When the light cleared, the spectators watched with bated breath the results. Ordinemon drooped forward and stood motionless, giving everyone a sense of caution.

"Did…did it work? Was Kaden able to get inside?" Milo questioned.

Rasenmon scanned the area. "I don't sense either his or Imperialdramon's presence. Safe to say they succeeded."

"I wouldn't get too excited. It's one thing for him to get inside that thing, but there's no telling what it's going to take to get to the core." Mason said before turning back, "Everyone regroup but stay on guard! Things can go south fast, so we need to be ready for the worst-case scenario!"

"YES SIR!" Everyone in earshot exclaimed.

"Azurena!" Mason called out to Sierra, "Use this chance to get back to the Eastern District. Implore Azulongmon once more and standby. I'll reach out to the other Representatives and tell them to do the same."

Sierra nodded. "Mastemon, do you mind?"

The angelic Digimon nodded, opening a gate for her. Sierra looked to everyone with hopeful optimism and determination, before jumping from Rasenmon and into the gate.

By this point Eosmon Level 6 and Melanie floated up to the group, Zack and Ryusei lying in her hands, exerting themselves from their last strike. Milo took note of Zack now that he was up close to them. "Wow, he really isn't that much older than us, is he?"

"He just aged really well." Melanie replied, humored by the comment. It was evident that there was a keen sense of relief in her voice.

"He was able to regain his powers as Alphamon," Mason commented as well. "Does this mean that he's recovered from the effects of the DeathXDigivolution?"

Melanie hesitated to answer, wanting not to think about it. "The fact is that he's back here with me now. I'll worry about that when all of this is over."

Mason nodded and took a deep breath. "I apologize for my actions prior."

"You were following orders I imagine. That, and its clear that you have a heart underneath that hard exterior of yours." She replied. "I'm sorry for your loss, by the way. I only learned about it after the fact and never had a chance till now to express my condolences.

"Thank you." Mason nodded, accepting her words. "We'll have time to talk more when all of this is over."

"Agreed." Melanie turned back to Ordinemon. "Let's hope that kid succeeds in stopping that thing…

…the fate of both sides depends on it.

"Well, it's not so much retiring per se, it's more like taking a break."

"A break?" The interviewer's curiosity was piqued. She leaned into the teen across from her, eager to know what exactly that meant.

Their eyes were drilling holes into her.

"Mhmm, a break." The teen reaffirmed. "As much as I love acting, I've begun to look into other creative avenues that I... may want to explore..."

Would she buy that? Raelyn hoped she would, but she didn't looked convinced. Heck, she could hardly convince herself.

"Up and coming stars such as yourself usually pursue music and vice versa," The interviewer highlighted. "In your last movie, 'Midnight Symphony,' we got a taste of your immaculate singing talent. Could it be you're considering a singing career to add to your repertoire or are you considering something...how should I say... 'niche?.'"

Raelyn laughed, thinking back to that. Midnight Symphony was a star-crossed lovers teen romance flick her mom roped her into for added exposure. When she and the world accidentally discovered she had a voice to go along the pretty face...

"I guess you can say that. For now, I'll just keep what I'm planning a secret."

"Oooh, Raesyl, the girl of many secrets...I like that. Well, I think I can speak for myself and everyone here in the audience that you my friend, deserve it. A gifted prodigy that took the world by storm in the matter of several short years, with her beautiful singing voice and superb acting skills. You must make your mother proud, following in her footsteps."

Raelyn smiled and said nothing. From the corner of her eye, she could see her mother Roselyn—her manager—staring back at her from behind the curtain, eyes just as black as her long hair.

"Raesyl, I want to thank you so much for stopping by on the show!" The interviewer held her hand out.

"...oh, thank you for having me!" Raelyn snapped back from her brief stare down. She shook the interviewers hand as the small audience applauded.

Meanwhile standing in the back above, Kaden watched as the interviewer cut to commercial. He then watched the two hug, briefly talk some more, and watched as Raelyn walked off stage, unbeknownst of his presence.

"She looks like Riley, just with long hair," Kaden pondered. Personality-wise it was too early to determine, but based on her behavior, she definitely had some parental issues...

Kaden felt a tug on his jeans and looked down. Lopmon looked back up at him, pointing in the direction of the door. "We're done here?"

