Recap from Chapter 2
"At the end of the hall is a shrine to AncientKazemon, it contains two pedestals, one for both her human and beast spirit. The spirits however, are protected by a special dome that prevents imposters from claiming the spirits, so you will have to find a way to lower the dome first if you want the spirits."
"The room also holds a secret to finding the warrior that AncientKazemon loved!" one of the Mushroommon spoke up.
"Unfortunately, only the bearer of the spirits of wind and the Floramon entrusted with the location of the spirits may enter the chamber, everyone else must stay out here." Another Mushroommon told the group.
"Oh. Only I can go in?" I asked uneasily. The others looked concerned with the situation, especially Kouji, who was frowning and his brow was knitted with worry.
"Afraid so, but I'll be with you the whole time." Floramon smiled encouragingly at me. I smiled back without my trepidation.
"Alright, let's get going then, I need my spirits so we can defeat IceDevimon and save your village." I smiled at the others, lightly squeezed Kouji's arm in reassurance and followed Floramon down the hallway to the chamber holding my spirits.
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon
CHAPTER 3
When we finally got to the chamber, I slowly pushed the door open, and peaked inside, before pushing it open further and following Floramon inside. The room was, for lack of a better word, ginormous, and the ceiling extended several floors high. The ground was a solid layer of marble in various shades of purple, indigo, violet and pink, with a shade or two of navy blue and light blue here and there. The walls were covered more of the ancient symbols and characters that the rest of the crypt had. The high vaulted ceiling was actually a large mosaic of an open grassy field on a windy day, with a bright blue sky dotted with a couple clouds, and all ten Ancient Legendary Warriors stood, or flew over, the plain. It was beautiful and magnificent to look at, the artist must have spent many, many hours crafting it. Lastly, in middle of the room, was a semi-circle of 10 thrones, each one had a different elemental kanji inscribed on the head of each. In order it went; Lightning, Wood, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, Darkness, Metal, Rock, Ice. The thrones of Wind and Light were centered in the middle, with the others to their sides, and it almost appeared as if the two middle thrones were placed closer together than any of the others. In front of the two middle thrones, stood two decorated pedestals, each holding a purple ball of light, and on the wall directly behind the two pedestals, Kazemon and Zephyrmon were painted in positions of mid-flight. Lastly, just as the Mushroommon had said, a dome was placed over the two pedestals and 10 thrones.
I hadn't the slightest clue as to how to lower the dome. At first I thought I should do it the same way Kouji and Kouichie did, but then I figured with this being the Digital World, the golden rule of thumb is always, "no two things are ever done the same." I quickly threw that idea out the window knowing it wouldn't work. Next, I walked around the room, touching the symbols and characters, wishing, hoping, I could read something and I could, at the very least, find a clue to my problem and solution or even to who was AncientKazemon's beloved. As I got closer to the thrones, I realized only 8 of the thrones were trapped in the domed barrier, and the thrones of Light and Wind were left out. Curiosity took a hold of me, and I decided to walk closer to them, check them out, and see if there was any information of value on them. I patted all over both thrones and found nothing of value, no secret compartments, no levers or buttons, nothing. Frustrated and confused, I plopped down onto the Wind throne and promptly felt a whoosh of wind coming towards my face, and try as I might, I could not move.
The wind wrapped around me so quickly and powerfully, I had to close my eyes. When it eventually died down, I slowly opened my eyes to see what had happened. To my utter surprise, the dome was gone and so were the spirits, in fact, so was Floramon. All of a sudden, the doors opened and AncientKazemon walked into the room, at first, I thought she was actually there, but then I realized, I was looking at a memory, an event from the past.
