A/N: Last of the chapters written on the coast! I made a good haul, but not as good as I was hoping for (it was pretty tough doing the assignments without internet; really, uni, what were you thinking?). In lieu of that, I think I'll change my plans to returning to weekly updates as opposed to trying to catch up on the chapters I lost, because there's simply too many of them. I'm still less than half way through the story and there's two months left to the year, so it's not really feasible, especially with other fics (because a remi can't focus on just one thing at a time, even during exam season).

On the other hand, things have really started moving for Kouji now (finally - his side was so slow...), which means we're moving onto the next phase of the story, and that's always fun (or not, for the characters themselves, lol). So enjoy!

Play of Spirits
Chapter 24 - Venus Rose

No-one recalled a time before the first beast vs. human digimon war. It was just like that: two different fractions of digimon fighting for a better world for themselves, and that meant worse for the others. The fighting was endless, and without end, until Lucemon rose up with his glittering white wings and his ideals.

Few listened, at first. But slowly, the number grew because the digimon were tired of fighting. They wanted peace. And so they followed Lucemon until there was enough of them to quell all the fighting, and obtain that peace.

And so Lucemon ruled the digimon with that ideal in mind, until the crown he wore sunk into his head and made his heart rot. And then he began to oppress all digimon, human and beast alike, until another force swept up: the legendary warriors who sealed him away.

But that had taken all their power, and so they fell into the soil and slumbered. The digimon decided, then, that one being could not be trusted to rule over them all. And so they elected a council.

And the three Angels came to rule the Digital World.

There was Seraphimon, who resided over law and order from his castle in the Forest Domain.

There was Ofanimon, who resided of life and love from her castle in the Gardens of Light.

And, finally, there was Cherubimon who resided over all knowledge from the Venus Rose: the glittering star of the Dark Continent.

At first, the Dark Continent was a refuge and a place for help to be sought. If there was a quarrel, then to Seraphimon they would go. If there was a virus, then to Ofanimon, but all other manner of troubles (including the viruses Ofanimon may not know how to treat) came to Cherubimon's domain where they wouldn't be judged and where they could find the answers they sought.

But then something changed. Whispers of Lucemon stirring began to rise up from the lands. And then Ofanimon vanished from her castle. And then a digimon who'd gone to see Seraphimon came back, screaming about how he slumbered in crystals and the doors to the Dark Continent slammed shut, locking in whatever secret it kept and Cherubimon as well.

And so anarchy slowly swept through the Digital World, along with the whispers of Lucemon's resurrection.

And here was the one place that contained the truth of it all: the Venus Rose.

.

Angler had told quite the story, but Kouji knew he couldn't afford to ignore it. The Venus Rose Star loomed above him now, and beneath it, the castle of the same name. That castle was his destination, he supposed. There wasn't anything else on this Continent that served as a landmark.

Unless one counted the Trailmon Graveyard, and he'd already gotten all the information and supplies he could carry from there.

So now it's the castle: the star he's been following since emerging in this godforsaken continent.

The doors are open and unguarded. He's immediately suspicious, but he still makes it indoors without trouble. The hallways are likewise empty, winding well past his sight and it's dark.

Somehow, without the light of the Venus Rose, it's darker than anything else he's seen on this continent. He wished the glowing moss had survived till now but it hadn't. It died far too quickly.

So he had to stumble along in the dark, until the open door had vanished too and he couldn't even see his feet in front of him.

He was tempted to call out. But that would be foolishness. If there were enemies hiding, he wouldn't hear them coming over his own echoes and they'd know exactly where he was. And who knew what dangers lurked in this castle.

But you're still here.

What choice did he have, though? He'd been wandering blind since he got here, so sneaking around a castle wasn't that different. And though he couldn't see where he was going, he at least knew which way to go.

Until he hit a wall, anyway. And that was bound to happen because who designed a walk-through castle?

.

Predictably, he hit a wall. And then he stopped there because it was dangerous to turn one way or another without some sort of a plan. It was also dangerous to walk blindly through a castle he knew next to nothing about, but he was doing it.

Sighing, he took out his D-scanner. Maybe there was a light function on it… which would also flag his position as well as his voice would, but at least wouldn't impede his hearing.

There was. There was also a map and he stared at the blinking dot arching left and up.

He shrugged to himself and followed it. Why not? It led him up a flight of stairs and into a corridor.

And his little light bounced off mirrors and amplified the entire corridor.

That was when he saw the shadows. They were also amplified by the mirrors. Drifting aimlessly until they caught sight of him.

They shrieked and Kouji almost dropped his D-scanner in surprise. Luckily he didn't, because the blinking dot seemed to lead to the other end of the corridor, and the shadows were diving at him.

