Enter The Light
Part Sixteen: A Discovery or Two
Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Plot mine. Story notmine. Please, don't sue. Thanks!
The room was dark, damp, and musty-smelling, with no features that could be seen by human eyes. Hikari felt cold and warm at the same time. Distantly, she could hear water dripping and then she thought she heard the rattle of a chain. She shivered and called a "hello?" through the darkness. Her voice echoed in what sounded like stone walls and an empty space and returned to her sounding frightened and afraid.
She started to walk, because it didn't seem to make sense to stand and wait for something to happen, taking small steps and moving her hands in front of her so she could feel for something before she walked into it. She'd traveled some distance before she felt cold metal at her fingertips.
It was cold and hard and when she tried she found that her fingers curved around the metal – it was, she realized, a long thin metal pole. Keeping hold of it with one hand, Hikari reached outward into space and was somehow unsurprised to find another metal pole less than an arm's length away.
She thought she could make out a shape beyond the poles, which as she kept feeling in the dark, seemed to form a square, the shape in question being in the midst of the poles. An urge began to creep into her consciousness – the urge to find out what that shape was, and to get closer to it. Almost at the same time, a thought entered her brain that would not disappear, no matter how hard she tried to push it aside (and, admittedly, she didn't try particularly hard).
It was a dream, she realized at the moment when she found herself unexpectedly on the opposite side of the metal poles, with no recollection of how she had gotten there. Hoping it was not a nightmare, and the thing she was now closer to than before was not a monster, she stepped away from the metal barrier and closer to the dark shape.
Again, the thought entered her brain, but this time it was more than a simple thought. This time it was a deeper sort of thought that felt true in some way, though she could not explain how.
She took another step closer, listening as intently as possible. "Hello?" she whispered, not daring to say anything else.
The dark shape moved, and the darkness of the room seemed to lessen. It seemed to be a human-shaped shape now, with a head and legs. It was no more than four steps away from Hikari, but she could make out no features. Instinctively, she stopped, freezing at a sudden movement. It made a noise that sounded like a low moan, but a low moan that was distinctly recognizable. It made the noise again, only this time it sounded more like a word.
Hikari took another step forward, squinting her eyes, peering through the darkness. She stretched out one arm as though it might aid her, and then she felt pain that was not her own.
It was uncertain quite how she knew it was not her own and not simply some new pain that had chosen to attack her at that moment, only that she did not recall ever having felt a pain that strong and could not figure out from where it might have come. It was not a single pain, but a thousand pains, each a thousand times more painful than anything she had felt before, throughout every part of her body.
She took a step backwards and the pain lessened. Her head spun, and she was suddenly aware of a mental sort of pain – the discomfort of one who has been trapped for quite some time and cannot get home. A revelation came to her mind that this was the pain of the person before her, though she knew not how it was that she came to feel it.
"What did they do to you?" she asked, and her voice came out as more of a moan than individual words.
"Everything and nothing," the other answered, his voice only a whisper. "Go. I won't let you be hurt, too."
She already felt the pain – so this was a moot point, but she didn't say that. She took a step forward, this time bracing herself against the onslaught. "Why don't you come, too?" she asked. "Get out of here? I know you want to, I can feel it…."
"I would," he said, and she could feel as well as hear the sigh of resignation. "I cannot. I don't have strength to break free."
She took another step forward – only two steps away now – and winced as the pain doubled in intensity. She could feel tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "Let me help you." A hoarse whisper now.
"No," he said. "You need to escape this place while you can."
Another step forward, another pause to bear the pain. Hikari could feel his emotions now almost more intensely than the physical pain. She forced her feet to move again and then was but centimeters away. She looked up, into his eyes, and saw with clarity.
"I won't leave you. I won't," she told him, and she could feel him sigh again. "I'll save you."
"I don't know if you can."
There was a long silence. Hikari let her breaths come slowly, with great effort. "Daisuke," she said with barely the strength to speak, now. "Where are you?"
"I don't know."
If Shijo had been more quiet than usual since his return, no one had noticed, just as no one had noticed that he had been gone or that they had lost eight days. Sometimes he thought he saw his mother looking at him with a questioning expression, as though she suspected something was on his mind, but she didn't approach him to ask about it.
