Part Five: The Future Approaches

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: The author is owner of all plots and whatnot, but characters are borrowed and used without permission. Also, parts of the plot are borrowed as well. Digimon belongs to Toei Animation and some other people in Japan, not me!!

Bakemon were slow, somewhat dimwitted digimon, though when they were roused they could be efficient destroyers. Even when called out to attack, however, they were no match for Shurimon's speed. He moved so quickly that human eyes could hardly follow him. Miyako had difficulty seeing her partner even when he stood still, mostly because of the darkness in the air. Her vision was clouded by the magic that she saw. Knowing that the center of a battle is not the wisest place to be when one's vision is compromised, she moved closer toward the large white blur that she knew to be the wagon.

Shurimon, with Wizarmon's help, was quickly defeating the Bakemon, and those that were not defeated retreated into the dark trees that lined the road, disappearing. Sensing Miyako's distress, Shurimon de-evolved and hurried to his partner the moment the Bakemon were gone. "Miyako – are you hurt?" he asked.

Miyako shook her head, blinking at the brownish-red blur that was her partner. "No," she said. "I just can't see!"

Hitoshi emerged from the wagon now that it was safe. "Can't see?" he echoed dumbly.

"The magic – it's everywhere. I can't see," Miyako complained, hoping that the blur she was facing now was Hitoshi. Her eyes began to hurt from having to strain, and she shut them, feeling a bit of relief then. "I need to go back to the palace – I need to warn Hikari...."

"How will you travel if you cannot see?" Hitoshi interrupted. "You want to turn and go back now, when we have almost reached our destination?" He took her arm, slowly leading her back to the wagon. When they reached it, Miyako lifted herself on to the back of the cart to sit. She forced her eyes open a moment, but saw only the dim blur of trees in the distance, and the swirling darkness of magic nearby. She shut them immediately again, groaning her distress.

Wizarmon had been quiet, rustling amongst his things in the back of the cart. Now, he moved forward, pushing past Hitoshi. "Open your eyes," he said. When she didn't immediately do so, he added: "I have something that may help you. Open them."

Miyako did so, reluctantly, seeing only a blur where she knew Wizarmon to be. Suddenly, he came into focus, and then the rest of her vision did as well. The darkness did not recede, but it wasn't there. For a moment, Miyako felt confused. The world looked odd and dull to her, the colors muted, and she was uncertain why.

Wizarmon stepped back. "It may take some adjustment," he said then. "The spectacles give the sight to those who do not have it. I thought that it might do the reverse as well."

She reached up, touching her face and the metal frames now resting on her nose. "Everything looks – odd," she said hesitantly.

"How long have you been able to see the magic?" he questioned, and Miyako thought.

"A few months, I think," she answered, trying to recall time when her mind felt so confused. "Yes, it was the end of summer, and now it's nearly the end of winter. Can it have been so long?" She turned toward Hawkmon, questioning. He nodded, confirming her mental calculations.

Wizarmon nodded sagely. "Two seasons of a certain way of seeing and your eyes become used to it," he answered. "You have forgotten how the world looks without magic. The spectacles you wear are supposed to be a temporary measure for those who wish to see magic and cannot. They only work for those who possess the magic.

"Once, many years before you were born, those spectacles were common. It was easy to tell a spell-caster by the glasses he wore. Nowadays, they are difficult to find. The ones you wear now are a relic from a time long past. I have no use for them, and I thought that perhaps they might do the opposite for you. Be careful when you use them, however, and do not use them too often."

Miyako removed the frames from her face for a moment and peered at them closely, squinting through the magic. "I don't understand – they stopped making them? Why?"

"There was only one wizard who once made them if I remember correctly," Wizarmon answered. He was silent for a moment, thinking. "I cannot tell you why they are no longer common or even why I have them in my possession. I caution you, milady; if you wear them too often you may lose the sight, and that is not a skill I would wish to relinquish if I had it."

She replaced the frames so that she could better see, and nodded her understanding. "I'll have to ask Koushiro about these," she decided. "He might know more." She turned and looked toward the sky. Although she could still see that it was covered with dense, thick clouds, it didn't seem quite as dark as it had when magic had clouded her eyes. She turned to Hawkmon. "Have you strength for another evolution?"

