Sailing across the dawn sky of the Digital World, Lucemon silently observed the two figures flying before him as the cold morning winds flapped his hair against his forehead. The sun began to rise across the horizon and he could see several avian Digimon taking flight at a distance away from them. The sun reflected the burnish color of his hair and gave him a good view of where he was going.
"We have been flying for five hours. Are you sure you know exactly where the Wolfsbanes are entombed?" he asked the two figures coldly.
Mystimon and Jetsilphymon halted instantly upon hearing the chilling voice of the Hellion General. "Of…of course, General Lucemon! We have the locations locked on my crystal ball." Mystimon showed Lucemon the glowing sphere he had on his hand. "We're not far from the Wolfsbanes. Grademon had entombed them all at the Macabre Glade which is located just past those mountains."
Lucemon saw that Mystimon was speaking the truth. He could see the horizon lined by sharp-tipped stone mountains in a distance. The three of them increased their speed as they were about to reach their destination. In his mind he processed the plans he had carefully concocted these past few days. The Master has allowed it to take place with only one specific condition that Lucemon would comply. He had then discussed with Doumon the contents of the old Nine Negations Dark Arts manuscript he'd found in the library of the Onyx Pyramid. The Shaman General was a great help in his ultimate plan for the downfall of the Wira Digital.
He already had the method. He also had the power to carry out the task. Now it was only a matter to find the right Digimon to take care of the Wira Digital.
"Halt!"
Three figures zipped past and above Lucemon, Mystimon and Jetsilphymon and hovered before them, ready for battle. The dawn sunlight shone behind them and at first they couldn't see who these newcomers were, for they were seen as dark silhouettes amidst the dawn sunlight. But soon their vision adjusted to the light and they saw three females, armed and ready.
"You are not approaching that place, Lucemon!" Ophanimon said and with a flick of her hand, her golden javelin materialized in her hand. She pointed it towards Lucemon. "When Grademon came to me, he had mentioned about imprisoning three horrendous creatures calling themselves the Wolfsbanes in the hidden valley of Macabre Glade. The Wolfsbanes are terrible beasts and have slain many innocent Digimon in their thirst for data; I won't allow you to release them against the Wira Digital!"
Lucemon shook his head. "Must we go through this again? I have defeated you once, I can do it again."
Rosemon snorted. "Last time, you've had help."
"What makes you think I'm alone?" Lucemon challenged, beckoning towards Mystimon and Jetsilphymon who both readied themselves in fighting stances.
Rosemon didn't answer. With one nod from Ophanimon she zipped past Lucemon and swung her thorny vines towards SkullSatamon's servants. "Thorn Whip!" She lashed towards Jetsilphymon and Mystimon, sending them both plummeting towards the ground. The Mega then descended swiftly and slammed the ground with her vines. "Ivy Hug!" Vines sprouted from the ground and soared towards her falling foes, wrapping around them tightly. Her enemies immobilized, Rosemon swirled around them and summoned mightily, "Forbidden Temptation!" An energy-based rose materialized before her as her headdress bloomed. With one quick wave of her arms to the sides the energy flower exploded and showered her bound foes with pink energy windstorm. She watched with satisfaction as Mystimon and Jetsilphymon were both sent flying to the sky until they were merely a speck of star amidst the dawn sky, their echoes marred the silence of the atmosphere. The Mega grinned and cocked her head up towards Lucemon. "You were saying?"
Lucemon wasn't impressed. His eyes narrowed as the three women surrounded him, and they begun to attack simultaneously.
"Seven Star Union!"
"Forbidden Temptation!"
"La Pucelle!"
Seven white energy orbs came towards Lucemon from the front while a pink thunderbolt and a fuchsia energy wave came from his sides. Lucemon's smile didn't falter as he made a brief spin while having his arms extended. Both his hands were emitting black and white aura and he easily intercepted Ophanimon's energy orbs with one hand, holding them in stasis. Glancing towards his right he saw Rosemon's incoming attack, and blocked it with another hand. His ears caught crackling sounds and he raised his left leg up and blocked D'Arcmon's thunderbolt. His eyes glinted and he let out a sinister laugh upon seeing the ladies' confounded expressions.
"What is he doing?" D'Arcmon wondered.
"I have a feeling we're going to find out," Rosemon said forebodingly.
Lucemon grinned. "You're finished now, ladies. Fatal Chaos!"
The Hellion General spun around swiftly and let go of the attacks, and observed gleefully as Rosemon's attack slammed upon D'Arcmon, causing the angel to shriek in pain as she was sent plummeting towards the ground. Ophanimon's seven orbs of light blasted upon Rosemon and the flower woman suffered the same fate as her weaker comrade. And finally, the pink thunderbolt from D'Arcmon hit Ophanimon, not harming her due to the vast difference of their power and the fact that Ophanimon was heavily armored.
"It's nice to see three beautiful maidens fighting over me," Lucemon said sarcastically. He saw Ophanimon's mouth set into a fine line and smirked. "I merely used a pinch of my vast power and already your friends have been defeated. Now, do you really think you can defeat me on your own?" His body let out menacing purple aura as he said that and his blue irises vanished, leaving his eyes all white. A demonic apparition appeared behind him with hands ending with green claws.
Ophanimon felt her heart thumping wildly at Lucemon's power display. "Virtuous Throne!" She unleashed Throne the winged unicorn from her shield. The unicorn neighed and flew towards Lucemon, surrounding him while showering Lucemon with golden energy sparks. 'He should be paralyzed with this attack,' Ophanimon thought and spun her hands vertically. Seven octagonal crystals generated before her, shining with colors of rainbows. "Sephirot Crys…"
"Hellion Deathstrike!"
Lucemon however was quicker. Before Ophanimon could unleash her attack, she saw the demonic apparition that glowed behind Lucemon emerged before the general and sped towards her with lightning speed. It slashed its claws upon her crystals, shattering them into data particles before another slash severed her armors. Another demon was sent her way and Ophanimon managed to thrust her javelin upon it, destroying the demon. But before she could gather her stance Lucemon was quick to send another demon which knocked her off balance. Ophanimon retaliated by unleashing pure holy energy beam from her javelin which overpowered the demon as she was falling to the ground.
"You overcame my dark power," Lucemon said with a never-faltering wicked smile and sped towards the falling Ophanimon. "But can you beat my holy power?" He energized his fist with the holy aspects of his being and delivered a forceful blow on Ophanimon's exposed stomach. "Paradise Lost!"
Ophanimon shrieked as Lucemon's holy power overpowered hers. She was sent plummeting towards Rosemon and D'Arcmon, who were both knocked out by Lucemon's scheming tactic earlier. She saw Lucemon hovering above her triumphantly and realized that with her outside the Lost Mountain she was only as strong as any average Mega Digimon. Lucemon however was an Ultimate with a power that could eclipse a normal Mega. She would lose.
She had to escape. They had to flee from Lucemon.
Quickly she grabbed on Rosemon and D'Arcmon on each side and propelled herself up towards the sky. Lucemon gave chase, forcing Ophanimon to drop Rosemon momentarily in order to summon her javelin. She then unleashed burst after burst of holy power towards Lucemon, and finished her escape attack by releasing the Seven Star Union. An explosion of light resulted, blinding Lucemon from sight and Ophanimon took this opportunity to lose Lucemon.
Lucemon backed away; the bursts of holy attacks from Ophanimon had no real effect on him but he still couldn't stand the harsh light. He was forced to let them go. When the lights subsided the three women were no longer in sight. 'Ah, never mind,' he thought calmly. 'They're no threat. Persiamon and the other Darkshadow Brethren can finish them off later, once I have taken care of those snotty children.' The demonic angel then turned back and sailed alone towards the mountains.
xxx
xxx
WIRA DIGITAL: The Movie – Part I
Chapter 45 – DigiWira Back in Time
xxx
xxx
History lesson wasn't usually this interesting, but both Adam and Gayathri thought that Jackie had a knack on making lessons much more pleasing to learn. Their DigiWira mentor was recently assigned by the principal to replace their History teacher who had taken a three-month maternity leave and he would be teaching them History for the rest of the semester. Gone were the usual droning that could usually put three-quarters of the whole class to sleep; the computer instructor had instead assigned them group projects where each group would cover a certain subtopic. They were required to do some chronological charts and mind maps at home, and present the topic for the class. Grades would be given for this group work and the marks would be included in their midterm History exam. If they did well for these class projects they would already secure a quarter of the total mark, which meant that they just need to put in just a bit more effort to pass the paper with flying colors.
