The Darkness was done. It was done being misunderstood. It was done being misused. And it was done being pitted against its Light. For too long, its connection with the Light had been severed. For too long, its power had been used in ways it did not approve of or want. For too long, the balance in the Digital World had been unstable. The Darkness could no longer remain as a passive spectator and hope that this time would be different. This time it would take a much more active role in the events destined to come. But the Darkness needed to figure out what it could do to enact such a change first.
As it pondered its next steps, it continued to observe as more words, timelines, and dimensions formed within the fabric of reality. While watching events unfold, the Darkness noticed that more and more humans were being partnered with Digimon. These humans, called Tamers, immediately caught the Darkness's attention. It witnessed how the bond between Tamers and their partnered Digimon led to them achieving what was thought to be impossible. It saw how some of them went above and beyond to protect a world that was not their own. And the Darkness witnessed those few that caused much harm and damage to the Digital World.
The Darkness realized just how much impact these Tamers and their partners had on the Digital World through these observations. Yes, some Digimon and humans alone hugely affected the Digital World, but not as much as a human and Digimon that worked together.
Perhaps this was the answer the Darkness was looking for.
After pondering on the experiences in those other Digital Worlds, timelines, and dimensions, the Darkness concluded that having a Tamer on its side would be what it needed to achieve its goals.
Now all the Darkness needed to do was find the right human.
Darkness's Sagacity
Taichi was still processing all that the Darkness had just told him. He may not have comprehended everything the Darkness said, but he got the essential parts. Now that Taichi had a better understanding of his purpose, he felt more determined than ever to get his life back to fulfill that purpose.
The only problem was that he could not leave the World of Darkness without risking his existence. By being in this world and having his crest kept his soul intact. He was still at risk of fading away forever if he left now.
Unfortunately, that is not our only problem.
"What do you mean?" asked Taichi in confusion.
To Taichi's amazement, a circular opening formed in front of Taichi, showing what was happening in Witchelny. Taichi gasped in shock when he saw SkullWarGreymon and almost every Digimon he met acting like raging animals as they killed any angel that came within their sights. It was as if all his friends had lost control of themselves and allowed nothing but rage to guide them. They were acting far from the Digimon he had come to know.
"Why are they acting like this?!" frantically asked Taichi with concern evident in his voice.
Those of Darkness sensed your brief slip into nonexistence and are now trying to avenge you.
Tachi frowned when he heard this. "They're doing this because of me," he muttered sadly, feeling guilty for being why his partner and friends were no longer acting like themselves.
Yes, but that also means that you can be the one to put a stop to it.
"How?" wondered Taichi, knowing he was stuck here.
If you can reach your partner, you can get to the others through him.
Taichi nodded in understanding before concentrating hard on the bond between him and SkullWarGreymon.
Plutomon allowed himself to indulge in the carnage around him. All the killing and death happing around him only invigorated Plutomon more. He savored the taste of each piece of data that his mouths were devouring. His sharp teeth chomped down and tore his next victim into a shred of data, ensuring it would be as painful as possible for the angelic Digimon.
After all, this was what the angels deserved. They were fools to think they could get rid of the Child of Darkness without consequence. Their hubris led to the child's inexistence, and now it would lead to their extinction. It would genuinely be a justifiable punishment.
When he finished eating the angel, Plutomon was ready to seek out another to consume. However, before he could attack, something pricked at his senses that gave him pause. Plutomon narrowed his eyes in concentration to decipher what he was sensing and was stunned when he realized that it was the Child of Darkness's soul. Somehow, the boy's soul was still intact, though only barely.
It would not be long before others realized that the Child of Darkness's soul had not perished. But Plutomon doubted that would suddenly put an end to the current slaughter. Some were too lost in their anger and vengeance to stop now. Perhaps the only thing that could tame their rage would be the child himself, though currently, the child was not in any condition to do something at this time. Frankly, Plutomon, at this point, did not care if the slaughtering continued. His main concern right now was the Child of Darkness.
Plutomon was tempted to go to where the child's soul was and do what he had planned to do from the start. At least then, he could be sure that the Child of Darkness would be safe, and no one could ever harm him again. Yet, at the same time, he still wanted to let the child have another chance to live again.
Plutomon soon came to a decision. He would go to the Child of Darkness and only step in if the boy's soul was on the brink of nonexistence. Plutomon would not allow the child's soul to slip out of reach again.
"It found him!" happily exclaimed Witchmon the second the spell had finally located Taichi.
Lucemon looked at where the spell had pinpointed Taichi and immediately recognized the location.
"I see. The Darkness must have taken Taichi to its world to save his soul before it completely disappeared," explained Lucemon.
"Which means there's still time to save Tai. I need to go to the World of Darkness now. I should still be able to perform the resurrection spell there," she said confidently.
"Then let's go. We have no time to waste," urged Lucemon, making Witchmon nod in agreement.
