I had to do a fair bit of research on a handful of places and adjust to freshman life. Yeah, I had a lot to do before I could sit down and focus on writing this chapter. Yet again, more build-up before we head back to the action.
I do not own anything.
Chapter Thirty-Seven-Towards the Frightened Frontier
Goblimon wasn't sure he'd ever seen Jun this happy. He wasn't used to seeing hope flood back into someone's eyes in such quantities. As he'd learned himself such a thing was dangerous, very dangerous because that was when a person was at their most vulnerable. Goblimon hated to say it but he was in the same boat as her. Carefully he studied the voice coming from the Digivice, if it was real or fake it was up to him to determine that.
"I-I-I-I'm not going crazy now am I?" Jun questioned feeling her voice cracking. Electricity was still running through her veins making it hard to focus on anything. Reality kept interlocking with the traumatic dreams she'd just awoken from.
On the other end the Irish girl seemed to instinctively pick up on her distress. "Aye, it's real." She replied tenderly. "Now listen, I'm not sure how long we'll be 'ble to keep the connection up so we've got to make this quick. Can you give us your precise location?"
Looking up from her Digivice Jun exchanged a look between Goblimon and Harper. "Uh, t-t-that' s a-a little hard to do. T-T-Th-There's a creepy black spire about five miles from m-my current lo-location i-if it helps."
It was surprising when a multitude of other voices rose up behind Fiona's who was trying to quiet them down. Once she did she asked her next question, "Define creepy, is the sky above it a swirling mass of distorted clouds and the area surrounding it a marshy hell?"
Another look from Harper who nodded. "Pretty much."
"Can you reach it?" A new female voice barked through the handheld device. Unlike Fiona this one wasn't Irish though Jun couldn't quite place it.
"Are you out of your freakin' mind?" Goblimon exclaimed. "Do you idiots have any idea what we just went through? How long a track that is and what's waiting for us at the end of it!?"
"We can make it there and destroy it."
On two fronts did Jun's words inspire shock and awe, beside her the Digimon and ghost went slack-jawed and on the other end a concert of voices erupted. Naturally Goblimon and Harper looked at Jun with distress evident on their faces, what they saw turned the distress into confusion. Yes Jun was trembling, but the concentrated look in her eyes was different from what they were expecting. Her eyes were burning with fire, a furious blaze that actually was unnerving to look at. That in mind the closer they looked the more they saw the more they realized the Japanese teenager was trying to get a grip of herself. Harper who'd seen this sort of thing before had an easier time accepting what she was going through. Whatever she saw in her dreams had lit the fire inside of her burying whatever aftershock Raandaimon's attack possessed. Goblimon on the other hand was clearly worried about what he saw. True he'd never been the most sensitive Digimon around, but even he knew when a person needed a moment or two to themselves. Based on what he saw Jun was denying herself that moment in favor of pressing onward, a brave tactical decision but not a wise personal one.
Fiona shoved her way back onto screen and apparently she shared Goblimon's sentiments. Concern was laced all over her face and reflected in her emerald green eyes. "Eh, Jun? We're not askin' yah for something drastic, we just wanna know if you're alright."
"N-No, I-I know you're trying to help, trust me I do, but I-I know things are bad on the other end." Countered the Japanese girl still shuttering. "T-There's a war going on out there isn't it? Please Fiona, d-do-don't try to hide it from me. I-I know I'm here on the frontlines of it s-so please…let me do my part."
The Irish girl's face kept breaking apart due to the crummy nature of their connection though the steely gaze which she used to examine Jun remained firm. She blinked once, twice, and then behind her three voices heatedly argued with each other. Apparently one voice won out as Jun caught sight of a shadow lean over and whisper into Fiona's ear. Having leaned in close Goblimon and Harper struggled to hear what was being said, their trust was still not up for takings just yet. Given what was being purposed that wasn't going to be happening any time soon either.
Quietly Fiona moved to the side allowing the blurry image of a new girl to fill the screen. From what they could gather unlike Fiona she was a blond with clear-cut blue eyes that held a different sort of shine to them in comparison to Fiona. With one look the trio could tell this girl lay on the opposite end of the Irish girl in terms of personality and more than likely temperament.
"As we speak the DigiDestined and various factions of the Digital World are in the midst of planning several counter offensives against the Deep Ones and Seven Deadly Demons. This structure you described, Clooloo, is one of Dagomon's strongholds acting as a link between the Dark Ocean and the Human World. We don't have time to go over the specifics but here's the gust of it: unless we destroy Clooloo on both sides it'll just reconstruct itself leading us back to square one."
And there it was, a dozen or so unspoken questions answered in a heartbeat.
Jun's eyes focused in on the girl's face. "I-I can destroy it."
"How?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You're in no shape to walk let alone storm a fortress."
"I have a plan." The Japanese girl retorted with confident eyes.
