VENGEANCE

Chapter 21 – The Trial of Kindness, Part I

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"Stingmon, Dark Digivolve to…"

Ken watched in a feeling of dreadfulness as Stingmon grew larger in size, regretting for letting his anger took control over him. Somehow his anger had energized the Crest of Kindness, which he thought was already dysfunctional. He could feel the darkness of the energy that was energizing Stingmon, as the insectoid warrior grew a pincer on the right hand, while a cannon materialized on the left. His original green armor turned into blood red, with black lines and markings. His helmet remained almost the same, except for the color, which was similar to the armor. Long, white hair flowed out from the helmet, and a pair of sharp horns took over the place of the antennae. The new form Stingmon took on looked devilish and frightening, what more with the sharp, red claws extended from each foot. He was as tall as Paildramon, and looked like an evil version of him in some sort of way.The wings remained similar to what they looked like before. In Stingmon place was now a digimon who exuded an aura of evil and hatred, roaring angrily as he finished the dark-digivolution process.

"Deathbeemon!!"

"No…" Ken whimpered, covering his face with his hands to try getting out the grotesque image of Deathbeemon out of his head. "I can't believe I did this to Stingmon! No!" He started sobbing, and was restrained by Yolei and Cody.

"Ken, please get a hold of yourself!" Cody said, holding firm to Ken's hands.

"It's not your fault! Don't blame yourself," Yolei said, placing a strong grasp on Ken's shoulders.

Duskmon however was watching the whole event with delight. "So, the former emperor still has a lot of darkness inside of him! No wonder his partner digimon dark digivolved." He turned to address Deathbeemon, but to his surprise the dark-digivolved digimon was looming towards him with his cannon thrusted towards him, ready to attack.

"Death Cannon!!" Deathbeemon yelled. A burst of yellow fireballs emerged from the cannon, shooting Duskmon at close range. This caused a huge explosion, and for a while the Digidestined thought that Duskmon was destroyed. Thick smokes resulted from the explosion, and suddenly a figure walked out from the smokes. It was indeed Duskmon, badly hurt with his black armors came undone at various places. He was calm, albeit bleeding all over.

Duskmon wiped the blood that was trailing down his chin. Snickering, he leapt up in mid-air and shouted loudly as he undergone a transformation. In a blazing red aura, Duskmon's humanoid figure elongated. His hands changed into a giant pair of wings, his face contorted as a buzzard's beak sprouted from his mouth, and his legs changed into clawed feet. Duskmon was changing into Velgamon, his stronger beastial form.

Velgamon squawked stridently, eyes staring angrily towards Deathbeemon. Deathbeemon then jumped into the air, and the two flying digimon battled each other in the air. Screams and explosions followed one after another as Velgamon and Deathbeemon exchanged blows. Both of them were evenly matched, and both moved in towards each other with amazing speed. The only thing the others saw was blurs of red and black darting all over the sky above them.

"Deathbeemon! Don't fight him, you'll get hurt!" Ken pleaded, but it was no use, as Deathbeemon wasn't listening. Either he was too engrossed in the fight or the fact that he was a corrupted digimon, Ken wasn't sure. However, Deathbeemon was still Ken's partner, and Ken didn't want to lose his partner again. He knew that Velgamon was a formidable opponent, although he hadn't chance to watch it with his own eyes how powerful Velgamon really was.

"What do we do now?" Angewomon wondered, watching the battle while trying to regain her energy. "It's like watching history repeats itself all over again. Tai has done it before, when he tried forcing Greymon to digivolve. He changed into SkullGreymon instead of MetalGreymon. Could Deathbeemon be a corrupted digivolution form of Stingmon?"

"Stingmon is a kind digimon," Paildramon asserted. "He would never let harm come to his friends. And right now, he's fighting that bird-thing for us. I don't know whether he's the real deal, or not."

"Ken wants Deathbeemon to stop fighting," Gatomon said. "Maybe we can do something about it. Kari, you can freeze both Deathbeemon and Velgamon in order to stop them the same way I did years ago during our confrontation with Myotismon!"

