that longed to carve his heart free of his chest.
"You just... You seemed oddly passionate about it all," he answered. In all honesty, he didn't know what he had found so strange about it. Saki had been emotional when they told the rest of the team to continue surviving, but it wasn't as if he could use that as evidence to make them open up. Saki was as secretive and cagey as it got, and if they didn't want to talk about something, they were going to find a way to avoid the subject no matter what.
"I was simply speaking the truth," Saki told him with a shake of their head. "We aren't Digimon fully. Even if we share strength with the Legendary Warriors, that doesn't mean that we are completely Digimon. If we die, then there is no chance for us to come back. We have to take advantage of the lives that we've been given if we want to ensure that no others are placed in danger as a result of the Royal Knights' attempts at conquest. It's all rather plain and simple. What isn't clicking to you?"
"I wouldn't say that it's not clicking," Takuya immediately said, going on the defensive before he even recognized his own behavior. As soon as he caught on fully to what he had just told them, Takuya cleared his throat and continued. "It's just not like you to be so open with how you feel."
"Perhaps there's a reason for that," Saki remarked, looking down to Takuya as a smirk played at their lips. Takuya had to resist the urge to glare at them in response. He wished that Junpei had been able to fully break down their barriers when Saki was in a mood to be honest prior to the appearance of the Royal Knights. Since he hadn't been able to get through to them, Saki was being just as secretive as before and avoiding questions as they always had. It was frustrating to Takuya, if he was being honest.
"You don't need to hide your true feelings from the rest of us, you know," Takuya pressed gently, not wanting to set Saki off into something snarky but still wanting to get his message across. "We're a team, and we're more than happy to have you here as part of our group. We accepted everybody else, and we're going to accept you too. There's not a reason for you to keep everything hidden when we're here to help you. That's what friends do."
Saki turned to face Takuya fully, briefly halting their search as a solemn expression appeared on their face. "I don't know if I would go so far as to say that we're friends quite yet," they commented smoothly, their voice rolling gently. "We haven't known each other for very long in the grand scheme of our lives. Everyone else might be okay with opening up at the snap of a finger, but I'm not like that."
"Do you not trust us? Is that what's going on?" Takuya questioned. "You sure seemed to trust Junpei when you were talking to him on the Trailmon before the Royal Knights appeared. I know that he's been the most active about reaching out to you, but the rest of us are here too."
"Life is cruel and unfeeling. The universe is a twisted place to be, and I understand that things are far more complex than they seem at a first glance," Saki told Takuya with a small shrug. "You've got to be aware of how painful it can be to live in this world sometimes. Even if life is beautiful, it can be difficult to press through at the same time."
Takuya didn't have to be told that twice. Of course he knew how awful life could be. He would never be able to forget the pain that his friends had been put through since they first went to the Digital World. He had been bullied as a young child because of his gender. Takuya had watched firsthand as Chihiro suffered under the strain of abuse. He was fully aware of how cruel the universe was, but he still didn't think that it was a reason for Saki to pretend that it was impossible to care for others in this dark world they called life.
"I know," Takuya told Saki, narrowing his eyes in their direction. "I'm not trying to say that you don't know what you're talking about. The world is harsh and cruel, but that doesn't mean that you need to pretend that the rest of us aren't here for you. We might not have developed a friendship over a regular period of time, but we aren't in a regular situation right now either. Life isn't what we thought it was going to be, and we've been forced to adapt as a result. You're not going to help yourself by retreating into your own shell and blocking out all of the issues that you're struggling with."
"I'm not struggling in the slightest. I'm surviving," Saki said with a small shake of their head. Their voice was a lazy drawl at a first glance, but Takuya could tell that there was far more to it than that. "We're all still alive. I can handle my Beast Spirit just fine. I know that was what caused all of you to open up, but I don't need any help to cope with it. I'm handling all of this on my own."
"Surviving is not thriving," Takuya bit back, instantly regretting how bitter and snappish his voice sounded. He took a deep breath before continuing to elaborate. "You might be alive right now, but that isn't the same thing as thriving. We can help you to find a place where you're happy even if it isn't with us. We want to help you out, Saki. Please, let us do what we can to help you."
