The car ride was silent as we drove to SAIBA Enterprise. I couldn't help but think about everything, from Mr. Morris' cryptic words to Melanie's note. Something tells me that Melanie knew that Omnia would regenerate. Assuming that time moves much differently there, and if it really were her obsession, she surely would then know every detail about that world. And being that Morris was the Caretaker, he would've known that, despite his claims of ignorance.
He's definitely hiding something; the sooner I find that out, the sooner I can bring Melanie home.
As we crossed Fresco Bridge, my anxiety began to get to me. I couldn't wait.
"So, I know you guys said I needed to see this for myself, but..."
Adam pulled out his phone and, after fiddling with it for a second, turned back and handed it to me. "Megan got a hold of this from Morris and forwarded it to us. It's a group of video diaries.
"Diaries? From whom?" I tensed at the sound of that.
"See for yourself," Trevor said as he switched lanes.
I swallowed hard, waiting for the video to load fully. When it did, my chest tightened from what I was seeing.
"What…where am I?" Melanie asked, anxiously checking her surroundings. It was Mr. Morris' pocket dimension, minus the console and furniture, among other things. In the display, Melanie stood in a white void, dressed in what looked like a medical gown.
"Good morning, Miss Whitaker," Arylide said, materializing before her in her Saibatar form. Melanie naturally jumped out of her skin, growing more terrified despite Arylide's attempts to calm her down. "It's all right; I'm not going to harm you."
"Just who the hell are you? And where am I? Did I…is this…?"
Arylide knelt, "You are very much alive, I assure you."
Upon realizing that, Melanie's gaze narrowed. Her anxiety mellowed in favor of a tense scowl, "Why?"
"Because Eve needs your assistance."
"Eve? Eve, as in…?"
"The human-taught AI who sacrificed herself for the sake of co-existence."
"...you mean the project went through? They actually went through with it?!" Her fear turned into bliss as she began to jump about excitedly. However, it was short-lived as she collected herself and got serious again. "Sorry; what is it that you need my help exactly?"
Arylide looked up, "Due to her being birthed by your memory data, it seems that part of her has resonated with you upon reviving in this new reality."
Melanie looked shaken by that, as did I.
"New reality…? Memory data…?" She echoed similar questions I asked internally. "What do you mean by 'reviving?' Did I die after all?" she began to scramble, "how do I get out of here? You need to let me go! I need to—I need to find my father!"
Arylide shook her head, "That is not possible."
"And why not?!" she snapped reactively, "You—you haven't even told me who you are, and you expect me to listen to you?!"
Arylide caught herself upon realizing it, so she rose and took a deep breath, "My apologies…" Following that, a yellow binary stream spun around her, transforming herself into LordKnightmon. After which, she knelt, despite being a pink armored giant. "I am known as LordKnightmon of the Liberators, Eve's right hand. I also go by Arylide, the Yellow Pillar."
Melanie stared, astounded, her knees buckling from the sight, "you're a monster…!"
"A 'Digital Monster,'" Arylide specified. "One who does not seek to harm you in any way but seeks your aid out of desperation. I am but a knight without her queen, burdened by folly in her judgment."
It took Melanie a minute to reply, the hyperventilating easing upon realizing Arylide's sincerity. Still hesitant, she was compiled enough to give her an answer, "Start answering my questions. After that, I'll decide whether to help you or not…"
"Very well…ask away."
That first recording stopped at that point. I expanded the gallery and saw two more videos underneath the heading marked today's date. I hit the second one, and after it buffered, Melanie appeared, adjusting the camera. Once it was set, she straightened her hair and took a deep breath.
"Sunday, December 26th, 2049. This will be the first of a series of logs cataloging my experiences since waking up… I guess. If there were another way for me to phrase this phenomenon, I would, but nothing could explain this. This isn't an afterlife, and if it is, then…"
There was a cut. "At the time of recording, I've come to learn that this 'world,' as I'll call it, has had another 'Me' in it; someone who looked like me, acted like me, had friends…and somehow I was that person. In ways I cannot explain, I feel as if I have lived several lives ten times over. The woman who calls herself 'Arylide' told me it's a result of multiple 'Me's' becoming fragmented and forming who I am right now. In other words…I'm not really Melanie Whitaker; I'm a jigsaw puzzle of different Melanie Whitakers from different realities, all of whom have died so I can exist..." she looked away from the camera, sucked her lips in, and made a pop sound before looking back. "…so that's a thing."
Another cut, "I don't mean for this to go on forever, so I'll just get to the point. Tomorrow, I am to help Arylide locate Eve. Why do you ask? Apparently, part of the jigsaw puzzle that is me has Eve somewhere in it. Arylide hopes to use that bit of my broken memory to track down Eve. To do this, I've claimed that I discovered an abnormality in the Cyber City Hubspace Babylon's coding by accident. Babylon was created and maintained by SAIBA Enterprise, my current employer, and I'm part of their Research and Development team, but I digress. They're amusing me by looking into this, and with any luck, Arylide and I will be able to find her missing queen. By the way, Eve is a super AI that seeks to help humans and Artificial Intelligence co-exist. If you ask me, that's a terrible idea in hindsight, but who cares about what I think? One silver lining in all this is that Arylide isn't human; we have that common ground between us.
