Greed.
He had never been fond of that word, nor of its implications against him. By nature, he guessed he could be described as a cruel, cunning, and manipulative Digimon and maybe a bit obsessed with material items (but for different reasons than what was being spread around about him). But then again, that was how the Holy Alliance saw him as. He was nothing but a cruel demon that manipulated the weak Fallen Angels and had even found a way to control the uncontrollable Deathmon.
If he had been one of the others (like Beelzebumon or Lilithmon) then he probably would have hunted down and killed the 'mon that had started the false rumors about him. He was by far not the cruel Digimon he was often described as. The Fallen Angel Digimon and Deathmon (when he felt he could no longer stay neutral) followed him faithfully. They were part of his army and would happily defend his good name when they felt it was being tarnished by the enemy. And in all honesty, Barbamon did love treasure. It was one of the beauties of life. But he wouldn't kill another for it, despite what rumors say about him.
However, as he listened to his top follower, giving her report of her findings, he couldn't prevent the cold shock and disgust that filled him. He hid it well, but he couldn't stop the unconscious tightening around his staff or the stiffening of his shoulders or the widening of his red eyes (filled with disbelief) as the Fallen Angel that was kneeling, respectfully, in front of him, continued her report of her findings.
"Are you sure there are no survivors, Lady Devimon?"
Lady Devimon was one of the many Digimon he had the pleasure of working with over the centuries. Lady Devimon and her brother, Vamdemon, were among the many that pledge their loyalty to the Demon Lords long ago and had led their groups with pride and victory against the Holy Alliance. She was a phenomenal warrior and leader and continued to show this every day, proving that she was the right 'mon for the job. It was a tough job, but she performed it well.
"Yes, My Lord, Vamdemon is sweeping the area for any survivors with the others as we speak. But the village was completely destroyed." Lady Devimon shook her head as she frowned. Barbamon could see unshed tears, the tightening of her facial features, and the strong posture she was trying to hold in front of him. "I-I fear they may have perished from the attack." He ignored the small crack in her voice. There was no need to point such weakness to a grieving 'mon. It was the village of her birth that was destroyed after all. She had lost her friends and any remaining family that had been alive until that point.
"Thank you for informing me on this matter." Barbamon moved away from the wall (next to the window) that he had been leaning on when Lady Devimon arrived. "I will instruct our next move once I consult this with the others. Until then, continue what you are doing and be on your guard."
Lady Devimon nodded and bowed respectfully before leaving his study. Barbamon watched her silently as he walked back to his desk. Once Lady Devimon closed the huge brown wooden doors, followed by the sound of her walking away, Barbamon finally released the frustrated sigh he had been holding. He collapsed onto his chair, finding no comfort in the extra soft material that padded the seat and armrest. The situation with the remaining members of the Holy Alliance was far worse than he thought.
"The entire village…" The words tasted bitter and raw as they left his lips. And the sound of those words just filled the overwhelming anger and frustration that had been building up for months. "Gone?" They all knew the enemy and what they were capable of. The Holy Alliance were cruel and selfish creatures. They had proven more than once that they cared for nothing but their own kind. Barbamon could still remember clearly the day the members of the Holy Alliance used the children to fight in the war.
Barbamon shook his head sadly at that. The Holy Digimon knew they refused to use children in the war. They were young and innocent, but the leaders of the Holy Alliance didn't see it that way. They saw it as a way to defeat them. They saw children as weapons.
Barbamon sighed as he gazed down at the various plans and maps that littered his desk. The children had been subjected to so many horrors as they were beaten and trained to be weapons. Barbamon remembered how a Plotmon was killed without hesitation when she refused to kill another Digimon, despite the threat of being deleted by her superior. This made him sigh once more.
"Children have no business in war." Barbamon turned his gaze away from the plans in front of him and turned his gaze to the window. Barbamon truly did love gazing at the sky. The sun was just below the horizon making the sky take on a mixture of light pink and orange. Barbamon ran his fingers through his long beard as he gazed out the window. "It's a shame there's no one to admire its beauty."
