[Eastern District, Omnia...]
"Bring down the thunder!" Regalecusmon exclaimed, signaling the squad of Zudomon to swing their hammers into the air. They then slammed the ground before them, shaking the heavens above and unleashing thunderous lightning cracks on the aerial Nadir soldiers. A squad of Troopmon rushed them in their blind spot, only to be met by a Mach Gaogamon who rushed them back. It then took to the sky and caught any stragglers left.
Meanwhile, as a Weregarurumon was using its close combat skills to mow away the army of Devimon that dared cross it, a second black variant leaped into the air and sent it on the defense with an axe kick. The black Weregarurumon flipped back and slid, meeting the gaze of its counterpart. Both werewolf Digimon snarled at one another before breaking out into a fistfight. All the while, missiles fired off by a matching squad of SkullGreymon rung out overhead, crashing into the squad of Zudomon and doing a decent job of crippling them for a moment. This retaliation allowed a trio of Cerberusmon to swoop in, transform into their werewolf modes, and clear them up point blank. They then turned their attention to the Mach Gaogamon, who swung back around, where a pack of GaoGamon joined it. The two opposing forces clashed, imitating the separate conflicts that covered the valley surrounding Azulongmon's Chamber.
Sierra rode on the back of a Majiramon while surrounded by supporting Airdramon, surveying what was happening below. The fighting's been going on for a while, and though Nadir District's assault was swift and heavy, it was not entirely unexpected. However, where the enemy may have lacked strength, they made up in numbers. The marching Troopmon, in their own right, were a legion themselves. She deduced that at the rate they were going, this conflict would be determined by how long they could hold out. It was hard not to think of the three other Districts and whether or not more of these forces were assaulting them.
"Milady up ahead!" Majiramon exclaimed, drawing her attention forward.
Sierra looked forward and saw a glowing purple light in the distance. She gasped when it flickered.
The world below was a sea of flames in less than a second. Screams and howls from both sides of the conflict snuffed out instantly. Sierra's blood froze, and the inklings of heat touched her digitized body as her subordinates attempted to process what had just happened.
"Azurena, fall back!" Lord Slayerdramon commanded desperately.
"Their troops even..." Sierra's voice shuddered.
"Lady Azurena!" Leomon and Gorillamon swooped in on the backs of their own Airdramon.
Still shaken, it took another cry of her name to snap to it. Looking at her personal guards, she nodded, and the trio and the other Airdramon swung back to regroup atop the chamber.
However, upon landing, they met the gaze of the one responsible for the sudden attack. Sierra's voice caught in her throat upon recognizing the heterochromatic Saibatar.
Dracmon—taking Dexter's Saibatar form—stood, rotating his arm before them with a smirk of accomplishment. Sierra could tell something was off about him. He was making her cautious all the more.
"You all like that just now?" Dracmon asked, still stretching. "This new Saibatar body is stiff, but clearly, it gets the job done."
"Are you not the human who sold themselves to the Nadir?" Leomon accused. "Just how is it you are capable of demonstrating such destructive power?"
"It's because it's not the human at all. Dracmon, I presume?" Gorillamon asked.
"Guilty as charged," Dracmon threw his hands up as if surrendering. With a flick, Dracmon fired an energy shot, which Gorillamon swiftly fired back, the small explosion blowing up in their face. Sierra was knocked back onto the ground and disoriented despite being shielded by Leomon, who quickly took hold of her and took the brunt of the attack.
The shock made Sierra look up at her guard and couldn't find words. Leomon resisted the pain and peered an eye open to ensure she was okay. "Are...you all right, Milady...?"
Sierra nodded nervously. "And you?"
Letting out a gasp, he nodded. "I'll live—Ahhhh!" He roared painfully, dropping Sierra and causing her to scream.
"Tsk tsk, can't have that now, can we...?" Dracmon curled over the Lion's shoulder, retracting his other arm from Leomon's torso.
Frantically, Sierra dragged herself back as Leomon staggered and collapsed, Dracmon holding the Core in his hand. Silently, she watched in horror as Dracmon poured corrupted code into the core, causing it to glitch violently.
"Now for my next trick...!" Dracmon slammed the core back into Leomon, causing the energy to erupt. Leomon cried in pain as purple binary code overtook it. Sierra cried out for him while Gorillamon quickly dragged her away from it. The pair watched Leomon mutate before them, its golden muscles turning into a sickly purple stitched throughout. His mane grew long, ash-gray, and shaggy, and its claws darkened to a blood-red color, as did its eyes. Leomon's ribcage protruded from its skin as it leaned up, as did the bones jutting from his shoulders.
"What have you done to him?" Sierra cried, attempting to break free of Gorillamon's protective grip.
