Two children born together
Two children born like one
One hidden in the shadows
One shining like the sun
One to turn to darkness
One to turn to light
Two children of the daytime
Two children of the night
Daylight hates the shadows
Nighttime hates the sun
Both can't be together
Each has room for one
Apart then be the growing
Though together they must be
Together in a prison
And what will set them free?
Three women sat in a small room. One looked young, seemingly just barely sixteen. She spun thread, many colors of many destinies. One looked of middle age, in her mid-forties. She measured the thread that was spun. The third bore scissors that cut the thread. She looked like an ancient crone, a hundred years old or more. Looks can be decieving. They were all three much older than that.
Before them there was a large piece of parchment. On it were symbols in a strange language that only few knew. They were some of those few.
Which one shall be which? asked the middle woman. Her name had been Lachesis, once. She had had many names, and would have more.
I think we should let them decide for themselves. said the youngest. Her name used to be Clotho. She had also many names.
Atropos disagreed. That takes all the fun out of messing with their minds! Besides, what if both of them choose the same side? That would be all too easy, considering their connections.
So maybe we can only meddle a little. The prophecy automatically separates them, after all, so what you fear will not come to pass, Atropos. said Lachesis.
If it is guaranted that the prophecy will be filled either way, then we don't need to meddle at all. interjected Clotho.
But how do we know that the prophecy will be filled?
The one who hides in shadows
Is yet the one of light
The one who does the shining
Is bringer of the night
The elder turns to darkness
And blots out ev'ry sun
But yet the younger's kindness
Does not make him the bright one
Osamu, the voice in my head spoke, Osamu, I need you.
What for? I replied.
To make me whole and strong.
Why would I want to do that?
There is a great reward in it for you. I jumped at the chance. A reward? All right!
How do I do this? I thought-spoke back, trying to keep my excitement out of my mental
Hold out your hand. I did so, and a beam of darkness shot out of my computer. It hit my hand and solidified, forming a strange device. It was egg-shaped and pure black. On the wide part there was a small screen, and on the narrow part there were some buttons and two grips. I held it up to my computer, somehow knowing that that was what I must do. I was sucked into my computer and into a new world.
Conquer this world, the voice said, and I will be strong again. And you get to keep the Digital World when you're done.
Why?
It is your destiny to be the Emperor of the Digimon.
Digimon Emperor. That sounded nice. Ruler of a whole world. I'd make a good ruler, too. I was the perfect one.
Osamu had changed. He'd always been hard-edged, of course, but now he was more so. Lately he'd been secretive, hiding in his room for hours with the door locked. He almost never took me out on the balcony to blow bubbles anymore. He was always so arrogant now. I guessed it was all the attention he got because he was always so I watched him being fussed over by my parents. Why did I never get half that attention? Half would be more than enough for me.
A little later I went into the room Osamu and I shared to see if he wanted to blow bubbles with me. He was sitting on the floor and looked a bit tired. I sat down in front of him. Suddenly a beam of light shot out of the computer. It landed between us and changed into a odd circular electronic thing. It had a square screen and three buttons.
Don't touch it. I need to find out what it is. And he left the room for whatever reason.
But I touched it anyway. It felt almost as if it were calling me. And when I touched it, it felt right somehow. It shone when I touched it. But then Sam came back in he saw me. He took it from me and yelled about me touching his stuff. I sat there and took the abuse. My parents would take his side anyway. Osamu, sometimes I wish you'd just disappear.
Two keepers of the Balance
Unbalanced though they be
If they ever find their balance
What then shall they see?
Bearer of the darkness
Will you yet find the light?
Little boy of daytime
Will you learn about the night?
NOOOO!
Osamu, I didn't mean it. Come back. I didn't really want you to disappear. Not this the most final way. Osamu, come back. Come back and blow bubbles with me. I'll keep my hands off your stuff. Just come back!
We had been walking home from school. Osamu walked halfway across one of the busier streets before he noticed that I wasn't with him. He turned to call me. That was when it happened. During his turn, he wasn't paying attention to the cars behind him. One slammed into his back. He fell and it ran over him. He was dead before he reached the hospital.