"I told you that I'm fine. If you don't believe it, that's your choice," Saki went on. "I understand your concern, but there truly isn't anything for you to be worked up about. I'm more than fine with my current position. We're all still breathing, and that's all that I can ask for. You can't truly be upset with me for being happy that all of us are alive despite the harsh nature of the Digital World."
"You're fine with the fact that you're being forced to fight for your life on a daily basis?" Takuya questioned, his eyes going wide in surprise. "This isn't a normal situation. I don't see how in the world this could be a good thing in your opinion. I understand that we all have our own limits, but that's still not a good position to be in."
"I told you that I'm fine with it. We're alive. We're coming up with a plan. We're going to find a way to pull through this no matter what lows we have to sink to. We're all going to survive, and that's all that I care about. I meant it when I said that life is the most precious gift that any person can ever be given. Let's use that life that we have and change the world for the better," Saki shrugged. "Perhaps we should split up. I believe that we would cover more ground that way."
Takuya knew that this was Saki's way of dismissing him, and he let out a sigh, knowing that they weren't going to allow any other pieces of information to slip during their conversation. Saki was far smarter than their passive expression would suggest, and they were fully aware of all the small cracks that Takuya had shown during their chat. He was simply going to have to leave it at that and wait until Junpei or someone else could poke a bit deeper into the walls that Saki had constructed.
That didn't stop Takuya from being frustrated though. The way that Saki and Junpei had looked at one another made it seem like Saki wanted nothing more than to tell Junpei everything that was on their mind. They were simply holding back because of something that Takuya thought looked an uncomfortable amount like fear. Junpei had been more than happy to listen to all that they had to say, but Saki never had the chance to fully speak about it before the Royal Knights appeared. Takuya couldn't help but wonder how differently his conversation with Saki from a few moments prior would have ended if Junpei had actually managed to get through to Saki fully.
"Fine," Takuya eventually muttered. He began to drag his feet across the ground as he made his way back to the main area of the library where Bokomon, Neemon, Patamon, and Hinoka were. The rest of the Legendary Warriors were elsewhere in the grand space. Takuya's eyes immediately searched the area for Junpei, and he thought that perhaps he could ask him about what he thought was happening with Saki.
However, Takuya's search of the area was cut off by the sound of something cracking. The hair on the back of Takuya's neck stood up as a shiver sprinted down his spine. He glanced around to find the source of the noise, and he soon found what was responsible.
Patamon was sitting next to Ophanimon's egg, and he was watching it with wide, curious eyes. Patamon reached out with one hand to poke at the smooth surface, and a small crack that had formed in the side of the egg immediately grew far wider than before. Patamon yelped in shock and retreated as far from the egg as he possibly could.
The cracks began to spread until they covered the entire central area of the egg. The top half began to work its way loose, and when it burst free, a small Digimon popped out. It was a white creature that appeared to be a somewhat lopsided sphere. Two orbs were resting on top of its head to form ears of sorts. Its eyes were bold and black, searching the area with bright curiosity.
Hinoka immediately set down the book that she had been flicking through to approach the small Digimon as Bokomon and Neemon walked over. Hinoka held out her hands, and the white creature hopped into her palms a moment later. Hinoka cooed gently as she rubbed the Digimon up against her cheek. The monster instinctively curled up against her, letting out a small purring sound.
"That's SnowBotamon," Neemon explained, and Takuya glanced over to see the cream-colored Digimon holding the two halves of Ophanimon's egg. The pieces of the egg dissipated into data a moment later. "It looks like Ophanimon's egg finally hatched."
"She didn't take anywhere near as long to hatch as Patamon did," Bokomon murmured, taking care not to call the young orange Digimon Seraphimon as a way of preventing potential distress. He glanced up at SnowBotamon, the baby that had once been the incredible Lady Ophanimon, and swallowed dryly. "I'm glad to see that she's alright."
"She doesn't seem to remember anything from before either," Hinoka whispered. She pulled SnowBotamon away from her face and gently poked at the creature's cheek. SnowBotamon chirped in joy and nuzzled at her finger once again, prompting Hinoka to giggle in joy before she pressed SnowBotamon gently to her chest.
"We're just waiting for Cherubimon to hatch then," Takuya said softly. He looked over at the chair that Neemon had been sitting in and saw that Cherubimon's egg was still resting atop the cushion. The egg had fallen over slightly, creating a gentle diagonal angle, but it was intact nonetheless.
