Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, or Gessmon, who were created by RoyalKnightX, Shire Folk, Silver Kitsune Lunara, and Miss Anonymous hp respectively.
A/N: Okay, so this chapter basically goes back to Chapter 3 of Digimon Chronicles. It acts as both a refresher and a source for new info by expanding on several key points from the chapter called: The Seer in Digimon Chronicles. Things that were said and things that happened in that chapter are finally explained here. In the next chapter of FTFOD, there will be a lot of new info that has not yet appeared in Digimon Chronicles, and there will also be some info that did appear in Digimon Chronicles that will be expanded upon. Enjoy!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 251: The Gift of Prophecy
Ryoko Ishida
Hikarigaoka, Japan, Earth
Silence descended over the courtyard at Kenji's words, and staring at the raven-haired Digidestined, Ryoko managed to say, "They tried to convince the digimon that humans were...evil?"
"That's right," Tal confirmed, looking unusually somber for someone who was normally so cheerful. "Let's start at the beginning. I don't want to confuse any of you."
"When we first arrived in the Digital World, we had no idea what was going on," Kenji spoke up, continuing the story where Tal had left off. "After meeting our partners, who were at the in-training level when we first came upon them, they were able to explain a little bit about the Digital World to us."
"Even though they hadn't known exactly what was going on, they were at least able to tell us enough to give us an idea of what the Digital World was like and what we were getting ourselves into," Seta added, exchanging a smile with Gessmon.
"So your partners were also at the in-training level when you first met them?" Sora asked, her amber eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Yeah, though they didn't stay at the in-training level for very long," Mai laughed, making a face. "We were attacked by a hostile digimon very early on, which resulted in our partners digivolving to the rookie level."
"And it was then that we started to learn a little more about what was going on in the Digital World," Inca explained, her expression growing serious. "We couldn't understand why that digimon attacked us, and he kept going on about how horrible humans were. We were discouraged, but Aiwemon informed us later that not all digimon in the Digital World were hostile towards humans. He insisted that there were some who felt we would be a great benefit to their world."
"And naturally there were rumours that we were going to save the Digital World," Mai boasted, beaming at her partner.
"And why would they think that?" Taka asked curiously, exchanging a look with Sam.
"The same way you guys learned a few things in the Digital World," Tal replied, his grey eyes sparkling with amusement. "A prophecy."
Ryoko gasped, and returning Daichi's intense stare, he shook his head in disbelief. They were no strangers to prophecy by any stretch of the imagination. Off the top of his head he could already name the prophecy about the angels of hope and light. Then there was the prophecy about his own team of six and how they would possess the ability to merge the power of the crests with a new kind of power. It was a prophecy that had sprung up on File Island before they were born. There had also been the prophecy about VenomMyotismon and the number of the best. And now, most recently, there was the prophecy that DarkAngelicmon had quoted to them about the Seven Great Demon Lords, whoever they were supposed to be.
I don't understand. What does it all mean?
"So your partners had already heard rumours about other digimon hating humans?" Miya asked, looking confused.
"That's right, to a point," Seta agreed, looking as if he was trying to gather his thoughts. "Before we came to the Digital World, our partners had heard a bit about humans from other digimon in the Digital World. They had heard there was a prophecy about humans and digimon working together, but they didn't know the details of the prophecy."
"Yes, it was only later after they met us that we all started to learn more about the prophecy," Inca added.
"On top of vague rumours about the prophecy, our partners had also heard rumours about how some digimon were suspicious of humans and believed them to be evil," Kenji said quietly, gently stroking his partner's ears.
"Naturally, we never believed any of those silly rumours about humans being evil," Velinemon snorted, rolling her eyes. "And after we met our partners, there was no doubt in our minds that humans were good."
"We were able to see what humans were like first hand," Aiwemon said, ruffling his feathers. "And we knew from the moment we met our partners that we would do whatever we could to protect them."
"Our partners did inform us early on in our travels that not all digimon believed humans were evil," Tal explained, thinking back on the conversation. "As a general rule, most digimon back then would have jumped at the chance to meet humans, and most were hoping that the prophecy about humans coming to the Digital World to protect it was true. There were some who liked to say that the prophecy wasn't true, but you could tell they were the ones who wanted it to be true the most."