That video ended. I opened the last video in the bunch. It was the longest of the three. When it buffered and came on, Melanie was back in front of the screen, though she seemed…livelier compared to the sarcastic persona in the previous one. Like before, she adjusted herself for the camera and began speaking.
"Sunday, January 2nd, 2050. Happy belated New Year…I think. I swear it feels like it's been longer.
Cut.
"So, what have I been up to these last thirty years…?" She paused. "I mean…last week?"
"Take caution not to unveil too much information, Melanie."
"That's Eve's voice!" I exclaimed, recognizing the stoic, albeit authoritative tone.
"I'm sorry, Eve. I'm still trying to process everything. This is a breakthrough discovery, after all."
"For the sake of the project, you know certain things must be kept private until their due times, lest your recordings fall into the wrong hands."
"I understand, Eve. Arylide assured me that these files will get to the people that need to see them."
"I do hope so," Eve said, still sounding rather apprehensive of the whole thing.
"In any case, let me rephrase. What have I been up to the last week? Well, as you can see, I met the one Arylide was searching for," Melanie put her arm into focus and pressed a button on her D-Streamer, summoning a miniature Morphomon on the desk before the camera. Morphomon held her sleeved arm to her mouth, hiding a portion of her face.
"This is Eve, the Princess of Omnia. However, unexpectedly, Eve here has no memories of her past life. As far as Artificial Intelligence is concerned, we determined that this phenomenon is synonymous with a factory reset, a possible side effect of Omnia. Even so, Arylide confirmed that this is a fragment of Eve—which technically makes her a fragment of myself—I guess…"
Cut.
"In any case, I should go back a bit and explain what Omnia is. In simplest terms, Omnia is a world bridged to this one thanks to the networking golden age experienced by this reality. The developments in science and technology have a direct influence on Omnia. As a result, as Artificial Intelligence came to fruition, so did life in Omnia. These beings, as Arylide calls them, are Digimon. Not only does the human world influence Omnia, but time moves faster there. Each minute in the human world equates to a full day in that one. One hour equates to sixty days or roughly two months; twenty-four hours means forty-eight months, which means four years. A full week…give or take almost 30 years…hence my opening comment from before. And if you're wondering why I still look like I'm barely an adult, it's because by 'real-world standards,' as I'm dubbing it, I still am. For safety reasons, I haven't stayed a full week, with my team only conducting field studies several earth minutes at a time. But if one so wanted, they could spend an eternity in Omnia and never age. For all intents and purposes, it's a dreamscape…for the most part, anyway.
Cut.
"Through our studies, we've—I've—begun to learn unexpected things about Omnia. There's no telling how long this world has been around in this reality. There are stories, myths, and legends about ancient times, kingdoms, factions, catastrophes…prophecies…one of them, was one I discovered when exploring an abandoned fortress in the central area of our current map. Etched on a wall near the throne room was a story—or poem rather—of a hermit and a maiden. The hermit seemed to have disappeared some time ago, and the Maiden patiently awaited his return. It caught my attention because it sounded poetic, though I didn't understand it. Even more, the poem was written in weird glyphs that I had no trouble translating; I guess it's related to the memory fragment of Eve. In any case, I haven't told Arylide yet about it, and I don't think I will. It's weird, but a part of me gets emotional when I think it over…
Cut.
"It's almost midnight," she yawned. "For some reason… SAIBA Enterprise wants to do a special presentation featuring Omnia—at Riverbed Academy of all places. They intend to market it as a Babylon expansion despite us not knowing enough to deem it safe. I'm not a fan of this whatsoever, but when has my opinion mattered? Whether it's the old world or the new one, I'm a puppet being pulled along for the sake of those above me. Even when I cut my strings loose, they somehow found a way to tie them back."
Eve cleared her throat, "Melanie, do not forget to contact the one Miss Arylide told you about."
"That's right! Eve, you're the best!"
"For what, may I ask?"
"For giving me the idea to play hooky."
"I strongly advise against that, lest you—"
"Screw work. They can find someone else to do the presentation. Besides, Arylide wants me to meet him sooner or later for your sake, right? What's the harm of pushing the timetable up by a few hours?"
It didn't take much for Eve to surrender, her body language denoting that this wasn't the first time Melanie had talked her out of something. Melanie, phone in hand, typed away a message and then sat it down afterward. "Y'know, part of me is looking forward to this. I wonder what this kid is like—!"
"I'm home, Mel!" Mr. Whitaker's voice echoed in the background.
"Promise you won't tell him anything about tomorrow," Melanie whispered to Eve.
The Digimon returned to the device, "My lips are sealed…"
With a grin, Melanie reached over and cut the video there. From there, I know the rest; I get that message, I meet her at the waterfront, and everything falls into place. The fact that part of Melanie is a fragment of Eve is not as surprising as I thought it'd be. Maybe at some point, I just assumed that, or maybe in my heart, I just knew. After all, I did spend several lifetimes with her, if I'm being technical. That could be why I assumed it was her when I met Melanie for the first time. Who knows?
Handing the phone back to them, I had to ask the burning question. "Mr. Morris told me when I saw him last that some things about Arylide's actions were withheld to prevent a paradox. Do you think this is why we're just now seeing these?"