The next week, at night, I was sitting in Osamu's old room, at his old computer. I was playing Tetris when suddenly an email alert blinked. I clicked on it. I knew that I shouldn't read his email, but it was probably spam anyway, considering that he was dead.
Ken. Yes, I know it's you reading this, not Osamu. It's your email, anyway. Now that Osamu is dead, you must carry his destiny as well as your own. Your parents will not give up their dreams of a perfect child as easily as that. You need to be the perfect son they lost in Osamu.
But what is my destiny? And if I turn into Sam, will there be any room left for Ken?
Open the drawer. I did so. In it was the odd computer-thing Sam had taken from me. I felt it calling me again. And once again I did not resist its call. I felt its warm light wash over me again, and somehow knowing what I must do I held it up to the computer.
Once I held it to the computer, the thing—Digivice, the name came to me—seemed to tug me closer to the computer. Powerless to stop its pull, I leaned closer and closer until finally I was sucked into the computer. I felt a strange sensation like I was rushing to meet someone—myself—and then I came out on the other side of that feeling. I landed in an odd beach near a lake. I felt another pulling sensation, but this one didn't come from the Digivice, it came from the lake. It felt different, too. The Digivice felt warm, but this call felt cold. Despite its feel, I obeyed the call, and put my Digivice into the lake. As I looked at it the Digivice changed. It lengthened and blackened. I knew then what my new destiny was. I had inherited the Digital World from Sam. Now I had to control it, and finish the job of conquering that he had started.
Keeper of the light
Now keeper of the dark
Will you bring on the night?
Or will kindness find its mark?
Can you find the truth?
Can you find the way?
Or will the world be dark
And never gain find day?
I grew over the four years from then to now. I grew in height and in knowlegde. I grew in power over the Digital World. The latter was brought about, albeit indiectly, by a small, insignifigant Digimon named Wormmon. He followed me about everywhere and would obey my every whim. I wondered why he was so loyal. Once, I saw my Digivice reacting when he walked into a room. This gave me the clue I needed; could my Digivice be bonding him to me? I began to experiment with focusing the Digivice on other Digimon in order to bind them similarly. However, the effect, though present, was always weak and would vanish as soon as I stopped applying power. I researched other ways. I had heard that on Server there was an old, ruined castle with an extensive library. I found the castle (they weren't joking about the ruined part) and poked around in the library. It was there that I solved both problems, both of power and duration. One of the books I read was a history of the Digiworld, I had read about Black Gears that would give their master complete control over Digimon. When I made a foray to File Island, I discovered that their power had faded with the death of their master, though.
In another book, however, I read about the making of Power-rings, apparently, were small devices that fit on the arm, tail or neck of a Digimon. They would take a small part of that Digimon's inner power and multiply it extremely. That extra power could then be put to the Digimon's use. I had kept the Black Gears that I had experimented on, and thought to combine their code with that of the power-rings. I made power-rings that directed their power, not to the Digimon, but to a control-bond with me. When I tested these new dark rings, they worked perfectly. That day was the one I truly became Digimon Emperor.
Confined inside a prison
Will a Light's soul ever be
While the body that it lives in
Does evil, but's carefree
But Light tends to break out
No matter how confined
Though he tries to mask it
Is the one of evil kind?
One day I was working on my latest plan to eliminate the Digidestined. I would create a Digimon of unbelieveble power, a fitting partner for my might. Wormmon was against this, but I pressed on ahead. What did I care about a small, idiotic Digimon who just was jealous of my new Digimon? I was creating a perfect Digimon, more strong than even the legendary Mega-levels. A perfect Digimon for a perfect human. If he were truly my friend, he'd try to support me. But he's just jealous. Sometimes I wonder if he even is loyal to me anymore. He's done so many things for the Digidestined freeing Agumon urging me to stop fighting refusing to help me on Project Chimera.
I finally finished Kimeramon, my perfect new partner. Finished him, that is, except for the final pair of arms. I located a dark whirlpool, a center of power. I could find a powerful Digimon there to the arms from. At first, the Mekanorimon squads I sent failed. But you should never trust anything really important to anyone besides yourself, anyway. You're the only person you can trust to get the job done. Wormmon had proved that, when he refused to do Project Chimera.