Dracmon smiled at the first tear he could see leave Sierra. "Well, I did just wipe out our forces. Forgive me for drafting volunteers on the spot."
"Why you—!" She shrieked, only stopping when Dracmon raised his hand once again.
"Now, now. You don't want your other subordinate to experience the same fate, do you?" Dracmon smirked, purple energy flickering to life between his lanky fingers. He suddenly turned to his side, stepping back and kneeling. This made the pair look up and see, to their horror, the speculations solidified. The Nadir District Representative touched down, and his human eyes met Sierra's.
"Alphamon…" her voice nearly broke. "So, it's true…"
"Where's the Omni Sword?" he asked, dodging her statement to get straight to the point.
Throat tightening at his voice, she hesitated to answer him. This wasn't some doppelganger. This was indeed Alphamon.
"It's…it's not here…" Sierra uttered.
"I asked about the relic, not your courage." The Nadir Rep took a step forward. "Unless you want what's left of Slayerdramon's army to be walking corpses, you'll tell me where it is."
"…this isn't like you." Sierra continued to resist. "The Alphamon I knew worked hard to bridge the gap between our worlds."
"My goal hasn't changed in that regard." He replied.
"So why did your forces cause all of this destruction?!" She screamed, finally collapsing from the weight of her emotions. "Central District is gone…Leomon is…" She couldn't bring herself to look at the walking, muscular husk of her bodyguard.
"Save yourself the pain and summon Azulongmon then."
The request took her aback. The Nadir Rep crossed his arms, "Have him speak for you."
Sierra gritted her teeth and looked up at him. "As his representative, my answer stands! The relic is not here! And I will sacrifice everything before I tell you where it—!" She was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Gorillamon stepping before her. Before she could process what happened, Gorillamon dispersed into binary, Core landing before her.
Sierra's screams were deafening.
As Dracmon went over to retrieve it, Sierra's adrenaline kicked in, and she held the core tightly against her chest. She tried to run, but Dracmon grabbed her hair bun and yanked back, undoing it and causing her blue hair to spill out. Sierra collapsed on her back and then felt Dracmon's grip try and wrestle the core out of her hands.
"NO!" She screamed, desperately trying to hold on.
"You're willing to die for him, huh?! Gotta say, I respect that!" Dracmon took glee in this and began to punch and kick it loose, Sierra taking every bit of it. To her, a small amount of physical distress was worth saving one life.
After a moment, Dracmon stopped trying to take it and decided to beat her down. She would let go eventually, he figured, but in the meantime, he would take the chance to take out a representative.
The Nadir rep turned to Slayerdramon, who, this whole time, was forced to deal with the latest batch of troops alone. The Lord of the East was holding his own, but how long would he last? Eventually, Dracmon returned with the Core, Sierra struggling to keep conscious.
"My liege," Dracmon handed him the Core. The Nadir Rep subsequently crushed it and absorbed the binary, growing empowered. "Direct all troops to the North," he began to rise off the ground. "If we have to level every District, then so be it."
The Nadir Rep roared into the sky, purple and black binary encircling him and transforming his person into DexDorugoramon. Afterward, it charged a massive ball of dark energy within its jaws and fired forth, intending to bathe what was left in destruction.
Dracmon smirked and looked at Sierra last before stepping into a gate. Meanwhile, Sierra could only stay conscious enough to see the blast descend, after which she surrendered herself to fate…
"CROSS SLICER!"
A loud explosion roared overhead, startling Sierra. Confused, she had enough strength to turn her head and saw an unexpected figure approach her.
And, going by the look on his face, he wasn't too pleased.
"I expected more from you, Azurena." Lord Vermil knelt and got her on her feet, though it took a moment to gain her bearings.
"Sorry…everyone's…"
"Don't apologize," Lord Vermil told her, unexpectedly soft in tone. As he spoke, he forced open her menu and log her out. "Gurenmaru and I will clean up. You're needed elsewhere."
"Huh? What—!" she was cut off via ejection. As her blue binary dispersed in the air, Lord Vermil looked up as Gaiomon engaged DexDorugoramon, Homura riding on his partner's back, fueled with fury. Meanwhile, Southern District Digimon was storming the area, flanking the Nadir Troops and giving Slayerdramon a new wind.
"Consider us even, Sierra…" Lord Vermil crossed his arms and watched as the battle for the East took a new turn.
"The truth of the matter is…Riley never existed in the first place."
All she could think about at that moment was running. It didn't matter how far or fast. She just needed to escape from everything.
Sylvia grasped the railing near her to catch her breath. Holding firmly, she desperately tried to calm herself down as her anxiety spiked. She couldn't understand where this was coming from. Was it their reaction that was causing this attack? She didn't understand at all.
Why were Miranda's words triggering her like this?