Another long silence followed with each side attempting to gauge the other. The new girl looked over every square inch of Jun's pale face though her own betrayed none of her inner thoughts. On her end all Jun could do was attempt to look tough enough for her plan to be greenlighted.
Eventually the girl on the other end let up. "In human terms we're launching an attack on Clooloo two days from now, I'm not sure how long that is in the Dark Ocean but if you can destroy it before we move or ten hours after we've attacked that would be ideal. Can you manage that?"
"Yes."
"Then all we can ask of you is that you make it out of this alive." Suddenly the entire picture went pitch-black then broke apart showing them the signal was close to breaking. On the other end the DigiDestined seemed to realize this. "M-My- My name is Eligia!" The girl stuttered out over the signal. "O-Once yo-you get there focus on nothing els-els-else but your family! Y-Y-Your friends! D-Do-Don't listen to a wor-word you-"
CLINK!
"So…mind telling us what in the hell you were thinking back there!?" Goblimon screeched throwing both arms up in the air. "A plan? A plan? What kind of cock-shit plan do you have that can bring down a whole fortress!? What…" When their eyes finally locked Goblimon was able to see the barely controlled tears building within his partner's eyes. The confident mask she'd worn throughout the entire conversation had come crashing down leaving the vulnerable girl behind it to face the world. Tears began streaming down her face as she gave up all forms of resistance. Goblimon flung his arms around her allowing those tears to cascade down his shoulder. He felt every sob that rocked her body and gently rubbed her back in response. "Shhhh, I'm right here Jun. I'm right here okay." Her grip on him tightened, he didn't do anything to stop her. "Just let it all out here Jun, let it out." Goblimon whispered unware if she could hear him or not.
The faceless ghost that had been with them kept a respectable distance from them. From where he was Jun Motomiya looked like a frightened child, which in that moment exactly what she was. Only soldiers were supposed to experience this sort of pain and agony, or at least, that was what he once believed. In her own way Jun had become a soldier, one that clearly had come to grips with her role in the conflict. "How come every time I look at you I think harder and harder about what landed me in this place?" She'd curled up against Goblimon making her seem smaller than ever. Not for the first time Harper's barely coherent mind was drawn back into the foggy haze of memories he'd long since lost track of. What Jun was going through he'd seen before, his ethereal body trembled at the heartbroken cries that assaulted his senses.
Drifting away from the duo both physically and mentally Harper rapidly found himself walking through a smoldering village. On both sides of him fire and smoke ate away at the straw and wood huts many once called home. Above his head a harsh sun beat down on anything and everything especially him, or maybe that was just his imagination. Flashes of heat and light took him inside the huts then yanked him out just as soon as he'd appeared. Women, scared and horrified lay in huddled masses on the floor. His throat built up with disgust almost to the point he felt he was going to vomit what little remained in his stomach. Stumbling from side to side he felt someone catch him then scream into his ear, seconds later and the teeth-rattling sound of explosions was all he could hear. A blast knocked him off his feet blurring all the colors of the world together. Discerning simple things such as right from left became a fool's errand. Except the huddled masses, those he was always able to pick apart from the whirlpool that he'd been caught in.
"How come I'm not doing anything?" He whismely thought to himself as the screams molded together throwing him into a sea of color and torment. The answer came as soon as he tried to tune all the noise out-he had no strength left to use. Everything hurt, his eyes, his face, his legs, and even the assault rifle in his hands felt like a block of cement. "That's all I could." Harper realized letting himself become lost to the pull of the sea. "Give me an enemy to shoot and I can do it, give me a target to destroy and it'll be done. But I could never do that…save a life. I can't do that because…" The harsh smell of smoke and burning flesh sent a shiver up his metaphorical spine, and then came the decomposition. Like the others he'd gotten used to the smell of rotting flesh, but every now and then it caught him off guard. Within that memory he found himself losing all strength in his body requiring one of his squad-mates to grab him and pull him along the way until he recovered enough to move on his own.
"I didn't sign up to save people."
Somewhere inside Harper knew he never cared much about saving people, he wasn't a savior. "What can I save? I'm not some bleeding heart doctor, medic, or rescue worker so why should I bother with trying?" Ah yes, that's what he kept telling himself over and over again. Eventually he actually believed it and stopped trying all together.
"H-H-Ha-Harper? H-Harper?"
Her face was something he wished so desperately he could look away from, yet he couldn't do that. Her already pale skin was whiter than usual, not at all helped by the watery streams pouring from her eyes. Harper froze, both captivated and terrified of those fragile eyes.
"I-I-I ne-ne-need you t-to tell me ev-everything you s-saw." Her barely coherent voice spoke.
