AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hey guys! I know I said that I would be back to normal Friday postings again, but I've realised that after tonight I'm busy almost solidly through to Sunday.

So rather than keep you guys waiting, I thought I would post early!

Thank you again for all the love you've been giving this story, it really means the world to me. I hope you're staying safe and well, and I hope you enjoy today's update. (If you get a chance to throw me a review to let me know how you're finding the story so far, that'd be great too!)

CREEPING SHADOWS

"Gomamon!"

Koushiro watched Hikari as she rushed forwards, dropping to her knees as she scooped Gomamon gently in her arms. Tailmon quickly bounded to her side, closely followed by Daisuke and Miyako. Iori was looking to Koushiro, an unspoken question in his eyes, and Koushiro nodded. They started forwards then, regrouping with Armadimon and Hawkmon. Veemon had clambered up Hikari's back and was clinging to her shoulder to peer down at Gomamon (while Tailmon watched on, her tail twitching silently).

"Is he gonna be okay?" Veemon asked quietly. Hikari cradled Gomamon carefully in the crook of her elbow and smoothed the fur around his closed eyes.

"I think he's going to be fine," she answered softly. She looked up then, and when she caught Koushiro's eye she gave him a bright smile before carefully standing, keeping Gomamon close to her chest.

"You're pretty good with your bow," Koushiro offered awkwardly. Hikari smiled.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Angewomon taught me."

"Could've taught her a lot more if it wasn't for the Kaiser and his Dark Towers," Tailmon grumbled under her breath, her sharp eyes trained on Veemon has he leapt from Hikari's shoulders to Daisuke's arms.

"I'm glad we found you," Koushiro continued. "Taichi would have been here, but he and your parents had to go out of town for a while-"

"I said she could stay at my place until they get back!" Daisuke said with a broad grin. Hikari lowered her eyes to Gomamon and Koushiro felt a lump rise in his throat.

"Are you going to come back with us?" he asked. Hikari seemed to consider his question before shaking her head.

"I'm needed here," she answered. Her voice was firm and strong, and when she lifted her gaze again her eyes were sharp and determined. "There are still captured digimon out there that need our help. And Daisuke said that Jou has a camp nearby, so we can make sure that Gomamon gets back to him safely."

"Why don't you stay?" Koushiro suggested. Hikari's brow furrowed and he felt his ears burning. "With Jou, at his camp. I'm sure he wouldn't mind an extra pair of hands." And we'll be able to find you. The words went unsaid, but something in Hikari's smile told him that she heard them nonetheless.

Daisuke led them back to the gate, keeping Hikari entertained with jokes and elaborate soccer stories about himself and Taichi (only half of which Koushiro believed to be true). It seemed that Daisuke was determined to get Hikari back through the gate with them, but he kept approaching the matter with a sort of bullheaded-ness that only seemed to make Hikari's resolve to stay stronger. It reminded Koushiro of Taichi; of how difficult it could be to push him towards a decision. The more you pushed Taichi, the more Taichi would push back, digging his heels in even when he knew he was wrong.

As the gate finally came in to view Gomamon gave a low groan. Hikari paused and adjusted her grip, allowing him to wriggle in her arms as he slowly peeled his eyes open with a moan.

"Hey, Gomamon," Hikari greeted softly. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Gomamon grimaced and rubbed at his head.

"Like I've been run over by a Tankmon," he grumbled. He froze, his eyes wide, and he glanced up to Hikari and then to Koushiro, and then to Tailmon before his face lit up in a grin. "Oh, hey guys! When did you get here? Have you seen Jou around?"

"He's not far from here. Right, Koushiro?" Hikari lifted her gaze and Koushiro nodded before trying to describe what he could remember about Jou's last-known location. At the mention of the stone temples among the dense forest, Tailmon's ears twitched.

"I think I know where you mean," she said with a nod. Gomamon grinned.

"Don't you worry, we'll find him!" he proclaimed. "I can always find Jou."

They shared a brief goodbye then, during which Miyako threw herself at Hikari in a tight hug. Hikari stiffened, her eyes wide, and Gomamon gave an objectionable squeak as he was crushed between them. Miyako was quick to pull away then, leaping back with a nervous flush.

"Sorry – I didn't – I mean – I just wanted to thank you. For saving my life." Hikari quickly offered her a reassuring smile.

