"Yes, if we head east for a few days, we should come upon it." Izzy replied.
"But towards the east is Darken Wood. We can't go through there!" Gatomon exclaimed.
"Why not, Gatomon?" asked Kari.
"All kinds of evil Digimon live there. Don't forget, we still have Piedmon to deal with, and he's supposed to be there."
"Our Digimon can take care of anything." Tai said.
"Yeah, we'll be fine." Agumon piped up.
"Well, if we're going, we'd better pack up. Hey, Gabe, Leisha and Matt disappeared! Where'd they go?" Kalai asked, looking around. The others shrugged.
Elsewhere…….
"Master, the Digi-Destined are on their way to the temple. They mean to find Phantasmon and get him to tell how to capture you." The figure kneeled in front of Chaosmon. He smiled, fangs glinting in the flickering torchlight.
"Very good. I must admit, I didn't expect you to betray your friends like this. Especially not you. You seem to have…… a special bond with the girl. Kalai, her name was?"
"Yes, Master."
"Yes, Kalai. She will present a problem to us. Are you willing to kill her for us?" Chaosmon peered intently at the figure.
"Of course, Master. It will be done." The figure stood and strode out of the room, leaving Chaosmon to think.
Meanwhile……..
The Digi-Destined looked around the clearing and into the surrounding trees. The missing trio were not to be found anywhere. The Digi-Destined finally met back in the clearing, discouraged and worried. Gabumon sighed.
"It's not like Matt to leave me behind." he growled.
"DarkAngemon didn't even see Gabe, and they're always together. Only Arcanemon is missing, but she could have just left. It would be like her." Kalai replied.
"I do not believe they are in danger, though. We would have known it." Magickmon put in. They all glanced up as there came a sudden rustling in the bush. It was Leisha and Gabe.
"Where have you been?" DarkAngemon snapped.
"Just looking around." Leisha replied, glancing at the ground.
"I saw her go and wondered, so I followed." Gabe said.
"Have you seen Matt?" T.K asked anxiously. Leisha and Gabe both shook their heads. Luckily, at that moment, Matt walked towards them. Arcanemon was following.
"Sorry, I had to go somewhere." Matt excused himself. Gabumon galloped up to him.
"Why didn't you take me with you?" he asked.
"Um, I couldn't find you." Matt replied, busying himself rolling up his sleeping bag. After exchanging glances, the others copied him.
Soon, they were ready to leave. Izzy took the lead, following instructions Gennai had sent him. Kalai, Ventusmon and Arcanemon walked at the back, talking quietly. Tai and Sora walked behind Izzy, with Joe and Mimi behind them. T.K and Kari ran up and down, in a good mood. Gabe and Leisha seemed to be arguing, while Matt was lost in his thoughts. Their Digimon were in good moods, also, laughing and clowning around. It seemed as though everyone was in high spirits now that they had found a way to defeat Chaosmon. The attack came as a complete surprise.
"Blood Claw!" came the yell from the thick bushes off to their left. Crimson streaks of light flashed at Tentomon and Izzy. Izzy threw himself to the side as Tentomon digivolved. Within minutes, the peaceful forest had turned into a battleground, the Digi-Destined trying to avoid the many attacks going on at once. The Digimon that attacked them were more Utahmon, a large pack of about twenty. They were obviously the strongest of their kind, and the good Digimon were hard pressed to protect their humans.
DarkAngemon, Angemon, and Angewomon teamed together, shooting both arrows of light and dark. Magickmon cast a spell of protection around the Digi-Destined, before digivolving to Mysticmon. She grew much taller, her eyes turning a swirling golden-green.
Suddenly, more Utahmon were leaping into the fray, coming from the opposite side of the forest. Mimi screamed, but Kalai was watching carefully. The other Utahmon were attacking their own! Together, the good Utahmon and the Digi-Destined's Digimon drove the other Utahmon back. They turned and ran, leaving many fallen, who slowly disappeared.
Panting, Magickmon released the Digi-Destined from her spell. They turned to face the five Utahmon that had saved them. The largest stepped forward. She had blood running down her side, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Wicked yellow eyes set on the side of her head peered at them. Sharp fangs glinted in her mouth and huge claws adorned her feet and forearms. A large silver spike whipped around on her tail. She was a light brown, with darker reddish-brown stripes.
"Digi-Destined, I am T'kaa." She had a harsh, guttural voice, as though not used to speaking. "My pack and I refuse to serve Chaosmon. This is my mate, B'lis, and our children, Teeu, M'kale, and U'usoae. We shall help the Digi-Destined. We will lead you to the temple." T'kaa turned and started down the path, B'lis next to her and the children flanking. Scooping up an exhausted Ventusmon, Kalai followed them. DarkAngemon, Angemon and Angewomon flew overhead, scouting the land. The other Digi-Destined and their Digimon quickly followed.
The Utahmon led them deep into the woods. Matt looked around uneasily. He was suspicious of the Utahmon, who seemed to be leading them in circles. He ran up to them, Gabumon jogging along after him.
"Why do this? I thought you all served Chaosmon." he hissed to U'usoae. She turned to look at him without breaking stride. Matt shivered under that cool, calculating gaze.
