Lucemon was livid. How could their God stand by and allow all this chaos to continue? Did their God find amusement from watching Digimon constantly fight and kill each other? Is that why he had refused to take away their fighting spirit? Or did their God know something that he did not? If so, why had their God not shared it with him yet? It was baffling and frustrating to Lucemon. All he wanted was peace in their world. Was that so wrong? Lucemon did not know the answer to that, which bothered him tremendously.
Lucemon could not take it anymore. It was bad enough that Digimon were constantly fighting each other, but now they were doing it for unjustifiable reasons beyond survival. Prejudice, discrimination, and hatred for the dark and virus Digimon started spreading at an alarming rate. Many other Digimon began to fear the dark and virus Digimon when they had been the first to learn how to absorb data to make themselves stronger. Now the dark and virus Digimon were growing in strength and numbers. Their type dominated the battlefield, and it left the rest fearful and vengeful of them.
But Lucemon knew that the dark and virus Digimon were doing what they were created to do, devour and compartmentalize data, and replicate themselves. It was in their nature to do such things; they were doing what they needed to survive, just like all Digimon were trying to do. Lucemon could not understand it. However, he was going to put a stop to it.
After Lucemon had stepped in himself to end the fighting, at long last, there was peace. Digimon no longer had to fight each other to survive, and the fear of dark and virus Digimon was slowly but surely fading away. Digimon now wanted to find a new purpose in their lives besides fighting, and soon they had. Digimon discovered new creatures called humans that lived in another world and began to form bonds with them. Lucemon was amazed to see so many Digimon learn and grow by being connected to these humans. But most importantly, Digimon were now filled with joy and love instead of turmoil and violence. These humans gave Digimon a new and better reason to live, and Lucemon could not have been more content.
Their God was not pleased with the growing interactions between humans and Digimon. But Lucemon no longer cared what their God wanted. Their world was flourishing, and the Digimon were finally at peace. Lucemon would do whatever it took to keep their world this way, even if he had to go against their God's wishes.
When Lucemon found out the truth about their God, he was furious. Their God was a human and a conceited one at that. Their God had created them for his entertainment alone, and when other humans started getting involved, their God did not like that. So, their God…no, that human tried to delete them all and start over. But Lucemon planned to create a new world for Digimon beyond that human's reach. Lucemon succeeded in making that new world and started migrating Digimon there, but that human had found out what he was doing and tried to delete them all and the new world Lucemon had created. Lucemon would not allow that human to do such a thing.
Lucemon revealed the truth to his fellow angels about their God and how the human would delete everything. Yet only some had decided to join him in fighting against the human. They had managed to put up a decent fight, but all his allies had either fallen or been deleted in the end. What was worse was that out of spite for him, the human corrupted the new world Lucemon had created and turned it into a living hell. The Digimon that had been in his new world already had greatly suffered from this and became mutated. Digimon that had fallen with Lucemon and those the human chose to delete had been sent to Lucemon's new contaminated world as punishment for all that defied him.
With Lucemon and his allies defeated, the human had deleted everything and started all over again. But this time, the human was more cautious and created new host computers to monitor this new Digital World. The human even assigned three angel Digimon to replace Lucemon and set up thicker barriers between worlds to prevent Digimon from connecting to humans again. Now Digimon were right back where they started, fighting and killing each other to survive.
Lucemon's heart grew cold and bitter, knowing that he had failed to stop the human from wiping out the first Digital World and polluting the new one he had made to try and save the Digimon. He had to watch again as dark and virus Digimon were feared and despised because of their very nature. He had to watch again as Digimon tore each other apart, believing there was no other way for them to live.
Every time Lucemon and his fellow fallen had tried to fix things again, they were perceived as enemies to these new Digimon and this new Digital World. Their good intentions were being misinterpreted as evil acts, leaving many to distrust and despise them. Still, Lucemon would not give up on trying to find a way to save this new Digital World from itself. And once he finally brought peace to this world, Lucemon swore that he would make that human pay for all he had done.
A Ceasefire
A green armored female angel Digimon entered the World of Darkness.
It was Ofanimon, yet something was off with her. Unlike her usual appearance, she was covered entirely with gray and green armor, and her wings were bat-shaped instead of the typical angelic wings. Instead of the usual golden radiance of light surrounding her body, her aura permeated a terrifying red color. But what was even more noticeable was how battered and beaten she appeared. She looked like she had just come from a brutal fight and barely hung on.
Those who watched Ofanimon from afar grew tense when she looked in the direction of the lighthouse. Yet, instead of heading towards the lighthouse, she landed on the beach a reasonable distance away. She dropped her weapons before falling to her knees and spoke.
"I mean you no harm. Please, I wish to speak with the Child of Darkness," she announced in a weary but confident tone.
There was no response for some time until Hikari suddenly teleported in front of Ofanimon.
"No, you stay away from Onii-chan!" screamed Hikari the second she was before the angel.
"Please, Child of Light, I need to…."
"NO! LEAVE ONII-CHAN AND DARKNESS ALONE!" Hikari and the Light exclaimed as a beam of Light shot out from Hikari's hands and slammed into Ofanimon.