"Though they were in the minority, there were digimon who weren't keen on humans, and they were the most easily brainwashed," Kenji said regretfully, shaking his head at the memory. "There were many digimon who believed the humans would come to help, but there were others who felt the humans would only hinder them. Some even believed that humans didn't exist at all."
"Are you serious?" Davis asked, shaking his head in surprise.
"You can't really blame them," Mai replied, shrugging her shoulders. "After all, until we showed up in the Digital World, no human had ever set foot in their world before."
"Some digimon thought the prophecy was even a trick or that it was made by humans to give them a false sense of belief," Seta said sadly. "They believed it to be an attempt by humans to gain control over the Digital World."
"But that's ridiculous!" Noah protested, his dark eyes flashing. "How could humans have come up with any of the prophecies when they hadn't even yet set foot in the Digital World?"
"That's what we said," Tal laughed, giving Noah a warm smile. "But setting that aside for the moment...As we said earlier, as a general rule most digimon at the time were fairly positive about humans."
"Unfortunately, though, GranDracmon and his servants were trying to change that," Kenji said slowly, his green eyes growing dark and stormy. "Though there were many digimon who didn't believe the lies that GranDracmon's servants were trying to spread, as many of them became a great help to us, there were those who succumbed to the darkness and sought to destroy us. Thus, we were forced to deal with many hostile digimon who had become brainwashed into thinking we were their enemies."
"GranDracmon's servants had made it their mission to turn every last digimon in the Digital World against humans, particularly us, and they were ruthless in their attempts to tarnish the reputation of humans," Tal continued, a soft sigh escaping his lips.
"It was all part of GranDracmon's grand vision, which we'll explain later," Inca added, reaching out to give Tal's hand a quick squeeze.
"Back to the beginning of our story, at that point we did not yet know what we were supposed to be saving the Digital World from," Seta spoke up, keeping them on track. "But whatever the prophecy was talking about, we were starting to suspect that was the reason why we ended up in the Digital World in the first place."
"We did a lot of walking in the Digital World, as I'm sure you can all relate to, and early on in our travels, after our partners had digivolved to the rookie stage, we came across a small cabin in the woods on File Island," Mai laughed, her blue eyes sparkling at the memory. "Even to this day it's one of the weirdest places I've ever seen. It shone with this weird red light inside, and there was a glowing crystal ball sitting on the table in the main room."
"It was there where we met a digimon named Seermon. She is known as the Keeper of the Prophecies," Kenji said quietly, his green eyes taking on a faraway look.
Seermon? I wonder who that is. She sounds pretty important, but over the last twenty-nine years my team and the teams before me have been to File Island many times, and we've never met a digimon by that name before...
Tal must have seen the look of confusion on their faces because he smiled and said, "Judging by the story Izzy told us, none of you have ever met Seermon."
"Count yourselves lucky," Kenji muttered, a faint smile turning up the corners of his mouth.
Tal playfully elbowed the raven-haired Digidestined in the side, and speaking again, he said, "When we came upon Seermon sitting at the table with her crystal ball, she told us her name and that she had seen us coming to visit her in a prophecy."
"She was the one who told us we were Digidestined, and she welcomed us to the Digital World," Inca said softly, looking amused. "She was the one who told us that she is known as the Keeper of the Prophecies, and she said it was her job to analyze and decipher the prophecies of the Digital World in order to help maintain the balance of light and darkness in the Digital World. She said it was her duty to foretell any impending darkness so that all digimon could prepare themselves for the difficult times ahead."
"She has dedicated her entire life to protecting the Digital World," Seta added, his tone showing a lot of respect for the female digimon. "Though she lives in the Forest of Prophecy on File Island, she watches over all four hemispheres of the Digital World. And she monitors all of the Digital World's prophecies."
"Though we didn't meet Gennai and his counterparts until later, she did make reference to others who also watch over the Digital World," Mai said cheerfully. "Which would also include the Four Guardians."
"She told us she basically acts as a vessel for the Digital World's prophecies, and her partner Sorcermon travels the Digital World and spreads the words of the prophecy," Inca explained. "That's how all the digimon in the Digital World learn about the prophecies. It's because of Sorcermon."
"So all these prophecies about us, Seermon would have seen them and Sorcermon would have spread them," Izzy finished, typing furiously on his laptop.