Angewomon did what she was told, and spread her arms wide. The pink aura glowing around her glimmered brilliantly, and then waves of pink energy particles were released towards the battling opponents. As the result, both Deathbeemon and Velgamon were frozen momentarily on the sky. They however struggled to break free from the stasis. Paildramon jumped towards the sky and thrust both of his blasters forward, planning to beat Velgamon and steer Deathbeemon away to safety.

However, when Deathbeemon bellowed an earth-shaking roar, he broke free from Angewomon's power and slapped Paildramon away. Turning his attention towards Paildramon instead of Velgamon, the crazed Deathbeemon raised his pincer and charged towards the dragon-man digimon. Snapping the pincer repeatedly, Deathbeemon looked like he wanted to finish off Paildramon. Paildramon had no choice but to retaliate by defending himself with the energy blades coming out from his wrist armors.

"Deathbeemon, snap out of it!" he cried, hesitating to attack in fear of hurting Deathbeemon. "Don't make me attack you!"

"Fight back, if you can!" Deathbeemon hissed menacingly, which shocked Paildramon. The voice that came out from Deathbeemon didn't resemble Stingmon any bit. It sounded wicked and frightening. "Fight back! Or I'll hurt your pretty friend!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Paildramon cried and flew backwards, thrusting both blasters forward. "I'm sorry, buddy but you leave me with no choice. Desperado Blaster!" Deathbeemon was hit by the attack, but wasn't injured and didn't look like he was going to attack Paildramon. Instead, he turned his attention towards Angewomon, who was concentrating on not letting Velgamon escape her freezing effect. She was unaware that she was in danger, and when she did hear Paildramon's cry of warning it was already too late. Angewomon was struck by Deathbeemon's attack and lost control over Velgamon. The giant buzzard then kicked Angewomon away, causing the lady angel to de-digivolve back into an unconscious and injured Kari and Gatomon.

"No!!" Paildramon shouted angrily and darted forward to retrieve his fallen friends. Knowing that Kari and Gatomon were in danger if he remained mid-air, Paildramon quickly landed on the grounds and laid his friends gently beside the other unconscious digimon. Aquilamon wanted to join in the fight, but Paildramon stopped him.

"If something happens to me, then you're the only one around that can defend the Digidestined and the fallen digimon," he said. Aquilamon nodded and spread his wings wide, protecting the Digidestined and digimon beneath him.

"Take care, Paildramon," Aquilamon said. "Don't worry, I'll protect them."

"Paildramon…" Ken began. "Please save my partner."

"I will, don't worry," Paildramon assured him. "I think we're gonna need T.K. and Patamon, I don't think I can stand alone much longer."

"I'll contact them," Yolei offered.

Paildramon nodded and flew back to battle Velgamon while steering away from Deathbeemon, not wanting to fight a friend. They were engaged in a serious battle, and after a while it was evident that Velgamon was at the upper hand as he delivered blow after blow towards Paildramon, who had resorted into defending himself. The odds were against Paildramon, and he still had to be wary of Deathbeemon, who was strangely silent as he observed the battle. Velgamon continued attacking while laughing sadistically.

"Why don't you just give up, Paildramon? Even if you emerge unscathed in this fight, which I don't think is possible, I still have my army of Chaos Force waiting for my command. Chaos Seadramon is here as well, and you know that he is a Mega," he said. "What chance do you have against him?"

"I'll fight to the end if I have to!" Paildramon spat bravely.

Before Velgamon managed to answer, green lights appeared at the sky and a familiar figure flew out from the green lights. Paildramon used the distraction to kick away Velgamon, as MagnaAngemon flew closer towards him.

"I almost think that you're not coming. Sorry to call you during your vacation," Paildramon said apologetically.

"Don't sweat it," MagnaAngemon replied. "I came as quickly as I can when Yolei said that we're facing Chaos Specter himself." Looking at Velgamon, MagnaAngemon frowned. "Please don't tell me that's him!"

"That's him all right, and he's tough!" Paildramon said. Motioning towards Deathbeemon, he continued, "And that's Stingmon, as Deathbeemon now."

"No way!" MagnaAngemon said. "Why isn't he moving?"

"Now that he mentioned about it, Davis, Deathbeemon is staying still for quite a long time," Veemon said.

"Well, let's just be glad that he is, because Velgamon is quite a handful!" Paildramon replied, towards both Veemon who was inside of him and MagnaAngemon.