"Why?" Hitoshi put in. "The danger is passed."

Miyako nodded. "For now. I don't doubt that it will return." She sighed. "I am not the Chosen they seek, but I know who is, and I must go and warn that Chosen that evil comes searching for them. I must go back to the palace." She turned in the direction of Ichijouji Manor, sighing.

"So close," Hawkmon said, sighing. "And yet so far. I have strength for the journey."

Miyako turned to Hitoshi. "I need you to go in my place, if you can," she said. "Tell Lady Ichijouji that I am well, but I must go back to the palace. Tell Lady Jun that her brother is in no danger, lest she worry, and that he will come as soon as he can. Can you do that, or should I write it down?"

Hitoshi repeated the message back, nodding. "I will go if Wizarmon will agree to carry me the rest of the way," he answered.

"Over here!" V-mon called, waving his arms.

Daisuke was examining the ground some distance from the carriage. He pointed to a specific spot as the others approached. "See that?"

Yamato bent over and squinted at the mark he was pointing to. "No," he answered. "What's it supposed to be?"

Hikari, however, was pleased with the discovery. "It's Hawkmon," she said. "They came this way."

"Most of the ground is a sea of mud here, now," Daisuke noted, gesturing to the rest of the forest floor. "Even the path. When Miyako left the carriage, it was probably mostly snow, all melted now, and so any footprints they might have left would have been in snow, and gone. Except for this one, which is most definitely Hawkmon's."

"How are we going to be able to follow the trail of a bird-digimon?" Yamato questioned pessimistically. "Hawkmon probably flew most of the journey to...wherever they were going. Where were they headed? The palace is back that way," he gestured with one waving arm. "Did they hope to walk all the way to Ichijouji?"

"That's an awfully long trek," V-mon observed, frowning.

"Maybe," Hikari put in, answering Yamato's question. "Then again, maybe they were only walking to a place where they might get a ride – a nearby village." She turned to Yamato. "Have we a map?"

The displaced villagers were returning to their homes, pleased with the warm spell of weather. Taichi, however, was concerned, for reasons that he could not easily explain. Iori, skeptical of the observation of the clouds, was nonetheless forced to admit that the strange, warm weather was cause for worry, especially when the snow had begun again.

While the oddity of the situation was easy to grasp, what the strange weather patterns meant for the future was not. Koushiro was busy searching through endless books of weather-magic, wondering if there was perhaps a prophecy contained within his books that related to weather. A dozen wizards helped him, pouring through books endlessly.

Jyou was relieved – warm weather meant no more frostbite, although it was certain to bring an influx of colds. He set his staff to work immediately reading up on the recommended cures and treatments for spring colds, and searching out herbs that were known to work.

For Mimi, springtime weather meant a return to springtime clothes, and this meant that a great deal of work was to be made for any seamstresses and tailors, for she insisted that new clothes were an absolute necessity.

Taichi left Mimi to Sora, hoping that he would not again be tormented with endless talks of flowers. He hoped that she would be enough to protect him from the silliest of costumes, and wondered if allowing Hikari to leave had been the best decision.

It was a tiny, modest village, poor, but not so poor that it could not provide for the safety of its residents in during cold winter storms. It was nestled, quite snugly, in a valley. On the western side of the valley was a plateau, and at the top of this was a giant manor in which the Lord and his family lived – or at least, had lived, surrounded by green fields that provided food for most of the village. Then, the Lady had died and his children had been called elsewhere, and so now it was only the Lord himself, hidden in the dark house, alone with his grief. On the eastern side of the valley was a river, a gentle flowing stream which began in the eastern hills, meandered along the edge of the village and then deposited its waters in a lake just a half-day's walk south of the village. Another stream ran from the plateau to join with the lake waters.

A single bridge crossed the stream at the edge of the village, close to the foot of the eastern hills. The only thing on the eastern side of the stream was an imposing, frightening building with bars on its windows and a strong guard of soldiers. This was the prison, and the villagers mostly stayed away from it and tried to pretend it didn't exist.