"Alright, class! For the next lesson I would like all of you to divide yourselves into five groups," Jackie instructed. "Today we have covered the introductory chapter about the Malaccan Sultanate. Four groups will be assigned to do mind maps of important events that take place in that era for Monday's lesson, while the other one group will be given a special project." The teacher smiled as he eyed the group of seven which was nearest to him, consisting of Adam and Gayathri themselves, the class monitor David Liew, his friend beside him Kevin Shan, and three others. "Your group will be assigned to do some history and background research of famous five Malay warriors of that era. Can you name them?"
"Ooh, I know, I know!" Gayathri practically leaped to answer Jackie's question. "There's Hang Tuah, the most famous of them all."
"And then there's Hang Jebat," David Liew added. "I think he's Hang Tuah's best friend, but I think I've also read somewhere that Hang Tuah is also the one who killed him."
"How can best friends kill each other?" Melissa Yang, a girl with her hair tied in a high ponytail, also in the group, asked. She eyed her best friend, Nurulhuda Hanif. "I think they must be rivals or bitter enemies or something."
"Actually, I remembered my father saying something like David has just said," the headscarf-clad Nurulhuda mentioned. "Supposedly Hang Tuah was ordered by the reigning Sultan at that time to kill Hang Jebat."
"And he actually followed the Sultan's order?" Melissa asked with disbelief. "That was stupid of him. Even though Hang Jebat might did something wrong, Hang Tuah couldn't just take his friend's life away!"
"Well if you watch that new movie Puteri Gunung Ledang, you can see that the Sultan was considered as someone with divine powers at that time," Kevin Shan, a boy with mixed Chinese and Indian heritage, pointed out. "If one dared disobey the Sultan, supposedly the Sultan could curse you, like what the Sultan in that movie did."
"Ahem," Jackie cleared his throat smilingly – he actually enjoyed seeing the students debating and what they had brought up were all true. He had done some extensive research himself via various books and online databases after the principal assigned him to take over that class's History lessons when their original teacher took a maternity leave. Besides it would give him the chance to see how two out of five DigiWira performed in class. "What you have brought up are all valid points, but let's save them for your group's presentation next week, okay? Now, I believe you have mentioned two out of the five warriors. Can anyone name the other three?"
Adam raised his hand. "They are Hang Lekir, Hang Lekiu and Hang Kasturi."
"Correct," Jackie said, and saw a boy from another group raised his hand. "Yes, Ganesh? Do you have a question?"
"Are they brothers? I noticed they all have 'Hang' in their names," the boy named Ganesh asked.
"Why don't we let David and his group mates tell you that next week?" Jackie said as the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson and also school day. "Alright everyone! If you look in your History textbooks for this Monday's lesson you can see that there are four subtopics for it, and there are four groups to do the topical presentations. You can discuss amongst yourselves on which topic you want to do. I'll see you all again in Monday."
The students poured out from the class and Adam and Gayathri bid their teacher-cum-mentor farewell before stepping out from the class as well. Outside they were joined by Liu Ying, Dina, Belinda and JD.
"Here are our class's homework assignments for today. I've jotted down the lessons, pages, due dates and some basic instructions to make things easier for Manny." Liu Ying passed a paper to Gayathri. Manny had a flu that day and was absent from school.
"Tell your boyfriend we said hi," JD said as he stepped beside Adam. Four days had passed since the battle with JumboGamemon, and right after the battle Manny had asked Gayathri out. The DigiWira and Gayathri's best friends were immediately made known of this fact.
"Sure will," Gayathri said smilingly. Her large eyes drooped slightly as she thought of her now-official boyfriend. "Poor Manny. First it was Debbie two days ago, and now him. I hope he gets better soon."
The school ground shook wildly as the sunny day darkened. Students stampeded out from the school ground while the DigiWira froze, having their suspicions of what was going on. They cast a look at the school field where winds were blowing from. A thunderbolt struck on the field right where the crater which resulted from the battle with Ardhamon was at. An explosion ensued, pelting soils and stones haphazardly as thick grey smokes bubbled out from the crater. A shadow stepped out from smokes and the DigiWira and friends saw that it was a hulking bipedal wolf beast with light blue fur with indigo stripes. It wore violet pants which clung tight against its sturdy legs. Then, another figure stepped out and it too was a similar being, but with brownish-black fur, wearing an army green trousers. They threw their heads back and let loose bloodcurdling howls, causing major panic from the people of the school.
"Werewolves!" Dina gasped. The DigiWira couldn't agree more with her – the intruders looked like werewolves.
Then a third werewolf emerged from the smokes as the smokes began to clear. Physically it was almost the same as the other two but instead of brown it had blue fur, and wore dark blue jeans. It also had metallic spikes growing up its back and was lightly armored on the torso, arms and legs. The way it carried itself showed that it was the leader – it was walking straight-backed and proud, chest huffed out. All three Digimon looked intelligent and deadly with their sharp crimson claws and blazing green eyes.
xxx
: DIGIMON ANALYZER :
Name: WereGarurumon
Attributes: Ultimate level, Virus type
Attacks:
Kaiser Nail – WereGarurumon's claws can even cause damage to Chrome Digizoid alloy.
Baldy Blow – WereGarurumon's metallic knuckle spikes charges dark power into his punch.
Circle Moon Kick – WereGarurumon generates a full moon by rotating his leg, before delivering a heavy kick on his foe.
xxx
: DIGIMON ANALYZER :
Name: WereGururumon
Attributes: Ultimate level, Data type
Attacks:
Subzero Kaiser Nail – WereGururumon's charges his nails with ice poison and strikes his foe.
Frozen Breath – WereGururumon sprays his foe with his chilling breath which can freeze the opponent if exposed to this attack for long.
Frost Bite – WereGururumon bites his enemy and causes frostbite.
xxx
: DIGIMON ANALYZER :
Name: ExWereGarurumon
Attributes: Ultimate level, Vaccine type
Attacks:
Kaiser Nail Extreme – ExWereGarurumon's Chrome Digizoid claws are known to be able to slash mountains.
Howling Rage – ExWereGarurumon's deafening howls can disorientate his enemies.
Circle Moon Kick – ExWereGarurumon generates a full moon by rotating his leg, before delivering a heavy kick on his foe.
xxx
"They're werewolves alright," Adam murmured and released Patamon after making sure that the area was void of other students and teachers.
"They are ExWereGarurumon, virus-type WereGarurumon and WereGururumon, to be exact. All of them are subspecies in the vaccine-type WereGarurumon species," Patamon said after observing the three werewolves, which let out bloodcurdling howls. The darkening sky and the cold chill which suddenly emanated from out of nowhere added to the werewolves' ferocity. "I never thought I'd see them. I've met a vaccine WereGarurumon several years before and he is a good guy despite looking as menacing as those three."
JD smirked and took out his Digivice, releasing Agumon. "Time to go to work."
"Digital Access Digivolution, HAAAA!!"
After Digital Accessing, Aldiyamon transported the other Wira Digital right towards the school's soccer field where the three werewolves were at. They reappeared several meters above ground and Satriamon instantly initiated his Flaming Torch to gain momentary flight ability. He sped towards WereGururumon and slammed his gauntlet towards it. To his surprise WereGururumon didn't budge; instead the werewolf slammed its sharp claws to counter Satriamon's Dragonforce Striker. The momentum from Satriamon's flight however managed to push it away from its comrades as Satriamon forced WereGururumon towards the crater. Then both of them went tumbling down the crater while grappling with each other.
Puspamon and Xianamon double-teamed to tackle the shadowy WereGarurumon. Generating her hurricane Puspamon willed the winds to propel the black werewolf up, where it howled and trashed about helplessly. Xianamon then froze WereGarurumon with her Magical Stasis and Puspamon followed with her Dream Rose Mirage.