Satoshi held his granddaughter as she continued to cry over the loss of her brother. Satoshi allowed a few tears to escape as he barely kept himself together. Suddenly, he felt Hikari stiffen in his arms as her crying stopped. Concerned, Satoshi looked down at Hikari.
"Hikari, what's the matter?" Satoshi asked her.
Hikari did not respond right away as she seemed to be deep in thought. Her eyes then widened in disbelief before looking up at him.
"Onii-chan's not gone," she answered, surprising Satoshi.
"Are you sure, Hikari?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up.
"Yes, the Light sensed him."
Satoshi was instantly relieved by this. He was glad that Taichi was not gone after all. Knowing that there was a chance to save Taichi, Satoshi would not let his grandson down again. Gaining a resolved expression on his face, Satoshi addressed Hikari.
"Do you know where Taichi is now?"
"The Darkness took him to its world," replied Hikari.
"Do you think you can take us there?"
Hikari seemed uncertain at first but then nodded.
"Good, then let's go get your brother," he announced confidently.
Nonetheless, Hikari became hesitant as a distraught expression came on her face.
"I-I can't go," she muttered sadly, shocking Satoshi.
"What, why not Hikari?" he asked in confusion.
"I-I…I-I don't want to h-hurt Onii-chan a-again," gloomily mumbled Hikari.
Their grandfather's eyes softened at this, knowing how guilty Hikari felt for her earlier actions.
"Hikari, I know you didn't mean to hurt Taichi. You were angry, and you had every right to be, but you must remember not to let your anger get the better of you. You'll have to learn how to control your anger and use it instead of your anger using you, or you'll always hurt someone. Understand?" he explained to Hikari.
Hikari seemed to take her grandfather's words to heart as she wiped the last of her tears away.
"Yes, Jii-chan," she said, making their grandfather smile.
"Good, now let's go and help Taichi together," he suggested causing Hikari to nod and smile in reply.
Seeing that Hikari's spirits were lifted, he knew that she was now ready to go. However, Satoshi figured it was best not to leave Taichi's body unattended before they left and decided to bring it with them. With Taichi's body being carried in one arm and the other holding onto Hikari, they soon left for the World of Darkness.
Something was nagging at the back of SkullWarGreymon's mind, slowly trying to cut through the overwhelming rage. It continued to poke at the Undead Digimon until he could no longer ignore it. SkullWarGreymon stopped his onslaught for the moment as his anger was slowly fading away. Soon, SkullWarGreymon realized that the thing that was nagging him was a voice calling out to him.
SkullWarGreymon!
The Digimon instantly recognized the voice as the fuming red color suddenly left his eyes, returning them to their usual green.
Taichi?
Good, you can finally hear me. I was getting worried when you couldn't hear me at first.
SkullWarGreymon felt guilty. He knew it was because of his anger that he had not heard Taichi sooner. Taichi must have picked up on his feelings since he quickly responded.
I don't blame you for being upset when you thought I was gone. You weren't the only one.
SkullWarGreymon glanced around the battlefield and saw just how many Digimon had joined him in getting vengeance for his partner. Like him, they were motivated by grief and fury and unleashed it all on every angel Digimon they could. There was no denying that he had not been alone in succumbing to their implacable anger. It only showed how much the other Digimon Taichi had befriended had grown to care for him over the years. They had not hesitated to come and fight on his partner's behalf. Like them, SkullWarGreymon knew Taichi was worth fighting for.
The Digimon's thoughts must have reached Taichi as he soon responded.
I'm not worth all of this.
SkullWarGreymon could feel Taichi's guilt pouring through their bond and knew that his partner blamed himself for the war around him. However, SkullWarGreymon completely disagreed with Taichi's claim wholeheartedly.
Of course, you are! If you weren't, then all of us wouldn't be fighting for you in the first place. You're important to us Taichi, and we care about you.
But that's just because I'm the Child of Darkness. If I wasn't, then-
That is not why we care about you Taichi! immediately interrupted SkullWarGreymon, not liking what his partner was implying.
There was a lot of confusion now coming from Taichi.
It's not?
SkullWarGreymon frowned when he heard just how shocked Taichi sounded at the possibility of there being another reason for them caring about him other than him being Darkness' chosen. SkullWarGreymon had not realized Taichi thought this way, and it greatly concerned the Digimon.
Yes, Taichi being the Child of Darkness was the catalyst that started his relationship with Digimon, but it did not maintain those relationships. It was Taichi that made the connections and bonded with all the Digimon he met over the years. It was not the kind of power Taichi possessed, but the type of person Taichi was that did it.
Do you really think so? Taichi asked with a mix of wonder and hopefulness in his voice.
I do, SkullWarGreymon answered without hesitation.
SkullWarGreymon could feel contentment coming from Taichi in response.
