Chapter 15: Digital Beginnings
"Before technology there was nothing
Then land appeared and trees grew
Water spread and grass sprouted
But still the land was empty.
Finally, a single digimon was born
But this digimon was lonely
So, he created four friends but they soon left
Next, he created four more digimon
And ten great warriors to help them
But with that task complete the first vanished."
Year: DigiAge 0
Location: Distant Desert, Ancient Digital World
Koko flew silently over the desert for a long time, just thinking as she got as far from the DigiDestined as she could. Ryan is one of them…what am I supposed to do? Will Pride make me kill my own brother?
Koko collapsed into the sand as her wings finally gave out, one slightly bruised from the fall earlier. No, she wants them for her experiments…if she just kills them then the crests will simply find someone else. She was crying now, despite promising herself she wouldn't, and mikemon stood up from where she had dropped him.
Shizumon appeared beside her as mikemon padded over and Koko glanced up at him "Tomo?"
Mikemon glanced away and sighed "I don't know either but we must have a purpose here. Maybe we won't have to fight…"
Koko sat up then, her wings hanging limply against her side, and shook her head "You know what that angel said."
Shizumon glanced away at that and disappeared back into the digivice while mikemon just sighed again.
Koko slowly stood up and turned to study the landscape before them. The desert stretched on for several more miles before ending suddenly at a large river.
Mikemon followed her gaze and shrugged "Maybe that boy was right, it would have been safer staying with them…or at least close to them…"
"No, it would raise too many questions." she muttered after a moment, fingering her tag as she slowly put her three crests in it "But it might be better to have these ready to use."
"If we knew how to use them" mikemon responded, watching her now as the tag turned from tan to a dark grey.
Koko shrugged, folded in her wings, and set off for the river while mikemon retreated to the digivice.
Location: Forest of Truth, Ancient Digital World
Garurumon and firamon slowed as the trees began to thicken around them while the riders ducked low to avoid being knocked off by branches.
Eventually the trees thinned out again and they broke out into a nearly empty clearing. The trees opposite them rose taller and taller as they began to climb the mountain slopes but sitting in the clearing between them and the mountain was a strange angel-child.
Zev jumped down as garurumon stopped and kept one eye on the angel as he helped Time down. Behind him Strike and Ryan also jumped down, firamon devolving back to coronamon.
"Who are you?" Strike muttered, eyeing the slopes behind the angel digimon while Ryan just watched, still slightly out of it from the fight.
"I am Lucemon or 'the angel' as your little friends like to call me, and I am also not from this time." it replied after a moment, standing as they stepped closer "Of course you probably don't even know when or where you are."
Zev glanced at garurumon as he devolved back to gabumon then turned and addressed the angel "So are you going to tell us or do we have to keep playing guessing games."
Time shifted closer to him as he spoke, looking as if she might fall asleep any minute "Be nice, Lucemon is a friend…"
Zev glanced down at her but said nothing as Lucemon began talking again.
"You are at the very dawn of the digital world in a place known as the Valley of Beginning." he seemed amused as he watched them "You were brought here to learn the secrets that created your world and your destiny."
Zev flinched at the word destiny and Strike took back the conversation "What about the other DigiDestined?"
Lucemon smirked and turned to point out the mountain "This is your journey, not theirs…four dragons and four angels once lived, why should there be more than four for this task? They may join you for future trips but do not count on them, their place is in the present so that you can travel freely… Look now to the lonely peak and there you will find your first question…"
"Four? There are only three DigiDestined here…Lucemon" Strike started to argue but the angel disappeared as strangely as he had appeared and the four travelers were left alone again.
Year: May 31, 2308
Location: Rock Pick County, Americanus North Neutral
"They've been gone a long time now…we're lucky the only attacks have been minor…" Crystal murmured quietly to her partner as they sat in the park watching the younger kids playing.
"They play with time…" the elecmon rumbled, his eyes half closed as he enjoyed the late spring sun, "It is dangerous to wait…"
"What can we do? We were understrength to begin with…" Crystal trailed off as she spotted a strange girl walking around the park, a clam digimon hopping along behind her, "What in the world?"
"You!" The older girl stopped before their bench, dark shades hiding her blind eyes and a cane posed a half inch off the ground, "You are the Destined." It was not a question but a statement as the odd digimon stopped just behind her.
"I'm one of them…" Crystal studied the girl as she spoke, one hand resting on elecmon's back and the other ready to grab her digivice, "Who are you?"
"The great gulf hails you, I come from the distant spirit waters to bring you the crest of patience…" The older girl nodded, leaning on her cane now as she bent over Crystal, "What shall I do?"
"Umm…" Crystal relaxed slightly as the tan tag swung just before her eyes, ducking around the new girl to stand, "You're from the spirit packs? I've never met one of the water-dwellers before."
"We do not come up often, how many Destined are there now?" she twisted and sat down in the seat Crystal had just vacated, her cane across her lap now as she turned her head back towards the younger girl, "I am called Ariel by my packmates."
"Uh…counting you there are nine of us now…"
"I do not count nine here, perhaps six?" Ariel cocked her head towards where the younger ones were playing as her partner hopped into her lap.
"The other three are…travelling right now." Crystal picked elecmon up as she also turned to make sure the others were alright.
Ariel didn't respond for a moment, her hand tapping against the cane handle as she listened. "This area will be dangerous soon, perhaps it is time to move the base."
Crystal sighed and rubbed a finger along the edge of her tag as she turned back to the new girl, "Perhaps it is but I had hoped they'd come back first…"