Enter The Light
Part Six: The Evil is Here
Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Surprisingly, none of these characters belong to me. I didn't create them and I cannot take credit for them. I'm only using them as part of my own sick creation because I am a sick, strange person. There, the truth is out. The plot, however, is mine, all mine, and if you sue me or steal the plot from me, you'll regret it. So there.
"This way?" Takeru echoed. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely certain," Koushiro replied over the sound of the roaring wind.
Takeru clutched tightly to his partner and shivered in the cold. Despite the warming weather, the temperature above the tree line was still lower than the ground. He pulled his warm hat over his ears tighter with one hand, never loosening his grip.
Below, the roads were muddy, the ground was muddy, and quickly melting snow had formed hundreds of large puddles. Much of the forest was reduced to a muddy swampland. In a few spots, Takeru could make out carriages lodged in the mud, abandoned by passengers and drivers who had decided walking would be more efficient. Although the sun had begun to poke out from behind the dark clouds, the area felt dark and dismal.
Takeru used his free hand to remove his digivice from the pocket of his coat, but it was making no noise and showing no sign of any other Chosen in the area. Koushiro, however, seemed to be quite certain of his path over the trees, guided by whatever spell he had performed.
"I'm going to fly closer to the ground," Koushiro called suddenly, freeing Takeru from his reverie. "Follow me, and keep your eyes open. We're close, I can feel it." He signaled to Kabuterimon, and the giant insect began a quick descent toward the ground.
"Do you feel anything?" Takeru asked his partner. "I feel a strange sense of apprehension, but that's all."
"I don't feel anything odd," Pegasmon replied. "Remember, though, that neither of us has magic. Trust the wizard."
Takeru pondered this as the ground rushed closer to him.
They landed soon after, and their partners de-evolved and fluttered behind them as they waded through the mud.
Takeru became aware of an odd smell in the air. "Do you smell something burning?" he asked aloud.
Patamon sniffed the air. "Yeah…smells like trees, or maybe grass burning. Or burnt."
Tentomon agreed. "It smells as though the burning has completed. Only a faint stench is left." He turned to the wizard. "Do you think this has something to do with what we are searching for?"
"No doubt in my mind," Koushiro answered. He paused, sniffing. "Can you tell which way it's coming from?"
For a few moments, the only sound heard was of sniffing noses. Each took a direction and wandered off alone for a few steps, sniffing. "Smells like this way!" Takeru called back after a moment, and they hastened to follow him.
The flames had ended, though the smell of burnt wood remained in the air. Yamato rubbed the back of his head as he surveyed the clearing he now found himself within and tried to remember what had happened. There was mud beneath him and mud covering most of him. He scratched his head and found that there was mud in his hair as well.
Gabumon was pulling himself out of a mud bank that had once been a pile of snow. He, too, was covered in muck and mire, and looked exhausted. "Did we get them?" he wondered vaguely.
Yamato shook his head. "I don't think so, but they're gone anyway. Why though?" Suddenly, a moment of panic rushed through his brain. "What if they got what they were after? What if they got Hikari? Hikari!"
"I think I remember you telling her to run away," Gabumon reminded his partner as he rubbed the muck from his eyes. "She might have gone far enough away that she can no longer hear you."
Yamato considered this for a moment. "We ought to go after her then," he decided. "Daisuke!"
There was no answer to this summons, either. Thoroughly frustrated and sporting a rather large bruise on the back of his head, Yamato kicked the mud, sending some of it flying, but mostly just resulting in his boot being stuck.
"I hear footsteps," Gabumon reported. "At least, I think I do. There might be mud in my ears."
Yamato paused his mental cursing and listened. Surely enough, the sound of approaching footsteps, squishing in the mud, could be heard coming slowly closer. He reached instinctively for the sword still at his waist, but did not unsheathe it yet.
"Not a sound," he whispered softly, more to himself than his partner. Gabumon squinted past the burnt stalks that remained of the trees at the edge of the clearing.
"Hikari! Daisuke! Yamato!" called a voice that was recognizable.
"We're getting closer, I'm certain of it," said another voice, equally recognizable.
Yamato relaxed his stance. "Takeru! Koushiro!" he called out.
Some distance from where she had left the fire, Nefertimon stopped and de-evolved, too tired to fly much farther. They were still some distance from the castle, where Hikari was sure she must go.
There wasn't any where else to go, was there?