"I really, really wish Samudramon's here!" Puspamon said to Xianamon. "I really want to use that Rolling Thunder Hurricane again!"
"Sorry, it looks like you are stuck with me," Xianamon replied, amused.
Puspamon shrugged as she watched her hallucination technique worked its wonder on WereGarurumon. The black werewolf was visibly trashing about; his face was contorted as his head shot back and forth wildly while the rest of his body remained stiff. "I want to visit Manny. Let's get this over with." Puspamon dropped her hallucination and fired her Jelita Shocker, and Xianamon joined her with her Diamond World Mandala.
Seeing its comrades overpowered by the Wira Digital, ExWereGarurumon howled and charged towards Aldiyamon. The ringleader of the three werewolves, ExWereGarurumon surprisingly possessed flight capabilities and once he was close to the angelic knight, he roared, "Kaiser Nail Extreme!" His claws however made contact with a semi-opaque barrier and he snarled, realizing that Aldiyamon had raised his Deistic Guard to protect himself from his attack. He slashed his claws back and forth with furious snarls, and upon his fourth attempt the barrier shattered. He growled with satisfaction upon seeing the shocked expression of Aldiyamon and ran a wet tongue on his lips. "Surprised, boy?" he said and grabbed Aldiyamon's arm. "Let's see what other trick you have up your sleeve."
Aldiyamon narrowed his eyes and kicked ExWereGarurumon's gut, forcing the werewolf to let him go. He then delivered a focused Radiant Faith from his fist, pushing the offending Digimon back a few meters. ExWereGarurumon grunted, but was relatively unharmed. He charged towards Aldiyamon, but was stopped by a metal-winged firebird which shrieked as it slashed him. Snorting, ExWereGarurumon made an airborne somersault before releasing his Howling Rage. It destroyed the Solaris Firebird but got itself nullified in the process. In the meantime Aldiyamon managed to summon his Heavenstar Gladius and quickly generated a pillar of golden light which then burst with pure light towards ExWereGarurumon.
"That should take care of him," Aldiyamon decided. But he was proved wrong when he heard a spine-chilling howl, and gasped when ExWereGarurumon tore through the powerful beams from the Heavenstar Gladius. His heart skipped a beat in surprise. "What? How can this be?"
"You've spoken too soon." ExWereGarurumon charged his razor sharp nails and made a leap towards Aldiyamon. The angel quickly folded his metallic wings over his body in defense but ExWereGarurumon shattered those metal wings with one direct thrust of his claws. But before he could finish Aldiyamon once and for all, the angel teleported away and his claws slashed only empty air. Snarling, he cast a look around him for signs of his angelic foe.
In the meantime, it was a stalemate between WereGururumon and Satriamon. The two had exchanged heavy blows when they realized that their powers cancelled each other's out. A deafening clang was heard as Satriamon's gauntlet met WereGururumon's claws, and the force that came with it pushed them back. WereGururumon steadied himself after only one backward jump, but Satriamon took two attempts to do so. The werewolf grinned icily.
"Are we having fun yet?" WereGururumon chuckled at his opponent, intent on spiting him.
"No. But there's always this!" Satriamon charged his flames, creating a flaming dragon around his gauntlet. "Dragonforce Striker, Powered Up Mode!!"
"Frozen Breath!!"
To Satriamon's surprise his supercharged flaming dragon froze into blocks of ice when the mists surrounded it. It then crashed on the ground and shattered. Satriamon's face contorted; suppressing the urge to curse at his opponent. If he lost his cool WereGururumon would know that he was out of attacks.
"Heh. Knew that was coming!" Satriamon's thoughts raced as he searched his memory banks of a way to attack his foe. "Haven't heard of breath mints now, have ya? Your attack should be called Bad Breath instead of whatever you just called it."
"Sticks and stones might harm me, but words don't." WereGururumon smiled coldly at Satriamon, bearing his fangs. He knew he had the upperhand now.
Nervous sweat trickled down Satriamon's face. He fired his Dark Rage, but WereGururumon easily froze the attack as he did to his powered up Dragonforce Striker. He could unleash the Shadow Flame Helix but what were the odds of having the attack not frozen by the werewolf? He could use his Flaming Torch to get out of the crater and to safety, but he would never back out from a fight. It made his blood boil just thinking about that.
"Heads up!"
Prompted by the familiar voice, Satriamon looked up and saw Aldiyamon floating above him. The angelic knight was holding his Heavenstar Gladius and Satriamon's face lit up. The sword then disappeared from the angel and reappeared on Satriamon's right hand as his gauntlet slid back slightly to allow him to wield the sword. The sword enlarged into twice its original size to accommodate Satriamon. Aldiyamon flashed a thumbs-up and grinned.
"I missed out on how you did that combo attack you told me about, so here's my chance." Satriamon could detect nervousness and rush in his cousin's tone but he decided to deal with his enemy first. He channeled his firepower in the Heavenstar Gladius and the sword changed it into red and white holy flames.
"You're a goner now, fang-face! Let's see if you can freeze this! Firestorm Slasher!!"
WereGururumon attempted to counter it, but found the bursts of flames coming from Satriamon's attack were too strong for him to deal with. A fiery explosion ensued and Satriamon charged his Flaming Torch to get out of the crater.
"Good. Now you can help me deal with ExWereGarurumon. I just can't beat him!" Aldiyamon said.
Satriamon smirked as he powered down his flames while descending on the ground. "Let me at 'im. I'll…ARRRGHHHH!!" Satriamon suddenly screamed, clutched his chest and fell on his knees before mysteriously dedigivolving back into JD and Agumon. Aldiyamon, Xianamon and Puspamon gasped and went towards them, unaware that ExWereGarurumon was charging his attack towards them until it was too late. They were all struck by a thunderous howl and were blasted into the crater. JD looked up, heaving his breath slowly as the pain subsided, watching as ExWereGarurumon approached them with a defeated WereGarurumon slung on his right shoulder. The wicked werewolf had a wicked grin on him as he stopped right by Satriamon, but his eyes were fixed into the crater.
"You've beaten WereGururumon on your own," ExWereGarurumon said as his gaze turned to JD and Agumon. "I'm impressed." He then kicked JD and Agumon away from the crater. "I've been ordered to spare you from the fate that is about to befall your teammates. You can thank mistress Persiamon for it." The armored werewolf floated above the crater and turned to face JD and Agumon who were both getting up on their feet. "Say goodbye to your friends, for you'll never see them again!"
An energy barrier surrounded the crater and before JD and Agumon could do anything a blinding explosion of light ensued. JD leaped over Agumon and they tumbled away as the shockwave from the explosion pushed them away from the crater. They felt strong wind slapping their bodies, and only when it subsided they dared to open their eyes.
The darkness had gone and once again it was clear as day. JD heard the sound of somebody running towards them and took a look. He saw Dina, Bel and Jackie coming at him with elatedness etched on their faces.
"You did it!" Bel said happily. "And much quicker than last time too! Oh my gosh, you're bleeding! Here." Bel handed JD a tissue, and only then JD realized that he had blood trickling out from the side of his mouth. The pain on his chest was gone and it was then that the pain on his stomach, because of ExWereGarurumon's heavy blow on it, started to register in his mind.
Dina looked around. "But…where are the others?"
JD said nothing as he turned away from them and approached the crater. ExWereGarurumon's last words rang in his ears and he prayed silently as a horrible suspicion crossed his minds. Hearing Dina, Bel and Jackie calling over him, he ignored them until he reached the crater. Looking down, he saw no one there.
No werewolves. No Aldiyamon. No Xianamon. No Puspamon.
It was as if there had not been a battle there.
xxx
xxx
Over the rooftop of the Summit Tower building located not so far from the school, the Darkshadow Brethren generals were all there, sans their ringleader.
"Those mutts took care of them easily!" Astamon exclaimed with disbelief. "My beautiful sweetheart…"
Persiamon rolled her eyes and smacked Astamon on the head. "You dolt! Do you actually think that those Wira Digital can be destroyed that easily? If we couldn't destroy them in the past, there's no way those Wolfsbanes could."
