Hello, everybody. So, I have been working on this story here and there and this chapter is finally finished. I still won't update regularly so there is no schedule to give or any promise of exactly when the next chapter will come out. I will say, I do have some ideas of where to take the story and that's one thing I couldn't say before. There's this tiny spark for this story that I'm doing my best to protect and kindle so maybe it'll turn into a fire.
There has been a LOT of stuff that has happened in my life and there's been a lot of stuff I've had to work through.
Chapter Eighty-One: Reasons in Question
[Takuya's P.O.V]
I opened my eyes but everything swam. I closed my eyes again and groaned. My body felt like lead. I opened my eyes again when the slight pain in my head receded. I didn't even try to move at first because I could still barely see straight.
"Who do you care for more!? Make your choice and live with it!" The scream tore through the air.
I looked towards where it sounded like the scream originated. It was slightly blurry but I could make out someone in the air. They kind of looked like a big bird. My eyes widened when my eyes managed to register something moving rapidly towards me. I tried to move but my body wouldn't respond.
"You better choose quickly or well they'll all die!" Why wouldn't my body move!?
I was freaking out and trying to get my body to move. I had to get into my Spirit Evolution or this wouldn't be good!
"You don't get to make him make this choice!" The sudden unfamiliar voice worried me a bit – how many mystery people were here?!
I was surprised when light suddenly just consumed the whole room. The figure that had rushed to me came to a halt but my eyesight completely cleared as well. I was able to move as well. That light didn't just stop that thing I think. My eyes focused on what had come towards me – it was a Digimon. It was completely armored and wings ran along the underside of its arms. As the light dimmed I was able to see that spears of light had run through the Digimon in front of me along with the fact that it was fading away. I looked at who had caused that only to find that it was identical to the Digimon that was fading away. Was that some kind of clone?
"Making someone choose between their friends is unforgivable. The ones who make others choose are those that are truly evil. I do not care what reason you may have but it is unforgivable." I looked at who spoke only to find that it was a spirit that was stepping out of Kari's body.
Ok. Not going to question it. Digital World stuff never makes sense. It would only take time to try and make sense of that rather than just accepting it. Not gonna waste time. It seems that the situation is bad enough. No one but Koji was fight so more than likely no one else could fight.
Seeing as everyone was focused on the spirit woman I managed to force myself up. I sat up and even though my body still felt heavy I was able to move. My eyes caught sight of my goggles on the ground. I rubbed my eyes, a bit surprised. They seemed broken at first but then they weren't. I brushed it off and just grabbed them, putting them and my hat back on.
"You are lucky that I cannot act or offer the full power of Harmony to this child yet. If I could give it all to her this battle would be done here and now." She's the Spirit of Harmony – good to know.
"I don't care! This will be the end of this battle!" My eyes snapped to the Digimon.
"Crimson Formation!" The attack went towards Kari but Koji stepped in the way.
I narrowed my eyes. Koji would be able to stop the attack. I forced myself to my feet and I pulled my D Tector from my pocket. That Digimon had Koji on the defensive. All the attention was on Kari as well so I had the perfect chance to attack. I gripped my D Tector tightly but I was slightly surprised when I was just surrounded by Fractal Code – the Spirit Evolution was beginning without me saying a word. It also didn't seem as flashy as usual. Once I emerged I found that not only had I Spirit Evolved but I had gone into my Flare Form. I grinned.
Thanks for allowing me to do that quietly.
"Inferno Brilliance!" The attack wasn't one that I had thought of and wasn't one that I knew.
Attention was drawn to me but the Digimon didn't even get a chance to move – it didn't even really get to look at me. Fire seemed to have sparked within a split second around them – consuming them. The fire burned brightly as it trapped it within the ball of flames. The air around it was twisting as if it had been superheated – like a heatwave was formed from it.
"Takuya!" Zoe called my name out surprised.
"Be careful of her, she doesn't only have a Spirit Evolution but something else!" I looked at Koji.
Spirit Evolution?! My eyes snapped back to the ball of fire – that Digimon was actually human? Why was there another Spirit? How was someone else able to Spirit Evolve? As far as I knew that was unique to our world and only worked with the Legendary Spirits. Did one of the other Spirits get stolen or something? I mean, we didn't really know what the purified forms of Water, Earth, Wood, or Metal looked like. I doubt any of those would look like that though.
"How does she Spirit Evolve?" This wasn't good.
"That's the question of the day Takuya!" I narrowed my eyes when the fire rushed away.
The fire flew through the air but it burned out quickly. The girl hung in the air but her feathers were charred and the scarf that she wore seemed to have mostly been eaten away by the flames. She shifted as if she was going to come at me but then she dropped suddenly. There was no way that was the end – I knew that. My eyes widened because just before she hit the ground she shot through the air. I tried to move out of the way but she was in my face faster than I could move. She grabbed me by my throat.
"You should've stayed asleep." My eyes widened.
"Raven?" I was stunned.
"You should've just taken the peaceful death Takuya!" How was she here?
"Why?" Why was she here?
"You know why Takuya." She growled the words out.
I was going to hit her to make her let go but I saw that the armor seemed to be vanishing – up to my elbows were already human. What was she doing?
"Lobo-"
I was thrown suddenly and I crashed right into Koji. He was forced to stop his attack. Koji managed to stay standing while he helped me stay standing. My energy felt drained for some reason. My eyes drooped and my vision was growing blurry. Dots of black were starting to appear in my vision again. I was so sleepy suddenly.
"Just die already! You were never supposed to wake up anyways! It's because of that stupid witch that you even woke up! She isn't here anymore! The darkness claimed her in exchange for your escape!" I narrowed my eyes at Raven.
"Takuya." Koji called my name, worried – he had stepped away but I had dropped right to the ground.
I couldn't find the strength to stand. I could barely find the strength to move my body. What had Raven done to me? Even with remembering her it didn't help any. I knew she was strong years ago so who knows how strong she was now. Add on the Spirit Evolution that she's doing somehow there was enough that I didn't know that I couldn't even guess. No, I didn't even know much about her even though I remember her.
"Why are you doing this Raven? Why are you helping the Demon Lords?" I forced the words out but Raven only laughed.