Barbamon thoughts shifted to the village that had been attacked and destroyed. The village had been filled with Devimon, Lady Devimon, Impmon, Yaamon, Vamdemon, and Pico Devimon. It was very alarming that a village filled with powerful Adult and Perfect Digimon were completely annihilated. Barbamon leaned into his chair as something else came to his mind. The rebels shouldn't be able to destroy a village that big. The Holy Alliance numbers were few compared to the village, where there were at least twenty Adults and Perfects guarding the area.
Barbamon frowned as he returned his gaze to the map that he had placed out in front of him. Several regions were circled and marked, showing the different areas that the Holy Alliance had been tracked down to or seen. Red eyes gazed at the mountain regions and towns of Cyber and Server. The Holy Alliance had been active most recently there. But for what, he wasn't sure. "What are you planning, Goddramon?"
He hadn't realized just how frightening traveling through the portal truly was for someone who was not used to it. Lucemon had learned to ignore the bright colors and sounds coming from the different worlds and realities (which he chose not to open) as they traveled between dimensions. He had never been interested in the other worlds and their pitiful wars. However, as he exited the portal, revealing the beautiful tree that was the birth of all Digimon, Lucemon soon realized that he was now faced with a very serious problem.
"Shhh-sh-sh. It's okay. It's okay."
Ken, the newborn he had saved from the Parallel Human World, was very terrified, very cold, and very hungry.
Lucemon let out a long sigh as his attempts to soothe the crying newborn failed. With another sigh, Lucemon looked around to see how far from the village he was. Blue eyes gazed at the tall lush grass and trees that grew at the very border of the village, just outside the barrier that surrounded the village. Lucemon was thankful that he wasn't that far. He had been worried about the young ones' safety. The Village of Beginnings had been attacked many times in the past, killing many Digimon that had been able to be reconfigured. But, of course, this was not what the Holy Alliance wanted. They wanted the demons eliminated, thus why the village had been moved so many times. The fear for the little ones' safety was very high.
Lucemon didn't want to risk the lives of those innocent babies, so he and the others created a barrier. A barrier that was strong enough to conceal the village from any Digimon that was higher then Child or not given the authorization (by him, Swanmon, or Elecmon) to enter the village.
He stared at the sky, frowning slightly as he held the frightened newborn close to his chest in hopes of giving him some comfort.
Is it really that late?
The sun was no longer starting to break over the horizon like it had been when he left that morning for some personal time. Instead, the sun was starting to set, turning the sky to a soft pink and orange, and just gently touching the top of the huge, colorful tree that sat right in the middle of the village. Lucemon smiled at the beautiful sight. The Village of Beginnings had always been a beautiful and welcoming place. The huge decorative, colored blocks that were scattered around the village made the village playful and full of life. Lucemon knew the babies loved those blocks. Babies were very curious at this age.
Lucemon's turned his gaze towards the tree as he walked. Lucemon could make out billions of eggs resting underneath the tree as he made his way over. The eggs rested near the base of the tree. When they weren't on bushes, they were resting on the grassy ground, just waiting to be born into the world. Lucemon's heart ached for them. This world was still filled with danger. It was cruel and unkind. It was no place for the innocent. Despite that knowledge, Lucemon had to remind himself, he knew the little ones were safe. Swanmon and Elecmon ran this village. From within this barrier, the babies were born and raised in a peaceful sanctuary. It was away from the chaos and death that surrounded them, threatening to end them if they were not careful.
Lucemon turned his gaze to the small human baby in his arms as he walked closer to the center of the village. He knew the child had come very close to death. He had been deprived of food, clothing, and of the love and gentleness, he needed. Lucemon mentally cursed at the beings that allowed this helpless baby to go hungry for so long. He knew from experience that babies require a lot of attention and love, especially if they were just born. It had been centuries since he took care of a baby (and he was sure a human baby's needs weren't as different to a Digimon's) but from what he did remember, a baby shouldn't go without food. They need to be feed every couple hours in order to get the nourishments that they needed to grow.