Velgamon was angry of the sudden intrusion, but didn't show it towards his opponents. He flew higher silently, deciding to attack them from afar. He was also curious of why Deathbeemon wasn't attacking anyone. The Digidestined seemed to notice it as well, he thought, but he was sure that they also didn't know the reason. It was uncanny, it was as if someone had frozen Deathbeemon again. Velgamon thought that it was impossible, as Angewomon was already defeated earlier. His thoughts shifted towards MagnaAngemon, whose sudden appearance was also weird, not knowing that Yolei had contacted him earlier. However he also saw that MagnaAngemon was also baffled by the situation as well.

"Master of Darkness!!" Velgamon cried, and launched his attacks towards both Paildramon and MagnaAngemon. Both digimon retaliated by launching their attacks, which collided with Velgamon's own attack. Paildramon then fired his blasters towards Velgamon while MagnaAngemon prepared to open a Gate of Destiny. Velgamon wanted to interrupt MagnaAngemon, but with Paildramon attacking him he had no chance at all to stop the archangel digimon. Fearing that he would be sucked into the gate as well, Velgamon steered away from the digimon.

"Gate of Destiny!!" MagnaAngemon summoned. The gate opened and strong winds erupted, trying to pull Velgamon into his doom. Velgamon flew as far as he could, flapping his wings with all his might, determining to get away. MagnaAngemon made the Gate of Destiny to pursue Velgamon, but Ken's cry stopped him.

"Please, don't pull in Deathbeemon as well!" Ken pleaded. MagnaAngemon had to forget about pursuing Velgamon and de-energized the gate. Deathbeemon was still silent, and MagnaAngemon flew in front of him carefully, afraid of any sudden attacks. Paildramon followed close by his friend.

Studying Deathbeemon closely, both of them saw that the center of Deathbeemon's armor was covered by ice. An ice-cold aura was felt around Deathbeemon, who really looked like he was frozen by coldness rather than immobilized. Thin, transparent layer of ice was slightly visible all over his body, and MagnaAngemon only noticed it when he came towards Deathbeemon closer. He saw an image of himself reflected by Deathbeemon's armor.

"Someone's frozen him to death!" Paildramon gasped. "But who?"

"He's not dead, otherwise he'd be deleted. He would be deleted if we don't take action now," MagnaAngemon said grimly. "Paildramon, stand back." MagnaAngemon crossed his hands over his chest and his wings glowed with rainbows of light. "Magna Antidote," he whispered, and the multicolored lights showered the frozen Deathbeemon. The ice layer on the insectoid digimon instantly melted, and in a flash of light Deathbeemon regressed back to Wormmon. The Rookie was unconscious and shivering all over. MagnaAngemon instantly took Wormmon in his hands and flew down back towards the Digidestined. He handed over Wormmon back to Ken, and healed the other unconscious digimon and Kari. The injuries and the poison effect in their bodies were instantly eliminated. All of them thanked MagnaAngemon for curing them.

Hugging Wormmon, Ken thanked MagnaAngemon but he was shocked after feeling Wormmon's cold body. "What's happening to Wormmon?" he asked, worried.

"I don't know," MagnaAngemon said. "Somehow I can't get rid of the coldness in his body. He was frozen in ice up there; luckily I was able to heal him by turning him back into Wormmon. Only a strong digimon with strong powers is able to do this. A Mega, perhaps."

"What can we do to remove this coldness from Wormmon?" Ken asked desperately. His Crest of Kindness suddenly hovered mysteriously, and exploded without warning. The particles of the crest then formed a ray of violet light, which shaped themselves into an arrow pointing towards somewhere at the mountainous regions. The arrow of light seemed to be beckoning Ken to come with it, as it hovered farther and farther from the grounds.

"Maybe it wants you to follow it, Ken," Yolei said. "It seems to be calling on you."

"But how can I go there? With Wormmon in this condition, I can't follow the arrow. Besides, it seems absurd. Where's it going to take me?" Ken questioned.

"You'll never know until you follow it Ken. It might be reacting to your pleas on how to cure Wormmon. Perhaps it knows of a way, and it's trying to take you," Cody reasoned. Ken paused to think for a while; it seemed to be the only explanation he could believe, no matter how illogical it might have sounded. But if it were leading to a way to cure Wormmon, then Ken would pursue it.