They rested near a small, fast-flowing stream, fed by melting snow, cold and clean. Hikari drank and splashed water on her face, saying nothing. Tailmon rested on a large, dry rock, one ear open for the sounds of approaching danger, one eye on her partner.
Hikari sat beside her after a moment. "Do you think they're dead?" she asked, finally.
There was a long silence in which Tailmon did not reply. "It may be," she answered. Her large blue eyes sought out Hikari's, and she looked deeply within them. "Do you feel it to be true? What does your instinct tell you?"
"I don't know," she returned. "Part of me thinks that they must be; there's no way to escape it. But I don't want it to be, and I also think that if there was a way, then Yamato and Daisuke would find it. Which is true?"
"I don't know," Tailmon answered, sighing. "I can't evolve again today. I'm too tired. I guess this means we walk home?"
Yamato had finished his retelling of all he was able to recall. He sat down in the mud, not minding it because he was already quite muddy, and rubbed his head wearily. "I woke up covered in mud, everyone disappeared."
Koushiro had begun weaving his next spell before Yamato had finished his tale, and he now sat on a mostly-dry rock in a trance-like state, though for what purpose none of the others could correctly discern.
Takeru put a hand on his older brother's shoulder. "Sit and rest," he told him. "I'll search for footprints – some sort of sign. Koushiro will – use magic. You're hurt." From the small pack of supplies he carried on his back, he removed a jug of water and offered it to Yamato. "Drink some."
Yamato drank the water thirstily, and then splashed some on his face so that his eyes were no longer caked with mud. "I don't think you'll find footprints," he stated. "They arrived out of nowhere, surely by way of magic – probably dark and evil magic if there is such a thing. That leaves little evidence, and no footprints."
"It leaves evidence," Koushiro stated, not opening his eyes. "It will be very difficult to detect, however, even with magic, and especially without magical sight."
Takeru sat on a mostly dry rock, drinking a sip of water from the canteen Yamato passed back to him. "Even if there were footprints, there's so much mud here, and there has been too much traffic already." He sighed. "What now?"
Miyako was clean, but hardly relaxed, despite the hot bath she'd taken to rest. She couldn't think of sleeping, even though the sun was slowly sinking into the sky in the late afternoon. She paced around her sister's bedroom, too concerned for Hikari to even sit. She paced between the wide windows with a clear view of the road to the palace, and the door, clamping down on the impulse to head out and seek out the missing on her own.
"Relax," Momoe told her. "You're exhausted, and you need your rest. If you won't sleep, at least sit down. I'm tired simply watching you."
Reluctantly, Miyako sank into a large armchair, not willing to admit, even to herself, that the comfortable cushions made her feel tired and exhausted. "I hope she's all right," she said for the thousandth time. "I hope they're all right."
"I'm sure that everyone is fine," Momoe answered reassuringly once more. "You cannot help them if you are as exhausted as you are, Miyako. Rest."
There was a light tap on the outer door, and it opened before Miyako had a chance to rise to her feet. Sora entered, treading softly as though she were afraid to make a noise. When she caught Miyako's gaze, she shook her head. "There's been no word. Nothing at all, yet. I don't expect there will be until tomorrow, so there's no use all of us staying awake all night."
Miyako sighed heavily and sank deeper into the cushioned chair, eyes drooping.
The sky had grown oppressively dark once more, and though it was only late afternoon it was difficult to see in the dark. Hikari could feel the squishy mud grow hard and crunchy with ice beneath her feet as she walked, ever heading in the direction she was mostly certain home lay. It was colder now, and she shivered, even under the warm cloak and scarf. They were wet from the snow and dirty from the mud, which caked, hard and cold. It wouldn't be long before the damp clothes froze to her skin.
"We ought to stop," Tailmon said for perhaps the thousandth time, but Hikari shook her head.
"I don't know how to build a fire very well, and even if I could, the ground is too wet and cold and there isn't any dry wood. We've got to keep walking; it's our only hope of staying warm."
Her partner sighed, looking up at the cloud-covered sky. The clouds seemed darker than they should, or was it later than they thought? A movement flashed overhead, catching her eyes. Tailmon paused in her steps and stared for a long moment, not daring to blink. Had it been something or only a trick of the wind?
Hikari had traveled a few steps beyond her partner. Ahead, she saw a clearing between the trees, and a space she thought might be the road. It was difficult to see in the dim light, though, and she wished for a candle or a torch or a lantern to guide her way.
