Chapter 8
The Climbing of the Pyramid
The huge pyramid loomed over them, but Cyan ignored it; his attention was turned entirely to TK laying on the ground. He immediatly sat down beside him and shook him awake.
"Stop it!" TK whined. "I have to sleep!"
"You can't! Not now! You have to climb the pyramid!"
TK looked up from the ground and craned his neck so he could see the top of the pyramid. "Are you nuts? I can't climb that!"
"Yes, you can! It's what you came here to do!"
"No, it isn't. I came here so I could get some rest."
Cyan grumbled in frustration. All along, ever since Tai had effectively annointed Davis as leader, he had stood by TK, defending him, protecting him, and urging him to take what he saw as his proper role in leading the Digidestined. Now, just when the Digital World needed him to act, here he was doing nothing, sitting on the grass only steps from their goal, arguing with him about sleep.
"TK! Come on! We didn't come all the way here just to sit on our butts and watch the Digital World fall apart!"
TK did not respond. Cyan considered shaking him again, but suddenly realized he, too, was becoming tired. He guessed the effects of the pyramid were directly related to size, and since here he was the oldest and biggest of the Digidestined, he would be able to resist a few minutes longer. He had to make them count.
Climbing the pyramid by himself was out of the question. All along TK had insisted this was his task, as though he and the temple were linked together. Cyan's job, now as always, was to protect the Digidestined, fight if need be, but not to take the place of any one of them in their labours.
Flipping off TK's hat, Cyan reached inside and opened the pocket in the crown. He removed the plastic bag with the pills, opened it, and shook four of them into his hand. Closing the bag, he returned it to the hat, and put the hat aside. Fighting off a growing sleepiness, he retrieved the water bottle from his backpack's side pocket, opened it, took two pills, and washed them down.
Both TK and Patamon had fallen fast asleep in the short time it took Cyan to do all this, TK rolling on to his side in the grass. Cyan shook him again. TK moaned and mumbled something, but did not awake. "Great!" said Cyan out loud. "Now what am I going to do?"
"Perhaps I can help," said Cantomon. The cougar digimon got up, yawned, and stretched. His physical condition usually matched his human's, and with the ginsing even now rejuvinating Cyan, Cantomon was improving as well. He walked over to TK and licked his face twice.
"Wha? What's happening here?" came TK's voice, weakly. "What's that awful smell?"
"Here, take these," said Cyan, practically shoving the pills into TK's mouth, following it up with the water bottle. Still somewhat dazed, TK took the bottle and drank.
"Now can I go back to sleep?" he asked.
"Not yet. You have to stay awake. What's Patamon's Fresh form?"
"Huh? Why do you want to know that?"
"Just tell me. What is Patamon's Fresh form?"
TK answered instantly. "Poyomon."
"Right! Now what is Cantomon's?"
Cyan watched as TK tried to pull the name from his memory. Recalling the answer required more effort this time, forcing TK to shake off his drowsiness to answer.
"Cazomon."
"Close ... that's his In-Training form. Try again."
There was another pause while TK searched his memory. "Callomon."
"Right." Cyan felt relieved, now that the ginsing was working its way into his system and TK seemed to be waking up. He hoped with a couple more questions TK would be fully awake and responding to the ginsing as well. "What are all the names of Kari's digimon?"
"Snow Botamon, Nyaromon, Salamon, Gatomon, Nefertimon, and Angewomon." TK's voice was clear and the answers certain.
"Now, remind me why we came here?"
"We were going to climb the pyramid."
"Are you ready to do that now?"
"Sure. Let's go!"
TK picked up his hat and put it on. Cyan stooped down, picked up the still sleeping Patamon, and plopped him on TK's head. The little orange digimon woke up enough to grab a foot-hold. Their strength and wills renewed, the two boys and two digimon went to the pyramid and began climbing. It was a long and difficult endeavour, for there was a great number of steps, steep and broken. Three times they paused to catch their breath, but not once were they compelled to shake off an urge to rest.
At long last, tired and aching, they made the summit. The top of the pyramid was a base upon which had been built a structure from large stone blocks, cut square and given a good finish. It occupied much of the top, with a patio around it wide enough for four men to walk abreast. The entrance to the structure had no door: its builders had simply left open a portion of the wall about ten feet wide from floor to ceiling. The roof was flat and overhung the walls. Like everything else here, the structure was gray with age and neglect.