AncientKazemon walked into the room looking forlorn and tired. She sighed as she set her rapier against the wall and removed her helmet from her head. Waves of purple hair tumbled down her back as she set the helmet on the floor and proceeded to remove the heavy armor from her arms and shoulders. As she did that, the butterfly wings that Kazemon is well known for, popped out and flapped a couple times to stretch from their cramped position under the armor. AncientKazemon finally turned around to face the thrones and Zoe could see that a mask covered her mouth just like Zephyrmon's. The Ancient digimon slowly peeled the mask down to lay at the base of her neck and Zoe could see the remorseful frown that graced Kazemon's lips. The digimon began pacing back and forth across the room, playing with the wind in her hands, making small cyclones and whatnot. Eventually she stopped in the middle of the room by the 2 pedestals, and dropped to the ground like a puppet with no master.
She stared miserably at the two podiums and sighed with despair.
"My time on this physical plain is almost extinct, and his I fear is nearly there. If we could spend just one moment together, alone in solitude, oh what I would give for that moment." She sighed quietly, then looked up where Zoe sat.
"We would have been great. All ten of us. But then that traitor attacked AncientMermaimon, and AncientGreymon didn't take much too kindly to that. And thus, the second war began." She turned her head to look at the throne of lightning.
"AncientBeetlemon was the first to go after we defeated that traitor. He was a good friend of mine, and I mourned his loss. I may not have appreciated his advances, but at least he was always there for me." A tear fell down her cheek.
"AncientMegatheriummon was next followed closely by his close friend AncientVolcanomon. Neither of their brothers took the loss well, and what followed could only be described as despaired chaos. AncientMegatheriummon was a very dear and close friend of mine, I despaired to see him go, but he's happier now than he was suffering." More tears slid down her cheeks.
"AncientTroiamon was the next to leave us, though his departure wasn't nearly as remorseful. Out of the ten of us, he was the most excluded and will be missed the least." Zoe couldn't believe how callous her spirit was about the loss of a fellow warrior.
"Alas, the day came when AncientWisetmon came to pass, though he passed in tender happiness. He would, of course, be joining his brother in the only afterlife us legendary warriors will ever know. I regretted his passing if only because he was my greatest advisor both in life and in battle." A small tearful smile graced her face.
"It was several months before we lost anyone else, which was good, but at the same time it was the only person who could break what was left of AncientGreymon's grasp on reality. AncientMermaimon passed a mere two years after her and Greymon exchanged vows of eternal love, 3 years after the defeat of the traitor. It was a beautiful ceremony, lots of dancing, and joyous laughter. The ceremony took place a week before AncientBeetlemon left us, and I'd like to say that moment was the peak of our happiness as the Legendary Warriors. I spent all night, dancing under the light of all 3 full moons dancing with my beloved. It was one of the few times I had seen him without so much armor, in fact, both of us were dressed down to our human spirits, choosing instead to enjoy the night as simple beings in love rather than the all-powerful fated Legendary Warriors." A smile full of utter joy, love and fondness took over her face and her eyes were swimming in happy memories.
"But like I said, Mermaimon's death took Greymon to the edge of insanity. He had already lost his brother, to lose the love of his life, it was inhumane. He wallowed in despair and agony for months before AncientSpinxmon and AncientGarurumon pulled him back." A sad smile replaced her previous joyful expression.
"They reminded him he was our leader, and even though we'd lost 6 already, there were still four of us left, and we needed all of the support we could get in the coming months. It seemed to snap him out of his trance for the time being. He threw himself into everything he did, and helped us with the rebuilding of the Digital World to the fullest extent. With only four of us left, we knew our time was limited. So we decided to recruit new world leaders, thus the Celestial Angels came to exist."
"We entrusted our spirits and well-being with the three of them, Cherubimon, Ophanimon and Seraphimon. Between the four of us, we split up the ten spirits to the three of them. Cherubimon would possess Metal, Rock, Wood, Water, and Darkness. Ophanimon would keep Fire, Ice and Lightning. And Seraphimon would protect Wind and Light. I never understood why Greymon would willingly separate his spirit from Mermaimon's, that is, until he explained it to me."
