[Central District, Omnia, Several Weeks ago...]

"Speaking of which, I had my fun, logging off for the night."

"Bet, same here."

"I'll catch you guys later, too; I still have an essay to finish before midnight."

"See you later, and thanks for earlier,"

"Anytime, bud..."

As his friends logged out for the night, the curly-haired Saibatar turned toward the entrance of the Colosseum and watched as the cloaked figure made their way up to him. While his gut told him to log out, curiosity was getting the better of him. "Can I help you?"

The figure stopped and paused for a moment, making Milo warier. Then they removed their hood, revealing themselves to be Dexter. "Hey Milo..."

"Dexter?" Milo asked, recognizing him. He then searched around, thinking he wasn't alone.

"Relax, Barry isn't here. I... made sure of that."

Milo furrowed his brow at that, "Um... okay? What do you want?"

"Oh... um, are... are you alone right now?"

"Obviously."

"Then... let's go somewhere private."

"Why?"

Dexter tensed up. "Um, well... because..."

Milo crossed his arms, "You're afraid that Barry will somehow find us together, right?"

Dexter seemed scared to reply. He swallowed hard, psyched himself up by slapping his face, and exhaled. "I'm sick of being afraid...aren't you?"

"I'm not afraid. Not since meeting Kaden and the others."

"Even though it's his fault that Syl is dead?"

Milo paused, not expecting such a question. Having that sense of footing gave Dexter added encouragement to smile a little. "You know the crazy part? What if she—!"

"Shut your mouth!" Milo hissed, growing emotional suddenly. "What do you know about her?!"

"That she's not dead!" Dexter exclaimed back, silencing Milo. Dexter continued, "In truth, she's in hiding...and if you help me, I'll spill everything I've dug up on her situation..."

Milo swore Dexter had a crazy look in his eyes. And yet, once more, curiosity was getting to him. What if, by chance, Syl is still alive? If so, why did she retire? Were Sierra and Kaden keeping the truth about Syl from the public? Did they know what really happened to her? The more he tried to convince himself to log out, the more what-ifs came into his mind to counter it.

"Why did you care enough to doxx her? Whatever happened to respecting one's privacy?" Milo tactfully approached Dexter.

"Oh, come on!" Dexter rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed!"

"Notice what?" Milo pressed.

"Riley Ocasio."

"What does she have to do with anything?" Milo asked.

"Well, for starters, that look you gave her when you two crashed into one another the other day. You noticed something familiar about her, didn't you?"

Milo hesitated. Dexter's grin further solidified his theory, "Either that was love at first sight, or you were staring at a ghost. It wasn't normal, no matter how you look at it."

"Riley has nothing to do with Syl!" Milo insisted.

"You don't think it's odd you're involved with a Zenith and a Nadir Tamer, two of the rarest factions in all of Omnia?" Dexter continued, "Plus, they're both Hybrid users. Coincidence? Hard to say. Not to mention, one appeared right after the other..."

Dexter was reading him like a book. Contrastingly, Milo couldn't get a read on him, making him extra dangerous...

Then, Milo finally came to a separate conclusion, smirking, "I get it...wow, you're clever."

Dexter grew confused as Milo's smirk turned into a chuckle and laughter. "What's so funny?"

"You," Milo laughed harder. "You weren't always afraid of Barry, were you?"

"Huh?"

"You used Barry as protection. And now you're afraid to break off from him." Milo explained.

"How...but I didn't—!" Dexter's eyes widened, feeling the power ripped out of his being. Milo took a step closer and made Dexter step back.

"Kaden's blinded by guilt over Syl. That's why when Riley was assaulted, he went berserk and rearranged that guy's face. If I had to take a shot in the dark, you're the one who gave that Salan guy Megidramon."

Dexter's voice caught. Milo continued to press on, "As 'complex' as you think your master plan is, as you can see, you're all over the place. Kaden has embarrassed Barry multiple times, and I could only assume you're on the receiving end of all his abuse. So, not only do you want to distance yourself from Barry, but you want to get back at Kaden. Assuming you have info on Riley, I bet you were planning to use her as a target or pawn, which explains why she was shaken when Barry called out to her. One could also assume you had a contingency within Omnia to get Kaden via Salan's Megidramon. If that's true, then Riley getting hurt was a setback in some way on your end. And since you're here, trying to bait me into going along with whatever crackpot scheme you've conjured up, I can only imagine that you think I can be easily manipulated into turning on him. And, of course, if that doesn't work, you'll use the same lie about Syl to drive him to despair...have I covered everything?

Dexter blinked, only then realizing that Milo had him trembling. "How...?"