Thanks, SkullWarGreymon.
The Digimon was relieved to hear the confidence returning in Taichi's voice. SkullWarGreymon was glad that he could successfully assure his partner of his worth.
Anytime Taichi.
The tender moment between them was broken when SkullWarGreymon had to swiftly avoid an incoming attack by an opponent who had been trying to catch him while he was distracted. SkullWarGreymon quickly took care of the other Digimon and checked to see if any more would try and attack him.
From above!
Hearing Taichi's warning, SkullWarGreymon managed to intercept the aerial attack and delete another foe.
Two on your left and three from behind! Take out the ones behind you first!
Following Taichi's commands, SkullWarGreymon went for the three angels coming from the back and destroyed them before finishing off the two from his left. But as soon as he was done with them, Taichi had to warn him of more angels heading toward him. SkullWarGreymon was starting to get annoyed as angel Digimon continued popping up every time he took another one down. Taichi was also getting fed up with this as he could feel irritation coming from his partner.
We need to find a way to stop them from coming before you guys get too tired to fight anymore, commented Taichi in a severe tone.
SkullWarGreymon knew that Taichi was right. At the rate things were going, he and the others would become too exhausted to continue fighting so many opponents at one time. Either they needed to find a way to stop any more angels from showing up permanently, or they would have to retreat eventually.
So, what's the plan Taichi? SkullWarGreymon asked, knowing that his partner was already forming a strategy in his mind.
I have an idea, but first, we'll need to gather as many Digimon from Witchelny as possible.
I'm on it, declared SkulllWarGreymon as he quickly began searching the battlefield for any Digimon from Witchelny that would be able to help them.
It took some time to find the Digimon and calm them down enough to listen to him, but SkullWarGreymon was able to do as Taichi asked and assembled a majority of the Digimon from Witchleny.
Now what, Taichi?
Okay, so here's the plan…
Taichi watched anxiously as the Digimon from Witchleny prepared the spell that would hopefully give his friends a significant advantage in this battle. Taichi was so focused on watching what was happening in Witctleny that he failed to notice that he was no longer alone in the lighthouse.
"I can see why the Darkness chose you, child. Even tethering at the edge of nonexistence, your fortitude and fighting spirit remain as strong as ever."
Recognizing the voice, Taichi quickly turned behind him to see Plutomon with an amused glint in his eyes.
"Plutomon? What are you doing here?" asked Taichi.
Plutomon gave the boy a firm look.
"I will not let you risk becoming nonexistent again. I will immediately act if it does," answered Plutomon, leaving no room for negation on the matter.
Taichi understood what Plutomon meant and was grateful for the Digimon's show of concern. Taichi also could admit that he would prefer to go to his resting place than risk fading away forever. Experiencing it once was traumatic enough. He did not want to go through it again.
"Thanks, Plutomon," gratefully said Taichi, to which the Digimon nodded in reply.
"Tai!" another familiar voice called out from outside the lighthouse.
Taichi immediately went to the glass windows and saw Witchmon and Lucemon on the beach.
"Witchmon! Lucemon! Up here!" shouted back Taichi as loud as he could.
Fortunately, the two Digimon could hear Taichi and spotted him immediately. Not wasting a second, the two hurriedly went to the lighthouse and reached the top in only a few seconds. The moment Witchmon reached the top, she swiftly went over to Taichi and hugged him.
"You idiot! Don't you ever scare me like that again!" she yelled while gripping him as tightly as she could.
"I'll try, but I can't make any promises," joked Taichi as he hugged her back.
Witchmon snorted at his comment, knowing that Taichi was teasing and being serious at the same time. If Taichi was willing to crack a joke right now, Witchmon figured that his current condition was not too bad. Now that she had thought about it, she wanted to know what had happened.
"Tai, how did you almost fade away? You should have had enough energy to last you for much longer than that," questioned Witchmon after letting go of Taichi.
Taichi flinched at the question, and all three Digimon instantly noticed his reaction.
"What happened, Tai?" Lucemon asked him in a comforting but firm voice, hoping to coax an answer out of the boy.
Even though Plutomon remained silent, Taichi could see he wanted to know what happened. Yet, Taichi was not sure if he could tell them. Even though it was an accident, he was not sure how they would react if they knew his sister and the Light had been responsible for almost causing him to cease to exist. He did not want his friends to get angry at his sister or the Light when they did not mean to hurt him.
Witchmon frowned when she saw how hesitant Taichi was about answering her question. She did not want to pressure Taichi when he was not ready to share. Before she could tell him that he did not have to answer, two more suddenly showed up in the lighthouse.
Taichi was stunned when he saw his grandfather and sister, who appeared. Before Taichi could respond, Hikari quickly left their grandfather and ran towards him.
"I'm so sorry, Onii-chan! You almost disappeared forever because of me!" exclaimed Hikari remorsefully as she wrapped her arms around Taichi.