At first Harper didn't answer her because he couldn't form an answer. The poor girl was struggling to herself to together. "Oh Jun, you think you can use this situation to bottle up the fact you nearly avoided being raped?" He didn't blame her for her decision. Harper had seen this sort of thing before…and it rarely ended well. "I'll tell you…after you've gotten some rest." The words had come out before he realized he'd even spoken them. Floating over to her he placed a hand on her shoulder. Wordlessly he brought her close against his spectral body, solidifying just enough to give her something to latch onto. At first she resisted but eventually she gave him the same treatment Goblimon got. "You don't have to hold it in Jun, don't think you have to because of the position you're in." Looking up he saw Goblimon giving him what he could only discern as a look of approval. Walking up he joined in the group hug softly patting Jun's back. "I couldn't do this for any of you. Heh, all I could do was stand around and look like an idiot, pretty pathetic eh?" This girl was acting the same way he'd acted during his time overseas. "I know it's tempting to bottle it up, to say you can't afford to breakdown, but now you can. Jun, that's no reason for you to hold in your tears." Better to break down now then later. Raandaimon would find them eventually, after what they did to him there was no way in hell he wouldn't. When that time came Jun would have to confront him, tears would do her no good in that task.
Jun's mind was a mess by this point, the only solid things she could grasp were the fact her partner was there for her and so too was the strange ghost they'd managed to befriend. They were it, all she had at the moment. They were her rocks, her anchors really. She'd awoke from a black maelstrom desperate to find something, anything to make her forget what had transpired in the past twelve hours or so. That plan had worked until Harper and Goblimon saw through her disguise. How quickly had they seen through her thin-veil? Did it really matter? Here she was crying into the arms of a ghost while a four-foot three goblin comforted her whispering gentle words into her ear. Just the mere thought of physical contact should have had her recoiling in disgust, but she wasn't. "Because I trust them." Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized. Amidst rough waters of turmoil she found safety and comfort in the fact these two people were there for her.
None of them could really tell how long they stayed in that little huddled circle, it didn't matter though. Besides Jun's continued sobbing and soft whispers there was no sound. Eventually the redhead did pull back, groaning as she did so. The pain of her wound had finally beaten out the emotional rush that had compelled her to act in the first place.
Easing his partner back onto her makeshift bed Goblimon decided to question her first while Harper went looking through their supplies for food and water. "Jun, when you woke up you were babbling Daemon's name over and over again. When we got the call you said you had a plan. What happened? Did he…visit you when you were asleep?"
"I-I…I-I-I did…" Her eyes were hidden from view though her body language spoke volumes. Harper and Goblimon tensed knowing any reason Daemon had to visit them wasn't a good one. When Jun looked up her voice didn't break, "Guys…I know this is going to sound crazy but…he actually saved me." Apparently she was expecting their reaction as she raised her hand for peace. "I know, I know…trust me, it doesn't make sense. He…he…it's more like he gave me the power to save myself. Let me explain myself,"
With the Digimon and ghost closely listening the Japanese teenager began the story of what had been one of the worst nightmares she'd ever had.
As per usual she was running. Really, she was getting tired of it, it made her legs hurt and it a rarely worked. Whatever she was running from usual had the power to pin her down in a heartbeat thus letting her run was only their way of playing with her. Add that together with the sensory overload she got and she absolutely hated it.
Her sneakers were pounding against a wet forest floor and her breath was coming out in short bursts that was reflected in the quick rising and falling of her chest. It was actually visible when she briefly looked, hazy cold clouds that vanished as soon as they appeared. The pounding of her feet and thundering of her heart weren't able to drown out the heavy breathing of the entity chasing her. It was laughing at her. She was torn between turning and fighting and running. As appealing as fighting was she knew she didn't stay a snowball's chance in hell of defeating what was chasing, who was chasing her. Confronted with that revelation all she could do was run was run as fast and as far as her legs could carry her. Despite the effort she put into it she knew the distance between her and her pursuer wasn't changing. Still, all she could do was continue running.
"It sucks doesn't it?" The harsh voice echoed all around her. Only one creature could have owned such a gruff, deep, and totally monstrous voice. "Now you know how little guppies feel! Exciting isn't it! The fear! The rush! Tell me Jun, it feels great doesn't it!"
A confident retort would have been nice, but Jun knew she needed the air. She was definitely experiencing the two things Raandaimon had mentioned, though it wasn't exciting in the least bit. For him it probably was, being the hunter usually was. Harper's words slammed back into taking on a new meaning. Raandaimon was a creature who liked the thrill of the hunt, the more resilient the prey the better the chase. Eyes darting from side to side she tried finding something she could use either as a weapon or some alternate path she could take to lose her pursuer, instead of either all she found was an endless sea of fog.
THUNK! THUNK!
"MEAL TIME!"
An electric jolt ran up her spine mere seconds after the voice boomed. By instinct she ducked to the side, just in time to dodge the massive shadow intent on body slamming her. An eruption of water temporarily obscured the hulking mass kneeling in the water. Cursing Jun spun on her heel and took off in the opposite direction.
"You can run all you want Jun, in fact, I like it when you do. It's a turn on ya' know."
The feeling of his sickly gray-scaled fingers grabbing the back of her head caused her entire body to freeze up like a statue. She barely had time to grasp what had happened before she was roughly thrusted downward; she didn't meet the cold harsh ground, but instead felt the bone-chilling sensation of being ducked in water. Her sense of balance went completely out the window.