"How what?"

"How did you know what I was planning?! Sure, it's not beat for beat but it's scarily accurate enough! I was sure I was careful to keep suspicions off of me. I mean, if Barry couldn't buy a clue, how in the world did you—!"

"It's because I'm doing the same with Kaden..." Milo stated.

"...what?"

"Surprising?" Milo asked. "At school, he prances around like an ignorant vigilante who can do no wrong. Here in Omnia, he was an incredibly popular V-Streamer, constantly shipped with my idol. Everyone loves him, and it takes no effort to make friends for him… He's everything someone like me dreamt of being…" Milo's voice softened, "and I hate him for it."

Dexter blinked as Milo grew silent. Empathizing, he spoke, "You know, I understand where you're coming from…" he admitted. "I'm weak on my own, and more than once, I was left ignored by those with power..." he contemplated his thoughts some more, "Someday, I want to taste what they have. I want to know what it's like to be top dog for a change, to have things go my way for once!"

Milo looked at him and scoffed, seeing the similarities. "Then how about we help each other?"

Dexter turned to him, "Really?"

Milo nodded. "I'll devise a way to get Barry off your back."

"For real?! You mean it?"

"If you give me the information on Syl."

"Deal!" Dexter exclaimed. "Trust me, the info I snagged comes straight from STREAM Corp's servers! So long as you know where to look, you'll stumble across an array of whistleblower accusations!" He raised his arms and typed away on his D-Streamer, forwarding a friend request to Milo, the latter of whom accepted. Following that was a data file.

"What's this?" Milo asked.

"Wanna know how Salan got his Digimon to turn into Megidramon?" Dexter grinned, "Use that program."

Milo's eyes narrowed. "Will this…work on any kind of AI?"

"Who knows? But if you have a Digimon in mind that you want to juice up, that should give you an edge, especially when dealing with Barry."

"How so?"

Dexter paused, ashamed of his following few words. "After Kaden trounced Barry last week, he forced me to look for a way to up his game. My connections…supplied me with this program.

"And it does what?"

"Pull Digimon from Omnia into the real world."

Milo nearly gasped. "What?!"

"Oh, come on, do you want the info on Syl or not?!" Dexter demanded.

Milo looked down at his device and the sketchy program image. He didn't have much room to argue. With a reluctant nod, he sealed the deal with Dexter…

…and marked the beginning of his evolution…

Chapter 4: The Spyral Savior Part 1

Nico watched patiently while the doctors attending to Sylvia activated the EEG machine on her. His grandfather had already set out into the Northern District and requested the assigned practitioners under him to scan her brain. Nico found out what happened between her and Kaden, hence this impromptu examination. It felt weird watching her be reduced to a lab experiment, he thought to himself...

...though one could argue that's all she's ever been.

"Do you need help with anything?" A voice pulled him from deep thought.

Nico turned and met Eliza's eyes, the intern approaching the room and noticing his blank stare into it.

"Oh, um...sorry, she's a friend of mine, so I figured I'd just wait for the exam to be over."

"I see..." Eliza nodded slowly.

"What?" Nico asked.

"You don't happen to be related to Dr. Woods, are you?"

"He's my grandfather."

Eliza's eyes widened a bit as she made the connection. "Gotcha! I can totally see the resemblance now.

Somewhat thrown by this awkward conversation, Nico asked her, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"My mistake. My name is Eliza Romano; I'm an intern working underneath Dr. Woods."

Nico blinked, "Oh, so it's you. You're the one that synced with Venusmon."

Eliza now blinked in surprise but then reasoned on it. "You said that was your friend in there?"

"Surprised?"

"Not really. Dr. Woods is fond of her, after all. Being around the same age, I'd be surprised if you two were strangers."

Nico chuckled, "Well, maybe I'm overstating our relationship."

"Oh?"

"Truth is, I'm her bodyguard."

"...in what way?" Eliza asked, unsure of how to respond.

"In an 'it-was-my-job-to-make-sure-this-didn't-happen' kind of way." He replied specifically.

Eliza didn't have a response for that either. "Well... I doubt it'll make you feel better, but...this mess was pretty big."

"Oh, I know; I have the broken leg to prove it," He pointed down.

Eliza looked down and felt even more awkward. The conversation was treading south quickly.

"I'm sorry...there's a lot I'm still trying to grasp." She admitted, ruffling her blonde hair. "Regarding your friend—"

"Venusmon hasn't bothered to explain anything, has she?"

"Only as much as I'm allowed to divulge," the voice chimed into the conversation from Eliza's D-Streamer.