TK and Cyan spent only a moment looking at the structure before heading in. It was not dark inside, for the entrance was wide enough to let in light sufficent to illuminate the interior. Inside, in the very centre of the space, stood a tall obilisk with a matte silver finish, about seven feet in height and two feet square, with a flat top. Arranged in two rows on either side of the entrance were six slender stone pedestals. Each came to about waist high on the boys, and floating in the air above each, unmoving and apparently carved from marble, was a Crest.
There could be no mistaking them for anything else. On their right were Hope, Light, and Honour, and to their left Courage, Love, and Knowledge. Hope and Honour, TK's and Cyan's crests respectively, glowed yellow and amber from a light within, strong enough to cast shadows from the crests of Courage and Knowledge upon the opposite wall. Kari's crest of Light was glowing too, but not quite so strongly. The three belonging to Davis, Yolei, and Cody were dark.
But before they could examine the crests further, their ears caught a strange sound from the outside; a long, drawn out squealing and creaking. Dashing to the patio, they scanned the temple area in the direction of the sound. They saw the temple's main doors opening, slowly moving inward of their own accord, until they came to rest perpindicular to their original position.
When the creaking of the doors had ceased, they heard the sound of children's voices. Although they could not make out their words, they could clearly distingush Davis, Yolei, and Cody. From their vantage point atop the pyramid they saw six figures slowly making their way across the grassy clearing, heading for the temple.
"What in Digiworld are they doing here?" asked Cyan.
"I don't know," said TK. "But I think it's best they're here. After all, we saw their crests in the building here, too."
TK, Cyan, Patamon, and Cantomon watched as the three other kids and their digimon traversed the field. Soon they disappeared out of sight behind the wall, only to emerge again as they came through the left hand gate-house. For the first time, Davis, Yolei, and Cody entered the temple.
In the instant all six of the Digidestined and their digimon were together inside the walls, there came a great, low roar from everywhere at once, like that of a great waterfall in the distance, and it quickly grew so loud that no one could speak and be heard over it. A flash caught TK's eye, and he and Cyan turned around to see the interior of the Crestuary ablaze in light. All six crests had flashed into life, spraying the inside with rays of yellow, pink, amber, orange, red, and purple light.
The roar grew louder and the lights grew stronger, until a great globe of white light emerged from the top of the pyramid, washing over everything in its path. It slowly expanded outward through the inner enclosure, then into the outer, then out past the far walls into the glade beyond. When it reached the treeline of the forest it dissipated, and the roar that accompanied it disappeared as well.
Yet not it was not silent. Other sounds now they heard, ones that had not been heard in the Digital World for over a week: the breeze rustling through trees, the twittering of birds, and the splashing of water as it flowed in the fountains. Digiworld had come to life again.
The transformation was astonishing. Where once everything had been drab and grey, it was now clean and renewed. The outer walls of the temple were now a light yellow, the inner ones a bright sandstone red. Overhead the heavy grey clouds had vanished and bright sunshine poured in. The temple doors fairly blazed in reflected light. The grass had turned a deep emerald green and flowers had burst into bloom all over. The shrines and statues and stone needles glistened, while water once again flowed through the fountains and filled the reflecting ponds. The pyramid itself was a sight to behold: a great polished obsidian structure, the stairs on its face a contrasting grey, with the patio and sanctuary at the top gleaming white in the brilliant sunshine.
The Digidestined gaped in wonder, amazed at the change and the realization it was they who had made it possible. With it came a change in them, too: the weariness and hopelessness that had smothered the Digital World was now gone, banished in its entirety. Child and digimon alike felt completely renewed, awake and alive as they had scarcely felt before.
Suddenly another sound boomed through the area, a tremendous roar like that
of a large beast. TK and Cyan saw the others suddenly run off as though
panicked, but could not see why they should need to do so. Their confusion
was quickly answered. From out of sight behind the inner wall, the
Goldtyrramon loped in, ducking under the gate-house opening. It looked about
intently, searching. Finally it cast its gaze up the pyramid and locked on to
the two kids at the top. It opened its mouth and let out a roar, then started
walking again, heading directly for the pyramid.
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Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.