"Why? You already know why. They are the only ones who even care anymore. I have no home besides with them. They welcomed me and took me in when I had nowhere else to go! They welcomed me when no one else wanted me!" Raven raised her arms.
"Ruin Formation!" The aura that came towards me was pure black – I couldn't find the strength to move either.
"Light Burst!" Koji's attack countered her attack – surprisingly dispelling it.
"You're getting on my nerves with your heroic antics! Just let me kill them already! You're only prolonging the inevitable!" Koji was kicked away from me with surprising force.
My eyes widened when I saw crystals form around her, "Shadow Ruin!"
A bolt of darkness with shifting grey aura was going straight for Koji. I remember that. I remember what that did. I remember seeing what happened. If Koji was hit with that then he was done. Even if he was in his Spirit Evolution it wouldn't be good. Koji wasn't able to move since shackles seemed to have sprouted from his shadow. Something inside of me resonated suddenly and I found myself able to move. I found myself in front of Koji with the attack coming straight for me.
"Perfect!" Raven laughed but I growled.
"Flare Inquisition!" The fire that consumed me burned brightly but there was no pain – I felt stronger in truth.
The fire though was a pure white. It didn't feel like it belonged to me either. It felt like it had a different source. I raised a hand and for a moment I swear I saw a second hand raise with mine. A smaller and frailer hand. I watched as a sun shaped mark appeared before my hand – it was dyed a bloody crimson color but then burst into flames.
"Flaming Sun." Flames jetted forwards and slammed into her attack – consuming it.
As it was being consumed it turned red and I watched surprised as it melded with the fire. The fire grew unsteady and stopped yet it didn't burn out. Sudden sparks of white popped around it and it went flying towards Raven. Raven took off into the air to dodge it but it curved after her and it turned into a flaming arrow – one that tore into her thanks to a sudden burst of speed.
Raven fell to the ground as she was consumed by fire. Crying out and trying to put out the fire that was consuming her. I stared though stunned. That attack wasn't mine. No, a part of it was mine. I watched as the sun mark started to fade away. Raven crashed to the ground, rolling around as she tried to stop the fire.
"How did you overpower that attack?" Koji forced the words out as he stood.
"Two fire elementals and special help created that attack." I glanced at Nori – realizing how close I was to her and Kari now.
I hadn't even realized that Koji had been knocked towards them. I hadn't realized that we now stood relatively close to them.
"What?" Nori laughed but winced, cradling her arm.
"Flame Inquisition, it's an old technique that asks for power from other fire elementals – I lent you power but it reached someone else as well apparently. Someone who lent more help than they should've in their situation." Nori's words puzzled me partially.
I looked to Raven when the commotion stopped. I had expected that she would just stay down or lose her Spirit Evolution. She wasn't done though. I should've known that. I watched as she stood but she swayed on her feet. Her wings were all but burned away now, parts of her armor had been deleted as well.
"It seems like I was right to put you in the deepest. I knew you would be the one who would cause the most trouble. You were the one who caused the worst damage I can remember. Even back then when you were nearly dead you had a connection to the Spirit of Flame that had it help you when you didn't even possess it." She started to raise her hands, the world seemed to waver and darkness wafted around her.
"Perhaps this time the villains will kill me as well instead of just leaving me alive to suffer." She was calling us the villains?
"You're seriously crazy if you think we're the villains." Koji shot the words at her as he pulled out his beam sword.
"To her, we probably are the villains but that doesn't change what we have to do." I did feel bad.
I knew her past. I knew why she fought for them if I really thought about it. She had been left alone. She had no one until the Demon Lords came around. They saved her – like any good hero would. She then lost those that saved her because of us – like villains we defeated her heroes. To her we were the villains and the Demon Lords were the heroes.
"You acknowledge your evilness then, Takuya." Raven smirked.
"Perhaps, if things had been different, we could've been friends Takuya. Our fate was written that day though – it was written all because of who your father was. A poor child caught in the crossfire between good and evil, someone who took their father's mantle up no matter how wrong it was." She closed her hands as the darkness thickened – I had a feel we would regret allowing her to set up whatever she did.
"It would've been fun being your friend, Raven." I knew the others were confused.
"Forgive me then but this battle needs to end – the evil needs to be vanquished." I didn't know what was going to come but she was right.
This battle needed to end. The battle would be done with this last attack. She was going to put everything she had left into this attack probably. If she gets us it might be the end for us. We wouldn't let that happen though. We had to defeat her and move on. We had to rescue my father and aunt. We came here for a reason and we were going to accomplish it.
"Devour." The word slipped out of her mouth and the darkness devoured the ground.
I wasn't surprised when I started to sink into the ground. Raven was left alone and in truth she started to lift off of the ground and transparent wings appeared. The wings though were dyed black.
"Do something!" Zoe's voice was shrill.
"Takuya! Koji!" J.P. and Tommy screamed our names – panicked and afraid.
"You have to end this battle now – this attack isn't just swallowing us but taking away strength. Even though we don't feel it, I know. I've seen her use this before on someone!" Nori's words unnerved me but made me question what she all knew.
"Deflect." Kari's voice shook but I felt solid ground under my feet.
"Kari!" I looked at Kari when her name was called, she was nearly completely devoured by the darkness.
She smiled though and I knew what she had done. She had somehow drawn the attack from us to her. Well Koji and myself at least. I looked back to Raven and I knew this had to end. It had to end before Kari was swallowed by this attack.
"In the end, you just have to be the hero don't you Harmony? You're attempts are futile. They don't have enough strength left to defeat me now." I curled my hands into fists.
"We're not done yet." I looked at Koji – he sounded far more confident than I felt in this situation.
"What do you plan on doing?" Koji didn't respond and instead just jumped towards Raven – taking off in the arrow like form he seemed to take on when he moved quickly in that form.
I felt something nudge me. A whisper in the back of my head. A name floating into my head and an idea blossoming within in my mind. Something guided me in my movements and I found myself standing with my legs apart and my arms held out to my side. Koji stopped in front of Raven but when she moved he flashed behind her and when he pulled out his beam swords they seemed to shift.
"Sharpness Claymore!" Raven was cut across the back before she moved.