"There she is!" Nico turned, "What's up with you? Decided to bail out so your hair would stay intact or something?"

"Excuse me?" Venusmon huffed, taken aback by his words, so much that she materialized onto Eliza's shoulder. Venusmon appeared as a goddess-like Digimon, a curvy figure dressed in an elegant white gown, her eyes covered with a ribbon wrapped around her luscious, blonde, spiral ponytail that dropped to Eliza's shoulder. "I have you know that I was ordered to retreat. As the Central District's nursery administrator, I am solely responsible for ensuring that fallen Digimon can be reborn safely and securely."

"Relax, it's a joke." Nico apologized, humored by her sudden outburst. Her cheeks still puffed as her blinded eyes stared daggers into him.

"I take it you know what's going on then?" Eliza asked.

"Dr. Woods was the former CEO of STREAM Corp, after all, prior to the current head. So, better or worse, I know the ins and outs better than most staff here. With the new head came new changes, such as establishing the Zenith District."

"…Establishment?" Eliza repeated. "The Zenith District wasn't a part of Omnia originally?"

"Let me rephrase: the 'new' Zenith District. From what I know, Omnia originally consisted of the four districts governed by the four sovereigns. The Zenith District was a land of Omnian myths, as an ancient, almost primordial civilization within Omnia.

"And the Nadir?"

"Another myth, one based on a story of a Zenith denizen who sought to challenge the ruler of the Zenith for power and was banished to the furthest reaches of Omnia. The Nadir District was born by the sought-after revenge and hatred for the Zenith. No clue if it's true, but the rivalry between the two districts seems to extend thousands of years in Omnian time."

"Is this true, Venusmon?" Eliza turned.

The Digimon crossed her arms and nodded slightly. "As someone who works within the Central District, they are popular stories I've recited to the young children I oversee, as well as being a feature of lore for human users. Unfortunately, I can neither confirm nor deny the myths' validity.

"That's fine," Eliza reassured. "It's probably good for me to be in the dark for now."

"Says you," Nico said. "I, for one, am looking for answers."

"How come?"

"Back when my Grandfather was the CEO, the goal of Stream Corp was to be an avenue for online content creators. However, after an accident when testing the neural tech that allows one to inhabit a Saibatar persona, he voluntarily stepped down, after which the current CEO, Noah Lindberg, stepped up. Since then, not only has STREAM Corp grown in popularity and power within the cyber-entertainment industry, but behind the scenes, humanity has integrated themselves so deep into Omnia that we're currently fighting a war for its sake."

"So, in other words...you think the current CEO is to blame?"

"I would like to say that, but without proof, it's baseless conjecture," Nico crossed his arms. "However, I only began getting more involved in STREAM Corp after my grandfather stepped down."

Eliza turned back towards the room, making the connection in her head. "That was when you became her 'bodyguard,' right?"

Nico nodded.

"And she was...?"

"A part of said accident, yeah."

"I see..." Eliza acknowledged solemnly.

Nico turned and saw the downed look on Eliza's face. He chuckled, catching her by surprise. "Thanks for letting me vent. You're a good listener."

Eliza perked up and blushed a little. "Um...thanks, I guess?"

Nico smiled and sighed afterward. "Hey, Terriermon,"

"What's up, Nico?"

"Any word from Gramps?"

"No notifications thus far. Guess that means things are going well on his end."

"Or he was fed to BloomLordmon's Hydramon..."

"Hydra-what now?!" Eliza gasped.

"I'm joking!" Nico quickly explained, laughing at her reaction. He then took note of the doctors staring at the pair, one of them pointing towards Eliza. "I think they're looking for you."

"Huh?" Eliza looked over and squealed, remembering why she came this way in the first place. "Sorry!" she exclaimed, scrambling for the door. "Uh, nice meeting you!"

"Likewise," Nico waved as Eliza dove inside. After the door closed, Nico dropped his smile and turned toward the opposite direction, making his way forward. Unfortunately for him, that girl was way more in the dark than he was. Venusmon likely was keeping her cards close as well.

By the looks of it, getting to the bottom of STREAM Corp's endgame in this war would be more complicated than he expected...

"You know something," Kaden began as he tailed Adara and Lucas through the cafeteria and to an empty table, "You're probably the last person I'd expect to work on a team, Loneshot."

"Yeah, right? I surprise myself sometimes." Lucas replied with a chuckle while he sat. "Don't be surprised if I go AWOL at some point."

"Hush," Adara said, sitting across from him. "Now's not the time to joke like that."

"Says you. By the way, Cobalius, how do you know Brandon?"