Since the death (or at least disappearance) of the old King, the prison had been emptied of many of the prisoners that had languished near death within its walls. They were released into the world, freed to return to their families, but before that, there had been one mysterious stranger that had freed them on his own. He was gone now, and most believed it was because that job no longer needed to be done.

This was mostly true, but it was not the whole reason.

A single figure appeared near the foot of the eastern hills. It was warmer, but he still wore a warm, dark cloak that covered him entirely. In the shade of the hills and the slowly sinking sun, he looked like a shadow and nothing more.

Only a small creature, the tiny green caterpillar-digimon that trailed him, confirmed that he existed in the light and not only in shadow. It scuttled after him, concerned, but pleased to be in the world once more, pleased that it had returned to this village.

"Why have I come back here?" the shadow-figure questioned. He stood on the edge of the stream bank, looking over the village. A short distance away, three boys stood on the grass, fishing lines dangling into the water.

"Where else is there to go?" the caterpillar questioned, looking toward the boys. For a long moment there was silence, and then the figure emerged from the shadows and walked slowly along the grass.

The waters of the stream were fast-moving, an unusual occurrence brought on by the recent blizzard, but it was shallow and narrow, and the boys could see him from their spot. They paused, staring in astonishment, for no one entered the village from the eastern hills. Two of the boys might have been frightened, might have suddenly remembered they had something important to do, because they hurried off, leaving their poles and lines in the muddy stream banks.

The third boy might have been bold, might have just been too frightened to move. He stood motionless on the edge of the stream and watched as the stranger walked along the edge.

At first the figure seemed not to notice him, or anything else around him, and then it was directly across the water from where the boy stood. It turned and faced him.

The hood of his cloak was far too large, for the figure's face was almost invisible behind it. For a long time there was no noise but the running water beneath them, and the boy began to wonder if the figure was a ghost or some other being not empowered with speech.

Then, as though it had heard his thoughts and wished to prove him wrong, the figure spoke, its voice deep, but quiet and soft, as though it were gentle and breakable. The boy was so astonished by the sound of the voice that he almost forgot to pay attention to the words being spoken, and grasped only the last one: "You."

The boy opened his mouth to answer the question, but he didn't know what it had been. "I - ," he said, and then said nothing else, just stood with his mouth agape.

The figure tried again, and this time the boy endeavored to listen to the words. "Who are you?" the figure asked.

"Who am I?" the boy questioned. "I – I," he stammered for a moment, then stopped, gathered his courage, and answered: "I am called Shijo."

There was silence, and the figure turned to look at the green caterpillar that had followed him from the hills. He nodded, as though accepting this information.

"Who are you?" the boy asked when he had gathered his courage again.

Again, there was silence, and then the figure replied: "I'm not certain."

Takeru was standing on the edge of a balcony, peering out at the ominous clouds, when he spotted the great, large, bird soar in. For a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating, and then he recognized it as Holsmon.

A few moments later he was down on the grounds, pushing his way through a crowd of onlookers that had gathered to watch the giant bird digimon land. "Miyako!" he shouted, hoping to get her attention. Holsmon had de-evolved, and he looked exhausted.

Miyako turned her head toward the familiar voice and waved him closer. Takeru pushed through the crowd and made his way to her in the center. A thousand questions and words were on the tip of his tongue, but she spoke first and asked what he never expected: "Where's Hikari?"

"Hikari?" Takeru asked, stopping in his tracks a few steps away from her. "She wasn't with you?"

Miyako gave him a look that plainly said that she thought he was crazy. The crowd was slowly dispersing. She took the tired Hawkmon in her arms and walked through those that remained. Takeru followed her inside the palace, and it wasn't until they were alone in the hall that she stopped to ask him what he meant. "Why would Hikari be with me?"

It was warm, but not that warm, and yet Takeru began to feel hot and sweaty. Slowly, he began to explain about the blizzard and the concern and the lack of news and Daisuke's determination to go and seek her out. When he'd finished, Miyako had turned slightly pale.