"Until then, I'm going to find some food for this little one," Hinoka declared. She began to walk away from the library, and Takuya watched her go with a small smile on his face. Hinoka had incredible motherly instincts that he never would have expected at a first glance. Still, he supposed that there was still quite a bit that he had yet to hear about regarding Hinoka. The Warrior of Water spent most of her time with Izumi, so Takuya would simply have to ask his blonde friend for more details about her when he got the chance.
Still, Takuya knew that he had other business to take care of first. After he had pulled his attention away from Hinoka and SnowBotamon, he focused on glancing around the library once again. His gaze fell on Junpei after a few seconds, and Takuya began to walk towards his target, praying that the Warrior of Thunder would have at least a little information to offer up regarding Saki.
"Hey, Junpei," Takuya began. He started dragging his fingers across the surface of the books nearby, hoping that he would find something interesting along the way. He was only partially paying attention to his surroundings, but he didn't want to make it seem as if Junpei was the only reason he had come to this section of the library. After all, talking wasn't exactly part of their plan to defeat the Royal Knights.
Junpei, who had been sitting in an elaborate chair and flicking through a book that seemed larger than Takuya's head, glanced up when he heard his name. "What is it?" he questioned casually.
"I was just wondering if there's anything that you could tell me about Saki," Takuya responded. "I was talking to them a few minutes ago, and... I don't know. I guess I just feel weird when I'm around them. I don't know Saki well at all, but I want to change that as soon as possible." Takuya chose to omit the fact that Saki made him feel strange in a way that he didn't know how to describe. He was comfortable enough with every other member of the group, but Saki was a different beast entirely, and he was desperate to find out as much as possible as soon as he could manage it.
Junpei paused for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know what I could even tell you, honestly," he replied. "Saki isn't an easy person to understand. Believe me when I say that I understand that all too well. I've been trying to get through to them for what feels like ages now, but nothing ever seems to work."
Takuya could tell that there was something else that Junpei wanted to say, but for some reason, the Warrior of Thunder was holding back. Takuya let out a sigh. "Let me guess... You know a little bit about them, but you don't want to break their trust or privacy by telling me?" he questioned.
Junpei looked at Takuya with a critical gaze for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. If Saki wants to talk to us about everything, they'll do that on their own time. I don't want to push them too far in the meantime. I trust them, and I think that should be more than enough for now. We need their help to save the Digital World. Saki isn't going to betray us or anything. They're just... They're secretive. They don't want to reveal too much information so soon after meeting us," he explained.
"I get it," Takuya admitted with a light shrug. "I mean, it's not like all of us were best friends as soon as we arrived here in the Digital World. For a while there, none of us were comfortable with each other, but we got used to one another after spending some time together. I just hope that Saki will wind up like the others."
"The difference between Saki and everyone else is that they've already got somebody they're comfortable with," Junpei said, dropping his gaze back to the book in his lap. He flipped to the next page with an absentminded gesture. "Chihiro knew you before all of this started. Mayumi and Haroi have each other, and that made it easier for the rest of us to understand them since they had one another to bounce off. Tomoki reached out to Yumiko, and Izumi did the same for Hinoka. Koji and Koichi bonded naturally because of the way that they're connected. I've been trying to close the distance between the rest of us and Saki, but they're not exactly open to the idea. I think it's just the way that they were raised."
Takuya nodded slowly. "I see..." he murmured. As much as he hated to admit it, Junpei had a point. The rest of the team's members had been able to fall into a routine as soon as they moved past the sensation of being an outcast. When they broke through the issues that came with arriving to the team late, they were integrated into the team dynamic in the blink of an eye.
"Saki is going to need some more time to fully open up to us, but I'm hoping that it'll happen soon enough," Junpei told Takuya as he continued to scan through the volume resting on his thighs. "Saki told me that they wanted to try and open up to us soon enough. I have no doubt that they're going to find a way to fully move past whatever issues have been holding them back up to this point. Saki is trying, so we simply have to return the gesture."
"You're right," Takuya said softly. He paused for a moment before a small smirk appeared on his face. "You know, I never would have expected you to be this good at figuring out Saki. I mean, the rest of us haven't come anywhere close to learning what's going on in their head, but for you, it's like you don't even need to try. You can do it effortlessly."