"I've run into him in the past, the last of which was not long ago." Kaden sat down and cracked open the bottle of water. Given his morning thus far, it was the most refreshing thing to hit him since.

"You mean when he robbed TCG Tower, right?" Lucas pointed out, unwrapping his sandwich.

"When Miranda hired him to work at the store."

Both Lucas and Adara paused and looked up. A startled Kaden looked at them, gazes locked on and homing in on him.

"Miranda? Miranda Sakurai, as in the Talent Agent for Project X-Stream?"

Kaden nodded, "In hindsight, it's funny how those with ties to Stream Corp all happen to work at TCG Tower or adjacent to it."

"Bro, that's beside the point; what is Brandon doing there?!"

"Making amends, apparently," Kaden said. "He came to apologize to my friend for getting her hurt, and Miranda roped him into working at TCG Tower to make up for it."

"Which, knowing the kind of person she is, was just an excuse to scout him for Project X-Stream," Adara said, taking part in her salad. "Our Uncle being the Southern Representative probably gave her more leverage on him."

"I take it Lord Vermil is all for this 'war effort,' huh?"

"You should know better than anyone," Lucas pointed out. "Nadir District got tangled up in his territory; I mean, I'd be pissed too."

"That's fair," Kaden agreed. He unwrapped his sandwich and bit into it, filling his stomach while processing the information.

"I wonder what Lady Azurena is up to?" Lucas pointed out. I know she's around here, but I haven't had a chance to say hi or anything like that."

"All I know is that she has her plate full with some things while here."

"Oh? Like what?" Lucas leaned slightly.

"It's not important," Kaden replied.

"Mhmm, right... you rep pet."

Kaden looked up, "What did you call me?"

"A rep pet," Adara repeated. "Or, to put it more formally, a Vassal."

"I'm...I was never Lady Azurena's Vassal."

"Wha—really? Of all people?"

"Yeah, because I was always freelance, I never wanted to get involved with STREAM Corp in the first place."

"So, who's gonna take her spot when she steps down?"

"Who said she was?" Kaden asked, sounding almost offended for Sierra's sake.

"Leave it be, Lucas." Adara insisted. "What he means is the Representatives follow a code of honor to maintain relations between them and their Sovereigns and adhere to their responsibilities within Omnia. If one were to break them or could not uphold their responsibility for any reason, they could voluntarily step down or be disqualified. While it's not the sole reason for having Vassals, if we are to maintain the Sovereigns' good graces, we must show them that their union with humanity is worth it in the long term."

"Case in point, rumor is that Gurenmaru's grandfather was the former Eastern Representative when they first established."

"Wait, what?!" Kaden exclaimed. "How long ago was that then?!"

Lucas shrugged, "No telling. But the point is that Lady Azurena was his Vassal, so she took over when he stepped down due to age. The same case can apply to Lord Emeron and Desniper, Lady Onyxa, and Justion, and Lord Vermil and Blazara."

Kaden turned to her, surprised. "You're..."

"Not by choice," Adara said sternly. "And not by his either."

Kaden went quiet, allowing Veemon, who's been quiet this whole time, to chime in, "Hey Kaden, you got a message."

"I do?" Kaden turned to his D-Streamer and checked it. His voice caught, and he closed it out. "Thanks, Vee."

"Whose it from? Could it be one of the cute nurses in the med wing?" Lucas grinned, afterward shoving the remains of his sandwich down his throat. Adara rolled her eyes in disgust.

Kaden chuckled, "Nah, can't get that lucky. It was my parents; I meant to check in with them, and I got sidetracked. Now that you mention it, though, there is someone there that I want to check up on before we head out. I'll meet up with you guys in a bit."

"Sounds good," Adara said, standing first amongst them. The two boys joined her, and Kaden split from them, heading off to his destination.

Making his way outside and out into the courtyard, Kaden rechecked and read the message carefully. The sender took him aback, and it took a moment for him to process what he was looking at.

We need to talk. Find me in the Central District Colosseum. I'll be waiting for you –Milo.

Short and to the point, Kaden was tempted to race into Omnia immediately. However, he can't access Omnia as a regular user thanks to STREAM Corp shutting things down for public participants. And if he were to access it now, he would, without a doubt, trip some security system with all the current X-Streamers on him before he could begin searching for Milo.

He completely disappeared after that day, meaning he was physically in Omnia and not using a Saibatar form. And based on what he's learned about the time distortions, how long has he been there? Decades, hundreds of years...? What would happen to him if he came back? Is he going to look old? Will his brain go into shock from the drastic shift in time perception? So many questions filled Kaden's mind, so Brandon startled him when he approached.