The angle Digimon cried in pain from the unexpected attack, her body landing harshly on the sand. When Hikari was about to attack again, Taichi suddenly appeared next to his sister and held Hikari back.
"Kari, stop! That's enough!" he reprimanded her.
"But Onii-chan she…."
"She isn't like the other angels, Kari. Calm down and look at her," instructed Taichi seriously.
Hikari was unsure but trusted her brother's judgment. She calmed herself and critically observed Ofanimon, who did her best to get up. As Hikari looked closer, she finally understood what her brother must have already noticed.
"She feels like Lucemon," murmured Hikari in astonishment.
"Yeah, she's a fallen angel too," declared Taichi before walking to Ofanimon.
Taichi then lowered himself to Ofanimon and used his powers to heal her. The fact that he could even use the Darkness to heal Ofanimon further proved that she was now a Digimon of Darkness more than light. Once he was finished healing her, Ofanimon dropped down to her knees and bowed to him.
"Thank you for healing me, Child of Darkness," she humbly said.
Taichi nodded before speaking.
"Why did you want to speak with me?" he asked.
Taichi was surprised when tears fell from Ofanimon's red glowing eyes.
"I'm so sorry! I tried to stop Seraphimon, but I wasn't strong enough!"
"You tried to stop him?" Hikari asked in amazement as she joined her brother by the angel's side.
"Yes, when I realized what he planned to do, I knew it was wrong. I tried to talk him out of it, but he refused to listen," Ofanimon told both children.
"And that's when you fought him," continued Taichi, already piecing the story together.
"Yes, but Seraphimon's power is much greater than mine. He defeated me and left me for dead," she said bitterly.
"Is that when you fell?" wondered Taichi.
"No," she answered, stunning them.
"When?" Hikari asked.
A fuming expression came on Ofanimon's face.
"After seeing all those lives being unjustly taken away by Seraphimon, I became enraged. I could not comprehend why he would go to such extremes when it was uncalled for! There was no justifiable reason for what Seraphimon did! None!" she exclaimed angrily with her hands tightly clenched into fists.
Taichi and Hikari watched as more tears came down Ofanimon's face. She truly felt anguish over the lost lives and despised what Seraphimon had done. Hikari felt guilty for lashing out at the fallen angel after hearing that she had been trying to help.
"I'm sorry for hurting you. I was wrong," apologized Hikari with a regretful expression.
However, Ofanimon gave the girl a look of understanding.
"I don't blame you, Child of Light. You had every reason to lash out at me. I would've probably reacted the same way," she admitted with a small smile.
Taichi was glad that the fallen angel held no ill will towards his sister. Yet, he had a feeling there was more to Ofanimon's visit, and he wanted to know what other reason she had for coming here.
"Ofanimon, you didn't just come here to apologize," claimed Taichi.
A grave expression came on Ofanimon's face.
"You are correct, Child of Darkness. My main reason for coming is to warn you. Witchelny was only their first strike. They plan to come here next and finish you off for good," she told him.
Ofanimon expected the children to show concern. Instead, they both seemed quite pleased by the news.
"Good, let them come," Taichi boldly said with a smirk on his lips.
Ofanimon seeing the confidence on their faces could only chuckle.
"I take it you have a plan," she guessed with a mirthful grin.
"Yes," answered Hikari with a slight smirk of her own.
"Me."
After the other three Digimon and Satoshi joined the children and the female fallen angel on the beach, stories and explanations were quickly exchanged. Ofanimon was also informed of what Hikari planned to do and agreed that it should work.
Satoshi then surprised everyone when he decided that he would call in his old partner for backup, saying that they should have as much support and power on their side just in case Hikari's plan did not work. No one argued against having another ally on their side, though the four Digimon doubted that the Holy Beast would agree to assist them. None of the Four Holy Beasts were known to get involved in personal or trivial matters unless under extreme circumstances. However, one would think that the four, having been partnered with Chosen Children at one point in time, would have been a little more motivated to help the Digital World in any way they could. Still, it was worth at least asking the Holy Beast, and so they all agreed that Satoshi should contact his old partner.
Satoshi then took out his old Digivice and used it to reach his partner. Despite the many years since they last saw each other face to face, the bond between him and his partner was still strong. Unlike everyone else who doubted that the Holy Beast would show up, Satoshi knew that his partner would come. He was proven right when one of the Four Holy Beasts had arrived in the World of Darkness before them.
"Qinglongmon," greeted Satoshi with a warm smile on his face.
The holy blue dragon looked at the man with fondness in his eyes.
"It's good to see you after all these years, my friend. Though I take it you did not summon me to catch up on old times," replied Qinglongmon.
Satoshi sighed.
"Unfortunately, you're right. We may need your help," Satoshi said before explaining everything to Qinglongmon.
Qinglongmon was silent as he appeared to ponder what Satoshi had told him. The Holy Best then turned to Hikari.
"You are willing to go through with it, aren't you, Child of Light."
"I am," answered Hikari without any hesitation.
Qinglongmon did not look surprised by her answer.
"If their desire to end the Child of Darkness proves to be greater than the need to maintain the stability of the Digital World, then I will interfere," declared Qinglongmon in a firm tone.