Taichi cringed at Hikari's words. So much for trying to keep that piece of information from his friends.
Taichi glanced at the three Digimon to judge their reactions to his sister's confession. Neither Digimon were showing any outward response as their expressions remained passive. However, Taichi knew each of them well enough to know that it was their way of keeping their emotions in check so they would not do anything rash in response. Though Taichi saw the familiar signs that gave away just how much they were restraining themselves. Withcmon always had a habit of fiddling with her claws when she was angsty, Lucemon tended to keep his arms folded and posture ridged when he did his best to keep his composure, and Plutomon's mouths would start grinding their fangs when the need to devour their next prey was becoming too hard to ignore.
Taichi figured he better say something quick before his friends could no longer hold themselves back. Taichi focused back on Hikari, who had her head buried in his chest and her arms clenched tightly around him. His gaze softened, understanding that she must still feel guilty about what happened. Taichi then wrapped an arm around his sister and comforted her.
"It's okay, Imouto. It was an accident, so don't feel bad about it, alright?" Taichi told her in a reassuring voice.
Hikari looked up at her brother when he said this.
"B-But I hurt you, Onii-chan," she said mournfully.
"But you didn't mean to. I know it was the angels inside of me that you were trying hurt. If anything, it's their fault for taking over me without my permission," Taichi explained for Hikari's sake and the others in the room.
"I'm still sorry," replied Hikari.
"I know you are, and I forgive you, okay?" Taichi told her.
Hikari seemed to finally accept that Taichi had forgiven her as a small smile came to her lips.
"Okay, Onii-chan."
Taichi was relieved to see that Hikari did not feel so guilty anymore. He glanced at Witchmon, Lucemon, and Plutomon to see that they appeared to have calmed down now that they knew that Hikari had not deliberately hurt him. He then looked at his grandfather, who quietly observed everything with a contemplating expression. Taichi also noticed that his grandfather was carrying his body in his arms, which only reminded Taichi of his current situation.
Witchmon had followed Taichi's gaze, and seeing the boy's body also reminded her why she had rushed to come here in the first place. A set expression came on her face as she turned back towards Taichi.
"We should do the resurrection spell now before anything else unexpected happens," declared Witchmon.
"Not yet," suddenly said Satoshi with a stern face.
"Why not?" she asked in confusion.
"Because we still need to figure out a way to stop the angel Digimon from going after him once and for all. If we don't, then they would kill him again."
"Unfortunately, he's right," stated Lucemon, "They won't stop until they're sure Tai is gone for good."
"Well, I still say we resurrect Tai first, then think of something afterward," Witchmon suggested.
"I agree with Witchmon. The child should not remain in the realm of the dead for longer than necessary," suddenly spoke up Plutomon in a firm tone.
"You can call me Tai, Plutomon. You're my friend too," said Taichi when he noticed that Plutomon still referred to him as a child.
Plutomon seemed astounded by this for a moment before quickly composing himself.
"Very well then. I will refer to you as Tai from now on," calmly announced Plutomon, though some affection managed to slip in his tone.
Taichi grinned, knowing Plutomon was trying to hide how touched he was by his statement.
"Why are they calling you Tai?" Satoshi asked Taichi.
"It's my new nickname. I came up with it when Lucemon told me the importance of keeping my true name a secret," proudly claimed Taichi, bringing a look of understanding to Satoshi's face.
"Ah, I see," was Satoshi's reply.
Hikari was intrigued when she heard why her brother now had a nickname and immediately wondered if she should have one.
"Onii-chan, do I need a nickname too?" she asked Taichi.
"Well, I had already given you one, but if you want to come up with one yourself, you can," explained Taichi, wanting to give his sister the option to make up her nickname if she wished.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Kari," answered Taichi, which made Hikari smile.
"I like the one you gave me, Onii-chan," she replied sincerely.
"Then Kari it is," Taichi announced happily, glad that Hikari had approved of the nickname he gave her.
"We need to return to the matter at hand," proclaimed Lucemon when he noticed that they were getting sidetracked. "Two of us think that its best to come up with a plan before resurrecting Tai, and the other two want to do the resurrection spell first. We need to decide which course to take."
It was quiet as everyone considered Lucemon's words. Hikari was the first to break the silence when she noticed something fascinating happening in the viewing portal behind Taichi.
"Onii-chan, look!" she instructed her brother while pointing to the portal.
Taichi quickly turned to see what was happening in Witchelny, having briefly forgotten that the battle there was still carrying on. The others also turned to the portal and saw a vast magical barrier was now covering all of Brocken Mountain. But what was more impressive was seeing that any angelic Digimon that tried to pass through the barrier or attack it was instantly deleted. When Taichi saw this, he was immediately relieved.
"Good, it's working," he said pleasedly, glad that his plan was successful.