As she moved forward, she came to the edge of the staircase before her and gasped, seeing a sprawled body at the foot of it. It looked like a girl with long blonde hair and slightly tanned skin, dressed in a white nightgown. Upon further inspection, the gown was stained blue, the ominous liquid spreading from her person. Sylvia stood frozen, beginning to hyperventilate, unable to pull her eyes from the horrific sight.
"Such a hypocrite you are…"
Sylvia tensed further as slender arms coiled around from behind her. She didn't dare move as her assailant's head leaned gently on her shoulder. "You do well at running away yourself…"
Sylvia's breath shuddered, and a tear rolled down her face. "You're…you're not real…!"
"You don't get a say in that, sis," Riley replied softly. She, too, looked down at the lifeless body, growing a sense of anger from it. "You won't get away with this…I won't allow it!"
Sylvia jumped and frantically swung her arm. In doing so, she leaned too far back and lost her footing, feeling gravity. Begin to carry her downward.
"SYLVIA!" Milo exclaimed, snatching her wrist. The startled girl looked up and saw Milo struggling to hold steady, realizing he must have followed her. She quickly regained her footing and embraced him, leaving him bewildered.
"Sylvia, are you okay?!"
She only pointed downward at the foot of the stairs, to which Milo looked over her shoulder. "What… are you pointing at?"
Upon hearing his question, Sylvia quickly turned and was shocked to see the body and all traces of it gone. Besides herself, she clenched the side of her head, her thoughts scattered and ablaze. At this point, she couldn't help but grin.
"Sylvia..?"
"Who…is she?" She asked, giggling. "Tell me…who is Riley?"
Her question threw Milo. She looked at him with aching eyes, seeking Milo's answer. "Ever since I've woken up…I've heard that name repeated. You know her, right…? Tell me, just who is she? And why is she torturing me like this?"
Milo didn't have an answer for her, and the sight of her crumbling before him twisted his insides. He gave her another moment to sob some more before he felt compelled to embrace her. He didn't know if this would work, but it was worth a shot. "I know you're not Riley…"
Hearing that, Sylvia looked back at Milo, taking his words as a token of sympathy. In return, she hugged him tighter, feeling a sense of security from him.
"But," he continued, sounding regretful, "I know in my heart you're not Sylvia either…"
As if her mental state hadn't taken enough blows, that final sentence may have well shattered her world. "What…?"
"Your real name is Raelyn." Milo continued.
The sound of that name made Sylvia shove him back. As if he expected that kind of reaction, Milo didn't object. She trembled as images began to flood her mind. It was as if that name was a password to a plethora of overwhelming information locked away all this time. She looked back at Milo, who hesitated to speak further.
"S-Stay away from me…!"
Milo was taken aback, "Rae, just trust me, all right! I can explain—!"
"I said stay away!" She shrieked, causing Milo to pause. He obediently took a step back, and she kept her eye trained on him before racing off into the darkness of the night. Afterward, Herissmon materialized on his shoulder. "What if you were wrong in your assumption?"
Milo sighed, turned in the opposite direction, and began walking back to the building. "I did consider that Dexter may have given me false info. However, it was worth the gamble between Mason verifying what happened that day and her behavior."
"I see…" Herissmon acknowledged. "What now, then?"
"Now that they know we're onto them, all that's left is to make a trap and lead them to it." Milo stopped when he got close and pondered his thoughts some more. Looking up, he noticed Bianca staring back from her window. He knew of her as the Western Representative and that she was a resident at the facility. Outside of that, she was more or less a shut-in. Milo broke eye contact first and went back to his thoughts. "Just hold on, Rae, we'll rescue you…
…or at least, whatever's left of you."
"Both Leomon and Gorillamon...?" Kaden's voice shook as each syllable left his lips. The images flashed in Sierra's mind as she was forced to relive the events. She could only nod to confirm.
Kaden, all the while, was tired. Just when things began to look up with Milo's return, Miranda and the Nadir District had to throw a wrench in everything. Alphamon, the ruler of the Central District and an important figure within Omnia's overall history is now leading the faction that seeks to destroy it all, with his motives shrouded in utter mystery. Meanwhile, the Zenith does little to repel them and instead is holding him and his friends hostage in a sense.
After Sierra returned, they made it back to Kaden's room, taking the opportunity to catch up privately. Nico broke off, needing to get his thoughts in order before explaining his side of things, while Milo and Sylvia were told to meet them there to discuss what Miranda revealed. Sylvia didn't respond, but Milo said he would be there as soon as possible.
"Homura and Lord Vermil...if they hadn't stepped in, I don't know what would've happened."
"And Dexter—I mean 'Dracmon'..." Kaden continued.
"I don't know. I had never seen anything like that before. It's almost as if his Saibatar is being possessed or something."