Digital particles flew through the air, gushing out of the wound that Koji caused. Raven remained in whatever Spirit Evolution she was in though. She turned to try and strike Koji but he flashed away.
"Corona Burst!" I had thrown the balls of fire that formed in my hands at her.
She spun but they crashed into her, one on each side. They seemed to be brought together by some kind of force but thanks to her being sandwiched in the middle they were unable to be meet. They denotated and the shockwave knocked me off of my feet while the darkness was starting to disappear. Fire gushed outwards though and my heart jumped. The flames were going to reach us.
"Absolute Zero!" The fire froze solid thanks to Koji's attack before light caused it to explode.
The light caused the darkness that was swallowing the others to disappear. The darkness was chased away but I stared at Raven. She floated in the air and she was out of the Spirit Evolution. She didn't really change much from the last time I saw her though. She wasn't moving and that worried me. I didn't know when she became human during all of that. Pale grey light hummed around her when she started to fall, the light though just slowed her fall so she landed softly on the ground. The light emitted from a Tag though that she wore.
"I think it's done this time." Nori spoke as Koji approached her.
I approached her as well. I was worried that we might've accidently. No, I can't think that. I shook my head to clear it. Once to her I stopped and just took her appearance in. She was unconscious, she was still breathing but she wasn't moving. Without her awake it really does make me think back to when I first met her – how friendly she had been until it came down to having to do what she was told to.
"We need to do something so she doesn't attack when she wakes up." She was the enemy even if I have a small amount of hope that there was a way to win her over to our side – there had to be some part of her that knew what was going on and what the Demon Lords were really doing.
"She's going to be a problem with her strength. We need to do something more than just to stop her from fighting today." I looked at Koji.
Koji and I were both blown back a couple of steps from a sudden force. I looked back to Raven really quick though. I didn't want this fight to continue on because the longer it went the higher the chances of someone dying here. I was surprised though because the shape of a Digimon was being projected from the glowing Digivice that was clipped to her belt.
"I won't let you harm Raven!" The Digimon cried the words out, his arms held to his side.
"Please, don't harm her!" I was stunned as I watched the Digimon cry.
"He's a Spirit." It came from a surprised Wizardmon.
"He's dead but latched onto Raven." Gatomon's word combined with Wizardmon's gave me an idea about her Spirit Evolution.
"Raven is hurt deeper than any of you would ever understand! She is only doing what she's doing because she wants to help the only people who care about her! They were the only ones who helped her when she lost everything! She only ever learned how to hurt others when she was hurting because only the Demon Lords cared to listen to a child who lost everything." I curled my hands into fists because I actually couldn't blame Raven for her actions since I knew.
"That doesn't excuse her." Koji hissed the words.
"When your loved ones are killed and you're left alone when you're only a kid damages someone. She was picked up by the Demon Lords and raised by them. They saved her as a child like a hero would while like villains we're trying to defeat those that saved her." The spirit looked at me.
"You know? You know then that to her, she's only protecting people who she views as saving the world. She's been told that they are destroying worlds to stop wars from happening and she believes them, she believes that what they're doing is saving more people than hurting them." Even if I knew her past I also knew what they did.
"You know her?" Koji sounded stunned but I nodded.
"I met her in the past, we were friends for a couple of hours. After a careless comment, I almost died because of some plan a woman named Amaya had." Raven had even cracked my skull open back then.
"Even more reason we need to take care of this and make sure she doesn't come back in the future as another enemy. We have our hand full as it is." Even if Koji was right.
"How do you think we're going to do that?" We can't kill her since she's human – a Digimon would just go back to an egg but she wasn't a Digimon that could reborn and nurtured to the side of good.
"Takuya, stop him!" Nori's shout was sudden but she didn't need to tell me.
Koji's body had moved in a jerky fashion as orange markings appeared on his armor. What looked like an arm made of the markings had appeared on his arm. He had grabbed one of his beam swords. His eyes were completely unfocused as well and he had gone to slash Raven. The spirit though jumped in the way.
"I won't allow you to harm Raven!" Even though he spoke he couldn't stop a sword since he was only a ghost.
I had managed to grab Koji though to stop him. I knew that this wasn't Koji. I saw Raven open her eyes and in this moment an infinite number of things could've happened. Ravens stared at the Digimon before her eyes shifted to Koji. Her eyes widened and in the moment Koji broke out of my grasp she moved in a split second. Her hand flew through the air and the black crystal in her hand was leveled with Koji's chest in a split second.
There was a blast that was emitted that slammed into Koji and sent him flying. He slammed into the ground and skidded across the ground since he had caught himself midair.
"Why Daemon! Why would you control him and make him attack?!" Raven's words stunned me.
Daemon was controlling Koji? Daemon hadn't even tried to have Koji stab me in the back since I trusted Koji. Raven had a point with her question. Why was Daemon controlling Koji to try and attack Raven? Raven was fighting for them and actually nearly killed us. If anything, it would be them trying to rescue her I would think than them trying to kill her.
"Answer me!" She screamed the words as Koji charged again.
"They're demons, they don't have loyalty. Once you're defeated you become obsolete to them. You lost to them and you hold no more value to them. That's the type of people they are." Nori's words carried but Raven blasted Koji again but he only skidded backwards – less so than he did last time since Raven didn't have much strength left.
"They wouldn't betray me!" Raven jumped back to put more distance between her and Koji.
Koji rushed again and Raven wasn't able to use whatever she had to blast him backwards. She froze as well. I was going to intervene because I didn't want this to happen. The spirit of the Digimon though jumped in front of her.
"Falcomon!" Raven cried out just as the beam sword was going strike him –
"Not again!" Raven's cry was accompanied by a huge burst of grey light.
The grey light washed over Koji and myself. I felt something warm up inside of me while Koji let out a pained howl. The orange markings vanished quickly, disappearing into data particles. Koji was also blasted through the air. He slammed into the ground and his armor exploded into a massive shower of data. Koji was out cold though.
"I won't let anyone hurt him, again." Raven's voice grew fainter and fainter.
I watched as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious once again. Her Crest through was glowing brilliantly and the Digivice that had once been broken wasn't cracked anymore. I was stunned but I knew what happened. I knew what happened because Kari had told me about some things.