"The crests are magical in their own ways," Kari said weakly, but she was smiling. "I think Cody is right."

"You can't go there alone," Yolei said. "Let Aquilamon and I help you to go where the arrow wants to take you."

"I can cover more grounds faster by flying, rather than you walk there alone," Aquilamon said. "Believe me, it'll be no trouble."

Ken nodded glumly, but tried to smile. "All right. Thanks, Yolei, Aquilamon." Ken held Wormmon close to his body with one hand, and climbed onto Aquilamon's body. Yolei climbed next, and sat herself in front of Ken. The arrow then darted away instantly, and Aquilamon hoisted himself up into the air and chased after the arrow. The remaining Digidestined and digimon watched over as Aquilamon's figure disappeared into the clouds.

"What now?" Paildramon asked.

"We have to free Emeraldo City," Piximon replied. "I feel ready to fight after MagnaAngemon healed me."

"We better be careful. Chaos Seadramon is in there!" GrapLeomon warned.

"Velgamon must have warned his army that we're here," Cody said. "Look!" he cried, pointing towards the city. All of them saw a giant blue-armored serpent digimon approaching from the sky, with a horde of Mekanorimon and Blossomon marching on the grounds below. "It's Chaos Seadramon!"


Meanwhile on Tyrannovalley, it was pandemonium. Chaosdramon had invaded the valley and had mercilessly killed all those who tried to stop him. The two Allomon who were stationed to guard the entrance were already deleted, and Chaosdramon had absorbed their data. Now the frightfully evil digimon were fighting the two Pteramon, a Brachiomon, and a trio of Tyrannomon. In the mean time, several DarkTyrannomon under the command of Triceramon were standing by just in case the team led by Brachiomon was defeated. A Metalgreymon and an ExTyrannomon were also nearby, with four Greymon ready to fight.

"Call out MasterTyrannomon now, or you all will be deleted!!" Chaosdramon roared and swiped away Brachiomon. He grabbed on Brachiomon's long neck and crushed it, killing the gentle digimon easily. The Tyrannomon trio then advanced forward to battle, but being Champion they were no match for Chaosdramon.

"Go away, traitor! You have no place here!" the Pteramon cried and launched their attacks towards Chaosdramon. However Chaosdramon's armor was impenetrable by the Pteramon's missiles. Seeing that they were unable to defeat Chaosdramon with the missiles, the Pteramon flew up towards the sky to safety. The Tyrannomon trios were not scared of the Mega despite their limitations, and continued attacking him. This resulted in them being deleted with a swipe of Chaosdramon's claw.

"We can't attack him blindly or we'll suffer the same fate as them," ExTyrannomon said, blocking the heroic Metalgreymon from advancing towards Chaosdramon.

"We should protect the master," Metalgreymon protested. The four Greymon hooted their agreements, wanting to fight the traitor of their clan.

"Don't be silly! The master doesn't want anyone to be deleted because of him!" Triceramon shouted angrily.

"MasterTyrannomon! Come out and fight me!" Chaosdramon called out loudly. "Or I'll destroy the whole valley and your clan!" He proved it by aiming his cannon towards a bone formation, and launched a huge fireball towards it. He launched a second harass, but the attack was countered by a blast fired by MasterTyrannomon himself, who had finally come out to battle. Chaosdramon laughed heartily upon seeing his former rival, knowing that he won't face a great deal of challenge, as MasterTyrannomon was a level below him. The solemn MasterTyrannomon was remorseful for the losses of a few members of his clan, and looked towards Chaosdramon with silent fury.

"If you think that you can just come here and do everything you want, then you are wrong," he began. "I won't let the murderer of my loyal subjects to go away easily. I will fight you even if it costs me my own life."

"Well said, MasterTyrannomon. You are always the magnanimous one. Perhaps this is why our late master had chosen you instead of me," Chaosdramon boomed. "You don't even stand a chance, old friend. Why don't you step down the throne and let me take over. Then I will spare you and your loyal subjects."

"We won't be your subjects, traitor! Better for us to die rather than to serve a two-face like you!" Metalgreymon shouted.

