Beware the Eastern Sun
Chapter 16
"They cleared a
path through the jungle, chopping the vines with
their slowly dulling blades. When their efforts were slowed to a
crawl, they decided to return to camp. But when they turned around
they discovered the thick wall of the jungle pressing up to them as
if they had never passed."
-The Heart of the Jungle, an anonymous account of African
exploration
"No, Kari. We go
now." Tai shoved his belongings roughly into a duffel bag.
Kari looked concerned.
After she'd told Tai that Matt had attacked her, he was silent. But now, the
next morning, he was silently furious. He walked around the place and acted
without saying a word, quickly and firmly doing his errands. Now he finally
exploded.
"Tai..."
"No," he cut
her off sharply, pointing a finger directly at her. "Whatever it is, I
don't want to hear it." He continued to pack his things.
Kari sat down silently,
feeling a ripping inside of her. Her gut felt like it had risen to her throat,
and she felt queasy. What she had dreaded was going to happen. She got up and
exited the hut and looked around.
Everyone else was
silently packing, too. When Tai made his intentions known, the others did not
dispute-they were too afraid. So now they were about to rush headlong into
another conflict. Feeling a sudden rush of frustration, she walked into the hut
again.
"Tai, you can't do
this," she said firmly.
"Yes I can."
"Can't you see its
what he wants you to do?"
Silence.
"He wants you to be
rash so you will make a mistake."
"Shut up."
"You're playing
into his hands."
"Shut up!" Tai
whipped around and reached an arm out offensively, but caught himself in
mid-action. His shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry Kari. It's just that he
makes me so mad." He crumpled up a shirt and threw it into the duffel bag.
"Look, at least do
me one favor, Tai?" Kari asked in a conciliatory manner. "Will you
visit Gennai?"
Tai looked up
quizzically at her.
"At least ask him
for his opinion?" Tai did not respond, but Kari knew he would.
"Are we ready to
go?" Tai asked, looking around at the others.
There was a general
murmur of agreement, but Mimi stayed off to one side. "What about
Kari?" she said.
"What?" Tai
asked.
"Kari. I don't
think she's fit to travel," she stated.
Tai looked at the others, then at Joe. "Joe?"
"Well, it definitely would be better if she didn't have to move
around so much," Joe responded.
Tai clenched his fist in
frustration as he thought. Finally, he sighed. "I guess we'll have to stay
then," he said resignedly
"No. You guys
go," Mimi said. "I can stay behind and take care of Kari and Gatomon
until they recover. Then we'll catch up with you guys."
Tai looked skeptical.
"Tai, you know I can defend her. Or do I have to remind you..."
"No, no, that's
alright," Tai interrupted, suddenly abashed. "Yeah, I guess that
would be better. For Kari. For all of us." He looked at Kari. "Give
Izzy directions to where Gennai is. We go there first. We'll meet you later
just before the castle right here." He pointed at a point on the map,
which she handed to Kari, where two roads met. "Well," he said.
"We'd better get going soon. Meet back in half an hour."
Agumon walked up to
Gatomon, who looked up from her seat. "Hi."
"Hi."
They sat in silence.
"You'll take care of her, won't you?" Agumon asked.
"Of course."
Another pause. "I
mean, I don't doubt you or anything. It's just that..."
"Yeah, I
know."
Agumon scratched his
chin with his claw. "Look, I think something's up."
"What?"
"There's something
strange about the air. In know it. I can practically smell it."
Gatomon thought for a
moment. "I think I know what you mean."
"All I'm saying is
that you have to be extra careful. Keep your eyes and ears open. There are many
strange things that we have no idea about."
Agumon looked deeply
into her eyes. She felt an eerie feeling wash over herself. It was like this
was not the Agumon she remembered. He seemed grave and dark. Too dark.
He whisked around and
retreated back the way he came.
"We have a heavy
responsibility, Palmon?"
Palmon remained silent for a
moment. "Mimi, you have good judgement. I have complete faith in your
ability to keep your promises."
"Yes, I
suppose," Mimi said with a sigh.
"It's Matt isn't
it?" Palmon asked.
Mimi did not respond.
"Can't stand to see
him?" she further inquired. "Don't answer that question. You don't
have to," she quickly added
"No, no. I'll have
to face it some time, I guess. I just wish it weren't that soon."
"We all do."
"Oh, Palmon, do you
really think he'll ever be the same?"
"What do you think,
Mimi?"
She did not say
anything, but continued to stare into the eastern mountains, where lay the
lion's den.
By the time the golden
sun dipped behind the jagged mountains in the west, they had already gone.
Mimi, Kari, Palmon, and Gatomon watched silently as they disappeared over the
hill. With the disappearance of the bulk of the camp, an eerie silence fell
over the grounds. Long shadows fell across the landscape which formerly offered
respite from the heat, but now stood oppressive and wary.
Silently, they went
about their business. Silently and solemnly, they ate their evening meal.
Silently they headed off to bed.
Mimi looked into the
stars. It seemed as if there was a message for her, but she could not quite
hear it no matter how hard she strained. The twinkling and flickering of the
stars was enticing her, whispering secrets of the ages. Mimi, Mimi, it
seemed to call. Listen! Listen! was their call. And she listened, but
could not hear.
In the deep of the forest
many miles away was the sound of heavy falling footsteps.
The first day of their
journey was uneventful. They marched, they rested, they marched, they ate, they
slept. A simple routine that all were accustomed to. The first day was somewhat
lively. They still had their spirits, and a positive feeling circulated
throughout the group.