"I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exactly the best when it comes to feelings and understanding the thought processes of other people," Junpei began. "Still, I guess that you and the rest of the team has rubbed off on me. I never really gave emotions a second thought until we came to the Digital World, but... I guess that I was underestimating myself when I said that I was bad at it before. Imagine that."
Takuya snickered to himself, and even if the sound was somewhat hollow, it lightened the tension in the air just as he was hoping that it would. "We've all changed," he commented. He didn't elaborate further, but he still felt that his message had gotten across even with the simplicity of his words.
Even if Takuya had wanted to continue speaking though, he wouldn't have had a chance to. The ground suddenly began to shake violently, and Takuya was sent stumbling into the nearby bookshelf. He threw out one hand to steady himself, but he accidentally knocked a series of tomes off the wooden structure. Hardback covers rained down upon his arm, and Takuya hissed in pain, knowing that the books would undoubtedly form bruises. Still, he didn't allow himself to be distracted for much longer than he needed to be, and he started to move back into the main area of the library.
Hinoka slid into the room a moment later, still holding tightly to the small Digimon that had once been Ophanimon. The creature had changed shape and size, now appearing as a small cat. She had a primarily yellow body and a pair of sharp ears that stuck up from the top of her head. The cat's eyes were brown and wide with terror. Her tail was yellow with purple stripes, and it curled defensively around the rest of her body. A few fangs could be seen sticking out from between her lips, and she was quivering in fear.
Takuya didn't need to ask to know that SnowBotamon had evolved thanks to the influence of the food that Hinoka had given her. He glanced down to Bokomon and saw that the white Digimon was reaching his arms up to Hinoka, showing that he had interest in holding the newly-hatched reincarnation of Ophanimon. "Come here, Nyaromon," Bokomon cooed before pulling in the small Digimon, Nyaromon, close to his chest. Nyaromon whimpered before curling up against him further.
"They're here," Koji declared. Takuya looked up in surprise, unsure as to when Koji had even arrived in the area but not able to bring himself to care. The rest of the team was streaming into the main area of the library as well, all having seemingly come to the same conclusion.
As much as Takuya hated to say it, Koji was right. They were all fully aware of who he was talking about without even needing to ask. The Royal Knights had arrived once again, and they were going to have to fight once again. Their attempts to find the weaknesses of their foes had ended in disaster, and catastrophe awaited them the instant that they stepped back out onto the battlefield.
Still, it wasn't as if they had any choice in the matter. Takuya started running towards the door, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow him. "Come on!" he exclaimed. The remainder of the team followed suit save for Koji and Haroi, who quickly gathered the limited belongings of the team contained in the two bags that they had been carrying throughout the Digital World. As soon as those supplies were pulled together though, they were running after the other Legendary Warriors as fast as they could manage.
The sensation of adrenaline in the air was almost suffocating, but Takuya didn't allow himself to think on it for too long. He slid to a stop once he was outside of Abraxas. Trees spiraled into the sky on all sides of him, and the outline of Alphamon could be seen overhead. He was alone, much to Takuya's surprise.
However, it didn't take long for Takuya to realize how much sense this made. The Royal Knights would be able to cover more ground if they split up, and they would be able to accomplish their goal of destroying the Digital World faster as long as they were apart and making progress. It appeared that the Royal Knights had come to the same conclusion as the Legendary Warriors after the previous battle in the Continent of Darkness.
Takuya wasn't thrilled to see Alphamon, but he couldn't bring himself to complain. After all, the group had agreed that fighting the Royal Knights when they were isolated would make their mission far easier. If the twelve of them could gang up on Alphamon and defeat him, they would be able to make significant progress in stopping the Royal Knights. This was their first step to eventually finding success.
Takuya allowed himself to press the activation button on his D-Tector, and the air around his fingers began to buzz as three rings of Fractal Code appeared around his fingers. He scanned the illumination across the sensor at the top of his D-Tector, and the space around him was consumed in blue and purple light. His shape began to change, and Aldamon was left in his place a moment later.
Aldamon glanced over his shoulder to see what forms the rest of his team had taken. They had all gone to their highest levels, meaning that they were all in Hybrid form save for Zephyrmon, Cygnusmon, Cybelemon, and Calanthemon. Eight Hybrid Spirits and four Beast Spirits should have been more than enough for them to defeat Alphamon, right?