"I never thought I'd see her Crest live again. After so long, I thought she would never be the DigiDestined of Refuge again." The spirit spoke the words as he faded away.
That was her title then. DigiDestined of Refuge. It was an interesting title, especially for someone who worked with the Demon Lords. Even after he faded her crest continued to glow. I wonder what would've happened if I had actually befriended her back then. From what I remember I wonder if this could've been averted. I wonder if she had stayed with my father and I that night if she wouldn't side with the Demon Lords today.
I let my Spirit Evolution drop – Raven was done fighting this time. There was no doubt about it this time. I stood there though. I didn't know what to do at the moment. Raven was just betrayed by the Demon Lords. If they took a chance to try and kill her instead of us – it didn't add up. She would blindly follow them but they had tried to kill her.
"Why would they attack her?" I didn't understand it.
Nori's explanation hadn't made sense in a way. Why would they have saved her when she was a child if they didn't have plans for her? She was far weaker when they first took her in I bet. Not to mention she failed a mission before. They hadn't killed her for failing that mission.
"They hold no loyalty Takuya. She was beaten by you two, she's no longer useful." Even if Nori probably knew the most about them at this point it didn't make sense.
"I think you're wrong." There was something more going on here.
"Oh, really? Why do you think that is?" I turned around so I faced Nori.
"She was supposed to lead me into a trap – which she did. She was supposed to use me as bait to lure my father out – which she did. She was supposed to do whatever was necessary to get the prophecy out of my father – which she failed at. She was supposed to kill my father and me – which she failed at. Why would they try to kill her now, years later, when she's stronger than she was?" It doesn't add up.
"They might not have expected her to complete that mission while they expected her to complete this mission – I can't tell you what they're thinking." Nori snapped at me.
"Besides, why defend her? She could've killed us. The fact that you're defending her is sickening." I was taken aback.
"G-guys, we need to focus on why we're here." Kari butted in, hesitant.
My eyes narrowed and I curled my hands into fists. We had wasted enough time around here. I wasn't sure how long I had been out or how long the fight with Raven had dragged on but we needed to move on. We need to rescue my father and Kari's mother. We didn't have time to waste on her or with pointless arguments.
"What are we going to do with her though? She'll come after us if she wakes up!" J.P. shouted, pointing out the obvious though.
"We restrain her. Once we come back through we can figure out what to do with her. We need to rescue my father and aunt first." I don't think she's going to wake up any time soon.
"I agree with Takuya, even though we disagree upon her character. Raven isn't going to be waking up for a while though – she expanded too much energy from the core embedded in her." Why would that matter?
"That matters because?" Zoe beat me to the question.
"Simplest way to explain it is that her life seems heavily tied to the core."
"Does that apply to you as well? You also have one embedded." Nori shook her head.
"No, I could survive if it was removed. It would hurt and I might be crippled but I would be alive. If hers was remove, she'd die." I gulped hearing that.
The thought of somehow removing them so she wouldn't be half as strong wasn't a viable option. It would be as bad as just killing her. Why was her life tied the core embedded in her though? Just what exactly were these cores anyways? At the end of the day I think Nori needs to sit down and better explain these cores to us since they seem like they're going to pop up in fights.
"All of this can wait though. We need to rescue our parents and get out of here." I spoke the words as old memories dance.
This place, it reminded me of where I was taken years ago. This reminds me of the place that Amaya had been. Amaya had planned on doing some kind of experiment and even killing my father. If this was Amaya's place then who knows what she was doing to my father. My aunt, Kari's mother, could be suffering the same thing as well.
"Yeah, you guys keep saying that but no one is moving." I looked at J.P.
He raised his hands, "Hey, I'm only stating the truth Takuya."
"How are we going to restrain her is the question? We don't have any kind of rope or anything." My shoulders dropped – Tommy was right about that.
"I can handle that." I looked to Wizardmon.
"How are you going to do that Wizardmon?" He only laughed at Kari's question.
"Magic my friend." Digimon could use magic?
You know what, it would make sense. In some way, it would make sense that Digimon could use magic. I watched him interested in what he would do. He approached Raven carefully, after all that happened I didn't blame him though. Even if Nori said she wouldn't wake up for a while I wouldn't be surprised if she sat up and attacked again or if the Digimon's spirit appeared again. Nothing happened though.
Wizardmon made some odd signs with his hands and light appeared around her wrists. There were a few flickers of data and when the light appeared her wrists were tied together by the means of rope. When he did it a second time her legs were restrained this time – brought together by the magical rope.
"That is so awesome!" I laughed and looked at J.P. – he was staring in awe at Wizardmon.
"Before we go anywhere, I want to know what Nori's Crest is. It's obvious that whatever it is would help the Demon Lords." I looked at Zoe.
"Not this again! We don't have time to deal with these stupid questions! Even if it might help them I was their prisoner! I am not on their side – hell, if I was I never would have fought Raven. I would have helped her kill you guys." Nori was angry but rightfully so.
"Sure, you say that but Raven admitted to having killed one of your friends." I was surprised to hear that – Raven had actually killed someone?
"Let it be. Nori is not the enemy – I might not trust her but I know she is not our enemy." Wizardmon speaking up on Nori's behalf meant something since he was the one who hadn't trusted her.
"Perhaps not an enemy but not an ally; that whole time it was hinted at there being a chance for her to be stronger, she could've saved us a lot of trouble." As J.P. pointed that out I noticed that a doorway opened – defeating Raven must've been the key to open the door to the next room.
"I cannot go full power without my Crest. I refuse to use my Crest so you will never see my full power." Nori growled the words out.
I just took a couple steps backwards before turning to face the now open door. I couldn't just keep standing here and I don't see them moving yet. Zoe and J.P. could be hard headed when they wanted to. I headed for the door – I would go on by myself. I reached the doorway and paused – they were still bickering.
"Takuya." I looked over my shoulder to find Kari standing there.
"They're not going to stop and I don't think we have time to play with them." She looked back.
"What about Koji?" I looked to him.
"Since he's not awake, it's best that he's left with them. If something happened they would be able to help him more than us. Going deeper will probably bring another fight." He might be annoyed that we hadn't tried to wake him up before leaving.