He gently rubbed Ken's back with his thumb, trying very hard not to touch the bruising that seemed to be on almost every inch of his small body. The bruising looked too fresh for his liking. Lucemon didn't want to accidentally hurt the baby any more than he already was. But it was hard to tell, considering human babies don't talk. Lucemon frowned slightly, wondering how long had the little one been mistreated by his father.
Probably since birth, he thought bitterly. Lucemon hated the thought as soon as it came. Judging by how small he was and by the freshness of the bruising, Lucemon was assuming the little one was born around mid-morning or late afternoon. That small analysis made Lucemon regret killing the human so quickly. The man deserved so much more than a quick death.
"It's okay," Lucemon said in a soothing voice as the baby continued to cry in his arms. "Everything will be all right. No one is going to harm you, not if I have anything to say about it." Lucemon wasn't sure if Ken understood him. He was only a baby, but Lucemon liked to believe that the little one had an idea of what was going on. That he would now be safe and protected from the things that used to and could possibly harm him.
Lucemon continued to speak gentle words to the crying newborn (although, he was slightly surprised when Ken's cries began to decrease at the sound of his voice and his teary eyes began to open to look up at him) as he made his way to where he knew Swanmon and Elecmon would be. Lucemon's lips twitched into a smile as he thought about his two close friends. Swanmon and Elecmon had been the two fortunate ones to be reborn with their memories intact. Lucemon had known the two ever since he hatched from his DigiTama.
The three of them had grown up together in Server, attempting to live a peaceful life in a small village hidden within the forest. The three of them had never liked violence. Swanmon and Elecmon hated the way the young Digimon were being treated. They hated that the babies and Child Digimon were being seen as weapons and dangerous. Lucemon, himself, had never liked fighting back then. He had always loved reading and finding out ways to solve issues without fighting. But that was before the baby massacre.
Lucemon would never forget that day. The war had been on a high with the Holy Alliance gaining the upper hand in the war. The Holy Alliance had been invading small villages and killing the babies that were both born and unborn. It had been a nightmare. The Holy Alliance had come to their village one night, attacking homes and killing the babies before the citizens could figure out what was going on. He and his friends had been wide awake that night with his parents, waiting for his brother to hatch from his DigiTama. His parents had a feeling he would hatch that night, considering it had moved for a few seconds before quieting down. They had heard the screams when the army invaded and attacked the first home. They had all been terrified that night and tried to escape. But the army had completely surrounded the village, making escape impossible.
Lucemon's walking became slower as he remembered the tears on his parents' saddened features and their screams to run as they sacrificed themselves to create an opening for them. He could still feel the aching pain of losing his parents when they were deleted. They had made the ultimate sacrifice, allowing him, Swanmon, Elecmon, and his brother to escape and live. That day haunted them all and they made a vow to never allow someone close to them die ever again. They had all vowed to protect Puttimon and each other, no matter what. Lucemon hated to admit that they had failed his vow. He had been too weak to protect his brother when he was kidnapped by a Holy Angemon and he had also been unable to help protect his friends when they fought to protect a village filled with Baby Digimon.
The loss of one's loved ones was something Lucemon struggled to bare with at times. Over time he had learned to blacken his heart to others, allowing him to evolve and kill without feeling an ounce of emotion. However, three decades later, he had run into his old friends when he was scouting a nearby village. They had been reconfigured and married, doing what they loved best — taking care of babies. Lucemon had never been more thankful to learn that their memories were intact. They had talked for hours that day, learning about what happened after they got separated. Swanmon and Elecmon had been saddened about what he went through without them, but they understood nonetheless. They never chided him for what he did, nor did lecture him about what he was doing was wrong. They accepted it and gave him advice when he needed it. Lucemon was very grateful for that. He had his friends — no — his family back once again.