SPALSH! SPALSH!
Internally she panicked, water was rapidly becoming one of her least favorite things in the world. Raandaimon still had a grip on her as they sunk deeper and deeper into the black water. Grabbing one of her flailing arms he began laughing that deplorable grinding noise that made Jun's blood run cold.
"It's quite sad eh?" Came a foreign voice from beyond the scope of Jun's vision. The deep, grave words couldn't have been spoken by any human voice. "After all that his is how your story ends. Nothing but a broken little lamb waiting to be slaughtered. I know this is hard to accept, but I excepted more from you Jun."
"It's not like I have a lot of options here!" Jun barked back still struggling against Raandaimon's vice-grip. "I don't have any weapons! No back-up! I'm not strong enough to fight him off! I can't!"
Once again violating the laws of reason and physics a bright, orange-colored fire appeared to Jun's right. The black water sizzled and cackled at every angle as the flame grew brighter and brighter. A familiar cloaked-figure appeared within the fire, his red eyes boring holes into Jun's struggling form. "Weapons? Allies? Why do you need such things? Don't you get it girl, you already have the only tool you need."
Whatever that tool was Jun would have given anything to know what it was and how to use it. Raandaimon was winning their struggling contest, and going to town on her body where he could. His filthy hands tearing at her shirt ripping pieces of it off. No matter how much she punched and kicked it didn't do any good. Slowly bit by bit she felt the force behind her attacks weakening and her own will to resist him fading. What was the point of it? He was so much bigger than her and stronger than her, there was no way she could win.
She might as well have stopped struggling and just accepted the inevitable.
Off to the side Daemon laughed, no, he was practically busting a gut at the sight if the giant shark-man assaulting and dominating the teenage girl. "Giving up already? What happened to all that resolve you had before? Was it all nothing but talk? Come on Jun, we both know you've got more fight in you than that." The girl's wide eyes locked with the demonic red of the Demon Lord. "You listen to me, and you listen good little girl. ONLY THE WEAK LIE DOWN AND ACCEPT SOMETHING AS INEVITABLE! ONLY COWARDS LIE DOWN AND ACCEPT THEIR FATE WITHOUT A FUSS! SO WHAT IF HE ALMOST TOOK YOU ONCE! YOU FOUGHT HIM OFF! YOU DID THAT! YOU FOUGHT AND CLAWED AT HIM WITH EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR BEING! YOU DID THAT JUN MOTOMIYA! YOU HAVE IT IN YOU TO DO IT AGAIN AND DO YOU KNOW WHY? IT'S YOUR HATRED OF HIM!" If possible Jun's eyes grew much wider while Daemon's focused despite the maniac fire burning in his eyes. Now that fire was reflected in the teenager's eyes. "It's not just him, it's everyone and everything in this stupid colorless world. Don't hide it because I can see it. Every moment you spend here your hatred grows and grows. Don't hold it in, let it out! YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO HATE THIS CREATURE AND THE ABOMINATION HE CALLS A MONSTER! THAT IS YOUR RIGHT! TAKE THAT HATRED IN YOUR HAND S AND USE IT TO FIGHT BACK! DON'T CRY AND MOAN! ROAR AND RAGE! CLAW AND KILL! CLAW AND KILL UNTIL EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING THAT CROSSED YOU HAS SUFFERED THE CONSEQUANCES!"
For a deathly moment Jun's entire body went rigid giving Raandaimon all the more reason to tear at her. Then he stopped, with a shout he pulled back. He had second degree burns all over his fingertips. Confused he looked down at his formally struggling prey. What he saw made the Deep One enforcer go wide-eyed.
"RRRRAAAAHHHHH!" With a war cry Jun surged forth tearing and clawing at the Digimon's neck with everything she had. Her dirty nails sunk deeply into his flesh making him howl in pain and her teeth tore chunks of skin away in a single bite. Her voice of course was muffled as she was using her mouth just as much as her hands to tear at the creature that had come so close to raping her.
"That's right Jun, that's the way." Quietly cheered the Demon Lord of Wrath who floated a few feet away from the savage mauling. His red eyes cackled with insane delight with each blow the human girl delivered. "Remember that fear you installed in you, take it and turn it into anger, and use it. He deserves this, every inch of your wrath he has coming rather he likes it or not. Hold nothing back! Let it all out Jun!"
Part of the reason Raandaimon was now thoroughly terrified of the teenage girl was the orange, flame-like aura rapidly enveloping her body. It was hotter than the hottest flames in the Dark Ocean and even when it didn't make physical contact it still burned him just through heat transference. Now the shark-man was kicking and screaming to get away while the redheaded girl continued her assault, her own words have been reduced to little more than angry shouting and snarling when she wasn't biting into Raandaimon's gray-colored hide. With each passing second the aura of flames obscured more and more of the girl until all he could make out was faint outline of a truly enraged human female.
