Chapter 36: Digital World: Dark Evolution VII
The beat of dispersing, pure energy washed over Flamon, through him, into every cell and out the other side.
Flamon jumped out of his skin and shuddered, his entire body shaking. Cold sweat ran down his forehead, mixing with the salty substance already covering him head to toe.
Once he was done shuddering in repulsion and actually took a look towards where his enemy was -the last evil-ball had been evaded five seconds ago; usually Flamon didn't even get three- to see how he was swinging his cross around like a remote and to read off that from which direction the flying-prison was going to come next, he was pleasantly surprised to see Pinnochimon ringing from that invasive pure energy more and longer than him and -most importantly- that there was a distinct lack of terror-inducing-balls. Everywhere.
Flamon was very pleased indeed.
He'd take that disgusting sensation of complete foreignness pressing through him -without so much as asking at that- and the following reject-reaction over evil-dodge-ball-with-sadistic-digimon any day.
The few seconds it took to notice that and be sure of it -god knows, he had had enough wrong assumptions just within the last hour- turned the battle between wood-type Pinnochimon and Spirit of Fire Flamon, on its head.
On the spot Flamon abandoned all intention of fleeing and straightened from his tense half crouch.
Pinnochimon, suddenly very tense and very quiet, looked at Flamon, tilting his head with hollow sounding creaks.
Flamon smirked, flickering up a hand and holding a nice, little flame in his palm.
Pinocchimon's jaw clattered.
Flamon glared at Pinocchimon.
Pinnocchimon swallowed before breaking out in nervous laughter. "Hihihi...that was...fun." Obviously the first thing coming to mind. Loose babbling. "...bu-bu-but...-rea-really...hehe..." The digimon gulped once, eyes nailed at the orange flame, not even seeing the glint in Flamon's eyes. "I...I-I reallyneedtogonowbye!" Pinocchimon spun on his heel and ran as if the devil himself was on his heels.
Suppressing a grin, Flamon called after it, making sure to insert a whole lot of righteous satisfaction into his voice. "I'm not letting you escape, you damn puppet! I'm going to burn you to ashes! And I'm going to make it painful!" Despite actually having no intention to do so. He wasn't stupid after all.
Pinocchimon disappeared first from sight, then from his senses, but only a minute after that, Flamon extinguished his little flame, snorting. Coward.
Flamon had little respect for anyone who had not even the intention to face something slightly scary. But on the other hand, he was also not ruthless and hunting down some fleeing enemy who was clearly scared for his life was not something he'd ever do if it could be avoided.
Grunting, he dropped gracelessly to the ground, his entire body trembling with exhaustion and strain. Only half aware, he triggered a slide evolution.
As Takuya emerged from the stream of data, he felt the need to amend the previous thought a bit more truthfully and less prideful than Flamon's mentality. It wasn't like the let Pinocchimon go out of the goodness of his heart; after all the wooden puppet had been hunting him out of his own free will, had only minutes before being playing with him in a sadistic and borderline torturing -mentally definitely, physically just about; Takuya was ready to drop dead now- version of cat and mouse, while laughing.
Refelxively, Takuya scowled into the earth.
He let the evil digimon go because he was in no condition to go hunting.
Being entirely truthful, he had only bluffed his way to a tie.
I want my bed, he though tiredly.
Takuya felt awful; in a way that he wasn't sure he ever felt before.
That said a lot he imagined, when he was -used to be- an unmotivated high school student on one side and had some millennia of boredom and something before that that he couldn't quite recall just now to use as reference on the other.
First-time-ever kind of awful.
And really, it was enough and he was this close to just passing out right then and there, but he couldn't.
In the back of his mind he had not forgotten the energy wave and something like that didn't just happen. Together with the fact that he had failed first at decoy-role and then let a few digimon -Dokugumon or whatever- get away, past him, to what he protected, when he had had no intention of allowing so was like a persistent nag that wouldn't leave him alone.
Persistent like Koji when he thought Takuya was wrong. Nagging like Zoe when she wanted to be annoying.
And didn't that just reanimate him in a whole different way? What right had Takuya to complain about being tired or sore, when his friends were so much worse off? Takuya was lucky.
Lucky beings had no right to slack off.
Also, not to forget, was a slight against his pride and internal sense of honor, which he couldn't just let go, no matter how much he wished to right now. Both, sadly, were a too prominent trait of his element.
Damn!
...so, that energy wave, he thought as he pathetically lifted his head and twisted his hands into the earth.
If Takuya knew anything -and he rather thought he did- then that was...
Anyway, whatever mess had happened was on his shoulders.