They heard a knock at the door, prompting Kaden to lean. "Password."
There was a brief pause before the voice on the other side said, "Wait, there's a password?"
Kaden chuckled, "Just come in, it's open."
Milo opened the door and quickly closed it behind him. As exhausted as he looked, he took note of Sierra's disposition and went in for a hug. She welcomed it.
"Thank goodness you're all right." She sniffled.
"Likewise. I have so much to tell you two; I don't know where to begin."
"Uh, before that, though," Kaden interjected slightly, "Milo, Sierra said that Alphamon, the ruler of the Central District, is the one leading the Nadirs."
"Yeah...that's true," Milo confirmed.
"And Dracmon..."
"Hijacked Dexter's Saibatar?" Milo finished the sentence.
"Wait...hijacked?" Kaden blinked.
Milo nodded, "that virus that Dexter played out of desperation was more than just something to wipe whatever was left of Central. It wiped his consciousness data, allowing Dracmon to slip in and take over."
"Wha—seriously? But why? What would he get out of that?"
"They probably synced with one another," Milo answered, pondering the thought. "This is a theory, but...it's possible that Dracmon groomed Dexter to become a strong enough 'partner' only for it to turn on him and take possession of his empowered Saibatar form."
"That's...possible?" Kaden questioned further.
"You haven't noticed before, Kaden?" Veemon asked, summoned from the D-Streamer afterward. "Some humans and Digimon possess unique relationships in which we grow stronger over time the more we grow closer.
"There's no official name for it, so various terms have been tossed around; 'Sync Partners,' 'The Chosen,' 'Digi-Destined,' and so on." Sierra continued to explain. "According to Alphamon and Dr. Whitaker, humans, and Digimon have the potential to unlock untold power between one another the stronger the bond is. It's the very reason the Nadir made their first move several months ago within Omnia."
"Oh yeah!" Kaden remembered, turning to Milo. "You said Dexter was caught up in that, right?"
"And likely he worked with the Nadir ever since, lured by Dracmon to unlock his potential," Milo answered. "That said, Alphamon worked vehemently against the Nadir District, so why he's leading them is odd."
"Could it be mind control?" Kaden suggested the rather obvious probability. "Sounds crazy, but..."
"Actually..." Sierra seemed willing to go along. "Assuming it's the same as with Dexter and the hijacking...?"
"But we're talking about Alphamon." Milo pointed out. "He's too powerful for something like that."
"So then, are you suggesting he's willingly working with them?" Sierra asked.
"Not entirely, but...for the sake of argument, what if the Zenith did something to provoke Alphamon to act the way he has?"
"Like?"
Milo shrugged. "I'm just speculating for now. The target of the Nadir is the Zenith. What if Alphamon discovered the reason behind it and is willing to see things from their perspective…?"
"Speaking of the Zenith..." Kaden spoke again, "What Miranda said about Riley. What did she mean by her 'not existing?' Or why she has had it out for you? You mentioned before that my obtaining Magnamon, which I know for sure now is tied to whatever the Zenith District is planning, was given to me out of spite towards you. And based on what she told us, Nico, Milo, and Sylvia are no different from me. We've all been under the Zenith's control this whole time, haven't we?"
Sierra took the information in and tried to process it, though the longer it rolled around in her head, the more frustrated she grew. "Riley...did exist."
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning that whatever nonsense Miranda has told you was just to keep you in line," Sierra said sternly. "Don't either of you dare believe a word she tells you."
"Sierra, that didn't really answer—!"
"We understand," Milo answered for the pair, with Kaden's head twisting in his direction. Milo looked at him and gave him the look to stop pressing on, to which Kaden felt reluctant.
Suddenly, a chime on Kaden's D-Streamer came, followed by a message. He looked at it for a second longer after reading it and looked at the others. "I have to report to Executive Ward's office."
"Absolutely not. I'm not going to have that woman have the final say in all this,'' Sierra said, the pair standing up.
"…actually, I think I know what happened…" Kaden thought about his actions post-battle and realized that his emotions likely landed him in hot water. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."
"You sure?" Milo inquired.
Kaden nodded, making his way to the door. "It's late anyway. You two should probably get to bed."
The pair, skeptical nonetheless, didn't bother to push any further than that, following Kaden out of the room and splitting from there. After Kaden turned the corner, he paused for a few seconds and looked back. When the coast was clear, he turned and went in the opposite direction. He didn't feel right lying after everything, but Sylvia specified for him to come alone. This was fine; he wanted to know how she was doing anyway.
It was a few minutes afterward that he arrived at her room. Knocking, he whispered to the invisible person on the other side. "Syl, it's me…"
The lock clicked open and slid open. Inside the room was Sylvia curled on her bed, trembling and sobbing. Kaden forwent closing the door to rush to her. "Sylvia!"