Lopmon nodded. "We still have a way's to go before we find them."

Kaden nodded. "Right."

Lopmon took point and walked ahead, leading Kaden through an exit door. Up until this point, Kaden was able to learn some things. For one, this place was like a dreamscape, as Lopmon put it, filled with memories of Raelyn, Riley, and Sylvia. Lopmon warned that if Kaden wants to save them, then he would need to brace himself for what he would see.

Another thing was Lopmon herself. As the first thing he ran into when awakening in the dreamscape, it was definitely the last thing he'd expect. That said, it claimed to want to help Riley and that was enough for Kaden to pair up with it.

"LadyDevimon digivolves into Mastemon!" Raelyn exclaimed, transforming her digimon into the twilight tactician. With a grin, she cast her hand out towards her opponent and their Hexeblaumon, "When Mastemon's played, we both trash the top card of our Security. From there, I'm allowed to play either a Yellow or Purple Level 4 or lower level digimon from my trash."

Both securities shattered, the Hexeblaumon user feeling anxious all of the sudden. He was able to drive her down to 0 Security, but now she completely flipped the table on him with Mastemon.

"Mastemon will summon Lucemon from my trash, who'll allow me to recover 1 security!"

Mastemon subsequently clasped her hands together and projected a gate before her, allowing the small angel digimon to fly out and present itself. Kaden meanwhile watched from the skyscraper he found himself on, Lucemon shooting past him into the sky before returning to Raelyn's side. And regenerating her Security.

"That's nuts!" Her opponent argued. "A Level 3 shouldn't be able to do that!"

Raelyn smirked and crossed her arms, "Oh? So, when you're in the lead it's alright but not when I flip things around?"

Her opponent realized how he was sounding and bit his tongue.

Raelyn scoffed and smiled, "I'm just messing with you dude, lighten up. Or actually, you should take cover."

"Huh? What for?"

Raelyn extended her arm out once more, "for this. Mastemon, Direct Attack!"

With a snap of her fingers, Raelyn had Mastemon conjure a black hole-like ball of energy in her palms, to which she shot it at her opponent. His scream of terror could be heard all throughout Babylon, turning heads of users within earshot.

Raelyn's opponent was left dazed on the virtual ground as she jogged up to him. Feeling victorious, she, being a good sport, helped him up. "That was fun!"

"Yeah..." he groaned standing. "Are you sure you just started playing this game?"

"I've had good practice partners IRL."

"Yeah, no kidding. I tell ya kid, keep this up and you have a shot at going pro."

Hearing that tickled Raelyn's ears. "That'd be a nice dream, wouldn't it?"

"I'm serious!" He insisted. "Give it some thought; SAIBATAR Enterprises holds local tournaments all the time here in Babylon and at card shops. Invitationals during the summer."

Raelyn looked to be giving it serious thought. However, she knew it'd be impossible so long as her mother had final say. She was lucky enough her mother hadn't caught wind of these late-night Babylon sessions.

"Ahem," Lucemon cleared their throat, "It's getting late. Remember you have that appointment early in the morning."

Raelyn's expression sunk and she rolled her eyes. She recomposed herself before responding, "Thanks, but I'll have to give it time to think it over. Parents tend to be strict with how much time I spend on games and stuff."

"Ah, I gotcha. Well, if you're ever interested in battling, just reach out." He raised his arm and pressed on the holographic menu on his D-Streamer to send her a friend request.

Raelyn smiled and without hesitating she confirmed it. "Don't know how often I'll be on going forward, but yeah, that'd be cool."

"No pressure," he said, confirming her confirmation.

Lucemon now floated over and hovered over her. "Nice meeting you but I'm afraid we need to go."

"Lucemon? What are you—okay, okay, stop shoving me. I can walk!" Raelyn snapped at the angel Digimon. "Sorry, I couldn't talk more. GG, and I'll see you around."

Her opponent waved as she vanished. He found himself humored by her Lucemon, the Digimon giving him a side-eye throughout their whole conversation. "She was a cutie; seriously, I wouldn't mind fighting her some more in the future..." he decided to look more into her profile, "Raelyn, huh..." thinking for a moment longer, his face went pale. "Whoa! Wait a minute, there's...! Did I... what?!"

