Darkness Reborn
Chapter Six: Revelations
by Silver
*Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Digimon's creatures, characters, or storyline. The Chaos Generals are my own creations, but they were inspired by the Digimon World 2 video game.*
Author's Note: Before starting this chapter, I'd like to thank a few people.
Two days before I posted this chapter, I received a very negative review from a newcomer to FF.net. While this person at least appeared to be offering constructive criticism, it was very harsh and didn't offer much encouragement. The review focused more on my "reputation" (something even I'm not aware of) as opposed to the actual story.
I shouldn't let review like that get to me, as they come with posting stories for everyone to see, but I was stung. My friends ChrisDude and Daisukefire were both very supportive as I suffered from a day of writer's block. They helped me put things in perspective and realize that I'm not worried about a reputation, or what standards other people hold me to. I write for my own pleasure, and for the pleasure of those who also enjoy my style of writing.
I want to thank ChrisDude and Daisukefire, who have stood by me and helped my writing for almost two years now. And I want to thank all the loyal readers who never seem to miss a story I post. You are all a source for inspiration and help me continue to keep writing, even when complete strangers try to deter me. I am very honored that people choose to read my stories.
And on that note, let's get on with this story!
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The first thing TK did after exiting the portal was heave a sigh of relief. Although he'd only been away for a little over half a day, he felt as though he'd been through one of the longest ordeals in his life. This most recent battle had reminded him of the conflict with Piedmon, where the Digidestined had come so close to losing everything they cared about. ChaosWarGreymon – that freak mockery of a Digimon – had nearly wiped them out, along with a good portion of the Digital World.
But even with the Chaos General's defeat, TK could not take any pleasure from their victory. They hadn't liberated the Digital World as originally planned. Instead, they'd been forced to retreat and lick their wounds. All five Digimon were exhausted, particularly DemiVeemon and Minomon. Digivolving into Golden Armor Digimon required a tremendous amount of energy; almost more than the already weakened Digimon were able to give.
Davis and DemiVeemon yawned in unison. "Oooohhhh booyyy. I don't ever wanna do that again."
Ken nodded, "That was by far the longest day I have ever spent in the Digital World."
Yolei said, "At least it's over. ChaosWarGreymon's pushing up daisies now."
Davis grinned, "More like watering the daisies."
"That's not funny." Kari said. "The Dark Ocean is nothing to laugh about."
"Kari's right." Cody spoke up. "Remember, the Emperor said that there were three Chaos Generals. We've only taken out one. We still have a long way to go."
Davis sighed, "So we've got two more, and the Emperor himself? Thanks for giving me something to look forward to."
TK realized how tired he was himself and yawned. "Right now, the only thing I can look forward to is sleep. I think we can start planning our next step tomorrow."
"I'm afraid we don't have that much time." The group spun around. Izzy stood in the door with a stern look on his face. "Welcome back."
"Izzy!" Cody ran to meet his mentor. "You wouldn't believe what's been happening in the Digital World!"
"I'm sure it's a long story. I've been monitoring the situation all day, but wasn't able to contact you."
TK nodded, "We know. The Digimon Emperor blocked all our communications."
"Digimon Emperor?" Izzy glanced hesitantly at Ken.
"Not me. There's a new Emperor, and he's nothing like I was in the past."
"What does he look like?"
TK said, "He wears a black visor over his eyes and nose. He's tall, with dark blond hair… and he has the crest of Hope."
"WHAT?" Izzy looked understandably confused. He took a moment to compose himself. "Okay, this is a lot of information absorb all at once. Let's start from the beginning of the day and work our way forward. Don't leave out any details."
The younger Digidestined recounted the trials of their day to both Izzy and each other. Davis and Ken outlined their meeting of Datirimon and the reemergence of their digieggs. They also explained how destroying a control spire had failed to liberate a band of Floramon. Cody and Yolei remembered their flight from Tortomon, the special distortion area, and the death of Ninjamon.
Kari also talked about how her destruction of a control spire had not freed any Digimon, and how close she'd come to being killed by ChaosWarGreymon. TK followed up with his meeting with the Emperor, which shocked everyone.
"He says that he's taking control in order to maintain peace in the Digital World."
Izzy frowned, "That's a common rational for aggressive acts."
Ken asked, "You're saying this new Emperor might not realize what he's doing?"
"Possibly."
"I don't think that's true." said TK. "Remember that hologram he used to introduce himself? He had ordered ChaosWarGreymon to kill us. I'd say he's pretty well aware of what he's doing."