There was a mix of shock and relief amongst the group at the Holy Beast's willingness to help. The only one who was not thrown off by the Digimon's statement was Satoshi.
"Thank you, Qinglongmon," Satoshi said in a grateful tone.
Qinglongmon simply nodded in reply, knowing no more needed to be said.
Taichi quietly watched how his grandfather and Qinglongmon interacted with each other. Even though it must have been many years since they last saw each other, it was clear that the two were still very close. He noticed how Qinglongmon was staying as close as he could to his grandfather though the Holy Beast was trying not to make it obvious. He also picked up how his grandfather and Qinglongmon constantly exchanged nonverbal messages. It was a wholesome sight to see just how strong a bond between a human and their partner could still be despite the length of time. Yet, Taichi's heart hurt as it reminded him that his partner was now gone.
Taichi had been trying to reach his partner in hopes that he could sense something from SkullWarGreymon, but there was nothing. It made him want to cry all over again. Taichi was surprised when he felt a claw placed gently on his shoulder. Taichi turned to see that the claw belonged to Plutomon.
"If I find him, I will let you know," declared Plutomon.
"Thanks, Plutomon," said Taichi with a grateful smile.
Witchmon turned to Plutomon.
"If you find any from Witchelny…."
"You'll be the first to know," Plutomon assured her, already knowing what she wanted.
"Thank you," she replied, and Plutomon gave a simple nod.
Ofanimon wanted to apologize once again for failing to stop Seraphimon. If she had been stronger, she could have saved Taichi's partner and the Digimon of Witchelny. Hikari somehow picked up on the fallen angel's thoughts and looked at her.
"You did your best. It wasn't your fault," Hikari told Ofanimon in a sincere tone, smiling at Ofanimon's face.
"Thank you, Child of Light."
"Hikari, my name is Hikari," she told the fallen angel, surprising Ofanimon.
Ofanimon was touched that the Child of Light had given her her name. Her heart felt warmer, and her reddish aura turned to gold before turning back to red for a moment. Ofanimon could feel the bond that was forming between her and Hikari. Perhaps Hikari had sensed it too, which was why she had given out her name. In that case, Ofanimon felt that it was only fitting to return the gesture.
"My true name is Elliora," she told Hikari.
Hikari smiled at this and gabbed the fallen angel's hand in hers. Ofanimon returned the smile as she squeezed the little girl's hand in her own.
Taichi had watched the exchange between Ofanimon and his sister with a warm expression on his face. He knew that his sister would not reveal her name like that unless she trusted the fallen angel and vice versa. He wondered if they realized that they were on their way to becoming partners. He supposed they would find out soon enough.
Taichi then shifted his gaze on Lucemon, who had been quiet for a while now. He decided to walk over to him.
"What's on your mind, Lucemon?" asked Taichi in a curious voice.
"A lot of things, as usual," replied Lucemon with amusement on his face
Taichi huffed in annoyance as he knew that Lucemon was toying with him.
"Seriously, Lucemon, tell me," Taichi pleaded, causing Lucemon to chuckle.
"Very well," he relented before placing his hand over the boy's head and mentally sharing the knowledge he had been withholding.
Taichi's eyes widened in shock after receiving what Lucemon had given him. If that was what happened to Belphamon, then maybe that happened to his partner and the other Digimon. If so, then…wait a minute! Taichi quickly shared the memory of what happened to him while he had slept with Lucemon causing the fallen angel's eyes to widen slightly. The two continued to communicate with each other for some time before they came to an agreement.
Keep this between us for now, replied Lucemon.
Taichi did not understand why Lucemon did not want him to tell anybody else about this, but he wholeheartedly trusted Lucemon.
Okay, I won't tell anyone, not even Hikari, Taichi assured him.
Lucemon was pleased to hear this. He knew that Taichi would usually share everything with the Child of Light, so for the boy to say that he would not tell his sister meant a lot.
Good, Lucemon said before removing his hand from Taichi's head and ending their mental conversation.
Taichi soon noticed that the others had been watching him and Lucemon. He was sure they were curious about what was going on between them, but their curiosity would remain unsettled. He would not break his promise to Lucemon, especially regarding something this important.
"How long before they arrive?" Taichi suddenly asked Ofanimon.
Everyone was quick to catch Taichi's attempt to divert attention away from him and Lucemon but did not call him out on it. They would respect the private moment between the two.
"They will need some time to replenish their forces. They may also be aware that I have already warned you, so they will plan accordingly. I say an hour at the least," answered Ofanimon.
Taichi thought about what Ofanimon said and realized that they would need to do more planning of their own.
"Okay, since they most likely won't be in a talking mood when they come, we need to make sure Kari can get the chance to speak to them before they try something. So we should make a few more plans too," suggested Taichi.
They all agreed with Taichi, and they soon began discussing ways to prepare for the angel Digimon's arrival.
A massive army of angel Digimon and their allies burst their way into the World of Darkness. They had one mission: to kill the Child of Darkness and ensure that he would be gone for good. Of course, they were cautious, especially since they were entering a world where his power would be at its strongest. They also knew the child still had a few powerful allies left on his side, including the traitor Ofanimon. Still, they were prepared to do whatever it took to carry out their mission.