The prison that had once menacingly stood across the river was gone, but this did not seem confusing to the villagers in any way. "They must have come during the night and demolished it," his younger brother Maigo decided. For a moment, Shijo debated, but then decided not to argue. It wasn't as though anyone, even his own family, might believe his story, even if it was the truth.
All that remained of the once sturdy building was the lower half of the walls and a lot of scattered stones. Standing on the bridge, peering at the gates – which were still standing, even though the walls on either side had fallen, Shijo wondered what he had been frightened of. It was only a building. Without the Bakemon, it was a dead, empty shell of a building.
"I wonder what happened to the people inside it," Maigo said. His partner, a small Motimon, stared with wide eyes.
Shijo had wondered the same thing himself. "The prisoners were taken out when they closed it up," he said. "But the guards remained, I'm almost certain…I wonder if they killed them?"
"Why would they do that?" Maigo wanted to know, shivering.
"Not sure." Cautiously, Shijo made his way across the bridge, which had been damaged badly by falling stones and bricks from the upper tower when it had collapsed. There were now numerous gaping holes in the wood, and he carefully avoided them. Maigo followed him, leaping over the gaps.
The iron gates were still shut and locked, but the walls were of little consequence, and so the brothers wandered freely through the rubble, climbing over the massive stones and bricks.
There were few treasures to be found – anything of value had left the prison's walls when it had been closed. There were a few scraps of cloth and paper on the ground, flattened beneath the stones, but there was no sign of blood. Shijo was relieved. He had been worried that someone else had been in the building at the time of its collapse – namely the dark stranger that had saved him.
"No," said a voice. "No one else."
Startled, both boys turned toward the voice, and it was the stranger in question. Despite the warming weather, he was still dressed entirely in black, a cape and hood covering his face. Shijo thought he could make out two eyes peering through the shadow, but no other features were visible.
Maigo took a step backward, behind his brother, and stared with wide eyes. "You're certain?" Shijo asked, unafraid. Maigo stared at him with even wider eyes.
"Certain," said the stranger. "There is nothing left here – no one and nothing."
"No!" said Maigo suddenly, so sharply that both of the others turned to look at him.
"What - ?" Shijo asked.
"No, there's something here," Maigo said, apparently so certain about this fact that he had forgotten his fears. "I don't know what, but there's something. It's why I wanted to come here."
"How do you know that?" Shijo demanded. His brother shrugged, looked away sheepishly.
"No, leave him be," said the stranger when Shijo opened his mouth to further question his brother. "He should learn to trust his instincts. It won't be long now before he's called."
"Called to what?"
"You may not be brilliant, but he's your brother and you must have noticed something about him by now."
Maigo opened his mouth briefly, then shut it and looked at the ground instead of his brother. Shijo blinked, staring with wide eyes. "You don't mean – but how can you know? You said yourself you don't have any magic!"
"No, that's true," said the stranger in a thoughtful voice. "I am not sure how I know, but I'm fairly certain."
Shijo sat down on a rock, feeling overwhelmed. "What will happen to him?" he asked.
Maigo stared at his feet for some time until he felt the urge to wander away from his brother. He did so slowly, lest he be noticed.
"I don't know," the stranger confessed. He sat on the wall, two pale, bare feet dangling from below his cloak. "Is there a wizard in your village now?"
"I don't know. I don't think so."
"Then the next time a mage travels through your village – or even near your village," Shijo glanced reflexively at the house of the Lord at the top of the hill in the distance, "they may sense him and recommend to your mother something."
"They would send him away?"
"They may. I don't know how mages are trained. I am not one."
"I think I've found something!" Maigo called.
The journey so far had been quiet and uneventful. Hikari seemed uninterested in conversation, and Takeru didn't want to force her, so he was quiet. He looked out the window at the passing scenery, but it was only fields and distant hills, then trees and bushes, then further fields.
They stopped for the night, deciding to camp rather than stay in a village inn, and the next morning rose early so they might reach their destination by evening with no delays.