"But only because we refused to leave. He did give us the chance to get lost."
"That doesn't change the fact that he was willing to get rid of us."
Kari broke into the discussion. "I think ChaosWarGreymon's actions reflect his master's values as well. Neither one seems to have taken steps to preserve the lives of enslaved Digimon. In fact, ChaosWarGreymon either enjoyed killing Digimon, or simply didn't care who got hurt."
TK nodded, remembering Ninjamon and all the other Digimon who'd lost their lives to ChaosWarGreymon's bloodlust. The thought of all those deaths because of the Emperor's arrogance caused his blood to surge like molten lava. He clenched his fist until it was pale white. He forced himself to relax with a deep breath. Fortunately, none of the others had seen his reaction. They'd all be talking about the new Emperor.
TK called attention back to himself. "He also said that he didn't have a dark spore within him."
Cody frowned, "Then he wasn't one of the children Oikawa captured?"
Yolei said, "Maybe he's just lying to throw us off his trail."
Kari shook her head, "We don't even know where to start looking for him. Why would he need to confuse us right now?"
Davis stood up. "Who cares where he came from? Let's just go back to the Digital World and stomp him. Now that we have our Armor Digimon, he can't take us by surprise."
"He sure did a good job of it today." DemiVeemon mentioned.
Cody nodded, "We were lucky Oikawa was there to help us. If he hadn't brought back our digieggs, we wouldn't have stood a chance. This new Emperor was completely prepared for us."
"Indeed." Hawkmon nodded. "His manner of operation is very different to that of Ken's former reign. Even though he uses dark rings and control spires, the same rules do not apply. For example, destroying a spire does not mean the liberation of Digimon."
Izzy turned to his computer. "I think I have an explanation for that. Take a look at this." He keyed up a map of the Digital World for everyone to see. The entire grid was colored black, representing that all sectors of the Digital World were under the Emperor's control.
"How could he conquer a whole world in one day?" asked Ken.
Izzy replied, "I suspect the other Chaos Generals went around generating spires while ChaosWarGreymon kept the rest of you busy. They move with amazing speed. And look at this." He zoomed in on one sector and mapped out the control spires as deep blue dots. The spires were arranged in the hexagonal pattern that Davis and Ken had first noticed during their flight from ChaosWarGreymon.
"Why does the Emperor need that many spires?" Yolei voiced the group's singular thought.
"I have a theory on that." Izzy typed in a few commands. Bright red spheres swelled out from each of the spire indicators. "These red circles represent the range of each control spire. As you can see, one spire is more than enough to cover a whole area; but watch:
"I recorded the events of the day from the map's point of view. This is the time index when Davis and Ken first destroyed a control spire." One of the blue dots vanished and the red aura faded. Much of the sector remained red due to the other spires, but there was a large uninfluenced area.
"For a moment, this small sector is free. But then…" The surrounding red circles stretched out and converged on the newly liberated area. Within a moment, the only free space left was a tiny dot where the original control spire had once stood.
"What happened?" Cody wondered.
"I think the other spires reacted to the destruction of the first one. As we all know, control spires are the source for a dark ring's power. Without spires, the ring loses its ability to enslave minds. Given what Davis and Ken told us, the Floramon were indeed freed from their captivity when Puttimon and Raidramon destroyed the control spire."
"So how come they became slaves again?" asked Davis.
"Because the surrounding spires compensated for the one that was destroyed. I think the Emperor put so many spires up because he knew you guys would be able to destroy more than a few of them. Apparently, these new spires are all receiving power from a singular source. That power is evenly distributed among all the spires. When one spire is destroyed, the power that was channeled to that spot is redirected to the nearest spires. This increases the spires' respective ranges and allows them to cover much more ground. They then recover the area that was lost from the demolition of the first spire."
TK frowned, "So, to liberate a whole sector, we'd have to destroy all the spires in that region, as well as in surrounding areas?"
"That's right. This will slow our efforts tremendously. We can't simply knock over one spire and call it a day. We'll have to destroy at least ten times more spires than before."
"Oh great." Davis slumped into a nearby chair. "I'm already spent."
Izzy grinned. "It's not all bad news. Next time, you should be able to have your Digimon digivolve into Champions."
Ken looked puzzled. "But the spires block digivolutions."