Aldamon was painfully reminded of the previous fight as soon as he took to the skies though. He could still feel the pulling sensation of pain in his muscles, and he wanted to rest more than ever before. Maybe he should have settled down with a book and sat down in the library rather than wandering around in an attempt to learn more about Saki.
Still, it was too late for him to take back his choice, so he was simply going to have to go with the decision that he had made before. The Royal Knights were going to continue standing in their path until he and the rest of the Legendary Warriors defeated them, so he was simply going to have to get the fighting over with as soon as possible. They still didn't know how much of the Digital World had to fall to ruin in order for Lucemon to be successfully revived, and Aldamon was positive that he didn't want to know if he could prevent it. After all, if Lucemon came back, it was game over for them all, plain and simple.
Alphamon looked over the Legendary Warriors slowly, and his eyes narrowed. He was silent just as he had been for most of the previous fight, and Aldamon came to the firm conclusion that Alphamon didn't enjoy speaking unless he had to. Alphamon was one of the strongest fighters among the Royal Knights as far as Aldamon could tell, and his raw power seemed to speak for itself. Aldamon cringed to himself when he realized that starting off with the strongest of their enemies was far from being an ideal outcome, but all journeys had to begin somewhere, and if this was the hand that fate had given to them, they were simply going to have to go along with it.
Aldamon was the first one to strike at Alphamon after the Royal Knight realized that they were there. He could still feel Alphamon's degrading gaze as he charged towards the Royal Knight in a blaze of fire, and he slammed his body against Alphamon's armor with as much force as he could muster. Alphamon took a step back, but aside from that, he showed no signs of being hurt in the slightest. His armor wasn't even lightly singed.
Aldamon's eyes went wide at the realization, and Alphamon held up one of his hands before summoning a large blade to his hand. He slashed sideways with the sword, knocking Aldamon out of the air effortlessly. The Warrior of Fire let out a cry of surprise as he hit the ground, and he realized that he hadn't even noticed that he was falling until after Alphamon had already sent him flying. He was sure as could be that underestimating Alphamon would be the poorest choice that any of them could have made in that moment.
However, once Aldamon was out of the air, Alphamon stopped attacking. He simply raised his hand to the sky, and the ground below the group began to glow. Aldamon forced himself into the air once again, and he saw that the trees surrounding Abraxas, along with the castle themselves, were starting to transform into Fractal Code. He let out a cry of surprise before swooping downwards to grab Cybelemon. Calanthemon retrieved Aethermon while Rhihimon grabbed Beowolfmon. Daipenmon was snagged from the ground by Thundramon a moment later. Zephyrmon moved to pick up the four Digimon along with Cherubimon's egg. Patamon sat on her head while the others remained in her arms.
Aldamon's mind began to spin at the realization of what was happening. Cherubimon's attempted conquest of the Digital World had involved his soldiers attempting to steal territory from across the land. He had seen such first hand with Cerberumon the day that he and the rest of the team first arrived in the Digital World. However, such attacks had drawn to a close as soon as the Fallen Warriors entered the equation. The Fallen Warriors had been more intent on destroying the group rather than simply taking the land out from beneath their feet.
Fuck.
That had been the point.
Aldamon let out a gasp as soon as he understood. Cherubimon had intentionally sent the Fallen Warriors after the Risen Warriors to keep them distracted. Chances were that the rest of his soldiers were taking advantage of the chaos to steal as much Fractal Code as possible. Cherubimon had been so ridiculously powerful because he stole data from the Digital World itself as well as the Digimon who inhabited it. He allowed the blatant ignorance of regular Digimon to give himself the chance to conquer the world when nobody dared to look his way or even think of opposing him. The only ones who even considered fighting him were the Risen Warriors, and as long as his Fallen Warrior generals kept them distracted, there was nothing that they could do.
Cherubimon's goal of taking as much data as possible had fueled Lucemon's return. With Cherubimon's defeat, the leftover Fractal Code that he had taken had likely gone back to his patron. The Royal Knights were being active about their theft of data, but this had been going on for quite some time. Aldamon and the rest of the Legendary Warriors had simply been too distracted with other matters to ever see what was happening.