Takeru had fallen asleep and was dozing when the carriage stopped abruptly and he heard the driver and the other servants shouting in surprise. Hikari was out the door before he had fully awakened, so he followed behind, yawning.
In the center of the road ahead stood a man – or so Takeru guessed –dressed in a black cape and hood that covered his entire body. Next to him stood a boy, dressed in rags and covered in dirt. His hair was an unkempt mess, matted with dirt so it was impossible to tell a color. Takeru felt a bit of anger swell inside of him, but he clenched his fists and pushed it down.
Hikari seemed to feel and see little. "You still live?" she asked, and Takeru was astonished by the lack of emotion in her voice.
"For now," answered the other. "I see you were also lucky."
"So it seems."
"What - ," Takeru began, but Hikari turned to him and shook her head once. Feeling only more confused, he obeyed, shutting his mouth and frowning.
"You want something," Hikari said, turning back.
"I have to leave here," he returned, and nodded. The boy standing beside him took a step forward and then sank down to his knees in a smooth, practiced movement. "I have no further use for this one."
She was silent for a moment before she said, "I don't either."
"I see." From somewhere that Takeru could not see (he wished he had Miyako's sight so that he could tell if magic was involved) the stranger removed a long sword. "I cannot bring him with me. If you will not take him, I must dispose of him." He nodded sharply and the boy lifted his head.
Takeru shivered, seeing what was planned and seeing the expressionless state of the boy's eyes. When the boy had raised his head, Takeru could see the faint hint of gold around his now exposed neck. In a flash, he realized that the boy must be enspelled. "Why don't you set him free?" he burst out before he could stop himself.
"That would be the ideal situation," the stranger answered. "I do not know how."
"Why not?"
"The spells to bind slaves were lost for some time. I discovered the book which contained the spell and gave it to someone for safe-keeping. An acquaintance of yours, I believe."
Takeru gasped, and Hikari said, "It was you! You that gave the book to Daisuke!"
"Hmm. Unfortunately, the book has been lost, and with it, the spells to free slaves. I cannot bring him with me. If you do not take him, I will dispose of him."
"Wait," Hikari said. "What happened to him – the one you gave the book to? Why was the book lost?"
The stranger was silent for a moment, and then he said in a sharp tone, "I did not come here to answer your questions. I have limited time. If you will not take this boy, then I must dispose of him." He raised his sword high.
"No, don't kill him," she said, turning her head away from the scene. "I will take him, if only to save his life."
"So be it," he answered, and the sword disappeared. He turned toward the boy, still kneeling, waiting. "You no longer belong to me," he said to him, and raised one cloaked arm toward Hikari. "She is your new mistress. Go with her."
Then, he was gone.
It was a tiny, oddly-shaped box, dark blue in color, a few raised sections appearing on it. It lay between two large pieces of rubble, half covered by dirt. Maigo stared at it, but seemed reluctant to touch it. Shijo climbed down into the space between the rocks and retrieved the item. It felt cool and dusty in his hand. He stuffed it in the pocket of his trousers and then climbed up.
"What is it?" his brother questioned, and Shijo removed the object once more. He held it out, staring blankly at it.
"I'm not sure," Shijo answered. He poked it with one finger, and then poked the raised portions. One part moved, but nothing changed.
"It's a digivice," said the stranger's voice, and both boys jumped, having forgotten he was still present. He held out one arm and Shijo placed the item in his open palm.
"A what - ?" Maigo echoed.
"A digivice," Shijo said. "One of the Chosen – but who? Who would leave it behind?"
"Someone who couldn't take it with them," the stranger said. He was silent for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes. Memories. I must bring it to her."
"To who?" Maigo piped up – having nearly forgotten his timid nature in the excitement. The stranger was again silent, as though he did not quite know the answer to that question.
"To the princess?" Shijo wanted to know.
"She would be better than no one."
"Do you have a name?" Takeru asked politely. Hikari was quiet once more, her mind already distant from the situation. She had only really seemed like herself, he thought, when she had been asking about Daisuke. He sighed.
The boy shook his head. "No sir," he said. "No need for one." His voice was quiet, hoarse-sounding. Takeru gave him a canteen full of water and told him to drink his fill.