"I'm glad we made it in time to help." Koushiro nodded in agreement; he didn't want to think of what would have happened if Hikari hadn't been able to pull Miyako out of harm's way.

Gomamon was quickly introduced to the newest members of the team, and then it was time for them to leave. Koushiro spared one last glance towards Hikari, wondering if he should try and persuade her again, but something about the apprehensive way she eyed the television set and how tightly she clung to Gomamon made him push the thought aside. He had no right to tell her what to do; he'd known her since before the Digital World, yes, but only as Taichi's sister and only really in passing. She gave him a small smile and he gave her a nod before turning towards the others and motioning for someone to open the gate.

"Actually, Koushiro," Hikari began. He turned back to see her setting Gomamon carefully on the ground. "Could you give this to my brother for me?" She straightened and reached beneath her tunic, withdrawing a battered silver whistle attached to a threadbare pink ribbon. She looped it over her head and took a deep breath before placing it in Koushiro's hand with a smile. "Maybe the next time he comes, I'll hear it." He curled his fingers around it with a firm nod.

"Of course."

Iori, being the closest, held out his D-3 to open the gate and the Digital World disappeared in a flash of light.

The skeletal tail whipped against the plated steel walls, knocking dust and debris from the panels of the domed ceiling above. SkullGreymon released a deafening roar before launching a devastating missile from the tip of its hunched spine. It surged forwards, exploding against the wall in a wash of heat and fire, destroying two of the panels and leaving behind a hole that was almost six feet wide.

Ken growled as his fingers flew across the transparent keys and consoles that made up his command centre. He'd lost track of the days wasted on this pathetic creature. SkullGreymon was powerful, that much was true, but the Adult digimon had too much power to be controlled by a simple Dark Ring. He became something more akin to a toddler having a tantrum, and it might have been entertaining to watch the monster exhaust itself to the point of devolution had it not been so utterly frustrating. Even exposure to the Dark Towers had not tempered its headstrong nature. There was no rebellion here – no act of conscious defiance – just pure unbridled power mixed with fiery rage. The creature simply had more strength than sense, but finding the solution to harnessing that power was proving harder than it should have been.

Luckily a little forethought had left Ken well-prepared for the challenge. The cell was re-enforced on all sides with three further layers of plated steel that even a beast like SkullGreymon would be hard-pressed to rip through before burning up all its energy. Ken watched as it leapt towards the hole, clawing at the melted steel in a violent fury before falling back to the ground with a heavy thud that rumbled the whole base. The digimon's head lolled back with a low keen before he swayed and then collapsed on to his side.

"Master?"

Wormmon. The creature's voice infuriated him like no other; weak and pathetic and carrying an irritating warble that set Ken's teeth on edge. A pathetic excuse for a partner. "Perhaps you should rest. He's growing tired, and soon he won't be any use to you at all-"

"When I want your opinion, I will ask for it," Ken spat. He heard Wormmon's claws snicker across the floor and he smirked. "But I wouldn't hold your breath." SkullGreymon was bathed in light, returning to his child form. The Agumon folded in on itself, burying its snout beneath an oversized paw as it curled in to a tight, trembling ball.

"I'm sorry, master," Wormmon warbled. Ken ground his teeth. "I was just wondering if Agumon was the right candidate for your experiments. He's far stronger than a normal Agumon, and I-"

"Did you not wonder that perhaps that's the exact reason why he's perfect? How dare you question my decisions?" He span sharply on his heel, his hand reaching for his whip as Wormmon scurried backwards. Ken smirked. "But, oh, did you want to take his place?" Wormmon ducked his head, tapping his pincers together nervously.

"Well, I am your p-" The crack of the whip left Ken's ears ringing as he sneered.

"Did you really think that you would be a worthy candidate? You're a pitiful excuse for a digimon; inadequate and disappointing." Wormmon quickly hurried from the room, muttering under his breath as he left. Ken ignored him; the day that worm had anything useful to say would be the day Ken would end his conquest and join the pathetic humans that had invaded his server. His neck twinged and he forced himself to loosen his jaw, rolling his head to work the lancing pain from the base of his skull before turning sharply towards a nearby console.