Upon feeling his embrace, Sylvia melted in Kaden's arms and grabbed onto his jacket, letting her emotions take full control of her demeanor. Kaden sat confused, wanting to know what was going on but not knowing how to ask. He mimicked Sierra's actions towards him earlier and cradled Sylvia until she calmed down.
"I can't take it…! I can't take any of this anymore…!" She sobbed in between takes.
"I know… I want things to go back to the way they were, too."
"No…" she leaned up from him. "You don't get it."
Raising a brow, Kaden grew curious. "…What do you mean?"
"I mean..." she looked up with tears in her eyes, "…I need to get out of this place. For good."
"Oh, well, when all is said and done, you'll just go home with Sierra…right? And things…" Kaden stopped talking as Sylvia shook her head in tears. "What do you mean?"
"Things…won't go back to how they were." She sniffled.
"What do you mean?" Kaden scoffed, "When all this is over, we'll go to school, work at the store, hang out in Omnia in our downti—!" he cut himself off, realizing the crucial detail.
"Tell me…who am I to you?" Sylvia leaned in.
Kaden hesitated to respond. "Wha…?"
"Who do you see when you look at me?!" She almost screamed.
He knew what she was asking. But he didn't know how to respond. The girl before him had Riley's face, and yet…this was Sylvia…wasn't it?"
"Please…tell me who I am…!" She continued to break down.
Kaden felt the pressure weighing in on his answer. The seconds it took to speak felt eternal. Was there a correct answer? Did it matter what kind of answer he gave? How could he tell the truth if even he didn't know?
"Who are you…?" he asked her.
"SYLVIA!" she cried desperately. "My name is Sylvia! Sylvia Gabriella Ocasio! We met on Omnia and have been best friends for a long time. We were rivals and used to stream all the time. Sure, we butted heads and did not agree on a lot, but…we never stayed mad at one another for long…the summer we spent together… was the best time of my life…because you were my escape."
Kaden's heart thumped, and his cheeks flushed. Seeing that, Sylvia's face also turned bright red. Without hesitating, she dove in for a kiss, taking him aback. The unexpected display of affection overtook him, and he kissed her back. It didn't matter if these were feelings he was realizing or the need to save a broken girl before him. At this moment, it felt right…
"…well played…" Milo scoffed from the doorway.
…until it suddenly didn't.
Startled by his voice, the two broke apart and quickly turned to the door, seeing the younger boy holding back his emotions. Before Kaden could say his name, Milo tearfully broke away and bolted. Kaden pulled away from Sylvia and went after Milo, speeding off to catch up to him.
Sylvia stared at the open door and ran her fingers across her lips before cracking a euphoric smile.
"MILO! Milo, I can explain; wait up!" Kaden dashed down to the lobby of the building and chased Milo through it and outside the building. Upon hearing him, the stationed security guard jumped and went to pursue them, but Kaden turned back and threw his hands up. "Everything's fine! I promise!"
The Security Guard remained skeptical, seeing Milo standing feet away, slowly becoming a sobbing mess, and Kaden out of breath and just as anxious. "Fine. Get whatever's off your chest and head back to your quarters. No one's permitted to be wandering this time of night."
"Yes sir…" Kaden obediently acknowledged as the guard made his way back inside. Afterward, Kaden turned to Milo, who was wiping his eyes. He walked up behind Milo and tapped his shoulder, but the boy rejected his advances, swinging back.
"Milo, I can explain. Sylvia, she—!"
"I should've known better," Milo said. "I always know better, so how did I let this happen?!"
"…I'm sorry. I know you liked her and all, but…" Kaden didn't have any defense, and the guilt was crushing him. "I didn't think it would escalate like that!"
"Ha!" Milo exclaimed, "Very admirable for you to apologize; guess envy can be added to your list of qualities.
"Envy…?" Kaden questioned. "You think I'm being jealous?!"
Milo cackled, "I'm right, aren't I? It's appalling that someone like you would stoop so low.
"All right, that's enough! What do you want from me?!" Kaden exclaimed, fighting back tears, "I made a mistake, all right?! I realize that!"
Milo calmed down, toning down his hysteria. "Like everyone else here. Ever so more than you have. Milo ruffled his hair and kicked a rock. "Sorry, you have put up with this. I…loved her."
Kaden felt the jab in his chest from that. Milo rubbed his wrist before continuing. "To be honest…I was afraid to bring it up before, but…"
"But what?" Kaden asked.
"Riley and I…we kissed before."
Kaden's stomach dropped harder than he thought it would. He shouldn't have been as surprised as he felt, given the time away from them he spent. Still, he felt compelled for details. "When?"
"…the moment before I attacked her."
