Chapter 24: Our Destiny
Ryo and Millenniumon looked at each other's. The dark god watched by a side glance his partner with a small smile. He saw that the boy's body was completely healed, but not only that. His mind started to heal. He knew that confronting him, a being more dangerous than the one who hurt him probably helped him or started the healing procedure.
Ryo. You always have a strong mind against adversity. Millenniumon praised his partner.
"When are you starting to talk?" Ryo asked.
Millenniumon forced himself not to gasp and looked forward.
"Let's start with the basic stuff. You now know that I was telling you the true all along. It might be hard for you to accept it, but I am your partner and destiny brought us together," Millenniumon said.
"What do you mean by destiny brought us together?" Ryo asked.
"I'm sure you understand it," Millenniumon replied.
"I know what it means. We are partner because destiny decided, but that's not what I meant. I want to know why you are saying this," Ryo said.
"You remember the higher will I brought up; the Will of the Digital world?" Millenniumon asked.
Ryo nodded.
"Good. The higher Will is something that decided fate and destiny through its blessing or curses, depending on the point of view of those affected by it. From what I know, it is an omniscient while ignorant thing or being that always brought fate for a purpose. The reason we are destined to be together is for a purpose put upon us," Millenniumon said.
"Omniscient and ignorant?" Ryo asked confused by those contradictory words.
"That is extremely complex. Even I, as a god, cannot fully understand the Will. I can only perceive a few things with my power, just like my awareness of our destiny. What I meant by omniscient and ignorant is that it knows everything, but it doesn't know what everything will do. He knows of our existence and current actions without seeing us, but our future actions are unknown to him. It is because we are free of making real choice," Millenniumon explained.
"Y-yeah," Ryo replied, partially understanding his explanations.
"It wants us to be together in our destiny. Since I realised it, I always dream to have you by my side when we conquer the Digital world and that the darkness rule over the digital world," Millenniumon said with a smile.
Ryo crossed his arms, glared at Millenniumon and replied: "There is no way I'm going to let you conquer the digital world. I'll always stand in your way."
Millenniumon turned his head at Ryo's direction and replied: "I am not surprise by your choice. You aren't the type to do things my way Ryo. I know this from the start. Even so, I am your partner. We are different, I am the darkness and you are the light. It's repetitive, but it is a fact. We don't see the world the same way and we don't act the same way."
"As you said, darkness and light cannot live without each other's. Is it why we are partners?" Ryo asked.
"Need a reminder. It's because of our duty to maintain balance in the Digital world," Millenniumon said before sighting: "I told you like a few hours ago."
"The situation was different!" Ryo shouted shyly.
Millenniumon chuckled at his comical reaction: "True. It was because we were officially enemies. Our position is starting to blur, from you side."
"There is one thing I don't understand. If you are saying that our duty is to maintain the balance in the digital world, then why do you want to conquer it and spread darkness?" Ryo asked.
Millenniumon gasped and looked the other way: "Isn't it obvious. I'm a digimon of darkness. The light is too bright and the effect of balance is automatically activated. When the light shined too brightly, the darkness must radiate even more than before. You see, after the chosen children saved the digital world, the balance that moved too much to the light. Because the light shined too brightly, I came here to spread the darkness in the digital world."
"That was convincing in your voice," Ryo said. Millenniumon was nervous when he said that: "But you couldn't say it strait at my face."
"Is it bad to be ambitious?" Millenniumon asked seriously looking at Ryo. "I existed before to spread the darkness. It's in my nature."
"Yeah," Ryo replied.
"Ryo. I want to be your partner. I truly want it. Why don't you join my side? Now that you know the true, that the light is tainted by lying to you," Millenniumon asked his partner.
Ryo didn't immediately reply when a flash appeared in his mind: « In the digital world, there are three types of light: the shining light, the simple light and the tainted light, and three types of darkness: the bright darkness, simple darkness and blacken darkness. Ryo. Millenniumon is a digimon of darkness, but in which of the three darkness Millenniumon is? Is he the bright darkness, just darkness or blacken darkness? ». Ryo remembered the voice of Raziel when he told this.
He looked at Millenniumon. He didn't know what type of darkness he was, but he didn't felt like it was the blacken darkness.
"Of course I won't join your side Millenniumon. I cannot accept that my destiny is to join you and conquer the digital world like you want. I'll never accept this. I just tell the other chosen that I won't. Maybe the light is tainted, but the chosen children of the light aren't. They wanted to tell me the true and they probably will, if I wasn't listening to them," Ryo replied.
Millenniumon sighted loudly. He was sad and disappointed that his destined partner refused his proposition, but he was expecting it: "That's the Ryo I love."
Ryo couldn't help, but find the way he said love creepy.
"I knew you wouldn't accept it. I am not an idiot who think you would change your mind that easily," Millenniumon gently said before laughing.
Ryo felt it was an evil laugh and not a joyful laugh, but at the same time, thought it was joyful laugh. It was pretty much because his appearance and his voice made his laugh more evil than in reality.