He created a Dark Ring and snatched it from the air, turning it over in his hands with a sneer as he let his gaze drift towards Agumon. Perhaps more rings, he wondered absently, and for a moment he entertained the idea of dressing the creature in matching collar and cuffs. His brow furrowed at the thought; what if each ring tried to convey its own set of instructions? Or what if there was a delay? He would have to ensure that the signals to each of the rings were entirely synchronous, and any interference risked knocking them out of balance. No, it needed to be a single entity in order to bring the creature to heel.

But perhaps he wasn't so far from the answer. He stared down at the Dark Ring, feeling the pieces of the puzzle fall in to place, and in a blissful moment of calm it occurred to him that perhaps the best way to increase his hold over the stronger digimon was to increase the surface area of the ring. A greater surface area would allow him to increase the flow of data in to the creature until his orders would be too powerful to ignore. A thicker band would make the ring too obvious, and too easy a target.

A spiral, on the other hand…

With a victorious smirk, Ken bent low over his consoles and set to work.

"She said she couldn't come home?"

They were sat in the corner of a small coffee shop not ten minutes from the school. Koushiro was steeping his tea absently and Sora's hot chocolate had long since gone cold as they continued their conversation in hushed tones. Koushiro pressed his lips together.

"It seemed like she didn't even want to come home, just like Jou," he answered. His head dropped in to his hands with a resigned sigh. "Taichi will kill me if he finds out I left her there. I should have tried harder to convince her to come back with us."

Sora chewed her lip thoughtfully and fiddled with the charm on her phone. They hadn't told Taichi; when Koushiro had suggested that perhaps it was best not to tell him until he was back in Odaiba, Sora had wholeheartedly agreed. It would do nothing but frustrate him, being trapped in Odawara without access to a Digital Gate or a D-3 and with no way of convincing his parents to return home without mentioning the Digital World.

"She's a big girl now," Sora said quietly, thinking about everything Koushiro had told her about their encounter. It had been strange, trying to match Koushiro's descriptions of her to the little girl that Sora remembered. Hikari had always been brave (and more than a little stubborn), but diving headfirst in to danger had always been more Taichi's approach.

(But then, hadn't she given herself up to Myotismon? She hadn't even had a partner then, or really known just how dangerous digimon could be. Perhaps the only reason she'd never been the first to face danger was because someone else had always beaten her to it.)

"She's lasted this long," she continued, and she was grateful when Koushiro didn't try and pull her up on her silence. She stirred her drink again with a firm nod. "I'm sure she can last a little longer." The words seemed to carry less conviction when Taichi wasn't there, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could go on saying them before they became utterly empty. Daisuke had mentioned that the Kaiser had already made one attempt on Hikari's life (though he realised too late that he'd let it slip and refused to say anything further on the matter – something about a promise to Hikari), and Sora wasn't too sure that the Kaiser had any reason not to take a second go at it.

"I hope she finds Jou and sticks close to him," Koushiro muttered. "Maybe Taichi will be less angry with me if I can at least tell him I know how to find her when he gets back."

"Let me handle Taichi," she said with a reassuring smile. She reached for her drink again, but the mug had gone cold and she pushed it aside. "How are your programs coming along?" Koushiro frowned.

"Not as well as I'd hoped. I'm struggling to get any concrete progress on any kind of map. I can scan small sections, but it won't help me find the others unless I know where to look in the first place. Once I get beyond a certain radius the program just crashes. It feels…" He trailed off, a strange expression falling over his face. Sora tilted her head.

"It feels…" she nudged. Koushiro sighed.

"The only way I can describe it is that it feels like the Digital World is fighting against me. Like there's something out there that doesn't want me to be able to track everyone down, and it's running interference." He leant back in his chair, his expression dark, and Sora chewed the inside of her cheek. The Digital World did seem to have a mind of its own, but after choosing the Children to help it why would it try to hinder them now?

"What about those little computers – the D-Terminals?" she asked, hoping the topic would lighten the mood a little. It didn't.

"I just can't get them figured out," he groaned. "Miyako let me borrow hers for a few days to examine it, but I couldn't really find much that we didn't already know. There's the address book and a messaging system – Miyako tested it with Iori and it works like e-mails, but via an incredibly secure transmission. They store the Digimentals, too, but… I just feel like they could do so much more. Like there's something we're missing."