The wagon had resumed rolling and Daisuke had resumed his reading. The afternoon still lay ahead of them, and they had far to travel. After close examination of the map, they had concluded the direction Miyako was likely to have taken, and the village she was likely to have headed for. With any luck, they would meet her on the path if she had not yet arrived.

Herein lie Prophecies of the Future:

The Prophecy of the Children. In times to come, far beyond the times of now in which this prophecy was Seen and afterward Written here, there will arise to power Children who may bring about the Demise of one of the Faithful. They are to be feared, and if this warning is not heeded, more will thus Perish.

The wagon jolted suddenly to a stop, for the Monochromon had once more decided to hesitate. Daisuke let the book fall from his grasp and went to help push.

"What's happened?" Takeru wanted to know, but Miyako didn't answer. For a few moments she stood still, looking weakened and concerned, and then she shook her head.

"I need to speak to Taichi," she said then, and took off at a fast walk. Takeru followed, hurriedly.

"This morning he was meeting with the village planners," he reported, trying his best to keep up. "This afternoon, I'm not sure. If it's about Hikari, he'll make time, that's for certain. Miyako? Wait!"

Miyako paid no attention to him however, and only stopped at the top of the staircase she'd just climbed – leaving Takeru breathless – when Sora and Mimi crossed her path, carrying armloads of fabric, trailed by servants and seamstresses carrying armloads more. Sora stopped in her tracks as though she'd seen a ghost.

"Miyako – when did you - ?"

"Just now," she answered before Sora had a chance to finish her sentence. "I need to speak to Taichi, right away. Where can I find him?"

Mimi pointed wordlessly down the hall, and Sora said, "In his room, I believe. What's happened?"

Miyako was already past her and down the hall. Takeru, having just regained his breath, hurried after her. Mimi and Sora both apologetically handed their loads to the women following them and quickly followed.

Iori had just emerged from the room in question, a pile of papers filling his arms. He would have been barreled over if Sora didn't have the foresight to shout a warning to Miyako that he was there. She stopped, luckily, just in time.

"I'm sorry Iori. It's urgent – is he free?"

Iori didn't usually hurry, no matter how flustered Miyako insisted on being. He set the pile of papers down on a nearby chair and sighed. "For the next half hour, I believe so," he answered. "I think he's watching the clouds at the moment, but if it's serious he will tear himself away. You've returned, I see."

"Yes," Miyako answered, impatient. "It's very serious, Iori. I'm going to go in if you don't have a problem with that."

Iori sighed. "No, no problem. Barge on through."

Miyako took a moment to collect herself and prove him wrong, and then walked through the door in her most dignified manner . Takeru, Mimi, Sora, and, because he had to admit he was curious, Iori, followed her.

Taichi was indeed observing the clouds and frowning at them. Despite the warm weather a few more snowflakes had fallen in the last hour, and this worried him. He heard the door open and the parade of footsteps follow through and turned from his window.

The sight of Miyako was enough so that Taichi could see something was wrong. She looked tired, determined, pale, and somewhat frightened. Her dress was torn, muddy, and mostly ruined. Exercising an extreme amount of patience, he said "Sit," and then ordered that some food and drink be brought.

Jyou came as soon as he was called, as did Koushiro. Miyako drank the water that was brought, but put off the food until after she'd told what she had to tell.

The Prophecy of Ultimate Power: In times to come, far beyond the times of now in which this prophecy was Seen and afterward Written here on this page, two of the Children as Seen in the previous Prophecy will join despite past differences. One will be a traitor to our cause as well as theirs, the other our Enemy from the beginning. The joining will lead to the Banishment and perhaps the Demise of Our Master. Beware!

The carriage jolted to a halt, and one of the Monochromon whined in a way that sounded like it was motivated by fear. Gabumon sniffed the air, Tailmon's ears stood again on edge. V-mon blinked awake.

"I smell Bakemon again," Gabumon reported. "They're closer, now."

When Miyako finished speaking, she had expected that a barrage of questions would follow, but there was only a tense silence that seemed to stretch forever before Taichi spoke.

"Can you find her?" he asked, directing the question toward both Koushiro and Miyako.

"I can try to," Miyako answered. "I have the strength for it, I can cast the wind spell and seek her out."