Takuya may have nothave said so out loud, but he had kind of promised to let nothing get past him.
To himself in any case, and that was what mattered in a promise.
Damn.
He had failed at that, though, so at least he wanted to know what -bad, terrible, horrible, tragic thing- had come from his failure.
Or if by some strike of luck everything turned out for the best and he was just jumping at shadows and energy waves were daily things here and he just didn't know it. Positive thinking.
It was with those dark thoughts in mind that he crawled to all fours and finally made it to his feet. Some other thing he had no recollection of every being so difficult.
Faltering, he leaned against a tree, forcing air into his his body with his will alone.
Tiredness was not something that left more than once before it doubled back stronger than ever and Takuya had already pushed it away during his fight with Phelesmon. The most he managed now was to get a numb mind filled with sluggish thoughts and a body weighting more than lead. And getting heavier with every step.
Fantastic.
He imagined he looked rather like a drunk as he tumbled from tree to tree. He couldn't really appreciate the humor with heavy foreboding that he hoped was only his paranoia pressing down on him, though.
Even with that mental preparation, he was unprepared for the scene that met him when after an eternity he finally reached the clearing.
With his vision fading in and out, from black to gray to nothing, Takuya still couldn't oversee the deep gashes riddling the ground or the askew trees and unearthed roots. The very clearing he had left, but unrecognizable. And even that wasn't enough warning.
Takuya felt his stomach drop through his feet, cold as ice.
Slowly, he managed to get to Sora. Up close, she didn't look dead. Pale overall while feverish, but not dead.
Trying to kneel down, he only managed the movement half way until his legs gave under him and he collapsed, almost on top of the elder girl. His hands were trembling as he put them to her neck where after a frighting second he did find a pulse, though it was a bit weak.
Exhaling a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding, Takuya relaxed. Slightly. But only for a moment before there was a certain lack of Piyomon coming to the forefront of his mind.
But even the fear was np loger enough to prevent him from passing out.
Takuya did not wake up as quickly as he liked; only in stages.
However random it was, the first thing to return to him was the desire to twitch a finger. Which he managed with some herculean effort.
And he almost regretted it instantly as the air left his lungs in a silent gasp of pain. His whole body hurt. From his toenails to his hair, everything ached.
It was almost enough to make him pass right back out.
Almost.
But nothing sent the adrenaline kicking quite as fast as being carried around by strangers.
Or hearing echoes of crying.
On second thought, the echoes weren't just in his head.
Which was about the best thing happening to Takuya as he struggled back to coherency. As if he needed to hear double.
There were murmurs all around him, from different sources. Many pairs of steps, all echoing. The air was dry and comfortably warm.
Fur was rubbing against his cheek, his head felt heavy, something was tickling on the skin of his face. Bugs?
He woke completely up with a jerk.
The momentum cost him his balance, which was apparently vary fragile, and he tumbled to the floor, his body unable to react. It was stone floor. Hard stone. And he hit his head.
Abruptly everything around him stilled. Voices and steps, everything but choked breathing; sobs, strangled, filled with heart breaking pain.
Digimon stood over him, crowding him, and it took him a moment, but he recognized the features. Coronamon, Candlmon, and the one he had just fallen off was a Firamon.
"Avatar-sama?"
Fire Sect.
Just fabulous.
Takuya kept a grimace from showing on his face with supreme effort. A Cronamon helped him up. Takuya twisted his dazed brain for some respectable response. Fruitlessly. Honestly he was past caring, too. "Where am I? What has happened? What are you doing here?"
The digimon, all in all maybe two dozen with varying levels, traded glances. "The Supreme Lord is reborn. We wish to serve and offer our service."
Uh, Takuya thought, what is that supposed to mean?
Then he caught the reverence with which Piyomon, no Pyokomon, was treated despite the state and appearance she was in.
He did the math. After a second of staring, Takuya's jaw dropped. Then clenched shut with a snap.
Takuya hoped he was jumping to conclusions, but...somehow he couldn't make himself believe it, not with the uncomfortable beat of sheer pure power that had saved his skin, driven Pinnochimon off, purified that energy ball...
That had been helpful. Oh yes, very much.
This here, the way it was going, certainly was not. Nu-huh, no, nada.
Takuya had spent one week in the company of the Sect. More to the point, he had spent one week staging an ethical revolution.
Knowing very well how the Fire Sect worked, he switched gears to a strategic mindset, thoughts racing.
Prioritize.
Priorities straight and work from there. "What is her condition?"
Coronamon waved a paw and the caravan got moving through the cave again. As a Firamon, who carried Sora, passed him, Takuya spared a not insignificant amount of focus to keep once more the heat away from the single human.