They had not prepared for the Child of Light to make the first move.
Hikari focused as hard as she could to take as much power away from those of light as she could. She was pleased to see that it worked as the angels grew weaker by the second. It served them right. SlashAngemon had taken power from her without her consent, so now it was only fair that she returned the favor.
Though it was a lot. She was drawing power away from so many at once, and her body was already overflowing with it. However, Hikari refused to stop. She had to weaken as many as she could so that the next part of their plan could succeed.
When the enemy realized what she was doing, they tried to approach her, but Ofanimon was quick to stop any from reaching her. Seeing Ofanimon protect her so adamantly encouraged Hikari even more. She increased the power she was taking and more became weakened. Some even succumbed to unconsciousness as a result. However, Hikari was pushing her limit and knew that it would greatly overwhelm her if she did not release what she had taken.
Ofanimon sensed that Hikari was pushing herself too much and became worried.
"Kari, you need to stop now!" she warned the girl.
"Not yet!" Hikari answered back.
"But Kari…"
"No," quickly interrupted Hikari.
Ofanimon was about to reply, but then Hikari suddenly shook her head as a look of determination came to her face.
"I won't stop Onii-chan! I'll protect you no matter what!" Hikari announced in a resolved tone, no doubt responding to her brother's mental pleas for her to stop.
Ofanimon realized that Hikari most likely would not stop until she was sure that every angel was down. But Hikari was too young to handle that amount of power inside her. If the girl did not find a way to release some of that power soon, it could destroy her. The thought of a fate like that befalling Hikari troubled Ofanimon tremendously; no, she would not let that happen to Hikari.
"Kari, send the power to me!" she urgently told Hikari.
Hikari looked at Ofanimon in surprise before understanding dawned on her face. Hikari nodded and sent the stolen power into Ofanimon.
Ofanimon gasped at the amount of power flowing into her, but something else was also being poured into her. It did not take long for Ofanimon to realize that it was Hikari's feelings of determination and her desire to protect Taichi. Hikari's love for her brother was so strong and vibrant that it filled Ofanimon's own heart with love for these two children. She had not known Hikari and Taichi for long, but she grew to care deeply for them.
Even though Taichi was the Child of Darkness, he was kind and cared deeply about those he loved. She could see why so many Digimon had been willing to fight for the boy and were so distraught when they thought he had perished. If any of her ex-fellow angels had tried getting to know Taichi first, they would have realized he was not a threat to the Digital World.
As for Hikari, even though they had gotten off to a bad start, she learned that Hikari was just a sweet girl that loved her brother more than anything. But thanks to those that had harmed Taichi, a deep-rooted hatred had settled in her heart. She supposed that was why she and Hikari connected so quickly. They both loved so much. They loved to the point that when they saw those they loved being wronged, it pushed them over the edge.
Neither of these children deserved what happened to them. They had been victims of her past allies' hubris and suffered tremendously because of it. Ofanimon swore to ensure that no one would ever harm the two children she had grown to love again!
Suddenly, all the power inside of Ofanimon responded to her feelings and desires, triggering a new evolution.
Ofanimon was wrapped up in a cocoon of radiant golden light.
"Ofanimon Evolve to…!" she announced as her evolution occurred.
Her green and silver armor fell away from her body, revealing smooth and beautiful creamy skin. Her blonde hair became longer and formed into twists before being wrapped up in strands of white ribbons. More white stripes were wrapped around her eyes, hiding her face's top part. A very revealing white dress that showed her cleavage and long legs soon adored her new voluptuous body. White elbow-length fingerless gauntlets coved her writs, and on her feet were matching knee-length boots. Lastly, tiny angel wings sprouted on her shoes and her head.
With her evolution complete, the once fallen angel Ofanimon proudly declared the name of her new form.
"Venusmon!"
Everyone stared in awe at the gorgeous Digimon now before them. Venusmon's very presence was enrapturing and enchanting. Hikari was also amazed by Ofanimon's new appearance.
"Wow, Venusmon! You're really pretty!" complemented Hikari in wonder.
"Your strong love for your brother and the intense passion you had to protect him helped me become Venusmon Kari," she told Hikari with a warm smile before her face became serious.
"Now, let's end this," Venusmon declared boldly, which received an encouraging nod from Hikari.
Venusmon flew in front of their enemies and blew those in front of her a kiss.
"LOVE YOU," she said in a sweet voice as her enchanted kiss traveled and knocked out the whole army.
After Venusmon incapacitated the army, Witchmon was quick to do her part and use her magic to create a barrier to entrap them so that they could not escape or attack when they awoke. Once the angel Digimon was taken care of, Taichi turned to his sister with a worried and irritated expression.
"Kari, what you did was really dangerous! You could've killed yourself!" exclaimed Taichi.
Hikari was not bothered by her brother's outburst; she simply gave him a warm smile.
"I know, and Onii-chan would've done the same thing for me, right?" she asked back, giving Taichi a significant look.
Taichi wanted to stay upset with Hikari, but she was too wise for her own good. Of course, he would have done the same if the roles were reversed, and they both knew it. Taichi sighed before pulling his sister into a hug.