"That's quite clever of you. It will certainly buy us some more time," Lucemon said to Taichi with an impressed tone, knowing that the barrier was the boy's idea.
Lucemon was not easy to impress, so Taichi always felt proud of himself whenever Lucemon complimented him.
"Thanks, Lucemon," Taichi replied with a pleased grin on his lips.
Hikari noticed how comfortable her brother was with the angelic-looking Digimon turned to Lucemon with a pleasant expression on her face.
"You're a good angel," Hikari said to Lucemon with a smile.
Lucemon was amused by Hikari's statement but had to disagree with her.
"No, you are mistaken, Child of Light. I am a fallen angel," replied Lucemon, yet Hikari disagreed.
"You don't want to hurt Onii-chan. That makes you a good angel," she happily proclaimed, to which Taichi was quick to agree.
"Kari's right Lucemon. You're a good angel even if you or anyone else doesn't think so," added Taichi, giving the fallen angel a smile of his own.
However, when Lucemon was unsure how to respond to their statements, Taichi knew it was best not to push him too much. So, instead, Taichi figured it was best to try to solve their current dilemma. Should Witchmon perform the resurrection spell now, or should they wait until they come up with a plan first? Both sides had good points, but what would be the best course of action?
Hikari must have been picking up on his thoughts because she quickly turned to him with a severe expression.
"Onii-chan should come back first," she told him.
Knowing that his sister was very insightful, he was willing to hear her out.
"Why's that Kari?" he asked her.
"Because once Onii-chan is back, I will protect Onii-chan,"
"And how will you do that, Child of Light?" asked Plutomon in an intrigued tone.
"No dark, then no light," was her answer.
Taichi and Satoshi both recalled the ultimatum that Hikari and the Light earlier, which had set the angels inside Taichi off in the first place. It seemed that Hikari had not changed her mind about threatening to take the Light away if the angels did not leave him alone. If so, then that should be enough to prevent the angels from coming after him once he was brought back to life.
Seeing everyone else's confused looks, Taichi quickly explained what Hikari and the Light planned to do to put a stop to the angel Digimon.
"Interesting," was all Plutomon said.
"That should work. Even those fools wouldn't be foolish enough to risk the Light's expulsion from the Digital World," replied Lucemon with a slight smirk.
"So, you plan to go through with it then, Kari?" asked Satoshi to ensure that his granddaughter was sure about going to such extremes.
Hikari nodded. "I won't let them hurt Onii-chan ever again," she vehemently proclaimed as she grabbed hold of Taichi.
Taichi was moved by how much Hikari wanted to protect him and held her closer to him with a smile on his face. "Thanks, Imouto."
Hikari smiled back at her brother. "You're welcome, Onii-chan."
"Well, now that that's settled, I'll start the spell now," Witchmon declared in a reassuring voice, glad that the matter was finally resolved.
She then turned to Satoshi. "Place Tai's body over here," instructed Witchmon, pointing to the space on the floor before her.
Satoshi nodded and gently laid Taichi's body on the floor where Witchmon told him to.
"Good, now, Kari, you'll have to do exactly what I say, okay?" she asked Hikari, to which the girl nodded in understanding.
"Witchmon, I think Jii-chan can help. He's really important to me too," stated Taichi, making Witchmon glance in Satoshi's direction.
Witchmon observed the older man with a critical gaze before noticing something that shocked her.
"You're the Child of Wisdom!" she announced in astonishment, which also surprised everyone else.
Both Lucemon and Plutomon were quick to examine Satoshi to see if what Witchmon said was true. Like Witchmon, they soon sensed the distinct aura of a Chosen Child around the man and knew that Witchmon was right.
"You are a Chosen Child," proclaimed Lucemon, making a tired sigh come from Satoshi.
"I used to be, but I'm not exactly a child anymore," he admitted, not seeing the point in hiding that fact anymore.
Having heard the tale about the first Chosen Children from Lucemon before, Taichi was quick to realize the significance of his grandfather having been a Chosen Child. Now, Taichi understood why his grandfather treated him the way he did and why he had no problem accepting Koromon or his and Hikari's powers. However, Taichi wondered why his grandfather did not tell him that he used to be a Chosen Child. As if knowing what Taichi was thinking, Satoshi turned to him with a look of regret on his face.
"I'm sorry that I never told you. Once everything is over, I promise I'll tell you and Kari everything," he promised his two grandchildren.
Taichi nodded in acceptance, knowing that his grandfather was sincere and would tell him about being a Chosen Child later.
Witchmon did not want to waste any more time and gave instructions.
"In that case, Tai's right; you should be able to help Kari. So, both of you need to listen well and follow my instructions perfectly. Understand?" she asked Satoshi.
"I do," he answered without hesitation, which was good enough for Witchmon.
"Alright, then let's get started."