"It is true we used to serve Chaosmon. That is because we are partly chaos ourselves. Utahmon always fight amongst themselves for position, food, territory and mates. It is a continuous struggle to survive if you do not have sharp wits. My parents are smarter than most. They formed their own pack, dominating it and organizing us. Chaosmon found he couldn't control us anymore. He tried to kill us, and almost succeeded. Only our family is left, and even we lost a little brother. To help you would be to help destroy Chaosmon. It will be our revenge." A predatory gleam came into her eyes and she snarled softly.
"We thank you for your help." Gabumon said, dropping back with Matt.
"Darken Wood ahead!" Angewomon called, dropping to the ground. They walked out of the woods into a bare strip of land. Nothing green grew there, the ground was hard black rock. Mud pools spotted the ground, providing the only relief from the uniform black colour. Even T.K and Kari were silent and subdued, gazing about them in awe. An imposing forest towered over it, casting shadows almost all the way to the other side. The trees were so close together that no sunlight could penetrate them, giving the whole place a gloomy air.
"We leave you here." T'kaa said, inclining her head.
"But how are we supposed to find our way?" Mimi asked. T'kaa paused.
"I will send U'usoae with you." she finally decided. Kalai nodded as U'usoae stalked forward. The Utahmon turned and silently disappeared into the underbrush.
"This way." U'usoae said, leading the way. They quickly crossed the strip of bare ground, and headed into the forest.
"I don't like this place. It's creepy." Joe muttered.
"Joe, you don't like anything." Gomamon laughed.
"That's not true!" Joe exclaimed. Kalai noticed him glance quickly at Mimi, then shake his head. "Not true at all." he whispered.
"If my calculations are correct….. the temple is just over there." Izzy murmured, checking his ever-present laptop.
"It is just a little way now." U'usoae replied.
"I thought you said it was a few days journey from here, Izzy." Sora said.
"This is Darken Wood." Biyomon replied. "You don't go to it, it goes to you. If the Guardian of the temple wishes us to be there, the temple will come to us."
"Weird." Angewomon whispered. A deep silence settled over the group as they continued through the forest.
"Is it just me, or is the forest getting smaller?" Tentomon suddenly asked. Palmon looked around.
"I think you're right. It seems to be closing in on us." she replied.
"It's just getting thinner, that's all. We're almost there." U'usoae told her. Even as she spoke, they came out into a beautiful clearing. The trees ringed the clearing in a perfect circle, surrounding brilliant green grass dotted with flowers. The sky sparkled a deep azure overhead, with the sun shining down on the group. A clear stream ran through the clearing, surrounding a golden temple. The sun's rays glittered on the gold brick, reflecting dazzling spots of light. The temple was in the shape of a pyramid, with a dark opening in the very center of the wall facing them.
"It's wonderful." Leisha breathed. Even Gabe seemed to agree with her. He was looking around with a strange expression. If Kalai didn't know better, she would have sworn it was envy and confusion. But why would Gabe feel that way. Abruptly, she recalled Gennai's words.
~Watch your companions carefully. Trust no-one.~ Even Arcanemon had warned her.
"Someone close to you will betray you.~ she had said. What did it mean?
"Kalai, are you okay? We've been calling you, but you were just staring with a vacant expression." Sora's voice interrupted Kalai's thoughts. She offered a weak smile.
"No, I'm fine. Just thinking." she replied. As they walked towards the temple, she began to wonder.
~Who could it be? Could it be Gabe or Leisha? They both disappeared this morning. They at least have an excuse. But what about Matt? He had no excuse, no explanation. Would he do that to his brother, though? This is too confusing.~
By this time, they had arrived at the temple's entrance.
"Hello? Anyone here?" Tai called.
"We're looking for Phantasmon." Agumon chimed in.
"You have found him." The soft voice came from behind Kalai, who whipped around to see who had spoken. A large Digimon floated behind her. He wore a black cloak which covered him from his neck to his feet, but Kalai caught a glimpse of black pants underneath. The hood of the cloak covered his face, leaving two burning red eyes. His face was shadowed, but two sharp white fangs glinted in the sunlight. Large bat's wings extended behind him.
"You're Phantasmon? Guardian of this temple?" Gabe asked. The figure nodded slightly.
"I am. I have not seen such a motley group since the day the first Digi-Destined came to see me. Yes, I know who you are, and you have come for the same reason the others did. Though, I must say, I didn't expect to see a Utahmon with you. They are Chaosmon's sworn allies. No matter. Before I give you my help, you must complete three challenges. These challenges could very well kill you, or leave you nothing more than the husk of a person. Do you still feel up to it?"
Kalai felt as though his eyes could see into her very soul, stripping away the barriers there and seeing her innermost thoughts and feelings. She stared back at him, mesmerized by the crimson pupils.
"We can do it." Matt replied, bringing Kalai out of her trance.
~What is wrong with me?~ Kalai asked herself angrily. ~Why am I getting distracted so easily?~ Phantasmon looked at her intently.
"Kalai, that is your name, am I right?" he asked. Kalai nodded.
"I sense a great power in you, yet you do not believe in yourself. Why? Something terrible happened in your past, but you have buried it so deeply I cannot see it. What is it, child?" Something about his voice caused Kalai to look at him again, and was immediately drawn into his eyes again. This time, though, she felt complete trust and allowed him to see her pain.
"I see." he said softly. "You will not like one of my tasks then."
"What is it?" Kalai whispered.
Phantasmon looked at her pityingly. "You must bring your sister back from the grave."