"Oh, it's just you..." Kaden heaved.

"Had fun chilling with my cousin and Sir talks-crap-a-lot?" Brandon asked.

"I...didn't know I wasn't allowed to," Kaden replied.

Brandon rolled his eyes and leaned up against the wall. "Whatever. It's none of my business what you do with your time. Anyway, what are you doing out here?"

"Noneya," Kaden replied.

Brandon shrugged and accepted the answer. His passiveness made Kaden smirk, " I'm just getting air; what about you?"

"More or less the same."

Kaden joined Brandon on the wall, "That was your uncle, right?"

"Yup. The Lord of the South himself," Brandon stated. "As if I don't have enough pressure on my back."

Between the Southern Representative, Miranda, and Adara, Kaden could sense that Brandon felt surrounded. "You mentioned that you're doing this to repay a debt, right? Assuming this is related to being duped by the Nadir District?"

"You're in the same boat, aren't you?" Brandon looked at him. "After what happened to your friends, I mean..."

"Riley got hurt really bad, Milo's gone missing, and I'm not on great terms with either Sierra or Nico."

"Meanwhile, my stupid stunt to get back at you ended up getting my cousin jail time, his sister and her friend to resent me, and me being indebted to my uncle, who is holding me accountable for allowing Nadir influence through our borders.

Kaden scoffed, "Man, we both screwed up pretty well, didn't we?"

"Seems like it..."

The pair continued to lean and look up into the sky, contemplating within themselves their respective situation. Kaden never would've thought he'd connect with Brandon in such a way, yet here he was.

"So...you got a plan, right?" Brandon turned.

"Nope. I act first and then think of how to escape it."

"That in of itself sounds like a plan." Brandon insisted. "I want to go after the scumbag who tricked me the second we touch down."

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"Was hoping you knew."

Kaden chuckled, "You're putting a lot of faith in me right now."

"You're the hero, aren't you? Why shouldn't I?"

Kaden hesitated to respond. Brandon stared for a moment, almost forcing Kaden to come up with an answer. As he went about it, both of their D-Streamers whirled to life, them projecting suddenly and unveiling Mason's face.

"Attention all X-Streamers! The Nadir District has commenced a surprise attack on the Central District! The ODF is requesting immediate support! All units are to report to the deployment chamber and await further instructions!"

Kaden and Brandon looked at one another, and further out in the courtyard, other X-streamers were receiving the same message. As they began to run, the two boys also sprung into action. As they ran, Kaden wondered if Milo's message had any connection to this. Was it a warning hidden underneath a request to meet? Does that mean he'll see him finally?"

"They must be going after that captured official, right?" Brandon asked as they got inside. "I mean, they're not ruthless enough to leave them to rot, right?"

"Guess it would depend on how important they are!" Kaden answered. "Whatever the case, this may be the opportunity we were looking for!"

Brandon slowed up and pulled Kaden before he could run further, "Repeat that?"

"I said, this is our shot," he said as fellow X-Streamers ran around them.

"I was being sarcastic about your 'plan,' you know."

"Yeah, well, it turns out it is my plan: bust heads until I find whom I'm looking for. You down?"

"...you're serious?"

"You really think anyone is gonna miss us?"

Brandon honestly thought about it. He was already deep into his mess, and part of him liked the idea of not caring how much worse it'd get. "Deal."

Kaden smirked, "Once we touch down, just follow my lead."

Brandon nodded, and the pair raced to catch up with the others.

[Central District, Omnia...]

Dexter leaned against the wall like a husk, counting the endless moments he sat in his cell. He couldn't believe that he choked when things got real. At least they upheld their end of the bargain and didn't hurt him...

Locked behind the neon-green cell bars, his D-Streamer was confiscated, and Dracmon along with it. In addition, the group of Digimon alongside him was defeated; his lord abandoned him to rot in this cell. The ODF believed the remaining Nadir left them here on purpose and, as such, made him sing like a canary. The truth was that couldn't be further. Curling up in his cell, he prayed for a miracle to happen. He didn't want to accept that he was duped into being expendable, yet another lackey for someone more powerful. That was the whole point of joining the Nadir District; that's why he's done all he has up to this point, for himself, for his rise in power.

His dreams, his aspirations...they couldn't end like this. One way or another, he will find a way to turn this around...!

All of a sudden, his cell shook. As more tremors erupted above, Dexter anxiously questioned what was happening. Did the Nadir District come back for him after all? Or...could this be his miracle happening in real-time?!