Lopmon peered over the edge of the rooftop. Kaden waited until she leaned back and turned to him to start speaking. "Did Raelyn ever pursue going pro over her acting career?"

"If it meant leaving a lucrative career in entertainment behind," Lopmon explained. "It wasn't that she despised acting; she loved to make people smile. However, she wanted to be the one to dictate that. Her vicarious mother, on the other hand, a former actress herself, wasn't about to give her daughter up to a world that she had no reach over."

While listening, Kaden was somewhat fascinated by Lopmon's speaking. Her voice was heavy with empathy if he had to describe it briefly. "What about Raesyl?"

Lopmon acknowledged his question but then looked upward. The space around them suddenly shifted, the blue digital sky darkening and the rooftop's surface turning into wooden flooring. Before he knew it, Kaden was on the edge of an expensive cream-colored living room, a China cabinet beside him and Lopmon. The sound of sharp Spanish drew his attention forward, and he saw an older woman standing over Raelyn, who was fighting with every fiber not to bite back. In the woman's hand was Raelyn's D-Streamer.

"¡No te lo vuelvo a repetir!" Roselyn barked, waving the device, "Stop with these games and get your head back on your shoulders! Don't you understand your career is on the line?!"

Raelyn stayed silent.
¡Contéstame!

"Si madre…"

Her mother squinted and looked at the device. "Who gave this to you? Was it your Tio?"

"Tio Gabriel didn't—!"

"Don't lie to me! Did he give it to you, yes or no?!"

"…yes."

Her admittance nearly gave Roselyn a stroke. "¡Ay dios mio!"

"Mother, I promise you it has nothing to do with me wanting to back off for a while!" Raelyn defended as her mother paced. "I just need a break…"

"A break…? A Break?! Mija, you are at the peak of your career! You will never get another opportunity like this; do you understand that? Now's the time to give all your attention to acting!"

Raelyn shied from speaking further. She didn't want to agree with her mother, but admitting she was right was the fastest way to end the conversation.

"What if she doesn't?" Lucemon's voice came through, making Raelyn tense hard.

"What did you say…?" Roselyn's gaze narrowed.

"I-I…I mean…!" Raelyn stammered.

"I said, what if she doesn't?" Lucemon repeated this time, her mother looking at the device's flashing screen.

"Who is this?" Roselyn spoke into the device.

Raelyn didn't have an answer.

"A friend of hers," Lucemon said confidently. "An AI programmed to monitor Raelyn's wellbeing and support her in any way necessary."

"An AI?" her mother repeated.

"That's right."

Thinking about the concept for a moment, Roselyn cracked a smile and began laughing.

"I don't see what's funny." Lucemon silenced her mother, and Raelyn knew at that moment she was dead by the end of this.

"Excuse me?" Roselyn brought the device closer. "How dare you insinuate that you know my daughter better than I do."

"But I do. I'm programmed to do as such." Lucemon defended. "I am her friend."

"You're a machine. A machine taught to fabricate affection."

"I do have affection for Raelyn!" Lucemon snapped, clearly offended and surprising them both.

Roselyn stared at the device, then Raelyn. "Tell me how to turn this thing off."

When Raelyn didn't move fast enough to her liking, she began fiddling with the device, pressing every button she could find, physical and otherwise. Inadvertently, Roselyn switched the projection option on, and Lucemon emerged from the device, causing her to drop it in shock. The six-winged angel Digimon hovered on their coffee table, arms crossed and pouting like a child. Getting a proper look at it only annoyed her further.

"This has your Tio written all over it." She shook her head in disgust.

"Tio Gabe was only trying to help me out!" Raelyn defended.

"¡Te dije antes que no necesitamos la ayuda de ese hombre! If you know what's good for you and your career, you'll quit while you're ahead."

"…is that a threat?" Raelyn reactively challenged.

Roselyn angrily slapped her daughter. Raelyn, processing the moment, had tears in her eyes. Reaching for her D-Streamer, she shoved past her mother and ran upstairs, crying all the way up. Only after realizing what she had done did Roselyn collapse on the couch in frustrated guilt.