"AncientSpinxmon and AncientGarurumon were out spending time together as brothers typically do, and Greymon and I were left alone in our home, Palazzo degli Antichi, when translated means Palace of the Ancients, and I finally asked him why he didn't demand to stay with Mermaimon in spirit. He smiled sadly, rested his head upon my lap and softly spoke these words to me:
"When you have a love as strong as ours, nothing, not time or space or life or death, not war or peace or freedom or captivity, nor here or there or physically or spiritually, nothing can falter or tear or block or hurt or shatter or shake or crush or break the bond we hold as lovers. For when you love someone with all of your existence and all of your heart, and all of your being, it doesn't not matter where or when or why or what or how, you will always find each other. A billion years could pass in my spirit form and I would still love her as much as I did when I exchanged my vows as when she died in my arms. You ask why I didn't fight to have our spirits protected by the same celestial, the answer is because I know our love to be strong enough to pass the test of time, to not be altered or to not be broken by anything that is thrown at us. So even if I face her on the battlefield someday, I know our love to be true, that it will still outshine whatever force evil may throw our way. I love her, its plain and simple, and nothing or no one or no time or no way will change that."
"Later that day, Garurumon and sphinxmon returned to Palazzo degli Antichi to find me kneeling on the ground sobbing, as Greymon's human and beast spirits lay haphazardly on the ground beside me. Greymon finally answered my question because he knew his time was up, and he knew exactly what I needed to hear before My Love and I passed as well, he was a true friend who couldn't be so easily replaced. It was on that day that I began the final preparations for this chamber." More tears trailed her face, her lips in a firm line.
"I had this tomb made years ago, long before the war between human and beast type digimon, long before the traitor attacked, long before I even reached Ancient form, in fact, I was still a little Zephyrmon when I began my plans for this crypt."
"I was young, and naïve, and desperately in love with one of the other warriors, but at the time, he did not know. He was like any other male, more focused on getting stronger and fighting than my feminine willies. Calmaramon actually suggested the idea of the crypt to me, she was going through a similar problem with BurningGreymon at the time, and offered to help me with my endeavor. I jumped at the idea, what was more romantic than an underground crypt filled with a magical maze that had symbols and characters on the walls that lit up in the presence of my Love and I and led us to a secret chamber deep within the maze? And the fact that it could only happen once a year on the night that all three Digital Moons were in the Full moon phase? I was enraptured by the idea, and quickly worked to make it reality."
"Ranamon and I worked for days on end, at one point we even requested the help of Gigasmon, Petaldramon, Korikakumon and MetalKabuterimon to make the maze. It worked out well too, all four of them started at different locations on the continent of light, and they never once met up with each other, though they did eventually intersect paths. The secret chamber however, was the hardest part, and finding a secret path to it was just as difficult. Eventually I gave up and asked Mercurymon, who had recently digivolved to AncientWisetmon to help me with the schematics."
"After I received the necessary materials needed for the magic glowing symbols and to make secret paths and chamber, I went about finishing the project myself, though every now and then I would accept help from Ranamon, especially when she suggested an underground river and cavern near the ocean border. It was a good idea after all."
"The project as a whole took me about 30 years to finish, and in that time, My Love and Greymon and Ranamon and the others had all digivolved to Ancient, but I was still stuck at Zephyrmon. I couldn't even get to my SilphyAngewomon level. Because of this estrangement, I kept to myself and stayed in my tomb, for another 20 years, carving more and more symbols every day until the walls of the maze and crypt were lined from floor to ceiling in symbols and characters. Mermaimon would visit me in my river on occasion, sometimes bringing Megathariummon with her. I endeared their visits greatly, as they were my two greatest companions since I hatched from my egg."
"One day, however, I received a surprising visit. I was working on the entrance to my tomb, Floramon and Mushroommon stood around me, when a small child angel digimon with wings landed beside me. HE told me his name was Lucemon, and that he was sent to help us in our future endeavors. He told me of a great war that would erupt in the near future between beast and human types, and that if we were not cautious, we would be the cause of it. He then told me that despite my good intentions, my project I had been so focused on for years was a lost cause, a waste of time, for the man I loved could never be with me, neither in this life nor the next one."