Walls were closing in fast. How long could he keep shielding her up? In his condition? Would Sora be allowed to leave again? If not, the entire Sect might turn into an enemy...
Takuya swallowed, his throat dry and closed as he tried to summon a buisness-like mask to his face.
First things first.
First Piyomon. Then Sora. Then Takuya himself.
That was how things were. If his body didn't want to cooperate, he had to beat it with his guts to do as told.
It'd work. Don't mind the pain! Or the exhaustion! Or anything! It wasn't as bad as it felt!
Or so he kept telling himself.
And that was before the feelings set in.
Takuya sat by and watched.
He was no replacement, of course. Not even vaguely comparing, but it was all he could offer Pyokomon. Instead of Sora. Who was unconscious, leaning against his shoulder, and running a fever. In no condition to provide support to Pyokomon.
Not that he did much either. Besides watching. And listening.
Takuya had made sure to cover Sora's ears. No need for her to let her partner's screams invade her dreams. Sora wouldn't even be here if Takuya didn't need to be in her presence to keep the heat away.
Sora didn't deserve more nightmares than those that she would already get.
Unlike Takuya. He did deserve nightmares.
The feeling of guilt and failure choking him at the throat and the burning of his insides to forge his resolve.
To save this world.
He'd made it his job. Had made it by his orders his friends' job as well. But that had all only been distant and acknowledging. Respectful, maybe of this world and its system.
After all, he did not need a reason to help when he could. Not needing a reason however was very different from having one. Takuya had one now.
Now it was personal. Beyond simple admiration of a world. Now, the people were included.
He now had a personal stake in this world. Through feelings.
Takuya closed his eyes from the happenings in the room.
"I...I-I do-don't...wanna...di-die." Had been the last words Pyokomon had been able to speak. Her eyes had been on Sora.
Takuya was attached.
It had been a startling realization as he had been pushed away to make place for healers and data masters around the small stone table.
The eerie comparison to a human surgery only brought him dread.
Takuya opened his eyes and Kochi's deathly pale form faded to be replaced with reality.
Pyokomon was screaming and it made Takuya's hairs stand on end.
To fight and protect, at times to be violent and unrelenting, to be kind and helpful, to do whatever was called for. It was his purpose, and Takuya, who so acutely remembered drowning in his life, could not return to an existence without purpose. He'd rather die, so much the memory terrified him when he looked back now.
To the Takuya who had been human, his Spirits were his salvation in the same way as Takuya had been salvation to the powerless, helpless, only ever watching remains of AncientGraymon. They had given each other what they needed most. A body to one, meaning to the other.
Was it such a surprise that Takuya had had so little hesitation when it came to making the most important choice of his life?
"Hey," Takuya breathed to one one and nothing as Pyokomon was forcefully broken down into data by a FlaWizarmon. Not in a natural process. Or a painless. "Sora is fine."
Takuya had grown attached to the digimon and the people and the world. The desire to protect was felt, now. Not only a decision of the brain.
The other chosen children were friends, now. Real friends and comrades, people to give his life for for other reasons than them only being chosen children.
It was an eye-opener.
Takuya was not heartless, however much he seemed like it sometimes.
And he was forcing himself to watch Pyokomon's rebuilding because of it. Punishment, for his arrogance to think about them in the same distant way he thought about rain drops falling or pieces on a chess board.
Even though he had not consciously being doing that, practical and strategic thinking being part of his warrior nature, it was no excuse. So he watched and waited.
Leaving old, very old and very experienced digimon to delete the poison data parts out of the red data cloud that was Sora's partner.
What these wizards of the Fire Sect were doing here went against all digital nature, disturbing the flow and rebuilding of data, preventing being set back to a blank slate as it was usually the case when digimon died.
Death and rebirth.
Not so now.
Takuya suspected the method they now used to save the little digimon used to be employed in erasing non-fire elements out of digimon living here, but he couldn't bring himself to care about it.
Pyokomon would keep all her memories, all her traits, all her evolution paths. The latter why this was so important to the Sect to even fall back on the power of Zhuqiaomon's Orb of Power to save Pyokomon.
So Takuya watched and waited, with the human partner of the digimon undergoing torturous treatment unconscious leaning against him as he sat with his back to a wall and let the guilt and helplessness and shame of failure into his heart to grow stronger from it.
Sora was more hysterical with every moment where she failed to wake up from her nightmare.
Her chest was clenching and no matter how much she tried, she could not get air into her body. It escaped her and she wondered if the fires had burned all oxygen from the air.
She welcomed the thought. Maybe when she fainted, she would wake up in her bed and find she only needed to lift her blanket to get air.