"I can fulfill your wish, Chaosdramon, but you heard them yourself. They won't serve you. What good will come if you have no one to side with you?" MasterTyrannomon challenged. "Even if the combined forces of my subjects and I aren't enough to stop you, we all will die heroically and together. You, on the other hand, will always be alone."

Chaosdramon was infuriated by the words of MasterTyrannomon. "Then fine! I'll kill all of you and take your data, I'll be the strongest digimon around! I'll even fight Chaos Specter and the generals of his to prove to the world that I am the most powerful one around."

"Greedy as always, aren't you?" MasterTyrannomon said sarcastically.

The snide comment caused Chaosdramon to begin his attacks on his rival. MasterTyrannomon was prepared to face any incoming attack, and blocked the fireball launched by Chaosdramon with his claws. No ordinary Ultimate digimon could withstand such attack, but MasterTyrannomon was given the gift of power that was inherited to him by the past rulers of the Tyranno Clan. The legacy of power made him stronger than any other MasterTyrannomon around. He then signaled for his subjects to attack Chaosdramon together.

"Coward!" Chaosdramon spat as he kicked away the Tyrannomon and the DarkTyrannomon. "Fight me alone if you dare. I challenge you for the position of ruler of this valley. You know only too well that you have to accept any challenge, and should you lose you have to hand over the throne to the challenger."

"We're strong if we are together," MasterTyrannomon replied. "I will fight you alone, as the rule has stated. But there is nothing wrong when another wishes to offer assistance to the current ruler without the permission of the ruler. And I daresay that even if I forbid my subjects to help me, they will disobey me blatantly as there is a strict rule pertaining about how we should deal with traitors."

Chaosdramon was furthermore enraged by MasterTyrannomon and tried to attack him using his sharp claws. MasterTyrannomon blocked the attempt to his life by Chaosdramon. He then took on the offensive and showered Chaosdramon with a blazing ray of fire from his mouth. The strong armor of Chaosdramon however was barely scorched by the attack, which surprised MasterTyrannomon. The attack should have penetrated the armor and burned his body, but Chaosdramon was unharmed. Metalgreymon, ExTyrannomon and Triceramon then launched a combined attack towards Chaosramon as well, and a portion of the armor exploded, revealing Chaosdramon's red body underneath. Angered by the attacks, Chaosdramon blasted away the three Ultimate digimon using his cannon. The force of the attack was too strong, and all three Ultimate digimon were instantly injured.

MasterTyrannomon then summoned all his might to battle Chaosdramon, but he knew that his chances were slim. He then prayed for any help to come, as Chaosdramon swiped him using his long tail, causing him to tumble onto the ground. Chaosdramon then proceeded by humiliating the ruler of Tyrannovalley by stepping on his head with his right foot. Stomping onto MasterTyrannomon's head repeatedly until he was almost buried onto the grounds, Chaosdramon was unexpectedly stopped by a wave of pink and white energy beams in the forms of flower petals.

"Who's there?" he yelled in annoyance and turned his head towards the source of the attack. The digimon of the valley also was shocked by the sudden attack towards Chaosdramon, but grew deathly silent as they saw the unexpected challenger.

"It's...it's her!" one Tyrannomon gasped, as a tall, humanly female digimon walked calmly towards them. "The lady of the Ivory Citadel!"

The intruder, whom the Tyrannomon described as the lady of the Ivory Citadel, was dressed in white garment over a long red garb underneath, which reached the grounds. A black belt was fastened on her slim waist, and the unstitched sides of the red garb showed off a portion of her thighs. She had flawless fair skin, and beautiful flowing long white hair, which was tied in two. A yellow mask depicting of a fox, making her resemble Kuzuhamon of the Kulon Mines greatly, covered her expressionless face. Her lips were painted violet, and on her right hand was a feather duster.

"I heard that she's a priestess digimon," the Pteramon whispered to each other. "Some even say that she's a powerful sorceress."

"She looks so innocent," Metalgreymon muttered. "But looks can be deceiving. The old master regarded her highly."

"She's a Mega digimon, of data type. That is all I know about her," Triceramon said towards the DarkTyrannomon, who were excited upon seeing the unexpected visitor.

MasterTyrannomon struggled to hoist his head up, and sighed in relieved when he saw the one who had saved him. "Milady," he wheezed.