"S-S-STOP! PL-PLEASE STOP! I-I-I'M SORRY!"
"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT YOU FISH-FACED ASSHOLE!" Jun screeched ramming her fist as hard as she could into the base of his throat, burning through the thick membrane.
For Daemon it was a beautiful sight, one that almost bright a flame tear to his eyes. The attack didn't let up in the least, if anything Raandaimon's words only infuriated her more. It was like watching a lioness tearing apart a wild gazelle right down to the dismemberment. He broke down into tearfully laughter when at last Jun took the head off in an explosion of fire and fury. There was a burning flash and the water was gone, they were now standing on dry, rocky ground. Jun was sitting on her knees with traces of her rage aura still surrounding her. "It felt good didn't it? Finally being able to let the rage and hatred out. When they say it's not good for you to hold those feelings in they're right." He offered walking up to her while she stared numbly at her own bloody hands. "You see Jun," he started making her look up to him. "Contrary to popular belief hatred can be good for you. Sometimes hatred gives you the strength to move forward when love can't."
To his surprise Jun's formed narrow slits that conveyed her defensiveness. "This coming from the digital embodiment of wrath. Yeah, wise words."
"Are you going to deny that just now your hatred saved you?" When there was no smart comeback Daemon took that as a sign to continue. "Yeah, didn't think so. What I'm saying is hate can be just as much a driving force as love can. As a human being…you've been…given… the ability to feel both." There was something about the way he paused in saying given that caught Jun's attention. Clearly he was trying to decide if another word would fit, blessed or cursed came to mind. "You can't deny that the entire time you've been here love has been the only thing driving you. You hate him as much as I do, you hate him for everything he's done and taken from you."
"You know I have every reason to hate you just as much." Jun fired back.
"Heheheheh, of course you do. I'm a pretty hard person not to hate. What I'm saying is don't be afraid to lean on your hatred. In your heart you know love is only going to carry you so far, just like it did moments ago. All the pain this world's dealt to you, all that despair, don't give into it. The moment you do give into despair you're letting him win, can you stand that? Can you stand to let that mutant freak win?"
"…No, I'd rather die."
"Don't die, don't give in either. Turn all that pain into hatred and fighting power. Let that memory of Raandaimon hovering over you be enough to move your feet. Remember the feeling of him touching your body, every time you do turn that fear into anger to destroy your enemies. When you do know that I'll be right there with you."
Jun enjoyed the warm air that blew through the barren land. It was welcoming unlike the moist air the Dark Ocean gave. "That's what got you thrown from the Digital World's version of heaven right? Your rage? Are you happy now? Did giving into hatred make your life better? I'm not denying what you said, but I want to know…do you think you made the right choice?"
Human and Digimon shared a tense standoff with each other. Another hot wind blew causing Daemon's robs to bellow dramatically. "Some days…I wonder what would have happened if I'd stayed in line. I probably wouldn't be here, I'd still be up there, so close to the light." For a moment his voice was barefoot of its usual hard edge and fire. His eyes reflected the memory of a time long past, one Jun was sure she'd never know. "But if I stayed I would have reminded so blind to all the flaws and hypocrisies in that heavenly system. When I questioned what many took as ironclad I was reprimanded. When I voiced my objections, when I spoke my mind, I was ostracized. When I finally acted on what I believed in I was cast out. I fell losing each of my golden feathers…and I can stand here before you and say I'm okay with that. Do you know why?"
"Because of what you gained afterwards." Jun answered finding the strength to stand up on both legs. No longer did she feel cold nor did her heart feel heavy. "You lost a lot of things because of your hatred and anger, but after that you gained insight. Insight that for you was worth it."
"When a person feels anger it's because they find something wrong with the world around them or themselves. That anger is a sign that something MUST change. Unless that change comes the anger inside of you will just keep building and building until you can't contain it. You can act on it, only the truly strong are able to bear all the consequences that come afterwards, and that's because they accept their choices and don't run from them. That's partial why I detest Dagomon so much, his kind bemoan their fate and do nothing to change it. I act on it, I take that despair and turn it into my fuel so I may change what I find wrong, no matter who gets in my way. That is the revelation I came to after I fell."
"Would you give all that up to have your wings back?"
"Do I look like the regretful type to you girl?"
Silently Jun placed a hand over her now steadily beating heart. She felt at ease despite being in the presence of a violent and vengeful creature like Daemon. Strangely hearing him talk had calmed her down more than she thought. "I can aim it. Until he's gone, deleted, dead, however you want to put it, this burning in my chest won't ever go away."
"Then act on it girl, how many times must I tell you. Do you think you can live a quiet peaceful life after everything he's done to you?"
There was a sad chuckle before she answered, "No Daemon, I can't because I'm not that kind of person." Her smile was sad as way, almost as if it were self-mocking. "I'm a pretty petty person, just ask my brother, ask my friends. When someone crosses me I always find little ways to get back at them. I like to think I've become better than that, but…pretty sad huh?"