Izzy shook his head. "You have to keep in mind that there are different rules regarding this new Emperor. This is going to take a little more explaining." He keyed in more commands and a new readout appeared on screen. It displayed three lines, each one rising and falling at different lengths like waves in an ocean. The top line barely curved upward before sloping back down into a small dip, then rose up again. The second line rose much higher before falling, but paled in comparison to the third line at the bottom, which rose to the top of the graph before plummeting to the very bottom of the screen, then rose again.
"These wavelengths represent the power we Digidestined generate when we help our Digimon digivolve. The wavelength at the top is amount of power used to create a Champion, the next one is for Ultimate, and this last one—the one that requires the most power—is for the creation of a Mega.
"When two opposing energies collide, they cancel each other out. So, the control spires generate an energy that is exactly opposite to our evolution power. The two energies cancel each other out, so we cannot help our Digimon digivolve. That's also why control spires cannot block armor digivolutions. The power used to create Armor Digimon is different from the power we use in normal evolutions."
TK scratched his head, not sure he was following all of this. "I'm still not sure how we can reach Champion."
Izzy said, "The Emperor said that there were three Chaos Generals, right? I've determined that these new spires are segmented into several sections; each one generating a wavelength that can block digivolutions. The top of the spire blocks evolutions to Champion, the midsection prevents digivolving to Ultimate, and the base blocks the creation of a Mega. Right after you destroyed ChaosWarGreymon, the top sections of all the spires ceased generating their energies. There's nothing to block a Champion Digivolutions now."
Cody nodded, "And if we can defeat the other two generals, then there's nothing to stop us from reaching the higher digivolution forms, right?"
Izzy smiled, proud of his pupil. "You got it. I think each General supplies the energy needed to block digivolutions. So, we gain more power with every General that we defeat."
Kari didn't sound encouraged by the news. "But if that's the case, then the Emperor has probably entrusted the higher level powers to even stronger Chaos Generals."
"Yeah." TK felt his heart sink. "This new Emperor has thought things through pretty clearly."
Yolei asked, "Think he planned to block DNA digivolutions? We might be able to fuse our Champions together."
Izzy shrugged. "I haven't had a chance to analyze that theory. It's possible that DNA digivolving is unaffected by the spires, but the Emperor may have anticipated that strategy."
TK nodded, "He knew our digieggs were destroyed and didn't expect them to be recreated. I'm willing to bet he's planned ahead for merging Digimon."
"Who cares how much he's planned?" Davis stood back up. "I bet he didn't even think we'd make it past Chaos General number one. We'll take down these other Generals too and then we'll beat this new Emperor once and for all."
Cody pointed out, "But first we should rest up. We can launch a new offensive tomorrow."
Kari held up a hand, "Wait. Oikawa said the next phase of this war would be fought on Earth, remember?"
Izzy stood up. "I'm afraid he's right. The Emperor's already making a move here on Earth. Look at this." He opened a window blind, eliciting a gasp from the younger Digidestined.
Jutting up from the scarred ground in the middle of the soccer field was a control spire, its surface darker than the night sky. "These spires started appearing around noon today. They started appearing here in Japan, but have quickly spread across the globe. Last I heard they were appearing in the American Midwest."
"Haven't any of the other Digidestined tried to destroy them?" asked Yolei.
"They have, but none of them can digivolve, so it's not easy. A few spires have been destroyed, but they were replaced in less than an hour. Whoever is creating them works with amazing speed and precision. Countries are panicking because they remember the invasion of other Digimon a few years ago. Most Digidestined have stopped trying to attack the spires until they can determine who is creating them."
Ken frowned, "They haven't seen the culprit?"
"No. The spires seem to appear out of nowhere. There's no sign of their creator. It's probably one of the other Chaos Generals, working from the shadows. One other point of interest is that many countries are reporting unusual seismic activity around the spires." Izzy regarded the younger Digidestined. They were all tired and worn from the day's battle. TK could see the doubt on Izzy's face. He wasn't sure they were ready for this new information. "I'm sorry I dropped all of this on you guys so quickly, especially after the hard day you've had. But we don't have much time to rest up. We'll have to tackle this new threat as soon as possible. I want you all to go straight home and get some sleep. We'll meet here again tomorrow morning and outline a strategy."
The younger Digidestined bid Izzy goodnight and split off for the evening. TK walked down the street in silence with Patamon nestled atop his head, already fast asleep. His snoring was the only accompanying sound to TK's footsteps. The entire city seemed muffled in fear. No car horns, no crowds, no music; no sign of life whatsoever. The same choked silence that had been forced upon the Digital World was now cast on Earth. Could the Emperor really plan to rule both worlds in only a few days?