"Are you blind? What do you think we've seen just now? Those Wolfsbanes practically sacrificed themselves to destroy Aldiyamon, Xianamon and Puspamon at one go!" Shawujinmon pointed out.
Persiamon shook her heads and glanced at the Puaka Generals. Both Devimon and Devidramon looked uninterested of the battle. She shrugged.
"Aren't you two angry that those mutts destroyed Aldiyamon? I thought you two had a score to settle with him?" Astamon demanded.
"We were pretty miffed at first when Lucemon told us of his plan," Devidramon said. "Then we were reminded that none of us could really destroy Aldiyamon without invoking the Master's wrath. Until he finds another way to escape the Horror Hall, Aldiyamon's teleportation power is his best bet. When the Master is able to do escape without that little goody-two-shoes' power, then only we are allowed to destroy Aldiyamon."
"But that is exactly what those Wolfsbanes have done!" Astamon said exasperatedly. Then he seemed to have caught something as his expression faltered. "Wait a minute. Plan? What plan?"
"And how come we don't know about it?" Shawujinmon asked hotly.
"Because when we were told about it, you were both out cold," Persiamon pointed out. "But it doesn't matter now when Lucemon's plan works." She looked at Doumon who sat in a lotus position. The Shaman General had his eyes closed; he was meditating. "Am I right, Doumon?"
Doumon opened his eyes and a small smile escaped his stern face. "Indeed."
xxx
xxx
"DAMN!!"
JD punched one of the trees inside the Forest Sanctum angrily. His knuckles bled from the blow, and fearful gasps could be heard from Dina and Bel who had tagged along with them after the battle. Jackie was there as well, in his white monk-like garb and black cat-suit underneath. Agumon looked like he didn't know what to do. Manny was sitting by the table, sniffling. Penguinmon stood beside him.
"We don't know if they're dead, JD," TobuCatmon said soothingly.
"Then where the hell are they?!" JD shouted. "I've tried tracing them with my Digivice back home. Even the widest scale scan couldn't detect their Digivice signals!" He grunted and flailed his hands up in frustrations. "It's like they've vanished from the faces of the earth!" A sniffle was heard and JD glared at his sick teammate.
"Sorry," Manny said, and sniffed again. His face was red and he periodically ran a tissue under his nose. "But I thought the widest scale range for our Digivices only cover the whole South East Asia from our country? Maybe they just got transported somewhere out of the scanning range?"
"Our old Digivice had that limitation but not the Juara Digivices!" JD countered back. Manny looked at him with wonder, and he snorted. "Ok, Jackie told me that part!"
"But…" Manny sniffled again. "I don't know, JD. It's just…remember when Adam…"
"Of course I do!" JD yelled. "How do you think that makes me feel?"
"Hey, lay off Manny!" Penguinmon snapped. "Can't you see he's sick?!"
"Penguinmon, it's alright," Manny said, eyes still trained at the visibly-frustrated JD. "JD, listen. When Aldiyamon and VenomDevimon exploded into oblivion before us, we felt a part of ourselves die along with Aldiyamon. We saw what happened. We didn't know then that Adam's DigiSphere made it possible for Adam, Patamon and the Saintly Siblings to be reborn, so we thought they were dead for good." Manny sneezed again and wiped his nose. "Sorry."
"Adam did what?" Dina and Bel chorused simultaneously, surprised of the revelation.
"It's a long story," Jackie intercepted. "Now's not the time to tell you about it."
"What are you saying, Manny?" Agumon asked.
Manny pondered for a moment, trying to find the right words to say it without it coming out wrong. "What I'm trying to say was that…I don't think they're gone. I just don't feel that way."
"That's because you weren't there!" JD snapped as he leaned over a tree trunk. He saw Manny flinch, but he didn't care. "You didn't see it with your own eyes! And..." JD thought of how the pain on his chest had struck him at the most unfortunate of time. When Satriamon screamed in pain, Aldiyamon, Xianamon and Puspamon all rushed to him and ExWereGarurumon had taken that opportunity to blast them into the crater before launching his suicidal attack on the three Wira Digital. "…and because it was my fault they're gone," he finished softly, his tone pained. He looked down, feeling everyone's gaze burning holes on him.
"How is it your fault?" Manny asked curiously.
"I got distracted. The others went to make sure that I'm alright and got caught up by one of those werewolves' attack. They fell into the crater at the school's soccer field and then that bastard ExWereGarurumon suddenly became kamikaze and killed himself, his goons and the guys…"
"Don't blame yourself, DigiWira."
JD, Manny, their partners and TobuCatmon were surprised by the sudden entrance of the three sacred ladies of the Lost Mountain. Rosemon and D'Arcmon looked like they had seen better days, and Ophanimon's armors had lost their luster in some parts. They appeared to be fresh out of a major battle. The voice that had interrupted JD was Ophanimon's.
"We overheard your conversation while on our way here," Ophanimon clarified. "It was never your fault, JD. And to confirm it, there is one way we both know to ascertain that your friends are still alive."
"Say what?" JD frowned.
"What happened to you three?" TobuCatmon asked, noticing the ladies' conditions.
Ophanimon helped her two friends sit down on the rattan mat that covered part of the sanctum's marble floor before taking a seat beside Manny. "We intercepted Lucemon early this morning while he was on his way to Macabre Glade to set free the Wolfsbanes – three ferocious werewolves, the ones that you have battled today. Lucemon overpowered us and we were forced to retreat. It took us quite a while to recuperate, and even now we still need time to fully heal." She nodded at D'Arcmon before looking at JD. "JD, why don't you let D'Arcmon take a look over your mind for her see the future? We'll know Adam and the others are still alive if she sees them in her vision."
JD grunted. "Knock yourself out." Seeing D'Arcmon somewhat injured, he went to her and let the angel place her hands on both sides of his head.
D'Arcmon took a deep breath and utilized her sixth sense which was the base of her clairvoyance skill. After several seconds passed she tensed as images invaded her mind. She tried hard not to gasp; the images came to her intensely and one vivid image enabled her to see JD – writhing in pain. She had seen this before. She saw JD in very severe pain, and the Virago General's laughter echoed the scene she was seeing. She concentrated more; this was not the vision she wanted to see, but she was seeing this as this was the strongest image of the future she could get, probably because of the tattoo on JD's chest. She willed herself to let her visions extend a bit further, and saw what she wanted to see to assure JD, but not in a way she'd wanted to see it. In her vision, she saw Adam and Manny tear-stricken, kneeling beside a lifeless form of JD before it became too much for her to handle. She let the images go and was brought back to reality.
"Well?" JD asked worriedly.
"Your friends are alive," D'Arcmon said breathlessly, but the news didn't bode well with everyone because she sounded frightened as she said that. JD frowned at her, and she was forced to lean close to the blonde. "Did you tell your friends about the vision I told you about before? About your tattoo?"
"No. Nobody other than Agumon, you three, and TobuCatmon know about this. Why?" JD whispered back.
"I saw the same vision," D'Arcmon said intensely, not bothering to keep her voice down anymore. JD's face changed. "And I saw Adam inside it too." The worry on JD's face instantly evaporated, replaced with profound relief. "The vision I have seen just now is something that takes place in not too distant future. I saw Adam in it."
"Which means that in this not to distant future, Adam is still alive," JD deduced with a crooked grin. "And if Adam is alive, so are the others."
Everyone broke into relieved sighs and laughs, but JD saw D'Arcmon still looking shaken. He knew that whatever she had seen, it wasn't as good as it had sounded. JD beckoned for D'Arcmon to go with him at a distance from the crowd when he noticed Agumon, Manny and TobuCatmon giving them curious looks. He jerked his eyebrows up and they looked away instantly. "What exactly did you see? Details," JD asked once they were out of earshot. He stared at the clairvoyant angel. "C'mon, you've told me that in your first vision you saw me in pain. Guess what? Every time when I, as Satriamon, exerted myself, I felt the pain, so it's nothing new. I still am wondering what the hell is up with this stupid tattoo."
