Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: We're starting to get to the really good parts slowly! Just a bit of a reminder, the FTFOD challenge is still open for voting until January 1st so please make sure you place your vote. I'm not sure if I will get to a chapter next week, but I will do my best. Oh, and for Sam, this is only the beginning...

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 137: DarkAngelicmon's Warning

Sam Ichijouji

File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World

"Sam, we should go back," Glowmon said urgently, his small wings beating frantically to keep up. "If Dai finds out you've wandered off from the group, he's going to be really mad."

"I don't care."

"But...what about Mickey? He's already worried about you, and if he-"

"He's only worried because he thinks I'm going crazy."

"That's not true! Sam, wait for me! I can't fly that fast!"

Sam abruptly came to a stop and frowned at his surroundings. He was now close enough to the beach to have a faint view of the ocean, and the smell of salt was strong in his nose, but even though he could see the sun reflecting off the water, for some reason the sky seemed dark and the ocean looked menacing.

It feels like the forest where my friends and I found Glowmon. This place is covered in darkness...

"Sam? Sam, something doesn't feel right. We shouldn't be here," Glowmon whispered, hovering anxiously above the ground.

Sam turned slowly to look at his partner and pulled out his D-Coder. "Glowmon, I think you'd better digivolve."

"Oh, Sam, I guess I don't have a choice. Glowmon digivolve to, Dracomon!"

As soon as the violet light around Dracomon disappeared, the champion digimon angrily fluttered his multicoloured wings and crossed his arms over his chest. "You shouldn't have let me digivolve, Sam. Now that I'm Dracomon, if I have to drag you back to Dai and the others, I will."

Sam ignored his partner and clutched his purple D-Coder tightly in his hand. "This place feels...evil. Do you think DarkAngelicmon might be around here somewhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"It feels kind of like the forest where Centarumon was keeping watch over you. Only...it's different somehow. I can't really explain it, but I feel...strange."

Dracomon shook his head, his long, white hair blowing gently in the cool breeze, and let out a soft sigh. "I wish either Angelicmon or Gabrielmon were here. They would know."

"Come on, we need to reach the beach."

"Why?" Dracomon snapped, his violet eyes growing dark and stormy.

Sam hesitated and gently placed his hand on his partner's arm. "I need to know. This place, this darkness, is connected to the Emperor, and so am I. How many times have other digimon compared me to the Emperor? I need to know why. I can't stand all the secrets anymore. I just...I can't...I don't know why, but...I have a feeling the ocean is where I'll find my answers."

"Sam, this place is dangerous! You can find your answers just as easily with the others by your side, if not more so."

"And risk losing the rest of my friends? Ryoko hates me! Don't look at me like that, you know it's true, and it's only a matter of time before the others start feeling the same way he does."

Dracomon continued to stare at him, and he quickly looked away before the champion digimon could see the tears in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he felt his partner's hands come to rest gently on his shoulders, and lifting his head, he found himself gazing into Dracomon's deep violet eyes. The insect digimon looked sympathetic, and there was something comforting about his presence and the way he seemed so sure of himself. "Sam, you and I both know that's not true. I don't know who the Emperor was, but does it really even matter? It doesn't change who you are, even if he is connected to you in some way."

"No, you're wrong. I may not know how or why the Emperor is connected to me, but I do know it's definitely not a good thing. When the truth does finally come out, it's going to be bad, and Mickey and the others are going to hate me for it. Why do you think I don't want them around right now? If I do find out why everyone keeps comparing me to the Emperor, I don't want the others to be close enough to hear about what a horrible person I am."

"You would keep the truth a secret from your friends?" Dracomon gasped, looking shocked.

"If I have to, I will. Don't you get it, Dracomon? If keeping the truth about the Emperor means keeping my friends then I'll take that secret with me to the grave. Now, are you coming or not? If you're going to keep wasting time, I'm leaving you behind."

Without waiting for a reply, Sam started off towards the ocean again, determined not to glance over his shoulder. He could feel Dracomon's eyes on the back of his head, and although he felt guilty for the way he was acting towards his partner, he wasn't quite ready to admit it yet. Even though he couldn't see Dracomon's expression, he knew his partner was shocked by his harsh words, and that only made him even more determined to keep his eyes focused on the ground. To his complete astonishment, he had only taken a couple of steps when the ground beneath his feet started to turn almost grey in colour, and without warning, the sun suddenly disappeared. Glancing around at the landscape, he felt his blood turn to ice. The Digital World's beautiful scenery seemed to have lost all of its colour, and in its place was a shadowy, forlorn valley that appeared to be deserted. The trees in the distance looked dark and slightly out of focus, and Infinity Mountain was a black shape looming over the forest. Even the sickly grey grass beneath his feet looked like it was whithering away, and there were thick, black clouds in the sky that definitely hadn't been there several minutes ago. "What's...what's going on?"