"At first I was enraged, who was this child to tell me I could never be with the one I loved? And to insinuate that the Legendary Warriors would be the cause for a war founded on inequality? It was all utter bullocks to me. After telling that child exactly where he could put his disgusting dreams of racist war and his notions against my Beloved, and that so long as I still stood and drew breath, I would never let those I love suffer or die at the hands of meager hatred or war. So of course I went straight to AncientWisetmon, surely he could tell me if the words this child spewed were true or not."
"In all of my time alone in my caves, I had not noticed a change in myself, so focused on completing my sanctuary I had not noticed the fruits of labor had indeed paid off, but not in the way I would have thought. After spending so much time persevering in the name of love, I eventually digivolved to SilphyAngewomon without knowing. And to top it all off, when I had told the child digimon exactly what I thought of his notions, I apparently, had digivolved to Ancient, finally becoming AncientKazemon. So upon arrival at Palazzo degli Antichi, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with cheers of joy and love from my most trusted companions. Wisetmon was only too willing to talk to me in private."
"I explained the situation and my concerns to him, and he regretfully told me of the very real possibility of a war breaking out due to hatred between human and beast types. I was saddened by this and resentful that the stranger digimon was correct in his foretelling. I then asked him about my loveless notions. He smiled warmly at me and told me not all hope was lost, that I did in fact have a chance, just not in a traditional way. He asked if my tomb was complete, for I would need it on the upcoming triple full moon."
"I was ecstatic of course, to hear this, for I had been waiting for this moment for almost 5 decades. I quickly went to Mermaimon to get her opinion of the matter and she suggested I try talking to my beloved now that he had matured, to which I did."
"My beloved and I spent hours in the gardens of Palazzo degli Antichi, talking endlessly about anything and everything. He even caressed my cheek a time or two and I was enraptured. In complete and total bliss. We spent several days like that together, just talking and spending time together, gazing into each other's eyes. Finally, the day before the triple full moon, I invited him to the tomb I had been prepping for his arrival for half a century now. He of course accepted the invitation. Finally, my dream could come true."
"On the night of the triple full moon, it was everything I had dreamt of and more. He returned my affections for him in full bravado and apologized for him taking 50 years to discover his feelings. We spent the whole night and many more to follow together. A decade had passed since our first triple full moon together when tragedy stroked."
"The war broke out faster than any I had ever witnessed. There was much bloodshed on either side and many were lost. We worked for years trying to tame the hatred and end the fight. We were criticized for not joining our rightful sides, and eventually we had no choice but to join the bloodshed. We thought that if we showed support and then tried to talk them down, it would end the war, but we were wrong."
"The war lasted almost half a century, and in those 50 years, My Beloved and I could only be together for 50 of those days. The years were long and hard, filled with pain and suffering. I had almost given up hope of ending the war, when that child angel digimon reappeared."
"His name was Lucemon, but he told us to call him the savior, for he said, he will be the savior of the Digital World. And at the time, we believed him, because all we wanted was to end the madness of the war. Somehow, he was successful where we were not. And so for many decades after that, we lived in peace again. And then the Traitor attacked."
"He said we had too much power, and he was going to end that. The following moments were a blur to me. I remember seeing him shoot a ball of light at Mermaimon and a ball of darkness at myself, too stunned to move, it consumed us both. And then the two balls of light and darkness gravitated towards each other. We thought we were in pain before, as soon as the two spheres merged, we learned the true meaning of pain and fear. Somehow, I don't recall how, we were released, and a feral Greymon and my Beloved were laying into Lucemon."
"The following days, weeks, months, years were spent actively fighting Lucemon and his escalated power. After 31 years, we finally and successfully defeated him, and order returned to the world. But as most things do, our triumph came with a cost. And this time, we would pay dearly."