"Lucemon, what are you doing here?" Lucemon gave a small smile as he stopped at the edge of the tree. Swanmon was holding a sleeping Pabumon in her wings, silently removing the bottle that was between his lips. Next to her was her husband, Elecmon, who was holding a basket of baby bottles. Elecmon looked just as surprised as she was, but quickly recovered when he saw him.
"It's good to see you, old friend," Elecmon said with a smile, "I thought you weren't coming for another two—" Elecmon, however, never got to finish what he was saying for Ken took that moment to remind him that he was very cold and very hungry. The soft wailing of a young baby grabbed his friends' attention immediately. They both looked in the direction of his arms with questioning looks. Lucemon knew it wouldn't be long before the two of them asked him what was going on and why he had a baby in his arms and a human one at that. But Lucemon knew the couple could not stand to see a distressed baby who was obviously hungry.
Swanmon, as he suspected, had been the first to react. Swanmon quickly handed the sleeping Pabumon to her husband before taking flight. Lucemon watched his friend as she flew to his arms to gaze at the crying baby in his arms. A mixture of shock and anger filled Swanmon's eyes as she took in the bruising on Ken's body and the frightened expression he was giving her.
"It's okay, little one. There is nothing to be afraid of," Swanmon said in a motherly tone as she gazed at the small child in his arms. "You're safe here." Lucemon watched with a smile as Ken's crying began to decrease. He whimpered at the both of them as he stared at them with violet eyes filled with tears. "You are such a brave boy," the small newborn just stared at her curiously as she gently wiped away the tears that collected on his small cheek. The baby's reaction was beyond adorable, but also made Lucemon's heart broke. Ken had cooed softly at the soft touch, turning his head in the direction of Swanmon's wing and opening his mouth, in hopes of finally be given something to satisfy the discomfort in his small tummy.
"Oh, you're hungry, aren't you?" The gentleness in Swanmon's voice never wavered, but he could tell that her heart was aching for the small human baby.
Ken didn't respond, not that they were expecting him to, so Lucemon answered his friend's question instead. "He hasn't eaten at all since he was born," the realization brought looks of horror and concern to both of his friends' faces, "I was hoping you two would have a bottle to spare." Lucemon knew it was an odd request, the situation was weird itself frankly, but Swanmon and Elecmon were good friends and were always willing to help him when he needed it
"Of course we do." Lucemon watched as Swanmon flew back to the ground, grabbing a bottle from the basket that Elecmon had placed on the ground in front of him before Pabumon was shoved into his claws, before returning to the hungry baby resting in his arms. "Here we are." Swanmon held the bottle in her wing as she gazed at the small newborn. Ken looked at her with curious eyes as he saw the bottle. The sight was heartbreaking. The newborn had never seen a bottle before. Lucemon hatred for the human only seemed to grow and grow.
Lucemon vaguely remembered how to hold a baby, but was glad that Swanmon decided to instruct him how to hold the newborn properly. Once Ken was propped up in this arms, Swanmon handed him the bottle. Lucemon took the offered bottle and gently placed the nipple of the bottle between the baby's lips. They both waited for the baby to realize that he was finally being fed his very first meal. Thankfully they didn't have to wait that long. After a second or two, the baby latched onto the nipple and began to nurse.
"That a boy," Lucemon gently praised the baby as he happily drank the food he was being given. Lucemon felt a lightness in his soul as he watched the baby nurse. It had been a very, long time since he did this. It had been centuries since he took care of a baby. But as he watched Ken drink, he was reminded of the time when his brother was this age. Lucemon's heart ached for a moment, remembering his brother's death. But Lucemon found that it didn't hurt as much as it did before. There was something about this moment that felt different. When he did this with his brother, the bond was filled with sibling love. But with the newborn, Lucemon didn't feel the same love that he felt for his brother. It was different somehow, stronger, intense even.