"We sent Axel to figure that out. Instead, he found Sakuyamon in the pocket dimension," Trevor explained, taking the exit off the road and onto the street. He gave more of his attention as we pulled up to the light. "That whole thing about Morris being the 'caretaker of Omnia' was all Arylide's doing. Sakuyamon posed as Morris to buy Arylide time."
I exhaled, "That explains a whole lot, like how he was so avoidant in explaining anything related to Arylide's dealings."
"It's crazy; last night was supposed to be a time to relax and celebrate us defeating Sorin," Adam said, thinking about things in hindsight. "This whole time, Arylide was plotting. Was she always like this? Outside of being controlled by MOD, I took her as the one with everyone's best interests at heart."
"Well, hate to break it to you, but based on these, the only interests she's invested in are Eve's. Did Axel learn anything from Sakuyamon?"
"She escaped into Omnia. We pulled him back because communication would be impossible with the time differences."
"That's why we're going to SAIBA Enterprise, right? They should have the means to communicate with those in Omnia."
"That's what we're hoping for. From how Ivan described it, there's a sectioned-off area in Omnia that SAIBA established that prevents the world's influence from affecting it." Trevor explained.
"That could—wait...!"
"What's up?"
"If the world was reset, then what are the chances it's still there?"
Trevor grew quiet. "Okay, so outside communication is completely out then."
"Plan B it is then," Adam said.
"What's plan B?" I asked.
"Pray for a miracle. Knowing us, if we can't get one, we'll find a way to create one."
That didn't make me feel too much more optimistic about the situation. Still, with basically no options, that's all we had going for us.
When we made it to the building, Axel was waiting for us. There were other AEGIS agents patrolling the area, likely to follow through with SAIBA's claims for tighter security. With Axel dressed in said uniform, it helped him blend in.
We were approached by some of those agents as we exited the car, but Axel waved them off, sending them back to their respective posts. "Took you long enough," he told us.
"Try putting up with rush hour traffic," Trevor retorted.
"Axel, what did you find out? Do you know if Melanie went with Arylide to Omnia? Are they...are they going after Eve?"
"Eve?" Trevor turned. "Eve is still alive?"
I nodded, preparing myself to drop the bomb I had kept to myself until now. "She's not just alive...but she's serving as the core of the entire world."
Adam and Trevor were both taken aback and needed a moment to contemplate what I told them. Saying it out loud didn't sound too good, and the more I thought about it, the more I began to think about what those two could inadvertently cause to happen if they tried to mess with it.
"You mentioned something about bringing Melanie home before..." Adam mentioned. "What happened to her?"
I didn't try to hide it, "When my family woke up this morning, we discovered a note that Melanie had left. The door was locked inside, so I'm guessing she's with Arylide. I'm guessing they're going to try to find a way to Omnia's core to free Eve."
"And you feel as if something's wrong with that idea, don't you?" Trevor pressed.
"It makes sense," Adam supported me, "If Eve's the core, then that means the world's stability rides on keeping her in place. If Arylide removes her..."
"Then Omnia risks being permanently destroyed..." I deduced.
"Looking into Sakuyamon's research, it looks like you three are onto something," Axel said. "Fortunately for us, the core of Omnia is heavily protected by layers of security. If Arylide hopes to break through it, it will take her time."
"What's time when every minute here is 24 hours over there?" I asked.
"Either way, the sooner we get there, the better. Adam said. "Take out Arylide, bring Melanie home, and—!"
"Whoa, hold on!" I interjected. "'Take her out?' Arylide is—!"
"A threat," Trevor cut me off. "One that we don't have the luxury of taking lightly, given the situation."
"She's grieving!" I insisted. "They both are! I guarantee you if we can just talk to them—!"
"You know better than anyone that woman was never one to reason," Axel cut me off as well."
Being the embodiment of justice didn't help my argument for her. I tried to argue still, but I was stammering before giving up. "What about Melanie?"
"There's a chance she'll only listen to you," Trevor said. "I'm willing to place a bet on that theory."
"Then leave talking to Arylide and Melanie to me. If that doesn't work... do what you have to for Omnia's sake."
"You still have access to the pocket dimension, right? We can use that as a bridge to get to Omnia." Trevor told him.
Axel nodded. We stepped out of the way while he raised his arm as a gate materialized. The agents in the background likely looked on in awe as we prepped ourselves to jump in.
"Hey, you guys, hold up a sec!" Ivan's voice echoed, throwing us off a bit.
Turning, we saw him flying out of the building, looking to catch us before we departed. By the time he reached us, he was out of breath.
"You were supposed to meet us out here," Trevor crossed his arms.
"Yeah, well... you guys didn't give me an ETA... Lucky, I caught you guys pulling up on the cameras..."
"Are you going with us?" I asked, wondering why he popped up.
Ivan shook his head, "We're hanging back for this one. Worst case scenario, if you guys mess up, there's no telling whether something will come back pissed off. That said, arm please?"
"Okay...?" I blinked and raised my left arm. He took it and pressed his D-Streamer onto mine. The two devices chimed. "There, brand-new deck to compensate for the lack of Dorugoramon."