Leaning towards the cell bars, the ceiling caved in on the other side and caused him to yelp and jump back, hitting and clenching the wall behind him. The smoke cleared almost instantly, wind gusts rejecting the cloud of dirt. Dexter shielded himself from the oncoming winds and coughed as the dust filled his lungs. Afterward, he heard the lock short circuit and the neon bars power down. He then looked over to the entryway and felt his chest fill with warmth and enthusiasm, looking upon the purple fox monster that was his savior.

"Milo! You're alive!" Dexter scrambled onto his feet and out of the cell. "...Milo?"

Rasenmon replied with a low growl and looked upward, Dexter getting the gist of what it was trying to say. He looked up at the monster with a smile fueled by petty revenge. "Before we head out, do you mind if we make a quick stop?"

It shook Kaden's senses how he and his fellow X-Streamers went from a room filled with silence to a world engulfed in chaos. An explosion prevented him from getting his bearings as he was yanked aside by Brandon, who, along with the other X-Streamers, dispersed the moment they touched upon the digital world.

Brandon heaved, clearly terrified by the stray attack, and Kaden also drew a cold sweat as reality set in. The Central District, a bustling hub akin to Times Square, has become a warzone conducted by Digimon of malicious natures.

"CS, Miracle, what's your status?" the voice belonging to Rex, their commanding leader, came through.

Brandon answered, "Sorry, sir, Miracle had a rough transition. On top of that, we have hostiles on our twelve."

"Understood, sending Brachio to back you up."

"No need..." Kaden replied, answering the com. "This is Miracle. It's just a squad of Troopmon, nothing serious; it shouldn't take much to eliminate them. If I may suggest, Sir, stick to the plan; we'll catch up!"

Rex took a moment to respond, "Understood. Don't lag!"

"Copy that," Kaden hung up.

Brandon turned to him, "Nice save there."

Kaden looked at him, "Well, it wasn't like I could tell them we got our brains scrambled by that stray. They would've pulled us out completely."

Brandon looked down the alleyway, studying it intently to ensure there really wasn't Troopmon coming toward them. "So...now that we're here, where does your plan go now?"

"We make our way to the Colosseum," Kaden answered.

"The Colosseum?" Brandon repeated as Kaden headed toward the opposite side of the alley. "Why?"

Kaden debated on answering him honestly, "Call it a hunch." And with that, he continued forward.

Brandon watched Kaden disappear around the corner and muttered to himself before tailing him. Unbeknownst to them, Lucas watched from a rooftop, using a pair of electronic binoculars to track them. He then turned to the castle in the opposite direction, where most of the Nadir forces were focusing their attack and where the X-Streamers were heading. He smirked and pressed down on his com, "CS and Miracle are en route to Central District Colosseum."

"Keep an eye on them and report back what you see," Mason's voice replied. "Don't let them spot you, understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Lucas acknowledged, hanging up.

"Everyone, stand your ground!" A voice exclaimed, mixing in with the screams of pain and terror caused by the purple tornados that spawned to life within the castle. Rasenmon roared as it thrashed through the hallways, with Dexter holding on firmly. The boy was having the time of his life as the beast tore through ODF members with little resistance. Indeed, This was a miracle, being blessed with such power, even temporarily.

"Stop!" Dexter ordered, causing Rasenmon to halt in place. Dexter hopped off and raced up to a steel door off to the side. The functioning keypad sat next to the slit in the door, and with a smirk, Dexter reached for his wrist...only to remember that his confiscated D-Streamer was on the other side of the door. He motioned Rasenmon to blow it down, to which the beast pulled its clawed fist back and punched the door with a wind-infused thrust, warping the metal so that an opening ripped through. Rasenmon used its tails to penetrate the small hole and tear it wider, giving Dexter enough of an opening to crawl through.

The locked room was empty, save for some consoles and a containment unit where his D-Streamer sat. He raced to the nearest computer and typed furiously, grinning at the ease of bypassing everything that came on screen. Twirling his hand over the enter key, he hit it confidently, disengaging the security around the unit and prying it open. Dracmon's voice reached out as Dexter went for it.

"Didn't think you'd show up," Dracmon said with hostility.

"You know I couldn't just leave you here," he replied, strapping the device onto his wrist.

Dracmon ejected from the device, "Yeah, sure." It then looked up to the idle Rasenmon, "Ah, that explains it."

"Right? I told you Milo had our back!" Dexter exclaimed, beaming with confidence.

Dracmon didn't say anything as he stared at the monster, who continued to stare back. "Whatever."

A chime came through on Dexter's device at that point. Checking it, his smile grew even more plastered. "It's from Milo! We're to rendezvous with him at the Colosseum!"