"And I might…I might have found the answer," D'Arcmon stuttered. JD thought that this didn't suit the angel; he remembered Adam telling him that D'Arcmon was a tough, no-nonsense type of person. Or Digimon, for that matter.
"Okay…let's hear it."
"JD, you won't like what I saw," D'Arcmon cautioned. JD snorted impatiently, and she continued, "I did see Adam, JD. But I saw him kneeling beside your lifeless form. He was crying. Sometime in not too distant future, the pain you are experiencing periodically now will finally take its toll on you…and from what I saw…" She couldn't bear to continue and her voice suddenly was stuck in her throats.
JD looked as if he was struck by lightning. Color drained from his face and momentarily he looked profoundly shocked. "You guys figured out that my tattoo is some kind of poison. And now I'm starting to feel its effects. But…I've never…never thought that I'll…" He paused, loss of words. D'Arcmon laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. We are still trying to figure out a way to remove that tattoo," D'Arcmon assured quickly. "Rosemon and TobuCatmon are working together to find new ways of making healing potions, while Lady Ophanimon is meditating on increasing her healing power so that she can cure you. We'll do the best we can to help you."
JD nodded, before shaking his head. He then put up a poker face, for the worried angel's sake if not for his own. "Well, I…I trust you guys will come up with something, so I'm not worried. C'mon. We have a bigger fish to fry!"
D'Arcmon looked unconvinced of JD's sudden change of attitude, but decided to go along with it. She then thought about JD's last statement and found it odd. "What fish?"
"What I meant was we have bigger things to worry about!" JD marched past her and clapped his hands once. "Okay, people. So we know that they're alive now. The question is…where the heck are they?"
xxx
xxx
In the meantime, at a place far removed from the present day…
People went about their daily businesses at the merry town square. Many stalls were set up and the sellers were seen calling out for the people to drop by their stalls to have a look of what they were selling, ranging from local goods such as rice and vegetables to foreign spices and silks and jewelries. The stalls were arranged at the side of the square, leaving the center bare. Here children were running about, laughing and squealing as a young goat chased them around, bleating playfully. The day was bright and sunny, and not to far from the town square by the sea, visages of galleons originating from foreign countries lined the shores.
Suddenly the sky darkened and thunders rumbled as winds blew from the clouds, alarming the people. Lightning struck the ground before an oval purple portal burst open in midair. Screams were heard before four figures emerged from it, landing right smack at the center of the town square in a pile. The portal then vanished with a flash of light, and the sudden strange phenomena all subsided instantly. The townspeople who had witnessed the strange phenomena all looked at the figures that emerged from the portal with apprehension. They gasped when the figures started to move.
"Oooh…my aching head!" Gayathri moaned as she rubbed her forehead. She hoisted her body up and pulled away from the pile. "What just happened?" Looking down, she saw that she was dressed in white shirt under a turquoise pinafore – her school uniform. She also saw Liu Ying, Floramon and Labramon under her – she was at the top of the small pile. Liu Ying too, she noticed, was in her school prefect uniform which consisted of a light green long sleeved shirt tucked inside a knee-length dark green skirt, and a similar-colored tie which had been loosened. Then she became aware of her surrounding and gasped loudly. "Oh…wow…Liu Ying you have got to see this."
"Where are we?" Liu Ying wondered as she too hastily removed herself from the pile – their partners were unfortunately placed at the bottom of the pile and both of them had Xs on their eyes. The willowy girl stood up and had a look around, meeting dozens pair of eyes observing them with wonder. She took in their attires, which looked somewhat strange. Some of the local men wore garbs that looked similar to a Baju Melayu, sans the collars and buttons while some wore only vests, and others had foregone shirts. Some of the local women wore preliminary forms of the Baju Kurung, and among them some covered their hair while some other didn't. Another group of women wore simple loose fitting garments and sarongs. 'Why are they dressed so…oddly?'
"Wherever we are now, this place is sure lacking shopping malls," Gayathri whispered to Liu Ying. "Haven't they heard of jeans or skirts or…" Her tone faltered when she noticed the ships lining the shores. "Ships with sails…" she said. "No skyscrapers in sight…and that building…" She looked up at the higher ground and noticed two buildings there, overlooking the town square. "They're beautiful, but a bit…antique-looking."
"I think that's the palace," Liu Ying said, and shifted her attention towards the building beside the palace. She didn't recognize the building at first, but her eyes caught the minaret built next to the building, and the crescent emblem planted at the tip of the building's roof. "And that's the mosque." She thought that the mosque looked vastly different from those she had seen before. 'Who build wooden mosques nowadays?' Her eyes then took in the people. 'The locals all seem to be Malays…and there are Chinese traders…' She saw two men having features almost identical to hers, standing by the stalls selling silk clothes and jewelries. Noticing their gazes fell on her, she shifted her eyes away. 'Indian spice merchants…' Her eyes gazed at dark-skinned men by the stalls with sacks of herbs and spices, noticing them looking at Gayathri. 'And also Europeans…' She saw men with blonde, brown and red hairs dressed in fancy clothes were also there. 'Where are we?'
Suddenly a pale man with blue eyes stepped forward. He was a handsome man with a spectacular built, very tall compared to the others and had his burnish yellow long hair tied back, with bangs framing his chiseled face. The way he dressed – in black trousers and shining boots, white ruffled shirt, and a black vest with red linings suggested that he belonged to aristocracy. However his eyes looked icy and dangerous, and seemed to be giving out warnings that this man could be formidable if he chose to.
"Witches!" the man declared and pointed a finger towards the two DigiWira. "Practitioners of black arts, appearing out of nowhere with strange creatures!"
The blonde man's declaration caused uproar amongst the townspeople. Some of them stepped away in fear, children screamed and the DigiWira saw several men armed with lances approaching them. The DigiWira saw the man staring at them with his face contorted with hate.
"Baron Lucifer, what seems to be the matter?" A distinguished-looking man who appeared to be around mid-thirties stepped forward from the guards. Instantly the crowd was silent. The man was garbed in traditional blue Baju Melayu and pants, and had a fancy light blue songket wrapped around his waist and it extended to an inch above his knees. He also wore a light blue tengkolok – a band of cloth wrapped around his head with the front raised to look like a triangle. He sported a moustache and a trimmed beard. His thick eyebrow made him look stern, and his eyes reflected wisdom. All in all, this man radiated an aura of benevolence.
"Honorable Prime Minister Tun Perak," Baron Lucifer addressed the man with utmost respect. He pointed towards the DigiWira and Digimon. "These witches and strange creatures appeared here from out of nowhere. I have heard similar arts practiced from where I come from, and there we brand such practitioners as witches having connections with the devil!"
The man spoke with a flourish way and his deep voice was very convincing. Already many people were looking at the girls fearfully. They were all convinced by what Baron Lucifer had stated and were murmuring witches amongst each other.
The DigiWira were at first scandalized at Baron Lucifer's accusations, but was then startled when they heard the Prime Minister's name. 'Tun Perak?' They thought, confused. 'Wasn't he the famous Prime Minister during the era of the Sultanate of Malacca kingdom…back in the sixteenth century?'
"We do not know that yet, Baron Lucifer," Tun Perak said calmly. "They shall however be detained for questions."
'Detained?' Liu Ying and Gayathri thought with panic.
"What should we do?" Floramon asked fearfully – not realizing that her action would further struck fear amongst the townspeople.
"Look! It speaks!" Baron Lucifer exclaimed loudly. The crowd went wild as Baron Lucifer shook his hand while pointing it towards Floramon. "Plants can't speak! Only black arts can make them act such way, and this proves that these two girls are indeed witches! Do not be fooled by their innocent appearances, for the witches at my country also appeared sweet and innocent, but possessed dangerous skills! They have powers that can demolish villages and possibly the Sultan and the royal family if we don't execute them immediately!"
"Capture them, Prime Minister!" one man decried.
"Witches have no place here!" another man roared.
'What's their problem?' Gayathri wondered angrily. "We're not witches!"
"This is all a misunderstanding!" Liu Ying said, and was about to explain herself when Baron Lucifer raised a hand to stop her.
"LIES! All lies, witches!" he snarled. The DigiWira glared at him angrily, as it was this man who had instigated the people's hatred upon them.
