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Chapter 8

Hina and Frankie continue down the dark path dimly lit by Sealomon's horn. Frankie keeps muttering to himself a prayer for the others be alright. The silent mutters start to get to Hina who starts to get visibly annoyed, she would have brought the earmuffs but Yvette was carrying both of them.

"please god protect by brothers and the others, saint peter… please…"

Gatormon pats him, "It's gonna be alright Frankie, they got each other im sure. And you got me so…"

Frankie snaps at him, "How do you know that? They could be dead or hurt or worse! Plus what are you going to do. All day you just tell me to relax well how am I supposed to relax!"

Gatormon, "Frankie… please calm down. Your voice is getting too loud…"

Sealomon asks, "What's worse than death?"

Frankie grimly states, "Many things…"

Hina is about to snap when, sealomon points at a wall.

He takes a closer look at it, "it's in ancient diginese."

"Sealomon can you read it?" Says Hina.

"Mhm… it says…

'Beware those who enter, the shadow of mon and man comes for all in the end. The piece of history sealed in darkness, the piece that devours worlds, those who find it will fall into it's gaze, the pit of a thousand eyes will never disappear, let them all disappear, never shut your eyes, embrace it."

Omnious… but it's the only way forward from what I can tell."

Frankie says, "No, we will find another way! The others have to be back there somewhere lets go-"

Hina says, "No! That's enough. Those boys are old enough to walk, they are old enough to put their pants on."

Sealomon says, "Hina… "

"No, I've had enough." Hina puts her foot down. "This entire time you have been coddling them to the point Bugsy can't even ride a bike or touch a twig without bursting into tears and Milo is just lucky Kayden doesn't run off a cliff together with him. You are the problem! So Shut Up and go!"

Frankie is speechless, the caverns start to groan and become darker. Hina drags him in but the darkness starts to become thicker Sealomon starts to slow down becoming uncertain of where they are going. He uses his horn to test what's in front of them. Sealomon feels what seems like needles surrounding them.

"Wait… Stay here I need to feel around. I can somewhat use echo location in this cave like I do underwater. Right now, I think the room is getting smaller. There are needles all over the walls, we can't go back either it's been blocked off. Ugh!" Sealomon keeps letting out clicking noises.

Frankie starts to mutter again.

"It's my fault…" Frankie starts to slow down and the light starts to be engulfed by the darkness.

Hina, "Frankie? Come on we got to keep going"

Frankie seems to start to disappear into the darkness.

"Frankie?", Hina tries to shake him out of his trance but it doesn't work.

"You are right Hina… I am to blame, all of it is my fault… " Frankie says in a low volume. A shadow appears behind him, it whispers into his ears. "Failure."

"Frankie?" Gatormon pats him but something gets in the way, a darkness starts to engulf him.

More voices appear in Frankie's head, "The world is better off without you."

"The world will be right when you are gone."

Frankie starts to break down, "Please stop…" Tears start to develop.

Gatormon shouts, "Frankie!"

The room starts to get smaller and eyes appear everywhere around them. Hina realizes this must be the darkness Jijimon was talking about. "Frankie! Snap out of it!"

Frankie starts to walk, the others try to run towards him but he gets further away from him.

"Die…"

A sharp crystal drops from the ceiling, "Do it… and you will be free"

"They want you gone."

Frankie picks up the crystal and holds it to his neck, he says "Like father, like son…"

Gatormon screams, "FRANKIE!"

Gatormon breaks free of the things that bind him, the shadows and eyes try to push him away but Gatormon makes it just in time and slaps the crystal out of his hand.

"Why?" Frankie is in tears, "I shouldn't be here, it's all my fault! If I didn't exist it wouldn't have happened! No one needs me now, I'm alone… I-"

Gatormon holds him tightly like something about to disappear. "I need you frankie… Your brothers need you!" Gatormon forces Frankie to look at him, "Look at me! I am here! I'm your partner! Please talk to me! Why are you saying these things? Tell me what you fear the most that disappearing is the answer? I won't leave you alone, I'll follow you everywhere so you are never alone! I don't understand a lot of things Frankie…" Gatormon is sobbing, barely able to speak, "I- I never understood what love was, what humans are or experienced this kind of thing… but I do know what's important to me, it's you… and… *sniff* and your brothers… They will be so sad, they look up to you! I know that look… so please don't go Frankie. Let it all out!"