Upon hearing that, Dracmon turned. With Dexter looking back at him enthusiastically, he smiled and nodded. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's raise some hell!"

Dexter nodded and scurried back onto Rasenmon, helping Dracmon up as well. "Let's do it!"

Rasenmon roared and shredded the ceiling with its sharp winds, rocketing through until they were on the outside. Hovering high into the air, Dexter cackled as the blue sky kissed his skin from above and the chaos of the Nadir District's second coming ravaged below. Rasenmon's tails acted as propellers, sending the three of them off towards the Colosseum...

Kaden and Brandon stopped as they reached the surrounding areas of the Colosseum. The bustling area, usually filled with users eager to catch a game or hang out, was left barren and lifeless. Storefronts were either completely missing or glitched out, debris littered the sidewalks and stone-surfaced roads, and remnants of Kaden's fated rematch with Homura left a sour feeling of an alternate timeline where he and Homura did have their battle after all, where the Central District wasn't the victim of such a massacre.

"To say that the chaos blindsided the District was an understatement," Brandon explained as they walked toward the entrance. "So many people were not only thrown by the last-minute cancellation of the match but what came after on top of it."

"...Let me guess, some people think we're responsible for what happened, right? Like, it was a setup or something?"

Brandon scoffed, "goes to show you don't go on Social Media much, huh?"

"I haven't been inclined to look. Ever since the servers shut down, all you see is how pissed off users are." Kaden replied. "That said, I only took so long to recover my reputation. I know for a fact that there are plenty of people who want to villainize me to get themselves off."

"And you're not bothered by that?"

"When I was accused of cheating, I only wanted to get back at Homura. Now, I want to make things right. Later for the haters."

Brandon chuckled, "'Later for the haters,' Kaden Grant 2050."

Kaden stifled himself but couldn't help but chuckle as well, and the combined humor between them erupted through the hollow corridor leading to the center stage. The noise bouncing off the walls took them a moment to realize they could connect on something trivial.

"Could you two be any louder?" Milo's voice came through on the opposite end. Upon hearing it, Kaden stopped short, and before Brandon could respond, the former sprinted forward.

"Whoa, hold up!" Brandon exclaimed, chasing after him.

Kaden blocked out Brandon's call, focusing on the few words and their source. As he ran, he relived those moments in Milo's neighborhood, the chaos not so different from what Omnia's been through. The sunlight crept along the edges of the entrance, and Kaden dashed outward, blinded by the beaming sun. "MILO!"

"KADEN!" Brandon exclaimed.

Kaden felt a slight gust of wind and looked up, freezing as Rasenmon dropped out of the sky with no remorse for anything beneath it. With no time to react, Kaden stopped and shielded himself, the impact mere inches away but strong enough to send him flying several feet, hitting the dirt floor and rolling away. Brandon skated to him and helped him up.

"Ow…" Kaden groaned.

"Twice…" Brandon remarked.

"Huh? What?" Kaden looked up, dazed from the impact.

"That's twice you owe me," Brandon clarified.

Kaden nodded, hoping that was the correct response. His vision focused on Rasenmon, whose purple-tinted winds gently stirred around it.

"…What are you doing here?" Dexter asked as he jumped from Rasenmon. "Don't tell me…"

"I should be asking you that…!" Kaden forced himself up. "Where's Milo?!"

"Wha—I don't know!" Dexter exclaimed. "He must be here since Rasenmon busted us out of prison! Why else would he bring me here unless…no, never mind."

"What?" Kaden demanded.

"Nothing!" Dexter answered. "I'm just overthinking things. There's no way he'd lead me into a trap after everything we've been through…"

"You sure about that?" Milo's voice rang out again. This time, they heard footsteps from the bleachers, prompting them to turn and look. Milo stopped in the middle of the staircase and stared back, a blank, almost emotionless stare painted on his face. Kaden and Brandon were speechless, whereas Dexter grew ecstatic.

"Aha! Yes! I knew you'd be here! Oh man, did I think everything was going downhill for me…" Dexter held his stare for a moment as his enthusiasm cooled. Milo didn't say anything, continuing to come down the stairs.

Kaden took his turn to speak, "Milo! What happened to you?! Have you been in Omnia this whole time?!"

"There's a lot I want to say to you, Kaden," Milo answered, continuing with a stoic tone. "So much that I've been trying to find ways to keep it short."

"…Milo?" Dexter blinked.

"Don't worry about that! For now, just come back home! You can explain everything there."

"Um…"

"Home?" Milo stopped. "You really…!"

"I do!" Kaden pressed. "Everyone's been worried sick about you! Plus, without your Saibatar equipped, there's no telling what kind of effects this place had on you mentally!"