"You sure this is a good idea?" I sighed but began down the hallway.
"Good idea or not we need to get to our parents before something happens." Our parents were defenseless after all.
I was unnerved since the hallway was mostly dark. Most of the lights seemed to have blown out or been broken. This so felt like the last hallway between us and the final boss. I just hope the 'final boss' isn't a Demon Lord. Perhaps the 'final boss' was Raven and this just leads to the 'treasure room' – where we would find out parents and be able to then leave with them.
"Do you think just the two of us will be able to fight whoever may stop us next?" I bit my lip.
The answer was a cruel one. We might not be able to fight whoever stopped us next. We might be able to fight whoever stopped us next. It all depended upon who stopped us. If it was anyone weaker than Raven, possibly. It would be hard but we had a shot at possibly pulling off a victory. If it was someone as strong as Raven or one of the Demon Lords – we wouldn't win that fight. We wouldn't win that even if we had everyone actually. We barely beat Belphemon and I still feel like that was a fluke.
Kari sighed, "You silence answers for you."
I frowned, feeling bad. I didn't really want to disappoint her or make her scared. I just didn't know what to say. We stopped when lights cut on suddenly – lighting the hallway. I flinched slightly from the light that flooded the hallway. When my eyes adjusted they widened. The hallway we stood in was lined with mirrors. The walls were mirrors. I knew this hallway. I gulped and curled my hands into fists.
"Takuya?" Kari sounded worried.
This cemented the idea that I had been here before. I had been here before and this was where Raven took me years ago. That at least explains why this place seemed familiar to me. It also unnerved me because that means that I had crossed worlds years ago when I hadn't remembered anything. This wasn't a place I really wanted to come back to since I remember what happened.
Kari grabbed my shoulder, "What's wrong?"
The images of being dragged through this hallway by my hair burned. My head even ached from the memory even though it has been years. I gritted my teeth and shoved the memories away. Even though I didn't want to really face those memories it gave one good piece of information.
"This only leads to one room – the control room. That's where Amaya is going to be." Amaya and our parents would be there.
That was one thing I knew for certain. I could only hope that Amaya hadn't called in a Demon Lord. My stomach dropped when I thought back to Koji. Koji had been controlled by Daemon. Normally that was only possible when they were around. Daemon was here. Daemon was probably waiting for us in the next room.
"Takuya, who's Amaya and how do you know that?" I looked at Kari and when she met my eyes, her eyes widened.
"I've been here before Kari. I nearly died here." She paled.
"Amaya was once someone my father worked with – a DigiDestined that had been on his team. She though now works with the Demon Lords – she used me to bait my father out so she could try to get the prophecy out of him." What did she want with my father and aunt now?
"The Demon Lords already know the prophecy though. Why does she need our parents?" I shook my head.
"I don't know Kari." I looked to one of the mirrors that lined the hallway.
The reflection surprised me though. Staring back at me was myself but Agunimon and BurningGreymon were reflected as well. Red light shined out of the pocket that held my D Tector. Agunimon placed his hand on my shoulder and gripped it – my shoulder warmed up even though there was no way he should've been able to transfer warmth to me. He was only a Digital Spirit after all and he wasn't in the physical world.
"What are you looking at Takuya?" Kari sounded worried.
I pointed at the mirror, "It reflects the Flame Spirits."
I couldn't believe my eyes. I had seen myself take their form in a reflection before. Granted those times were all in the Digital World when it came down to trying to find the strength to get up and fight again. I have never had it happen while I was in the Real World. How was it even possible?
"W-what!?" I looked at Kari, startled.
She had covered her mouth – she stared into the mirror. Was she able to see the Spirits of Flame as well? No, maybe she was seeing something else. Her reflection was normal to me. I didn't see anything.
"Kari?" I was worried.
"What do you see?" What was her reflection?
"Kaoru and an orange haired woman." I stared at her reflection at her words – hoping maybe it'd shift and let me see what she was seeing.
"Wait, who's Kaoru?" I don't remember her talking about anyone named Kaoru before.
"Kaoru, she is the other half of the Harmony. She died a couple years ago though – she was also apparently friends with Nori and Daisuke, she was killed by Daemon in front of Nori actually. It was the same day that Daemon took Nori." I was stunned – was Kari connected to those two thanks to Kaoru?
"Do you know who the orange haired woman is?" She shook her head.
"No, she does seem – familiar though." Was Kari missing other pieces of her memory maybe?
"I think I know who she is actually." I looked at her – she was stunned and staring wide eyed.
"What do you mean?" She turned to look at me.
"Kaoru is the other half of Harmony. You saw the Spirits of Flame – I think she has to deal with Harmony as well. I think she might be connected to the Spirit of Harmony somehow." I looked at the mirror – really wishing it'd allow me to see what she saw for her reflection now.
Kari grabbed my arm, "She says that we need to hurry Takuya. She says that something bad is happening."
"She? The mystery spirit?" She nodded.
"Something's wrong, we need to go now! We need to reach the next room." I nodded.
I took one last look at the mirror. I shoved memories and the part of me that told me going on would prove to be a bad decision away. I lead the way, we were both running though. The urgency that Kari had when she spoke drove me to move even though a part of me was screaming at me to turn around and run the other way. I stopped when my eye caught sight of something. I stopped and stared at one of the mirrors that lined the walls.
"It's cracked." The mirror had cracks all along its surface.
"Why did a cracked mirror stop you?" I remember that mirror, that's why.
"Raven smashed it years ago." We were heading in the right direction, that's for sure.
"Takuya, are you alright?" I nodded slowly.
"It's just, I never remembered that night until Raven did whatever she did. My father said I had nearly gotten hit by a car – even if it was a narrow miss my head hit the concrete. I forgot all about Raven. I forgot and I have to wonder, if I had become her friend if today's fight with her could've been avoided." She did seem ready to walk away back then if we were friends.
"We might've just been betrayed Takuya, there is no guarantee that fighting her could've been avoided." I looked to the ground – Kari had a point.
It could've been an act back then. Maybe she was either supposed to befriend me and get the information or capture me so they could get the information. It would have been crueler to have been friends with her only to be betrayed. But seeing as how long she would've needed to stay my friend, maybe she could've come around at some point.