"He's trying to take the Fractal Code of the area!" Bokomon cried out from his place in Zephyrmon's arms. "We can't let him get away with it! Abraxas is one of the most data-rich places in the whole of the Digital World!"
Aldamon was sure that Bokomon was correct in saying such. After all, it would only make sense that the home of one of the Celestial Three contained immense amounts of Fractal Code. He absolutely hated that this was happening, but he understood that he wouldn't be able to stop what was happening until he ended the battle. They were going to have to keep Alphamon from absorbing the Fractal Code of the region if they wanted to have the advantage of fighting on the ground.
Cybelemon threw out one hand, and a column of rock shot seemingly from out of nowhere. It began to compress before forming a lengthy platform with more than enough space for all of the ground-based Warriors to stand on. Aldamon swept down and gave Cybelemon the chance to land, and the rest of the group did the same if they were holding tightly to any members of the team.
As soon as they were settled, Cybelemon punched at the air, and a large stone broke off from the ground beneath their feet to rocket through the air and slam into Alphamon's hand. The Royal Knight actually appeared to feel the damage from this attack since his armor was thinner in this region. He snarled, the sound low and threatening, before turning to face Cybelemon. As much as Aldamon hated the idea of Alphamon engaging them directly, he knew that it was better than the alternative of him absorbing the Fractal Code of Abraxas and its surrounding territories.
Before Alphamon could unleash an attack in Cybelemon's direction though, a shower of stars rained down from above to strike at the Royal Knight. Alphamon looked up to see that Cygnusmon was flapping his wings furiously to ensure that he was hit by the countless attacks. None of them were doing significant damage, but it was still enough to annoy Alphamon away from his intentions of attacking Cybelemon.
Alphamon flew up towards Cygnusmon and prepared a sphere of dark energy in his free hand. He launched it forward a moment later, but Cygnusmon ducked down and flew out of the way at the last possible second. The black orb streaked through the sky before making contact with the ground below. The Fractal Code was starting to disappear, giving way to the region's regular colors of lush green. This peace was disturbed by an explosion that rose up from the ground at the place where Alphamon's attack made contact with the forest.
Cygnusmon charged upwards, slamming his head into Alphamon's outstretched arm. He unleashed another attack of starry showers before the glow of Fractal Code began to surround him. Cygnusmon's eyes went wide, and Aldamon smirked to himself as he realized what was happening. Cygnusmon was finally reaching his Hybrid form, and that was sure to turn the tides of the fight.
Cygnusmon took on a humanoid shape that matched his shape when he was in the form of Orionmon. He had a black mask on one half of his face, and three lines of purple ran down the side. Both of his eyes were strikingly bright blue. He had darkened armor around his wrists and ankles that surrounded beautiful jewels of splendid purple.
The base layer that covered the rest of his body was a silvery gray, and armor with a pattern that looked like a galaxy was scattered across his form. The purple, blue, and black armor could be found on his shoulders, chest, waist, and thighs. His hair was silver, but streaks of purple, blue, and turquoise could be seen amongst the darkness. The roots of his hair were a pale yellow color that contrasted the rest of his combat wear greatly.
A silver staff formed in his hand as wings sprouted from his back. They were black and feathered like the wings that he possessed when he was Cygnusmon. A few feathers of purple, blue, and turquoise broke through the darkness.
"Siriusmon!"
Once Siriusmon was fully formed, he stabbed upwards using his staff. He hit Alphamon's sword, but the Royal Knight barely seemed to notice what was happening. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he cut the blade downwards in Siriusmon's direction.
The Warrior of Cosmos flew backwards to avoid the strike at the last minute before he made his way higher into the sky. He slashed down to Alphamon, and this time, his staff came to clash with the Royal Knight's sword fiercely. Alphamon actually seemed to care that Siriusmon was attacking him, and he put as much force as he could muster into the attack.
While Siriusmon had Alphamon distracted, Aethermon decided that this was the perfect time to attack. She slashed at the air, creating a series of thin energy beams of a bright orange color that rocketed through the sky to hit Alphamon in the side. This was enough to break the Royal Knight's concentration, and Siriusmon stabbed forward with his staff to strike a weak point in Alphamon's armor.