I went down into the whirlpool myself. There I found a large Digimon. Its name was Devimon. Although Champion-level on the surface, Devimon actually fought at a level much closer to a fairly powerful Ulimate. That made it a definite candidate for inclusion. When I looked at its arms, I thought that it would be crazy not to include them. It had long arms with clawlike hands on the end. Perfect. I suctioned away its arms. As I did so, a voice spoke in my head. It was a voice I had heard once, long ago, in a dream. Then it had said, Don't worry, Ken. You have a part to play too. You will not just be the forgotten younger brother of the great Osamu. You will play your own part in the downfall of his arrogance. This had been after Osamu took my Digivice away. The next day he had died. I'd always thought that my frustrated half-wish had come true. Sometimes I wish you'd just disappear. I wish the goblins would take you away. Words uttered in the heat of the moment and only true as they are said. But they can have lasting impact.
The voice said, Ken, are you sure you want to do this?
Of course.
You are playing with power you do not understand and cannot control.
I am the Digimon Emperor! I control this world completely and none can stop me!
A little while after I unleashed Kimeramon on those idiot Digidestined, my scanners detected an intrustion. I went to investigate and found that one of that motley crew had somehow penetrated as far as corridor H-16. It was TK. His blond hair, normally kept inside a hat, was unkempt and free. He had a look of grim determination on his face.
Get out of my way!
he said boredly, almost sleepily.
I hit him with my whip for his insubordination against the Digimon Emperor. A red welt appeared on his cheek, and he put his hand up to it almost indifferently.
So when you run out of words you just resort to violence? There are times for fighting and there are times for speech. I stood there, stricken by his words. Now is a good time for talking, He edged closer to me, and with a great leaping launch towards me yelled, but it's a good time for fighting as well!
We had a large fistfight, which I was coming out the loser until Kimeramon interrupted by crashing through the top of that corridor. We both ran away, in opposite directions. I thought about what he had said. But not for very long.
Later I detected another intrusion in my fortress. I turned on the cameras for that area, the main bay, and saw that those dolts had come back. I sent Kimeramon to dispatch them. They really weren't worth my time. He fought with his usual efficiency, and soon dispatched their Digimon. A true testament to the wonders of proper scientific design.
Then I saw what had happened to their defeated Digimon. They had turned back, not into their normal forms, but into much smaller ones. At first I veiwed this as a triumph, but them I recognized their new forms. They were the babies I had seen the Digidestined carting around at the soccer game. The babies I was hurting babies! I was hurting real creatures, not just pieces of code! I'd never realized it.
A voice came floating up in my mind. Of course. Did you think that it was just a game? Osamu, give up. You've lived your life. I would like me back, please.
Another voice, the one of the email, said, Don't listen! Ken, you've nearly done it! Just a few more blows and you have won this war! Keep strong!
No! Ken, you have your life to live! Live yourself! was the reply.
I thought back at both of them, whoever they were, Just shut up! Shut up and leave me alone! Both of you!
So then this conflict comes to head
And climatic fight is reached
The ever loyal one's friendship
Lets evil's cold wall be breached
In tenseness of his waiting
Of kindness its Guardian learns
And in his fitful pond'rings
The darkness finally turns
A few minutes later Wormmon and I were watching Kimeramon and Magnamon fight. Wormmon kept on urging me to give in and capitulate. I told him that I never would, that I would win this. And I was winning. Magnamon was at the end of his strength. Suddenly Wormmon pushed me off the Devidramon we were riding. He began to glow with a strange light. And he helped the Digidestined. He helped them. He used his last energy to heal and revitalize Magnamon. And Magnamon used that gift as Wormmon told him to: in a final attack against Kimeramon. I ran to him, and saw him dying.
Is it still a game? two voices which I had heard before chorused. Can you control the powers you summoned? asked the voice from the whirlpool.
You can't. Kimeramon was his own Digimon, not one of your slaves, replied the other voice from the two, the voice that had said I would like me back, please.
Don't listen!
Why not? I thought back. You brought me to this. Is it working? No. I'll make up my own mind this time, thanks. I suddenly realized how awful I had been. I did the only thing I could. I cried.
