Reality Redux
By ArchangelUK & Digicowboy

DC: *dressed as a bouncer* Sorry ladies. But ArchangelUK isn't receiving visitors at the moment.
Phire Phoenix: *slips DC a five pound note*
DC: Ah, I see you have the latest entry pass. Feel free to go right on in! *opens the door, and the stalkers rush in*
AAUK: *offstage* AAAGGGGHHHHH!
DC: Ah..Suffice to say I don't own Digimon, and nor does Wingy. I do, however, own these bribes. Nowwhich game should I buy?

Chapter 15: Outside The Walls We Know

Ben glanced around, taking off the sunglasses that hadn't been on his head a moment ago. One moment he had been being pulled apart by the awesome force of the Gate, and the next, for no apparently discernible reason, he appeared to be standing on a beach on a Mediterranean island. He glanced down. At least his clothes matchedThe blue jeans and shirt he had been wearing had been replaced with what could only be described as fashionable beachwear. If your idea of fashionable beachwear ran aground somewhere in the seventies. A pair of baggy shorts, sandals, and a bright short sleeved Hawaiian shirt. In his other hand was half a coconut shell with a straw and a drink inside it. He sipped experimentally, shuddered, and flung it into the ocean.


Where am I? he wondered. And why am I talking to myself? He dug around in his pocket. Good. His DX was still there. He brought it out and had a look at the screen. He wasn't back in his reality, and he wasn't in the Digital world, or the world of the Digidestined, nor the dark ocean. A message popped up on the screen of the DX. Location unknown. Searching.' Ben put it back in his pocket while he waited, then looked at his watch. Which had stopped working. Or, more precisely, not that he was to know, was trying to show all the different times at once and failing totally. When he looked up again, a signpost had appeared.


THIS WAY!' it announced, coupled with an arrow. Ben shrugged, and set off. Maybe it would lead him to Myotismon. Maybe not. But it wasn't as if he could do anything else

Piedmon smiled silently to himself. It was almost time. They were ready. As soon as Angelus opened up the portal to try and find the other Chosen One, they would emerge somewhere else, and Angelus would be too weak to stop them from opening their own portal. And then they would have the real world.

The DX blipped, and Ben glanced down. The message on it's screen was only one word long. Home.'
Having followed a procession of signs, he now found himself at the other end of the island, by a villa with a swimming pool. This was way too surreal. It was like something from the Digi twilight zone. He heard someone coming around from the other side of the villa, and tensed himself, ready to fight. Or, failing that, ready to run. It was Myotismon.

Myotismon! There you are! Ben blinked, and tried very, very hard not to laugh at his Digimon partner. Because Myotismon was dressed exactly the same as he was. Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian shirt, sandals and sunglasses. It appeared that Myotismon was having the same reaction to Ben's own outfit. They grinned at each other, embarrassed. At that point, a door Ben hadn't noticed slid open, and a voice said.

So. You're here. Ben and his partner turned in unison to look at the man that had appeared in the door. He looked a lot like Ben, but thirty years older. And where Ben's eyes were green-through-to-blue, this man's eyes were almost emerald, and where Ben's hair was dark, his was light brown Come in. So they did. My name is Aeth, and you would be Ben, yes?

Hey, how did you know my-

Then come in, weary Traveller, and I shall explain all. He wasn't sure, but Ben thought that Aeth had put an odd emphasis on traveller' just then.

I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Aeth smiled knowingly.

You bet I do, but let's start with the obvious ones. Where are we, and why are we here anyway?

This place is called Entherial. It is a dimension unknown of by even the Gatekeeper and his kind. And you are here because you are aTraveller.

Travell-wha? Could you explain that?

As Gennai told you, one of your parents came from your reality, and one came from the Digidestined side. Out of interest, do you know which one? Ben shook his head.

Ah. Gennai must not have got that far. Very well then. I'll just pick up where he left of, shall I? Your father was a young man with no particular aim in mind. One day he was walking down the road when there was a blazing flash of light, and when he could see clearly again, your mother was standing there. She had just succeeded, alongside the Gatekeeper, in stopping the unification, and now she, who was born on your side of the line, was stuck in the Digital world with no way to return home. Eventually, she married your father and took on his name, and they both swore that no-one would ever know the truth about where she came from. Eventually, you and Sora were born. Twins, I believe. Your father, while he loved your mother dearly, could see that she missed her own reality, and he devoted his life to myth and legend, to try and find a way for her to return home. He continued, walking out onto the patio. Care for a rest? Okay. Now, I expect you are wondering what that has to do with your being here. Ben nodded, sitting down on one of the sun-beds. He was exhausted.