"What happen Lucemon?" Swanmon asked as they watched Ken eat. "What happen to his family?
"I was in the Human World...the one parallel to ours," Lucemon told them as he stared into the newborn's eyes, "mourning Puttimon's death."
"Oh, Lucemon..." Lucemon lifted his eyes to Swanmon's sad ones. He knew how much she loved Puttimon and how she regretted not being there to help him save his brother. It had hurt them all when he died.
"I'm fine," Lucemon said before returning to his story. "I was in Japan, watching the Humans as they lived their lives. I don't remember how long I've been sitting on the roof, just watching them. Humans were such fragile creature, but I come to believe they aren't that different from us, especially with how cruel they could be." Lucemon saw a questioning, yet uneasy, look in Swanmon's eyes and he knew Elecmon was probably wondering the same thing she was. "The little one doesn't have anyone. His mother had died when she fought to bring him into this world."
Swanmon's eyes shimmered with sympathy for the human that had died giving birth to this small beautiful gift that laid before them. "Oh, the poor dears." Lucemon had to agree with her. The human had truly loved the child, even at risk of her own life. She might be the only human that he liked.
"And the father?" Elecmon asked as he placed the small green Digimon in his cradle. They had since then been walking towards the other sleeping babies. Once the baby was in his cradle with the others, they began making their way to his friends' hut nearby.
As innocent as the question was, however, Lucemon couldn't stop the anger and hatred that filled his being. "He blamed the little one for his mother's death."
"What?!" Swanmon and Elecmon stopped in front of their home and turned to stare at him in shock and disbelief. It was obvious that they were outraged by the accusation being placed on such an innocent child.
Lucemon grumbled under his breath, taking note of the little one slowly beginning to drift to sleep. Lucemon silently removed the bottle from the baby's lips (noting there was still a lot of milk in the bottle) before handing it back to Swanmon. Once the baby had fallen asleep and snuggled closer to his chest for warmth, and once they were sure they wouldn't wake him up, did Lucemon finally speak again.
"The Human," he hissed lowly, "had mistreated him," he gently stroked the newborn's arm, praying the bruises would go away soon, "it was the middle of a cold, rainy night over there and the Human was about to leave him out there to die."
Swanmon and Elecmon didn't say anything as they walked inside and made themselves comfortable on one of the many soft bed-like-sofas they had. They remained silent as Lucemon's anger circled around them in waves. Lucemon had powers over both Light and Darkness, so when he got very angry his power would sometimes become visible. Lucemon's powers were dangerous and had the potential to harm someone if he wasn't careful. He did not want to completely destroy half of a continent like he had done the first time he evolved to this form. So it was only expected when his friends simply waited and give him the time he needed to calm down and collect his thoughts and emotions. It wouldn't do any good for anyone to have him this angry.
"Sorry," Lucemon apologized as he walked inside the hut and sat heavily on the sofa bed next to Swanmon, feeling slightly ashamed of the potential danger and harm he could have caused to the babies and his friends.
"It's fine," Swanmon said with a gentle smile as she gently rubbed his arm. "You are a good Digimon, Lucemon, even if it's just the three of us that think so." Swanmon's eyes softened as she gazed at the sleeping baby. "And I'm sure after today, you might have gained another that believes in you too." Lucemon gazed at the newborn with a soft smile, thinking back to when the baby first looked at him. The baby never saw him as a monster or something to fear. He saw him as a possible savior, someone that could possibly love and take care of him.
"I guess you may be right about that." He gently stroked the baby's small cheek, watching with a smile as he made a small noise in his sleep. He really was an adorable child.
"And you know," Swanmon picked up the conversation again, "you always have the other Demon Lords. You might be the leader, but that doesn't mean you can't be a family, especially if you're going to raise this little one."