"Who's there?" Dracomon shouted, spreading his wings and glancing nervously towards the ocean.

Sam slowly began to back up in the direction he had come from, but before he could get very far, a dark shape suddenly shot out of the trees lining the ocean, dived towards them, and landed on the ground about five feet away. Immediately, Dracomon stepped in front of him, and clapping his hands over his mouth, he allowed himself to utter a small gasp of fear.

"What do you want?" Dracomon growled, crossing his arms and glaring at the new arrival.

Sam gripped his partner's arm and stared in horror at the fallen angel standing before him. DarkAngelicmon's black wings were fluttering gently in the icy breeze, and he was clutching his dark, intricately carved spear tightly in his right hand. There was a quiet, serious look on his pale face, and he frowned at the insect digimon's words, but instead of answering Dracomon's question, the fallen angel merely tightened his grip on the spear in his hand and turned to gaze uneasily at the ocean.

Could DarkAngelicmon's presence be what's causing the landscape to turn all shadowy? The darkness is strong here, and it reminds me of the evil I felt in the forest where Glowmon was hidden, but I can still see what's going on. If DarkAngelicmon had used his Dark Teleportation attack, everything would have turned pitch black. At least, that's what happened when he used it in the forest on Text. I definitely feel like I've been transported to another place, and unless DarkAngelicmon's attack works differently every time he uses it, then something else must have brought me to this place. Besides, I felt the Powers of Darkness in the Southern Hemisphere even before DarkAngelicmon used his attack, so it must just be his presence I feel. No, not his presence. I feel the very source of evil itself, which has not only entered DarkAngelicmon's soul, but is now trying to enter my soul, too.

"Well? Answer me!" Dracomon snapped, his words shattering the tense silence caused by DarkAngelicmon's sudden arrival.

Sam tugged anxiously on his partner's colourful wings and felt the insect digimon's arm wrap protectively around his shoulders. DarkAngelicmon completely ignored Dracomon and turned instead to glare at the trees and the dark form of Infinity Mountain looming in the distance. Without warning, the fallen angel suddenly stabbed his spear into the ground and Sam let out a squeak of surprise. His quiet, yet audible, outburst caught DarkAngelicmon's attention, and before he could even clap a hand over his mouth, he found himself gazing into the fallen angel's bright green eyes.

What is he doing here? Unless...what if he heard us talking to Gennai? No wait, that's impossible. He couldn't have. If he had somehow found a way to spy on us, Halomon and Celestimon would have known...

For some reason, DarkAngelicmon looked extremely angry and there was a deep frown on his face. "You shouldn't be here."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't talk to him, Sam, he'll only try to hurt you," Dracomon warned, his words full of contempt.

"But-"

"Leave this place at once!" DarkAngelicmon snapped, his face a mask of fury. "You do not belong here."

Sam slowly stepped away from his partner and gave the fallen angel a suspicious look. "What do you mean, and what exactly are you doing here? Spying on us, are you?"

"Lucky for you I sent Jestermon and Spritemon to scout ahead because this is one conversation I don't think either one of us wants anyone else to overhear. My companions are on their way to Infinity Mountain right now, and you'd better hope they get there before Vampiramon and BlackWidowmon do otherwise Daichi and the rest of your friends are in serious trouble. I don't trust Vampiramon, and frankly, neither should you."

Sam stared at the fallen angel in shock and felt his heart skip a beat. "That's...impossible. How could you and your evil friends know about our plan to climb Infinity Mountain?"

"It's not important how we know. What matters is the fact that the truth is in our possession and that's all you need to worry about. Daichi and his friends could be in trouble, even as we speak. You want to help them, don't you?"

"Of course I do!"

But what if I'm too late? What if Vamipramon has already caught up to them? There's no way she could miss seeing the glow coming from Dai's and Ryoko's D-Coders. And what about Jestermon and Spritemon? My friends might already be captured! Dai and the others definitely haven't reached Infinity Mountain yet, but that doesn't mean they're not in danger. Vampiramon might have gotten impatient and decided to go after them before they reach the Spirit Chip, and even if she hasn't that doesn't mean they're safe. If Vampiramon has already reached Infinity Mountain then that means Dai and the others are walking right into a trap! And then there's Jestermon and Spritemon. They too must have seen the glow coming from the crests and D-Coders. What if they run into Dai's group or Vampiramon's group before either group can reach Infinity Mountain? Wait a minute, did DarkAngelicmon just say he's trying to stop Vampiramon from capturing my friends and reaching the Spirit Chip? But...that doesn't make any sense. DarkAngelicmon and Vampiramon are working for the same side, aren't they?