"Another new deck? Is it going to be any crazier than the last one?" I asked, looking at my device. I couldn't help but pull it open and scan the contents. "This..."
"Looks familiar, right? Would you believe me that Melanie built this deck?"
"Melanie built this?!" I exclaimed. I was thrown because it shared elements from all three decks I used up until now: BanchoLeomon's green deck, my original chaosmon deck, and the X-Antibody one. "When did she do this?"
"Guess over the time she was at your house. Those days she spent ostracizing herself were spent trying to do something nice for you. Far from perfect, but... it's the thought that counts."
I was quiet, feeling my emotions bubble in my stomach. "I'm going to bring her home. I promise you guys that."
"We know you guys will." Ivan nodded.
I looked at my device, "You ready to run wild, Darkdramon?"
"Always." He replied in full agreement.
"As am I." Director Jones' voice came through as well. I looked at Ivan, and he smirked.
I took a deep breath and approached the gate with the others. With nothing else holding us back, it was time to end things once and for all.
I'm coming for you, Melanie. Whether you like it or not.
After stepping through the gate, we touched down immediately in the pocket dimension. However, what was once a cozy laboratory was now an empty void, like the one Melanie first woke up in. While this wasn't the first time I found myself in an empty space, it was the first time I felt unsettled by it.
"I guess now that the jig is up, Sakuyamon took down her illusion," Adam commented, his voice stretching out from the ensuing echo.
"She took down the illusion, but not the space itself?" I asked out loud. "That sounds like a trap."
"That is if you choose to see it as such…"
The four of us were startled by the voice that spoke out. Axel quickly turned and fired a blast from his hand. Turning ourselves, we waited for the smoke to clear, to which we were greeted by a Level 4 Eosmon that had blocked it.
"An Eosmon?" Trevor acknowledged. "What's it doing here?"
My feet began leading me toward Eosmon. The others stood on standby while I inched closer. Eosmon remained idle, allowing me in her space.
"Are you there, Eve?" I asked.
Eosmon continued to stare. I raised my hand to touch her, hoping for some reaction.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Arylide's voice suddenly boomed in the void, startling me enough to jump back.
"Above you!"
I heard them too late. As I looked up, I saw a quick flash of LordKnightmon barreling overhead. Reactively shielding myself, I felt myself fly off to the side, narrowly missing her impact.
As I recovered, I looked up, finding Eosmon's elongated arm pointing in my direction and LordKnightmon kneeling where I stood.
Eosmon saved me from being crushed.
"Arylide…" I said as she reverted into her Saibatar form. Her golden eyes fixated on me with a harsh scowl, her expression contrasting with the last time I saw her. Eosmon decided to disperse into binary, taking her leave without explaining itself. "Where's Melanie?"
"You'll die before you can reach her…"
I was taken aback by how cold she sounded. "What happened?"
"You know exactly what you did…!" She accused. "You taught her pain, desperation, and loneliness; you burdened me with picking up the pieces of the heart you shattered!"
My voice caught. Was she talking about Melanie…or Eve?
Before I could figure out what she meant, she suddenly charged me with her built-up fury. "You're not worthy to approach her. You forfeited that right a long time ago!"
I braced myself for Arylide this time; however, she was stopped by Axel, who ran between us to drop-kick her. Arylide rolled onto her side, punched the ground, and forced herself up. She charged Axel, and the apathetic Saibatar made her increasingly unhinged with each low-effort dodge, not interested in pulling answers out of her. Axel, at one point, dropped her on her back, and when she attempted to fight back, he stomped on her, forcing a pained cry.
"That's enough!" I exclaimed, reacting by charging him. I tried pulling him off, but he shoved me back without trying. As Arylide tried to get back up, he kicked her onto her stomach, and reactively I charged him again. "I SAID STOP!"
At that moment, I felt a sudden spike of strength, and from it, I swung Axel with all my strength, causing him to fly away from Arylide. He landed on his feet but didn't move, staring at me while we both tried to process what had happened in that split second. However, I reminded myself that it wasn't important and turned to the crying Saibatar.
"Arylide, are you OK—!" she smacked my hand away when I tried to help.
"It's all your fault…!" she uttered. "All you know…is how to abandon others."
My throat tightened. I wanted to argue, but I started choking.
"After I was created, you assigned me to serve as Eve's right hand in place of you in addition to being a Royal Knight. When you vanished, her protection became my sole directive. I became the guardian of a broken being. Yet still…she allowed herself to die for your sake!"
I remained silent, feeling the weight of her words.
"Arylide," Adam approached, "You are aware that Eve serves as Omnia's core, correct?"
She nodded through tears. "And I will guard her for the rest of my days. So long as she sleeps, I will never abandon her."
"That's fine," Adam continued. "All we want to do is bring Melanie back home. There's no need to—!"
"I cannot grant that request…" Arylide said.
Adam paused. "Why not?"
"I told you…so long as I live, she is under my protection. I will not abandon my queen."
A chilling thought came through me. "Arylide…what did you do?"
"You all will leave this dimension," she rose, "One way or another…"
"We will, all right; we're leaving here and heading into Omnia to bring Melanie home," Trevor stated. "You're not going to stop us."