Something else distracted Tailmon, but this time it was not a movement but a sound, a faint whisper of a wind, but there was no wind – not even a rustling at the top of the trees. Her ears stood stiff and tall, on the alert, every sense in her body prepared for whatever was near.
A harsh sound broke the silence of the forest – a high pitched, repetitive noise that seemed to be coming from nearby. For a moment, Hikari panicked, startled at the noise, but then she recognized it as the sound of her digivice, and reached for the small object within the pocket of her skirt.
Tailmon heard the sound of footsteps approaching quickly – large, padded footsteps – but she did not sense danger. The sound of the wind overhead once more tickled the edge of her ears, though she neither saw nor felt the breeze.
"Hikari!" came a shout from within the forest, and she turned, expecting not what she saw: Yamato, astride Garurumon, bounding lightly through the snow – the cause of the approaching footsteps. A moment later came the source of the wind-noise – Takeru, riding Pegasmon, descending from the skies.
"Thank goodness you're all right," Yamato was saying amidst the confusion. "I hate to think – couldn't even fathom the possibility…." The rest of his sentenced trailed off into nothingness, but the meaning was inescapable.
Takeru had few words, only a strong embrace and a wide smile. "Koushiro will be on his way soon, you'll see."
"And Miyako? Is she all right, then?" Tailmon asked.
"Safe and warm at the palace. Where we should be, too," Yamato answered. "Once Koushiro has arrived."
Hikari, who hadn't yet spoken, said then: "Where is Daisuke?"
Try as she might, and tired as she was, Miyako could not sleep. She ate and bathed, a nice hot bath, and then, at her sister's urging, she laid down in bed, but though her eyes closed, she didn't sleep. The excitement of the day had been tiring, but relaxing was difficult.
She arose again and paced back and forth from her bed to the door of her room, but even this didn't calm her nerves. Finally, she reached for a book from the pile of magic spell-books Koushiro had lent her, and this turned her mind toward the dark-magic book Daisuke had been given. What was contained within that book, and where was it now?
There was a light tap at the door and then it opened, and Sora peered around. Miyako had curled herself within warm blankets, but the candle near her bed was lit and the fire still blazing. She had a book on her lap, but had not yet opened it.
"Can't sleep?"
The young spell-caster shook her head solemnly. "No," she answered flatly, and opened the book. "I'm tired. I've tried to sleep, and I've failed. I laid down with my eyes shut and nothing happened."
Sora nodded sympathetically and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you searching for a sleep spell?" she questioned.
"No," Miyako answered. "I'm not sure I've the energy for magic now." She glanced toward Hawkmon, who rolled over in his sleep, snoring softly. "I was hoping to find something boring enough to put me to sleep."
A light chuckle was Sora's response. For a moment there was silence, and then the elder chosen wondered: "Is there something bothering you, Miyako?"
She sighed and shut the unread book. "I wish I could have gone instead of Koushiro. I feel so useless here. I ought to be helping. It's my fault Hikari is in danger, isn't it?"
"It's not your fault," Sora contradicted. "You did what needed be done, and you can hardly be responsible for either the weather or whatever evil is after her." She shivered and stood up from the bed, wrapping her arms about her. "I hope…," she started to say, and then stopped, turning to peer out the window.
After a long moment, Miyako said: "The clouds are so dark and the evil grows stronger, I can feel it."
Sora nodded. "I can feel it, too, even without the magic," she agreed. "What could it want with Hikari?"
'I know. It wants the light,' Miyako thought to herself, but said nothing, only reopened the book.
There was a long, terrifying silence.
"Where is he?" Hikari demanded, her voice wavering only slightly, only discernible to the most alert listener.
Yamato glanced toward his brother, who shook his head. "I don't know," the elder finally answered, following his words with a sigh. "I awoke, and he was gone."
There was another terrifying silence. "He has to be somewhere," Hikari said, finally. "If he's not with you, then where is he?"
"I don't know," Yamato repeated.
Hikari bit her lower lip.
"He's fine," Takeru said quickly, lest chaos break out. "I'm sure he's fine. Daisuke can take care of himself; you know that, I know that, everyone knows that. He's probably gone to seek shelter somewhere, and in a few days, he'll make his way back to the palace." He glanced toward the others, his eyes daring them to disagree.
Before anyone else could respond, a buzzing noise came from overhead, and Koushiro, riding atop Kabuterimon, landed. He noted Hikari's presence, and nodded, pleased. "Good to see you're well, Princess," he greeted. "We must go, now, before further evil arrives. Hurry!"