"We'll figure it out," Sora said firmly. "The gate's only been open again for a couple of weeks, and look at how much we've already accomplished. We've found Jou and Hikari, and we know where Yamato is. We just need to find Takeru, and then when Taichi's back in town we can work on some sort of rescue plan." It sounded so simple, but Koushiro's frown only deepened. He frowned a lot these days. "What is it?"

"There are eight crests," he said, "but so far we've only found three of these digimentals. Their traits seem to line up with ours, so where are the others? And who will inherit them? Should we be looking for more Chosen, or at least for the other Digimentals? There are just so many unknowns that it seems impossible to form any kind of strategy-"

"We focus on what we can control," Sora pressed. Koushiro's dark eyes lifted towards her and she smiled. "Didn't you tell me that once?"

He had. Weeks after they had returned from the Digital World, when all of Koushiro's efforts had fallen flat, when Taichi had withdrawn and Sora had begun to spiral… Koushiro had come to her then. We focus on what we can control, he'd said, pulling her out of a whirlpool of 'what if's and 'maybe's and other nightmares that left her waking in a cold sweat. The corner of Koushiro's lips twitched in to a shadow of a smile.

"You focus on what we can control," he said. Sora arched an eyebrow. "I need answers, Sora. Why is the gate open now? What happened to the others while we were away? What happened to the Digital World? How did the Kaiser get there, and who is he? The Digimentals, the new Chosen, the towers and rings…" He sighed and rubbed at his temples. "I don't have half the information that I need-"

"But you have more than you did last time," she countered. "Be kind to yourself, Koushiro. You can't know everything." He fixed her with a look which suggested otherwise, and she laughed. "We'll get through this together, just like we always have. When's the next time we can go back?"

"The lab is in use for an exam after school tomorrow, so it won't be until Thursday," Koushiro answered.

"Then we'll go back on Thursday, and we'll see if we can find some of the answers you need. Maybe we'll even have some good news by the time Taichi gets back." Koushiro's face lit up suddenly and he reached in to the pocket of his blazer.

"You'll probably see Taichi before I do… ah, here it is. Can you give this to him?" The whistle glinted as it passed from his hand to hers, and Sora found herself staring at it. Suddenly she was eleven again, stuck inside the belly of Whamon and listening to the whistle's mighty roar as Hikari blew on it until she was red in the face. She curled her fingers around it tightly.

"Of course."

The camp seemed so much lonelier than before, Jou mused as he tied the last knot around the splint. The Betamon thanked him and hobbled away, and Jou straightened and stretched, working the kinks from his spine. Over the last few days, Takeru's company had been a refreshing change from the digimon, and Jou had almost regretted not returning to the human world with Koushiro and the others. He contented himself with the knowledge that if he had returned, Takeru most likely would have been left to continue roaming the digital wilderness.

The only downside to the boy's presence was that his close relationship with Patamon made Jou miss Gomamon even more than usual. It had been easy to ignore when the days blurred together and he could forget, even if only for a while. The friendship that had once been so alien to Jou now left an ache in his chest with its absence, and watching Takeru and Patamon only made it stronger. He'd almost been relieved when they'd left that morning, saying that they had something to take care of and would be back in a few days' time.

"Jou!" The frantic voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he span around to see a Floramon rushing towards him. Her vines were wild and her pink-tinted petals were dishevelled, as though she had sprinted through hell to find him. When she came to a stop, her leaf-green eyes were wide.

"Floramon, what is it?"

"Someone's coming!" she gasped. "I was out gathering water and – they said they were looking for you – a human and two digimon – they know where we are – we have to hide!"

For a moment Jou forgot how to breathe. It wouldn't be Takeru; Floramon knew him well now, and wouldn't be alarmed by his return. It couldn't be one of the others; it would be strange of them to travel by themselves. Jou's mind jumped to the Kaiser and he gulped in a lungful of air, digging his fingers in to his palms and forcing himself to remain calm.

"Floramon, get everyone in to the main hut. Find the strongest fighters and have them form a ring around the outside of camp. We may need them to defend us if we're under attack. Then find Gabumon and Tentomon and send them to me." What he would do next, Jou wasn't sure; most of his patients were too exhausted to move quickly without devolving, a feat that would take months of new experiences to counteract. And if he moved, how would Takeru find him again? Or Biyomon or Palmon, who had struck north in search of Hikari? Or the others, if they managed to come back? He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and pushed his too-small glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. Later was later; he had to act now.