"Yeah, I would," he admitted to her tenderly.
"Because we'll always protect each other no matter what, right Onii-chan?" Hikari said as she looked up at Taichi with a smile.
"Right Imouto," agreed Taichi with a smile of his own.
Witchmon shook her head when she heard this.
"Great, this whole self-sacrifice thing runs in the family," groaned Witchmon, making Satoshi chuckle.
"It sure does," he replied with a grin.
Quinglongmon sighed at his partner's statement.
"Indeed," added the Holy Beast in an exasperated tone.
Quinglongmon's tone alone made it clear that he had his own experiences dealing with similar behavior from his partner in the past. Taichi perked up at that and turned to his grandfather with a grin.
"You're going to tell us about all the times you did stupid self-sacrifice things too, right Jii-chan?" Taichi asked.
"Sure thing, kiddo. I have plenty of stories to share about that," Satoshi said proudly.
"I wish you weren't so proud of that," commented Quinglongmon.
"But it's what we're really good at," Hikari replied with a giggle, causing Taichi and Satoshi to laugh and agree with Hikari's statement.
"You three are unbelievable," remarked Witchmon with a huff though a tiny grin managed to slip on her face.
"It just shows how strong their love is for those they care about," stated Venusmon in admiration.
"That will get them killed one day," Lucemon said with a frown.
"It already did," bluntly stated Plutomon, glancing at Taichi.
The mood suddenly shifted at the reminder that Taichi had died. However, Witchmon gained a determined look on her face.
"Which is why we're making sure that this doesn't happen again," she said as Witchmon turned her focus to the angelic army.
Everyone gained serious looks on their faces at Witchmon's proclamation.
"We're finishing this now," declared Lucemon, and all eagerly agreed.
Cherubimon was surprised when he awoke to see he and his comrades were imprisoned in a magic barrier. He had caught a glimpse of a Witchmon earlier somewhere on the beach and figured this was her doing. He looked at his surroundings and noticed that a few others were awake and trying to escape the barrier. Cherubimon knew that he could break this barrier easily but did not do so yet. He was curious as to why they were all still alive. Indeed, killing them off after being knocked out instead of imprisoning them would have made sense. So why? Cherubimon had a feeling that the answer to that question would come soon, so he decided to be patient and wait.
Cherubimon's patience was rewarded as he saw the Child of Darkness and Light and Venusmon and Lucemon approaching him.
"You're the one in charge, right?" asked the Child of Darkness in a stern tone.
"I am," was Cherubimon's answer.
Getting the confirmation, the Child of Darkness spoke once more.
"We have an ultimatum," he told Cherubimon.
Now Cherubimon's curiosity peeked even more. No doubt this was an attempt to get them to stop hunting him. Did the child think he could change their minds? He supposed that the child did, considering he was before him now.
Cherubimon knew it would be easy to break the barrier and grab the child in front of him. If he was quick, he could kill the child.
"I can kill you before you even break through the barrier," Lucemon claimed while glaring at Cherubimon.
Cherubimon should have expected that Lucemon would be able to read him. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the fallen angel used to be one of them. Even though it had been so long ago, it was clear that Lucemon still knew them all very well. Also, Lucemon was more powerful than him, so he probably would not get far if he tried to kill the boy now.
"Cherubimon, I would strongly advise you to listen before thinking about doing something you'll regret," calmly proclaimed Venusmon with a smile.
Cherubimon could easily detect the hidden threat behind Venusmon's words. If she were still Ofanimon, her warming would not bother him as they had been of equal power. But now, she was no longer an angel. She was a goddess. One whose power greatly surpassed his own. He was still processing that instead of falling lower and becoming a Demon Lord, she had ascended further and became a goddess. Venusmon claimed her evolution was because of how much the Child of Light cared for the Child of Darkness.
It was still baffling to him why one chosen by the light itself wanted to protect the one chosen by Darkness. That was a question he desperately wanted the answer to, but it was best he played nice least he died here now.
"Very well. I will hear you out, Child of Darkness," he told the boy.
Yet, to his surprise, the Child of Light spoke next.
"Leave my Onii-chan alone, or the Light will leave the Digital World forever," she announced in an authoritative voice.
Cherubimon could tell by the expression on the girl's face that she would go through with such extremes if they did not comply.
"You would be willing to risk the destruction of the Digital World and those that live within it, child?" he asked her, wondering if the child realized what the result of taking the light away would do to the very Digital World itself.
A flash of anger came over the girl's face.
"You did with Witchelny," she replied coldly.
Well, she had a point there. Though he had not fully agreed with Seraphemon, he had been willing to let Seraphemon do as he saw fit. Unlike Ofanimon, who had not only disagreed completely but had fought Seraphemon to try and stop him. But now, he supposes that if he had come up with a better alternative, perhaps Ofanimon would have still been on their side, and the Child of Light would have been more lenient. However, dwelling on the past would get him nowhere. Cherubimon needed to figure out a way to at least turn this situation more in their favor.
"If we do, how can we be sure the Child of Darkness won't be a threat to us?" he asked them, wondering if they had an answer for that.
"My Onii-chan isn't a threat! You all are!" exclaimed the Child of Light with hatred spilling into her voice.