Kaden's blood went cold. Upon seeing his face, he looked up at Milo, who cracked a smile. "…What? Why would you…?"
"Did you forget what she did?" Milo continued. "She killed Syl, my idol, after all, so naturally, I would lead her into a trap to expose her guilt."
Kaden's eyes widened once he realized how serious Milo was. He shook his head, not wanting to believe it. "You're hiding information again…that's it, right?"
"That's the whole truth," Milo admitted. "The reason she's in her current state, not knowing who she truly is? That's all me. I caused her to break."
Kaden slowly began piecing together the chain of events. "That's why you followed me?!"
Milo nodded. "It won't do the Zenith any good if she sought help from an outsider."
Kaden balled his hands into fists. "You little…!"
"You wanna hit me, go ahead. If you need more of an incentive, I'll go as far as to tell you exactly what I told her.
Kaden tossed his guilt aside and grabbed Milo by his collar, seething with each breath, "What did you tell her?!"
"That she's neither Sylvia nor Riley…"
Kaden reacted by punching Milo finally, sending the boy in one direction and his glasses in another. The guard watching from afar sprang into action, joined by two more racing outside and grabbing Kaden before he could continue.
"Why would you do that?! Are you insane?!" he screamed, being pulled away.
"Wake up already, Kaden!" Milo screamed back, sitting up with blood running from his nose. "Do yourself a favor and stop lying to yourself! Sylvia's dead, and Riley never existed! Accept that they're both gone!"
"Shut up!" Kaden cried. "You're just another Zenith puppet; you said it yourself, right?! I swear I won't let any of you hurt her anymore!"
"All right, that's enough out of you!" the main guard jerked his grip back. "Start walking!"
"Let go!" Kaden struggled, prompting a second guard to hold him steady. "I said let go!"
Milo stood up and rubbed his nose, blood stains on his sleeve. He turned to the remaining guard and obediently followed him into the building. "Please, I need to report to my brother.
"After we address your injury," the guard replied. "In the meantime, I'll alert him."
"That was good enough for him. Milo thought that from this point forward, the seeds were planted, and for the sake of both Earth and Omnia…
…it was up to Kaden to cultivate and make them grow.
"Have we begun looking into a replacement for Miracle yet?" Noah asked Mason and Miranda, the two executives sitting on the other side of his desk early the following day. It was clear that the former had no sleep the night before and was irritated despite trying to stay calm.
"There are several candidates, in fact," Miranda noted. "They will be going into the first of the trials this afternoon. We should have the initial results shortly after."
Noah groaned and ran his hand down his face. "Why is everything going south all of a sudden? First Central, and now we lose Miracle."
"To be fair, he was a troublemaker from the moment he set foot in this facility," Mason commented.
"That sounds as if I'm to blame," Miranda side-eyed him.
"You should've raised him better."
"As if your sociopath of a younger brother is a ray of sunshine."
"Stop it, you two." Noah glared at them. "Miranda, I have to agree with Mason. Just what were you thinking approaching them last night?"
Miranda was surprised, "As their superior, am I not allowed to discipline them?"
"Within the proper channels," Noah reminded. "What you did was out of line, and it goes without saying that your motives for doing so were anything but proper disciplinary tactics."
Miranda scoffed and crossed her arms. "Believe what you will."
"Need I remind you that Patient Zero is present with us? So long as you keep your emotions in check, she'll be en route to being our ace in the hole in this conflict." Mason reminded.
"Whatever…" Miranda rolled her eyes. Maybe we would win this war if you two were more proactive."
"I'm going to disregard that," Noah replied.
"KADEN!" Sylvia ran frantically through the facility, not finding any luck locating him. All of this sparked from whispers she heard in passing. Now, with her protector supposedly dismissed, she can feel the anxiety coil around her. "KADEN, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Why are you so loud…?" a young voice spoke, startling Sylvia.
The teen turned around and jumped back as Bianca suddenly appeared, still in her pajamas. Wiping the crust away with one hand and holding tight a cat plush in the other, she took a moment before looking up at Sylvia.
"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you…" Sylvia apologized, coming to terms with her panic. "Um…have you seen a boy, tall with blonde hair and blue eyes?"
Despite the generic description, Bianca thought for a moment before answering. "Are you talking about Cobalius?"
"Yes! Have you seen him around? People are saying that he was kicked from the project and…"
"He was," Bianca confirmed nonchalantly.
"But why?!" Sylvia exclaimed but retracted some, "I mean, do you know why? Did it…have to do with the recent mission?"
"I think he got into a fight last night with someone. I saw it from my window. He was dragged by Security from out in front of the lobby."
"Got into a fight?!" Sylvia thought for a second, Milo flashing in her mind as a potential suspect. "Wait…why would he…?"
"By the way, what happened to you?" Bianca suddenly changed topics.