"You humans are overly arrogant..." Arylide scoffed as she brushed her hair back. "Do you really believe I'll submit to you? You cannot defeat me…"
"But I can," Axel said, reinserting himself in the conversation. I was hesitant to object, given his actions before, but it was true that he was as strong as her. He was our best shot to get through.
The question was, though, how do we get into Omnia from here?
As if on cue, a binary stream formed away from us, becoming a pair of Eosmon Level 5s. We were surprised by their presence, but not as much as Arylide.
"What are you doing…?" She asked. "Why are you aiding them?"
Both Eosmon Level 5s floated to Adam and Trevor. Not posing a threat, they reached out to them.
"Stop…!" Arylide uttered. "Don't let them near her...!"
"I'll catch up with you guys," I told them as they joined hands with the pair. "Arylide still has the X-Antibody program. I can't hope to end things without it."
"Don't go…!" she continued.
Adam and Trevor nodded, and despite Arylide's screams, the Eosmon and pair vanished in thin air, presumably being teleported into Omnia.
Arylide, powerless to do anything, went silent. I turned to her, and her buckling knees gave in, so she went limp. As I felt compelled to comfort her, Axel cut in front of me and activated his D-Streamer.
"Digi-Gate: Open." He said, his device powering up.
Arylide looked up at him, and with seemingly nothing else to lose, she forced herself up, regained some of her composure, and did the same. "Digi-Gate: Open…"
I stepped back a safe distance to allow them to fight, wondering if it was worth it. Staring at my palm, I wondered why I had the strength to toss Axel earlier. Despite not having Dorugoramon, were my powers still intact after all? Wait a second…
Now that I think about it, why did Older Me show up in that dream and was able to communicate with me despite Dorugoramon being separated? And if Sakuyamon—posing as Mr. Morris—was the Caretaker…that means he wanted Arylide to explain everything to me…
…Maybe fighting Arylide does have a benefit after all.
"I'll begin by hatching Nyaromon," Arylide declared, summoning the yellow cat ball Digimon.
Nyaromon (BT2-003)
Color: Yellow
Level: 2
"Nyaromon digivolves into Elecmon, then into Piddomon to end my turn."
Nyaromon cycled through forms, becoming the muscular angel Digimon. Its four wings unfurled, and it stabbed the ground with its staff to show its resilience.
Elecmon (EX1-023)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Piddomon (BT4-042)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
0-1(Turn Change: Axel)
Axel drew. Arylide choked him early; there's little he can do here. Between this and her stall strategies, I wonder what he will do against her.
"I hatch Gigimon, who'll then digivolve into Huckmon."
Huckmon appeared in his Battle Area, the jagged white dragon Digimon snarling as he came into existence.
Gigimon (ST7-01)
Color: Red
Level: 2
Huckmon (BT7-009)
Color: Red
Level: 3
DP: 3000
"To end my turn, I play ToyAgumon from my hand," Axel said, summoning a building-block variation of Agumon on his side.
ToyAgumon (BT2-055)
Color: Black
Level: 3
DP: 1000
MEMORY
1-2 (Turn Change: Arylide)
Arylide drew. "Piddomon moves into the Battle Area, then digivolves into Meicrackmon."
As declared, Piddomon floated forward and allowed the binary to rain down on it, taking its masculine form and transforming it into a larger, golden-furred feminine cat-humanoid Digimon. It had a white mane that covered her neck and upper chest, with black armor covering her lower arms, upper thighs, and legs, a shade of black that matched the tip of her braided tail.
Meicrackmon (BT4-045)
Color: Yellow
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
2-1 (Turn Change: Axel)
Axel drew. "Huckmon moves out, ToyAgumon digivolves into DarkTyrannomon, and I play Sistermon Blanc from my hand. Blanc's effect allows me to draw a card, and she gains blocker so long as I have Huckmon or a Royal Knight present in my Battle Area."
Huckmon hopped forward, ToyAgumon reformed into the black dinosaur Digimon, and Blanc—in her Digimon form—appeared beside them. In terms of numbers, Axel was able to gain an advantage with limited resources.
DarkTyrannomon (ST5-08)
Color: Black
Level: 4
DP: 5000
Sistermon Blanc (BT6-082)
Color: White
Level: 3
DP: 3000
MEMORY
1-0
0-3 (Turn Change: Arylide)
Arylide drew. "I hatch another Nyaromon who then digivolves into Salamon."
Salamon appeared in Arylide's Raising Area, letting out a little bark in an effort to intimidate.
Salamon (EX1-025)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 2000
"I end by playing Renamon. Through its ability, Huckmon will receive Security Attack -1 until the end of your next turn."
A yellow and white-colored bipedal fox Digimon, wearing purple sleeves on its arms, appeared in Arylide's Battle Area. Waving its arms, a small gust of wind stirred, pulling the leaves in its airspace. Waving them again, they made direct contact with Huckmon, to which Renamon did a hand sign and had Huckmon jolt about as if it was shocked with electricity. Huckmon looked stiffened afterward, using its limited mobility to scowl at Renamon.
Renamon (BT5-036)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 2000
MEMORY
3-1 (Turn Change: Axel)
Once again, with only 1 Memory, Axel repeated his opening move by hatching Gigimon into Huckmon, then followed by digivolving his original Huckmon into BaoHuckmon.