Alphamon was forced backward by a few feet, and anger began to burn in his eyes. He raised his sword once again before pushing towards Siriusmon. He was able to knock the staff free of Siriusmon's fingers, and the Warrior of Cosmos was forced into a downward dive to try and retrieve it once again. Siriusmon grabbed it before it hit the ground, and Aethermon unleashed another strike while Siriusmon was occupied with other matters.
This time, Aethermon didn't cut at the air the way she had before. Instead, the twelve tails that rested behind her began to glow with fierce energy, and they spawned flames of different colors that launched themselves at Alphamon rather quickly. The Royal Knight turned to see that the attack was coming, but he wasn't able to stop them, and he was once again pressed a few feet away from her thanks to the force of the impact.
The behavior of the Legendary Warriors was starting to bother Alphamon, and Aldamon could tell it by the way that he carried himself. Something about Alphamon had changed, as if every passive part of his body had suddenly shifted into mercurial rage that was just barely held back by the uncaring mask that he possessed. Alphamon was an emotionless, detached fighter, but since the Legendary Warriors had managed to break through the mask of apathy that he regularly projected, they were bound to be in trouble.
Aldamon could sense the energy that Alphamon was summoning before it appeared. The Royal Knight thrust his blade to the sky, and the air began to crackle with something sinister. Dark power was summoned to the edge of his sword before starting to fly every which way. One blast of shadowed lightning made its way towards Thundramon, and he was forced to fly down low to keep from being hit. Another streak of power flashed in Beowolfmon's direction, and the Warrior of Light took a step back as soon as he realized that it was coming.
"He's not happy!" Neemon commented loudly. He was standing next to Bokomon, and Patamon was resting on his head. All four of the Digimon were watching the fight unfold in fear. They could tell that the tides had been turning in the favor of the Legendary Warriors for a while, but Alphamon was quickly taking the upper hand back for himself. This attack with dark lightning was simply the beginning of his attempts to wipe out the Legendary Warriors once and for all.
As if to prove the point that Neemon had made, Alphamon began to pour more energy into his sword. The blade was sparking far more violently than before, and Aldamon had to fly up and down frantically to keep from being knocked out of the sky. He didn't trust any of them to go onto the ground as long as Alphamon was attempting to scan the territory. He was going to have to try and keep in the air for as much time as he could manage.
Still, the lightning managed to lash out at the largest target in the area, and Cybelemon let out a groan as they did their best to keep the platform beneath their feet in one piece. Others on the rock began to stumble due to the quaking of the ground, and Cybelemon closed their eyes as stones began to build across the surface of their ankles to keep them rooted in place. Cybelemon's expression was strained, and Aldamon could tell that they were pushing themselves too far in the name of keeping the team safe.
Alphamon either didn't notice Cybelemon's distress or was choosing to ignore it, and he began to growl under his breath. Aldamon knew that this couldn't have been a good sign, but he was also aware that there was nothing he could do to stop it. Getting closer to Alphamon was an awful idea given how much energy was flying around his body. Anyone who tried would be slapped out of the air before they got anywhere near him. Zephyrmon was easily the nimblest out of the Legendary Warriors, but even she was having problems remaining aloft. The rest of them would be cast aside in the blink of an eye.
Aldamon didn't even have the chance to think about lashing out once again. Alphamon's sword suddenly exploded outwards with energy, and a wave of darkness passed through the air too quickly for any of them to properly react to it. Aldamon's eyes went wide, but that was the full extent of his actions before he felt the shadow hit him in the stomach. He let out a strangled cry of pain before his eyes were forced shut due to his own exhaustion.
When Aldamon was next able to properly orient himself enough for him to open his eyes, he could see that the rest of the group was in just as poor condition as he was. Aldamon didn't even know how he had managed to keep himself in the air under the immense force of Alphamon's attack. He could see that Cybelemon was still pushing themselves in an attempt to keep the platform of earth held together. Sweat was starting to slide down their cheek, but they still did what they could to keep everyone from seeing how vulnerable they were after Aldamon's attack.
Aerismon's hand was raised in Cybelemon's direction, and Aldamon realized just how Cybelemon had been able to endure such damage without completely falling apart. Aerismon had created a shield to ensure that Cybelemon and the rest of the Legendary Warriors on the ground were kept safe from the blow. Aldamon let out a small gasp, but his lungs immediately groaned in protest. Even so, he was still cast back to his earlier conversation with Saki back inside of Abraxas itself.
