Series: Division of Destiny||Story: Reign of the Undead King||Chapter: The Battle
Characters: Piemon, Vamdemon, Chosen Children, others||Pairings: Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken, Mimi x Sora/Sora x Mimi
Chapters: 38-40||Words: 2,612||Total: 100,779
Genre: Romance, Drama||Rated: PG-13
Summary: Vamdemon and Piemon rule supreme. Only now, ten years after their victory, are things about to change. For good or for ill.
Staying in the darkness and shadows was easy, as this world had little else to it anymore. There was plenty of convenient rubble to hide in, and the farther they traveled, the fewer Digimon they saw. LadyDevimon suspected by now that Vamdemon must have called in the searchers. What that could mean couldn't be anything good, but at least it gave them more chances to find a safe place to hide. One that no minions of Vamdemon, no matter how cruel they might or might not be, wouldn't be able to find.
Wizarmon's location still baffled and worried her. Something must have gone wrong somewhere. He'd simply been gone too long. Time was a strange and funny thing in this world as well. It had to have been hours since he returned to the castle and yet she'd seen no further signs of him.
She would fret more about that later. For now, she had to find a place where she and Hikari could hide and wait for him to turn up. Or some further evidence of where he was. She would go in search of him herself if she could find a place for Hikari to remain in safety.
Right now that didn't seem like a possibility, though. For all that she could find places where they could duck out of sight or wait to see if anyone passed nearby, there weren't any places that offered the true shelter she wanted. No food, no water, no way for Hikari to hide if and when Vamdemon's minions passed.
The humans who lived in this area had to have somewhere they lived. But she didn't see any of them, either. They likely saw her, recognized her as a Virus Digimon, and hid out of sight. Digimon of any kind weren't to be trusted here.
She crouched behind what might've been an impressive building once and looked over the area. No sign of anything or anyone, nor had there been for several minutes. That meant the path was clear, at least for this area.
She gestured to Hikari and the girl hurried over to her, stumbling a little on some of the stray rocks. Hikari could walk, obviously, but managing on pavement such as this, broken and rocky, was something she still had to get used to, after ten years spent in a room with nothing of the sort.
Hikari opened her mouth, perhaps to ask where they were going, a question LadyDevimon did not have an answer to. Her words broke off, however, when a sudden light rose from several streets away, burning clean and bright and unexpected.
LadyDevimon tensed, wrapping her arms firmly around her charge as both of them stared that way. It wasn't the way they'd been going, so she hadn't paid much attention to the few noises she'd heard from that way. Her entire goal had been to find a place without humans or Digimon if at all possible.
But that light...
I've seen it before. It hadn't been often, but it had happened, and it called up dust-covered memories.
"Do you want to see what that is?" Hikari asked, voice soft and curious. LadyDevimon could only nod. It called to her. Perhaps, she thought, Wizarmon was involved. It could be one of his attacks. And if he were in battle, then she would gladly give him help.
Taking Hikari up more firmly, she took off, zipping across the broken city, darting here and there for the sake of cover. The light faded away before they got anywhere near it, but now she could clearly hear the sounds of battle raging.
"Fire Cloud!" That wasn't one of Wizarmon's attacks, she knew, and she peered around a chunk of rubble, hoping to see who the combatants were.
At first she couldn't tell what was going on through the clouds of smoke and blazing fireballs being thrown everywhere. Only when a convenient gust of wind parted the haze could she get a look.
She hadn't been out often enough to meet some of Vamdemon's servants, but she recognized FlaWizarmon by his resemblance to Wizarmon. She'd wondered on occasion if they were related to one another. Her friend had never mentioned it if they were, and if they were, FlaWizarmon was clearly what Wizarmon would consider the 'black sheep' of the family.
Or Wizarmon was the white sheep. Regardless, the two of them could not have been more different from one another.
But she didn't recognize who he fought against at all. Whoever it was, he was tall, wearing armored robes of rich white and dark red, and a violet cloak. As FlaWizarmon shot ball after ball of mystic fire-laced energy at him, this stranger parried each of them with a fire-wrapped sword of his own.
"Just because you evolved doesn't make you stronger than I am!" FlaWizarmon shouted. "You're still going to go down!"