"Why should we believe anything you say?" Dracomon snorted, his violet gaze following DarkAngelicmon's every move.

Sam slowly stepped closer to the fallen angel and frowned in confusion. "Why don't you trust Vampiramon?"

I don't know how it's possible, but somehow Vampiramon and her allies overheard our conversation with Gennai. That includes DarkAngelicmon, even though Halomon and Celestimon never felt his presence. There's no other explanation that makes sense. What is going on? How did everything get so confusing all of a sudden?

"Does it really even matter?" DarkAngelicmon said softly, the anger slowly fading from his emerald green eyes. "Listen to me, Sam, you do not belong here. Go back to the light."

"The...light?"

DarkAngelicmon glanced uneasily over his shoulder and slowly nodded. Something about the look on the fallen angel's face caused a shiver to race down Sam's spine, and before he could change his mind, he wrapped his fingers around DarkAngelicmon's wrist and tugged anxiously on the fallen angel's arm. "The light? What is that supposed to mean, and what are you looking at?"

DarkAngelicmon turned to face him, and he let out a gasp as the fallen angel's hands suddenly came to rest comfortably on his shoulders. He could still feel the taint of evil radiating from DarkAngelicmon's body, but for some reason it felt like it was coming from far away, and it didn't feel nearly as strong as it had in the Southern Hemisphere. "Don't you understand? You can't help your friends find the Spirit Chips if you let yourself become corrupted by the darkness. Besides, I need those Spirit Chips, as well, and if you think I'm going to let you ruin my plans then you are sadly mistaken. What happens to you after that is of no concern to me, but until then you must stay away from this place."

"Why?"

"If you stay here, you will become like him," DarkAngelicmon said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sam slowly sank to the ground in front of the fallen angel and clenched his hands into fists. He knew what was coming, but that didn't stop his heart from leaping into his throat or his blood from turning to ice. "Like...like who?"

"The Digimon Emperor."

No! I'll never be like him. Never!

Letting out a soft sob, Sam quickly covered his face with his hands and violently shook his head. "No, you're wrong! I don't believe you!"

"I didn't expect you to, but even so, I thought you would have learned your lesson by now. Sam Ichijouji, have you forgotten already? I have never once lied to you or any of your friends, and I never will. You have no choice. You have to believe me."

Sam slowly lifted his tear-stained face and gazed into the fallen angel's bright green eyes. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"You can't find your Spirit Chip if you become like the Digimon Emperor."

"But-"

"And you won't be able to help your friends find their Spirit Chips either. Go back to where you belong or the darkness will enter your soul."

"Are you threatening my partner?" Dracomon shouted, his violet eyes narrowing into angry slits.

DarkAngelicmon let out an angry hiss and poked Dracomon sharply in the ribs. "I am trying to help your partner, in case you didn't notice, now keep quiet and don't take your eyes off the ocean. The darkness is strong here, and if you let it get too close, it will devour us all. I'd handle the task myself, if I wasn't too busy trying to stop your partner from doing something incredibly stupid."

Dracomon caught the fallen angel's arm and gave him an odd look. "You seem to know a lot about this place."

"I have experience with the Powers of Darkness. It is difficult to take advantage of their power without becoming corrupted. So many humans and digimon have failed. They let it consume them, and then they are lost, sometimes forever, but not the Digidestined. Somehow they always seem to find their way back to the light."

"What are you saying?" Dracomon asked slowly.

"That is the key, isn't it? To use the Powers of Darkness without losing your soul. Tell me, Dracomon, is that even possible?"

He's trying to tell us something, but I don't understand what it is. What does he want from us? An answer, obviously, but...why is it so important? Why does it matter so much?

Dracomon bowed his head and placed his hand against the fallen angel's heart. "You don't understand, do you. Whether or not that's possible makes no difference. Your soul may or may not have been corrupted by darkness, but no matter what the truth is, we'll still find a way to bring you back to the light."

DarkAngelicmon raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly. "By any chance, have you been talking to Mickey?"

"No, why?" Dracomon asked, frowning in confusion.

"You digimon and your human partners are so naive."

Sam blushed and gave the fallen angel a dirty look. "Don't make fun of Mickey."

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort. We have a lot in common, Sam. Your friend is so much like Lucemon, and you...you remind me of myself."

"I'm nothing like you!"

"If that is what you believe."

Sam wiped angrily at his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. "You still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here, and where are we exactly? What is this place?"

DarkAngelicmon knelt in front of him and placed a hand on the top of his raven head. The fallen angel's touch was surprisingly soft, but the fire burning in his eyes made Sam's heart beat rapidly in his chest. "Do you not know?"

"Tell me. Tell me right now!"

"The World of Darkness."