"No," Koushiro said then. "You need rest, Miyako, or you'll be exhausted. You ought to go and see your sister, let her know you are well. I can cast a spell to search."

"I'll go to her, as soon as you do," Takeru volunteered. "Pegasmon is fast, I'll reach her quickly."

Taichi nodded. "Go then, and hurry. I think we might not have much time. Koushiro, I want you to go with Takeru. We don't need to lose anyone else right now. Hurry."

No sooner had Gabumon spoken than the air shimmered and six of the ghostly digimon appeared from nowhere. For a long moment there was silence. The Bakemon made no move to attack. The Monochromon were visibly distressed, and began to moan and whine. They could feel the air of death that surrounded the ghosts. Yamato, Daisuke, and Hikari each waited, their digimon prepared to defend at a moment's notice.

Yamato had his hand hovering over his digivice, clipped to his belt just beside his sword hilt. He'd not attempted evolution since the last time, when Gabumon had been unable to evolve due to the dark towers, but he hoped it was still possible. Human weapons would be useless against ghosts.

The air shimmered once more, and in the center of the Bakemon appeared another ghost digimon. It hovered in midair at the same height of the Bakemon, but carried a massive scythe. It had no arms, but held the handle of the scythe under one sleeve. Attached to the handle was a long chain, and at the opposite end was a heavy metal ball. A red-colored hood and cape covered its head and two glowing green eyes peered out from the darkness within.

"I am Phantomon," the digimon stated in a smooth, hoarse voice. "My master seeks the Child with the power of Light." With its free arm, the ghost held out a crest with the symbol of Hikari engraved in its pink surface.

"How did you get that?" Tailmon demanded.

"What does your master want with me?" Hikari questioned. She climbed down from the wagon, stepping forward so that she might address the ghost directly.

The Bakemon began to laugh softly, a creepy noise that broke the silence of the road and made any living creature nearby shiver or hide in fear. Phantomon lifted his scythe high and they silenced themselves.

"What my master wants is my master's concern," Phantomon replied when the quiet had resumed. "Will you come willingly?"

Tailmon's eyes had never left the ghosts. She let out a low hiss, her distrust of the undead quite apparent.

Hikari shook her head, holding her digivice in her hand. "I will not come," she answered, "and you will not take me. Digimental up!"

Her partner had never been as pleased about an evolution as this one. "Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!"

"I will carry out my orders," Phantomon answered simply, his voice calm and smooth. "Attack!"

The Bakemon moved forward.

"Let's go, V-mon! Digimental up!"

"I'm ready! V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!"

Yamato chanced a glance toward Gabumon, who nodded his assent quietly. "Gabumon evolve!" he called. "Garurumon!"

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon shouted, setting one Bakemon aflame. It seemed indifferent to the fire.

"Hell's Hand!" A monstrous hand appeared from somewhere underneath the ghost's tattered rags. Taken by surprise, Fladramon was flung across the clearing and into the side of the wagon, breaking the frame and scattering the items inside. The book Daisuke had been studying landed in the snow at the edge of the path.

"Fladramon!" Daisuke shouted, running for the wagon. He'd been prepared to take shelter behind it, but that appeared to be a fairly useless defense now.

"That's what you call an attack?" Fladramon boasted, extracting himself from the wreckage. "Fire Rocket!" he shouted again. The Bakemon, already aflame, again seemed mostly unconcerned with the flames but, its raggedy sheet was burning brightly, and it silently deleted.

Garurumon leapt in front of his partner, shielding the defenseless from the Bakemon approach. "Fox Fire!" he called, but, like Fladramon's attack moments earlier, it had little effect. Undaunted, Garurumon resorted to simply swinging his massive paws, clearing the Bakemon away. The were sent, flinging, into the trees and each other. A few deleted, but most did not.

"Hikari, get to safety," Yamato shouted, turning away from the battle.

"Safety where?" Hikari asked. Nefertimon was ready, waiting for her to climb aboard. "There's no place around!"

"Come," the winged digimon said. "Home."

Hikari hesitated, turned back to view the battle. Phantomon was slowly moving closer to where she stood, showing no fear of any of the others.