To her surprise the Demon Lord returned her smile. "That's what I like about you humans. You're able to admit how much of a pathetic species you are."
"Yeah, we may be pathetic, but we don't have to accept it as set in stone."
"HAH! So you CAN listen! I ask again, can you live knowing Dagomon's still out there? Still doing what he does?"
"…No, I want to do it. I want to watch him get what he deserves, even more I want to do it myself. Give him all of my hatred personally." The Japanese girl confirmed staring at her balled fists. "I won't do it because I'm a DigiDestined, I won't do it because it's my duty and he's a threat to the Digital World or Human World. I'll do it…because personally I want to see him suffer and die."
The orange rim of her eyes filled Daemon with so much delight he could barely contain it. Stretching out both arms he summoned a might wind to blow across the arid field. Above their heads clouds parted to reveal a blood-red sun that beat harsh rays of heat down upon the landscape. "The go forth Jun Motomiya, carry that hatred with you. Every step of the way I'll be there beside you. Whenever you hatred peaks know that I will be there, in person or in spirit. When you finally come upon the Deprived Priest and strike him down, know that I will be there."
As the demon vanished amidst the howling winds Jun thought over his last words. As long as she carried her hatred of Dagomon with her Daemon would be there. She could use that. "The enemy of my enemy." Her quiet voice whispered as the wind surrounded her.
As long as she carried her hatred of Dagomon Daemon would be there.
And strangely enough she was okay with that.
The goblin and ghost said nothing at first as the redhead finished her tale. Neither of them quite knew how to respond without causing a scene. In reality neither of them actually knew how they should have reacted. Everything the girl had just told them had left them with a hundred questions and an equal number of fears.
"J-Jun," Goblimon started as carefully as possible. "Y-You realize what that means right? You realize who you're aligning yourself with right? I know we can use the extra manpower, but do you really know what this means?"
"If you screw up here there's no do-over." Harper added.
Jun's face remained impossibly neutral which worried the two even more. Even the leftover pain from her cauterized wound seemed to have little effect on her. "I know guys, believe me I know. If I'm not careful it's my life, I'm walking the tight rope. What I'm doing now is dangerous, so stupidly dangerous I can already hear everyone I know calling me an idiot." Slowly Jun sat up despite the warnings of her two friends. Her right arm reached over to her bandaged side, gently sliding across the red-tinged white wrappings. As they watched Harper and Goblimon felt increasingly ill at-ease as Jun's neutral mask began to show cracks. "When I close my eyes, when the nightmares come all I can see is his face, his disgusting, slimy, hideous face. I think about everything that monster's put me through, everything his…underlings have put me through. Everything I've lost," Her grip on her wound tightened to the point Harper had to gently stroke her wrist to keep her from reopening them. "I know they're both awful, I know as a DigiDestined I have a duty, but I don't care about. In this moment, at this time…I hate Dagomon more than anything or anyone else in existence. I don't care what it takes, who I have to go through, or how long it takes me. I'm going to destroy that…that…that monster. I'll do it myself, even if I have to claw his eyes out with my bear heads or give up my life to do it. I don't give a damn, when all is said and done….I. Just. Want. To. See. Him. Dead."
Deep within his fortress Daemon, who had been quietly mediating, suddenly felt an invigorating rush assault his body. It filled him with new, wondrous power. Throwing his head back he shook the entire complex with his murderous laughter. In his mind he saw the ruler of the Dark Ocean screaming in agony as hellfire ate away at his aquatic body. Behind him an entire world burned in crimson flames staining the negative world bright colors which were exactly what Daemon liked. It was too beautiful for words.
"One Motomiya down, one to go." The Lord of Wrath thought as his mind drifted to a certain redheaded goggle head completely unware of the events transpiring beyond his quiet hospital room. "Soon Davis, soon you'll be seeing the world my way. When you do who knows, maybe we'll finally be able to get along with each other."
Finding the Irish DigiDestined's leader within the confines of the Holy Angel Castle wasn't that hard. Those that knew Fiona personally found she was quite an easy person to read. At least Eligia and Adriano had always found Fiona to be one. She could still surprise them, especially when the normally hot-tempered girl were pondering complex matters. Having knew her for the better part of four years had given them that much insight into the Irish girl's patterns. She preferred high places, be they trees or skyscrapers, when she wanted to get lost in her thoughts. The Holy Angel Castle offered so many of those it was actually a little difficult to figure out which one she was in.
As usual Eligia's guess was rather spot on, far eastern tower, the one that always seemed to shine green at sunset she'd said, and that was exactly where they found Fiona. Sitting by the oversized window watching the digital sun make its decent towards the horizon. Being made out of a wondrous glass-like substance the Holy Angel Castle was indeed a sight to see, be it from the inside or outside.