"Well, well, well," Chaosdramon said, sniggering slightly. "If it isn't Lady Sakuyamon."


Over an hour after departing from Emeraldo City, Aquilamon had flown Ken, Yolei and the knocked-out Wormmon over the north quadrant and was going to enter the eastern quadrant, where the Digidestined had their first adventures. They were closing in a region where thick forest grew, and from the sky above Aquilamon could make out small figures of wooden houses built on the larger than usual trees.

"We must be approaching Tree Top Village," Aquilamon decided. "Better hang on, Chaos Piedmon is said to be here. I don't fancy on meeting him here, I'll be easily outmatched."

"Better not say things like that, Aquilamon," Yolei said grimly. "We have enough things in our hands right now, the last thing I want is to face that old bozo. Let's just focus on following the arrow. I wonder where it's taking us."

Ken looked over Yolei's shoulder, whiles holding Wormmon protectively using his left hand. "If I guess correctly, we're about to enter the regions where I reigned a year ago, as the Digimon Emperor," he said glumly. "It's supposed to be the eastern quadrant of the East Sector."

"I wonder what are we doing here," Yolei said as she looked around. Observing the forests below her, she was amazed to see the tree houses built sturdily on the branches of the large trees. It certainly lived up to its name; there were a lot of wooden buildings built on the massive trees. At the center of the forest, the buildings seemed to be more focused than anywhere else. Yolei couldn't make out the finer details of the village, but decided that she would take a trip back to see the village, when suddenly she realized that she and the others would have to come to Tree Top Village soon; the city was supposed to be under control of Chaos Piedmon.

Unlike Yolei who was fascinated by the Tree Top Village, even from afar, Ken was the least bit interested. His attention was focused solely on Wormmon, who was still freezing cold and unconscious. "What's going to happen to him?" he muttered.

"Nothing's going to happen to Wormmon, Ken. You have to believe that," Yolei said firmly.

"Nothing's going to happen to all of us if we manage to steer clear out of Chaos Piedmon's sight," Aquilamon pointed out, and began flapping his wings harder. "I'm going to fly into the clouds, hopefully they'll protect us from being seen by anyone." Flying into the clouds, Aquilamon began to pick up speed as well when the arrow seemed to be eager to dart away faster. Finally they passed over Tree Top Village safely and entered the peninsular, which was the eastern quadrant. The peninsular was a huge mass of land, covered with lush forests, mountains and surrounded mostly by sea.

The arrow that was guiding them suddenly plunged down towards the mountainous area of the quadrant. Aquilamon immediately followed the arrow, which was heading towards the higher grounds of the foot of the mountains. From the sky they could see a cave opening, well hidden by bamboo trees and long weeds. When they landed however, the cave was not visible at all. It was quite impossible to tell, really, as no one would have guessed that there was a cave at all. Ken and Yolei dismounted Aquilamon as the giant eagle digimon dedigivolved back into Hawkmon.

"I know this place," Ken said blankly. "This is the Cave of Illusions." More memories were refreshed in his mind. "I've been here before, this is the place I've told you before. I've entered this cave a long time ago, when I was still young. I've helped Duskmon, who's also Chaos Specter, to retrieve an ancient prophecy of time here."

"What if I failed to retrieve the prophecy?"

"Take this vial with you. You can overcome any digimon that cross your path."

"After I retrieve the prophecy… will you help me with the pain on my neck?"

"Absolutely."

"I first came into the Digital World when I took a Digivice that materialized over the monitor of my late brother's computer," Ken began. "Sam forbade me to touch the Digivice but I disobeyed him, and as the result I ended up in this world. Then I met Ryo, another Digidestined, and he was my first and best friend, although he was the same age with my brother. Then I met Wormmon, and he too became my best friend. Ryo then had a Veemon as a partner, and we teamed up to face a bad digimon called Milleniummon, who had the power to alter time… With a strange twist of fate, we've won, but Milleniummon had the last say when he fired a few Dark Spores towards Ryo. However I saw the spores coming and pushed Ryo out of the way. One of the spores got me and I was in lot of pain, I finally was knocked out cold. When I awoke, the pain was gone and I went back to the Digital World. Then the nightmare begun as Sam was fatally injured in an accident with a car, it was a hit and run case. The pain came again, and I heard strange voices in my head when I was in grief. Trying to find solace in the company of my best friends, I went to the Digital World again. But I didn't meet Wormmon." Ken paused for a while, frowning but also was smiling slightly; he was happy to finally remember.