Cherubimon frowned at the girl's display of malice toward him and his kind. That was concerning, yet it would have to be dealt with later.
"That did not answer my question," he told her in an even tone.
The Child of Light looked like she was ready to lash out at him, but to his amazement, the Child of Darkness placed a hand on her shoulder, quickly calming her down. The two children looked at each other for a moment, and then the Child of Light relented. The Child of Darkness then faced him.
"How can I prove that I'm not a threat?" he asked Cherubimon.
Well, now that was an excellent question. If Cherubimn was honest, he was not sure of the answer himself. What could the boy do to show he would not eventually bring harm to the Digital World?
"Considering none of you have even thought about seeing if the boy is even a threat in the first place, I'm guessing that you have no answer to that," smugly commented Lucemon.
"Admittedly, that's true. It's shameful how rashly we acted because of our prejudice against Darkness," Venusmon confessed with a remorseful tone in her voice.
Hearing this made the Child of Darkness look at Venusmon with a curious expression.
"What changed your mind about me, Venusmon?" he asked her.
Another interesting question. It seemed the boy had a good amount of wisdom despite his youth. Cherubimon wondered what Vensumon's answer would be.
A sweet smile formed on Venusmon's lips as she answered.
"I got to know you," was her simple yet profound response.
"And Onii-chan's is the best," added the Child of Light as she proudly hugged the boy.
"True, the Darkness would only select the best human to be its chosen," bragged Lucemon with a smirk.
Cherubimon expected the Child of Darkness to respond with some haughtiness at the biased praise he was receiving. But instead, a forlorn expression came to the boy's face as his eyes filled with melancholy.
"You know, SkullWarGreymon told me that the kind of person I am made me matter and not that I am the Child of Darkness. I-I think I'm starting to get that now," he said with a tiny smile.
Cherubimon had never been bonded to a human and was not interested in doing so. Yet, he knew enough about the partnership formed between a human and Digimon that severing the connection was damaging to both. Cherubimon could see the immense pain deep within the boy's eyes when he talked about his late partner, and judging by the sympathetic looks he was receiving, the others noticed it too.
But soon, the sadness left the Child of Darkness's eyes before he looked right at Cherubiman with a friendly grin on his face.
"So, do you want to get to know me?"
Cherubimon looked at the boy for a moment, contemplating his offer. He supposed their choices were limited, but perhaps this could benefit them as well.
"Very well, we will go with you back to the Human World and stay with you so we can learn more about you."
"Eh? All of you?!" the boy asked with wide eyes.
Cherubimon knew that all of them going to the Human World to observe the child would not be ideal, but it was amusing to see the child's reaction to such an idea.
"The Human World is as vast as the Digital World, is it not?" Cherubimon asked, knowing that he was messing with the child.
"Yeah, but my house isn't! Tou-san and Kaa-san will lose their minds if they see so many Digimon trying to cram into our home!" exclaimed the Child of Darkness in a frantic manner.
"He's messing with you, Tai," Lucemon told the boy with some amusement in his voice.
"Oh," replied the boy with a blush on his cheeks, no doubt feeling embarrassed that he had not caught on to the teasing.
"I will assign only a few to observe you, and they will be reporting back to me," Cherubimon explained.
"And they will promise not to hurt Onii-chan, right?" asked the Child of Light, giving him an intense glare.
"If he proves not to be a threat, then no," he answered her.
Of course, if the boy turned out to be a threat, they would need to find a more elusive way to end him that would not lead the Child of Light to take away the Light from the Digital World as a result. Hopefully, he will come up with other alternatives before anything too drastic happens. But if there is a chance that they were wrong, and the Child of Darkness was not a danger to their world, that would be even more beneficial to them in the grand scheme of things.
"So, we have a deal?" asked the Child of Darkness.
Cherubimon nodded.
"Yes, Child of Darkness, we accept your proposal."
After their talk with Cherubimon, the two children, Lucemon and Venusmon, returned to where the others were waiting for them.
"How did it go?" Satoshi asked them the second they returned.
They explained their conversation with Cherubimon, making a slight frown come to Satoshi's lips.
"I'm not too comfortable with the fact that Cherubimon is assigning parole officers for my grandson," commented Satoshi.
"Well, I'm defiantly coming with you now. I certainly don't trust them not to try anything," remarked Witchmon with a scoff.
"I want to join you as well. I promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone harm these children, and I meant it," confidently stated Venusmon.
"Lucemon, are you coming too?" asked Taichi.
Lucemon smirked. "You already know what my answer is, Tai."
Hearing this made Taichi's grin grow as he did know that Lucemon had already decided to go with them. Taichi then turned to Plutomon.
"I wish you could come to, but I already know you can't," stated Taichi in an upset voice.
"Death and Darkness connect us, Tai. Distance for us is irrelevant," replied Plutomon.
Taichi smiled when Plutomon said that, knowing that he was right. Even if Plutomon could not join him, they were still friends no matter how far apart they were from each other. Plutomon returned the smile before taking his leave.
"Since everything has been settled, I should return to Assembler Tower," suddenly announced Quinglongmon.