"Excuse me…!"

Milo scoffed, "Chances are, not as many scars as the real world's left on me." he looked over to Brandon, who was hesitating to speak. "Somewhat didn't expect to see you ever again."

"Yeah, well, sort of in the middle of my redemption arc," Brandon stated.

"HEY!" Dexter exclaimed, drawing their attention. "STOP IGNORING ME!"

Milo licked his lips and looked to Rasenmon, "Funny, I'm in the same boat as you." With a flick of his wrist, Rasenmon dropped Dexter; the latter left groaning on the floor from the sudden impact. Meanwhile, Milo climbed over the railing and hopped down, with Rasenmon zooming over to catch him. "Thanks bud…"

Confused, Brandon and Kaden looked at each other and then at the other two, trying to wrap their minds around what was happening. Dexter was also doing the same, growing anxious by the second.

"Either leave or take a seat," Milo told them. "If anything happens to you guys, my brother won't let me live it down…'

"Your brother?" Brandon questioned.

"He's talking about Mason." Kaden clarified. "You know about Project X-Stream?"

"I know too much," Milo replied. "That's all I can say for now."

Dexter growled as he got back onto his feet, "You…TRAITOR!"

"I held up my end of the bargain and got rid of your problem," Milo said as Rasenmon transferred itself into his D-Streamer. And what did I get in return?"

"I gave you information!" Dexter exclaimed. "Knowledge of things that you should be grateful for!"

"That information was not worth my mother's life!" Milo snapped back.

"Yeah, well, no one told you to sign a contract with a devil!"

Milo paused, and the shock developing on his face sent Dexter cackling. "Yeah, that's right! Her death is your fault, not mine! You decided to humor me out of your own curiosity when it came to Riley! You decided to get detention to corner Barry in the school! And guess what? You can add Riley to your list of people to apologize to on the other side!"

Had it not been for Brandon stepping in to stop him, Kaden would've had his hands around Dexter's skinny throat. While Milo stood silent, Kaden's adrenaline was kickstarting within. While they were insults towards Milo, they were reminders of Kaden's failures, and he'd be damned if he stood there and allowed them to be rubbed in any of their faces.

"And yet…you got duped anyway."

Milo's response silenced Dexter's laughter. "What?"

"July 29th, 2050…" Milo recited, causing Dexter to tense. "Sounds familiar?"

Brandon said, "That's the day STREAM Corp had a breach in their security."

"Yeah, and? What's your point?" Dexter pressed.

"The Zenith District has been watching you every step since," Milo revealed. "Save for a few margins of errors; you've played your role to a T."

"…so…so—no; no-no-no-no-no-no! There's no chance you've planned this from the start!"

"You're right, I didn't. However, I, too, have a role to play, as does everyone else." Milo activated his device, winds stirring around him as his device whirled to life. "Like it or not, we're all entertainers on Omnia's vast stage."

Dexter reacted by activating his device, "Dracmon! I need your help…Dracmon? DRACMON?!"

"I felt your blind faith in him would get us screwed."

Dexter paused, "huh?"

"Well? What are you waiting for? Fix your mess." Dracmon ordered him.

"Wh—you're not gonna help me?!" Dexter asked, exasperated.

"And play into the Zenith District's hands any more than we have? Hell no!"

"…but…!" Dexter's voice trembled as a tear escaped. His knees buckled, anxiety took hold of him and trashed his insides, becoming his new master. His gaze fixated on Milo as he slowly spiraled and hissed violently.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Milo took a deep breath and looked back towards Kaden and Brandon, "Last chance."

"We're staying," Kaden spoke for both of them. "The only reason why I'm here is to bring you home. And Riley wouldn't appreciate it if I came back shorthanded, I can tell you that much."

Milo's voice caught, and he chuckled, feeling tears in his eyes. "Thank you…"

Kaden nodded and turned to Brandon, "Let's give him space."

Brandon nodded, and the pair raced back into the corridor to get up and into the bleachers. He took another deep breath and looked down at his device, the metallic finish shining from the sunlight. "Okay, Rasenmon…let's save the day, shall we?"

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the late update, I recently discovered Genshin Impact, and well…yeah, all of my focus went towards that over the last month, proving to be a big distraction. Anyway, we're coming up to the end of the first act of this series, and while this wasn't originally going to end on a cliffhanger, the word count and the lingering writer's block have spoken. It's easier to end things here than try to force myself to write something that can be better with more brewing. That said, I hope you guys enjoy what's going on thus far, and I'll catch you later with the next one (hopefully, it won't take long)