SkullWarGreymon received word from Taichi that they would be starting the resurrection spell, so he would not be able to communicate with him until it was done. Part of SkullWarGreymon wanted to be there with his partner, but he understood that he was needed here the most right now. It was up to him to maintain things in Withelny and remain vigilant if something went wrong. So SkullWarGreymon would hold out until the spell was finished.
SkullWarGreymon was delighted when he could feel Taichi's lifeforce grow stronger. He was also pleased that even though Taichi was no longer among the dead, their bond had not wavered in fertility. SkullWarGreymon knew that his bond with Taichi had been strengthened more because of him being undead and his partner being dead at the same time. Nevertheless, SkullWarGreymon was pleased that their bond remained as strong as ever.
SkullWarGreymon then felt it. Taichi was alive once more. He was not the only one to sense Taichi's return to the living. The Digimon from Witchelny and those of Darkness felt his partner too. There was a feeling of exuberance in the atmosphere, knowing that Taichi was back. After everything they all have been through, they finally succeeded.
SkullWarGreymon, I'm back!
SkullWarGreymon could feel Taichi's excitement and relief at being alive again. He was about to reply to his partner, but he stilled as an imposing aura was quickly approaching the area. SkullWarGreymon tensed as he prepared to battle whatever threatening opponent was coming their way.
SkullWarGreymon, you and everyone need to get out of there now!
However, Taichi's warning was too late as the new foe finally showed up. SkullWarGreymon cursed when he saw it was the one angelic Digimon that could wipe them all out instantly.
"Everyone, retreat now!" exclaimed SkullWarGreymon.
But it was futile as the silver holy armored angelic Digimon launched its ultimate attack.
"Testament!" the angel yelled as its body glowed a hot golden color before unleashing a massive explosion that covered all of Witchelny.
SkullWarGreymon knew he would not be able to escape.
Taichi, I'm glad that I got to be your partner. Thank you for helping me achieve my dream.
That was the last thing SkullWarGreymon said to his partner before he knew no more.
Everyone was shocked as they saw Witchelny being wiped out in seconds. Seraphimon's sacrificial attack had destroyed the entire dimension, leaving absolutely nothing behind, not even itself.
Taichi was frozen. His connection with SkullWarGreymon was gone. He could not sense any of the Digimon anymore. Not his partner, Belphemon, the ones from Witchelny, or those of the Demonic Army. They were all gone. Something in Taichi broke at that moment as tears leaked from his eyes before a pained scream came out of his mouth. He fell to his knees and continued to cry and yell out of agony and grief.
"Why?! Why?! Why?!" he exclaimed as he started banging his fist repeated against the ground.
Hikari could feel her brother's pain, and it made her also scream and cry, but unlike Taichi, whose reactions came from loss and sadness, hers were coming from a place of pure hatred and rage. She was supposed to stop the angels from ever hurting her brother again, but instead, they had managed to break him in the worst way possible. She knew how much her brother cared for all of those Digimon. She knew that her brother cared more about others than himself. She knew that he would now always feel guilty for their demise because they chose to fight for him. Even though her brother was alive again, he would be forever scarred by what Seraphimon had done.
Her brother would never be the same again, and it was all the angel Digimon's fault!
"I hate them! I hate them! I HATE THEM!" screamed Hikari, unleashing all the anger she felt at that moment.
Seeing his grandchildren break down in such a way made Satoshi want to find a way to bring Seraphimon back so that he could rip him into shreds of data. There was no way that his grandchildren would ever be okay after witnessing such a horrible thing. He could only hope that these scars would begin to heal over time instead of festering. He would be there for them; he would not let them deal with this alone.
Satoshi did not hesitate to pull Taichi and Hikari into his arms. To his relief, both accepted his embrace as they continued to wail in his arms. He held them tight, refusing to let them go even if they remained this way for a long time. He would not release them until they were ready for him to do so. He owed them that much.
Witchmon was torn between anger and grief. She had just watched her home dimension be obliterated and could do nothing to stop it. All her teachers, students, family, and friends were gone. It would have been more merciful if Seraphimon had just killed them, but no, he had erased everything where not even their data had been left. How cruel of an angel that was supposed to represent goodness to do such a thing.
With no home left and all her kin wiped out, she had nothing left. No, wait, that was not exactly true. She glanced at Taichi, and her heart broke even more, seeing how devastated the child was over the loss of his partner and all the Digimon he had befriended. He was probably the only one who had been more hurt by the destruction of Witchelny than her.
Being the kind of person he was, she knew Taichi would blame himself for what happened. But Witchmon was determined not to let Taichi believe he was responsible for this. She and her people had willingly wanted to help Taichi and fight for him despite the risks. She knew that they had cared for Taichi and had no regrets choosing to protect him. She also had come to care very deeply for the boy.
She would continue to watch over and guard Taichi in honor of her fallen people.