Kaden took a moment to process the scene before him. Lopmon took this as an opportunity to provide further context: "Lucemon, the Digimon programmed with her D-Streamer, was her only real friend, gifted to her by her uncle Gabriel as an early Christmas present. It took Roselyn's words as a challenge and swore to be by Raelyn's side. It was because of that that Lucemon developed a genuine level of affection for her. The interview that we saw before would happen the following morning. Settling for a middle ground, Raelyn announced she was taking a break instead of retiring. In the days following, the harassment from her mother grew to the point where Raelyn locked herself in Babylon every chance she got.

The scene switches again, with Kaden on a Babylon rooftop, the night sky above, and the illuminated city below. The interview from earlier plays on a billboard behind him, and in front of him, Raelyn lay while staring at her cards in her hands, lost in deep thought.

Suddenly, a light shone from above and steadily grew brighter. Kaden watched Raelyn react out of curiosity, and in turn, he also looked up. In a flash, Kaden was suddenly bombarded with a slew of images so random and terrifying that he whipped back and fell to his knees in a sweat, Lopmon running to his side.

"Are you all right?" She asked, concerned.

"What…what did I just see?!" He held the side of his face. Of all the images, several common themes repeated: Fire. Destruction…

A Black Imperialdramon.

Standing and getting his head back in the game, he looked to where Raelyn was sitting. She stood before him, her face a look of caution.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

Kaden didn't know how to respond. She didn't react to his presence in the previous scenes, but now…was it because of the light?

"Raelyn… right?"

Raelyn raised her arm, activating her D-Streamer. "You don't belong here."

Kaden was taken aback. "Hold on a sec! I'm trying to save you!"

"LEAVE!" She screamed at him, simultaneously triggering a digital gate to expand.

"You'll have to fight her for us to move on," Lopmon instructed.

Kaden saw no other option other than to activate his device. He thought he had more time to learn about her past, but clearly, there was no time to waste on that. "DIGI-GATE: OPEN!"

With his gate expanding, the pair got into their battle.

"I hatch DemiVeemon, digivolve it into Veemon, then I play a separate Veemon from my hand."

Both Veemon materialized in their respective positions as a result. The one summoned to the Battle Area held its hand upward, regarding its On Play effect.

DemiVeemon (BT2-002)

Color: Blue

Level: 2

Veemon (EX1-013)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 2000

Veemon (ST9-02)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 2000

MEMORY

0-3 (Turn Change: Raelyn)

"When Veemon enters play, I reveal the top 3 cards of my deck, and I'm able to take a card with 'Free' in its traits to add to my hand while the rest go to the bottom."

The top cards revealed were Davis/Ken, Stingmon and BT3 Veemon. Kaden took Stingmon and sent the rest to the bottom of his deck.

Raelyn drew for her turn, "I hatch Nyaromon, I'll digivolve it into Candlemon and then I'll play Meiko Mochizuki."

Candlemon materialized in her Raising Area, followed by Meiko, whose timid nature was evident in her body language.

Nyaromon (ST10-01)

Color: Purple

Level: 2

Candlemon (BT8-035)

Color: Yellow

Level: 3

DP: 2000

Meiko Mochizuki (BT9-091)

Color: Purple

MEMORY

3-0

"When Meiko is played, she reveals the top 3 cards of my deck and allows me to take one purple or yellow card from amongst them to add to my hand," Raelyn explained as the cards were revealed. Lucemon Chaos Mode, Angewomon, and Angemon were revealed, to which she took Angemon and trashed the former 2.

"I end by playing MagnaAngemon, who'll recover Security for me."

MagnaAngemon materialized and used its power to generate additional Security for Raelyn.

MagnaAngemon (BT1-060)

Color: Yellow

Level: 5

DP: 6000

MEMORY

0-7 (Turn Change: Kaden)

That was a lot of memory she passed over, Kaden thought to himself. That couldn't have been a blatant misplay, it surely was intentional…that said, it was best to capitalize on the opportunity. "My move!" he drew and moved Veemon forward. "The Veemon from my Raising Area will Armor Digivolve into Flamedramon, while my other Veemon will Armor Digivolve into Lighdramon!"

In response, both Veeemon digivolved into their respective forms. Flamedramon's fists ignited, while Lighdramon's horn sparked, eager to strike.