We only have one shot at life, and we can't throw it away before these monsters.
Aldamon's moment of realization was cut off when Alphamon's sword unleashed yet another wave of dark energy. This time, he wasn't able to keep himself in the air again, and when his eyes fell shut, he couldn't pry them open. There was a moment where everything was fuzzy, and he felt as if he had been suspended somewhere between true existence and the afterlife. It was similar to the terrible sensation of his Fractal Code appearing, and he absolutely despised it.
"Goodbye," Alphamon suddenly said, and the words of the Royal Knight reverberated mercilessly in Aldamon's mind. He felt as if they were all swords stabbing at the inside of his brain. A headache began to pound away a moment later, and he felt his consciousness begin to flow away.
Aldamon was not the only one suffering under this though. All it took was a simple action from Alphamon to send all of the Legendary Warriors flying in different directions. Their bodies were surrounded in Fractal Code as they vanished on the horizon. The silhouettes of the Legendary Warriors and their Digimon guides alike went dark for a few earth-shattering moments before colors returned to their figures. The Legendary Warriors were forced back to human form, and none of them had managed to hold to their consciousness under the onslaught of Alphamon's raw strength.
Alphamon watched as the Legendary Warriors vanished from sight, and he kept his eyes trained on the horizon for a few extra moments. The seconds crawled by at an agonizingly slow pace before Alphamon finally considered his work finished. He let out a dismissive huff of air before turning his attention back to the ground below himself.
Alphamon raised his hand into the air, and the earth around Abraxas shifted from being full of lush emerald shades to the ominously bright tints of Fractal Code. Light was channeled into his palm, and the land surrounding Abraxas began to disappear. It didn't take long for everything to vanish, leaving behind only an empty space in the surface of the Digital World.
Alphamon only dropped his arm when he was sure that there was nothing left for him to take. He looked at the area that had been left hollow and empty thanks to his handiwork for an excruciatingly long handful of seconds. Once he was satisfied, Alphamon turned his gaze to the horizon and began to fly away.
After all, there were still more areas to scan, and Lucemon was waiting.
This chapter really is getting us into the thick of act four, huh?
The purpose of this chapter is twofold in my eyes. First off, I needed to have a battle against a member of the Royal Knights. Second, I had to get some more character development in for Saki. I like to think that I accomplished these two tasks well enough for the circumstances provided within the chapter.
First off, let's talk about Saki. They're easily the hardest character to develop in this story. I know how to write for them just fine (Junpei was the hardest for me to write starting out, but he got easier with time), but Saki simply isn't the sort of person to open up to others easily. Their simplified dominion over Onyxmon only makes it harder for them to deliberately open up because they don't have a Beast Spirit pushing them in the right direction. Saki is hard to work with from a character development perspective, but I promise that we're going to learn more about them before the book ends.
About half of the remaining chapters in act four are based around character development to make sure that every member of the cast has been solidified in the character department. The other half focuses around combat, but there's still more than enough for every character to have their moment in the sun.
I will say one thing for now about Saki: one subject that's been heavily emphasized with them is the importance of life. Yes, that ties into who they are as a person. You can see these morals shining through even through Lyramon in the first two thirds of the story if you're looking carefully enough. I promise that there will be more about them in the future for anyone curious though.
Next up is the battle segment. I was fully planning on having all of the Royal Knights together for this chapter, but I realized that having them split up would make more sense. Alphamon just so happened to be the Royal Knight that I wanted to focus on this time around. All of the Royal Knights have their own personalities that are going to be shown throughout the rest of act four, but Alphamon is easily the most akin to Duskmon from the Fallen Warriors. He's distant and doesn't speak much, preferring to allow his actions work for him. However, he actually has morals where Duskmon doesn't. He won't kill children, for example. Duskmon was just kind of an asshole for no reason sometimes. Alphamon is very much so the silent assassin type, and I felt like that would be most interesting to explore in this chapter since it gets across the effectiveness of the Royal Knights, even when they're split up, very well.
I honestly think that's all there is to say about this chapter. Rest in peace, Abraxas. You, along with the other two destroyed Celestial castles, will be missed. Next week, we'll be seeing what happened to the group after they were split up by Alphamon's attack. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is always appreciated. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital