Digimon: Silver Star Story Season 1

by ray1

I've begun uploading edited and consolidated chapters, and will be placing the second season as a separate story.

28. Episode 21, Part 3

Digimon: Silver Star Story

Episode Twenty Two: Revelations

Realm 3, Hogwarts

McGonagall waited at the entrance of the Great Hall, watching as Amelia Bones and her young partner walked along the tables, scanning every spot their three missing students had been at before disappearing. Beside her, Dumbledore stood quietly, watching the proceedings. He had never learned how to be an investigator, so he didn't fully understand some of the spells they were using. Neither did she, and they had both learned quite a few during the war.

All they knew… was that these two didn't seem surprised by the circumstances in which this disappearance occurred.

Bones finally broke away from her partner, making her way over to them. "Well, we can safely remove magic as the method of transportation, so the wards of Hogwarts are still fully operational," she stated. "This suggests a non magical or divine hand in this."

Dumbledore nodded, as if that was obvious. (It kind of was.) "I had a similar belief."

"Is there any way to locate them?" McGonagall asked. "Something the Unspeakables could do?"

Auror-in-Training Nymphadora Tonks soon joined them, shaking her head, her bubblegum colored hair changing to light-blue in an instant. "Unfortunately, they can't, Professor," she replied. "You would probably have better luck with muggle scientists than the Unspeakables." She sighed, turning back to Bones. "Ma'am, this may be connected to that call you received from France."

Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully. "What call?"

"...We'll tell you in your office, Headmaster. This type of information should not be revealed to the public as a whole."

"The Weasley's are currently there. Shall I have them wait outside?"

"...No. Their daughter is involved, so they'll need to know." Bones looked around. "Let's get this done."

Ω

Lunar, Vane

If anyone had been awake at dawn they would have scattered like mice at the intimidating sight that was heading through the Magic Guild of Vane.

There, walking down the hallway and armed to the teeth, was the Alliance. They were all moving in almost perfect synchronization, the same look in all of their eyes. They were on a mission, and woe be to the one who got in their way.

Harry and Hermione, while being new to this world, were no strangers to

Tai turned one particular corridor, and stopped, taking in their objective for a moment. "Mia?" he called out, gesturing for her to join him in the front. "What's wrong with this picture?"

Mia looked, frowned. "There are no guards protecting the door."

"Exactly."

"Who in their right mind doesn't post any guards around the door to this Crystal Tower?" Harry asked. "If it's so important, why not?"

"They're not expecting company," Luna replied, "let alone us."

Mia nodded in agreement. "A last bit of warning about the way up to the Star Chamber," she said. "No metal weapons of any kind can be used on the way up the tower, save for mystical weapons like Tai's, T.K.'s, and Kari's. Only staves are useful in here, as is magic." She pulled out a series of staves from Nall's subspace pocket. "There's one for each of you. To use them, concentrate, and it will activate."

Hermione nodded. "It's a good idea. The three of us don't know enough about magic to use our powers effectively." She picked three up, handing one to Ginny, then Harry.

Ginny smirked. "Speak for yourself, Hermione. I read a book that's used in fifth year, learned some of the spells."

"We didn't," Harry reminded her.

Jupiter looked at the three wizards/witches in training in exasperation. Every second they spent talking was another second second wasted. "Well, if you three are done debating amongst yourselves, let's get in there quickly. I want to hurt Ausa!"

Mia turned around immediately, pinning the Senshi with a firm stare. "Let's find out if my mother is control of herself before we do anything else, Jupiter. Okay?"

"Fine, but not a second more."

"Fair enough." The young lady turned around, and raised her hands in the direction of the door.

"Mia, wait!"

Everyone's heads turned in the direction of the voice, the majority of them surprised for one reason or another. "Nash?" Mia gasped.

Ghaleon's disciple stopped in front of them, all arrogance gone from his features. He had apparently guessed what had happened, and had guessed where they were going. "All of you are going to the Star Chamber, aren't you." It wasn't a question. It was rather obvious, considering where they were standing.

Agumon, whose grudge with Nash was pretty much well documented, replied, "Yeah, what's it to you? Going to turn us in for being out of bounds…and jail?"
But, Mia, who knew him better, realized what he was implying. And it didn't surprise her in the least. "Nash… you're a member of the Magic Guild, If you don't obey my mother's wishes…"
"I could be executed," Nash finished, his gaze not faltering once. "I know… and I know that the same thing could happen to you, too!"

"I'm the next leader of the Magic Guild. It's my duty to find out what's going on."

"I know you have to. I would never try and talk you out of it. But it is my duty as a member of the Magic Guild to protect my future leader!"

Rini whistled. "Now there's loyalty," she whispered. Just when one thought they had the young magician pegged, he showed another side to his personality.

"But," Nash continued, "I don't want to go out of duty, Mia. I want to go because I…" He trailed off.

"What, Nash?" Mia asked.

The young magician seemed to draw upon some reservoir of strength from within himself. "Because… I'm sure that Luna Two is being held in that chamber." He grinned. "Besides, I don't want Alex to be the only one who looks cool! So let's go!"
"Now there's the Nash we all know and love!" Patamon crowed. "Well… not love love, but you get the picture."

Mia smiled, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes. "Thank you, Nash…" she whispered, then turned around, holding her arms out. "In the name of the Goddess Althena, I banish the magical seal on this door!" she chanted.

A powerful flash of light erupted from the door, blinding them all for a moment. When it had cleared, they saw that Mia had pushed them open, smiling slightly. "Let's hurry before someone finds out what we're up to."

Alex nodded. "Lead the way."

Racc charged towards the Magic Guild at breakneck speed, his instincts telling him that Pluto and her pint sized friends had somehow managed to get past the guards and into the Guild without anyone knowing. And he knew that they would free their friends, before heading in the direction of the Star Chamber. No doubt the brat Mia Ausa would be helping them. She was just like her mother.

He reached the bottom step… and the doors to the Magic Guild opened, revealing Jacob, skewering him with a rather deadly look. Behind him, there were about six guards, all looking at him in the same manner.

Racc returned their glares, unamused by this show of defiance. He had known it was going to happen, just not this soon. "What are you all doing from your posts?!" he roared.

Jacob, un-intimidated by the fearsome demon, stepped forward. "Mia Ausa and I have had an enlightening conversation with some of the fugitives. And we have come to an understanding." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "They've informed me that it was you who attacked them on several occasions. And now... we are going to make sure that you don't get another chance to do so."

Racc didn't see any need to deny the accusation. In fact, Royce had informed him that this would happen. Apparently, Mia was every bit as formidable as her mother in terms of intelligence. "Okay, so you have me. But it does not matter. You and your little platoon of guards are not going to stop me."

"Little?" a voice growled behind him. He turned around to see the other guards staring at him with anger as well. 'Boy, I would be in a rut if I was not unbeatable.' He shrugged. "Well, it appears that I need some exercise, humans. So come on. Fight me if you wish."

The guards immediately charged as one.

Mia gasped, taking in their surroundings. "By the Goddess," she breathed. "What has happened here? Why would anyone do this to a sacred structure?"

Patamon and Gatomon could understand her shock. They even shared it to a certain degree.

The massive chamber appeared to be made of the same material that adorned Quark's inner chamber. Under most circumstances, it would be considered beautiful, with an equally aesthetica light to go with it.

However, two details completely destroyed those hopes.

The room was in shambles. There were cracks and holes in the walls, and rubble was strewn across the room. Crystalline structures had been toppled off their supports, like they had been knocked over by a very powerful force.

The other detail was the monsters. They were presently in the room in swarms, blocking the way to the other side of the room. And they were all turning around.

Alex was appalled. "This tower was some sort of sanctuary, right?" he asked.

Nash nodded, irate. "This…this is…desecration! These monsters shouldn't be here!"

"How do you know, Nash?" Agumon asked shrewdly, looking at him with sympathy. "How do you know that Lemia didn't put them here to guard the tower while she was here?"

Gatomon watched as Nash's gaze become truly terrible to behold as he thought about the little Digimon's words. However, for the first time, it wasn't directed at Agumon or Nall. And Gatomon almost pitied Lemia Ausa and Royce. Almost. She cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "Can we keep going?" she asked. "After all, we won't save Luna if we just stand here."

Alex nodded, holding his staff tightly in his hands as he refocused on the task at hand. "I agree with that."

"Then go," Hermione said, gesturing. "You know the way, Lady Ausa."

Not even thirty seconds later, the sound of fireballs flying through the air erupted in the Crystal Tower, as the Alliance began to fight the monsters there. Kari, Ginny, and the Scouts began obliterating monsters with their powers. T.K. and Tai began introducing them to the cold steel, which was the best way for them.

Of course, Nash and Mia took the desecration of the tower as a personal affront to themselves, and acted accordingly.

Nash, under normal tutelage, wouldn't have been able to even create a static field, let alone the powerful bolts of lightning that were his elemental attacks. He would have been stuck at the lowest rung of the Guild's hierarchy for the rest of his life, and thus would be unable to be of much help to anyone.

However, under Ghaleon's instruction, he had learned how to harness his power effectively and to grow stronger because of it. He had to learn what his weaknesses were, and overcome them one at a time. His growth as a magician also increased his confidence in himself, and unlocking even greater reserves of strength that he never even knew he had. And while he was arrogant, he did show extreme loyalty to the Magic Guild. It was for the Guild that he wrought terrible retribution upon the creatures who dared desecrate a sacred place.

Mia, on the other hand, was a level of power unto herself.

When she wasn't angry, Mia was the kindest, gentlest soul on Lunar, curious of the world around her, and the adventures that she had never been on. But now, upon learning of the destruction of the Crystal Tower, and of what her mother had done, she had become a terror. An absolute terror. And it chilled the monsters to the bone…literally. Such power had been the gift of the Ausa bloodline, and would be for generations afterward. Though for her, it was even more potent.

Patamon blasted the last monster on the level into the far wall, watching it as slid to the ground into a pile of glass. "That's the last one."
Harry sighed, shaking his arms out. He was built for gardening and wand waving, not actual hand to hand combat. He would have to think about physical training later on, especially if he wanted to survive in the future. "Then let's go. Otherwise, I'm going to go crazy."

Upon hindsight, he would later reflect, going crazy would probably have been less traumatic for all of them.

Every level was like the last, chock full of monsters blocking the way to their objective. For the first time, they were all grateful that they were armed. Otherwise, they would have had extremely bright target signs on their chests, and they wouldn't have been able to do much about it.

They stopped at the halfway point of their journey to rest, and to recharge their magic power. Never before had they had to face so many monsters before in such a short period of time. Short period meaning two hours.

Harry and Hermione practically fell down, exhausted to the point of collapse. Unlike the Alliance, who were used to this, they didn't have the advantage of walking everywhere, and fighting half of the time. One didn't have to worry about such things while in a school. Ginny fared little better, though she knew that this would probably happen.

"Bloody Hell!" Harry gasped out. "How do you people stand this?!"
"We've been doing it for a while," Joe replied. "And that was when we were in the Digital World."

Hermione took a deep breath, her heart rate just starting to return to normal. Unlike Harry and Ginny, who had been trained to handle the adrenaline rush due to their love of Quidditch, she had no experience doing so. She was a bookworm, not a fighter. "I guess fighting is a staple here."

Sora nodded, having already regained her breath, even as Biyomon shook her wings out. "And it's proven pretty beneficial."

"I don't doubt it," Ginny replied, chuckling as Matt helped her to her feet. "So you two heroes, enjoying your first day on Lunar?"
The two third years glared at her. "Come on," Hermione suddenly muttered, getting to her feet. "Let's get moving. Lady Ausa isn't going to wait for us to get there."

Tai nodded, grinning at Matt. "Evil, evil person…I like your girlfriend, Matt."

"Ginny's not my girlfriend," Matt hissed.

"Whatever."

Hermione decided that Ginny seemed to have a thing for broody people, regardless of the hair color. Though Matt wouldn't look out of place in a rock band. He had the hair cut for it.

The next four levels were just as painful, and were even more numerous than the last ones. They even encountered a new monster called the Crystal Knight.

Crystal Knight: A member of the Magic Knight breed of monster, the Crystal knight was created by the Vile Tribe to act as a connection between their demon and monster population. They are about as strong as a human, though their crystal bodies offer them better than average defense.

Agumon finished off one of them, avoiding another's pointed bottom. "Geez, with the amount of protection they brought up, you'd think their leader was here!"

Jupiter's great hands flexed as she literally crushed one's throat. "If she is," she said, "then she'll wish she never heard of us."

Gatomon nodded, her stare as cold as Nash's. "I'll see to it personally." She promptly slashed through another one, sending it almost through the wall.

They reached the last level, running into some resistance. It was dispatched with very little trouble. The Alliance was no longer in a very charitable mood. Of course, they hadn't been in a charitable mood. All of their compassion had been left back in the dungeons.

They approached the massive door protecting the Star Chamber from them, preparing for another round of fisticuffs, when Artemis's ears suddenly perked up. "Hey, do you guys hear that?" he asked.

One by one, everyone stopped moving, listening carefully. The sound appeared again, faint.

Hermione closed her eyes, feeling the music flow over her, revitalizing her for some reason. "Singing," she murmured.

"Indeed." Ginny looked around in surprise as her weariness dropped away from her. "And it's soothing."

Nall grinned. He knew of only one person who's voice could do that without any difficulty. "That singing… it's Luna's voice! I knew she was here!"

Jane Doe slowly stirred again. She had been silent throughout their trek through the Crystal Tower, being protected by Mimi and Mars. But here, with the faint music washing over her, it seemed as though she was regaining her strength. "So beautiful…" she murmured, "…it warms my heart… and my mind. Memories coming back… my name… I… I am…" she struggled for a moment, then slumped. "I don't know…"

Mia rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay," she said quietly. "You'll get your memories back, I promise you."

The prisoner wearily smiled. "I…know."

Nash turned his attention to Mercury. "What's stopping her from remembering her own identity?" he asked, confused.

"And how does Luna's song have the power to restore her memory?" Mia added.

Mercury shook her head. "I don't know. Luna's voice can heal just about anything. I don't understand how it does that… yet. But it's not all Luna's doing." She smiled. "Jane Doe is still fighting the effects of the mask… and probably has been doing so for quite some time."

Harry nodded. "But for whatever reason, this Luna's singing now, and it's giving her new strength. Why?"

Nall turned around, giving them a glare worthy of Luna. "I think we'll find the answer in the Star Chamber!" he growled, letting them know that they had wasted enough time talking about it. "So, who wants to do the honors?"
Patamon grinned. "We're breaking in, ladies and gentlemen. T.K., who do you want to knock?"

"Okay. Mercury, freeze that door. Make it as brittle as a graham cracker." T.K. pointed at Greg. "Then you're up."

Greg saluted. "Okay, little buddy," he replied. "Ames? Give this door the cold shoulder."

Mercury nodded, then raised her hand. A beam of ice shot from it, freezing the door in a chilly embrace. It became brittle as it froze, until it was coated in a thin sheet of ice. Then, Greg, quite calmly in fact, stepped forward, and lashed out with a powerful kick. And, like any brittle surface, it shattered into a million pieces.

Harry's eyes widened in amazement. "Nice. You give orders well, T.K."

T.K. grinned. "Trained by the best."

Hermione, for the first time since dinner at Hogwarts, grinned. The next few minutes were going to prove interesting for all concerned.

The Star Chamber was the only place in the Crystal Tower that wasn't infested with monsters, and that was for good reason. It was currently occupied with Lemia, Royce, Ghaleon and surprisingly, Phacia, who looked like she didn't want to be there. And that was because she didn't want to.

The Star Chamber was aptly named. T was akin to an astrological display, magical simulations of stars and planets always rotating, following the actual changing of the Silver Star's location. On the floor, a large five point had been placed, one that signified a magician's adherence to the ever changing flow of power.

In the center of the room, right in the middle of that five pointed star, stood Luna, singing her heart out, tears brimming in her eyes. Not that she got any sympathy from the Guild Mistress and her Seer. They were watching, waiting for something to happen.

Phacia shifted, losing patience. Being around the other two, especially when they had such eager expressions on their faces, was too much sometimes. Especially when they were watching someone suffering because of their actions. "What's happening?" she demanded, wanting these proceedings over with as soon as possible so she could simply leave. "Do we know if she's the one?"

"Have patience!" Royce hissed. "Let her continue to sing!"

Lemia's foot tapped impatiently, which was never supposed to happen. She was supposed to be known for her fiery personality, not for annoying habits like that. "How many of these girls are we going to have to capture until we find the one we need?" she grunted irritably, one that Phacia took great pleasure from. It let her know that she didn't want to be here either.

Ghaleon, the 'Head Priestess' noted, kept his counsel to himself. She did so as well, deep in thought. Once more, she was wondering if she was doing the right thing. Helping her sisters ruin singers lives, while at the same time betraying them, was a very bitter pill to swallow. Not to mention the very dangerous tightrope that she walked upon.

Of course, she knew Royce was having similar doubts when she arrived last night, and learned what happened to Alex and his friends…

"She what?!" Phacia exclaimed quietly, looking at Royce in shock. "Why would she do that?!"

"Because they are a threat to the cause, Phacia," Royce replied calmly, though it was clear that despite knowing what would happen, she wasn't too happy about it, either. "She believes that Luna may be the one."

"She could have simply asked! She could have been nicer! It would have allowed us to stay in hiding a little longer!" She sighed, sitting down on Royce's bed, breathing in and out. "We should have never come to Althena's lands," she stated after a moment.

Royce observed her for a second. "We both know that Xenobia was never going to accept that," she reminded her gently. "She would have killed us had we refused to help her. At least with us here, we can mitigate some of the damage early on."

Phacia looked at her. "I know… I just don't think we have done enough." For a moment, she thought about telling Royce about what she had done, but ultimately decided not to. If their sister found out, then Royce would have plausible deniability.

Royce sighed, putting a gentle hand on Phacia's sister."Come, Phacia. We need to go to the Star Chamber. The soone we can confirm whether or not Luna is the one, the sooner we can leave."

As she pondered her hateful relationship with Xenobia and her own duplicitous actions against her, a sudden sound caught her attention. Curious, she looked in the direction of the door. 'Nothing's wrong there,' she thought. 'So what made that sound…hold on. Is the door…freezing?' Under a more thorough observation, she saw that it was indeed becoming encased in ice.

She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew who it was. A combination of fear and hope wormed its way into her heart.

Sure enough, a second later, the door shattered into pieces, the largest piece hitting the far side of the wall. The Alliance stepped through, a collective force of pure rage. And it was presently directed at the three of them.

"Luna!" Alex shouted at Luna Two, breaking her concentration. She turned around, relief so palpable that Phacia could feel it. She didn't move, though, afraid that Lemia would strike at him and the others.

"Mother!" Mia exclaimed, shocked beyond all measure.

Lemia took a step back in surprise. "Mia! What is the meaning of this!" she snapped. "How dare you interrupt a sacred ceremony of the Magic Guild?!"

Jupiter's eyes flared. "That's not all we're going to 'interrupt,' Ausa!" She was barely restraining herself from launching herself at the Guild leader, and the others knew it.

Nall's glare was just as vicious. "Are you all right, Luna? Because if any of these barbarians have hurt you…"

"…they die," Alex finished, his sword now out, his eyes cold as the ice Mercury controlled.

Luna One nodded. "I'm okay," she replied. "They haven't harmed me!" She was inwardly rejoicing. They were alive!

Phacia kept her expression emotionless, though she was now cheering internally. Royce blinked once, which was her only reaction to that statement. Lemia, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes in contempt.

Mia stepped forward pleadingly. "Mother, this is madness! You have to stop! Please!" She looked ready to beg, to get on her hands and knees, anything to prevent more pain from being inflicted.

She probably would have gotten better reception from a brick wall. Her plea fell on deaf ears. "I have shown nothing but leniency and forgiveness for your delinquent behavior…and this is how you repay me!" Lemia's voice grew louder and deadlier. "By releasing my prisoners and disrupting a sacred ritual?!" She took a step forward, hand raised. "Your punishment shall be swift and brutal, my wretched little offspring," she practically shrieked, "and your friends death shall be even more merciless!" Immediately, a powerful blast of dark energy, stronger than anything they had ever seen, issued from her palm, heading in their direction.

Harry and Hermione's eyes widened as it approached.

"No!" Mia exclaimed in absolute shock.

Mimi, moving faster than she had ever moved before in her life, shouted, "Reflection Shield!" Instantly, the attack slammed into a powerful force field, barely denting it. "Nice try, bitch," she said, smirking as she got in front of the younger Ausa, "but I'm quite a powerful individual myself."

Lemia's gaze connected with the young lady's, her eyes widening slightly, before narrowing in fury. "Ghaleon," she shouted, keeping her gaze on Mimi, "the time has come! Help us complete the ceremony!"
"Well…" Ghaleon began, looking torn.

Mia's eyes grew wide in understanding. If there was one thing she knew, it was how stubborn her mother could be when doing any sort of task. "You're not my mother! You're an imposter!" she shouted. "My mother would never speak to me as you have!"
Now Lemia's gaze shifted back to her daughter, a particularly evil glint in her eyes. "Oh, my dear Mia… your every word seals your fate!"
"So do yours!" Hermione shouted, stepping up next to Mia. "You are a disgrace to all who wield magic, and to your family!"
Patamon saw a very ugly look enter Lemia's face as Hermione's words processed. 'Hatred. But why?' He saw Harry step forward as well, until he was standing right next to her.

"Mr. Potter," Royce said greeting, a small nod of respect toward the two in question. "And Miss Granger. How are you enjoying your first day on Lunar?"

"Indeed," Lemia stated. "How is your first day with these pathetic fools?"
Tai's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "How do you know about them? How do you even know of them? You've never met them before."

"Oh, but I know so much about them. Tell me, Potter, did you ever find out the exact circumstances of why your parents were selected for death by your enemy?" Lemia smiled as Harry's gaze narrowed into slits behind his glasses. "And you, Miss Granger. Do you even know what you are, or who your family is? Do you even know your own power?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed in confusion at that statement. What in the hell did this woman mean by that?

Mia had heard everything she needed to hear. She stepped forward again. "Now I know that you're not my mother! My mother has never been through Althena's Gateway! And she would never speak of things she knew nothing about!" She held the mirror up. "Shine, Mirror! Shine! Show the true soul of this imposter!"

Lemia, distracted by her daughter yet again, turned away from the two wizards. She stared at the Mirror intently. "The Mirror of Althena?" she murmured, somewhat surprised.

Alex grinned. "Have a nice day."

The mirror glowed with white cleansing power, bathing everyone in a bright light for several seconds. It's power washed over the entire assemblage, bringing peace to some, memories of the past to others, and simply giving others some insight about themselves.

For Harry and Hermione, something shifted inside them, making them feel rejuvenated, like they had limitless power at their disposal.

All Lemia felt was a temporary blindness, as the light stabbed at her eyes. When the light faded away, and she could see again, she began laughing. "You dishonor the Ausa Dynasty, little one…" She laughed harder as Mia's expression became forlorn.

Mia stumbled back into Hermione's arms. Her shock was so great that she literally couldn't remain standing. "No... … What have you done to the Mirror?!" She looked at the mirror for a moment. "It should have shown your true form! I refuse to believe that you're my mother!" She collapsed, near tears. "It simply can't…"
"Shh…it's okay, Mia," Hermione whispered, hugging her gently. "It's going to be okay." She turned to look at Lemia. "How dare you?" she shouted, a fury rising that she had only felt once before erupting within her. It was fury matching the hatred she had for Harry's Aunt and Uncle, and probably even surpassed it. "She's your daughter, for pities sake! Have you no compassion left in your body?!"

"Tell me, why should I have compassion for one who would betray her mother?"

Both Phacia and Royce shuddered at that, spoken with such hatred and malice. How could such a person exist? Did she survive simply on that rage?
Gatomon felt sympathy for the young Ausa, and a very powerful sense of rage emerge for Lemia. "Jupiter, tear her to shreds!" she snarled.

"With pleasure." Jupiter took one step forward, her intent obvious.

And, from the back of the group, where Jane Doe stood… Jane Doe stirred. "…Mia… my dear…Mia…" she whispered. "Do not mourn, my daughter… I am here for you…"

Everyone turned around to stare at the former prisoner, a little confused... and saw something shocking.

She was smiling. Not a smile of hatred, or defeat, but one of joy… love. Slowly, her hands reached for the mask, grasping it by its sides. She pulled upwards, removing it…

… to reveal Lemia Ausa, hair matted, sweat glistening on her face, a crust of blood over her left eye, and look of exhausted exultation on her face. She stood, trembling on her two legs in triumph.

"Mother!" Mia exclaimed, shock, then joy running through her body. She knew she had been right! She wanted to hug her, but forced herself not to. Her mother had taken enough of a beating without having to wonder whether or not her daughter had broken any of her ribs.

The rest of the Alliance smiled, grateful that Mia had been right... then turned to look at 'Lemia' in a new light. One where she had a gigantic sign on her saying, 'I have a bullseye on my chest. Use me for target practice.'

'Uh oh,' Phacia thought. 'We are in trouble now.'

Strangely enough, she felt relieved.

Lemia could have wept in joy at being freed… and then explode in rage at the ones who took it away from her in the first place.

Four months of her life, gone. When she had left the Guild on a mission of peace to another guild, she hadn't had any guards. After all, who in their right mind would attack a member of the Four Heroes, especially Lemia Ausa? Anything happened to her, and Ghaleon would be on them faster than the Goddess herself.

As it turned out, she had been a tad arrogant in believing that her reputation and capabilities would be enough to keep her safe.

Halfway through her journey to the Guild of Dabe, she had passed a sorceress on the road. She hadn't paid her any mind. Their brand of magic was unethical, but not illegal, and Lemia knew a few sorceresses from her days as an active soldier who were honorable. Her great mind had been on the negotiations with the Headmaster of Dabe, William Travis, and the first Guardian herself, Alania. So she didn't pay much attention when the sorceresses footsteps slowed, stopped, then started up again, this time following her. She had just decided to find out what the woman wanted, when the first blow had struck her in the back.

Her fighting instincts had taken over, diplomatic courtesy be damned, but that first shot had slowed her reflexes. And just when she had believed that she had won, a blow to the back of her head had sent her into oblivion.

Upon regaining consciousness, she had found herself in her own dungeon, that deplorable mask attached to her head. She had also felt the sting of injuries healed over without the use of the Statue, including both of her arms. In that instant, Lemia realized that the sorceress had wanted her for a specific purpose, and immediately applied all of her magical power and will into combating the effects of the mask. In the long run, it would prove futile. All she had to do was hold on long enough for her daughter could catch on to what was happening.

Unfortunately, it hadn't been as simple as that.

Thorak and Parrt, the two who had tortured her and Angelica at the Gallitep prison labor camp, had soon arrived, and had begun inflicting their unspeakable brand of torture upon her once more, sapping her strength and magical power as they did so.

For four months, she had been in that cell, losing her identity and her memories, yet maintaining her sanity through all of the pain she was put through. In fact, she used her sanity as her last lifeline, retaining coherent thought when everything else had vanished. In frustration, Parrt was ready to use his most sadistic methods, but something had called him back, leaving her be.

Confused, Lemia had started to fight with renewed fury, trying to use all of her faltering concentration to determine what had changed. And then, through dumb luck, she had watched as a large group of children were dragged down, and thrown into the last empty cells. 'Execution,' her mind decided. But that was miniscule, as she saw her chance.

She no longer knew who she was.

She no had any idea as to why she had to fight.

All she knew was that they were innocent, and that she could try and help them. And help them she did. In return, they helped her, and Mia… dear, dear Mia… had opened the cell, and soothed her with her gentle words.

So began a journey from the dungeons to the Star Chamber, fighting their way through the defenses that had been put up. And the singing, which gave her the strength to fight anew against the mask's power, and also lessened the pain she had been feeling. Slowly, so slowly, she began to remember.

Finally, these kind people, who had freed her from her cell, had protected her through the Tower, and had given her comfort, faced off with those who had hurt her. And when Mia shined Althena's Mirror, it restored her identity, as well as all of her memories. Her power and strength restored, she pulled the mask off, staring into the eyes of herself, like a mirror.

She gently put her hand on her daughters shoulder, smiling. "The gentle light shining forth from Althena's Mirror has awakened me…" she said gently, before turning her gaze towards her doppelganger, "and liberated me from the curse of this sorceress!"

Nall was in shock. "A sorceress?" he echoed.

"Oh yes." The Guild Head winced as her ankle twinged. "She attacked me, and left me to the tender mercies of Thorak for four months!"

'Lemia' stared at Lemia for a moment as one would stare at a particularly disgusting insect. And in her mind, that was probably she did view her. "What are you babbling about, you pathetic imposter?!" she snarled. "Ghaleon! Dispose of these nuisances at once!"

The Premier of the Magic Guild was silent for a moment, then turned to glare at her. "I think not, 'Lemia'…" In the space of a moment, Ghaleon had grabbed Luna Two, and brought her to the relative safety of her friends. "I think you've been revealed as the fraudulent wench that you are!"
"What?!"

"I can't believe that I was completely deceived by your cheap trick!" Ghaleon continued angrily. "How dare you betray my trust, and attempt to overthrow the Magic Guild?!" He turned to the Alliance. "You may have her head, Jupiter!"

Harry's own gaze hardened. "And please, have fun while doing it," he added. Hermione, for her part, didn't reprimand him. It was what she had been thinking as well.

Jupiter grinned. She had just been told to do her worst. And so she would. "I'm going to enjoy this."

The imposter was silent for a moment, as she stared at the approaching Sailor Scout. After a moment, she started laughing. Phacia and Royce edged closer to her.

Harry was confused. If he recalled correctly, people didn't start laughing when their life was hanging in the balance. "What's so funny?"

The imposter's grin was completely malicious. It completely warped the face of Lemia into something truly ugly. Something... dangerous. "Then it appears that the time for revelations has come sooner than later!" she snarled. Her eyes flashed red… and stayed that way as her hands came up.

Instantly, a red tornado appeared, engulfing the three of them in its power. It was so strong that Jupiter stumbled backwards several feet, her forward momentum halted.
And, before the eyes of the Alliance, they began changing.

'Lemia's' body and clothing changed. Her hair became longer, and of a lighter color. The clothing became black and pink colored. Her jaw became more angular, harder.

Royce's robes disappeared, revealing a skimpy outfit, complete with a black cape. A staff, the traditional implement of the Seers of Lunar, appeared in her hand. Her red eyes glinted with repressed dark knowledge

Phacia's robes and hairstyle changed, becoming a tight fitting blue dress and matching cloak, her hair out of its pigtails, and trailing down her back now.

The three of them radiated power the likes of which none of them had ever felt before. It was so palpable, that Alex could have cut it with his sword if he wanted to.

Luna Two stepped back in shock as she took in another shocking detail. "They're…demons," she sputtered, remembering the stories she had heard all those years ago concerning the Cycle Wars. It seemed now that every single nightmare she had had was coming to life right now.

Mimi also stepped back in shock, but it was for a different reason. Each one of them had series of lines running across their bodies, intersecting and merging all over their arms, legs, and torsos. In fact, the only part of them free from them was their faces.

Every story Mimi's parents had ever told her came rushing back to her. She understood. Damn it, she understood now.

The woman who had been posing as Lemia Ausa stepped forward, red eyes glinting. "I am Xenobia, a descendant of the forgotten Vile Tribe. The 'innocence' Althena callously pushed beyond the wastelands of the Frontier!"
Mimi immediately came out of her shock, and focused on Xenobia, a dark feeling of rage beginning to emerge. Her hand started to twitch imperceptibly.

Lilika frowned as she stared at the trio of demons, as she had heard of them before. She didn't know from where, but the feeling was there.

Royce looked at them. "I warned you I could see many things. Unfortunately, I have now seen your demise." She shook her head. "Too bad you had to get involved."
The twitching became stronger. Rage seemed to simmer underneath Mimi's pores. Electricity began to crackle at her fingertips.

"We didn't expect you to get his far, Alliance," Phacia said quietly, and her voice had a hint of remorse in it. "It's been quite the revelation." She looked at her sisters for a moment. "But you never can tell when luck like yours will run out."

Mimi's eyes spoke of a hatred that would have given even Myotismon pause. Her mouth began to twitch in sync with her hand.

Tai saw Harry and Hermione stand side by side, both of them staring at the Vile Tribes leaders in absolute confusion. He had to confess a certain curiosity on how these three had been able to do what they did.

"Our plan to seize control of the Magic Guild almost worked," Xenobia snarled. "Now you've cut that victory short!" She glared at them. "You will pay dearly for this resurrection!"

"Savor your feeble victory while you can," Phacia added. "The Magic Emperor will form a new world order…with the Vile Tribe as its rulers!"
"How dare you…" Ghaleon growled.

"No you won't, sleaze queen!" Sailor Moon pointed a finger at them. "I am Sailor Moon, a champion of justice! In the name of the moon, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil! And that means you!"
Harry jerked his thumb at the girl. "What she said," he stated.

Ginny looked at Matt. "Does it always sound that corny?" she asked.

"Whenever she says it," Matt replied.

Xenobia raised her hand.

And Mimi finally exploded. "You almost killed my mother, you bitch!" she roared, her own hand coming up like a cobra.

"What the-?" Xenobia was cut off when a massive bolt of lightning suddenly slammed into her chest, hurtling her into the far wall. The impact almost cracked the incredibly dense material.

Phacia and Royce looked at Mimi in shock, but two powerful blows stopped them before they could even move. Both hit the ground, jumping away before a follow up burst of lightning could actually hit them.

In all of the excitement, they had completely neglected Sailor Jupiter.

Mimi was on Xenobia in an instant, striking hard and fast. Thirteen years of fury were being poured into her blows. Each punch was strong enough to make a rhinoceros stop.

Xenobia blocked desperately, trying to find an opportunity to strike back and failing. Her mind was still trying to wrap itself around this unexpected truth. She had not expected to see the young lady here, and putting the pieces together so quickly. Hell, she thought they would have been dead by now.

Phacia rose and, acting quickly, launched an energy tether at Mimi, snaring her aroundd the waist. With a sharp pull, she managed to remove her from her sister, and threw her into Jupiter, forcing the Senshi to break off her attack.

The whole room was silent for several seconds, shocked by the sudden… and quite violent outburst. And the thing was that no one knew what Mimi had meant by that.

Xenobia pushed upwards, her mind making several connections. 'Sheyra's child is here,' she thought in sudden realization. 'And she knows of us.' She turned to her sister. "Are you happy now, sister?" she asked.

Royce massaged her cheek, a slight smile on her lips. "Yes, I am."

Mimi stood up, glaring at Xenobia, seeing the hatred in her eyes. She took a step forward.

"Mimi, calm down!" Palmon shouted. This was, by far, the angriest she had ever seen her partner, and that was saying something.

Lemia, also realizing the necessity of calming Mimi down, as well as realizing why she had reacted that way, said, "Listen to your friend, Lady Tachekawa. Now is not the time to avenge your mother's betrayal."

Lilika looked at her, finally putting the pieces together. "I agree, Mimi. This isn't the time."

"Oh, really? Then when do you think is a good time?"

"Not right now."

Alex cleared his throat. "Can we focus on the situation at hand?" he asked, getting their attention. "Then we can find answers."

Royce smirked. "I foresee another round of deception in your futures," she said, linking eyes with Greg. "Our paths shall cross again then." She turned to Harry. "You and your friends should find a way off of Lunar while you have the chance, Mister Potter."

Harry scowled. "Been there, done that. Not really impressed."

Jupiter sighed. "Now can Mimi and I kill her?" she asked.

Mia nodded, gaze as cold as ice. Nash stepped forward. "Here, let us help you. Thunderthrust!"

"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!"

"Summon Elemental Power! Blizzard!"

"Light Scepter Activation!"

"Hope Sword Blaster!"

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"
"Moon Scepter Activation!"
"Pluto Deadly Scream!"

"Lightning Blade!"
"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"BOOM BUBBLE!"

"Stupefy!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Tai simply conjured up a sphere of fire, and hurled it at them.

Fifteen attacks of various strengths flew through the air. Their target was pretty obvious, as they weren't aiming at each other.

Xenobia was back on her feet, creating a force field around herself and her sisters. It was powerful enough to withstand a force equal to a nuclear weapon. The attacks, which rivaled that power, slammed into it, causing it to spark and fizz as its power was tested.

Mimi stepped forward, raising her hand. "Ice Beam!" she bellowed. Immediately, a jet of ice issued from her hand, hitting the shield as well.

Xenobia finally sighed in exasperation. "Really, is this the best you humans can do? I've taken worse from my own soldiers!"

"How about this, then? Inferno!" Ghaleon created a fireball that equaled Wargreymon's Terra Force attack in size, and far outstripped it in terms of power. This attack also hit the field, making it compress.

Now Xenobia had to work to maintain the shield, knowing that she couldn't hold out forever. Already, she was starting to buckle under the strain.

Royce, and Phacia were becoming extremely concerned. Xenobia was powerful, more powerful than either of them, but even she wasn't strong enough to withstand the collective fury of the Alliance for long. They were going to need help soon.

And fate decided to give them that help.

Jacob, or rather, Jacob's unconscious body, hurtled through the door, creating a massive hole in its wake. The security guard slammed into Tai and Hermione, knocking them into Matt and Jupiter. The other's turned around in surprise, their attack disrupted.

Racc stepped through the open hole, and released two fireballs.

One struck Patamon.

---

The other one hit Gatomon.

---

Realm 3, Hogwarts

Ron was getting worried. A worry that was rapidly going to frightened. Anff, judging how the rest of his family was fidgeting around, he wasn't the only one.

The moment Ginny had disappeared, McGonagall had ordered everyone else to return to their dormitories, with the notable exception of him and the other Weasley's. They had been sherperded directly to the Headmaster's Office. Their parents had arrrived, both of them already pale and shaking. When Percy asked, the Mom stated that Ginny's arrow on the family clock had moved to MORTAL PERIL, and then greyed out, like it knew she was alive, but didn't know anything outside of that. It had never happened before.

And now, entering the third hour of their vigil, they were still without answers.

The door to the Headmaster's Office opened, admitting Dumbledore, McGonagall, Madame Bones, and a your auror. Ron sat up straighter in his seat, realizing that they might finally be getting those answers. What those answers were, he didn't know. He only knew that having an answer was better than not knowing at all.

Albus moved to his desk, sitting down in his chair. "I am pleased to inform all of you that we believe that your daughter, Mister Potter, and Miss Granger are most likely still alive," he informed the assembled Weasley family. "Sirius Black has not managed to kidnap them. Unfortunately, that is where the good news ends."

The teleportation everyone saw was not of magical origin," Tonks stated, picking up right there. "It was more akin to a wormhole than a form of teleportation. As for what happened with your daughter…"

"What did happen to Ginnny?" Molly asked.

"… I think that she may have had aa mental link with someone in another reality. I don't really know that works, but it's possible that she was looking their eyes, or the other way around. As a result, they were pretty much sharing a body. What one felt, the other felt."

There was silence for a second, as they all tried to wrap their heads around that. "Uh… that doesn't sound possible at all," Fred finally said for them all.

"It's unheard of, but impossible," Bones replied. "It's not quite a soul bond, but a simple telepathic connection. Now, I've never heard of such a connection being strong enough to take someone into another reality… but then again, I'm not the expert here."

"That's not the issue right now." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "The issu we face is whether or not we can do anything about. Nymphadora(he conveniently ignored her sudden death glare at the use of her first name,) is there any way for you to contact some of your old friends? Perhaps they can help us locate our missing students."

"I'll try… but I haven't been able to talk to any of them for nearly five years."

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Percy asked, his normal slightly pompous attitude not present.

"As long as they landed somewhere peaceful… they should be fine."

---

Lunar, Star Chamber

"Patamon!"
"Gatomon!"

And in that moment, when Patamon and Gatomon's badly burned bodies slammed into Ginny, the Alliance's collective decision was made.

As T.K. and Kari ran over to where their partners were, the Digi-Destined of Friendship turned to the reassembled group of Digimon. "Alright, guys! Digi-volve!"

There was no need to issue the order twice. The Star Chamber, despite being in a tower, was surprisingly larger in the inside, allowing for ample room fo them all to maneuver… and digivolve

A powerful blast of power issued immediately, as six digi-vices activated. Several seconds later, six very powerful champion level Digimon stood in the Star Chamber, all of them ready for battle.

Racc leaped in front of the assembled group of females. "Uruk-Hai!" he bellowed. "The time has come for you to reveal yourselves to the enemy!"

In a series of brightly colored bursts of light, five additional beings were suddenly in the massive room. They, like Racc, were dressed in tight ninja garb, which accentuated their tightly muscled bodies, though they were in various colors. Black, Silver, Red, Blue, and Purple were the colors of the day for them.

Izzy grimaced. Six of them in all, one for each Digi-Destined. Four males, two females. This was not a good day for them.

Luna Two picked up one of the discarded fire staves, and twirled it for a second, getting the feel of it. Apparently satisfied, she held it tightly in her hands.

Racc gestured at the Alliance. "Choose your targets, and advance," he ordered, quite calmly. "Kamiya's mine." He unsheathed his own katana.

As one, the Uruk-Hai charged.

Immediately, the Alliance split up as well, as two warriors collided with each demon. The remaining members went right for the leaders.

Matt's blade slashed out, meeting the saber of the Uruk-Hai in silver. He dodged an over head swing, letting Ginny come in fast, thrusting forward, forcing the warrior to leap back. He landed several feet away, looking at the two with respect. "Impressive. You and your witch friend have very good instincts, Yamato Ishida, if no formal training in dueling," he said, a saber appearing in his hand. "Perhaps you shall prove a bit of a challenge."

Ginny's grip tightened on her own sword. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The silver one bowed in a show of respect. "I am Kirok, the great sword duelist of my brethren. Your counterpart, Yamato." He said nothing more, merely coming again, sword flashing. Apparently, he was one who let his actions speak louder than his words.

Sora dodged as Bara flew over her, then blocked a powerful chop to her back. She lashed out with a lateral kick, hoping to catch the red one unaware. However, Bara caught her leg, then punched her in her chest, just above the scar. Sora groaned in pain, unable to stagger back.

Hermione seemingly came out of nowhere, jumping onto the demon's back. Bara was forced to relinquish her hold on Sora's leg as she found herself trying to get the young witch. Sora brought her sai's out of her leg holsters, having bought them before entering the Guild. As one, the two girl's came forward.

Bara managed to finally get Hermione off of her, her own sai out in an instant, blocking both of them with the skill of an experienced warrior. Then, moving faster than any being had a right to, she launched out with a double kick, kicking them both hard. "You two are going to have to do a great deal better if you hope to survive against me!" she bellowed, laughing.

Her laughter cut off when Hermione's foot connected with her jaw, snapping her head to the side. She turned to look at the young girl, just in time to catch a jab to the jaw.

Hermione smirked. "How's that?" she asked. She was a little surprised by how quickly she was adapting, even though she didn't show it. It felt... natural.

Surprisingly, the other female Uruk-Hai, clothed in black, did not go after Mimi, though no one immediately noticed. Instead, she made an immediate beeline for Lilika and Lemia, grinning behind her mask. "Greetings, earth mover."

Lilika nodded, then immediately ducked as the demon's foot whirled over her head. She rolled, got back up, and saw Lemia jump, despite the pain the maneuver caused when she landed. "You are Shayre the mage, aren't you?" She recalled the last magic competition, as well as last years Secar Triad tournament. A mage bearing the Uruk-Hai's uniform had entered both competitions, and had proceeded to lay waste upon the others.

Shayre nodded. "Good to know that you recognize me," she said, bringing her hands up. "Now you may see my power up close and personal!" She pointed her palms down. "Earthquake Devastation!"

"Let's rock! Earth Shake!"

The two attacks, despite being at different power levels, were on the same wavelength, and thus canceled each other out, therefore saving the floor from destruction. Lilika nodded. "It would appear that you are going to have to fight me with your fists."

"Indeed. Not that I'm complaining." Shayre moved forward.

The Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask converged on Royce, fists and feet moving in blurs of motion. Blocking feverishly, she responded by creating a fiey shockwave, forcing them to fall back several feet. She turned to block Mask's staff. "You could have had it all, Prince Darien, if you had just obeyed your enemy," she whispered.

Darien pushed back, forcing her to stumble backwards. "I never wanted it!" he snarled.

"Neither did I!" Greg's fist connected with the Seer's face, knocking her back several feet through the air. "That's for trying to destroy us!"
Royce quickly rebounded, her own fist becoming well acquainted with the young man's stomach. "And that was for believing that you could defeat destiny!" she roared, before turning around and sweeping Darien's feet out from underneath him. He hit the ground, losing his grip on his cane.

Jupiter came out of nowhere, an Amazonian like war cry erupting from her throat as she plowed into Royce with the force of a rhino. Lifting the demon into the air, she threw her several feet through the air into Shayre. "Venus, Mars! Take care of business!" she shouted.

Royce looked up, and saw Venus's foot coming down, ready to crack her skull in half. She blocked it, then rolled as a fire attack from Mars hit the spot her arm had just occupied. As she got up, she went into a defensive pattern for a moment, blocking fists and feet quickly. Then she retaliated, forcing them back, before she performed an impossible maneuver. It was where her left foot and her left fist launched out in front of her, hitting both Scouts and taking them out of the fight for a while. Shayre merely wiped her uniform off, then prepared to attack Lilika again.

Venus shook her head for a moment, before helping Jupiter to her feet. "We should be happy that we're not facing Beryl here," she noted.

"Doesn't make it any easier," Jupiter replied, before charging in again.

Joe dodged an energy whip, then rolled away until he came up next to Lilika. "You okay?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the blue Uruk-Hai.

Lilika nodded. "The Uruk-Hai you are fighting is Parrt. He's legendary of being the most sadistic of their group." She looked at him pleadingly. "Please be careful," she said.

Joe nodded. "I can only try."

Parrt came forward, his whip ready. "It's really a shame," he said, staring at Joe. "You are the most pathetic warrior of Reliability I have ever met!"
"Good to know. Can you leave now?"

Tai, Harry, and Racc fought viciously, swords clanging rapidly. The effort the three of them were expending was absolutely phenomenal. Racc would hit one of them away, only to immediately fight the other.

Racc grinned. "You've improved greatly since our last battle, Kamiya. And you, Potter, I would never have thought that you would know how to use a sword."

Tai grunted, pushing back. "You'll find that we're full of surprises!" he growled, then whirled, using his enemy's momentum to rotate. Harry brought his sword up, blocking another blow, before suddenly smashing his fist right into Racc's sternum. He obviously hit a lot harder than he expected, as a grunt of pain issued from the Uruk-Hai's throat. 'I'm quite comfortable with this,' he thought for a moment, even as his knee came up to catch Racc in the chin.

Izzy fired three arrows, then dodged as his opponent fired several arrows of his own. He got to his feet, unsheathing his blade as the purple Uruk-Hai came in, sword glinting in the pale light. The two blades collided, locking at the hilt.

The Uruk-Hai brought his face close. "I am J'onro," he hissed. "I am your death, Izumi."

"A bit of advice; Get a breath mint!" Izzy shoved hard, forcing him back, then swung his sword. J'onro blocked it, keeping his eyes on him.

Ghaleon suddenly struck hard from the side, his fist catching the side of J'onro's face. The Uruk-Hai's head snapped to the side, taken by surprise.

Luna Two stared at Phacia, eyes showing her pain. "Why, Phacia?" she asked.

Phacia lowered her head, so as to hide the sorrow of her own expression. "Because I have no other option left." She brought a staff of her own into existence, holding it loosely in her hands.

Luna Two came in, Fire Staff whistling through the air. On the other side, Mia attacked with hers. Twisting slightly, the demon blocked both attacks, then struck out with her own staff, knocking Mia's weapon right out of her hands. She then blocked the young woman's strike. Then, as if sensing someone coming from behind, she whirled, stopping Jacob's blade a scant few inches from her neck.

Alex entered the battle against Royce, who dodged his forward slash easily, laughing. "Come now, Alex! Surely you can do better than-"
Alex's foot connected with the side of her head, shutting her up immediately. "Bet you didn't foresee that, bone bag!" he retorted. "Okay, guys, hit 'em!"

"NOVA BLAST!"

"HOWLING BLASTER!"

"METEOR WING!"

"ELECTRO SHOCKER!"

"HARPOON TORPEDO!"

"NEEDLE SPRAY!"

The Six Digimon, who hadn't been participating in the battle, suddenly came to life, releasing a deluge of attacks at the enemy. They struck each of the Uruk-Hai, throwing them into Royce. She, in turn, hit Xenobia, while Mimi added to their troubles by throwing a lightning bolt into their collective mass.

Phacia leaped over Mia's magic attack, reluctant to strike the young girl for any reason. She started back flipping until she had reached her sisters. She saw Lemia turn, and watched as she tried to summon a spell, but fail. Her magic seemed to be gone, meaning her main advantage was useless.

Xenobia got back to her feet, eyes blazing with seemingly never ending rage. She brought her hands up. "Lightning Wave!" she roared, unleashing a wave of lightning bolts. The air around the attack seemed to almost visibly vibrate.

"Lightning Strike!" Mimi retaliated with her customary lighting attack. The two attacks struck right in the center, a display of power never before seen on a thousand worlds.

Unknown to the rest of them, it heralded the coming of Armageddon… the coming of war.

Patamon groaned, lifting his head a bit. He took a look around, trying to assess the situation as it stood.

A groan from one direction got his attention, and he turned his head. "Gatomon?" he whispered.

The feline slowly got up, shaking her head out a little. "I feel like I've been run over by a family of salmon. How do you feel?"
"I've felt better after getting hit by… Racc! He hit us with a fire attack!"
Immediately, the two began looking around, trying to determine where they were. They saw trees, spanning for miles around. They knew they were on a grassy path, and it was green. However, that didn't explain anything to the little pig Digimon.

Gatomon, on the other hand, recognized it immediately. And she had wished that she would never seen the place again. "Oh my god," she whispered. "This is the place where I first met…"
"Myotismon. I assure you, you won't see him, or any other evil, here. This is just a projection in your subconscious. The point between life and death."

The two Digimon turned in the direction of the voice, surprised by the fact that it sounded like a woman. And it was a woman, garbed in a dress of pure white, with a cape to complete the ensemble. She was carrying a staff that looked like it was made out of gold. Her hair was white, like Sere's, but was longer, flowing down to the ground. Her skin was tanned, and her eyes were gold. Some thing that either of them had never seen before on a human before.

The woman smiled gently. "Do you recognize where we are, Gatomon?" she asked.

Gatomon blinked. "We're in the exact spot where I first entered Myotismon's service," she replied. "But…how is this possible? Why are we here?"

"And who are you?" Patamon asked.

The woman stepped forward. "My name is Alania, and how we got here is easy to answer… we are, in fact, in Gatomon's mind. I mean, this is her subconscious, after all." She looked around. "Think about this place often?"

"Well, yeah. Why?"
Alania gestured. "Follow me," she said, "and we shall take a look at your past home. Who knows, maybe you'll find a hidden reason behind it."

Confused, Gatomon and Patamon followed her.

Several 'hours' later, the three of them had arrived at Myotismon's castle, an ugly eyesore to both Digimon, as were the memories that accompanied it. The forbidding towers, the Devidramon statues along the

Inexplicably, Gatomon felt tears begin to form in her eyes. "I don't think about this," she whispered. "I don't think beyond the moment he took me..."

Alania sighed. "This part is my fault. Gatomon… you and Patamon are hovering an inch from death. And despite your Digimon makeup, if you expire, it's over. You won't go back to being a digiegg. And I won't allow it to happen. So, I waited until you started flashing through your life, and then entered to keep you alive, effectively slowing down the clock a little." She sighed again. "Unfortunately, your life was terrible for the better part of your life. So, I had to use my powers to make you both conscious here."

The two Digimon looked at each other. "So, why are you here?" Patamon asked.

"To try and understand you better. Your life, for instance, has been filled with pain, like Angelica. And like Angelica, you were still able to create a life that wasn't ruled by hatred, and use your powers for good." She raised her staff. "Come, there are two people here who want to meet you."

Almost immediately, they found themselves in the middle of the castle, which still looked creepy to them. It was probably even more so, as it was empty. They even saw the Devidramon guarding the way to Myotismon's chambers, situated at strategic positions throughout the castle.

Patamon was confused as they approached the doorway to Myotismon's inner sanctum. "Who wants to talk to us?" he asked. "Because I don't see anyone here."

"That would be us," a new voice suddenly said from the shadows, startling them. "We must talk to you… about a great many things."

As one, Patamon and Gatomon's mouths dropped as two beings materialized out of the shadows. Two people who they recognized from the poser in Saith.

"Angelus," Patamon whispered.

"And Angelica," Gatomon added, in awe.

Angelica laughed, a laugh so much like Angewomon's. "Oh, come now! We're not that important! And we had to come here to meet you two!"

"Y-you came here to meet us?" Patamon was absolutely incredulous.

Angelus chuckled. "Oh, yes, Patamon. We came to meet you. And let's face it, it's a good thing that we did. Had we arrived any later, we might be having this conversation at the pearly gates." He stopped chuckling. "You two, as the only two who haven't digi-volved, are at a serious disadvantage. And in order for you to digi-volve, it's going to require the power of you both, and your partners to do so."

"But… why?" Gatomon was forced to ask. "Why did you want to meet us? I mean, you two have done more than we could ever hope to do in a single lifetime. What I could only hope to be able to do."
Alania turned to stare at them. "Come now, Gatomon. Is everything about trying to come to grips with your past?" She knelt down, putting her hand on the furry Digimon's shoulder. "They wanted to meet you, just for the sake of meeting you, as well as give you some advice."
"And a warning," Angelus added seriously. "You need to keep a close eye on everyone else. Events have been set into motion beyond even the God's control, and you must be ready for when they come to a head."
"What events?" Patamon asked.

Alania's smile disappeared. "The Digi-Destined and the Sailor Scouts weren't supposed to go to Lunar. The Sunak were never supposed to attack Earth." She looked around her. "Just as Queen Beryl was never supposed arrive on Lunar, and join forces with the Vile Tribe. Destiny itself is under attack, but by what, no one knows."
Angelica nodded. "You must be ready for anything and everything. Existence now stands at a crossroads. The next sequence of events will determine whether or not the Guardians become actively involved." She sat down. "So, until your partners catch on, let's talk. Share stories and the like."

Looking at each other, Patamon and Gatomon shrugged, and got comfortable. It was something to pass the time.

Kirok finally jumped away from Matt and Ginny, keeping his eyes on them. The plan had fallen apart the moment Mia Ausa had used that Mirror. And, judging by how quickly Potter and Granger were adapting to hand to hand combat, there was more to them than even they themselves knew. Knowing that they would have to prevent the two from realizing their full potential, he immediately called for reinforcements. "Warriors of the Vile Tribe!" he shouted. "Come and do battle with the Dragonmaster and his allies!"

Almost immediately, almost a hundred and fifty demons appeared in the Star Chamber, looks of hunger on their faces.

Harpies: The grunt soldiers of the Vile Tribe, the Harpies possess no special attributes or abilities. Their only advantage is the fact that they are so numerous, they can overwhelm their enemies.

Racc kicked Tai hard, and then used an uppercut to take him out, before turning around. His eyes rested on Ginny's face, golden eyes darkening drastically. "You!" he bellowed.

Ginny's head turned immediately at the shout, locking gazes with Racc for the first time. Her eyes widened in surprise. 'Oh no. Racc.'

Racc stared at her for a moment too long, as Harry, capitalizing on his inattention, came back into the fray, striking him hard in the face. Racc staggered back a moment, then turned to gaze at the young Potter. "Nice, Potter. Very nice. But you shall now die."

Harry smirked. "Voldemort couldn't do it when I was a baby," he informed him smugly. "I don't think you'll do any better.

Tai got back up, assuming a stance. "Besides, you'll have to go through me first, Racc," he said, charging forward yet again.

Greymon took one look at the throng of harpies standing at each other. "Okay, you guys deal with the Uruk-Hai. We'll deal with the hired help!"
Hermione nodded. "No problem!" she replied for all of them. She brought her stave up.

Bara blocked and dodged the attacks that came from the young human, secretly impressed by the sudden skill the young girl possessed. It was almost as if she knew how to fight, and was just now remembering how to. "No, by all means, you should all meet them!" She leaped over her and Sora, kicking them both into the throng of monsters. "Enjoy, Miss Granger," she shouted, "because you are going to get your first up close and personal look on how we do things on Lunar!"

Hermione staggered to her feet, and looked up in time to see one of the Harpies come at her, sword raised. She brought her stave up, blocking it as she kicked it in the gut, doubling it over.

"Hermione!" Harry charged away from Racc, heading into the thick of the battle, his sword flashing.

Tai kicked Racc, then jumped into the Harpies, bringing his katana up to strike at one's shield. He reversed his movement, blocking a sword strike. His foot lashed out, catching the harpy in the stomach. He kicked him again, knocking the creature unconscious.

Sora backed away from the three she was being besieged by, blocking desperately with her weapons. She was trying to come up with a decent strategy on how to deal with this problem but was coming up blank. It was the first time in her life that she had ever been in a situation like this.

One of the Harpies suddenly swung his sword at her viciously, finally disarming her. Sora backpedaled quickly, as a sword sliced through her shirt, barely grazing her midriff. She dodged another slice, then struck back… hard.

She apparently struck harder than she had thought because the sickening sound of a skull-cracking was heard. The Harpy whirled for a second before dropping to the ground without making a sound. It didn't get up. It didn't even breathe, only twitched as the last electrical impulses sent caused its body to spasm.

It was dead.

Sora's eyes widened in shock. She didn't know that she could do that. She didn't notice that Tai had come in, taking the other two out. She didn't see Hermione bash another Harpy in the face. All that processed in her mind was what she had done to that one lone harpy's still twitching body. 'I've killed him,' she thought numbly. 'I've killed a sentient being.' She sank to the ground, almost catatonic.

Jupiter snapped one Harpy's spine, before turning around. Her eyes widened when she saw Sora just sitting there, gazing at the ground even as the fighting began to increase its tempo. "Scouts!" she shouted. "The Digi-Destined and those three wizard types have never had to kill before! Get to them!" She started kicking her way over to Sora.

Ginny suddenly whirled, stabbing one in the chest, ignoring the feeling of nausea bubbling within. As it fell to the ground, she turned to look at Matt. "It can't be helped. It's us, or them."
Matt nodded. "Joe and Lilika won't even do that. Joe takes the Hippocratic Oath very seriously, and Lilika doesn't know how to." He turned. "Tai?" he shouted.

Tai nodded. He had already come to the same conclusion. "People, don't hesitate to use deadly force!" He suddenly swung viciously, slicing a Harpy's arm off. He continued to move, running the monster through.

Sailor Moon removed her tiara, bellowed, "Moon Tiara Magic!" and threw the glowing disk, decapitating one as she turned to drive a powerful punch into another's sternum.

Royce noted that the Alliance was doing pretty good, and it started to worry her. She watched the two wizards as they fought, and was surprised by how well they were doing. "Sisters, we must retreat!" she shouted, before releasing a supreme burst of energy, knocking every human and elf in the room to the ground, then backflipped to join the others.

Xenobia finally won her showdown, her power blasting outwards to strike Mimi with the force of a hurricane. The power behind the attack threw the young woman into the far wall, where she shattered through it into open air. Xenobia, breathing slightly in relief, rushed to join her sisters.

Not even thirty seconds later, Mimi blasted through the wall again, eyes burning with rage. Not caring of anything else in the room, she flew at them.

Emboldened by her charge, the Alliance surged forward as well, with Harry and Hermione among them. Harry blocked one, then caught another in the shoulder. He whirled to slice another in the chest, not even questioning how he was doing it without formal training.

Ghaleon saw the Uruk-Hai retreat, and saw them retreating. "They are escaping!" he shouted.

"We really can't do anything about that! We need to survive here first!" Hermione picked up Sora's sais and struck hard, catching the harpies unaware. She stabbed one of them and wondered why she wasn't feeling ill as her hands came away flecked with the creature's blood. She whirled to block another one as, like Harry, she set it aside for a later time. Questions like that were not the kind you asked when you were on a battlefield.

And, in the midst of that battlefield, Tai's crest of Courage began to glow.

"…And there you have it," Patamon finished. "He threw himself right between Greymon and Etemon, which in turn activated his Crest."

Angelus chuckled. "That Tai sounds like a genius."

Gatomon groaned. "Oh, he's no genius. He's just… lucky."

"Oh. Well, lucky can go a long way. Most things are dealt with by luck." Angelica leaned back against a wall, her face still bland. "However, it's not the only thing humanity must depend on."

Patamon nodded. Part of him was still reeling on the fact that the two of them were speaking with two of the Guardians of Althena, as well as a person they had never seen before. Other than that, he was adjusting well to the situation. "So, how do we tell them that they have to use their powers?" he asked.

Alania turned to look at him. "There is nothing you two can do. They have to figure that out for themselves, though I get the feeling that they will shortly." She smiled, looking up into the ceiling. "However, you two need to concentrate your power as of now. Are you ready?"
Patamon and Gatomon nodded. "So, how do we do that?" Gatomon asked.

Angelica stood up. "Well, here's what you need to do…"

GREYMON DIGI-VOLVE TO…METALGREYMON!

"Damn it!" Racc swore. "Greymon is digi-volving!" This was not what they wanted to happen!

Ginny finally fought her way out, her eyes resting on T.K. and Kari, who had been largely forgotten in the battle. She made her way over to them, unaware and uncaring of the fact that she was now covered in blood.