BaoHuckmon (BT6-011)
Color: Red
Level: 5
DP: 6000
MEMORY
1-1 (Turn Change: Arylide)
Arylide drew. "Salamon moves forward, digivolves into Piddomon, and then I play Starmons. When Starmons is played, one of your Digimon gets -1000 DP for each Digimon I have in play currently. With Piddomon, Meicrackmon, Renamon, and now Starmons, Sistermon Blanc will receive -4000 DP, deleting it."
While Salamon transformed into Arylide's second blocker, the sunglasses-wearing Starmons came down like a meteor, drawing power from its allies to crash into the unsuspecting Blanc. Axel stood unfazed by the impact; all the while, Starmons strutted back to its side, feeling accomplished.
Starmons (BT5-035)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 1000
MEMORY
1-0
0-3 (Turn Change: Axel)
Well, at least he has more Memory to work with. I looked at Arylide, who was focused on what she was doing. Though, what was she doing? With four Digimon on her side, one of which is a blocker, she could attack easily enough and be safe. Even when I faced her, she was much more aggressive early game. What's making this any different?
Axel drew in the meantime. "Huckmon moves out; then Bao will digivolve into SaviorHuckmon!"
BaoHuckmon roared as red binary came down on it, transforming it into the bipedal dragon knight. It stood on par with Meicrackmon, who was relaxed until this moment.
SaviorHuckmon (BT6-015)
Color: Red
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
3-0
"When my Digimon digivolves into SaviorHuckmon, I can play one Sistermon from my hand for free. With that, I play Sistermon Blanc (Awakened) from my hand!"
"Awakened?" I repeated out loud. What exactly did that mean?
My surprise was shared with Arylide, whose expression shifted slightly as a stream of white binary began to spiral. A slightly older version of Blanc appeared, with the most notable difference being that her rabbit hood was now a mask with a cross-like crest in the middle that covered her upper face. The ears of the hood were now several, most of which resembled pink wing tips. She and her trident radiated with a white aura, which, if I had to guess, was light-based energy. She swung her weapon, dispelling the aura to unveil herself in her evolved state.
Sistermon Blanc (Awakened) (BT7-082)
Color: White
Level: 3
DP: 5000
"When Sistermon Blanc (Awakened) is played, I can move one Sistermon Blanc from either my hand or trash to its bottom source. Doing so will allow me to Recover +1," Axel explained, retrieving his previously deleted Blanc.
Adding it to Blanc Awakened empowered her to generate an additional Security—which at the rate things are going, wasn't necessary, but I digress.
Axel
Security: 5-6
"To end, DarkTyrannomon digivolves into Volcanomon," Axel concluded, transforming the dinosaur into the humanoid cyborg Digimon. Volcanomon stomped on the field, twirling its mic in one hand and posing with the other.
Volcanomon (BT6-062)
Color: Black
Level: 5
DP: 7000
MEMORY
0-2(Turn Change: Arylide)
Arylide drew, striving to remain resilient in the face of Axel's Digimon. "Starmons digivolves int Unimon, and Renamon into Kyubimon."
Starmons digivolved into a unicorn Digimon wearing a red mask, while Renamon digivolved into Kyubimon. Unimon was a blocker, so it added to Arylide's defenses, but that was about it.
Unimon (ST3-07)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 6000
Kyubimon (BT5-038)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 4000
MEMORY
2-0
0-2 (Turn Change: Axel)
"Are you going to fight or just keep putting up a wall between us?" Axel asked as he drew.
Arylide didn't give him an answer, but I'm glad he said something because I was wondering the same. All she's been doing was building a wall between them. If she's stalling, what could she be stalling for?
Axel, growing ever impatient, took a card from his hand and swiped it, causing Volcanomon to erupt in power. "Volcanomon, become the Master of the Blazing Fist: I summon you, the Royal Knight Gankoomon!"
Volcanomon took its mic and blared as hard as it could, turning its back volcano toward the air where it erupted with digital lava. The explosive power began to turn golden and form into a draconic shape. Meanwhile, the black binary encapsulated the rest of Volcanomon, transforming it into Gankoomon. The red-haired Royal Knight rolled his neck, crossed his arms, and stood defiant while his golden dragon aura, Hinukamuy, roared and sent shockwaves that visibly shook Arylide's forces.
Gankoomon (BT6-067)
Color: Black
Level: 6
DP: 12,000
MEMORY
2-2 (Turn Change: Arylide)
"When my Digimon digivolves into Gankoomon, his ability triggers, incinerating all of your Digimon with the lowest play cost," Axel explained, singling out Unimon and Kyubimon, both of which had a play cost of 5 apiece. "Go!"
Gankoomon willed Hinukamuy to lash out and swat both Digimon with no effort. Both dispersed into binary almost instantly, showing their stark power difference. Still, Arylide remained resilient, drawing afterward to enforce her lack of fear.
"I hatch another Nyaromon; then I digivolve it into Tinkermon. Piddomon digivolves into Angewomon, giving Gankoomon Security Attack -2 upon digivolving."
Tinkermon and Angewomon appeared one after the other, with the latter using her ability to debuff the Royal Knight, further slowing the match down.