Sylvia blinked, "I'm sorry?"
"You…used to be so pretty before. What happened?"
Sylvia was taken aback, "Excuse me?"
"Hmm…" Bianca pondered. "I wonder…"
Sylvia cleared her throat, "Sorry for bothering you; I'll be on my way," Sylvia said, dismissing herself from the conversation.
Bianca's head dipped, realizing she offended Riley. "…I'm sorry." Bianca lifted her head back up, her eyes flashing purple briefly. "I…tend to speak my mind a lot."
Sylvia paused and turned back. "It's okay. Just be care—!" Sylvia gasped, finding Bianca replaced by Riley's Saibatar Persona, Raven. "What…what are you doing here?!"
"I know what you're trying to do," Riley stated. "You underestimate my friends."
"W—what are you talking about?" Sylvia hesitated, stepping back. "You—you're not real!"
"That won't work twice!" Riley snapped, rushing Sylvia and driving her up against the wall. Sylvia, terrified, trembled before the girl as Riley leaned in, "One way or another, I'm taking my body back and ensuring that you stay dead this time!"
"NO!" Sylvia screamed, pushing Riley off of her and escaping. Desperately, Sylvia ran down the empty, dark halls, attempting to escape her assailant. Eventually, she passed a random open door and slipped in, locking it behind her. Feeling secure, she cried as she tried to regain her composure. As the fear of loneliness stirred, she was convinced she was living a nightmare. Kaden was gone; she was questioning her identity, and Riley was haunting her.
What crime did she commit to deserve being tortured like this?!
Suddenly, her surroundings went bright. When her eyes adjusted, Sylvia found herself in a beautiful garden landscape. A fountain rushed nearby, and stone pillars decorated the area.
"Where…am I?" She questioned as she looked up. The place was familiar, and yet, something about it felt off.
"This is where you left me to sleep," Riley's voice answered. Sylvia spun around, watching as Riley made her way through. Silvia quickly noted her softer and relaxed tone, though she kept her guard up. "Back when I was exhausted and regretful…"
As she spoke, It was as though Sylvia suddenly had little grounds to refute that. "I…don't remember and yet…"
"I don't expect you would. After all, you've impersonated her so much I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot your real identity, ironic as that may be." Riley explained.
"What are you talking about?! Where are we?!" Sylvia demanded.
Riley stopped walking. "We're in our head."
"…'Our head?'"
"It's a mindscape created years ago to store our personalities to relieve the strain on our brain," Riley continued. "I admit, it's a little too bright for my taste, but…it is quiet."
"You're not making any sense," Sylvia said.
Riley sighed, "Right, then let's put it this way. This is the place that you sought to imprison me while you took control of my body, all to destroy the Zenith District from within, isn't that right?"
Sylvia was taken aback. "What?! How—why would I do something like that?!"
"Because you wanted freedom," Riley activated her D-Streamer. "Freedom that you could only get utilizing the powers of the Nadir District."
"That's not true!" Sylvia fought. "I would never do such a thing!"
"That's true, Syl was the 'Princess of the Zenith, after all; however…Lucemon is a different story…am I right?"
It felt weird being back in his bed after everything that happened.
Kaden's father grabbed him in the middle of the night after his fight with Milo. The car ride was silent, and Kaden did not want to discuss what happened there. Half listening, his dad did say that Detective Howard explained as much as he could and how everything was tied up to one another. He also had the assurance that AEGIS backed this project and that this counted as an "internship" from STREAM Corp—albeit impromptu. Regardless, Kaden's mother was happy he was coming home despite the reasoning behind it. If anything, she jokingly chalked it up to him, finding something unusual or unjust about it, prompting him to act out.
Whatever the case was, Kaden lay on his bed, thinking about what he left behind. Once more, he was separated from his friends due to his actions. The difference is that a whole war was happening alongside it. And with no way to access Omnia outside of STREAM Corp, he could do little otherwise.
He was about to doze off when he heard a knock on his door. "Yeah?"
"Hey, Kaden. It's me." Detective Howard spoke through the door. "Got a message to pass on to you."
Curiously, Kaden sat up and went to his door. Sure enough, Detective Howard was on the other side, dressed in official business attire by the looks of it.
"Hey," Kaden said to him. "What kind of message is it?"
Detective Howard handed him a USB drive, something rather ancient at this point but still finds niche uses. "Something that couldn't risk being sent electronically. All I know is that my Director wanted you to have it."
"…Okay?" Kaden took the device. "And…what should I do with the drive?"
"I'll be here for a while, so when you're done, you can hand it back."
"Oh," Kaden relaxed, "So this is just a regular home visit."
"In a manner of speaking. That said, how are you feeling? I can imagine you've been through a lot in the week or so you've been at STREAM Corp."