Lucemon quietly mulled over what had just transpired. Was he surprised that Seraphimon had shown up to stop the war? No, not really. He knew that the angels had gotten desperate and would do something drastic in response. But, what Seraphimon did was not just a means to end the war; it was also a message. When they sensed Taichi's return, they decided to send Seraphimon to wipe out all the child's allies in one swell swoop. Those of Light had wanted to show that they would be willing to sacrifice themselves and others to get to the Child of Darkness. And unfortunately, they had succeeded in hurting Taichi in one of the worst ways.
Lucemon frowned when Taichi finally broke down and cried for the lives lost. He thought about saying something to the boy, but then the Child of Light began shouting out in a fit of rage, to his astonishment. The pure raging hatred Lucemon could sense coming from the girl would have genuinely made Demon proud. Once again, the angels had made a foolish miscalculation in their plans. They may have successfully wounded the Child of Darkness but had made the Child of Light their enemy. Lucemon mentally smirked at the irony.
Lucemon then watched as the past Chosen Child of Wisdom embraced the two children to comfort them. He glanced at Witchmon to see a determined expression on her face as she looked in Taichi's direction. He could already tell what she was thinking.
"You wish to continue to protect him," stated Lucemon.
Witchmon cracked a smile before turning to the fallen angel with an amused glint in her eyes.
"Don't you?" she asked with a knowing smirk.
Lucemon did not reply to that. There was no need to sense they both knew the answer anyway.
"What about you, Plutomon?" asked Witchmon.
Plutomon was silent for a moment before answering.
"If he needs me," was all he said.
It was the best Plutomon could offer the child. His role and duties governing the realm of the dead did not permit him to stay with Taichi as the other two could. Yet, Plutomon swore that he would be there for him if the boy ever needed him. However, Plutomon could admit that he wished that he could do more for Taichi. The boy had just been dealt a huge blow, and he would need all the support he could get right now.
But sadly, that was not his forte nor his place to console the child. He was a being too used to death to feel much remorse about the matter. All he could feel was a slight irritation for the inconvenience of finding and gathering any souls that may have been strong enough to retain their essence. Then again, perhaps if he could locate the boy's partner, that may give the boy some hope. Yes, that was the best way that he could help the boy at this time.
He would not leave yet. Not until the angels were dealt with, Taichi's life was still at risk. He would make sure the child was safe before he left. But for now, all he could do was watch as both children continued to cry out all their pain and sorrow.
It took some time for the two children to calm down, and when they did, they had become emotionally exhausted. The two had cried themselves to sleep in their grandfather's arms after their emotional breakdowns.
"I should find somewhere better for them to sleep," announced Satoshi as he carefully carried his sleeping grandchildren in his arms.
As if in response to Satoshi's comment, a wave of darkness came from Taichi and flowed out towards the direction of the stairs. Satoshi figured that the Darkness was trying to lead him where to go, so he followed the trail of darkness down the stairs. The Darkness led him to the living courters inside the lighthouse, and Satoshi immediately placed the two children on the bed and tucked them in. Satoshi looked at his sleeping grandchildren with a sad look.
"Sweet dreams, you two. You deserve them," Satoshi whispered after placing a kiss on their foreheads.
Satoshi decided it was best to let Taichi and Hikari have their rest and left them in the room. He then returned to the top of the lighthouse to join the Digimon and discuss their next course of action.
This was the second time that Taichi found himself surrounded by darkness. Yet this time, Taichi did not panic. He calmly looked around him to see if there was anything with him in this endless abyss. Not finding anything with his eyes, Taichi decided to use his voice instead.
"Hello?! Is anybody here?!" yelled Taichi, hoping to receive a response.
T̷͇̦̀͝ä̴̻̤̳i̶̧̡͖̮̓c̵̨̦̋͒h̶̪̮͗̚͝͝i̵͈̳̞̎̈́
Taichi did not expect to hear so many voices at once. It reminded Taichi of the times when all the Digimon inside his head wanted to speak to him simultaneously. They would be hard to understand when they did this because so many voices wanted to say something all at once. Fortunately, Taichi had some experience in this situation.
"Pick one voice to speak for you. Then I can understand you better," Taichi told the voices.
The voices adhered to Taichi's advice as their following words were much clearer and calmer.
Taichi!
Taichi was surprised that they knew his real name. Could this be a Digimon he had met before? Though he did not recognize the voice that they chose to use.
"Who are you?" asked Taichi, curious to know who this mysterious Digimon was.
Many.
Right, Taichi should have guessed they would give that kind of answer. After all, there was more than one Digimon here. They could not say that they were just one of them. Taichi would have to be more thoughtful about the questions he asked them.
"Did you bring me here?"
Yes.
"Why?" he asked, but then he quickly realized his question was too general, and as expected, multiple voices answered.