Hikari, somewhat reluctantly, climbed aboard Kabuterimon and took her partner with her.
It was early morning, although it was difficult to tell the time without the sun. It was dark as night, and, though warmer than usual, the snow had again begun to fall.
Hikari had not slept that night, and she looked weary and tired. She had spent the evening reading a crumpled piece of parchment that she'd clutched in her hand since she'd left Daisuke. It was the prophecy, torn from the book. No matter how she'd tried, she could make little sense of the words.
Destruction can only feed the power of the Dark Lord
The power of the Child of Light
Will destroy him,
Yet empower him.
Beware, for this power hides within an unlikely place.
Beware, for this power is well protected and well hidden.
Beware, for the bearer of the power knows not
The truth of its nature.
When the light has erupted
Six days will pass
In darkness
The sun and the sky covered by the wings of many bats
This is the hour of triumph.
Beware, for the power to destroy the Dark Lord will be found
If the Child of Light is not destroyed by the end of the six days.
Beware, for the power of Light and the power of Hope
Will join to form angels
Who will then shoot arrows
At the hearts of loved ones
And unleash a greater power.
Let not this prophecy fall into the hands of those
Who oppose the Dark Lord,
Lest it lead to his destruction.
And yet destruction is always temporary,
For all shall be reborn.
"What did he say to you before you left?" Tailmon wondered, having read over the lines for the thousandth time.
"Daisuke? He said, 'You'll have six days.' What did he mean? What does this mean?" Hikari sat down heavily on the bed and then lay down, staring upwards. "I hope he's all right," she added in a faint whisper, so quiet that even to her partner's keen ears it was barely audible.
Koushiro and Miyako spent the morning and most of the afternoon trying to make sense of the piece of parchment.
Miyako was frustrated, despite their limited success. "It does explain why they were seeking Hikari. In all likelihood, she's the Child of Light, even if she's not much of a child any longer. There's also no clue why anyone would have given this to Daisuke. To pass on to Hikari, I suppose, but why?"
"Could there be an ulterior motive?" Hawkmon wondered. "It does say that the power of light will empower this Dark Lord as well as destroy."
"Hmmm. Who is this Dark Lord?" Tentomon buzzed. "Is it Demon, or is it merely a digimon working for him?"
"Or worse...," Miyako considered. "What if the Dark Lord is above Demon? More powerful?"
There was a moment of silence as all but Koushiro, mind elsewhere, thought of this possibility.
Koushiro finally spoke: "We must consider the possibility of a defector within the ranks of darkness."
"A defector?" Miyako echoed in disbelief.
"I believe it is possible that whoever the mysterious figure was that gave the prophecy – and the entire book – to Daisuke did it with the intention of undermining the power of the Dark Lord."
"But – who? And why?"
The elder wizard shook his head gravely, folding his arms. "I cannot even begin to speculate, but it's a theory nonetheless. Still, let's try to see what other information we can gather. Perhaps a line-by-line analysis…."
"'The bearer of the power knows not the truth of its nature,'" Miyako read. "Do you think - ?"
"It matters not," Koushiro returned sharply. "The phrase describes Hikari."
"Yes, and if she knew the truth of the nature of the power…," she continued.
He sighed deeply. "…it might help her to wield it, and to defeat the darkness," he finished. "I know. Miyako, we won't have this conversation. It won't lead to anything."
"Why won't it? Surely preventing a Dark Lord is reason enough to reveal - ."
"In my mind as well, but not in the mind of the Queen and not in the mind of the Wizards Council. At any rate, there may not be time to consult either of them or to attempt to convince them. Could we focus?"
Miyako sighed, sulked slightly. "Of course."
Taichi was nursing a headache that had begun before dawn and, despite Sora's tea and Jyou's potions, had only waned in the slightest. The definite cause of it was not entirely clear to him, but he was able to narrow it down to one obvious factor.
That was the constant buzzing noise of conversation that had followed him about from the moment he'd awakened. Everyone in the palace was talking – mostly in high, frantic tones – about what was causing the mysterious darkness and the strange snow. Everyone who had come to the palace for any reason knew that an evil was approaching and were anxious to find what the truth was. Miyako and Koushiro had hidden themselves safely away within the wizard's basement lab where they were safe from the gossip and speculation, but Taichi had no escape from the hectic conversation.