It isn't common knowledge, but gaps exist between the worlds. Not Gates, not under the control of the Gatekeeper, but holes. Sometimes people wander through by accident and can't find the way back, and others like your mother are sent through by the powers that be. Either way, the children of those unfortunates lost in another world belong to no single dimension. Children like these are born wanderers, never content with where they are, always ready to see what is over the horizon. Does that sound familiar?
Ben nodded slightly. He hadn't relaxed since he was had been told he was destined to save worlds, and for some reason, under this alien sun, he could feel all his stress and worry flowing out of himhe lay back on the recliner.


I knew it would. We're all the same. Smiled Aeth. People like us can see these holes in space, holes not even Gods can see. And we can survive inside the Gate of Destiny, and the inside is a vortex. Not simply another dimension, but a place of absolute negativity. That's why we created Entherial here- because only we could get to it.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean

Exactly what it sounds like. The very first Traveller accidentally found his way into the inside of the Gate, and he created this place, which he named Entherial. In his native tongue, it meant Place of Hope and Light'. At some point in their lives, every Traveller ends up here.

So I'm not the only Traveller? What about Sora, and Wingy?

Sora, yes. She is also a Traveller, although she does not yet know it. I do not know this

You know.the other chosen one?

Ah, Angelus. Angelus is something else entirely. And Aeth told them of the prophecy of the Gatekeeper and the Traveller.

So why am I mentioned? What help could a demi-god possibly need from me?

There is something different about you, Ben. Different from us other Travellers. I'm not sure what, but it will be invaluable in the Unification.

Could it be Myotismon? Aeth shook his head.

No. Other Travellers have become partners of the Digimon. It isn't that, we do know that much. Now, rest and relax. You've had a lot of stress lately, and whatever is coming will need you as well as you can be. So Ben and Myotismon spent what appeared to be several days at Aeth's house in Entherial, unwinding and talking.

Come on, admit it. The drinking blood thing isn't vital. You must have spent years not doing it in the Digiworld.

It's kind of expected of me.

Just break the habit. Here, try some Hotdog.


On what would be their final day (For now) in Entherial, the three of them were once again out in the back garden sunbathing.
Can I ask you a couple of questions?


Why did our outfits change like that when we got here?

Well, you're a Traveller. I don't know how it works, but I think it's a kind of camouflage. What we wear automatically changes so that we don't stand out in a crowd. As for Myoti, I guess that it's because he's your partner, and roughly the right shape.

Okay. Second question: How long have we been here, in Digidestined world time? Aeth looked at his watch.

Twenty minutes.

Wow. I'm going to get something from the fridge, okay? Ben looked up from his fridge-based rummaging when he heard someone knock on the door.

I'll get it. He called out through to the still sunbathing two. He threw a tee-shirt over his shoulders, and walked over to the door.
he exclaimed. Angelus, shading himself with his still-there wings, grinned back.

So this is where you are. Suddenly, there was a blur of movement from behind the demi-god, and Ben discovered that he had acquired a second pair of arms. They were Mimi's, and they were locked around his chest as if she was trying to blow his head off his shoulders like a champagne cork.

Don't you ever do that to me again! she sobbed. Ben looked up, more than a bit bewildered, but not exactly unhappy.

How did you guys get here? I didn't think you could. Angelus made a face.

We almost didn't, until Sora started to disappear. I followed her, and everyone else followed us. I couldn't even sense this place-hell, I can't sense it now, and I'm standing in it.

Later on, after Ben had introduced them to Aeth, and he had filled them in on what he knew, everyone was sitting around the villa, Aeth took Ben aside. I don't know what is going to happen to you. I only know what I can gain from the prophecies. But whatever it is that lies ahead of you, you will need assistance. He lead Ben into a bit of the Villa that hadn't been there the day before, and opened a wardrobe. From here, he removed an inscribed oak staff, roughly six feet tall, capped with an golden orb that seemed to shiver and change all the time.

This is the staff of the first Traveller. With this, you can open your own Gate of Destiny to defend yourself and those you love. You're going to have a fairly exiting life, Ben. They shook hands warmly.
Trust me, things are never going to be the same for you once you get married he said with a wicked little grin as their party left for the nearest exit out of Entherial.

Married? I bet Spider-man never has days like this

Piedmon stepped lightly out of the portal that had been opened for them. No-one seemed to notice them. They didn't even notice Dragomon, which took some doing. He smiled cruelly, and drew one of his swords.
It's showtime.

To Be Continued....

Will Piedmon cause havok in the Real World? Where have the Harbingers landed? Will Manchester United win the FA Premiership title next year? Will Skippy get help to save little Timmy from the big well? Tune in next time for more uninteresting questions on this end chapter-line of Digimon - Reality Redux!

Kari's Angels - http://www.geocities.com/happy_hylian/