"Calm down!" Tun Perak ordered the crowd, but they weren't listening to him as Baron Lucifer still was speaking.
"These witches have eyes on your children and will seize them during the nights! Can you really sleep when your children's lives are at stakes?" Baron Lucifer cried out. The children all became frightened and hid behind the adults, while some of the adults looked at the DigiWira with expressions of anger and fear. "I say we kill the witches and those blasphemous creatures they have with them! Guards! Surely you all have children too? Would you just stand there and risk their lives in those evil women's hands? They know not of mercy! I fear that if you don't take action, tomorrow you might be horrified of the bloodbath these witches had done just to please their master – the devil!" He buried his face in his hands, and choked out, "Such fate have befallen to some children in my family and of my friends' families back home, and I do not wish to see it happen here, in this glorious kingdom of Malaccan Sultanate!"
The girls gasped at the nobleman's horrendous accusations upon them, but were even more surprised at him saying that they were now at the Malaccan Sultanate kingdom – a kingdom existed hundreds of years ago. They were so stricken with the revelations that they didn't notice the guards advancing towards them, or the menacing glint that sparked from Baron Lucifer's eyes.
The armed men, believing Baron Lucifer's words, began advancing towards the DigiWira and Digimon even without the order from the Prime Minister. Liu Ying and Gayathri found themselves surrounded by all sides by the men. They were going to be arrested!
"I don't think so," Liu Ying murmured and looked at Gayathri. "We can't let them capture us Gayathri. We need to find out where we are right now and what in the world is happening to us, and we can't do it inside confinement."
"What do we do?" Gayathri asked nervously.
Liu Ying gave her surroundings a look around and saw a path leading towards a jungle, but they had to cross the town square and the horde of fearful people to get there. It was the only path they could take that would at least ensure escape for them – other paths would lead them to the sea, the palace and several other stalls where they could not escape from the townspeople. "We have no choice. We have to use our powers to go through these men and escape."
"I can't believe you've just said that!" Gayathri said.
"You want to be captured?" Liu Ying countered. Gayathri shook her head. "I thought so. I've been detained by a maniac man once, I'm not about to let us get captured when we've done nothing wrong. What?" she asked, when Gayathri gave her a smile.
"Somehow I think JD's trait has rubbed off on you," the dark-skinned girl stated simply.
Liu Ying rolled her eyes. "You...ugh. Whatever."
"Tell us what to do, Ying," Labramon said, pulling the girls back to their situation.
Liu Ying quickly briefed them of what she had in mind. She narrowed her eyes towards the nearest guard who was about to grab her, and flicked her hand. The man yelped as an invisible force threw him off his feet. He knocked away several guards, and the girls began making their way across the town square. Gayathri unleashed her supersonic scream and blasted several people away, creating a path leading towards the town square's exit. Floramon released pollens, causing a number of people to sneeze uncontrollably. The two Digimon were then confined inside their Digivices as the DigiWira headed to the escape route.
"LOOK! You have seen what they could do!" Baron Lucifer shrieked. "Do not let them escape! They must be executed!"
"STOP THIS!" Tun Perak shouted, but his order fell on deaf ears.
"Sorry! We're really sorry!" Gayathri said and grabbed hold on Liu Ying. She ran as fast as she could and her super speed took over. The two girls sped past the people and reached the beginning of the path. Behind them the people began giving chase and they quickly ran, but Gayathri was unable to use her speed because of the narrowness of the path, which was lined by trees, bushes and some huts used for storing goods. They were about to run when a girl emerged from behind a hut, dressed in loose brown long-sleeved cloak and skirt reaching past her ankle, with a large shawl partially covering her hair. Her face was half hidden by the shadows cast by the shawl, but they soon saw that she had light tan skin and bright olive eyes. The girl now was standing right in front of them, blocking them from running.
"Please, we don't want to hurt you," Liu Ying pleaded. "But we need to get out of here!"
The girl nodded. "You can't outrun the palace guards for long. You have to hide. Follow me."
The DigiWira were stunned, but the mysterious girl had darted in between the storage huts. She stopped and beckoned for them to follow her. "Trust me. They won't be able to find you if you follow me. I know a perfect place to hide." She had a commanding tone laced in her sweet voice, but it wasn't very noticeable. She also sounded sincere. The girls quickly followed her; she looked like she knew the ropes of this place. They went inside a hut and heard the guards and several townspeople approaching. "Wait here," the girl instructed and headed towards the opening.
"Hey, are you going to turn us in?" Gayathri demanded.
"Shh. They'll hear you!" The girl gave them an assuring smile. "I told you to trust me." She stepped out of the hut and adjusted her shawl so that it covered her hair. The DigiWira then heard her greeting the guards.
"Girl, have you seen the witches?" one guard demanded.
"You mean the two girls dressed strangely in blue and green?" Liu Ying and Gayathri held their breaths. "As a matter of fact, I did see them. But then a strange gate appeared just by the edge of the forest, like the one we all saw earlier. Those witches…they had gone right into them and vanished! It was amazing, yet so frightening ass well! I have never seen anything like it! Is it true that they are practitioners of dark arts?" The girl's lies flowed smoothly that if it weren't the fact that they were the ones hunted by the fearful townspeople, they would have believed her as well.
Excited murmurs ensued. "Did they harm you, girl?
"No. They just shoved me aside before they opened this strange thing which sucked them all in."
They heard guards and townspeople murmured amongst each other, hoping that they'd buy the girl's story. Then they heard them dispersing and heaved relieved breaths. Moments later, the girl who had helped them stepped in. She removed her shawl partially so that they could have a good look on her face. Her ragged garments showed that she was poor, but her flawless skin suggested otherwise. Her thick black hair framed her oval face and her olive eyes sparkled with mischief and intelligence.
"There. You're safe, for now," the girl assured.
"Thank you for covering our backs there. We really owed you one, and I'm sorry for doubting your intention earlier," Gayathri said earnestly. Liu Ying nodded her agreement.
"How come you decided to help us when all the others easily accepted that Baron Lucifer's accusations?" Liu Ying questioned.
The girl smiled. "If you are evil witches as that frolic baron claimed, you'd have demolished us with your powers. You wouldn't just stand there and accept his accusations when you have the power to finish him off right there and then. That was my first clue," she pointed out. "And then I noticed that you only used your powers to escape the townspeople. So I decided that there's more to you than meets the eye, and I trust my instinct. So I thought, why not help you two?" Her expression hardened a bit. "But of course, if you really are evil, then I can just scream."
"We're not," Gayathri said quickly. The girl merely chuckled and Gayathri blushed. "Anyway, I'm Gayathri and she's Liu Ying."
"You have Indian and Chinese names," the girl noted. "I'm called Teja."
Liu Ying blinked. She thought that the name was familiar. 'I've heard this name somewhere. First Tun Perak, now a familiar name associated with the same time period. What's next, Hang Tuah?' She kept her thoughts to herself while Gayathri appeared unaware as she shook Teja's hands. 'Tun Perak is the most famous Prime Minister during the Malaccan Sultanate era. Judging from the town center, the ships, the palace and mosque…are we really in the sixteenth century, during the Malaccan Sultanate era? How did we get here?'
"Something seems to be bothering you, Liu Ying," Teja said.
Liu Ying sighed. "Teja, I need to ask you something. Are we in the Malaccan Sultanate kingdom?"
"Why, yes," Teja said, as if Liu Ying should know of this fact. "Don't you know?"
Liu Ying exchanged a look with Gayathri. Both of them paled considerably, and they were both thinking the same thing. How did they get here from the twenty-first century? The last thing they remembered was the battle they had with the werewolves at the school. They remembered seeing Satriamon in pain and were about to go to his aid when ExWereGarurumon blasted them all into the crater. Before they could escape the crater something blinding from the sky struck them. And the next thing they knew, they ended up here.
"This is so weird," Gayathri said disbelievingly as she took a seat on a dusty table inside the hut they were currently seeking refuge at.
"What's so weird?" Teja asked. "If you ask me, I think you two look really out of place here. You're not from around here are you?"