I can't wake up until I find my heart, I thought. I had done so many awful things. Did I even have a heart anymore? I didn't know. I thought I had maybe lost mine. Was that what that voice had meant? Had I had Sam's heart all that while, as part of me filling his destiny? So now I had gotten rid of his heart, and his destiny of Digimon Emperor. Now what heart did I have? Osamu's destiny, and Osamu as well, had indeed pushed out Ken. Could come back?
I went back to the Digiworld. I didn't know why. I didn't really expect to find any healing there. I guess it was just the only place I could go. It was marginally better thatn staying home. When I got there it was a place I'd never been before. It had shining Astroturf-like grass and tall towers of oversized blocks. Thousands of Digieggs littered the ground, interspersed with cradles containing baby Digimon. I asked one of those babies, a Punimon, what this place was.
Primary Village, where Digimon are reborn.
Hope rose in my heart. Do you know where Wormmon could be?
Why should I tell you? You're the evil Digimon Emperor. Wormmon's better off without you. I knew those words to be true. I looked at myself. Ken the genius, the perfect one at whatever he tried—for good or for evil. Put a book in these hands and I'm Ken Ichijouji the genius. But put a whip in them and I'm the evil Digimon Emperor. The Punimon and I argued for a while longer, it saying such things that I only wanted Wormmon back to prove that I wasn't so bad after all. Most of them, thinking about it, were absolutely true. I was still the Digimon Emperor, no matter how I tried to put the past behind me. I would always be marked by the evil I had done. There are some stains that never wash off. But I can try to help. Even without Wormmon, I can still try to heal the hurts I have caused. It'll be harder without him. But I can't make excuses for myself anymore. I need to do what I can instead of saying I can't.
As I realized this, voice spoke in my mind. So you finally figured it out. Good. Now I can come back. And I felt something, the empty place where my kindness had once been, fill again. I realized the true meaning of the prophecy Kindness shall release the golden radiance. My kind otherself had come back, just temporarily, when I saw the Digibabies being hurt by Kimeramon. That had activated the Golden Digiegg. Deep in my musings about the nature of the crests, it took me a while to realize that mine was glowing. Very brightly. Another thing glowed too, a Digiegg a little ways from me. Could it be Wormmon's? I walked closer, and it hatched. It held a small green Digimon with a leaf held over its head.
I'm Leafmon, the baby form of Wormmon!
That night, I stood on my balcony, thinking, with Leafmon by my side. I wondered. Had I well and truly killed Sam, when I rejected the destiny I inherited from him? Why had he stayed, in the first place? He was gone now, no matter the answer. But should he have stayed? He'd be what, fifteen now? Still plenty of life to live. But I have my own life, and a little selfish streak in me wanted it to stay mine. Still, was that how the Guardian of Kindness was supposed to feel?
A shape materialized before me. It was Sam, Sam as he would look now, had he lived that long. A ghost. Ken. Ken, don't worry.
Sam? Do you forgive me?
What's there to be sorry for? Any apologies should be on my part, for making you carry the burden of my destiny for so long. Instead of apologizing, accept my thanks.
I was selfish and foolish to stay on as long as I did. Ken, thank you for doing for me what I would not do voluntarily. Thank you for cutting the tie to your destiny I had established. Thank you for setting both of us free from the one who made us Emperors.
Y-you're welcome. I said, stuttering slightly in my surprise.
So cleansed of his unbalance
Light's keeper comes to see
That in killing off the darkness
They both will ever be
The two of Light from darkness
Stronger for their odessey
And in the death of eldest
They each set the other free
Three old crones sat in front of a woven tapestry. So. The pattern was not as we expected it, said one.
But my way still worked, Orgoch. They separated into a boy of light and a boy of darkness, and in the end the one of light turned the one of darkness. Admittedly they took a while getting there, but
Be quiet, the both of you. Orgoch. Yes, it took a roundabout way. But it worked. Orwen. You don't need to brag. It wasn't the most efficient way the prophecy could have been fufilled.
What of the Digimon Empress, Ordu?
You know the prophecy as well as I do: Break the darkness; guard the light/Lead us into day from night At any rate, we have to get working on that one. And this time, we'll order and they'll obey. Nothing counteracts Fate.
Their silvery laughter at Ordu's pun sounded like that of young maidens a fifth their apparent age.