T.K. looked up and saw the young witch coming up. "Ginny."

Ginny nodded once, looking at the two burned Digimon. "How are they?" she asked.

"They're breathing," Kari replied, almost crying, "but they're not waking up!"

T.K. gripped his digi-vice in his one hand. He had never thought that he would ever feel helpless again where his partner was concerned. "And this thing can't help us now!"

Ginny stared at the little device, a thought starting to simmer in her mind. "You're the keeper of Hope, aren't you?" she asked suddenly. A nod answered her question. "Well, from what Matt's told me about you, you're a very remarkable boy."

Greymon's body began to grow again. It also thickened, becoming tougher and stronger. Suddenly, one of his arms became metallic, shining under the flickering light.

"He obviously believes that you two are the best of the Digi-Destined, because of that fact you never give up. Now, I know what it's like to be the youngest in the family, but it's not a deterrent."

Kari sniffled a bit. "B-but what can we do to help? We're not strong enough to help our friends!"

"Yes, you are!" Ginny insisted. "You have to have faith in yourselves, though…and your friends."

T.K. looked up. "Faith…like the hope we keep inside?" He stood straight up. "Kari, that's it! We need to use the powers of Hope and Light!"

A set of wings appeared on the back of Greymon.

Kari looked up, her tear-stained face lighting up. "You mean…?"

"Yes! If we use our powers, we can give them enough power to digi-volve!"

Ginny smiled at the animation coming from the young boy. "Now that's the spirit!" She jumped up. "Now I'm going to get out of your way!"

Slowly, the two children set their friends down on the ground, before standing up again. They brought their hands up, concentrating all of their power. The Crest of Hope began to glow on T.K.'s chest, the crest of Light on Kari's chest. They closed their eyes.

Power immediately began emanating from their fingertips, forming a pink and gold shield. It lowered down onto the prone bodies of Patamon and Gatomon, engulfing them fully.

"That's it!" Alania yelled. "They've figured it out, and have used their powers! It's time for you two to digi-volve!"

"Remember what we've told you!" Angelus shouted. "Once you have digivolved into Angemon and Angewomon, you will be human. You will be subjected to the same limitations as them! You can be killed, and you won't be reformatted afterwards, so be careful!"

Angelica didn't say anything, looking at the two Digimon with a piercing look. She didn't need to. She had told Gatomon a little of her past, but she hadn't told her everything, just as Gatomon hadn't told her everything about hers. But she had understood. Deep inside, she knew.

Patamon looked at Gatomon, saw the determination in her eyes, and nodded. "Are you ready to blow this Popsicle stand?" he asked.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Gatomon replied. "Let's do it!"

Greymon's head suddenly sprouted hair. His skull helmet became metal. And finally, a chest plate, housing two missile launchers, appeared on his chest.

PATAMON DIGI-VOLVE TO…ANGEMON!

GATOMON DIGI-VOLVE TO…ANGEWOMON!

Bara looked over her shoulder, her eyes resting on the sphere of power for a second. "The holy ones are digi-volving!" she shouted.

Phacia nodded, though inside, she was happy. 'This should take Xenobia down a peg,' she thought somewhat triumphantly.

The sphere settled, flattening into a circle as it did so. Fo a moment, nothing happened.

Not even thirty seconds later, two beings emerged. Ginny gawked in amazement. T.K. and Kari smiled.

Two angels walked upward from the circle as if coming up stairs, mouths set in identical determined lines. They were both magnificent; the males body solid muscle, adorned in a skintight white uniform with brass ornaments adorning his torso. He had three sets of wings, and a blue cloth wrapped around his waist. His hair, golden in color, hung down his waist as well.

The woman, beautiful in a dangerous sort of way at the moment, was in revealing, though obviously battle ready armor. She had a glove over one of her hands, and a pink shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was lighter in color, the color of the sun on a clear day.

In fact, the only thing the two had in common was the fact that they both wore helmets, though even the design of the helmets was different.

The Alliance stopped fighting, as did the harpies, when Metalgreymon roared, shaking the entire Star Chamber. As one, they saw the two angels stepped onto solid ground, the circle dissipating behind them.

Metalgreymon grinned. "What took you two so long?" he asked.

Angemon worked his neck in a complete circle, a series of cracks issuing as he did so. He had missed actually having a neck to use. "Well, you know I'm always slow on the uptake." He grinned as T.K. and Kari joined them, weapons now in their hands. "Thanks, guys. When this is over, have we got a story to tell you."

Kari grinned. "Can't wait to hear it."

One harpy stepped forward. "You may be stronger, but we are many. You are few."

Angewomon nodded, rotating her shoulders, a small smirk on her face. "Well, Angemon and I could use some exercise." She gestured. "So please, continue fighting."

At that moment, everyone else suddenly remembered that they were in the midst of battle. Idiots.

Immediately, a profusion of weapons and fists sounded off in the Star Chamber once more. The harpies fought with even greater savagery than before, as if knowing that their foes were even more dangerous than before.

Jupiter had finally reached Sora, and quickly escorted her from the battle. "Hey, kid, we could use your help in there!" she shouted to Ginny. When Ginny had entered the fray again, the Jupiter princess turned to Luna, Artemis and Nall. "Could you three keep an eye on her?"
Luna nodded. "Just get in there and help the others."

Jupiter nodded, heading back into the engagement zone.

"GIGA BLASTER!" Metalgreymon roared. His chest plate opened, releasing two missiles with shark like teeth painted on them into the largest mass of harpies. Then he leaped up, slamming down onto the survivors. He left quite the mess.

Joe and Lilika became medics, getting healing items to those who needed them most.

Luna Two smashed her staff into one's head, knocking him out cold, before turning around to block a downward swipe. "Alex!" she called out, trying to find him.

"You called?" Alex asked from beside her, catching another harpy unawares. Luna Two laughed at the tone, knowing that it took all of his restraint to not crush her in his embrace.

Angemon and Angewomon were at the same level as the other members of the Six. Moving with a precision that was frightening, they dispatched harpy after harpy, striking with a ruthlessness that rivaled that of Mercury and Greg. And T.K. and Kari were coming close to matching that ruthlessness.

Matt stabbed one in the gut, then turned to block a downward swipe. He dodged an overhead swing, then came up quickly, severing the monster's arm.

Then, with a powerful swoop, he cut off his enemy's head, stepping back as a spray of blood erupted from its neck.

The body fell to the ground, twitching.

Ginny dispatched her last opponent in a similar style, watching as the head rolled for a second, before turning to meet Matt's gaze. She nodded to his unspoken question.

Angemon caught the last one's blade, holding it in place with effortless strength. "Can you blush?" he asked pleasantly, before knocking the sword into the air. He caught when it came back down, and moved swiftly, slicing the creature in half. He dropped the sword as the two pieces fell to the ground.

"I think I'm going to be ill," Lilika gasped, turning a little green around the gills.

"I'll join you," Joe told her.

Mimi didn't even spare the battlefield a second glance, as she wheeled around in the direction that their enemies had retreated in. She wanted that blond bitch dead. "We can't let them get away!" she shouted.

The two angels, Venus, Harry, and Nash immediately followed her as she headed out of the Star Chamber.

Ghaleon kicked a harpy away from Lemia, then turned to Mia, his sorrow profound. "Allow me to extend my apologies, Mia. All this time, I have been manipulated by the Vile Tribe…" he bowed his head. "I am ashamed that for being so easily deceived."

Mia held up a hand, smiling slightly. "Apology accepted, Master Ghaleon. And she fooled us all." She turned around. "My friends, I'm still worried about my mother. Let's take her to the healers!"
"No!" Lemia immediately shouted, the fiery nature that made her who she was coming to fore completely. "We have to get to the bridge. Xenobia and her allies may have more outside help!"
"I agree," Hermione stated. "There's no way they could have gotten all of their warriors through thei own power."
Luna nodded. "Miss Weasley, please help Sora. She's suffered a terrible shock."

Ginny nodded, helping Sora to her feet. "Hey, are you okay?"

Sora turned to look at her, her expression so pained, that Ginny winced. "No…no, I'm not." She looked up. "And I don't think I will ever be okay."

War could do that to people sometimes. Unfortunately, once it happened, there was no turning back…for anyone.

Xenobia slammed the storeroom door in, then stepped aside as her allies charged in after her. She shut it, welding it shut. Not that it would even slow their enemies down if they really wanted it in.

Turning around, she glared at J'onro. "You told us that our 'friends' would see to it that the Sailor Scouts and Digi-Destined did not arrive here!" she roared.

"I also said," J'onro retorted, "that there was a chance that the powers of Hope and Light would lead them to Lunar instinctively. That was in the hands of chance."

"Well, I for one am so glad that the two of you are having such an enlightening conversation!" Racc snarled. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance."

All of them turned in the direction of the new voice. "LadyDevimon," Racc said in greeting, a little surprised.

The Ultimate level Digimon strode forward, smirking. "Well, it appears that you're all like a pack of trapped mice."
Xenobia turned to look at her. "Now is not the time to tell us what we resemble! We cannot teleport out of here, because the shields are still up! Now, how can you help us?"
LadyDevimon didn't respond verbally, instead throwing something in her direction. Confused, the demon caught it, and looked down at the device.

"Transmit your coordinates!" a harsh voice suddenly barked out of it.

Xenobia's expression, indeed, all of their expressions, became expressions of relief as she pressed a button on the communicator. It would send a homing beacon out beyond Vane, to their 'friends.'

The sound of a door being destroyed at the far end of the room wiped the triumphant expressions off of their faces. They all knew who it was, too.

Sure enough, not even thirty seconds later, Mimi came into view, the Holy Ones, Venus, Nash, and Harry Potter right behind her. "Xenobia!" she bellowed.

LadyDevimon reacted first, dropping to one knee and bellowing, "EVIL WING!" in one easy motion. Instantly, three lasers, all patterned like bats, shot out of her giant hand, forcing the lot of them to scatter.

Mimi and Harry found refuge behind a series of giant bins, while Nash, Venus, and the Angelics dove for cover. She looked out for a second, seeing the fallen angel Digimon.

"What the hell does LadyDevimon think she's doing?!" she shouted, accepting the fact that she was here, and obviously helping Xenobia. In all honesty, she was no longer surprised by anything.

Angemon asked herself the same question. Why was LadyDevimon here? After all, two Holy Angel Digimon were more than a match for her. And they were more powerful than your typical holy Digimon.