"Takuya! Kari!" The call of our names made us turn around and look the way we came.
The others were rushing down the hallway, trying to catch up. Looks like they finally stopped fighting with each other. They also caught up before we reached the end of the hallway. I looked from them and towards the next room. I could see the doorway from here but I couldn't see past the door. Unlike the other rooms the door was closed.
"Why did you leave me behind like that!" Gatomon yelled once she stopped.
"Sorry Gatomon." I began to walk away from the reunion.
My shoulder was caught and I was jerked to a stop. I looked over my shoulder to find Zoe. She looked concerned. I looked passed her and scanned the group. Koji was leaning on the wall, holding his head. He was awake – that was good. Depending on what was on the other side of that door he might be needed. I just hope he's in condition to fight if there is a need to fight.
"Takuya-" I shook my head and she stopped.
"Not right now Zoe – too many things are going on." My father was kidnapped, I was back in this place, and we might go through that door and find a Demon Lord.
"Maybe it's orchestrated by Nori." I narrowed my eyes at her and she flinched.
"Why are you so against Nori? Did I miss something somewhere Zoe? You two haven't even interacted enough to get a feel for each other but you're certain she's the enemy." Zoe curled her hands into fists and looked at the ground.
"You weren't there Takuya. You didn't see what I saw – Tommy and J.P. didn't see it but I did. After we were captured, I met her. She was working with them Takuya. She helped Daemon when he showed his face in that place. He was wounded from something and she treated his wounds." I was surprised to hear that.
"Where did you see this?" Nori was trapped in the Dark Ocean and only got rescued recently.
"The Dark Area, we were taken to some far-out island that's deep in the Dark Area. We passed through some gate to get there – they stashed us there as they were fully taking over our minds. Tommy and J.P. had already succumbed so I was running – trying to find a way off that island. All I found was Nori in a clearing, tending to Daemon." I curled my hands into fists.
"I tried to attack but Nori just blasted me – next thing I know I woke up here after you guys freed us. Her attack was the last thing it took for me to lose the strength to fight whatever they did to us." Why had Nori helped Daemon?
Not only that but how did Zoe meet Nori before? It didn't make sense. Zoe was in the Dark Area. Nori was in the Dark Ocean. There is no way that the Dark Ocean is in the Dark Area. If it was then it would mean that our world was connected to Kari's world. We were told recently that if you actually traveled far enough in this world's Digital World and passed through a gate, you could actually reach the Dark Ocean.
"That had to be a different version of her Zoe. Nori was a prisoner of the Demon Lords until just recently, Daemon being the one who put her in there. Nori wants to kill Daemon the most out of the Demon Lords. There's no way she'd help him. A different version of her works with the Demon Lords, it's the only reasonable situation." Though what bothered me was the fact that she said Daemon was hurt and he allowed a human to treat him – it was outside of his character.
"D-different version?" She looked taken aback.
"Yes, so please, let her be. She's been through enough Zoe." She narrowed her eyes at me and turned away.
She crossed her arms, "Hmph."
I sighed and shook my head at her antics. It did bother me now. I saw Zoe's issue and I understood her point of view. It was unnerving thinking that Nori might've helped Daemon – even if it might've been a different version. If they looked similar enough for Zoe to confuse them then we would never know if the other one slipped in and was pretending to be the Nori we trusted.
"Whoa, these mirrors are so cool!" Well, looks like Tommy found out about the mirrors.
"What about the- whoa! I don't believe it!" I sighed.
If so much wasn't going on I might've been smiling and laughing at how J.P. and Tommy were acting. I didn't want to bring them down either so I just turned and began to walk again. Besides, if there is a Demon Lord waiting for us a part of me wanted them to stay back. I didn't want them to get caught up in this battle any more than they already had.
"Leaving them behind won't spare them further involvement Takuya." I looked at Nori when she spoke – her, Kari, Gatomon, and Koji were following.
"Yeah well, if they weren't helping in the fight against Raven they probably can't fight anymore today. If there's a Demon Lord waiting for us then we don't need them there only as sitting ducks." I just hope there wasn't a Demon Lord waiting for us on the other side of the door.
"You're right about that though." Nori was saddened.
"We probably wouldn't put up a fight against a Demon Lord as we are." Koji voiced the thought I didn't want voiced.
"How do we open the door." I chose to ignore Koji's comment – not wanting to dwell on that.
The door was closed and there was a keypad. The keypad though was written in symbols that I don't even know. They weren't Japanese or English – I don't even think it was Digital Script. Nori shifted towards it and I watched as she punched a code in and to my surprise, the door sprung open.
"How do you know the code?" I stared into the room as I asked Nori.
Zoe's words echoed in my head. Was this the other Nori? The Nori that worked with the Demon Lords? Did she just accidently slip up and reveal the fact that she worked with them?
"I was here before. This is the Demon Lord's laboratory pretty much – this was where they held Daisuke as well. There were times years ago that they allowed Daisuke and me to interact – only to make Daisuke cave to them more, kept our bond there so it could be used against him." Was that boy from then Daisuke?!
"One time they forgot to blindfold me and I saw the code that they used. I committed it to memory in hope that if I ever escaped I could come here and free Daisuke. It never came down to that but I have it burned into my memory. I'm surprised they never changed it actually then again they are pretty cocky." It sounded reasonable enough and I wanted to trust Nori.
"Trust me, please, I know Zoe spoke to you and told you what she saw. I know how bad that looks but understand that there was a lot more to what happened that day." I was surprised and my eyes snapped to Nori – well they were going to.
My eyes stopped when I registered someone. I stared stunned. I didn't want to believe my eyes. It didn't make any sort of sense. Why? There was no way. It wasn't possible.
"Takuya?" Kari was worried.
"Daisuke!" Nori who had peeked in rushed into the room.
She dropped to her knees besides Daisuke's unmoving form. He was face down on the floor, unconscious at best. Her hands hovered over him as if she had stopped herself from touching him. I hesitated but I approached, Kari and Koji following. Nori looked at us when we reached them but I saw why she had stopped. There was some blood on the ground. She was probably afraid of what she'll find when she rolls him over.