"No, not really," Liu Ying said. "I mean, both of us were born here…here being this country." She wondered whether she should be honest with Teja. The girl did help them escape a very sticky situation. She even knew about them having special powers and didn't freak out like the others had. They owed her an explanation. "However, we're born in different time."
"Different time?" Teja asked, confused. "I don't get it."
"We're not from this time," Gayathri said quickly. "We're from the future." She made counting gestures with her fingers. "Five centuries in the future."
The DigiWira then held their breath as Teja looked mildly surprised of the revelation. Her expression didn't falter much, retaining the youthfulness commanding aura, but her eyes showed that she was indeed shocked; she just knew how to mask it. She was silent, slowly taking in their appearances with careful scrutiny, circling around them. Then she smiled and nodded. "Well, I think that's pretty much explains it."
"You believe us?" Liu Ying asked, surprised.
Teja chuckled. "Yes, because nobody around here can come up with such an outlandish story. And judging how differently you two carry yourselves, your clothes and overall appearances, and yet you still speak our tongue, albeit with some minor accents and words I don't understand…so I think you are not lying. Besides, Liu Ying is evidently of a Chinese descent, as Gayathri is clearly of Indian heritage.
"In this time, his royal highness the Sultan is promoting people outside the kingdom of Malacca to come here to do business and sell their goods. I have seen merchants from India and China quite a few times, and when I look at you two I can envision that perhaps in time, these merchants will settle down here in our land, bringing their friends and family with them. Time will take its course, and five hundred years later, it's not so hard to believe that the kingdom of Malacca does not consist of just us Malays anymore." She stopped and grinned upon seeing Liu Ying and Gayathri's astonished faces. "Judging from your reaction I take it that I am correct with my deduction."
The DigiWira were very impressed; Teja was definitely not an average girl. She spoke with intelligence, wit and maturity worthy of one older, despite looking no older than them. But her appearances totally contradicted the way she carried herself. Teja didn't look impressive at all when it came to choice of clothes. Her brown loose-fitting clothes and somewhat ragged shawl made her plain, almost poor-like, but that vanished instantly when they heard her speak.
They liked Teja instantly.
"Thank goodness you believe us, Teja," Liu Ying said finally. "We can't even say how relieved we are right now."
"Totally," Gayathri concurred.
"I have one question though." Teja looked at them straight in the eyes. "Why did you come here, to this time?"
Gayathri made a face. "We're wondering about that ourselves. We didn't exactly come here by choice."
"Oh?"
"Someone sent us here," Liu Ying said darkly. "And I have an idea who."
Teja nodded. She rubbed her chin and considered what the DigiWira had said. Then she cast a look around them thoughtfully, her face frowning a little. "Well, it looks like you will have to tell me more about that later. We need to get moving."
"Get moving? Why?" Gayathri asked, panicked. "Aren't we safe here?"
"For the time being, yes," Teja said. "But the guards are not stupid. One or two are bound to come back here and check these huts just to make sure that the 'witches' they are hunting are truly gone. Believe me, I know these guards. It's better if we move to a place where I know you will be safe. Besides I need to look for my friends – they'll be worried if I'm gone for a long time. They are the ones who know of this place where you'll be safe. There we can discuss and plan what we need to do, alright?"
"Oh…" Liu Ying and Gayathri shared a look and sighed. "If that is what you think is best for us," Liu Ying said.
"And Teja…" Gayathri said, and held the girl's hands warmly. "Thank you. For doing this for us."
Teja returned Gayathri's gesture with an affectionate smile. "I'm beginning to think of you as my friends, Gayathri, Liu Ying. There's so much I want to know, and I know you are innocent. We'll figure out a way to clear your names and to get you back home. There has to be a way."
xxx
xxx
While inside what Adam had dubbed as the tunnel of time and space – because of the fact that the 'tunnel' he and the others had ended up at seemed to have no solid surface, only black and green with apparitions of clocks with their pointers spinning counterclockwise – they had been trying to avoid ExWereGarurumon, WereGarurumon and WereGururumon who had also ended up there. They had been keeping those werewolves at bay with their special powers – telekinesis and supersonic scream to ward them away, and super speed and teleportation to transport them further than those wolves. Once Adam was able to teleport those werewolves farther back, causing them to snarl at him and his friends. The six of them grabbed hold on each other while in the tunnel, but when they came across a cloud of storm somewhere along it Adam and Patamon had lost hold on the girls. He saw a portal opening up and sucked the girls in. Before he could do anything, another portal opened up and they were pulled into it.
The portal led them to several meters above what looked like sands. Adam and Patamon flew out of the portal and screamed when gravity pulled them to the ground. Luckily the sands were soft and where they had fallen there was a pile that further reduced the blow. They fell on their backs and groaned in pain; the sands might have reduced the pain, but not all the pain.
"Oy!"
Adam and Patamon blinked as they heard someone calling for them. They saw a boy running towards them as fast as his legs could take him. When the boy got closer Adam saw that the boy looked only a bit older than him – probably a year or two. He wore a simple navy blue vest left open over his body and same-colored pants which extended just below his knees. The bottom sides of his pants were wet. He looked very athletic and energetic. The boy had shaggy dark hair reaching his nape, and tanned skin. His pleasant brown eyes stared at Adam and Patamon with worry before he knelt beside them. He put down beside him what looked like an own-made fishing rod, made out of a long stick with a string attached at the end.
"Are you hurt?" the boy asked. His voice was deep but had a hint of easygoingness in it. Adam thought this boy was definitely older. That or he had hit puberty earlier. "I sure hope not," the boy said before Adam could reply to his question.
Adam had to chuckle on that. He didn't know why, but this boy set him at ease almost instantly despite the fact that he was a stranger. "I think I should be the one answering that. And yes, I'm alright."
The boy grinned and patted Adam on the shoulder. "Friend, if you can joke that means you're alright. And that's good." He frowned when he saw Patamon, who accidentally blinked at him. "What is this strange animal?" he wondered and peered closer to take a closer look at the Digimon. "I've never seen any animal like it, but who am I to say? It's a big world out here, there are bound to be more animals I have not discovered. And this animal, hmm…it looks like a mouse…with bat wings….ah, praise the Almighty, what an adorable creature. Do you know what it is called, friend?"
Adam sweatdropped upon the boy's inquisitive manner, the strange way he was dressed and the fact that he didn't appear to be surprised to see Patamon. The boy, while speaking the same language as Adam, much to his relief, had an accent that Adam couldn't place exactly where it came from. "Patamon," he said.
"A Patamon, huh?" The boy carefully picked the Rookie up and examined him closely. He turned Patamon around and raised him up so he could have a look under the Rookie's body. "Is it a male or a female? I can't see anything that would give me a clue."
"Patamon's a male," Adam said, sweatdropping and resisting the urge to laugh while Patamon turned crimson. Patamon was blushing and looked like he wanted to blast the boy with some Boom Bubbles if the boy didn't stop inspecting him soon. Adam quickly gestured for Tuah to return Patamon to him before Patamon actually attacked him out of embarrassment.
Tuah did as Adam had requested, and was amused when he saw Adam place the peculiar creature on his head. "Is he your pet? What do you call him?"
"Uhh…kind of. I just call him Patamon."
"Friend, that's odd. It's like you have a pet cat and call him cat," the boy pointed out.
"I…never really thought of it that way."
The boy shook his head, before slapping his forehead. "Ah! Where are my manners? Sorry, friend, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Tuah. Hang Tuah," the boy said proudly and thumped his chest once before extending his hand to Adam with a smile.
Adam raised an eyebrow. 'Hang Tuah? Who name their sons Hang Tuah these days?' he thought, but took Tuah's hand nevertheless. "I'm Adam."
Hang Tuah beamed. "A good name, friend. The first prophet's name."
"Thanks. Umm…so I guess your parents are a big fan of Hang Tuah, huh?" Adam asked.
Hang Tuah thought about it, and shrugged, looking mildly baffled. "I don't know of anyone named Hang Tuah before me. My father told me he named me Tuah because when my mother was pregnant with me the whole family prospered. So he decided to call me Tuah, which means luck. I am one lucky guy, I like to think." He smiled. "Tell you what, friend. Just call me Tuah; Hang is something Tuk Guru Adiputra added to my name and a fellow disciple's, to make us disciple brothers."