He was ushering a group of babies in to the main hut when Tentomon and Gabumon found him. He quickly explained the situation before asking for their help in calming the digimon inside the hut.

"We're strong enough to fight," said Gabumon. "Why not put us outside to defend with the others?"

"We'd be more effective out there," Tentomon agreed. Jou hesitated. A nervous bead of sweat rolled down his temple. If the Kaiser was coming, they would not be able to stop him. Jou couldn't bear to see Koushiro try to hide his distress at the thought of Tentomon being imprisoned. As for Yamato, Jou imagined it would just make his day to find Gabumon locked up beside him.

"I need you inside as a last line of defence." The lie came easily. Too easily, and he wondered whether they would believe him. "If the Kaiser makes it in to the camp, we'll need our strongest fighters here." Gabumon fixed Jou with a strange look but didn't question the order, and instead led Tentomon off to the nearby tents and huts to help gather everyone together.

By the time everyone had packed themselves in to the central hut, a wild panic had settled over the camp. Gabumon and Tentomon secured the doors and windows while Jou did what he could to silence the anxious crowd. As the hut fell dark, the screaming and crying slowly turned to muffled whimpers and sniffles. Jou knelt before the door, watching the light flicker around the edges of the frame, and Tentomon had to nudge him several times to remind him to breathe.

The door flew open. Panicked screams split the air and Jou's heart wedged itself in his chest at the silhouette standing in the doorway. Tentomon was the one to call for calm as the Gazimon hurried inside, its wild eyes searching the room. Finally they landed on Jou, and Gazimon extended its rabbit-like paw to clasp his hand firmly.

"We caught them!" he announced. "Some of the Betamon set up a trap and it worked! Come on!" Jou's body felt numb. Had they… had they really captured the Kaiser? He was just a boy, after all… Jou let Gabumon help him to his feet, and he glanced to Floramon.

"Keep everyone here," he said. Her eyes were wide and scared but she nodded. "If you hear fighting, I want you to take everyone and run. Tell everyone to partner up so we'll know if we lose anyone." Floramon rubbed her vines together nervously before disappearing in to the crowd, whispering instructions. Jou turned and stepped back out in to the sunlight with Gabumon and Tentomon close behind him, and they allowed Gazimon to lead them through the huts and in to the woods.

As they left the confines of the camp Jou began to hear voices and the distant sounds of struggling, and as he drew closer the voices became more distinct.

"…so you'd better let us down right now!" a low, female voice growled. She was answered by a roar of jeers and low-level attacks.

"Please!" Another voice rose above the din, higher than the first. "We don't want to hurt you, we just want to-" But whatever they wanted to do was lost beneath another objectionable roar. Gazimon led Jou around a thick tree and Jou finally spied the captives. They were tangled in a large rope net, hanging from the thick branch of a tree and spinning slowly. Jou caught sight of fingers and claws and a purple-tipped tale, and as the net turned a little more he saw an all-too-familiar pair of blue-green eyes blinking back at him.

"Jou!"

Gomamon's voice stole the breath from his lungs as his heart lurched painfully in his chest. His hand flew to his digivice as he stumbled closer.

"Cut them down." The words were small and feeble, and lost beneath the din. A white paw emerged to swipe at a nearby stick that was being jabbed at the net, silver claws gleaming. Jou cleared his throat. "Cut them down!" These words were sharper than he would have liked, and they cut clean through the noise. A moment of silence followed, and then the net began to fall. Jou's heart leapt to his throat and he surged forwards. The crowd parted before him, and by the time he reached the fallen net Gomamon had already wormed his way out from beneath the others.

"Jou!"

Jou fell to his knees as Gomamon threw himself in to Jou's arms. He buried his tears in Gomamon's soft fur as Gomamon tightened his grip around Jou's neck.

"I missed you!" The words came out in a heavy sob and he clenched his eyes shut as Gomamon sniffed loudly.

"Don't cry, Jou," his partner said in a voice that warbled dangerously. "Because if you cry, then I'm gonna cry. And we can't cry when we have visitors!"

Slowly he lifted his face from Gomamon's tear-stained fur as his eyes settled on the others. Hikari was clutching at Gabumon tightly, her face buried in his fur, while Tailmon was talking with Tentomon. Jou sniffed and dried his eyes before standing, keeping Gomamon cradled in his arms ("I can walk, y'know.") as he glanced around the crowd of digimon who were still hovering nervously.