The Emperor… now there was a topic for reflection. TK still couldn't get over the news. There was someone else out there with a crest of Hope. And he was using it to control Digimon. The very thought turned TK's face blood red. How could someone use the crest of Hope for such a purpose? Wasn't the crest meant to sustain the Digital World in times of darkness? That was what Azulongmon had told them. The notion that his crest was a tool for slavery was insulting.
TK turned away from his home and headed towards the park. He couldn't sleep with such thoughts racing through his mind; he needed to blow off some steam. Giving the current state of unease in the city, he was sure that most muggers and other criminals were staying locked indoors, so there'd be no trouble in the park. Besides, Patamon could blow them away with one Boom Bubble.
The night's air carried the scent of the leaves, and a soft rustling helped calm TK's heart. This was just too much to absorb all at once. New Emperor, new tactics, new rules, new challenges. Even after the Digidestined had become so powerful, even after their numbers had increased to the size of a small nation, and even after they'd achieved levels of evolution once thought to be a dream, it seemed absurd that one man—a boy even—could have them at such a disadvantage. Maybe we're not as strong as we think. Or maybe he's stronger than all of us put together. Could the crest of Hope give a man such power?
TK shook his head. The crest had always been a source of strength for TK, but it never energized Digimon the same way Kari's crest of Light did. He'd only used its power to help Angemon digivolve to MagnaAngemon, and the digiegg of Hope had given birth to Pegasusmon. It had never been a power source for anything larger. Maybe it was the powers of darkness that fueled this new enemy. But that just led back to the same thought: why does this new Emperor have the crest of HOPE?
TK took another breath to calm himself. An evil ruler with a crest wasn't anything new. Ken's crest of Kindness hadn't saved him from becoming the original Digimon Emperor. But that crest hadn't manifested its power until the Emperor's fall.
Maybe the crest had been corrupted, just as Tai's crest of Courage had been when he forced Agumon to digivolve to SkullGreymon. "Courage" carried very positive connotations in TK's mind, but it had been used to create something evil. Maybe every crest had a flipside; a dark power that could be used to hurt others.
Was it possible that this new Emperor was a mirror for TK? Was he capable of carrying out the same level of cruelty and force because of his crest? Am I capable of the Emperor's work? NO. That wasn't possible. This new Emperor was nothing like him, crest or no crest. He could never be as evil.
But what made the Emperor evil? Was he being controlled or influenced? He said he wasn't, but that didn't carry much weight. Anyone who'd been brainwashed or manipulated said that he or she was acting of free will, even if that wasn't true. Oikawa had appeared to be acting on his own volition, but that was only because Myotismon had been so adept at hiding. Maybe the Emperor was a victim of slavery as well. That prospect made his existence a little more tolerable.
"TK?" Kari approached from behind with a sleeping Gatomon in her arms. TK frowned because Kari's home was in the opposite direction of his own.
"What brings you out here?"
"I wanted to talk to you." She fell into step beside him. "You didn't tell Izzy about that new power that Oikawa gave you."
"Oh, yeah…" TK looked at his D3, which did not appear to possess any new power at all. "I guess I forgot to mention it after Izzy outlined all those facts about the new Emperor. I think he went overboard."
Kari giggled, "Izzy's never been one to hold back when it comes to new info. Still, that power source might be an important part of defeating the Emperor. You should let Izzy take a look at it."
TK yawned, "I will. Tomorrow… What do you think it is anyway? A digicore?"
"You mean like Azulongmon's? Maybe you can make Shakkouamon digivolve, just like Paildramon did."
"Can you imagine what Shakouamon would look like as a Mega?" TK grinned.
Kari laughed, "The most powerful tea kettle in the world!"
"Hey," Patamon mumbled from atop TK's head. "Don't diss the DNA form…" he returned to a hushed snoring.
Kari smiled, "Well, if you don't want to see it, you could always let me and Yolei use it on Sylphimon."
"We don't even have our DNA Digimon back yet and you're already pinning for a Mega?"
"Hey, a girl can dream." They laughed. It felt good to talk to Kari like this. Out of all the team, TK was most comfortable speaking with her. Davis was a good friend, but they both enjoyed competing with one another. Relaxed moments like this were an oddity. Cody—although TK's DNA digivolution partner—was far too serious for a joke or two. Yolei was fun, but TK just didn't relate to her as much as he did with Kari, and all of the older Digidestined were just that: too old for him to fully relate. For the first time that day, TK felt a certain peace and relaxation. Walking with Kari made him feel better, and calmed his doubts.