Already, they were traveling again, not wanting to delay their trip any more. Hikari was quiet, lethargically watching the scenery out the window, leaving Takeru to care for their newest passenger.
He didn't seem hurt – though any serious sort of examination would have to wait – mostly dirty and thin, and Takeru thought that a bath and a good meal would likely do him a world of good. He wondered to himself a thousand questions that he didn't think Hikari would be inclined to answer, and so he pushed them aside for the moment and gave the boy some bread and cheese. They hadn't brought much food on the trip – choosing to travel as light as possible. Still, the boy ate hungrily and drank the whole canteen of water, bowing politely and murmuring a grateful thanks afterward.
"No need for one?" Takeru asked, shaking his head. "Didn't your mother name you when you were born?"
The boy paused in his eating and answered, "I don't know, sir. Slaves don't have mothers. Only master. Or mistress," he amended.
"Weren't you something else – someone else before you were a slave?"
He seemed to consider for a moment before he answered this time. "It doesn't matter, sir. The past is lost now."
"Lost?"
"Yes sir. Slaves have no memories of before. It would be distracting."
Miyako sat in the gardens on a soft mat below a large, shady tree, a thin shawl over her shoulders to guard against the faint breezes that occasionally brought a chill. Distantly, she could hear joyful laughter – a group of people was involved in playing some sort of game with a ball – but she took no interest. Instead, she sat, cross-legged, meditating.
She could feel herself growing stronger despite her fears to the contrary – she could sense now more than she had before. When she opened her eyes, the young mage could see the auras of many ancient spells of protection covering the gardens and the castle. She sighed, peacefully. There was no safer place to be in the entire kingdom – at least not that she had seen.
Feeling restless, Miyako got to her feet and began a slow and meandering walk through the gardens, her mind wandering in a thousand directions, far from where she was at that moment. She was some distance from the palace when she heard a frantic voice shouting for her and the sound of hurried sandaled footsteps on the stone path.
"Lady Miyako!" a servant was shouting. He paused for a moment to catch his breath and then called out again.
"I'm here," Miyako called, waving. "What is it?"
"Your sister!" he gasped, out of breath. "The baby comes, and she asks for you."
Somehow, be it by magic or something else entirely, Shijo found himself standing in front of a building that was even more massive and impressive than the prison had once been. Perhaps it was because the building did not inspire fear in him.
Maigo stood beside him, eyes as wide as dinner plates, clutching his older brother's hand with a grip so tight that Shijo was afraid he might damage it. The stranger was nowhere to be found. Stuffing the digivice into his pocket, Shijo stepped toward the gate, his brother following behind him.
"Where do you go, boy?" said a rough voice, and Shijo found his path blocked by two long spears thrown in front of his face. Maigo whimpered once, then suppressed a cry.
"We need to see the princess," Shijo said, looking up toward the imposing face of the guard who blocked him. "It's important."
One of the guards laughed heartily, as though he had just heard an amusing joke. The other shook his head gravely. "She's no time for you, boy. Go on home."
"But I can't," Shijo protested. Neither guard paid attention to his words, but simply waved him aside.
With a sigh of resignation, Shijo left the palace gates and wandered down the road. A wide, paved street led to the village not far away, and a few benches were placed along the road. The two brothers made their way to the nearest seat and sat down.
"How are we going to get it to her, then?" Maigo wanted to know. Shijo sighed, removing the strange little box from his pocket and fingering it with his hands.
"I don't know. But we'll find a way, even if we have to wait for cover of night and sneak in," he answered, suddenly feeling confident. He nodded, smiling brightly at his brother. "Are you hungry?"
"A little," Maigo admitted, and his partner Motimon nodded vigorously. Shijo did his best to ignore their digimon – they were always hungry.
"Wait here, then," he said. "I'll go and get us something."
I wasn't going to include the opening dream-scene. I was going to make you wait to find out more, not that that scene really gives much away.
I do actually have a plan for the ending of this story. Wow.
Anyway, I did as was requested, and had Daisuke appear. Did you see him? I hope you looked closely!
Heh. Don't kill me, please. I promise, there's a conclusion!
I can't…won't give away too much. Sorry.
Thanks for reading and holding on. ;;;;