"Who did you meet then?" Yolei asked eagerly.

"I met him," Ken said darkly. "I met Duskmon. He told me that he had a way to ease all my pains, but I have to do something for him first. He brought me here and asked me to retrieve the prophecy I've told you about, which was guarded in this cave."

"Why didn't he do it himself?" Hawkmon wondered.

"The Cave of Illusions is supposed to be immune from all evil. If an evil being dares to enter it, the cave will simply destroy it. Duskmon was afraid of that, and instead he used me. A young kid, who didn't know anything about evil. An innocent child whom the cave would not harm. Duskmon gave me a vial containing a concoction, which would turn anyone I splashed it into a stone statue. I met the guardian of the prophecy, and before she could ask any question I sprayed her with the liquid, and she turned into a stone instantly. I don't really remember what else happens, other than that I managed to retrieve the prophecy and came out of the cave safely. As a token of gratitude, Duskmon presented me with a flying fortress and eliminated the pain from the Dark Spores. And the rest is history."

"You have a rough past, Ken," Yolei said sympathetically. "I guess that's why the arrow took us here." The arrow was pointing towards the entrance of the cave, and judging by the way it was shining it seemed eager and excited for Ken to enter the cave.

"Yeah, it means that I have to undo my wrongs in the past," Ken said as realization hit him. "I've done what I can to redeem myself to the digimon I've enslaved, but I've done nothing to undo what I've done towards the guardian of the prophecy. There is still darkness inside of me until I've returned her back."

Yolei nodded. "We'll enter the cave together. Don't worry, Ken," she said gently, placing a hand on Ken's shoulder. "I'll help you."

"Thanks, Yolei. But I think this is something I have to do myself," Ken said. "I'm sure that's why the Crest of Kindness takes me here."

"Okay," Yolei said with a smile. She approached Ken closely and planted a kiss on Ken's right cheek. "Come back safely, Ken. Good luck." She was blushing, and Ken was flustered slightly. But then, he smiled as his cheek turned into a darker shade of pink.

"I will," Ken said, his voice sounded stronger now. "I have a lot of things to look forward to."

Ken walked slowly but with confidence, holding Wormmon close to him with his right hand. Hawkmon used the feather on his head to cut the weeds and bamboo trees obstructing the entrance of the Cave of Illusions. Ken could see nothing else but darkness inside of the cave, but suddenly faint mist began to appear. It was the power of the cave in order to allow only those who were good to pass, and destroy those who were evil.

"Here goes nothing," Ken muttered, and took a step into the cave.

Yolei was very sure that Ken would made it into the cave safely; he was a Digidestined of Kindness and he had been defending the Digital World after regretting his past evil feat as the Digimon Emperor. She was wrong however. Just as Ken stepped inside of the cave, the mist engulfed him and formed a faint, transparent purple barrier around him. Ken then began to scream loudly, sounding as if he was in an unimaginable pain. He'd dropped Wormmon, who had safely landed inside the cave, still unconscious. Next, the mist began to darken, and there was a sound of electricity crackling. Ken's screams then intensified as he dropped to his knees.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"


Author's Note - Deathbeemon is a creation of mine

Review Comments

J.D. Guy - Don't worry, I will finish this story. Thanks for reading and reviewing, hope you enjoy the recent two chapters that I've added.

Trevor the Enchanter - Thanks for reading and reviewing my fic. I'm sorry that I haven't review your fic yet. You see, I'm still depending on cyber-cafe for my internet connection as I am still on vacation. I write the stories on my dad's laptop, which we brought together with us during the vacation and sneak off to the nearest cyber-cafe to submit the fics. I'll start reading and reviewing when I get back to my own computer back home.

DTV - Thanks for the lengthy review, I really appreciate it and have fun reading them. As I still haven't the chance to watch Frontier, your review is very informative. About Duskmon/Velgamon/Chaos Specter, he has no connection with Duskmon/Velgamon/Kouichi in Frontier. Hope this clear any confusion.