Hearing footsteps the redhead turned to her left to find the Polish and Italian DigiDestined leaders. Her eyes went slightly down when she saw how the brown-haired boy's arm was in a red-stained sling. "How's Scintillamon?" She asked.
"Adriano shrugged despite the minor pain it brought him. "We've faced worst before, you of all people know that. The point is we were at least able to keep File Island safe. Everyone told me you were able to get in contact with a DigiDestined stranded in the Dark Ocean. How'd that go?"
"What? Eligia didn't tell you? She said yes to a risky plan we were just barely able to get passed. We still have no idea of knowing if Jun Motomiya can come through for us or not."
"We'll just have to out our faith in her. Aren't you the one always telling me to have faith in people?" The blonde joked joining the redhead by the window. "It's beautiful, even when the entire world's falling apart."
"Truth is I'm actually not sure that's a good thing." Fiona cynically laughed placing both hands on the window still. "Personally I actually find it mocking."
"What would you prefer? Thunderclouds and rain? If you do just head a few miles west to Nightmare Castle."
Snorting in annoyance Fiona looked at towards her Italian counterpart. "How's File Island? Is the Village of Beginnings still safe?"
"We just got confirmation about half an hour ago Fiona, we're moving the entire thing, resident and all." Adriano solemnly answered shaking his head. "Barbamon really wanted to take Spiral Mountain and Binary Castle this time, and he had help. Since Leviamon was awoken we've started losing one sea base after another and so too has Dagomon. I would say that's good news for us, but ya' know. It probably won't be long before we lose Net Surf Village."
The invisible shadow fell hard over the Irish teenager. Net Fish Surf had been a nice quite little village before the war broke out. Honestly that could have been said for the entire Folder Continent. Everything was so peaceful before the fighting had started, but now the gigantic digital continent hardly resembled the peaceful land she once traveled through with her friends. Who would have thought all the landmarks she'd seen would serve as such strategic hard-points.
Like every sizable landmass in the Digital World the Folder Continent contained a treasure's trove worth of landmarks that had quite a story behind them. First on the list was Codec Ruins, Fiona could still remember the first time she'd laid eyes on the silvery canyon of monuments and temples. They lay on the far eastern side of the continent, at the end of a long treacherous maze of obstacles and dangers that actually served as the ruins' natural defense. When the war broke out that was the first thing that went on lockdown. Rather or not they really were the home of the legendary Sovereign Digimon, Baihumon was a question no faction was in a hurry to answer. A solid wall of defense, the Iron Tiger Defense Line, had been set up within days of the war's beginning by the Digimon native to the continent. The DigiDestined had joined in knowing if Daemon or Dagomon got to the Codec Ruins it would be disastrous. It was a shame they were perhaps the only aspect of the Folder Continent that hadn't been smacked hard by the war.
Star City was once a prosperous, near Hollywood-like city had now become a desolate ghost town. It was only natural the city where countless well-known Digimon frequented were among the first to become battlefields for a war between three sides. It was the Demon Lords who warped the city inside out, infecting the citizens with various sins that drove them mad. By the time the DigiDestined had arrived to bolster the continent's defenses Star City had been reduced to a half-demolished wasteland with nothing but scavengers picking through the remains. It was the first blow to their morality. Even now sitting in a divine fortress they could still see the columns of smoke rising up over three hundred miles away.
One hundred and fifty-two miles from Holy Angel Castle sat Hospitown, or rather HospiCity, as it was called today. The town-sized hospital had ballooned overnight into a mega sized hospital that operated around the clock. Being one of the most vital medical centers in the entire Digital World its existence was fiercely defended by Digimon and human alike.
"There was another attempted raid on HospiCity today, of course we had to chase the bastards all the way back to the boarders of Nightmare Castle. Getting' damn tired of it if ya' ask me." Fiona snorted banging her fist in irritation. "We're here, in one of the holiest places in the entire damn Digital World, with an army of angels, and Royal Knights too, we have all those things…and we can't do shit on some pricks on our doorstep! We have all that and we can't do shit!" The Irish girl roared to the open sky. "Do you hear me you stupid bastards! When I get my hands on the lot of you you'll all be wishing you stayed dead! Dead you hear me!"
"Technically Fiona we can do something," Eligia softly countered earning a scowl from her friend. "The only problem with that option is it'd be a pyrrhic victory at best, and a strategic disaster at worst. We've been over this."
"Worst case we have Barbamon himself, if he and Holy Angemon went at it they'd probably destroy half the continent, and even then beard-face would probably still be in walking condition so he could take a hike to the Codec Ruins." Adriano added with a shrug of his shoulders. His blue-green eyes fell on the approaching convoy heading towards the castle. Some of them were wounded, some weren't, but they all had a weary expression on their face. "Besides I'm sure Barbamon's thought about wiping us and Holy Angel Castle off the map several times already. Since he hasn't we can only assume he can't which is good news for us."