Even though Satoshi had already known Quinglongmon would not go to the Human World with him, it still was hard for Satoshi. He wished that his partner could stay with him, but Satoshi understood that Quinglongmon had an essential role in protecting the Digital World.
"I know you need to remain in the Digital World, but try and stay in touch more, alright," Satoshi told his partner.
Quinglongmon chuckled.
"I will do my best," the Holy Beast promised before saying his farewell and leaving as well.
Soon after Quinglongmon left, three Digimon flew towards the group and made their presence known.
"Cherubimon-sama has chosen us to go with you, Child of Darkness. I am Valdurmon," introduced the Holy Bird Digimon.
"I am Dominimon," greeted the six-winged male armored angel.
"And I am Rasielmon," finished the feminine holy ophan type Digimon.
Taichi looked at the three Digimon that were going to be monitoring him and knew he needed to make a good impression if he wanted them to think differently about him.
"My name is Tai," introducing himself to them with a sincere smile.
However, Hikari had no intention of being friendly to the three Digimon. She refused to say anything to them. Taichi noticed his sister's attitude and decided to give her an encouraging nudge to introduce herself.
Hikari glanced at her brother, knowing that he wanted her to at least try to be nice to the three Digimon. The thought of being nice to Digimon that wanted to hurt her brother, sickened her. She wanted to scream at them and make them pay for what they had done to Taichi. She certainly did not want them anywhere near her brother and had not been happy when Taichi agreed to this. If it were up to Hikari, she would have taken the Light away and made them suffer until they had learned their lesson. However, Hikari knew that her brother would not like it if she went back on her word out of spite. Even though it would have felt good to get back at the angels in such a way, Taichi would disapprove, and she would never risk doing something that would make Taichi mad at her. So now she had to put up with these three Digimon instead. But she could at least pretend to be nice to them for her brother's sake.
"Kari," she said dully, not wanting to say any more than she needed to.
Taichi figured that was the best they would get from his sister.
"So, are we all ready to go to the Human World?" Taichi asked everyone, eager to go back home.
Receiving affirmations from everyone, Taichi instructed them all to hold onto each other so he could teleport all of them at once. Taichi noticed how some did not want to touch certain others and had shifted positions to avoid doing so. Taichi knew it would probably be a while before they all would get comfortable with each other, but he hoped that everyone would get along in time.
Once everyone was physically connected, Taichi teleported them out of the World of Darkness to the Human World.
Taichi thought his parents were handling everything well, considering the circumstances. Of course, his parents were shocked when they saw his grandfather and six Digimon that they had never met before when they returned home. Fortunately, Wtichmon had used her magic to fix the apartment and clean up all the mess before his parents arrived so they would not have to see the evidence of his murder. It had been hard, but Taichi shared that he had died and what happened afterward, including the destruction of Witchelny. As expected, they were horrified to hear all of that and started hugging him and Hikari as tightly as possible to comfort them.
His grandfather decided to confess about his time in the Digital World and being a Chosen Child. He apologized for keeping it a secret from them and promised to share all that he knew about the Digital World and would introduce them to his friends who were also past Chosen Children so they could help them out as well. Taichi was excited when he heard that. He wanted to meet the other Chosen Children and learn more about them. Taichi hoped his grandfather would do that soon.
After explaining everything else to his parents, they looked like they would break down and cry themselves. His grandfather then ushered his parents to their room and told them he would handle things while they took some time to process everything. His parents seemed to appreciate the gesture and did as his grandfather suggested.
Once his parents went to their rooms and shut the door, his grandfather let out a tired sigh before giving Valdurmon, Dominimon, and Rasielmon a stern look.
"Since you three plan on spying on my grandson, I suggest you find a good place close by to stay because you will not be staying in this apartment with my family," he told them, leaving no room for argument.
Valdurmon and Dominimon looked like they would argue about the matter, but Rasielmon interrupted them before they could.
"We understand and respect your wishes, Child of Wisdom. We will find our own accommodations in this world," she said calmly before turning to her fellow companions.
"Let's leave for now and find a suitable place for us," Rasielmon suggested, and the two reluctantly submitted.
Before the three left, Rasielmon turned to back to them. "We will return tomorrow and discuss how to handle this arrangement."
With that, the three left the apartment.
Taichi felt the tension in his body leave the second they were gone. Taichi had not shown it, but he was glad that his grandfather had said that the three could not live with them. Even though he wanted them to see that he was not a bad person, he still did not trust them. It would have been hard for him to feel safe at home if they were there too.
"Thanks, Jii-chan," he said to his grandfather in an appreciative voice.
"You're welcome, Taichi. Now how about I fix you guys something to eat? You must be hungry," his grandfather replied with a smile.
Taichi eagerly nodded, knowing that he and Hikari had not eaten anything since this morning.
"Would you three like something to eat?" his grandfather asked the three Digimon.
Witchmon gladly said yes to the food offer, while Venusmon and Lucemon seemed uncertain about taking the offer. Hikari noticing this went over to Venusmon and took her hand.
"Please join us. You can sit by me if you want," encouraged Hikari with a warm smile.
"Alright," answered Venusmon with a smile of her own.
