Part Three: The Digital World

Citadel

Castle of the Royal Knights

Sunday, June 3rd, 2018

1:30 P.M.

Willis was restless when Zero came back into the room. The Digimon hadn't appeared the day before, leaving him with no food for the day, no time to stretch his legs, and worse, no one to talk to. The Digimon now brought his usual bowl of fruits and breads, with a jug of water to replenish the one he had finished the day before.

"You've been gone awhile." Willis said with a dry throat as the Digimon opened the door and set the food and drink inside. "I was beginning to worry." He smiled sarcastically.

"We are safe here, I assure you." Zero replied. "Only once has this place ever been invaded, and measures have been put in place to ensure that it never happens again."

"So why were you gone for so long then?" Willis inquired. "I got so hungry yesterday, and I didn't get any exercise. I'm a growing kid, I need those things."

"We were busy." Zero answered. "The digital world is a hazardous place these days. There were matters that needed addressed, and I was forced into other duties."

"I see." Willis sighed. "Would those duties have anything to do with my friends?" Zero's eyes perked up at the boy's question, but he refused a verbal response. "They came for me, didn't they?" He asked rhetorically. "Listen, it doesn't have to be this way. Me and my friends have only been trying to keep people safe. We don't have any ill will towards the digital world, and we want to help stop the virus too. We're just trying to make sure no more lives are lost in the process." Zero began to walk out of the cell, but then stopped. He turned around, and then pushed the jug of water towards him.

"Drink." He ordered. Willis wasn't sure of the Digimon's motives, but he was too thirsty to deny him. The boy grabbed the jug and gulped down a large amount of water, drinking about half of the contents before dropping it with a sigh. "Now come." He beckoned. Willis was perplexed, but followed the Digimon out of the cell and up the stairs.

"Where are you taking me?" He inquired as they walked down the hallway and turned into a spiral staircase.

"I believe you." Zero replied as they walked up the long staircase. "I do not think that this war is necessary, but my leader believes otherwise. He has been persuaded by a higher power, one that I cannot dissuade. But perhaps you can."

"So… we're going to speak to your…?" Willis was confused.

"His name is Yggdrasil, and he is the creator of our world. Speak with humility, and respect. And do not mention what I have told you. I have nothing but loyalty towards the Royal Knights, but Yggdrasil has made rash decisions in the past, and I cannot guarantee your safety if I am no longer here."

"Uh, I see." Willis gulped as they approached the top of the stairs. A tall sentry awaited them, coated in purple armor.

"Craniamon," Zero addressed his fellow knight, "The boy has some things to say, which I believe should be said to Lord Yggdrasil."

"Is he dangerous?" Craniamon inquired. "I would not want to put our lord at risk."

"He's only a child." Zero scoffed.

"Of course." Craniamon nodded, opening the door. A brilliant light burst from the opening as Craniamon pushed through, and the three then entered the chamber. A shimmering blue crystal stood in the center of the otherwise empty room, reaching up the ceiling. It hovered in place, light emanating from every side.

"Lord Yggdrasil," Craniamon knelt down to one knee, and Zero followed suit. Willis followed their lead, not wanting to offend. "Zero has something to discuss."

"What is it, my child?" A young voice echoed around the room, coming from the crystal.

"This boy is the prisoner taken by Asuramon last month," Zero explained. "He has been contained within our quarters for a while now, and has made no attempts to escape or shown any violence or hostility towards us. Earlier, he spoke some words to me that I believe you have the right to hear, my master."

"Speak freely, child." Yggdrasil commanded. "I will hear your words."

"Uh, thank you, Lord… Yggdrasil." Willis grunted. "Listen… I can't imagine what you Digimon have gone through since the virus has appeared, and I know it's not my place to tell you what you should and shouldn't do to protect your world. But I'm begging you to listen. My friends and I have done nothing wrong, and didn't even know about the digital world before your armies invaded. Neither did the people of Kyoto. They're scared, and just want to find their loved ones and live safely. My friends, they're Digidestined. I don't know what that means, but I do know that they're trying their best to save Kyoto, and they're trying to discover the source of the virus too. If you work with us, instead of fighting all the time, we could find out where the virus came from peacefully, and avoid any more unnecessary loss of life." The room was silent following his plea. "Um, that's all I had to say."