"That's right," Tal confirmed. "It was in the Forest if Prophecy where we first heard about our destiny, and it was there when we, our digimon included, first learned the details of the prophecy about us. The prophecy dictated that for the first time ever humans would come to the Digital World, and they would be able to work together with digimon to protect the balance of light and darkness in the Digital World. It suggested that we were somehow going to save the Digital World from some great force of evil."
"GranDracmon?" Hana guessed.
"Yes, though we did not know that at the time," Seta replied.
"The reason Seermon needed to speak with us is because she wanted to warn us that a great darkness was coming," Kenji said quietly, frowning at his hands. "So when she saw us coming to her in a prophecy she knew she had to act. And it was then that she told us that she wanted to read our futures."
"Wow, so was she some kind of fortune teller or something?" Yolei asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"I suppose you could say that she was the Digital World's version of a fortune teller, yes," Kenji said shortly, earning himself another elbow in the ribs from Tal. "She was quick to warn us that the future itself isn't set in stone. Prophecies are not absolute. They are a guide to propel us in the right direction or to warn us of what may come to pass if we do not act upon them."
"Or in other words, prophecies don't come true unless you make them come true," Inca said quietly.
"Using her crystal ball, she began to show us a glimpse of one possible future," Tal continued, leaning back on his hands. "We saw a great darkness that was supposed to represent GranDracmon and his most loyal servants. Then the darkness was replaced by a warm glow that represented the light of the Digidestined. We were the light that had the power to drive away the darkness."
"The crystal ball insisted that although we were the first Digidestined, we would not be the last," Kenji murmured, his green gaze traveling over the group. "Seermon wasn't wrong on that point. She said many would follow in our footsteps, and now here you are, along with many other Digidestined from all over the world."
"Where all those paths will eventually cross...the answer lies within your hearts, and in time the course of the future will be determined by the choices you make today," Inca quoted softly, the words of Seermon floating over the courtyard. "All of our paths with every Digidestined crossed when we all battled MaloMyotismon. But since new Digidestined have joined our ranks since then...Seeing us all together now at this moment, I believe this is what Seermon truly meant."
"And now our choices of the past are affecting your future," Kenji finished, a shadow passing over his handsome face. "I remember seeing images in that crystal ball. There was a pink hat that resembled the one Mimi used to wear, and I saw a head of lavender hair wearing a helmet that could only be Yolei. There was also a pair of well-worn goggles I now recognize as the pair that originally belonged to Tai. The pair that Daichi now wears. I saw a gold ring with carvings on it, now instantly recognizable as Gatomon's tail ring. There was a purple trinket with a strange symbol on it that was without a doubt the Crest of Kindness that Sam now carries in his Spirit Chip. And of course the little bat digimon I saw could only be DemiDevimon, who was constantly causing Tai's team so much trouble. But most importantly...I saw a scattering of white feathers falling from the sky."
"Angel feathers," Kari guessed, exchanging a smile with her husband.
Kenji nodded slowly, his forest green eyes glowing in the setting sun. "Yes, angel feathers. For all these years I thought maybe they represented the line of celestial digimon fighting within our ranks. Myself, T.K., and you, Kari. And now that we have Mickey and Matty, that seems even more likely. But after the story Izzy just told us, I wonder if maybe those falling feathers were hinting at something much more important..."
Huh?
Ryoko had no idea what Kenji was taking about, but before he could asked Seta interrupted.
"We all saw images in Seermon's crystal ball, and all of them were glimpses of the future like Kenji's," the principal said pleasantly, holding Gessmon close.
"I'll tell you mine later," Tal spoke up, glancing at Kenji out of the corner of his eyes. "But back to Seermon...She gave us hints about each of us, though we didn't recognize what they were until later."
"She said one of us would face a fear we feel has made us weak. That was me," Seta spoke up, reaching out to ruffle Maori's hair. "When I was very young I used to be afraid of the dark. Everything seemed to scare me, and I didn't think I was very brave. But during my travels in the Digital World, I became stronger, and eventually I was able to overcome my fears."
"Another would speak the words of wisdom to turn the tide of battle. That was me," Inca said softly, smiling at each of her Digidestined friends. "When times got tough, the strength of my words would help guide us to victory, and there were many times when I helped out a Digidestined friend in need of advice."