"It's all right," he said. "They're friends."

"You sure they're not gonna hurt us?" Gazimon asked, eying them suspiciously. Hikari looked up, hurt by the accusation, and Jou offered the Gazimon a reassuring smile.

"I promise, they're safe," he answered, though Gazimon seemed unconvinced. "Could you go back to Floramon and the others and let them know everything is okay? It's getting late, we should all start to settle down for the night." Gazimon shot Hikari and the others one last wary glance before nodding and heading back towards the camp. Slowly the other digimon followed, and as the crowd disbursed Hikari rose to her feet.

Whether Jou was truly so pleased to see her, or whether he was still riding the wave of emotion from his reunion with Gomamon, he would never truly be able to tell. He rushed forwards and gathered her up in his arms, holding her tighter than he had any right to, and after a moment's pause she returned the gesture.

"It's good to see you," she said softly as Gomamon wriggled out from between them. Jou pulled back then and cleared his throat, mumbling apologies which she easily dismissed with a shake of her head. Jou laughed and adjusted his glasses.

"Sorry, I… It's been strange, seeing everyone again after so long. You just missed Takeru!" Hikari's face lit up and Jou nodded. "He's been staying with me for the last few days but he said he had some things to take care of. I'm sure he'll be back soon, though. And the others! Have you seen them? They're back too. Well, not all of them, I haven't seen Mimi but I think she's fine. At least I assume she is. I hope she is. The others haven't mentioned-"

"Jou?" Gomamon interrupted.

"Yes?"

"You're rambling." Jou pressed his lips tightly together and wiped his palms on his trousers, ducking his head a little.

"Ah, sorry," he said with a weak chuckle. Hikari giggled a little and he allowed himself to smile. "Come on, I'll show you to the camp. Will you be staying with us?"

"If that's okay," Hikari said. He smiled.

"Of course! We've got plenty of room, although we're a little short on food…"

"We can help with that," Tailmon offered. Jou grimaced.

"I'd hate to ask, as you're guests, but every little bit helps. Most of the digimon are too injured to feed themselves." Tailmon waved a paw with a sly smile.

"Don't worry about it. Consider it repayment for looking at Hikari-"

"Tailmon!"

"Hikari?" Jou asked. He frowned and glanced towards her. "What's wrong?" Hikari turned away, studiously avoiding her partner's gaze.

"Nothing-"

"Just a few scrapes that could do with someone human taking a look at them," Tailmon pressed. Hikari pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes.

"Traitor," she mumbled. Tailmon merely shrugged and stalked ahead, her tail swishing proudly behind her.

As the sun set, the dusk that followed carried a peculiar stillness that settled heavily over the field; empty save for a gentle breeze that danced through the tall grass and kissed the trees.

It was into this emptiness that the darkness crept, seeping through a tiny crack in the sky and oozing in to the world, as curious as a digimon fresh from its egg. The darkness spread through the tall grass and burrowed into the dirt, darting from one shadow to the next. In the dappled shade of a nearby tree it seeped up the thick bark and slithered towards the branches. The sun's last rays were fading fast, and in their absence the darkness swelled, drinking fragments of data that swam through the air.

Within minutes the floating fissure had been sealed, unable to sustain the warped gate, but it had been open long enough. The darkness spread itself thin, painting the ground with shadows as it stretched itself across the field. It had taken too long to find its way back here, and things had changed in its absence. It sucked the colour from the grass and stole the warmth from the sky, fuelling itself as it rolled towards the edge of the field.

A light. The darkness stopped. There was light here, but not the kind that the darkness needed. This light came from a boy, walking calmly through the twilight with his airborne partner. This light would not help the darkness, and so it recoiled, pulling back from the east and heading instead westward. The boy remained oblivious, his partner remained a child, and the darkness continued unchallenged in its search for the light.

Some distance away, Hikari grimaced in her sleep. She rolled on to her side and a hand emerged from beneath the blankets. Slender fingers pressed themselves in to the dirt, and a flash of light pulsed beneath the ground.

Had they been able to remember, the digimon on patrol around the perimeter of the camp would have later recounted a dome of light in the sky that flashed once before fading from existence completely. As it was, the memory faded with the night, and when the light returned the next morning it found no indication that anything could possibly be amiss.