Fladramon had dived back into battle, arms and fists flying, fire blazing around as he moved. Daisuke turned his gaze toward the muddy ground, where the book lay open. It had been flung some distance away from where he stood. He wondered if he ought to risk going for it.

As he thought, Phantomon's words returned to him. 'My master seeks the Child with the power of Light.'

Something about those words and the way they were spoken triggered a memory somewhere in the depths of his mind – but a memory of what? Uncertain of why, Daisuke thought that the book must have something to do with the memory. He crept along the backside of the half-smashed wagon.

"I – I don't want to leave you both here," Hikari said. "I can fight...."

The book was only a few steps from the edge of the carriage. Daisuke locked his eyes on the target, ready to lunge. He would have to move fast, and he would have to be careful.

"Hikari, he's after you," Yamato replied. "Not either one of us. Go, get to safety, and we'll follow you after you've gone. You'll be safer at the palace than here."

With a hurried dash, turn, and dash, Daisuke grabbed the book and returned to his sanctuary behind the wagon. He clutched the open book to his chest, breathing heavily.

He pulled the volume away so that he might read what was inscribed there.

"But...," Hikari protested. She turned her eyes again. Phantomon was closer, now. She turned her eyes the other direction.

Daisuke's eyes were locked on the page. As he read, his expression changed from mild curiosity to understanding, and then to shock. He had found what he had been searching for.

"Go!" Yamato shouted, directing his frustration both at his partner and at Hikari, who was still hesitating climbing on to Nefertimon.

Daisuke ripped the page he'd been reading from the book and thrust it at Hikari. "Take this," he said. "Take this and go. It's not safe for you here, listen to him."

Still she hesitated. "I don't want to leave you here!" she retorted, and looked at the paper. "What is this?"

"You'll need it. Listen, you'll have six days. Six days. Don't forget."

"What? Six days for what?" Hikari echoed dully. She shook her head as though to clear it. "I'm not going."

"You have to!" he answered, half-shouting himself now. "Go!"

Phantomon had moved closer. Garurumon prepared himself, then shouted: "Fox Fire!"

The blue flames surrounded the ghostly reaper, then faded. Phantomon would have been smiling had he had the ability. Instead, the Bakemon were laughing, gleefully cackling and sniggering riotously.

"Soul Chopper," Phantomon intoned serenely, waving the blade of his scythe. Now it was Garurumon that went flying, crashing into a grove of trees and de-evolving in a blaze of white light.

Gabumon sat up, holding his head and moaning painfully.

Yamato's face went pale. He turned to face Hikari, his eyes wide. "For the last time, Hikari, go!" he said, and then turned, removing his sword from the space at his belt. He shouted and lunged for Phantomon, who effortlessly moved his scythe to block the sharp blade.

Reluctantly, Hikari did as she had been told, climbing aboard her partner's back.

"You are of no concern to me, either of you," Phantomon mumbled. He swung his scythe, the chain attached to the end flying wildly. Yamato leapt backward, dodging the attack, but the chain was longer than he'd thought. It swung again, knocking him off his feet and to the ground. He sat down, hard, and then the back swing crashed into his head, knocking him out.

Nefertimon was already hovering a few feet above ground, preparing to depart. Hikari repressed the urge to cry out as they slowly moved higher.

Before any other action could be taken on the ground, a tall flame arose, suddenly, from the ground beside Phantomon. A figure was visible within the fire, and then the flames were gone, leaving only the figure, a tall being dressed in a black cloak.

Hikari held tight as Nefertimon rose into the air, trying not to turn back, trying to urge her partner to hurry while at the same time trying to see what was happening below. Something about the way that Daisuke and Yamato had urged her to leave made her feel worried and terribly afraid, though she couldn't explain why.

She needn't have hurried away, however, for the new visitor paid no attention to her departure. As soon as it appeared, Phantomon moved away from the others. Hikari caught a glimpse of Yamato pulling himself groggily to his feet and Daisuke glancing up to meet her eyes and see that she was indeed escaping.

Then, the figure in the dark cloak raised an arm and the clearing became invisible to Hikari through tall, leaping flames.

more soon, I promise!!