"In order to defeat Lucemon, we had to combine ourselves together to form the highest level of digivolution imaginable, we became, Susanoomon. With this upgrade we were able to defeat Lucemon, however, the amount of energy it took and dependence on others to sustain a life form, took a toll on us once we separated. Apparently, combining 10 life forms into 1 and then splitting it after years of co-dependency, into 10 separate life forms again, takes a large toll on the body, and weakens its sustainability and life expectancy immensely."
"And thus we've come full circle, for a mere year after Lucemon's defeat, Greymon and Mermaimon exchanged vows and then a week later AncientBeetlemon died. And then everyone died, one after another, painful loss after painful loss, tear after tear, until all who were left were myself, AncientSphinxmon and AncientGarurumon"
"So as we entered the final months of our existence, I had this chamber made to remind all those who come after us, of the great trials and tribulations and feats we had overcome to become the Legendary Warriors, to become the saviors of the world, and to become the salvation that others so desperately longed for. We were kings and queens in our own rights, leaders to the lost and the forgotten, we fought for peace and freedom when no one else could, and purged the world of the greatest evil it has known to date."
"Alas, the last fortune I ever received from Wisetmon told me to prepare the future for a force of evil so great and so strong, that we may not be able to defeat alone. He told me Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Reliability, Kindness, Knowledge, Hope, Light, and Destiny held the key to defeating the 7 sins of evil, and to hide those keys wisely. Those were the last words he spoke to me before his death."
"So I did as he told me to, but not alone. Garurumon, Sphinxmon and myself, forged what would be known as the Crests, which would react to the qualities of the 10 keys: Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Kindness, Hope, Light, and Destiny (may be switched to Loyalty). After the Crests were forged, my Beloved and I took them and used our last triple full moon together, to hide the Crests in our hidden chamber. We hope that one day, our descendants, or even ourselves, will find the Crests and use them to awaken our Ancient Spirits to a level of power that will be magnified at least tenfold by the power of the Crests, to defeat this looming great evil."
"A week later, Sphinxmon died in the arms of his brother, my Beloved, and we spent hours, possibly days weeping over the loss. Garurumon's light dimmed exponentially after that day, and I couldn't blame him if I tried. We've spent most of what time we have left in each other's arms, but it just doesn't feel right with the death of our friends looming over our hearts. Even so, there was one thing we requested of Seraphimon and the others before our end. We requested to exchange vows in the presence of the other spirits, and that when we went as well, that our spirits would be placed within a day's travel of each other, so that our descendants would never be too far away."
"Per our request, all 8 of our friends rejoined us in their human spirit form, and witnessed as Garurumon and I, my Beloved and I, exchanged vows of everlasting love for all of the Digital World to hear. Greymon, then Agunimon, came to us after and embraced us tightly, congratulating our ceremony and praising our love. He told us he always knew, of our secret love and our trysts and meetings. He told us that he had always approved as well and had rooted for us in the background. His words brought tears to my eyes, and I enveloped him in desperate hug as I sobbed all over his armor. He was always a brother to me, and this moment proved it. Even Garurumon hugged him meaningfully with a few tears."
"We had another tearful reunion with Lowemon and Ranamon, they being our siblings by birth, twins nonetheless didn't make it any easier. They told us how long they've waited for this day, and that they can't wait to celebrate with us in the afterlife and in the next life of our descendants. We hugged and cried for what felt like days but was an hour or two at most."
"At the end of the ceremony, our friends left us again, this time with a promise to see us again soon. Garurumon and I decided to live in our human spirit forms for many weeks after that day, prolonging our death by as long as possible, but we could both feel it coming. We could only run away from destiny for so long."
"Part of a gift for our vow exchange from the celestials, and so they could complete our other demand, was the installment of a temple a day's ride from my tomb. This temple would hold not only the Spirits of Light, but Darkness as well. I was happy for my Beloved, for he would be close to his brother in death as well. Their gift made me think, and that is when I made the final plans for my spirit chamber."