P̷̧͠a̴̯͒ṟ̶̲͊ṱ̴̇͆n̵̨͑ę̶̞̋r̵͔͆Ť̵̞̅ŗ̸̆ͅa̵̫̽p̷̬̂p̸̪͗ḙ̸̩͝ḑ̶̒ͅŞ̵̰́c̷̳̽a̸̯̓ȑ̴̠̈ę̶̟̿d̴͙͗Ṗ̷͖̔a̴͕̓ŗ̷̻͆ţ̸͖̿n̵͉͝ȩ̸̮͘ṟ̴̈Ă̶̘ņ̷̣̈g̶̣̉r̴̹͗ÿ̸̪̈F̴̫̀r̶̙̃i̸͈̚e̶͈̅n̸̯̓d̵̦̒ṣ̷̗͛ḩ̴̭̉i̸̲̓p̸̗̄Ṗ̵͖̕ḁ̵̈́r̶̭̍t̸͓̓n̸̦̊ë̵̗̅ř̴͉͗L̴̨̿o̴̭̿v̷̧͗ę̸̩̇J̸̳̈́ų̷̬̓ş̷̻͝t̷̡̓ȋ̶̺c̶̱̒ȩ̸͈̀P̵̩̒ȁ̶̌ͅr̸͚̐ţ̴̝͊n̵̼͝ę̷͙̿r̷̕ͅV̵̖̔ē̵͍̾n̵̖͋ǧ̷̠ẻ̶͆ͅá̷̀ͅṇ̴̼̽ç̵̗̆ȇ̵͉͗D̵͎̆ȩ̵́̑s̴͙̅ţ̴̜̌r̵̮̊u̷͙͗c̴̡͊ţ̷̹͗i̷͔̿ǫ̴̛͚ǹ̷̤P̵͓͛ȧ̵̪r̴̭͋ț̶̌̽n̷̙̒ę̴̹̽r̶̉͜ ̶̧͋
Taichi could barely make out the words they were saying, but as they kept talking, Taichi could catch one word that they were continually repeating throughout their jumbled speech.
"Partner? Do you want to be my partner?" asked Taichi in surprise.
Y̵̜̮̾ë̷̝̟́͆̽ş̷̳͇̃̊I̴̱̖̔̔͝Ä̶͖́̃m̴̭̆͊̅Ḿ̶̝̞͠ä̷͇͇̂͊ÿ̵̧̛͇̮́b̵͌̌͗͜é̵̛̻͖͓̈́Ỳ̷̪̰̄̉́͜ȩ̶̹̝͠s̴͖̭͕͌Ư̵͇̞̅ņ̸͕̅̽ş̷̟̥́̇͛ư̴̲͌ͅr̷̠̬̻̍ẽ̶̢͓̜̀Į̴̢̹̮̋Á̴̫̲̃̕m̷̨͙̳̽Ş̷̙̋c̸̝͚͆ą̶͉̍ȓ̷̝̳̠ę̴̟̞͂ḑ̷͈́͝Ÿ̶̝́͝ę̷̢̛̙͉͌ṣ̶̺̪́̍̚Ḏ̸̛͓̜ő̶̘̓͘ŭ̵͇̟͌b̵̫̺̓t̵̬́̉͘
Taichi frowned, realizing how much disharmony the voices had with each other. The Digimon in his head eventually learned how to comingle and were hardly ever in disagreement with each other. But it seemed these Digimon still struggled with their unity. He could sense all their pain, sadness, and frustration in their voice, making Taichi want to help them.
Would becoming their partner help them? Should he consider it? Would gaining another partner after losing SkullWarGreymon be too soon? Was he even capable of handling a partner that was so mentally unstable?
Before he could think more about it, Taichi felt himself being pulled away from this place. The voices immediately noticed this.
No! Don't go, Taichi! Please don't leave us!
The fact that they spoke so clearly that time showed how much none of them wanted him to leave. Taichi's heart broke hearing the desperation in their voice, and it made him want to stay as they asked. However, whatever was taking him away was pulling even stronger now.
"I'll come back! I promise!" was the last thing Taichi managed to say to them before he was taken away.
Taichi awoke with a start and turned to see Hikari looking at him with worry in her eyes.
"Onii-chan was gone again," she sadly said as she clung to him tightly.
"I was?" he asked Hikari in shock, to which she nodded.
"I couldn't feel Onii-chan anymore, but the Light said you were just really far away, so I asked it to bring you back," she explained.
"Oh," was all Taichi said, making him wonder if the place he met those voices had been another dimension separate from the Digital World like Witchelny had been.
Even though they had initially brought him there, maybe he could find that dimension and go there himself. He did promise them that he would return, and he wanted to find a way to help those Digimon there.
"Onii-chan, what is it?" asked Hikari, knowing that her brother was thinking deeply about something.
Taichi was about to tell Hikari about where he had gone and what happened, but they both sensed someone unexpectedly entering the World of Darkness before he could.