"Evolving does make me stronger than you! That's what evolution is!" The other replied. His voice held a hauntingly familiar echo to it, one that itched at LadyDevimon's mind. She found herself wanting him to win just to ask him about it. She'd never been so fond of FlaWizarmon that she would miss him if he perished.
"How could you bond yourself to a human? They're weak! We couldn't have conquered them if they were worth anything!" FlaWizarmon shrieked, blasting more attacks, which continued to fail to do anything.
Bonded to a human? Evolution? LadyDevimon's eyes scanned the battlefield until she spied them: a small group of humans not too far from her, keeping their heads down while watching the battle. One of them in particular looked fascinated by it, his eyes never once leaving the strange Digimon.
"Ken?" Hikari's voice was a soft whisper that grew louder as she straightened up more. "Is that you, Ken?"
One of the others, not the one who watched so intently, turned toward her, eyes widening in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"
It was indeed the one they'd met that day. LadyDevimon's arms tightened around Hikari protectively.
"We're looking for a way into the Digital World," the Digimon replied. She doubted that the humans could do anything to help with that, but given the situation, asking would do no harm. "Do you know where the gate is?"
"They don't." An unexpected voice cropped up and she whirled to see Pinnochimon seated on a rock. "But I do. And I'm taking them there. Once those two get finished, anyway." He waved a hand at the two warriors sparring viciously back and forth.
She glanced back at them, then at Pinnochimon. It had been some time since she'd seen him and she didn't know if he remembered that she'd evolved or not. "Who are they? I recognize FlaWizarmon, but not the other one."
"He was Wizarmon." The human who stared at the battle as if it were some kind of dream spoke up. He didn't turn away from it. Looking closer, she could see something in his hand, held as tightly as if his life depended on it. "I think he said his new name was Mistymon."
LadyDevimon's eyes widened herself and she took a better look at them. That was what she'd found so familiar about his voice! Wizarmon had evolved!
Mistymon brought his sword down hard on FlaWizarmon, slicing through him as if he were made of nothing more than mist and shadows. The fireborn mage cried out wordlessly, dropping down to one knee.
"How... you were never...stronger than me..."
Mistymon stared down at him, tired and triumphant. "You're wrong."
FlaWizarmon tried to shake his head once more time, but there was no strength at all left in him. He collapsed, vanishing into a stream of data that faded away.
No sooner had it vanished than Mistymon stumbled, a pale glow surrounding him for a few moments. Moments later, Wizarmon knelt where Mistymon had, trying hard to catch his breath. He lifted his head, eyes going first to the human, then over to where LadyDevimon and Hikari stood.
"You're all right," he murmured, trying to stand. The human hurried over to him, wrapping one arm around him. "Osamu-"
"You need to get some rest," the human lectured, his voice as fond and supportive as LadyDevimon could remember anyone being for her old friend. "You were incredible, anyway!"
LadyDevimon stepped out, still keeping one arm around Hikari in a protective grip. "Wizarmon, what happened? Why were you and FlaWizarmon fighting?"
"I went back to the castle to find something I thought might help us," Wizarmon said, drawing in breath after breath of air. "But Vamdemon found me and FlaWizarmon was able to detain me. I managed to escape, but he followed me."
LadyDevimon suspected that there was far more to the story than she was being told, but now wasn't the time for in depth details. Perhaps in the Digital World, where they could relax a little more.
"So, are you ready to head on to the Digital World now?" Pinnochimon said, jumping down from where he'd been sitting. "Or do you need a few more moments for a sweet reunion?" He tossed his mallet from one hand to the other. "I don't have all day to laze around, you know."
Wizarmon spoke before any of the humans could – one of them, a redhead that LadyDevimon found vaguely familiar looked ready to say something that likely wouldn't have been pleasant. "If we're all going to the Digital World, then it's best that we go together." He eyed the humans, Osamu most of all, cautiously. "Why are you all going there?"
"Long story but mostly we're trying to find a way to defeat Vamdemon once and for all, and this guy says that he knows something that can do that, and it's there," the one LadyDevimon had noticed before said. "Also, while we're there, we might see if we can find a couple of people that some people we know are looking for."
LadyDevimon wasn't certain of what to think of all of that, but as they had the same short term goal, she also didn't care that much.
Hikari's eyes lit up at all of that. She'd clearly come to the same conclusion. "So, we're all going together!"
The redhead who'd spoken took a better look at her and blinked. "... Yagami Hikari?" He sounded as if he wasn't entirely certain of her name. "Is that you?"