"Your words have no air of deception," Yggdrasil observed, "I believe what you say, you believe to be true. However, your understanding of our plight is limited, as you have just said. My world has been obliterated. Few Digimon remain, and they rely on me to see them through these dark times. I cannot hold back in obtaining justice for their loss. Humans are at fault, whether they have known of our world or not is of little consequence. Your world has interfered in ours for far too long, contaminating us with various affliction. We have stood by, recovering from each attack, waiting for the next one to come. But no longer. Your kind needs to be made to understand that their actions have consequences. What you do in the human world has powerful, often devastating effects on ours. We will find and eliminate the source of the virus, and then we will ensure that an attack such as this will never again afflict our world."

"What are you going to do…?" Willis murmured.

"If your friends, who call themselves 'Digidestined', truly want what's best for the Digimon, they will stand down and let us complete our mission. Only once the humans know that we will no longer tolerate their constant interference can there be peace between our worlds."

"But wait-!" Willis cried.

"Zero, please take him back to his quarters. Make sure he is well accommodated." Yggdrasil ordered.

"Yes, master." Zero bowed. "Come, child." He led the boy out of the room, and Craniamon closed the doors behind them.

"What was the point of that?" Willis growled. "Why'd you have me speak to him if he was just going to shut down everything I had to say?"

"Calm yourself." Zero warned. "I did not know how Yggdrasil would react. But you wanted to be heard, and he is our Lord, our God. You have spoken to the highest authority in the digital world. Walk down the stairs now, I wish to have words with my friend." He nodded to Craniamon.

"Trust me on the stairs all by myself now, do you?" Willis murmured sarcastically as he started down.

"If you try to run, I will catch you." Zero stared sternly. Willis turned away in anger and made his way down the spiral staircase.

"He's a mouthy one." Craniamon laughed. "Reminds me of Eric."

"Craniamon," Zero turned to the knight, "You cannot possibly be okay with what you just heard, can you?"

"Heed your own advice, Zero." Craniamon warned. "Keep yourself calm in the presence of our Lord." He nodded to the door. "Come, I'll walk you back." Craniamon started down the stairs at a slow pace. "No, I'm not okay with what I heard." Craniamon answered quietly when they were far from the door. "Yggdrasil's aggressiveness concerns me greatly, and I'm not so quick to throw away the allegiances we've made in the human world at his command. But his words are true. The humans have messed with our world for a long time, and we've suffered greatly because of it. Something needs to be done."

"We cannot continue to follow someone who would make such ruthless decisions!" He quietly exclaimed. "We've done this once before, with Piedmon."

"You're beginning to sound like Gallantmon." Craniamon whispered.

"Maybe Gallantmon was right." The knight replied.

"Zero, please do not give me reason to question your loyalty to Lord Yggdrasil, or to the Royal Knights." Craniamon warned.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to put us in jeopardy." Zero set his hand on the Digimon's shoulder. "I'm not satisfied with the way things are. I'll speak to Omega about this, and let him know fully my concerns."

"Thank you Zero." Craniamon replied. "We are strongest when we have no secrets from each other. If we have to fight amongst ourselves, it will tear us apart."

"I know." Zero replied. "But I ask that you keep something in mind as well."

"What's that?" Craniamon inquired.

"You're the Digidestined of Wisdom." Zero glared. "And what would your partner have to say if he was here right now?" Zero then continued down the stairs, leaving Craniamon alone to his thoughts. At the base of the stairs, he found Willis waiting against the wall. "Come with me." He led the boy down the hallway, but instead of turning into the cellar, led him outside, onto the beach.

"Is it exercise time in the yard already?" Willis groaned as he began walking towards the beach.

"Keep quiet." Zero growled, following him. "Listen, I apologize for the way I spoke to you. I had to maintain appearances for the sake of Yggdrasil. He has not responded well to what he believes to be disloyalty. Another knight, Gallantmon, was fervently against the invasion of the human world. Yggdrasil had him excommunicated, against all our wishes."

"I get it." Willis frowned. "I'm just upset about our conversation. What was the point of talking to him?"

"I thought he might be persuaded if he saw how genuine you were, but it seems that Yggdrasil intends to follow through with this war." He shook his head. "At first I understood his motivations, though I wasn't happy with it. But I've grown to condemn his decisions."