The second day was much
like the first, though there was less conversation. They focused more on
climbing over stones or wading across streams. Their destination could not be
much farther. Perhaps a day or two of traveling would take them there. But the
trees had already begun to thin, as did the game and the underbrush.
Upon the third day,
there was a dark, soot-colored cloud hanging over the sky. A slightly acrid smell
hung in the air that grew as they pressed on. They had their doubts, but none
were expressed. By this time they were mostly silent, except, perhaps, to
observe some abnormality. The first feelings of dread began to creep in.
On the morn of the
fourth day, they reached their destination, except it was not there. All that
they saw was a clear field of black earth-whatever was there was completely
razed to the ground. On the top of the rise was the smoky remains of some large
stone building. A few black birds flew above, cawing at each other. They were a
flock of ravens.
The members of the group
wore handkerchiefs around their noses to keep the smoke out of their faces.
They climbed the hill and examined the ruins in silence. Huge blocks of stone
stood crumpled and reft apart from the foundation, which was a mere husk of
whitewashed marble. Izzy knelt and sifted his hand through the black soil,
feeling its fine texture. "Not long ago," he said laconically.
"The ash is still separate from the soil."
By the mid-afternoon,
they had circled the estate twice in search for any signs of life. They found
none. The soot and ash in the sky had blotted out most of the sun, leaving the
land an oppressive gray. Tired and worn, they made camp on the southeastern
edge of the ash-ridden clearing.
Tai looked over the
desolate land and walked towards the stone ruins. He could see their former
glory-the skilled masonry, the intricate layout, the grandiose feel. But it was
all crumpled, toppled like so many ancient kingdoms. Pillars stood like loyal
sentries stuck in a time long gone, grasping for something that was no longer.
"A sad sight, isn't
it?"
Tai whipped around. He
saw the face of a short, old man tucked behind a field of infinite wrinkles. It
was Gennai. He had his usual semi-formal attire, but it was spattered with dust
and creased in many places. It no longer held the same majesty and command that
it used to. His eyes still squinted amiably, but there was a hidden sadness in
it that only someone close to him would notice.
"Gennai?"
"Yup. In full
digital glory."
"What
happened?" he asked morosely.
"A blaze of glory,
so to speak." He had his hands in his pockets and turned to survey the
scene. "Lucky me I got out in time. Others weren't so lucky."
They observed a bleak
silence for a moment, showing respect for those lost.
"There is something
I have to show you," Gennai commented.
"There is something
I have to ask you," Tai replied.
The two looked at each
other for a moment and then headed back towards their camp.
Gennai stirred the fire
with a stick, staring into it for some time. Finally, he looked up at the
group, scattered about the fire in a semi-circle. "I'll go first. This
will probably answer a lot of questions." He took a few paces and stopped,
looking off into the dark sky. "Some time ago-no one knows when-in the
early days of the digital world, everything was rapidly changing. This is the
same time that the Light and the Dark began forming. In that time there were
many great digimon that rose and battled and fell with honor. One of them,
which we know only as the Oracle, had a vision. Shortly before his death, he
predicted that a time would come of terrible darkness that would culminate in a
final battle between good and evil.
"He told the
prophecy in great detail in an ancient book called the Night of Fire.
There are only two existing copies-his enemies burned as many as they could
when they sacked his territories and took him captive. A single passage has
been passed down, however. It was inscribed in a stone tablet and placed as a
memorial in a sacred area protected by a sort of spell. This passage, though
also obscure, is much more easily obtainable than a copy of the book. It is
only truly useful to the Chosen-those of the Light and the Dark. Supposedly,
the passage is all one side needs for victory, but the book is a great
advantage."
He turned to the group
and looked at them gravely. "I know of an old legend that tells where one
copy of the book it. Before his death, the Oracle told the secret of the location
of a copy. His words were strange; no one has since been able to crack its
secret. They are thus: 'Upon the noon, I look north. One stone, a towering
statue. Three trees giving me shade. Seven meters high, a waterfall cascades
upon the scene. Ten feet wide, the entrance to this haven. Say the words of
Light and behold.'"
There was a silence of
contemplation as he finished. They all stared into the flickering depths of the
fire, as if the answer could be found there. In the distance, a wolf howled.
Finally, Gennai interrupted the silence. "Well, I'll leave you all to
think about that. I'm turning in for the night." Left with nothing else to
do, they slowly went off to bed, one by one. Tai was the last.
"Tai," Agumon
said. "You should really get some rest."
"Sure. I'll be
there. Just give me a sec." He started to walk off. Agumon stared with
concern after him, but then turned away to his bedroll, shaking his head.
Tai struck out in a
random direction. He let his feet guide him through the darkness. Strangely, he
didn't stumble upon the scattered rubble; it was as if he knew the way. He
found himself standing at the apex of a small dike and looking up at the sky. A
streak flared for a brief moment, shooting across the black void.
"A sign from the heavens?"
he asked aloud. "But no, for the path I take will lead only to fire. The
stars and the sky do watch me as I lead the way. Here is the parting farewell
sign, and back unto the heavens do I bid adieu. Farewell to the essence of
life-fire, water, earth, air. May the unseen spirits guide me through the path
before me. Courage Strength, Hope, and Light, bring me to the destined lands.
Here I make my declaration, with the heavens as my witness: there is no turning
back. I embrace my destiny. Let what may come do so, for I am ready."
The stars remained
silent, twinkling in the night-time sky.