Really wake up, then. Not like when she had had come to on a stone bed in Takuya's little house deep under the earth with him sitting on a stone chair, on the side lines, just watching.
She'd wake up then, and digimon that had only hours before screamed for her head would not be kneeling at her feet and the very same Asuramon that had almost signed her death sentence would not be holding an egg up to her with a serene, reverent expression.
Asuramon would not tell her that that egg was Piyomon.
Sora kept waiting to wake up, except it didn't happen.
It escaped her when, but somehow she had gotten close enough to reach out with her hand and-
Her limp was shaking so badly Sora might have believed the earth to be crumbling under her feet, except that didn't happen either.
She wondered how long it was still going to take for the lack of air to claim her. Dizziness made her sway and white noise was rushing in her ears.
Her trembling hand lowered itself and terror and dread wanted to rip out of her throat, but somehow her lips wouldn't part for anything other than strangled attempts at breathing.
She touched the egg that she knew in that very moment to be of her partner. Something in her cracked and she ripped it from Asuramon's rough and brutal hands to cradle it in her arms.
Her legs turned to jelly, she sank to the floor.
Someone was screaming and it was her.
Slowly, Sora was coming enough out of her daze to do more than just keep her body functioning on automatic. In shock and denial, she was not able to not able to comprehend. It was not much of a surprise. No one would blame her for it.
But now she was trying to get out of it, making a conscious effort to lift her eyes away from the egg in her arms to the digimon kneeling before her.
Again.
Or still.
She wasn't quite sure. Despite not having passed out, the last few hours were a clean blank. That should probably concern her.
It felt a lot like waking up, though, since she had no idea where she was now, how she got there and was at a loss why she was treated like a queen.
Still, not able to bring herself to care much about it, she just went along with it.
If it was dangerous, Takuya would not be doing what he was.
Sora was pretty sure the chair she was sitting on was actually a throne inside the giant temple. Of their holly digimon.
Sora, human, sitting in a throne in a temple of a -former- human racist society with digimon kneeling before her...
Stroking the egg in her lap, she tried to force herself to listen to the report a Firamon delivered to her. About Glimmer City, wherever that place was.
Why was she the one in this situation, not Takuya who was standing to her right and slightly behind her? Wasn't he the one who was supposed to be important to these digimon?
He was running things nicely enough as well with the addition of Asuramon who was standing to her left.
Yet it was her who was looked at like a queen.
If she hadn't already been in shock, that would certainly do it all over again.
Firamon retreated by -much to her comfort- rising out of a bow as soon as he had stopped speaking and then left by actually turning his back to her as he galloped out. Not like how things go in films, was the random thought invading her head.
How nice.
Shock was a funny thing.
The next digimon to come forward was a FlaWizarmon. Sora had actually never seen one before, but Izzy had gotten them all an encyclopedia about digimon and Tai had told them to learn them inside out. Ordered, really, and when he did that there was a reason. So Sora had memorized it and remembered that FlaWizarmon were supposed to have died out some digital centuries ago.
"I am a representative of the resident Keepers, of the Ninth Orb, Chosen Child of our Lady," the digimon said, and from the voice inflection Sora labeled this one a female, "we hereby offer to return the Master's power to herself so that she may rise to her former glory."
Next to her, Takuya stiffened at the words and Sora figured she had missed the importance of what was said. The tips of her fingers tenderly on the shell of her partner's egg increased their pressure for a tiny amount out of reflex as she glanced at Takuya.
His jaw was clenched and he was pale, looking pained and Sora wondered if she hadn't underestimated the severity of her, their, situation. Still, he caught her eye and shook his head imperceptibly.
The girl was still too much out of it too understand what he meant however as he started talking. "The offer is appreciated." There was an odd amount of respect in his voice as he inclined his head. "However the Supreme Ruler left his gifts behind with a purpose. She does not wish to reclaim them now, when she does not have need of their sacred power. As milady's subjects who she has kept save for millennia, she does not desire to withdraw her protection now."
FlaWizarmon, on her knees, with her staff on the ground in front of her, head lowered, glanced at Sora with a reverence that creped her out. "Nevertheless," she murmured, "it is hers."
Directed at Sora. Respect, awe, expectations, directed at Sora.
Her!
Sora's arms tightened around Piyomon's egg. "Thank you," she said with a slightly higher than normal voice, shaking, but she managed to put a force in them she didn't really feel as she suddenly felt a new wave of panic closing in on her as the shock of losing Pyiomon wore off. "But not now."
At her voice, everyone, Takuya included, startled. Wide eyes were staring at her.