Just as they say light and darkness were two sides of the same coin it was only natural two oppositely aligned castles called the Folder Continent home. On one hand was Holy Angel Castle, a marvelous glass-like fortress that only the pure of heart and innocent could enter. Lorded over by Holy Angemon it was a divine fortress many had flocked to in the opening days of the war. How long the castle could stay was an unspoken question no one wanted answered, Holy Angemon and his forces certainly didn't take the issue too kindly. How they managed to coexist with Nightmare Castle was anyone's guess, but now that coexistence had turned into open hostility. Some would say it was inevitable. A way's off from Star City lay Nightmare Castle, a demonic citadel that once belonged to no other than Myotismon himself. It was the polar opposite of Holy Angel Castle in every way, right down to having a graveyard for a front lawn and scores of undead Digimon patrolling it. When Myotismon met his end in the Human World the castle became vacant, a hideout for various beings of darkness. Then once Barbamon was awakened he claimed it as the F.O.B for the Demon Lords. Needless to say that was when the Folder Continent became a true battlefield. Luckily for both sides they'd acted fast enough Dagomon wasn't able to get a foothold in the Continent like he was in the Server Continent.
"Did they win?" Fiona questioned watching the convoy being escorted into the castle's interior walls.
"Yeah."
"Then how come they look so freakin' sad?"
"Because they know this battle didn't bring the war one step closer to being over." Eligia remarked with cold indifference. "None of these small scale battles are getting us anywhere. That's why I had to ask Jun if she could do it, I don't care how, we need to turn the tide. Operation Bang Break's going through in a few days. We can't afford to let up on Dagomon just because the Demon Lords got reinforcements."
"And Operation Chasm will be?" Fiona inquired without any of her usual bite. The redhead wasn't trying to act tough or prideful like she usual did. The past few months had been more than even she could bear. "It'll be a setback, but can we trust the Demon Lords to go for Dagomon over us?"
"We don't, all we can do is hope." Adriano muttered placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "One way or another someone's going to break in the next few days, all we can do is hope like hell it's not us."
Looking at the multi-colored sunset the three teenagers remained silent as an evening wind blew through the open confines of the tower. The sweet scent of the sea was mixed with blood and smoke. Just beyond the horizon, outside of the rainbow-colored walls of the divine castle lay a world at war. Knowing that Adriano and Eligia found a lot more truth to Fiona's earlier statement. It was almost mocking how beautiful the sky could look even when the world below it was rapidly turning into hell.
On another world, under a vastly different sky a young girl strapped herself down with all her bags and pouches. For her hell was what she was still in and now she wanted to have a word with the ruler of it. Her eyes reflected that fiery determination well.
"Ready?"
"As we'll ever be." Harper mused jumping into Jun's shadow. "If we keep a steady pace we should make it there in maybe three hours or so."
"Assuming nothing stops us." Goblimon grumbled. He had a few issues with the plan but they didn't have any better options. Besides, he trusted his partner so he'd stick with her until the end.
Said partner was looking dead ahead through the foggy forest. "Then let's get going." Jun commanded taking the first step forward. The further they walked the more noise cropped up. Above them and to their sides, clearly something was happening. "No matter what stay together, the closer we get to that place the worst things are going to become."
Keeping pace with her Goblimon glanced down at his torn palms. It had been decades since he'd been in his Rookie form. It hadn't set well with him at first, but eventually he got used to it. Now though the four-foot goblin he used to be wasn't needed. "You know, I think I'm actually looking forward to worse." An ear-to-ear grin spread along his feet. "I'm actually feeling a little hungry now, think once we get to this Clooloo place I'll go for some seafood."
So yeah guys, a mostly Jun-centric chapter with her character making a rather dark turn. You know how in all kinds of media they usually preach love and all that good stuff over hate. Not that I don't believe it but I do believe hatred can be just as much a driving force of love, sometimes a more dangerous and destructive force. Given one of the themes of this story is negativity I decided why not give it a try. Hopeful I made Daemon's portrayal a little more interesting than just that of a rage-driven maniac. Make no mistake I wasn't trying to make him sympathetic, just show there's more to being an embodiment of wrath than just being angry about everything.
I was quite surprised to find in certain cultures despair was considered a sin, sometimes listed as an eighth sin along with hollowness. For a long time I saw despair and wrath as being opposite sins that reflect quite well in Dagomon and Daemon on many levels. As described in story despair is often associated with water and all the bad things that come with it like drowning and getting soaked. Basically the saying "drowning in despair" taken to an extreme degree. Opposite of that is wrath which is often likened to fire and extreme activity. If you're angry about something more often than not you act on your anger whereas if you're depressed you're too sad to do anything. The way Dagomon and Daemon interact with Jun and other characters is meant to reinforce this.
I decided to do this is after watching I Spit on Your Grave and playing Metal Gear Solid V, both of which place emphasis on acting on extreme anger or despair. Some of that influence sunk through in the writing of this chapter. Part of the "Breakdown Arc" going on centers on various characters making decisions based on extreme anger or depression.
Until next time readers!