"I wanted to be close to all of my loved ones in life and death, so I used my spirit chamber to do just that. I had a mural made on the ceiling of the chamber that displayed all 10 of us so that we would forever be together. Then, I had thrones constructed with each of their elemental Kanji's on the headpiece so that we could forever sit together and rule together. Then I had my pedestals made and paintings of my human and beast spirit behind them. And after putting more symbols and characters on the walls, my chamber was completed. The only thing left to do, was to die and move on."
"Lobomon and I both knew our time was coming to an end, and yet, we did not want to despair each other with our final moments of life. So we separated after one last joyous night together, then headed off for our own resting place, his temple, my tomb. It was there that we digivolved to Ancient form and planned to spend our last few moments of life."
"And so now we have once again come full circle, and here I am, staring at the thrones of my dear ones, wishing they were with me now, talking out loud to myself, briefly explaining what has brought me to this point. I don't know if anyone will ever know our story, not the one that authors will write, about our sacrifices and courageous acts in battle, or how we defeated Lucemon, but the stories that made us normal, how Ranamon and I pined for requited love, how I spent 50 years creating a tomb that would be an escape for my Beloved and I, and how that tomb would unknowingly hold the keys to the future defeat of the greatest evil to ever exist. How Kumamon and Grumblemon played pranks on their brothers, Mercurymon and Agunimon. How Beetlemon pined after my affection but never received and still stayed loyal to me. How Arbormon always found the best Christmas tree, even though we secretly knew he grew it from scratch himself each year and gave it a little oomph to make it look better, but feigned ignorance anyways. How Lobomon and Lowemon are twins, yet act the opposite of their elements. These are the stories worth telling, because they prove that anyone can be a hero, anyone can make a difference, as long as they have something worth fighting for. Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Kindness, Hope, Light, Destiny. These Crests are the answer to everything.
And my Beloved, my Lover, my Husband, my Best Friend and Partner in life, Lobomon, KendoGarurumon, Beowulfmon, MagnaGarurumon, AncientGarurumon. He is my everything, and I look forward to the day that I see him again. Him, and the other 9 warriors as well."
"So for now, I wait, wait for death to claim me, I have no regrets, my heart is filled with love, and I patiently await rejoining my friends, my family, and my loved ones, in the afterlife."
"My Descendant, I know you're watching, please know, that you have to find my Beloved before the next triple full moon to find my hidden chamber, inside you will find the keys to the defeat of the next great evil. I anxiously await the moment we meet. But for now…my time…is…up. Fare…well…mi Amor…I'll….see...You…Again...Soon." And with that, AncientKazemon's body dissipated into the air, like a trail of lights and glitter floating upwards, and all that she left behind, were two orbs of purple light, which immediately gravitated towards their designated pedestals. Upon reaching their destination, a dome of purple light and wind rose up to protect the resting place of the wind spirits.
All of a sudden, I was hit by the immensely strong winds once more, again I closed my eyes and brought up my arms in defense. Just as suddenly as it started, it ended, and I slowly opened my eyes. Laying on the ground at the other side of the chamber was Floramon. Instincts kicked in, and without thinking, I ran straight to her, going through the dome to get to Floramon. I shook her carefully and she woke up with ease.
"The dome!" She gasped, looking behind me.
I turned to see the dome lowering itself to the ground. Seeing nothing bad happening, I walked towards the pedestals and looked at both spirits.
"Hello Old friends, I've missed you for quite some time now. And despite wanting to catch up, we have some work to do. The Demon Lords are on the rise, and it's our job to vanquish them. Think you're up for it?" I asked them this, though I knew their answer would be yes. At that exact moment, the spirits flew towards my D-tector and became one with me again.
"Grazie Kazemon, Zephyrmon. AncientKazemon, I will do you well." I said determinedly.
"Come Floramon, we must get back to the others."