"Then why did you ask?" Ryo said.
The dark god stopped laughing before replying: "You are never sure of someone else answered until you ask it...Or read its mind. There is always a small chance that you will accept. I won't make you join me by force. It would be...artificial," Millenniumon said when he thought back. It's true Ryo. He lost his smile and closed his eyes when he thought of the past: The dark spores were a way to force you to join my ways. It's artificial and you wouldn't have been by my side. This is why I didn't try to infect you with another one.
"True. It wouldn't have been partnership, but the one of a slave and his master," Ryo replied looking at Millenniumon.
Millenniumon met his glare and chuckled lightly. He turned his body at Ryo direction and dropped his head. His eyes were at the level of Ryo and they stared at each other's: "You have a lot of wisdom for a kid."
"I know," Ryo replied. He thought back about what his parents teach him and remembered what Millenniumon accused his father off. His mood darkened and he lightly glared at Millenniumon.
"Thinking back about what I said about your father?" Millenniumon asked with his lips moving down. Ryo didn't reply, but it was obviously a yes. The dark god sighted and said: "It was my mistake and stupidity. When we met, I didn't want to talk about it until I was 100% sure that I was right. I panicked and turned dump. My mouth spoke too fast for a reason. I learn that often, abuse comes from one parent or both of them. I watched you from the start and it pained me to see you injured. I'm sure my words won't mean a lot, but...I apology for my accusation."
Ryo looked at him and replied: "They meant absolutely nothing."
Millenniumon gasped and the jaw disappeared behind the cliff. Ryo saw this and with imagination, it was ridiculous. He saw in his mind the jaw of the dark god hitting the ground of the cliff.
"What is it?" Millenniumon asked uncertain of his what was in his partner mind.
"Nothing of your concern," Although it's everything about you. Ryo said in his mind before continuing: "I wasn't really serious about it. You aren't a digimon who apologies for anything Millenniumon. Remember that I don't forgive you for what you said about my father." Millenniumon nodded. He was about to say something when Ryo asked: "How do you know about it?"
Millenniumon didn't reply and thought back with the original Ryo. I just saw him never closing his eyes when he witnessed anyone in need. Even if it was someone abused. He never kept silent about injustice. He always does what was right. I also studied it, but witnessing it was the reason I went this strongly to protect you from the man who did this to you. "I am a god Ryo. I have a lot of knowledge."
"Feels made up. You thought too long about it," Ryo replied.
Millenniumon chuckled nervously before he looked at Ryo seriously. He moved his head closer to Ryo, until only one meter separated them. He then gently said to Ryo: "I don't have a lot of time. A chosen child is coming for you. You took too long and they are starting to worry about you. Know this Ryo; I will always protect you from anything dangerous that could hurt you. I won't let any digimons or humans hurt you. I will also always protect your heart from pain. It is my duty as your destined partner."
Ryo felt what he said was the true. He looked in the amber eyes of the dark god and saw his reflection lightly smiled back at the god.
"Not a lie either," Ryo replied.
That made Millenniumon smile; a gentle smile on a creepy face.
"One last thing Ryo. No matter what happen in the future, I will do anything for our destiny to come true. We will become partner no matter what. We called for each other's and I won't let anyone in the way. Promise me to never deny me," Millenniumon asked. He grunted and said quickly: "Answer that another time."
Millenniumon vanished from Ryo sight. Ryo was sure he used his ability to control time, but he wasn't sure why he vanished. Maybe he expected me to answer with a no and wanted to let time do something for him.
"Ryo!" he heard Agumon shouted.
Ryo turned around and saw Taichi with Agumon. They saw him and ran near him.
"Ryo! Sorry for what you heard," Taichi said exhausted.
"Sorry. You have run to find me," Ryo said looking down a little in shame.
"We were worried about you. The Digital world is still dangerous, even if Millenniumon has been defeated for now," Taichi explained.
"I didn't think about it. I just really needed to be in my mind and thought about the fact that my partner was the one I fought," Ryo replied. He looked at Ryo and said: "It's a big surprise that Millenniumon was honest with me about that."
Taichi looked behind Ryo and asked: "Was there someone with you?"
Ryo first thought to say nothing, but he couldn't. They wanted to be honest with him when they learned that Millenniumon was his partner. He had to be honest with them.
"Yes. It was...Millenniumon," Ryo answered.
"That evil digimon was here!" Agumon shouted.
"I thought it was him," Taichi replied.
"What makes you think of that?" Ryo asked curiously.
"That big mark on the ground digging until it was near you. It's obviously a big digimon and Millenniumon is a really big digimon," Taichi answered.
Ryo chuckled nervously: "True. He was listening to us again."
Taichi looked at Ryo and asked: "What did he tell you?"
"We should return to the village. I think it's best if I tell everyone at the same time," Ryo replied.
Taichi nodded and they returned in the village.
AC: Here's the end of chapter 24.
Next chapter: Ryo's new partner.