Digimon: The Year of Reckoning
Chapter 23
"The Key"
Narrated by Brandon
"When we first erected the gate a key was formed to allow certain people to pass through the gate. The digidestined. We knew that you were the next generation of digidestined. And we knew that you were the one person that could protect the key. So we created someone who would become very dear to you, knowing that you would never let it get into the wrong hands."
"So it's your fault all of this is happening? Why would you do this to me? You've ruined my life!"
"You hold the power to change that. You must protect the key. You alone can protect it. That's why we sent it to you in the form of a…"
"Sister, yeah I know."
"Sister? No, we sent it to you in the form of a…lover."
"A lover? But Faith is my sister."
"Faith? No, Faith is not the key."
"Are you saying that…you're telling me that…Mya's the key?"
"We thought you had figured it out."
"But, Faith, she doesn't have a digimon. And it makes sense that she's the key."
"Faith is not the key. In fact she shouldn't even be in the digital world. Her being here is a fluke."
I thought back to the day we had entered the digital world.
*Flashback*
My gaze went up and I saw her on a cliff that Nick and I used for diving.
"Faith…" I wave splashed over me. "…Get off of there!"
"I'm gonna save you!"
And with that she jumped off, barreling through the hair. And then she hit…
The blow knocked the air out of me. I lost my grip on the girl and she floated away. The world around me blurred. I slowly sunk down into the water.
And then everything blacked out…
*End Flashback*
"Faith had jumped off of a rock trying to save me. But she landed on me and we both sunk down into the water…"
"And through the gate. Your bodies were intertwined together, so she got a free ride."
This was too much. I had to be hallucinating. I looked at Faith. Darkmon was about to slice into her. But nothing would happen. Mya was the key. Mya, my Mya, was the key. She was going to die.
"I still don't understand how Mya can be the key," I said.
"Think back, think hard. The answers are in your mind. You just dig for them."
I concentrated, trying to go back in the past.
*Flashbacks*
"Hey who's that girl?" I asked Nick.
"I don't know. I've never seen her before."
"AHH!"
It was Faith! I looked to see her cornered by a Flymon. There was a large tear on her shirtsleeve and blood was seeping out of it. That Flymon had tried to kill her.
"Look at the facts," Faith continued. "I don't have a digimon, but somehow I was brought to this world. And the only way we could have gotten into the digital world was if we had the key in the lake. And we were the only ones there. It makes sense."
"Well, then it could be any of us," Nick said.
"But I'm the only one without a digimon, without a purpose here."
"The prophecy doesn't say anything about the key not having a digimon," Nick went on.
"But then why am I here?!"
I saw Mya tense. She looked scared.
"What's wrong? Do you see Darkmon's castle?"
"No…I just…it felt like someone was walking over my grave. I sense danger."
"Danger? Do you think we're close to Darkmon's castle?"
"Maybe. I see a castle."
"Where?!"
"In my mind. I think it's another one of my powers. It's vague. But it seems close. And it's surrounded in darkness."
"So we're almost there! Alright!"
"No. It's not a good thing. I see danger and pain and…"
"And what?"
"Death."
*End Flashbacks*
It all of a sudden made sense. I had never seen Mya before in my life until that day in the lake. Nobody had. And anyone of us could have been the key. And Faith had bled before but nothing had happened. And Mya had sensed death before. It must have been her own. This also explained why she was cold all the time. I mean, keys were cold, right?
"It's true. Mya's the key. I have to protect her!"
"Yes, you must. You must keep her safe until the sun rises. Do not let her shed even one drop of blood," the digidestined warned before turning back into balls of light and flying away.
Time began again. Darkmon was very close to Faith, dagger raised.
"FAITH!" Nick screamed.
"Brandon, do something!" Mya cried.
"Help her!" JT yelled.
But I didn't move. I stood there while Darkmon prepared to draw blood from my sister, hoping for the world to end. The others were scared and knew it was all over. And I didn't move.
"Prepare for the end. Because of you, everyone you know and love will die," Darkmon taunted. "It's show time."
He brought up the dagger to Faith's stomach.
"Shallow cuts. That's all it takes to get the job done."
Very gingerly, Darkmon jerked the dagger slicing two cuts into Faith's stomach. Blood seeped through her shirt. Darkmon smiled and looked around, waiting for some action. My friends were in shock.
But nothing happened. I had expected it, but no one else did. They were even more confused now. Darkmon's smile had faded from his face.
"What? Where's the Apocalypse? Where's the destruction and pain and death? What the hell is going on?!"
"Sorry Darkmon, but you're key seems broken," I said stepping out from the dark corner I had sunk into. "No wait, it can't be broken. Maybe, just maybe, Faith isn't the key. Ever think of that?"
Everyone gasped.
"But she is the key damn it!"
"Says you. There is no proof she's the key, there never has been."
"But you all said that she was the key…"
"We didn't know what we were talking about. All I know is, you don't have much time before your 3000 years of waiting will have been wasted. But at least you'll have 3000 more years to figure out that the key's…"
He jerked his head, thinking I'd slipped.
"Oops. I almost gave it away."
"You stupid child! I will kill you if you don't tell me who the key is!"
"Ah, but then you'd never know."
"DAMN YOU!"
"I love you too. But enough of the sentiments. It's time to put you out of our misery."
Darkmon growled and flung the dagger at me. I dodged to the left. The dagger continued flying through the air.
"Ugh!"
It had hit JT! But not the blade. The handle had conked him on the head. He looked all woozy.
"Stop spinning around," he told us. "Bitch, I'm the king! Not you!"
He had gone bananas. This was just what we needed.
"Stop burning the chickens!" he yelled smacking Nick. "I wanna be a big girl and march in the parade."
"Would someone please shut that dumb kid up," Darkmon pleaded.
Then JT looked at Mya. His eyes got wide and he was gasping while pointing at her.
"Look at all the pretty colors. The light is so pure, and there's so much beautiful energy!"
Mya got frightened while the light bulb went off in Darkmon's head. He started towards Mya, but I ran forward to intercept him.
"Dark Claw!"
I was knocked to the ground. Darkmon used his elongated arm to grab the dagger from the ground and with a quick swipe cut into Mya's arm.
Her blood ran down her arm. She began to cry.
"It's me? I'm the key? What have I done?" she cried.
But to everyone's dismay, again nothing happened. What the hell? Mya was the key, no doubt about it, but for some odd reason her blood hadn't opened the gate. Maybe the prophecy was wrong.
"This is really starting to piss me off," Darkmon cringed.
Why didn't the Apocalypse begin? Is Mya really the key? Will the prophecy come true? And will Mya's prediction come true? All questions will be answered in the final chapter of Digimon: The Year of Reckoning.