Sora swallowed, wondering if she made a mistake.
Tension rose. Her hold on her digi-egg partner became hard.
But then FlaWizarmon lowered her head, deeply. "As you wish."
Just like that, she left.
Sora wanted to leave too and in a moment she would later blame on channeling Davis, rose to her feet as well.
She was more stared at.
The sudden motion did Sora no favors either and dizziness assaulted her. If anything, she knew, fainting would be the worst thing to do now.
Takuya jumped in. Sora hoped she would remember to be grateful later when her heart wasn't beating in her throat. "I believe Avatar Asuramon will be perfectly able to listen to your words. The Chosen needs rest."
He made a half bow -to Sora!-, gesturing with his hand towards the beginning of a corridor leading away from the throne room. With half a mind she kept herself from running at it. Takuya followed.
As soon as they were out of sight and earshot, Sora sighed, leaned against a wall and couldn't bring herself to care about the heat of it. Needing to sit down or risking fainting, she slid down. "Why are they treating me like that? What is going on?"
Takuya just groaned, sounding defeated, but he ran a hand through his hair -googles hanging around his neck. "You really didn't listen first time... not that I can blame you," he sighed. "First off, they aren't treating you like that. They are treating your partner like that. Only she is... well," he broke off uncomfortable, pointedly not looking at the egg in Sora's arms.
"So you are being substitute. And short version of that is...Piyomon evolved to Zhuqiaomon. Which would be a whole lot more amazing if that didn't came with the baggage of an entire society. Anyway, the Fire Sect noticed, from down here thanks to the Orb of Power and of course are over the moon to get their leader back. I guess I got to say that again as well, but- that egg...they did some special medical-magical whatever treatment and only turned Pyokomon back into an egg to deal with the...damage."
Which Sora had no idea what that was. The last thing she really remembered was... Birdramon. Birdramon getting hurt!
Even though it was already over, tears strung in her eyes. It felt like an icy dagger to her heart. It was the last time she had ever seen her partner alive. The egg in her arms right now was going to be her new partner, but it wasn't going to be Piyomon. Piyomon was gone. And Sora had slept through it.
What was she thinking, being in shock? Sora didn't deserve that kind of break. Sora didn't even deserve to be holding Piyomon's legacy.
Unknowing about her troubles, Takuya continued and Sora listened only with half an ear. "So she hasn't really died and been reborn, but is just returned to that form. Like devolving in a sense. No time to better explain it now. So please pull yourself together. I need help."
For a long moment, the word that had left Takuya's lips did not register, but when they did, Sora's mind came to a screeching halt. The part of her that was slowly letting the grief in wanted to scream in outrage and fury, but shock was a funny thing and truthfully Sora did not care about hows and whys. The what was impossible to overhear or misinterpret, because no matter what, what every chosen child knew, that death was just as final in the digital world as in the real one. Even if it didn't look like it.
That Takuya compared it to devolving was in no way fitting and insulting on top, but because he said it, there had to be something about it. And Sora, who had been following his lead for what felt like a long time now, gave him the benefit of the doubt and believed him. "I-what-?"
She stared, heart beating in her throat. As she stared, however, she noticed for the first time, mouth suddenly dry, how terrible he looked.
It wasn't just him being pale, or annoyed. Even in the half-light of torch-lit corridors a sheen of sweat made his skin gleam, his breath was ragged and flat. The way he was leaning against the wall opposite of her suggested he was unable to keep upright otherwise. Sora wasn't sure, but the darkness covering his half his neck and disappearing under his clothes did not look like shadows.
He looked worse than Sora felt. Something she hadn't thought was possible short of lying on a deathbed.
That comparision gave her a start and she almost jumped to her feet. Was he- ? "Are you all right?"
Takuya moaned. "No." His voice broke to croaks. "I should have passed out hours ago. My body hurts like hell and I still have half a hole in my torso. My brain feels fried and I can't feel fried. I cann't think straight, but if I just pass out for a couple hours you will be cooked alive." He swallowed. "And we can't leave because just suggesting you and that egg leaving the temple is like a sacrilege. So we can't! Or we get a three-side war after all! And if you can't leave, that means I have to keep the heat away from you and I can't rest, but I feel like the ground is swallowing me and the walls don't stay where they should."
Sora tried hard to keep reality under her feet and being overwheled at bay. "Why?" Looking around, she saw no one and once they left the temple, she could probably find the way back to the exit. Anything to not think! "Why can't we leave? Like, who is stopping us right now?"
Takuya looked at her like she spoke a foreign language.
The chapter for January.
Hope you like it, thank you for reading, please drop a review on the way out and see you next month.