"How did he get here?" Nori's voice shook.
"He should be back at Kari's apartment. He shouldn't here." She seemed, broken.
"Why is he here?" I bent down and even though I wasn't sure what to expect I did slowly roll him over.
What was found was better than what it could've been. It did worry me though. Blood stained his shirt but there was no wound. The blood on his shirt wasn't his. The only obvious wound he had was a gash on his head – probably the reason why he was unconscious actually. He was alive that was good.
"We have a problem. We knew this was a trap and now someone that shouldn't be here is here. We were lured here and whoever lured us, was not happy that all of us didn't come." Koji was angry.
"What do you mean Koji?" Kari was scared but Nori was just staring at Daisuke.
If there was a doubt of her being against us it wasn't there now. The shaken look she held as she stared at Daisuke. She had a hand rested on his cheek and I had a feel she was trying to bring him to somehow. The air had heated slightly which probably meant she was using the Digital Core somehow.
"Daisuke was brought here somehow. He was with Koichi and Storm. It's very likely that Koichi and Storm are also here now or they're on their way here depending on how Daisuke got here." Why were we being called here?
"What about Evan and Rin?" Would they also be baited here?
"If something happens to Storm, I wouldn't be surprised if Evan showed up since they're twins. Rin might or might not show up with him." The Demon Lords were planning something and it didn't sit well with me.
"I don't think the Demon Lords did this." We looked at Nori.
"If this was the Demon Lords, he'd be dead. Traitors die but he's still alive. They would've taken the chance to kill him if they were able to knock him unconscious." She looked at us and I felt like I was seeing a side that no one saw of Nori – besides Daisuke.
"Who else would it be then?" She looked back to Daisuke.
"Amaya." Nori nodded when I said the name.
"Who is Amaya? Takuya mentioned her and now she comes up again." Kari was confused – I could kind of detect a hint of annoyance as well.
"An evil DigiDestined, she works with the Demon Lords. She's responsible for them being able to travel undetected now of days. She's a DigiDestined of Knowledge. She seems sweet on the outside but she's a vile woman who will do whatever it takes to reach her goal. She is a scientist and she's done horrible experiments on human and Digimon alike. Sometimes the Demon Lords would bring her DigiDestineds that were a pain and allow her to use them as test subjects." My stomach churned and tried to push the memories away.
"She's one of the only humans that the Demon Lords can stand. One of the reasons this world still stands instead of having been wiped out – she made her base here and while she agrees to do dirty work for them they agreed not to destroy this world." That's just lovely.
"They destroyed every world that they thought might yield the people who would fight this war and defeat them – Storm and Evan's world, Daisuke and my world." Nori stopped speaking and closed her eyes.
"Your world still stands though, Storm mentioned it." She shook her head.
"Very little remains, what remains is because Daisuke gave himself up. It might be gone now – our world and I were what was agreed to be left alive if he worked with them. He betrayed so they might have destroyed our world." I looked at Daisuke – that would be a lot of guilt for him to bear.
"Amaya will be our opponent then?" Nori shrugged.
Koji shifted and began to look around the room, "More than likely, no Demon Lord has shown yet. We all had our guard down to so it would've been the best moment to attack us to."
"H-he has a good point." Nori stood shakily.
"Why would she try to draw us all here though Nori? Does she have some trump card that could take us on?" Nori shook her head.
"Her partner, HiAndromon, is pretty strong but I'm pretty sure you and Koji could take him on pretty easily. She can bring him back infinitely so maybe she plans to wear you two out with an endless battle? It's a tactic I wouldn't put pass her but reckless as well. Especially since Koichi and Storm might show – they'd be fully rested and Storm might be able to disable him without destroying him with her lightning." I could tell gears were spinning in Nori's head.
"Does this room stop you two from Spirit Evolving?" Kari's question made my eyes widen.
That would be a good trap. Lead us to a room we couldn't Spirit Evolve in. If you trapped us in such a room we'd be stuck as humans. Frail humans that wouldn't be able to withstand attacks from a Digimon.
"No, we can still Spirit Evolve." I looked at Koji – he had been able to summon Fractal Code and his D Tector was working so we were able to Spirit Evolve.
"Gatomon can Digivolve to." She sounded confused and she stared at her Digivice.
"This doesn't make sense. We should grab Daisuke and leave. I know you two want to rescue your parents but this doesn't make sense. Amaya is planning something and it's nothing good. We need to get out, now." I looked at Nori.
"It's good we can rescue Daisuke but I'm not leaving without my father – she already tried to kill him before." I jumped slightly at how fast Nori's eyes snapped to me.
"I understand Takuya – I was in your place, remember that. Daisuke was trapped here and all I wanted to do was rescue him. I wanted to save him from the chains he shackled himself in for my life. Amaya takes advantage of those weak points and exploits them. If we leave she'll use another tactic involving them to draw you out again. We need to get out of her base where she can do anything she pleases. We need to go and make her act out in the open or in the Digital World. We need to go and recover our strength." I gulped – Nori's eyes were full of fear and she was pleading me to agree.
This was why Daisuke protected Nori I think. This side of her that is drained of courage and will to fight from fear. She reminded me of a petrified toddler who was trying to convince their parents not to do something.
"Why do you guys keep leaving us behind!" I looked from Nori in favor of looking to Tommy.
Staring into Nori's eyes, was making me give. The part of me that had been screaming to leave as fast as possible had grown stronger. It had grown harder to ignore. We couldn't leave without our parents though. We had to rescue them. If Amaya was as bad as Nori made her out to be she was worse than what my memories told and it terrified me. I was terrified of what she might be doing to my father and aunt.
"All of this is." The words died in my mouth.
The door had slammed shut the moment they had all entered. My mouth dried up and my heart dropped. We were stuck in here now. We had been lured into a trap and it was now sprung.
"I said we should've left when we had the chance!" Nori's voice shook.
"If only they listened to you Nori." I stiffened hearing the voice.
"Amaya." I was stunned – if I had remembered earlier then I would've known what this place was.
"That's Amaya?" I nodded at Kari's stunned question.