"What's he planning to do?" Willis inquired. "If you don't mind me asking; it's not like there's a lot I can do with that information." Zero sighed, but continued.

"Our primary goal is to capture the humans that are free in the digital world." Zero answered. "Your guess was correct: your friends have come looking for you. The rest of the Royal Knights have gone to confront them. Once they are safely contained, Yggdrasil would have us descend upon the human world, end the threat from the Gizumon, and find the source of the virus ourselves."

"And to ensure that humans never interfere in the affairs of the digital world again?" Willis added.

"I'm not sure, that's the first I've heard of it. But whatever he's planning, I cannot agree with it. He would have humans and Digimon be separate in order to protect us, but I cannot believe that is the proper path. Humans and Digimon are strongest when we are together: I should know."

"Were you…" Willis' eyes widened. "Were you partnered with a human? Were you one of the original Digidestined?"

"I was not partnered with the original Digidestined, but the generation that came afterwards. The originals fought a demon called Apocalymon, an old god who had come back to power. My partner, Davis, was part of the team that fought off a Digimon named Myotismon, who grew to immeasurable strengths, and put the existence of the digital world itself at risk."

"But you're still partners with a human, you said?" Willis said. "That means you know just as well as I do that humans had nothing to do with what's happened!"

"That is not wholly true." Zero debated. "The threat did indeed come from the human world. But I'm not so foolish as to believe that all humans should be blamed for the actions of a few. Rather, I believe we Digimon have only ourselves to blame. Our existence has been kept secret from humans for eons, and as a result, they've not known when their actions have had consequences in our world. Our silence has doomed us once again, I fear. We need to make our presence known peacefully, if we ever want there to be harmony between our two worlds."

"Yggdrasil doesn't seem to think so." Willis growled.

"No, that he does not." Zero shook his head.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Willis inquired.

"I will speak to Omega, leader of the Royal Knights, about my concerns. We have been friends for a long time: he will hear me. But I cannot guarantee that we will be able to come into agreement. If that is the case, I will take my leave of the Royal Knights."

"Will you take me with you?" Willis inquired. "Just back to Kyoto, I mean."

"That's not something I can promise." Zero answered. "But I will if I can manage it. The Knights have no need for you as a prisoner; you are here only because Asuramon sought to use you as a guarantee of safe retreat."

"Yeah, I was there." Willis grumbled.

"Come, it's time to go back inside. We can discuss this more once I've spoken with Omega." Zero moved back towards the castle, and Willis followed.

Somewhere

Dinoster felt himself rocking back and forth, the sound of water lapping against wood. Am I back on the ship? He thought to himself. Are we off to find Willis? No, that's not right… the trial… He raised his head and his eyes fluttered open. Takuya sat opposite him, rubbing his eyes. The two were faced against each other in a small rowboat, the oars missing, and they were drifting down a lazy waterway, a thick fog surrounding them.

"Takuya!" Dinoster said happily as his partner looked up and took in their surroundings.

"Dinoster… where are we?" He was perplexed.

"Um, I'm not sure." He looked into the fog, seeing nothing beyond the waters around them. "But at least we're together."

"Majiramon said the smoke would make us hallucinate." Takuya remembered. "This… doesn't feel like a hallucination."

"I've never heard of a dream where two people could interact with each other before." Dinoster added. "If this is a hallucination, it's a damn good one."

"Does that mean… you're not really here?" Takuya inquired. "Or am I not really here? Oh, my head hurts."

"Let's just assume, for the time being, that we're both here." Dinoster suggested. "Majiramon said the trial wasn't for the faint of heart. We're in for a hard challenge, I'm sure."

"Obviously," Takuya looked around, "We're… we're up shit creek without a paddle." They stared at each other for a moment, and then Takuya burst out laughing.

"AHAHAHA!" He boomed into the air.

"Very funny Takuya." Dinoster glared. "Fantastic assessment of our current situation: A-plus job."

"Hey, it's true, isn't it?" Takuya's laughter died down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. But we really are trapped in the middle of this waterway with no control over our course. Could this be the first part of the test?"

"If it is, it's not very challenging." Dinoster reasoned. "We're just drifting right now. We have to end up somewhere."