"Another was supposed to heal the aching hearts of those ready to give up," Mai sad cheerfully, winking at Inca. "That was me, of course. My spirit and stubborn determination helped get us through many battles that seemed impossible at the time."
"There was one who was supposed to help a lost soul find his way back to the light," Tal said quietly, turning to gaze at Kenji. "Seermon was talking about me, and that lost soul was Kenji."
There was silence, and everybody turned to look at Kenji. The raven-haired Digidestined calmly gazed back at them, and lifting his chin, he simply quoted, "The fifth shall find the thing he needs that lies missing from his life. Long tormented by his past, he will find peace at last."
Unable to stop himself, Ryoko spoke without thinking. "Did...did you ever find what was missing?"
Kenji's eyes fell on him, and when he spoke his voice had grown softer. "All that time, for six years, it was right there beside me."
"You mean Tal."
"Yes, Tal. My best friend. With Halomon's help, he was the one who showed me the road to happiness. He was the one who changed everything for me, and thanks to him I was able to see a future that I could not see before. The darkness finally lifted from my eyes, and then there was only light."
"I'm glad," Tal said softly, smiling at Kenji.
Kenji met the golden-haired leader's silver eyes, and smiling in return, he said, "So am I."
Best friends...
Ryoko glanced at Daichi, and once again he found the goggle-headed leader gazing back at him. Daichi's expression was intense, and unable to stand it Ryoko had to look away.
But if Tal and Kenji are best friends...whatever happened to Yosuke?
"Anyways, back to the crystal ball, Seermon said each of us carried a key that was essential to the survival of the Digital World," Mai interrupted, giving Kenji's hand a squeeze. "Those keys were represented by our Data Cores."
"Valour, integrity, insight, spirit, and optimism," Izzy recited.
"That's right. Gennai has a good memory," Tal laughed, smiling at Izzy. "Mine was yellow, and it was known as the Data Core of Valour. It had a symbol of a sword on it. Seermon told me that my courage would be the symbol of all those who followed me, and with those words she touched the goggles on my head."
"Valour, courage, and bravery," Daichi replied, touching the goggles on his own head and beaming at Tal. "She wasn't wrong."
"No, she wasn't," Tal agreed, returning Dai's smile. "When I see you, your father, and Tai, it's clear to me that she couldn't have been more right."
Dai looked embarrassed by the praise, and quickly changing the subject, he said, "What about the other Data Cores?"
"Mine was purple, and it was the Data Core of Spirit," Mai said proudly, hugging her partner tightly. "It had a symbol of an uplifted hand on it."
"Mine was green, and it was the Data Core of Optimism," Seta offered, stroking Gessmon's head. "It had the symbol of what looked like a leaf on it."
Inca ran her fingers over Aiwemon's feathers, and speaking softly, she said, "Mine was blue, and it was the Data Core of Insight. It had a symbol similar to the symbol that was on Takara's pedestal. It wasn't exactly the same, but mine also looked like a bird's wing."
Kenji turned to look at Mickey, and nodding his head in respect, he said, "Mine was orange with a symbol of the sun, much like what you saw on your Halomon's pedestal. Mine was the Data Core of Integrity."
"That's really amazing," Mickey said happily, smiling shyly at the raven-haired Digidestined.
"Our Data Cores allowed us to digivolve to the ultimate level," Tal continued, "and later they became even more important to Kenji and myself, which I'll tell you about soon."
"Each Data Core was special in its own way," Kenji elaborated, expanding on what Tal had said. "Insight held the words of caution, Spirit the energy to keep us going, Optimism the strength to keep us strong, Valour the power to unite all five, and my own, Integrity, the power to keep us standing firm when it seemed all hope was lost."
"United we stand, divided we fall, it was written in the prophecy," Inca explained. "According to Seermon, these things could only come to pass if the one who wears the mark could lead us to victory."
"What mark?" Kenzo asked, frowning in confusion.
"The goggles," Kenji explained. "The mark of a Digidestined leader."
Everybody looked at Dai, who touched the goggles on his head with new respect.
"One body, one mind, one heart, one soul," Inca quoted. "Being able to work together as one. That was the key to the prophecy and saving the Digital World."
"It was the same with us," Tai laughed, grinning at his best friend.
"And us," Davis added, exchanging a smile with Ken.
Will it be true for us as well?
Ryoko didn't know, but gazing at Dai he could only hope that would be the case.