Lucemon frowned at that. He wasn't entirely sure about that. In all honesty, they only got together because of the war. They were all powerful in their own way, but there was no way they could be a family, let alone friends. How could they, when they spent half of the time arguing with each other? Besides, Lucemon hadn't planned on the others to help him raise the little one. They were all busy Digimon and he wasn't even sure if they would be willing anyway. Besides, this was his problem to deal with, his responsibility. He didn't need anyone else.
"Lucemon." Lucemon was snapped out of his thoughts by Elecmon. Lucemon looked at his friend and saw an amused smile on his feature. "Don't tell me you and Lilithmon haven't talked about what happened." Lucemon did nothing to hide the grimace. He and Lilithmon had a thing centuries ago. It was during the war, she had been a beautiful Ophanimon back then. Ophanimon had actually once been a member of the Holy Alliance. When they first met they had been enemies on the battlefield. His group had been exhausted and worn from a battle they had managed to retreat. They had been looking for shelter when they stumbled upon a village Ophanimon and her troops were using. He had expected her troops to want to wipe his group out. They had been exhausted and unable to fight back, they could have been easily defeated. But she had surprised him. Instead of ordering her troops to attack them, she offered them some food to eat and a place to sleep.
Lucemon had never thought an enemy could express such kindness. And as it turned out, he and Lilithmon weren't as different as he thought. Ophanimon and her troops didn't want to fight, they wanted to resolve their difference peacefully. On that night they talked long into the next day discussing everything about the two groups. Lucemon had to admit that he didn't believe her at first, but as she talked about how she disapproved of the deaths and massacres caused by her kind, Lucemon realized that she was different. She had wanted what he had been trying to achieve long ago — a peaceful world without violence or hatred. And Lucemon had to say that he had actually fallen for her when he knew he shouldn't have.
Just as he lost his brother and his friends to the Holy Alliance, Lucemon had almost lost the 'mon he came to fall for. The Holy Alliance had somehow found out about what Ophanimon was doing and arranged a group to kill her and her followers. Lucemon hadn't been around when they had been attacked, but he had been to witness the female members of Ophanimon's army being violated before being killed. Lucemon had completely lost it when he saw this. Lucemon couldn't remember much of what happened after he saw the horrible state Ophanimon had been in when he arrived for their meeting. All he remembered was seeing Ophanimon armor-less and covered in her own blood and then waking up to the destruction caused by his true form.
"I can't face her," he said with a grimace, "not after what happened." Lucemon couldn't face Lilithmon. She had been harmed because he was stupid enough to continue their little meetings. They had been secretly dating before the assassination of her village. Lilithmon had lost everything because of him. He didn't want to know what she thought of him. So when he finally met Ophanimon again, only as Lilithmon this time, Lucemon couldn't face her. Every time he looked at her, he saw the beautiful 'mon that he loved beaten and raped by those that was supposed to be her allies.
"Have you even given her the chance to tell you what happened that day?" Elecmon asked, sounding sure that he knew the answer. And he probably did, considering Lucemon didn't answer him. "I didn't think so." Elecmon fluffed his tail a bit in agitation and gave him a leveled look. It was a look that said, 'you are being stupid, so shut up and listen to me'. "You can't keep avoiding her, Lucemon. Both you and Lilithmon need closure. It wasn't your fault for what happened and I'm positive she doesn't blame you at all. You lost control. Big deal. We all lose control once in a while. But in your case, you losing control might have saved her life that day." Lucemon's frown never left his features, but he did listen to his friend. Elecmon was as wise as they come and he knew he was right. Maybe he should talk to Lilithmon and not make excuses every time she wanted to discuss what happened that day. "Besides, raising a baby is no easy task." Elecmon's smiled slightly as he gestured to the sleeping baby in his arms. "This little one is going to need the love and affection of both his mother and father." Lucemon found his body stiffening as Elecmon stressed that last part. He could not mean him and Lilithmon, could he?