Kaden didn't know where to begin. "Well…I've definitely seen some things…"
Detective Howard nodded and patted Kaden on the shoulder. "Needless to say, you've done a great job. Cyber Counter-Terrorism isn't the most glamorous career nor the easiest. But just know that your contributions have saved more lives than what was lost."
Despite the intention, Kaden didn't feel reassured. At the end of the day, the Central District was destroyed, and East could be left hanging on a thread for all he knows, let alone the remaining districts. "I appreciate that."
"Anytime, kiddo." Detective Howard nodded. "Welp, let me not hold you up. I'll be in the kitchen with your folks in the meantime."
"Noted," Kaden nodded, closing the door behind him. He looked at the USB drive again and made his way to his computer. After a few mins of booting up, he insert the drive and awaited his computer to work its magic. Soon after, a window popped up on his screen along with a message.
This information is reserved for Kaden Grant. Please confirm your identity by entering the password below…
"Password?" Kaden read. Detective Howard never mentioned a password. Even so if this information is specified for him, then it had to be something related to him…
Cobalius? Denied
Veemon? Denied
Imperialdramon? Denied
X-Stream? Denied
Miracle? Denied
Magnamon? Denied
Kaden tried other phrases, like his school name, Lady Azurena, all of his friends and allies' Saibatar surnames, and such. Nothing. Crossing his arms, he thought hard for a moment. Why would AEGIS reach out to him after everything that's happened? If STREAM Corp had every intention of removing him from the project…then that must mean this is separate from them…it then dawned on him.
"…the summer we spent together… was the best time of my life…because you were my escape..."
Escape? Denied
Summer? Denied
Despite being rejected, Kaden knew he was onto something. Thinking hard, he thought back to the initial conference that he skipped out on to be by Riley's side. Dr. Melanie Whitaker was the one who approached them about the war in Omnia. She was the one responsible for everything. And the codename for the original project…
Endless Summer? Granted.
Suddenly, the initial window disappeared, and a new one popped up, inviting Kaden to join the call. Hesitant, he swallowed his fear, seeing this as an ample opportunity to learn the truth. Quickly, he grabbed his headset and D-Streamer and accepted the invitation. His mind transferred into the network, and he found himself moments later in a virtual chatroom, stylized like an office. The olive couch before him seemed inviting, so he decided to sit and await his host.
Moments later, another individual appeared. Kaden sensed some familiarity with the blonde-haired boy, though he couldn't quite put his finger on where. Golden eyes stared back at Kaden as the guest made eye-contact, prompting him to speak up. "You weren't the one who invited me here…are you?"
Before he could get an answer, another individual appeared. A Hispanic man in his late 30s by the looks of it, dressed semi formal with a button down, tie, khakis and sneakers. "Made it just in time…" the man looked at the two of them, "Ryusei, long time no see."
"Likewise." Ryusei replied, respectfully.
"Oh, I remember now. You're Alphamon's Vassal!" Kaden pointed out.
Ryusei turned to Kaden, "I appreciate your optimism on the matter."
Kaden realized his exclamation may've touched a nerve. So he turned to the older man. "My name is Kaden Grant. And you are…?"
"Gabriel," He shook Kaden's hand. "I've heard a great deal about you from Sierra and my niece."
Kaden blinked. "Oh! I heard about you, too!"
Gabriel chuckled, "It seems it's a small world."
As the pair got acquainted, Ryusei looked over to acknowledge the final entry, that being Melanie Whitaker herself, alongside Morphomon. "I was beginning to worry."
"Oh please," Melane said, walking toward the desk, data files in hand. "Do you know how long it took to decipher that stupid message we were sent. Imagine my surprise that a room full of engineers couldn't see through basic grammar."
Kaden and Gabriel watched as Melanie dropped her stuff on the desk and turned her attention toward them.
"Oh, you two made it. Great."
"Dr. Whitaker…?" Kaden raised his hand, "What's going on? Why did you call us here?"
"Oh well the answer should be obvious, right?" the red head replied. "To expose the truth about the Zenith and Nadir, and my solution to bring an end to this war."
"The…truth?"
"Mhmm. I trust you received Milo's message?"
"What message? The last thing I did related to him was get into some stupid argument."
"…should've guessed it'd go over your head."
Kaden didn't have a response for that.
"Maybe, Melanie, we should tell him about Raelyn, before we discuss the message. Otherwise, he'll have more questions than answers."
"Raelyn…?" Kaden turned. It was the first time hearing the name, and yet something about it stuck out to him. "Who is…Raelyn, exactly?"
"In short, its Riley, and Syl, but at the same time it's neither of them." Melanie said.
"That…what?"
"Right; let's start from the beginning shall we? For starters…"
Tell me about the day you first met Syl.