Following his sister's example, Taichi went over to Lucemon and took his hand.
"You should join us too, Lucemon, Jii-chan's cooking is delicious," Taichi told him.
"Very well then," replied Lucemon with a smirk.
Taichi was glad that Lucemon and Venusmon agreed to eat with them. He and Hikari led the three Digimon to the kitchen table while his grandfather went to the kitchen to prepare their meal.
When his grandfather finished fixing the food, his parents left their room to join them. Soon all eight of them were at the table eating together. Taichi thought this moment was nice. Seeing how his Digimon friends and his family were getting along and acting like they were all one big family made Taichi happy. He hoped that there would be more moments like this in the future.
Taichi almost had not expected it to work, but it did. He was now back in the dark endless void. He looked around the blackness to see if the many Digimon would appear this time, but Taichi did not see anything so far. Maybe they did not realize that he was here yet.
"Hello?! I'm back!" Taichi called out into the darkness.
Taichi?
Taichi was relieved to hear an answer and one that he could understand.
"Yes, it's me. I'm back like I promised," Taichi positively answered.
Taichi!
Taichi could hear the joy in their voices. Taichi was glad that he had been able to return as he promised, especially if he and Lucemon were right about who these Digimon were. Maybe he should ask them then. That way, he would know for sure. Taichi knew he would have to craft his questions carefully, making it easier for all the voices to answer them.
"Are some of you the Digimon from Witchelny?"
Yes.
Taichi sucked in a breath at the confirmation before answering the next question.
"And are some of you the other Digimon that were there at Witchelny too?"
Yes.
That meant the Digimon from the Demon Army and others who joined the war on his behalf were here too. Taichi then asked another question.
"Belphamon, are you there too?"
Yes.
Taichi was surprised to hear Belphamon's voice this time instead of the multitude of voices. Taichi bit his lip as he was hesitant but hopeful as he asked his last question.
"SkullWarGreymon…are you there too?"
I'm here, Taichi!
A few tears leaked from Taichi's eyes at hearing his partner's voice. They were all here. Somehow, they had survived Seraphimon's attack and ended up in this place. Yet, that did not stop Taichi from feeling guilty about the destruction of Witchelny or Seraphimon almost killing them.
"I'm sorry. You all wouldn't have ended up here if not for me," apologized Taichi, with more tears coming down his face.
Not your fault!
Taichi was stunned to hear all the voices say this so adamantly.
"But Witchelny was destroyed because of me, and you were all there because of me. So how is it not my fault?" asked Taichi, not willing to believe he was not to blame for their predicament.
We wanted to protect you, Taichi!
"But I wasn't worth it,"
Taichi is worthy! We wanted to protect Taichi! We still do!
Taichi was in shock by their claim. He could understand if some Digimon wanted this, but all of them?
"All of you want to protect me?" he asked, wanting to make sure if that was true.
Yes.
Taichi could not believe it. Not only did they not blame him for what happened, but they all still cared about him and were willing to fight for him again.
"Thank you," Taichi gratefully said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
We will always protect Taichi.
Taichi smiled when he heard the passionate devotion in their voices. It seemed that they were all more agreeable when it concerned him. He could work with that.
"I appreciate that, and I want to help you all too. So, what is the best way that I can help you?" he asked them, hoping he could get a straight answer from them.
There was some pause. No doubt, the voices were trying to decide on the best answer. After a few seconds, they finally replied.
Free us.
"You all are trapped here?" Taichi asked in surprise.
Yes.
"How do I free you?"
Once again, they took some time before answering the question.
Need partner.
Taichi guessed that would be the answer considering they had hinted at it when they brought him here the first time. But now that Taichi knew who these Digimon were, it made sense that they would want him to be their partner, especially since SkullWarGreymon was among them. He wondered if his partnership with SkullWarGreymon is what drove them to consider a partnership with him. But in the end, that did not matter. They needed him, and Taichi would help them any way he could.
"I'll be your partner," declared Taichi.
Taichi wants to be our partner?
Taichi could hear the shock and amazement in their voices, letting him know that they thought he would reject them. Taichi frowned at that. Yes, they may be a little unstable, but that was not their fault. Besides, most of these Digimon were his friends and his partner who had been willing to die for him. How could he possibly turn them down?
"Yes, I do," he assured, hoping they would believe him.
Taichi, our partner!
Taichi grinned when he heard how excited and joyful they were about becoming his partner. Taichi gasped as he felt the connection forming between him and all the Digimon. His mind and heart were suddenly bombarded with all their thoughts and feelings. It was starting to become too much for him to handle. Fortunately, they seemed to realize this and restrained some of their thoughts and emotions from Taichi. It took some time for Taichi to get used to the new bond, but when the bond finally settled, everything became clear to him.
Now that he was bonded to them, he finally understood what they truly desired. Taichi could not help but smile, knowing that his partner wanted the same thing the Darkness did. Both the Darkness and his new partner were counting on him to help them achieve their deepest wish, and Taichi would do whatever it took to help make that wish come true.
"Don't worry. I promise to find a way to weaken the Wall of Fire so that you can escape. Then when you're free, we'll help the Darkness recreate the Digital World so that it can be a better place for everyone."