Instinct told him to run back, but knowledge forced him to duck under the reaching hands and dash forward instead. The shadows give chase. He runs.

What would have happened if he didn't have a light source? He can't hear the shadows. He can only see them, diving in and out of mirrors. They're silent wraiths, reaching for him with their long black fingers and he doesn't know why. Is it because they're that deprived? Because he's alive and has substance and form? Because he's human?

When he got to the end of the corridor, he understood. It was because of that… thing, that makes them reach for and reach away and scream in a way that didn't make a sound.

.

The D-scanner was leading him to that thing: that black lump of something that sat on a pedestal, far from the mirrors.

It switches off when he was close enough to touch, and now he can only see that thing in front of him.

Why did it lead him here?

Darkness…

He blinked. That thought came out of nowhere. Or not. He'd been surrounded in darkness for a while, after all. Ever since he listened to that message.

I shouldn't have. And in another heartbeat: regret.

He thought about that. Did he regret it? It was kind of hard when he hadn't reached any logical conclusion yet. It was more that he was frustrated.

Angry.

Wasn't angry overdoing it a little?

But there was no-one and nothing here to temper him. Not his father knocking on his door whenever he got too wrapped up in staring at that photo of his mother. Not Satomi bringing snacks while he grumbled to himself or played the guitar until his fingers started to bleed. Not his martial art instructors dragging him off the mats before he kicked or punched too hard or dripped over his own two feet. Not his dog barking and scratching at his door before he could get stuck in his own head, or that girl from the flower shop telling him about flower meanings he didn't care to know, but what kept him from thinking too deeply about what he was doing and who he was buying those flowers for.

Not that it matters. I never picked them up.

How long as it even been?

Everything sort of melted together in the Dark Continent.

Everything was melting together now. And the darkness was his only companion. The darkness… and that thing in front of him.

Isn't that better than just darkness?

It seemed too much like a trap, to him. Someone was baiting him. Someone wanted him to pick up that thing, whatever it was.

What can it do? What will it do?

Maybe nothing. Maybe it was pointless. Or maybe it was like a bomb and would blow him to pieces.

I'm too impatient. If I stay here any longer, I'll pick that thing up anyway.

What else could it be then? A tool; his weapon in this so-called destiny game?

But in a scene of darkness, wouldn't light be the weapon?

Something tugged him as wrong in that thought. Maybe it was because the darkness was essentially a weapon, here. It was what kept him rooted to the spot. What made him stumble into the wall before. It was the light that guided him up the stairs, and through the corridor. But the darkness that reached for him.

He wasn't scared of the darkness, per say. He didn't need a night light to slumber. He just didn't like it. Anything could be hiding in the darkness. He preferred to see where he was going.

It was easier at home, naturally, when he knew where everything was and it was his own job to clean his room so he'd have no trouble walking blind in it. It was very different in an unknown castle in an unknown world knowing only that there was something in front of him, and behind him a labyrinth of mirrors from which shadows reached out for him.

Logically, if this thing on the pedestal was the reason they hadn't grabbed him when he stopped, then he should just carry it back with him.

But that still didn't answer the question as to what it was.

But if I don't do anything, then why did I come here for?

Did he leave and search some more, or did he accept what he was led here for.

He took out his D-scanner and tapped at its buttons, looking for that light source again.

It didn't come.

Something else, however, did. That female voice that began this journey.

'Look for the light in the darkness.'

Kouji blinked at the message, as the voice faded away. Look for the light in the darkness. What did that mean?

The voice answered.

'Take the spirit of darkness. That is your test.'

And that was a proper answer. So the thing before him was the spirit of darkness. And she called it a test.

So it's not going to be all roses and sugar. I guess I knew that.

He frowned to himself. So he was supposed to take the spirits of darkness… and then look for the light within then? Well, he supposed, by definition, there had to be light for darkness, and darkness for light. But games usually listed the two as separate and opposing attributes so what was the female voice getting at?

No answer. He thought about it some more.

Moving away from the game concept, there was the simple existence of light and darkness, as illustrated by the yin-yang symbol. It was impossible for them to exist without each other, which meant the spirits of darkness had a light source as well. But that was so vague. What was light to a being? What was darkness?

Life and death. Hope and despair. There were many ways to abstractly define light and darkness and he had no idea which one she meant.

Maybe he'd know if he took those spirits.

He reached out before he changed his mind and wasted any more time, and gripped it tightly.

'Find the light,' the female voice echoed, in his memories.

And another voice, this time male: 'Destroy the light.'

He stiffened, but it was too late to let go; it was already swallowing him. He fell, disconnected from his own body and tangled in the two voices, repeating their dichotomous words.

Female: 'find the light.'

And male: 'destroy the light.'