Adam blinked. The famous heroic admiral Hang Tuah was the disciple of a man called Tuk Guru Adiputra, where he learned his Silat skills. 'It couldn't be a coincident now, could it?' He decided to press on Tuah for more information. "You haven't heard of Hang Tuah? Everyone should have at least heard of his name. He was a legend. He was a warrior and an admiral during the Malaccan Sultanate era. I have to do a report on him for school."
Tuah looked visibly surprised by the revelation. He also appeared not to understand half of what Adam had mentioned to him. Scratching his head, he said, "The only Hang Tuah I know is me. One and only. I'm one of a kind." He then stared at Adam oddly. "And friend, this is the Malaccan Sultanate. Always has been for the whole fifteen years I have lived."
"Huh?" Adam's mouth hung open. "What do you mean?"
"You have no idea where you are at right now?" Tuah asked. He gave Adam a good look-over, frowning at Adam's white school shirt, the white T-shirt underneath the school shirt and earth green pants. He thought that Adam was dressed rather oddly; he had never seen such garments before. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"What makes you say that? I am from around here," Adam said.
"Really?" Tuah said, unconvinced. "Where is 'here', then?" he challenged.
Adam frowned. "Isn't this place…Malaysia, Subang Jaya?" Inwardly he knew he was dead wrong when Tuah guffawed incredulously.
"You really aren't from around here, friend. Although you speak good Malay, and you do look like one a little, the fact that you don't even know where you are right now proves that you're not from around here. The places you've stated just now…I've never heard of them. Your clothes are also odd – I've never seen anything like them before."
'How could one live in Malaysia and not know of the standard uniform for government school pupils?' Adam thought and took a deep breath. He noticed that the air was a lot fresher. The sea looked prettier and the sands appeared purer. There was no trace of pollution at all, not one bit as he had unfortunately grown accustomed with after moving to Subang Jaya. Adam was reminded of the tunnel of time and space he was at previously. He had seen clocks with pointers rotating counterclockwise. Something clicked in his mind and he stared at Tuah. "Tuah…where am I?" he asked, his tone weak as a feeling of dread came to him.
"Where else, but the Sultanate of Malacca kingdom?" Tuah said, shaking his head. "I've just told you that."
Adam balked in surprise. "You must be kidding me! Malaccan Sultanate is like…five hundred years ago!"
"Five hundred years ago? Are you feeling well, friend?" Tuah pressed his palm on Adam's forehead and neck. "You are a bit warm but I don't think it's anything to worry about. I hope the fall didn't cause you to become delirious. Maybe it's the heat, that's why I'm only wearing this." He gestured at his vest which was without buttons.
'I'm at the Malaccan Sultanate era…' Adam realized. 'I'm five hundred years in the past!' Adam pinched his arm, and winced. 'Not dreaming, definitely. But…how? This is impossible…did we just travel back in time here?'
"You look really confused. Are you lost?" Tuah asked pitifully, noting Adam's crestfallen look. "Did you come with any of the foreign traders…but then what are you doing here?" When Adam didn't reply, Tuah shook his head. "Tell you what; why don't you follow me back to my Tuk Guru's home? You look like you need some rest and some food. Tomorrow I'm going to the trader's center. Why don't you come along and we can go look for your family or friends or anybody you know. That sounds good to you?" Tuah asked, believing his own assumption that Adam was lost. "Come on, don't look so worried. I'll look out for you and I'll make sure that you're safe until we find your companions."
Adam nodded weakly, still stunned of the revelation. He stared at Tuah and couldn't believe that this easygoing and inquisitive teenage boy would end up becoming a famous warrior. He then thought of the fact that he was stranded at the past. 'How am I going to get back to my time? Where are the girls? They were with me in that time-space tunnel. Could it be because we were separated then, that we're separated now?' He took a deep breath and accepted Tuah's hand as the other boy pulled him up with apparent ease. Then Tuah led him to a small cove where Adam saw a set of clothes folded neatly laid on a stone. On top of the clothes was a keris blade kept inside its hilt.
"A keris!" Adam couldn't help but to gasp in awe. He had never seen a keris this up close before.
Tuah smiled proudly and took the keris before handing it to Adam. "You like it? Tuk Guru Adiputra gave it to me last month, when I completed my Silat training. This is why you see me on my own; Tuk Guru always said when I was younger, that after I have completed my training he will allow me to set off venturing the world outside his home on my own. It's really quite an adventure, having to find my own way around and to prepare my own food, but I love every single moment of it."
Adam inspected the keris by taking it out from its hilt. The curved blade looked brand new, like it had never been used in a battle. 'One day this keris will slay many villainous people…' Adam thought with awe. 'I've never touched a keris before, and I've never thought that the first one I'd have in my hands is Hang Tuah's keris, of all people.'
Tuah changed into his other clothes while Adam was kept busy with his keris. When he turned back, Tuah was now garbed in a simple version of a navy blue Baju Melayu and a pair of black pants which extended just an inch below his knees. He slipped on a pair of brown sandals and tied a sash of lighter shade of blue around his waist. Adam returned Tuah his keris and the older boy slid it behind the sash. 'Okay, now he looks like a warrior in the making,' Adam thought with an assured smile. He began feeling a bit at ease. 'Josh and Manny will figure out something. I'll just have to pray for them to be able to bring us back home, and that we won't run into any danger here. Until then…I might as well take this opportunity to get to know the legendary Hang Tuah better, and in-person!' He shook his head, thinking that just earlier this day he and Gayathri were assigned to do some historical research on Hang Tuah and his friends. 'I wonder if I'll get the chance to meet the others?'
"Ready to go?" Tuah asked. He noticed that his new friend didn't look confused or stricken anymore. "You know, you look better already, friend."
Adam nodded. "Lead the way…friend."
xxx
xxx
Unbeknownst to the DigiWira, at the same time another portal opened in a middle of a lush jungle. Three bipedal beasts emerged from it, landing on their feet.
"Damn it! The time travel has reduced our powers!" one of them snarled. "We're back in our Rookie forms!"
"The Hellion General did mention about this, but he also has said that he'd arrange for us to regain our power," another biped reminded his comrades.
The third one – relatively different from its comrade in terms of coloring – nodded coolly. "Very well. Now, we split up. You two go search for those girls, while I look for the boy."
xxx
xxx
Author's Notes:
The first part of the Movie arc is done. I think this chapter might be rather confusing with the history references and I'll try my best to give adequate explanations about them. I have, in all actuality, only the lists of names of the people of that era, and the year when the Malaccan Sultanate era takes place. Hang Tuah, Teja, Tuk Guru Adiputra and Tun Perak are all people that are said to live during the era of Malaccan Sultanate and this story takes place when they are younger, before their prime. That History lesson scene is an actually a way for me to convey some important aspects that have taken place between the characters. I'm stretching my creative license to the limit here as I only have some basic knowledge about this era, thanks to Wikipedia, so I made up some of my own stuffs to serve the plot. Throughout this movie arc I will throw in various references about this era, and I'll try to make them clear for both Malaysians and non-Malaysians.
The Wolfsbanes and the place called Macabre Glade are actually from my other story. I never really have the chance to explore them in Legends, so I thought I'd use them here. WereGururumon is a creation of mine, which is an evolution for the canon Gururumon. ExWereGarurumon is actually WereGarurumon X; I don't feel like writing his name in its X form so I changed the order of his name. The WereGarurumon here is a Shadow WereGarurumon; I wrote it sans the 'shadow' part in his name as it was shorter.
Fatal Chaos and Hellion Deathstrike are attacks I've created especially for Lucemon to enhance the fact that he's very powerful.
The idea for Liu Ying and Gayathri being accused as witches were based on the fact that 1400-1500s, as far as I know, is also an era where people catches women they believed to be witches and burned them at stakes, in the west. I might be wrong so feel free to correct me.
I look forward for your feedbacks, and for more information do visit my blog.
EDIT: Adjusted the time frame; the time setting is during the 1500s, which is the 16th century.