"Maybe the challenge is to get out before that happens." Takuya proposed. "You can fly out as Coredramon or Wingdramon." He reached down to his belt. "Hey, my digivice is gone!" He panicked as he felt around his waist, then started checking the bottom of the boat.

"It's a hallucination, remember." Dinoster reminded him. "What good would a digivice do us in our own minds?"

"Aw…" Takuya groaned. "Well, I sure hope we don't need it."

"This test is supposed to be passable, for those who are worthy." Takuya reminded him. "I'm sure we have everything we need with us."

"Oh, well I guess I could throw you at the enemy: that could work." Takuya smiled. Dinoster glared at him once more as the boy's grin grew wider and wider. Finally, Dinoster relented and began to laugh. "That's what I'm talking about. Just because we're trapped on this boat, doesn't mean we still can't enjoy each other's company."

"You're so stupid, Takuya." Dinoster wiped away tears of laughter. "But we really should focus on what we need to do."

"Well, your first guess was probably true." Takuya reasoned. "We're drifting downstream right now. Let's see where it takes us." Dinoster agreed, and the two continued to talk as they drifted through the water. What seemed like hours passed, and they found themselves still drifting. Takuya had leaned back in the boat, his right arm hanging off the side, dragging through the water. Dinoster watched forward for anything to appear, but his watch was proving fruitless.

"I am so bored…" Takuya whined.

"It's the Trial of the Four Great Dragons," Dinoster moaned, "Not an amusement park."

"I just figured there'd be more trial, you know, and less… drifting." His eyes rolled lazily to the side, looking out over the water. "So far all this is testing is my ability to stay awake."

"Be… patient…" Dinoster groaned. "I'm sure there's a purpose to this." They continued to drift, and what felt like an eternity passed, though the tamer and Digimon were having trouble telling the passage of time anymore.

"How long do you think we've been here?" Takuya's lips cracked as he spoke. They had tasted the water earlier, when they had become thirsty, but it was salty, and thus had to refrain from drinking it, lest they become more dehydrated. "It feels like days."

"Probably not…" Dinoster answered. "We're just hallucinating, remember? We've probably only been lying on Majiramon's floor for five minutes or something…"

"I hope so…" Takuya groaned. "We can't afford to waste any time… we need to find Willis…" His eyelids drooped.

"At least… the sun's not out." Dinoster reasoned. "It could be hot, and dry…" The drifting continued, and they began to wonder if it would ever stop. Dinoster constantly reassured his partner, who restlessly complied.

"Do you think we could swim to shore?" Takuya wondered. "We can't be far: I'm sure of it…"

"We have to be patient." Dinoster answered. "It's a trial, remember?"

"I know…" He answered weakly. "Just brainstorming, just in case… you know?"

"We're probably too weak to swim anyway." Dinoster added. "Too thirsty and hungry. We'd pass out if we had to swim too far."

"Glad you're looking out for me buddy." Takuya tiredly patted his partner's arm, his eyes closing. "I'm gonna sleep, just for a little bit. Let me know when we get there…"

"I will…" Dinoster's eyes were drooping as well, but he forced himself to open them. He had to watch for shore, in case they drifted passed it. Hours passed, and the atmosphere did not change. The dragon Digimon remained calm, ever vigilant for a place to dock. Time went on and on, and the Digimon was on the verge of passing out, when finally, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something: a drifting blade of grass, floating out to meet them. Dinoster scooped it out of the water, sitting back up in the boat, as he observed it. "Where did you come from, little guy?" The Digimon held the blade up to the sky, letting the light pass through. He observed the veins with wonder, glad to be seeing something other than water and fog.

Suddenly the boat lurched, throwing Dinoster upward. The Digimon gasped as he held onto the vessel, eyes darting around to see what they had hit. Past the fog, a field of green could barely be perceived. Dinoster happily jumped up, looking around the front of the boat, which had been pushed up into the air by the sand. They had run aground.

