Nightdragon0: Don't worry, more details will be along shortly…
Drake: I'm taking bits and pieces from Frontier
Ryu's POV:
"Now, back to the business at hand. Ryu, Aidan, in order to truly understand what you are, you have to first understand the history of this world. Tharos, you already know most of this. Feel free to leave." The blue dragon said.
"No thanks."
"Um…Just who are you, anyway?" Aidan asked.
"Me?" He looked over toward me. "Well, I'm sure that you recognize me, at least."
"Aero…Veedramon, right?" I said hesitantly.
"Well, if that's too much of a mouthful, I guess you could just call me Aero, but yes, that's me. I've been watching the two of you for some time."
"We'll begin the repairs to the arenas." My copy said. He and Aidan's copy walked out through Tharos' door.
"Well, this room isn't meant for talking for long periods, so what say we go somewhere a little more spacious?" Aero said lightly. "Follow me."
"Alright. I know that you're all probably tired from the fights, but this won't take too long, and besides, there's a bit of a feast waiting for you next door. As I said before, Tharos, you know most of what I am going to say, so feel to leave."
"Like I said. No thanks." Tharos replied flatly.
"Alright then. Ryu, Aidan, Tharos, what I am going to say does not leave the room, clear?"
"Sure."
"Okay."
"Get on with it."
"Polite, aren't we?" Aero sighed. "Okay then. Ryu, Aidan, what do you know about your powers?"
I took a quick glance at Tharos and saw his eyes narrow slightly, but he remained quiet.
"Well, honestly, not all that much. We weren't given very much detail."
"I figured as much." He sighed. "Alright. About a thousand years ago, there was a great war in the digital world. Many hundreds of thousands died in almost a century of constant warfare. At some point in the last five years of the conflict, ten warriors came into existence. These ten were imbued with power drawn from the digital world itself. When the war was over, the ten warriors disappeared. However, power of that magnitude does not simply disappear. Instead, in this case, the power created the Seals that you are currently seeking."
A sudden click stopped him. "Say that again." Tharos said coldly.
I turned toward him and found myself looking down the barrel of a sparking cannon.
"Tharos. Settle down." Aero said quietly.
"Power seeks power old man. You expect me to simply let someone acquire that kind of power?"
"It is not your duty to judge what the Sovereigns have decided."
"My duty was to protect the Darkness Seal. I failed once before. I won't let it happen again!"
"You should be glad then. Your 'failure' is in part responsible for Ryu's life."
"What?"
"What?"
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Let me finish. Tharos, there is a new chapter to this story that is only just beginning. Depending on whether these two complete their mission, the world will either live…or die."
"If I'm not convinced by the time you stop talking…"
"You will be."
"Fine then. Get on with it." He lowered the cannon and closed his arm again. "I'm waiting."
Aero cleared his throat. "Right. Where was I? Ah, right. Over the centuries, nine of the Seals were found. Luckily, when each was found, word was passed to the Sovereigns almost immediately. Eventually, there were nine hidden fortresses, spread out around the Digital World. Each fortress operated independently, and each had a full garrison stationed permanently there.
"Twenty years ago, a second war broke out. An organization calling itself the Black Fang launched attacks on the Forts. My group- the Watchers- were bound by our laws to do nothing but monitor the situation. As such, we monitored the progress of the Black Fang for five years, during which, all nine Fortresses fell. Only then did our leaders realize that there was no point watching a burned-out world.
"For the six months after that, we had our production facilities produce thousands of ships. All told, we had a force of about fifty warships, each with a fighter complement of over five hundred. Well, we waited a few more months, waiting for an opening. Finally, one showed itself. For reasons that we-at the time-were unaware of, five of the stolen Seals simply vanished over a two-day period. With that, we launched. Our ships split up, and somewhere between ten and fifteen ships went after the other four. It ended up being one of the most disastrous miscalculations that my order had ever made. The four were eventually defeated, but at a price of all but two of our warships and almost 99 of our fighters. The area where the battle was fought was so badly destroyed, that those who still remember the battle refer to the area as Hell's Gate. Even the powerful virus-types avoid the area.
"Well, anyway, with the battle over, we attempted to restore the balance by scattering the Seals again. However, when we went over the battlefield, two were missing. We had all of them-minus Fire, of course-but to our surprise, the Light and Dark seals were also gone. Somehow, the energy released from the battle had given those two the energy they needed to break a hole in the barrier between the worlds. Anyway, we took the Seals, and scattered them across the digital world. The balance has lasted the last twenty years. Apparently, something has tipped the balance. What, I don't know. However, if it required the summoning of the two so-called 'Lost Seals', it has to be something major."
He stopped and turned to Tharos. "Well? Have I answered enough to convince you?"
"More or less. I'm not convinced that it was necessary, but on the off chance that it is, I will let them live." He turned toward Aidan and me. "However, if either of you loses control, make no mistake. I will stop you." He turned back to Aero. "Contact me as soon as you're done with them. I'll be on the Prometheus."
"Of course. I estimate at least two weeks. I'll send status reports to Prometheus at the end of every seven-day period."
"Good. I'll be waiting." He pulled a small crystal disk from a pocket and tapped its center. "Prometheus, bring me home." He glowed slightly and vanished.
"Prometheus decloaking 5 kilometers portside." A feminine voice said from a speaker in the corner of the room.
"Thank you, Adraxis." Aero said. "And before you ask, Adraxis is the ship's main computer. Very advanced AI, so watch what you say about her."
"Prometheus breaking orbit. Projected course takes it to 0985X3782"
"What? But that's the…Oh. Of course. Just ignore it unless something crazy happens."
"Confirmed."
"Well then, now that that's over, Ryu, training for you begins at 0800 tomorrow morning. Aidan, same time the next day. I'll be working the two of you hard, but you're going to need all the time we've got. For now, just eat and have Adraxis show you to your rooms. Anything else that you need, just ask her." He rose and left the room.
Drake: Sorry. I had to put all the words in this one. The interesting stuff starts up again next time. More on Aidan's history, and the beginning of their training. Oh, and if anyone's interested, I could do a side-story about Tharos' past.