"Oh, it looks like Takuya remembers me now. How sweet, did Raven jog your memory? She was rather hurt over the person she thought she could be friends with rejecting her then completely forgetting about her." I curled my hands into fists.
"I wonder what would've happened if you would've been her friend – maybe you could've saved her." There was an actual chance of saving her then.
"Shut up! Stop screwing with his head!" Nori shouted even though she was now shaking horribly.
"Raven never could've been saved! She chose her path years ago when she chose to side with the Demon Lords!" Was Nori trying to reason something out – it sounded like she was actually.
"You just want your hate to be justified. You want your blind hatred of her to be justified. After all, she stood back sickened when Daemon killed poor dear Kaoru in front of you. You want to pretend she hadn't cried out for Daemon to stop and not to kill Kaoru." Raven, tried to help someone and save them from a Demon Lord?
"You don't want to admit that Raven broke seeing her world die and ended up with split personalities – one wanting the worlds to burn and one that wanted to save everyone from her pain. One for the Demon Lords and one against the Demon Lords." There was a part of her that wanted to stop the Demon Lords then.
"You don't want to admit that day when Raven was holding you back from attacking was her trying to save your life. You don't want to admit that Raven stopped you from jumping in to save Kaoru because she was trying to save your life – to make it so that Kaoru's sacrifice wouldn't have been in vain." I watched as Nori sunk to her knees.
"You're wrong, she's a monster who works with the Demon Lords. She had hurt so many people and allowed the Demon Lords to harm so many like she was harmed. She's become the type of monster she always hated." Nori's voice was weak.
Was all of that real? Had Raven actually held Nori back to save her life instead of to make Nori watch her friend die? Had Raven really pleaded for Kaoru's life? I actually saw the possibility for that. I saw Raven happy and free, I saw her fight to protect me that night from the older kids. The way she flipped so suddenly and tried to kill me – it would make sense with her having split personalities. Even after I woke up she offered to be my friend, she would've helped me escape, but I had rejected her and she turned to the part of her that was the enemy.
"You don't want to admit that Raven has borne the weight of guilt for these years and just wants your forgiveness. She even offered you her life while you were imprisoned in the Dark Ocean in exchange for your forgiveness – you want to think that it was a cruel joke she made just to make you hurt worse." I watched as tears fell from Nori's face.
"Enough! You're a coward who won't show her face! You're all high and mighty while hidden but why not show yourself! See if you're all high mighty once you're here in person!" Something inside of me had flared, wanting to protect Nori after seeing how broken she was suddenly – that is what fueled those words.
"You're nothing more a bully that harms others with words because your too weak to attack them!" Kari was angry.
I looked across the room when the wall opened, a woman walked out. Black hair and cold pale blue eyes – Amaya. She wore the lab coat she had worn in my memory. She had her arms crossed and she smirked at us. She seemed so confident and far from afraid.
"It makes no difference if I show my face or not. I am not afraid of you children. None of you will harm me." I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Why is that?" She laughed as she looked at me.
"Why don't you attack me and find out?" I growled at her over confident words.
"Or do you not have the stomach to attack a human? Afraid you'll kill someone?" She threw her head back in laughter.
She knew. She knew none of us was willing to attack a human while in Digital Form. She knew that Gatomon wouldn't attack a human. She knew that we wouldn't attack her. That's why she came out. She knew that no matter what she wouldn't get hit because we wouldn't fight a human. We didn't want to kill anybody. I was surprised when Amaya cried out, covering her eyes. I looked to Kari surprised.
She had activated her card. She had created a ball of light that had exploded in Amaya's face. No damage was dealt besides probably blinding her at least temporarily. I was surprised though seeing how angry Kari looked. I don't think I had seen her look so angry before.
"Digimon may hold the ability to accidently kill you but this power is refined enough not to accidently kill you." Kari might have a point.
"You'll regret that!" Amaya screamed the words and she settled her eyes on Kari.
"You got your lucky hit! Cherish it because nothing else will touch me!" Amaya yelled the words as she held her hand out.
The wristband she wore glowed suddenly. Some kind of vile purple portal opened, Digital Script scrawled all around it. My heart dropped when I saw the tip of wings appear out of the portal. One tip was bat like while the other was angelic.
"Destroy them all where they stand!" I closed my eyes involuntarily.
I didn't want to watch as Lucemon appeared out of the gate she made. I didn't want to see one of the strongest, if not the strongest Demon Lord appeared. It would be the end of the line for us. Lucemon was far too strong for our current condition. Zoe, Tommy, and J.P. didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Nori was mentally too weak now to fight thanks to Amaya's words. Gatomon and Wizardmon would be little more than flies to Lucemon. Kari, Koji and I wouldn't have enough strength to fight Lucemon.
Kari gasped, "No way!"
"What did you do!" Koji yelled.
I opened my eyes not sure what to expect. My heart probably just fell out. I wasn't prepared for the sight that was now in front of me. I couldn't believe my eyes. My body shook as I stared.
"Why?" This couldn't be happening.
"This is the end for you all – no one has the strength to fight against us." Amaya was cocky but, she was right.
We didn't have the strength fight. There was no way we could fight. I hadn't thought that this would be how it ended. I wish there was something we could do. I curled my hands into fists. I couldn't think like that. There had to be something we could do. There had to be something! If Koji and I could get access to a new form then there had to be something that we could do in this situation!
"Don't underestimate us!" Even if I found the strength to speak those words I had no clue what we would do.
I didn't know what to do in this kind of situation.
"Big words for someone who's shaking like a leaf!" Amaya's words made me realize just how badly my whole body was shaking.
What do we do in this situation? We couldn't run away. We couldn't escape. Even if we did manage to escape my father was still here alongside of Kari's mother. We would have to come back at some point. We would only be put back in this situation again. Not to mention, running away wouldn't be an option even if it was on the table. There was no way that we could turn our backs and run away.
So, how was it? Was it worth the wait? Feel free to review or not. If there's any reason to you can even send me private messages.
Also, I'm thinking about drawing the characters out. Would anyone be interested in seeing them? I'd offer a character page/outline as well but my character pages/outlines are a bit wonky and probably wouldn't make sense to anyone else. Maybe I'll look one up if you guys would like that. Granted all of that would be done on my DeviantArt account.