"Are you okay?" Kari asked.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"That was a large bombshell Oikawa dropped on us… About the new Emperor having the crest of Hope."
"Naw… It's nothing big." He didn't want to spoil the evening or force extra concern upon Kari.
"Don't lie." Kari's voice became dead serious. "I know how you react to people who use the power of darkness, and none of them had the same crest as you. This is hurting you, TK, I can see it."
TK shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it right now. When we confront this new Emperor, I'll find out why he was given the crest of Hope. Until then, worrying is pointless."
"But you're worrying nonetheless." The calm of the evening was gone. TK was beginning to feel uncomfortable with how well Kari could read him. There was vulnerability in familiarity.
"Okay… maybe I am. But…" A small rustling caught TK's attention. Behind a bush, he saw the tapered end of a black cloth wave at him and disappear into the park.
"TK?" Kari sounded worried.
"Wait here." TK took two steps, then broke off in a run.
"TK!" Kari called behind him, but he quickly outran her voice. He dodged trees and ducked under branches while chasing a figure he wasn't sure he saw or imagined. He sprinted with even bit of strength in his legs. His lungs burned while he pushed himself to go farther, causing Patamon to fall off his head in the process. The startled Rookie gave a small cry of protest and used his wings to prevent a fall. TK was too intent on his prey to stop and turn back. The black figure was the only thing he saw.
TK didn't know how he was able to track through the park. He only knew that he felt where his opponent lay. He could sense his quarry. Is there a bond between our two crests?
The trail ended in a small grove of tress. There was no one there. No footprints, no broken branches or twigs; no sign anyone had passed through before TK. And yet he felt, he knew, that the person he was looking for was here.
"Lovely night for a stroll through the park, especially with such beautiful company." A voice from the trees chuckled. TK glanced up and saw the Digimon Emperor's eye grinning back at him through that black mask. "How wonderful to see you again."
"Get down here." TK demanded.
"So you can give me the beating I so richly deserve? I think not, sir knight."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not? Aren't you the knight in shinning armor with an angel at your side who defends the Digital World? That's certainly the image I see. Of course, that's just on the surface, isn't it?"
"What are you getting at?"
The Emperor snickered and leaped down, landing effortlessly and standing in a relaxed posture that contrasted TK's braced fighting stance. "You may be the Digital World's savior, and you may have an Angemon for a partner, but you know and I know that there's a Devimon inside you." TK huffed.
"Don't deny it. I saw it in you the first day we met. I see it in you now. All that anger is boiling inside you like a fireball waiting to be launched at its target. You must hate me so much. I find it rather amusing that such a renowned 'nice guy' can have so much anger for a person he only just met."
"How can someone like you have the crest of Hope?"
"Ah, my secret's out." The Emperor shrugged. "Can't a villain have hopes as well? I hope that my plans succeed and you do not defeat me. Are my hopes any less valid than your own?"
"My hopes are a lot better than yours."
"Oh? What do you hope for? Protection of the Digital World? Preservation of order and peace?"
"And I hope I defeat you."
"AH! That's it! You don't care about the Digital World at all, do you? That's not the real reason you're fighting. You want to defeat me. You're fighting out of a personal grudge!"
"You're wrong."
"Am I? This is a trend I'm starting to notice inside you. I'm using the powers of darkness to rule, and you want to defeat me because of it. Hardly the attitude for a knight."
"I think people would let that slide as long as you were defeated."
"And I think people will forgive a little conquest in the interest of peace. So we're either both right, or both selfish."
TK growled, "I'm sick of these mind
games you're playing! Tell me who you are right now and let's finish this!"
"That wouldn't be much fun. I
didn't go to the trouble of keeping this costume on just so I could tell you
who I am. You'll have to try harder than that."
"Why are you so interested in me?"
"I told you already. There's a darkness inside you. I saw it when you fought ChaosWarGreymon. You hated him for his slaughter of innocent Digimon. You almost ordered your partner to attack without concern for his survival. Out of all the Digidestined, you're the one with the most delicious hidden side."
"Hidden side?"
"Yes. Davis wears his heart on his sleeve and is quite boring; I prefer a little mystery. Yolei's hidden side is either Attila the Hun or some frail princess. She switches back and forth so often that I can't tell which is the real her. Cody's just a sad little boy underneath all that seriousness. And Kari… well…"
"TK? TK!!" Kari wandered down the path with Gatomon and Patamon in tow. She didn't see TK and the Emperor hidden by the night and trees.