"Oh, finally." Dinoster groaned, jumping out of the boat and onto the sand. "Palmon would have gone insane." He wobbled forward, looking around. "Takuya, we've reached land!" He yelled to his partner as he walked forward. The beach was small, only circling the boat for a few yards, before reeds surrounded them. At the edge of the sand, however, Dinoster caught sight of a peculiar object. A simple, wooden table stood, with a silver pitcher sitting on top, along with a tray containing one lone rice ball.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Dinoster ran forward, throwing caution to the wind, as he approached the table. He grabbed the pitcher and looked inside, sniffing the liquid within. "Water." He moaned, tipping the container into his mouth and drinking heartily. The water was sweet to his dry mouth, slipping down his throat with ease. Wait… Dinoster stopped before he could finish off the pitcher, gasping for breath. "Takuya!" He ran back to the boat with the pitcher in hand, and jumped inside. "Takuya, wake up!" The boy did not respond. Dinoster tipped the pitcher to the boy's mouth letting water flow lowly inside. "Come on, wake up." He waited a moment, and sighed with relief when the boy began to cough. "You're awake!"

"Dinoster… where are we?" Takuya groaned as the rookie helped him sit up, handing him the water.

"I don't know, but we've reached ground. Here, drink this." He helped the boy tip the vessel over, and he heartily finished off the rest of the water.

"Thank you, I feel much better." Takuya sighed.

"Hold on." Dinoster jumped out of the water, returning to the table, and grabbed the rice ball. "Here, we can share this." He split the ball in half, handing one side to his partner, who happily joined him in gobbling up the food. "Where'd you find these?" Takuya asked with a full mouth.

"They were sitting on that table." Dinoster said after he had swallowed. "I think it was some sort of reward for making it here."

"What table?" Takuya inquired. Dinoster turned back, looking at the beach. The table was gone, but where it had been, the reeds had parted, revealing a dirt trail.

"Hm…" Dinoster hopped out of the boat, and Takuya followed. "This trial is weird." He led them towards the path. "Come on, let's keep moving. I've got a feeling we've still got a long way to go." The reeds fell off soon enough, and the dirt path, though still surrounded by fog, led them to a forest, with deeply interwoven trees parting only at the path they followed.

"At least it's straightforward." Takuya observed. "No two roads diverged in a wood, or any of that nonsense."

"Don't hold your breath just yet." Dinoster warned. Ahead, he could see a split in the path. Fortunately, as they came closer and the fog less thick around them, they could see that the left path only led to an alcove, with a stone sitting in the middle.

"Am… am I seeing this right?" Takuya's eyes widened.

"I… yeah, you are." Dinoster nodded. Placed at an angle, shooting out of the stone, was a long, silver sword, which shimmered in the fog.

"There's a sword… in the stone…" Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Do… well I mean obviously we…"

"Let's get to work." Dinoster marched over to the weapon and wrapped his talons around it, pulling as hard as he could. The Digimon twisted and turned, but the sword did not budge. "It's stuck in here really well." Dinoster grunted as he tried to pull the hilt over his shoulder, but his feet pulled up the dirt under him, and he slipped onto the ground. "Uh… it's hopeless."

"Hey." Takuya helped the Digimon back up. "Was that quitting I heard?" He smiled. "We can't give up, remember? We have to do this, for Willis, for Kyoto, and for the digital world."

"I wasn't saying we should turn around." Dinoster grabbed the hilt. "Just that I didn't have the ability to pull it out myself."

"Well then." Takuya put his hands over Dinoster's, wrapping them around the hilt. "Let's do it together, like we always do." Dinoster nodded, and the two pulled as hard as they could, digging their feet into the ground. They pulled with all their strength, straining their bodies, and just when it seemed they had given everything, the sword shifted, and with one more tug, flew out from its place in the stone. The two flew back onto the ground, the sword swinging over them and clattering onto the dirt.

"So are we the kings of Britain now?" Takuya breathed heavily. Dinoster stood up, dusted himself off, and grabbed the weapon.

"And that makes three." He said with a grin as he dropped the sword onto his shoulder.

"Three what?" Takuya inquired as he stood up and wiped the dirt off of his shorts.

"Three trials," Dinoster answered, "The river tested our patience, the food tested our restraint, and this thing," He waved the sword, "Upper body strength…?"

"Our diligence." Takuya realized. "You're right. We're going through the trial right now. But we haven't run into anything that challenging yet. It's just tested to make sure we're not super shitty people."

"The Trial of the Four Great Dragons is supposed to be one of the most challenging tests ever conceived, if Gallantmon and Majiramon are to be believed." Dinoster started towards the path. "Let's keep our guard up. This isn't over yet."