Tinkermon (BT6-031)
Color: Yellow
Level: 3
DP: 2000
Angewomon (BT3-039)
Color: Yellow
Level: 5
DP: 6000
MEMORY
2-1 (Turn Change: Axel)
Axel drew and hatched another Gigimon into Huckmon.
Huckmon (BT6-009)
Color: Red
Level: 3
DP: 2000
"Huckmon, Security Attack!" Axel declared, sounding eager to put damage on the board finally. His Huckmon leaped at the opportunity, its claws glowing as it invaded Arylide's space. Bringing it down, it slashed the Security that appeared, breaking apart afterward.
Arylide
Security: 5-4
"Security Trigger: Spiral Masquerade!" It was an immediate counter. "-3000 DP for each of my Digimon in my Battle Area. I direct all the effects onto Sistermon Blanc (Awakened) for a total of -6000 DP!"
Sistermon Blanc was taken aback upon being targeted. The force of the Security came down on her, the silhouette of LordKnightmon forming and assaulting her in a quick motion.
Sistermon Blanc (Awakened): 5000-0 DP
When the assault was over, Sistermon Blanc (Awakened) dropped to her knees and dispersed into Binary. Axel's expression indicated this was a setback, but he didn't look deterred either.
"When Sistermon Blanc (Awakened) is deleted, I can retrieve a Jesmon, Huckmon, or Sistermon aside from Blanc (Awakened) from my trash to my hand. I use the effect to retrieve my original Blanc. Then, SaviorHuckmon will digivolve into the Almighty Warrior of Salvation, Jesmon!"
To add more pressure onto Arylide, SaviorHuckmon transformed into Jesmon, The sword-limbed dragon knight joining its master Gankoomon in asserting the force that was Axel.
Jesmon (BT6-016)
Color: Red
Level: 6
DP: 11,000
MEMORY
1-2 (Turn Change: Arylide)
Arylide drew, then moved Tinkermon into the Battle Area. "Angewomon digivolves into Mastemon."
Angewomon erupted in purple binary, the angelic beauty transforming into Mastemon afterward. The stoic expression was not lost on her either.
Mastemon (BT3-090)
Color: Purple
Level: 6
DP: 12,000
MEMORY
2-2 (Turn Change: Axel)
"When my Digimon digivolves into Mastemon, the top card of our security stacks are trashed. I can then play one Level 4 or lower purple or yellow Digimon from my trash without paying its cost." Arylide explained as the top Security for them both appeared and shattered. Axel's Security was Sistermon Ciel, while Arylide's was a Digimon named Meicoomon.
Axel
Security: 6-5
Arylide
Security: 4-3
"Come forth, Meicoomon!" Arylide declared, as from the trash, the very trashed Digimon formed from a stream of yellow binary. It was an orange cat that bore a strong resemblance to Meicrackmon, making it obvious that this was its pre-digivolution.
Meicoomon (BT4-041)
Color: Yellow
Level: 4
DP: 4000
"Now that I have three security or less, Meicoomon's ability deducts -4000 DP to one of your Digimon when played," Arylide explained. "I subtract -4000 DP from Huckmon!"
Meicoomon dashed for Huckmon and leaped into the air. Meicoomon, hovering over Huckmon, belched out a ball of energy that hit its target, causing Huckmon to stagger and collapse as its DP depleted.
Huckmon: 3000-0 DP
"It's over for you," Axel said, drawing for turn. He moved the Huckmon in his Raising Area forward and gestured to Gankoomon. "Gankoomon gains Security Attack +1 when you have an unsuspended Digimon on the field, from its own effect, and through Volcanomon's IE. Gankoomon, Triple Security Attack! Iron-Fisted Onslaught!"
Gankoomon punched his fists together and roared, Hinukamuy reflecting his charge in power. Gankoomon launched toward Arylide as her final three Security lined up. With a powerful roar, he and Hinukamuy pulled their fists back and synchronized their initial punch, followed by a flurry of punches at mach speed that eviscerated the first Security.
Arylide
Security: 3-2
As Gankoomon was about to burrow into the second one, it was immediately knocked back by an unexpected force. Sliding back to Axel's side, LordKnightmon emerged from the initial security remnants, its shield radiating with energy.
"Meicrackmon's effect: When I'm down to three security or less, she boosts all of my Security Digimon by +4000 DP."
Gankoomon: 12,000 DP
LordKnightmon: 10,000-14,000 DP
So that's why she didn't attack with it before. She couldn't afford to have Meicrackmon deleted before the effect would trigger. In the meantime, with the tables turned, I watched as both Royal Knights duked it out. Despite Gankoomon's might, LordKnightmon proved to be too quick and finished Gankoomon with a Spiral Masquerade attack, taking it out.
Clicking his tongue, Axel continued to put pressure. "Jesmon!"
Eager to avenge Gankoomon, Jesmon whipped its arms out and charged Arylide. Axel gestured towards Jesmon as well. "Huckmon's IE effect activates: I reveal the top five cards of my deck and add all cards with 'sistermon' in their names to my hand while the rest go to the bottom."
As such, the cards revealed were: MetalGreymon: Alterous Mode, MetalGreymon, Sistermon Ciel (Awakened), Flame Memory Boost, and Giga Storm. He took Sistermon Ciel from among them.