The voices all in unison whisper loudly, "feed me… tell me… I want your sorrow… I want your soul… give it to me… give it all to me!" The cavern starts to turn into dark crystals that grow bigger each second as if to make an iron maiden that slowly closes in on them. Frankie looks into the core of where the eyes are coming from and there he sees his past reflected everywhere.

He faces Abbodomon's eyes and tells his tale,

"Years ago, the government of my country was overthrown and turned into a communist state. I had a whole, large family with my grandparents, my parents, aunts, siblings, and uncles. During that time we all lived with bountiful wealth and good health. One day, while I played with my cousin in our yard the ball went over our gate and into the streets.

My father told me to never go outside, but I wanted my ball. I hopped the fence and went to get it and that's where a solider had caught me pass curfew. He called me a spy and aimed his gun at me. My father shot him from the front yard before he could get me.

Afterwards, our family was taken away. One by one I saw everyone I know and loved tortured and hung. We were all considered spies and traitors, our riches and lives were taken away from one stupid mistake. Father had to betray the resistance and kill his own friends just so we could all escape with the little mercy that was offered. We were banished from our home, and sent to America where we lived in extreme poverty and abuse.

My brothers don't remember much of this but father took his life when he broke down after beating me in a drunken rage. Our mother soon grew sickly, we couldn't afford the medical care so we watched her fade away into a skeleton until there was no more. Everything was my fault, because I didn't listen."

The crystals are now only centimeters from them all, Hina says, "It's not your fault Frankie… How can that be any of your fault. Yea you went after the ball but how could you know the consequences?"

"I should have been more careful" Frankie cries.

Gatormon faces Frankie to him and says, "You need to let go of the past Frankie, look at what it's done to you. It's all done and over with, I'm here for you now. The pain you feel, I am here to share that with you! I didn't understand anything you said, I'm sorry. I don't know what a family is, I understand what you went through but, we are living here now. Your brothers are here now, I'm really happy you are here right now. I thank your father for allowing you to be here! You are worth it, you are my best friend Frankie and I'll never abandon you."

Frankie hugs him, "I love you too Gatormon! This is love right here man!"

The darkness groans as Gatormon starts to shine into a bright light,

Gatormon digivolve into CrocKaijumon.

The crystals shatter all around him as Crockaijumon starts to power up a beam that blasts the darkness away. Frankie says again, "This is love man" smiling. Crockaijumon's beam was so powerful it blasted through the unbreakable digistal.

In a deep voice, Crockaijumon says, "SO THIS IS LOVE, IT FEELS REALLY NICE LIKE IM HUGGING A REALLY WARM BLANKET"

They climb their way out of the cave and into the sunlight above. Before they go Hina says, "Uh, Frankie, I just wanted you to know… A few years ago, when my parents were together, they never really spent time with me so, I was always doing her own thing. It didn't bother me, I had a home, food and stuff. When they got divorced, I barely noticed anything change. I never really thought of wanting anything else but to live happily in my own world. I'm sorry about earlier you really are a great brother."

Frankie says, "it's ok, I think I need to work on myself more"

They exit the darkness and into the light.

Digimon Entry- Crockaijumon

Level: Champion, Type: Data, Attribute: Kaiju

Special: Kaiju Beam

Crockaijumon is a huge monster known to attack cities and demolish well built buildings. He is always sighted near machine cities where he causes mayhem and chaos. Its skin is so hard he can break through the toughest of metal. However, his belly seems to be the weak spot where he is overly ticklish and sensitive. Crockaijumon has a bad temper and can blast incredibly powerful beams it can knock a mega out the sky or pierce through even the hardest of minerals including digistal. Crockaijumon is also slow due to its heavy weight and skin, it lacks mobility although the beams and shoot from his back, tail, sides, eyes and mouth. Sometimes he can turn into a living bomb!