She turned toward him, head tilted to the side. "That's my name. Do you know me?"
"Motomiya Daisuke." He took a step closer to her. "We went to school together a long time ago. Before all of this." He waved a hand at the destruction all around them. "I thought... well, I kinda thought you were dead, with all of this. With your br-" He cut the word off, flushing a brilliant red.
Oh. That made sense. LadyDevimon rested her hand on Hikari's shoulder. "We can have reunions another time. The sooner we're in the Digital World, the better."
With the two groups now fused into one, they followed Pinnochimon once more through the ruins. Wizarmon's evolution had drained much of what little strength he'd had left, but he was recovering quickly. Digimon didn't take forever to heal up, as humans could. LadyDevimon knew he'd recover even faster with time to rest and some good food.
Getting both of those would be the trick. Still, the Digital World remained their best hope. They would still have to work their way away from Piemon once they got there, but one step at a time.
In due course, they all crouched behind a broken portion of the wall surrounding the castle, a small security breach that LadyDevimon knew Vamdemon either didn't know about or felt it wouldn't make a difference in his defenses. She thought it was the latter. There was very little that escaped his attention.
Pinnochimon pointed his mallet. "There. The gate is on the other side." Where he pointed looked like nothing more than an ordinary door: if ordinary doors were guarded very heavily. Pinnochimon glared at that. "There weren't that many last time I was here."
"Think he knows we're around?" Daisuke wondered, peeking over the wall. The faintest of quavers lurked in his tones, and Ken stayed close by him at all times. LadyDevimon remembered him now, the one that Vamdemon wanted so very much.
"I would not be surprised. He has many spies and many ways to guess what his enemies will do," she said, taking her own look. Four guards stood in formation, two Adults and two Perfects. They would be more than a little difficult to get through. She flexed her claws, wondering what she would be like in a true fight these days.
I think I will find out very soon.
Something moved in the corner of her eye and she jerked her head up, ready to call an alert. It was too late; the vampire pack had flown in high and fast to avoid being seen, and now Daisuke struggled in Taichi and Jou's iron grip.
"A little treat that Vamdemon-sama's waited far too long for!" Taichi crowed, tearing something away from Daisuke and dropping it below. His gaze fell on Hikari, his lip curling at once. "And you. You're going right back to a nice little cell that you won't be getting out of any time soon. If ever."
LadyDevimon didn't waste time thinking. She swept out one hand, focusing her energies. "Darkness Wave!" From the sweep of her arm came a stream of creatures that loosely resembled bats, aching to claw into her enemies and shred them to pieces.
Jou and Taichi broke apart, Jou keeping hold of Daisuke, whose struggles didn't stop for so much as a breath, nor did the stream of insults coming out of his mouth. Jou shook him a little.
"Calm down. We're not going to hurt you."
Daisuke twisted his head up to glare at his captor. "Taking me to Vamdemon is hurting me!"
"Really, Daisuke?" No sooner were those two words spoken than everyone there froze in their tracks. Vamdemon lowered himself from above, his familiar twisted smirk on his lips. "When have I hurt you?"
Daisuke swallowed, fire flashing in his eyes despite his terror. "You want a list?"
"Maybe another time." Vamdemon gestured briefly to Jou, who swept away with Daisuke still in his grip. Then the undead king turned his attention back to the others gathered still. "Now, what to do with all of you? A pack of humans and traitors." His fangs glinted for a moment. "Some of you are going to be delicious. And you-" His gaze fastened firmly on Ken. "You are going to make a very good addition to the pack."
LadyDevimon hadn't ever dreamed that someone could go as pale as Ken did. She bent down to whisper into Hikari's ear. "Stay out of sight. And get to the gate as soon as you can. If I can't make it with you, stay with them."
Hikari's lip whitened as she bit it but she nodded. LadyDevimon leaped up into the air. She gave no challenge, but simply shot another attack, this time toward Vamdemon.
He dodged it, moving as light as a feather. "You dare to attack me?" His eyes sparked dark fury as he raised his arms. "Me, who gave you everything?"
"You took everything from me! You made me into your slave! You made me keep a child prisoner until she couldn't even remember her own name!" LadyDevimon cried out. "I hate you!"
And then Bloody Stream slashed into her, and the fight was on.
To Be Continued