"Next, Jesmon's effect: When attacking, I can play one card with Sistermon from my hand for no cost! I summon Sistermon Ciel (Awakened) to the Battle Area!"
Like Sistermon Blanc (Awakened) before, Sistermon Ciel appeared in the battle area, running alongside Jesmon. Her hood likewise covered the upper part of her face, with the left eye looking stitched up. Appearance-wise, she as well looked older than the regular Ciel, the cross-like crest emblazoned on her stomach. On top of which her katana sparked erratically, charged with electricity.
Sistermon Ciel (Awakened) (BT7-083)
Color: White
Level: 4
DP: 6000
"When Ciel (Awakened) is played, I can add Sistermon Ciel from my hand or trash to its sources to delete one of your Digimon with a Play Cost of 5 or less. The Ciel from my trash is added to Ciel Awakened to delete Tinkermon!"
Sistermon Ciel (Awakened), growing empowered, vanished from a massive speed boost, appearing behind Tinkermon. Tinkermon hesitated to turn around, but when she did, she staggered, her body bleeding binary. At this point, Jesmon arrived to take out Arylide Security, so with the last of her strength, Tinkermon speared Jesmon, causing it to stagger in surprise. Tinkermon crumbled into binary after that.
"When Tinkermon is deleted, your Digimon gets Security Attack -1 until the end of your turn."
"That's fine; I can still damage you anyway. SaviorHuckmon's IE unsuspends Jesmon and follows up with another Security Attack! BaoHuckmon's effect activates, deleting Meicoomon thanks to Ciel's presence."
Jesmon roared and flipped in the air with enough speed to become a red saw-like projectile. Using the Security to ricochet, it came up on Meicoomon, and deleted it while returning to Axel.
"Finally, with the stagnant past and the hopeful future, merge to become the Alternate Savior!"
Red and black binary exploded from Axel's person as he and Jesmon became surrounded by it. Axel dissolved into binary and infused himself into Jesmon, causing it to glow brightly as a result.
"Jesmon digivolves into Omnimon Alter-S!" Axel exclaimed, with Jesmon's form taking on the transformation into the silver Omnimon variant. Alter-S ultimately replaced Jesmon, setting the tone with his presence.
Omnimon Alter-S (BT3-112)
Color: White
Level: 7
DP: 15,000
MEMORY
2-3 (Turn Change: Arylide)
Omnimon's magnificence was enough to make Arylide visibly react. Omnimon waved his black cape, sending glittering particles toward all of Arylide's Digimon. Mastemon and Meicrackmon reacted negatively to the glitter, crumbling where they stood and being forced to revert into Angewomon and Piddomon, respectively. Omnimon aimed its Grey Cannon toward Piddomon and, without remorse, fired one shot that incinerated it.
Arylide remained quiet despite Axel finishing his turn. Then she looked at me.
"Do you hate me?" she asked.
"Of course not," I said without hesitation. "It's my fault that you ended up like this. I shouldn't have burdened you with such a responsibility. I'm truly, truly sorry, Arylide."
She shook her head, however, "Don't apologize yet..."
"Why not?" I asked. It was then I caught something in my peripheral vision. The figure was already past me when I realized it, heading for Arylide. I was left speechless as they made their way to her.
"My liege…" Arylide said with a weak smile.
"You've done well, Arylide." Older Me said, putting his hands on her shoulders.
What is…why is he—! "ARYLIDE, NO!"
Arylide collapsed to the ground, the sound echoing through the void along with my scream. As he turned, I was left petrified as he turned, the glowing blade of light radiating in his hand. It dispersed while I locked gazes with him.
"Eve…I'm…sorry…" Arylide moaned faintly and grew quiet, my chest gripping as her body dispersed into binary, leaving only her core and the X-Antibody program remaining. I grew heated as I watched Older Me pick both items off the ground.
"Why…?" I asked, tightening my fist.
He looked at me with my eyes. "You know the—"
"THE HELL I DO!" I roared, tearing up. "Like hell I know what's going on! I know nothing but confusion over everything about this reality! Now start talking; are you responsible for all of this; for Sorin, Arylide, Melanie, all of it?"
He turned fully to Axel and me. And with no hesitation, he answered: "Yes."
"Why?" I snarled, resisting the urge to lash out at a virtually unbeatable "enemy."
"To ensure that the True Idealistic Future comes to fruition. Just as I said when we first met."
"And how is it that you fit into it that you had to cause so much trouble for everyone?! Why is it so important for you—for me, to become you?!"
I watched as he took the X-Antibody Program and pressed it against his chest, becoming empowered enough to transform into Alphamon. The obsidian hermit stared down at me, but I was resilient. He wasn't going to intimidate me.
"Zack—my younger self," he said as he cupped Arylide's core between his hands.
"No, don't!" I screamed at him. I then realized he wasn't trying to destroy it but reform it. Arylide's Core became a Digi-Egg in his palms, so he set it to rest on the ground for the moment.
"Eve's True Idealistic Future for you…the answer lies within the Core of Omnia."
"How do you know for certain?" I asked, skepticism tying along with my anger.
"Because, as you can see, I embraced it. And by doing so…"
"…I eventually became the King of Omnia."