He'd tried a few times to escape to a quiet room, but had immediately been followed by someone who'd thought it was quite necessary to get his opinion on something of great importance or to tell him something of great importance or to get permission to do something of great importance.
His head was pounding. Even Sora was of little consolation to him. Her concern for him was ordinarily comforting, but the pain only made him testy and impatient, and his mood made the pain worse.
It was with some difficulty that he succeeded in shutting and locking the door to a quiet, empty library filled with books and empty of all other people. Taichi flung himself into a cushy chair and shut his eyes, absorbing the silence. Outside, he could hear a few nervous ladies flutter through the hallway, but their conversation was muted to him and the words were unclear.
He rested his eyes for five blissful minutes before a door that he hadn't been aware of opened and Mimi poked her head around the frame.
"Oh, there you are. Thank heavens, we'd thought you were lost. Don't you know the meal will be served soon?"
Taichi bit his lower lip sharply to keep from screaming loudly – it would only have hurt his head even more, he reminded himself. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. In the dim light of the inner chamber he could see Mimi's blurry frame peering at him with concern, a candle held in one hand.
'She's only concerned,' he reminded himself. 'It wouldn't help at all to shout at her. It's not entirely her fault.'
He sighed deeply and slowly raised himself from the couch. Mimi's concerned expression deepened. "Are you all right?" she questioned. "You don't seem yourself."
Before Taichi could answer, another door, this one hidden behind a large and elaborate tapestry, opened, and another figure entered the quiet library. "Do forgive me, Lady Tachikawa," a soft, gentle voice said. "I have need to speak to my son alone."
It had been some months since the Queen had been seen by public eyes, but she looked no different than Mimi remembered. For a moment, she stood still, astonished as though she had seen a ghost. Taichi marveled at her speechlessness.
After an awkward silence, Mimi nodded, curtsied slightly, and stammered out an, "Of course, your majesty," before quickly leaving the room, visibly shaken.
Taichi shook his head in amusement. "You have saved me," he said to his mother with an amused grin, but she didn't smile in return.
"There is a grave situation occurring, Taichi. You will need much more than me to save you," she answered.
Sufficiently chastised, he nodded and sank down into the soft couch he'd been resting in. "I know," he answered, rubbing his eyes. "I guess you know they seek Hikari."
"I could hardly have missed it," the Queen replied. "The entire palace is abuzz with the news."
Taichi blinked his eyes and sighed once more. "Do you have any idea what they want with her?"
"I do," she answered, surprising her son greatly. There was a moment of silence while the Queen cast her gaze over a pile of books. Taichi waited. "Hikari has…abilities…which ordinary people can not come close to understanding," she said finally. "I believe these may be what your enemies covet."
"Abilities…," Taichi echoed vaguely. He shook his head, trying to comprehend.
"I decided it was best if, for her own safety, Hikari's abilities were kept secret from everyone – including herself. But it would appear as though the secret was not as secure as I had thought."
"What sort of abilities - ?"
The Queen shook her head dismissively and turned back to her son. "That I cannot answer for you," she answered. "It is hardly the issue at hand, either. If you seek answers, ask the wizard. He will tell you if ask. Taichi, you can not protect your sister from all dangers. It took me some time to learn that."
"Are you telling me to give her to the Dark Lord?" Taichi asked. He stood, headache forgotten for the moment. "I won't…."
She held up a hand to halt the rant before it began. "I don't expect that you will."
"Then what - ?"
"You cannot know everything before it happens," the Queen replied, a faint ghost of a smile on her face. "Hikari will be all right, you must remember that. She needs neither you nor anyone else to protect her. She will leave you, I think, and then when she returns, you must let her rest."
"Let her rest?"
"She will be quite tired," she continued, and then turned to lift aside the tapestry from behind which she had appeared. "I will leave in a few minutes – I will go to the sea. When Hikari returns, she may come there."
There. A present for you. Don't get your hopes up - I'd like to say that it won't be too long before the next chapter will be out, but I've promised that before and failed to deliver. Rather than risk being called a liar, I'll just say that it'll be out as soon as possible.
Part of the reason that this next section has taken so long to write is that I haven't been certain of how to write it. I finally decided on a certain point of view rather than another. When it's all finished (estimated completion date at this rate is, oh, about 2020…just kidding, I hope) I might write it from the other point of view, but who knows.
Ah! So busy! I've wasted far too much time already with these notes! I hope you've enjoyed this part. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing, your nice comments just make my day! Thank you all.