"She's got a hidden side as well, but it's not nearly as volatile as you. But she is interesting just the same."
TK felt his blood alternate between ice cold and flaming red. "Leave her alone."
"I can't. She's almost as fun as you. She tries so hard, but underneath all that effort she's terrified of failing. She can't handle all the pressure and danger that comes with being a Digidestined. She's too afraid to fail. Fear is such a wonderful toy. Terrifying a person is almost as much fun as enraging someone else."
"Stay away from her!" TK felt his face go pure red. He felt his muscles begging him to let one punch fly. To attack this monster with everything he had. But there had to be more to this. This could be a trap…
"That's it!" The Emperor clapped. "That's the look I so enjoy! You do have temper. I knew you were the most fun of the group." He regarded Kari, who'd yet to even notice them. "But she's fun too. And she seems to have a lot of sway over you." He snapped his fingers. "I know! I'll kill two Digidestined with one stone. I'll anger you by terrifying her. And I have just the Digimon to do it!"
A loud rumble shook the ground, causing TK to stumble in place. The Emperor was airborne again, jumping and impossibly high distance to his former perch atop the tree. "I am impressed at how you defeated ChaosWarGreymon with only six Armor Digimon, but how will you fare against my next Chaos General. He's almost twice as powerful as that good-for-nothing hunter!"
A large blade parted the ground beside TK. He jumped back as a mound of earth rose up and began to slide away from the emerging armored form. Two blood red wings stretched out and shook the now ruined park's dirt off. Four massive legs, each sheathed in sharp-angled armor supported an equally protected body, with a tail swaying back and forth, knocking down some of the few remaining trees. The creature's muscles rippled under dark gray scales, with a stripe of white running under its belly and neck. Its head was encased in armor colored the same deep crimson as the beast's wings. It was hard to miss the rows of sharp teeth inside its mouth.
At the top of the monster's body, TK spotted twin cannons nestled between the wings. The dragon's form was maddeningly familiar, yet with a much crueler, sharper look to it; just like ChaosWarGreymon.
The Emperor now stood atop his beast. "Allow me to introduce your new opponent: ChaosImperialdramon!"
The Chaos General roared, forcing TK to cover his ears and open his mouth as wide as he could to avoid going deaf. He looked around frantically, trying to spot Kari and their Digimon. He found them lying sprawled on the ground; taken unawares by ChaosImperialdramon's sudden appearance.
TK dashed towards them. "Where are you going?" demanded the Emperor. "The fun is just starting!"
"Kari!" TK skidded to a halt beside her. "Are you all right?"
"What's going on?" Kari looked from TK to ChaosImperialdramon. "What is that thing?"
"I'll explain later. We have to go!"
"I won't let you leave!" The Emperor shouted from ChaosImperialdramon's head. "But I think I'll spare your Digimon." The dark dragon beat its wings once, causing a whirlwind to sweep across the landscape. TK dug his feet and hand into the ground while holding on to Kari with his free hand. Somehow, they managed to stay rooted in one spot, although the wind nearly blew them away. Patamon and Gatomon, with their much smaller bodies and weight, were not so fortunate. With a helpless cry, the two Digimon flew off into the night, carried away by the gust of the dragon's wings.
"GATOMON!" Kari reached for her partner even while struggling to maintain her grip on TK.
"It's too late for them!" cried the Emperor. "You two should start worrying about yourselves! Now, let's make things really interesting. It's time for another hunt. This time, you'll have to survive the labyrinth without a Digimon to protect you." He laughed merrily.
The ground under TK, which had held so firm against the wind, now began to rise up against him. Both TK and Kari screamed as one of ChaosImperialdramon's claws ripped up from the soil and flung them into the air. TK half expected ChaosImperialdramon to finish them off, but instead the Digimon stepped back, revealing a massive, seemingly bottomless hole in the ground; a hole that they were falling into.
TK held tightly to Kari even as they fell. For a moment he was back on Spiral Mountain, being chased by Piedmon and falling to certain death alongside Kari. But this time there'd be no rescue; no MagnaAngemon to help them. There was only the darkness below them. And into the darkness they fell.
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Author's Note: I realize this chapter was more conversation than action, but that'll change soon. In any case, it's time I got to work on Chapter 7. We'll see just how fast I am this time.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and wish you all well. Until next time.