"While we were there, Seermon also told us a little about the Digital World," Tal said, changing the subject. "She told us that nobody knows how the prophecies of File Island come about, just that they exist and she can see them. She then went on to tell us a bit about the place. She was the one who told us that we were on File Island, and she told us about the four hemispheres of the Digital World."
"According to her each hemisphere is protected by its own guardian digimon, who are known as the Four Guardians," Kenji continued. "From the story Izzy told us, I believe you all know most of this?"
"Yes," Izzy agreed. "As you know from my story, much of this we learned while being Digidestined, and other things I've learned since then over the years thanks to my research on the Digital World. As I've said before, the story of the Four Guardians appears to take after an old Kyoto legend. Azulongmon, whom we have dealt with before, looks after the Eastern Hemisphere, Baihumon looks after the Western Hemisphere, Ebonwumon looks after the Northern Hemisphere, and Zhuqiaomon looks after the Southern Hemisphere."
"And thanks to your research over the years, you know what Seermon told us many years ago," Seta replied, nodding at Izzy's words. "The continent of Net is in the Northern Hemisphere, the continent of Text is in the Southern Hemisphere, the continent of Cyber is in the Western Hemisphere, and the continent of Server is in the Eastern Hemisphere."
"And File Island is also in the Eastern Hemisphere," Izzy finished.
"That's right. File Island. The Island of Prophecy," Inca said softly. "It's located at the Digital World's core. All of the prophecies of the Digital World originate from File Island. According to Seermon it is where light and darkness meet, but they cannot be allowed to cross."
"Andromon told us a similar story after we released Celestimon from his pedestal!" Matty cried excitedly, catching everyone's attention. "Don't you guys remember? He told us about the four hemispheres and the continents that exist on each of them. And he mentioned the Four Guardians. He said the exact same thing Seermon said. He called File Island the Island of Prophecy, and he said it was where light and darkness meet, but they can't be allowed to cross."
"That's right, I almost forgot," Izzy replied, smiling apologetically at Matty. "I had already known much about the Four Guardians and the layout of the Digital World that I forgot Andromon had mentioned it to you."
"So Seermon and Andromon said the same thing about light and darkness not being able to cross," Kenji murmured. "Interesting."
Light and darkness...What does it all mean?
"Seermon told us whether we could return home or not was up to us," Tal said, setting the matter of File Island aside for the moment. "According to her we willingly answered the summons, and she said when we completed our task we would be free to return home again."
"As you can imagine, Kenji didn't like that answer too much," Mai teased, winking at her husband. "But despite what she said, if we really had wanted to leave, we apparently could have done so at any time and that it was our own desire to stay and help that was keeping us there."
"She said if we didn't want to be there others would have been chosen to take our place," Seta finished.
"Other potential Digidestined candidates?" Izzy guessed.
"We assume so," Kenji replied. "She insisted a part of us always knew we were meant for something greater..."
Silence once again descended over the courtyard, and Ryoko felt another shiver race down his spine.
I guess I've always felt that way myself, like there was something important that I was meant to do...
"When Seermon was done with us, she left us with this warning," Inca said quietly, breaking the silence. "Beware the darkness and be wary of the light. Do not let yourselves be deceived by evil."
"And with that she disappeared," Kenji said quietly, bowing his head. "It was the first and last time we ever saw her."
"But even so, she wasn't done with us yet," Tal warned, picking up the story where Kenji left off. "She told us that victory comes to those who do not allow themselves to be consumed by darkness or blinded by the light. And it is those who are able to overcome the darkness in their hearts who pave the road for the future. Her words became very important later on."
"If you recall, we mentioned that there were two prophecies that we had to deal with during our time as Digidestined," Kenji said slowly, his eyes for some reason coming to rest on Mickey. "One was the prophecy about ourselves coming to the Digital World, but there was another one that became important later on. Though we did not see Seermon again, we did eventually meet up with her partner Sorcermon during our travels. It wasn't a chance meeting. He had been sent by Seermon to warn us about an ancient prophecy that had existed on File Island since the dawn of the Digital World."
"What prophecy?" Mickey whispered, his face turning pale.
Kenji's gaze never wavered from Mickey's face, and speaking quietly, he said, "The Myth of the Seven Demon Lords. The very same prophecy that DarkAngelicmon recited to you, Makiya Takaishi."