Then another energy attack forced him to duck down again.

The tactical looked up from his board when doors opened, taking in the sight of the Alliance, being led by Mia, an extremely battered Lemia, and a visibly irate Jacob and Ghaleon enter. "Lady Ausa! What happened to you?"

"Reports of my rash behavior have been exaggerated," Lemia replied, "but not by much. I'll explain later!" She sat down, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so, before looking up. "Remind me the next time I leave Vane to take the whole damn army with me."

Hermione frowned. "No problem." She sidled over to Ginny. "What the bloody hell is going on around here?" she asked.

Ginny sighed. "Long story."

Sailor Moon activated her communicator. "Venus, how are all of you doing?"

"We've run into a problem. LadyDevimon is here, and they're keeping us back!"

"Bloody hell!" Harry's voice suddenly erupted. "Can any of you get a better aim?"

"You want a better aim, Potter?" Nash shouted. "Stand up!"

"You know, if you hadn't come to help us, I would think that you were Malfoy!"

Tai grinned. "It's good to know that those two are getting along so well."

Matt had to grin as well at that, even as the two witches rolled their eyes to the heavens.

"Raise shields!" Ghaleon barked. "Post security teams at every door and access point! They do not leave Vane alive!" He watched as Jacob nodded, then pulled his communicator out, barking out commands, before rushing off the bridge after he had finished. Satisfied, the elf returned his attention to his display.

Tactical looked at his display. "They're in the secondary storage room on Deck four, section eight," he reported. "Force fields are in place and holding in that area."

Lemia grinned, then disappeared. "Tactical, open a channel to the storage room, please."

Xenobia released a dark lightning attack, forcing Mimi and the others to duck again. She growled in frustration. "Nash, do you have a better shot?" she called out.

Nash shook his head. "They have better coverage and more firepower!"

"Great, just great!" She turned to Harry. "This is how our life is like on many days; dodge and hide!"

Harry winced as the bin above him exploded, showering him with hot plastic. He was already aware of this, as he did quite a bit of that at Hogwarts. "I'll try not to become a Digi-Destined then!" he replied.

"Attention in the storage room," Lemia's voice suddenly sounded off in the room, bringing an unexpected but welcome lull to the fighting. "You are completely surrounded. Force fields are up, and shields have been raised. You cannot escape."

"You hear that?" Mimi called out. "There's no way out of Vane! Give it up!"

A lightning bolt and over a hundred shuriken was the answer she received, and she was forced to vacate her position. She found herself nearer to the two angelics.

Angewomon smirked. "I don't think they're going to give up," she said sardonically.

"What was your first clue, Sherlock?" Mimi retorted, looking up again for a moment before ducking. This just wasn't her day. First being thrown into prison under false pretenses, then learning of her heritage, and now this. She was beginning to really hate her life.

Inexplicably, she found herself remembering that night at the lake and the admissions that had occurred there. She also remembered the amusement she had felt when she and Izzy had decided to keep it a secret.

But now, her future…their future, was looking very bleak.

Hermione walked up the ramp slowly, observing the arched rail with an air of distraction. She was worried, inexplicably for Harry. Of course, she was always worried for the boy, given his reputation, but this time, it was more…potent. She didn't know why, but she was afraid for him. She was afraid that he wasn't going to come back to her alive.

Then there was the little detail of how they were able to fight the way they did. She had never even hit anyone before in her life, let alone used weapons. And yet, she felt like she had used them before.

As she reached the upper portion of the bridge, her thoughts in four different directions, Ghaleon, who was standing next to the Tactical officer frowned, like he was seeing something truly puzzling. "Lady Ausa, I am picking up a massive neutron radiation surge," she reported, her puzzlement translating in her voice. "It's a pattern I have never seen before."

"What's neutron radiation?" Alex asked, confused.

Ghaleon sat forward. "It's a form of radiation that is completely harmless to the human body. It's used to create invisibility cloaks on Lunar. But this far too large for that."

"Luna One?" Luna Two gestured.

The feline walked up to Hermione. "Young lady," she began.

"Huh…oh!" Quickly guessing what she wanted, Hermione scooped up Luna One, and held her up to the display. "Can you see it?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you." Luna One took a good look at it. She was curious as to what could be causing such a powerful field.

One look later, she wished she hadn't. For what she saw answered all the unspoken questions she had at the same time. "I recognize the power signature!" She looked up. "Pluto, a Negaverse Battle Cruiser is de-cloaking off the port bow!"

Pluto whirled in the direction of the viewscreen, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What?!" To hear that was the last thing she had ever expected.

"Onscreen," Lemia ordered.

Ginny unconsciously moved closer to Matt, both of them looking at the screen. She had no idea what or who they were talking about, but considering how the two of them were acting, she got the distinct impression that these Negaverse were not to be taken lightly.

Off the port bow, almost fifty feet away, the air shimmered.

Then, to everyone watching in absolute shock, a massive vessel appeared out of nowhere. It was very advanced, its contours sleek like a shark's. It had two wings with disruptors at the tips. Black gray, the chrome finishing developed to give them a vicious, sinister feel to it, it showed that it was powerful as well.

As the Alliance, indeed the whole of Vane, watched, the Sunak Battle Cruiser Vigilant settled into orbit of Vane and did nothing.

Almost as if it were looking for something…or someone.

A deluge of spells and attacks flew through the air, missing their targets. "Crescent Beam…Smash!" Venus retaliated, but she was at a bad angle. Beryl attacked again, forcing her to duck behind her shelter once more. She swore one thing as this continued; she was going to ask Mercury and Sailor Moon just how in the name of all that was holy they were able to beat her the last time.

"Stand by transport!" The Negaverse Commander barked from his ship. Immediately, the Vile Tribe moved closer to LadyDevimon.

"HAND OF FATE!"

"CELESTIAL ARROW!"

"Crescent Beam Smash!"
"Expelliarmus!"

"Lightning Strike!"

All the attacks missed most of them, but it wasn't because of bad aim. Before the attacks could strike them, the three sisters and Ladydevimon were transported away.

Venus tapped her communicator, a little pissed by the sudden turn of events. They had been so close to stopping them! "They got out!" she stated angrily.

"We know, Venus!" Artemis replied. "It's a Negaverse Battle Cruiser! Brace for impact!"

They did so immediately, for not even a second later, Vane was rocked by a slight explosion. And then, everything was still.

And Mimi let out a roar of rage. A roar that made a T-Rex seem rather childish in comparison.

"They have released three anti-matter mines," Ghaleon reported. "Time until detonation; ten seconds. They have re-cloaked."

"They got out!" Venus shouted over the communicator.

Lemia shot out of her seat, ignoring the shrieks of pain that came from such a sudden movement. "Helm, full reverse!"

"We know, Venus!" Artemis said quickly. "It's a Negaverse Battle Cruiser! Brace for impact!"
Vane stopped its leisure orbit around the Guild, then sped up in a jiffy, launching itself in the opposite direction. Barely even a second later, it was rocked by a shockwave. Lemia groaned slightly as her badly mangled foot was forced down harder than was permitted, stumbling back into her seat.

And over the communicator, an animalistic roar issued, one so rage-filled, that it almost chilled them to the bone. Not because of the ferocity of the roar, but because they all knew who was doing it.

Lilika shook her head. "Mimi is going to want Xenobia's head on a platter."

"I know how she feels." Lemia managed to straighten up, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. Abruptly, she turned her head. "Status report."

Ghaleon checked the board. "Shields held, though there are some power fluctuations on E- Deck, sections six to ten."

Everyone sighed at that. "The only bad thing was that they managed to get away," Tai commented. "Considering everything, it could've been worse."

"Yes, there is that." Lemia motioned to Mia to come over and help her up. The immediate threat was over, but there was still a great many things they needed to discuss before she could rest. "Everyone, to the briefing room. I imagine you all have something to tell me."
Pluto nodded. "Oh, yes."

LadyDevimon and Xenobia stormed onto the Vigilant's bridge, white-hot anger burning in their blackened souls. They had been foolish to listen to the Negaverse's assurances concerning their plans. If the gods wanted someone in a particular place and time, then it would happen.

The XO jumped up from his spot, triumph on his face. "We did it!" he exulted.

Xenobia, without even breaking stride, walked right up to him and backhanded him into one of the consoles. A gout of blood erupted from his mouth as he staggered, bracing himself against it.

Immediately, the security officers were moving, thrusting the demon into an empty chair. It was pretty obvious what they were going to do to her for that assault.

"Wait!"
Instantly, all movement stopped as Klagh, who was now standing under his own power again, wiped some blood from his lower lip. He glared at Xenobia, obviously wanting to strike her back. "I hope," he hissed, "for your sake, that you were initiating a mating ritual, demon."

"You got careless!" Xenobia spat back. "The Sailor Scouts and Digi-Destined arrived on Lunar, despite your... assurances that it couldn't happen!"

"Impossible!" A technician stood up so fast that she almost fell down. "We removed realm 5024 from the random portal sequence!"
"Hope and Light's power guided them to the Silver Star. If LadyDevimon hadn't intervened, they would have defeated us!"
"But they didn't defeat you," the Commander reminded them calmly. "And now we can build a weapon of unmatched power."

Xenobia smirked. How arrogant they were, to believe that they now held the upper hand. "Wrong, Jaedite. We can build the weapon, now. You cannot. And if you ever want to get it, I suggest you be a little more careful in the future."

Instantly, Klagh's knife was up against her throat, barely a millimeter from puncturing her skin. "Perhaps we are tired of waiting!" he stated threateningly.

Ladydevimon smirked, unafraid for Xenobia's safety. She was far too important to them, and their allies would be most displeased if anything were to happen to their Queen. "Without mine and Xenobia's research," she said calmly, "the thalaron is worthless." She smiled wickedly when Jaedite moved to halt Klagh's hand. "As are your plans to destroy the Sailor Senshi."

Jaedite released his first officer's wrist, motioning him to step away from Xenobia. Grumbling, Klagh did so. Both of them knew that they would have to curb their more violent inclinations until the mission was over.

Xenobia frowned. One minor victory, but one nevertheless. "Set a course for the Frontier!" she ordered. "Full Impulse."

Jaedite turned. "Taj vaj, Frontieria," he barked, before sitting back down in his command chair.

Satisfied, Xenobia stood up and joined LadyDevimon as they left the bridge.

The Magic Emperor was going to be very upset with the loss of control over Vane, but Phase One had been an almost overwhelming success. They now had the information they required.

Now Phase Two was ready to begin.