Flamedramon (BT8-012)

Color: Red/Blue

Level: 4

DP: 5000

Lighdramon (BT8-053)

Color: Green/Blue

Level: 4

DP: 5000

MEMORY

7-5

5-3

"Next, Flamedramon and Lighdramon, DNA Digivolve into DinoBeemon!" Kaden revealed the card, which surprised Raelyn as if the term were foreign to her. The two Digimon turned into streams of binary and took to the sky, and out came DinoBeemon, who slammed back down on the rooftop, fracturing the surface.

DinoBeemon (ST9-11)

Color: Green/Blue

Level: 5

DP: 8000

"When DinoBeemon is digivolved into, one of your Digimon suspends; if it was via DNA Digivolution, then your Digimon is frozen until the end of your turn!" Kaden explained as DinoBeemon pulled its first back and slammed the ground again, sending a shockwave through the cracks and into MagnaAngemon, lit with blue energy.

"I play the Option Card: Hell's Masquerade, giving DinoBeemon, Plus 2000 DP, and Piercing! With that, DinoBeemon attacks MagnaAngemon!

MEMORY

3-2

DinoBeemon: 8000-10,000 DP

MagnaAngemon: 6000 DP

DinoBeemon vanished, and before the hurting MagnaAngemon appeared. They each took turns dealing hits before DinoBeemon performed a lariat, hooking MagnaAngemon and tackling him into Raelyn's Security. The ensuring impact forced the rooftop to finally give out underneath their feet, Raelyn screaming as she fell back before the Security could reveal itself.

Raelyn

Security: 6-5

After realizing what happened, Kaden reacted, "No, Raelyn!" Lopmon hopped onto his shoulder, and the pair jumped off the collapsing roof and dove for Raelyn, who was freefalling toward the Babylonian streets below. Kaden reached out to Raelyn's flailing arms and just managed to touch the tip of her finger, triggering another flash of light before they hit the ground…

Wow…this is…incredible." Looking at the mirror, Sylvia touched her lightly tanned face and ran her hand through her dirt-blonde hair. She examined her hands and down the rest of her body. All of this was too surreal to put into words.

She was in her own body.

Before she got too giddy, she addressed the knock at the door. "Come in!"

The door slid open, and Nico stepped in. "Hey, how's it—!" he hesitated when Sylvia walked out of the bathroom.

Nico blinked.

Sylvia smiled.

"It…worked?"

"It worked!"

Sylvia's contagious enthusiasm filled Nico with joy as the two teens bounced excitedly.

"Dude!''

"I know!"

They hugged afterward; however, Nico was surprised by the artificial feel of Sylvia's hug. His grandfather said the Shells replicated humans on a surface level but weren't 1-1 otherwise. Nico looked over Sylvia's shoulder and noticed the second individual lying in bed, back turned towards them. "Morning, Riley."

"…Bite me." She snapped.

"You wish, sourpuss." He replied back.

Sylvia stepped in, "Ahem, got a sec…?" she motioned outside.

Nico took half a second to process the request, in which he realized his folly. Obediently, he followed Sylvia outside and shut the door behind them. Sylvia leaned against the wall, sighed, and admitted to her crime….

When Kaden came to, he found himself lying on a white tiled floor. Sitting up, he immediately realized that Lopmon was off in the distance. As he stood, it immediately turned the corner.

"Wha—hey, wait up!" He exclaimed, scrambling onto his feet. As he chased the Digimon, he took note of the scenery and realized exactly where he was…

This was STREAM Corp's Medical Wing.

Lopmon stopped at the upcoming corner, and Kaden sped up to catch it. "Gotcha, you little—!"

"I didn't tell her we were going through with it."

Kaden paused and looked up, seeing Nico and a girl who looked identical to Sylvia's Saibatar in front of a room. Nico looked to be in shock, while the girl looked somewhat guilt-stricken.

"What?! Why didn't you?!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, alright?! Honestly, I thought she would be excited to have her own body and be separated from me."

"I…" Nico thought hard for a reply but seemed too lost for words. "Yeah, no. You…you messed up."

Sylvia smiled, "I appreciate the input, Sherlock…"

Nico crossed his arms. "So, now what?"

"Now, I'm gonna tell her my other secret."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Being what?"

"I've been selected to participate in the Project X-Stream Trials."

Kaden was surprised to hear that. Nico grew quiet upon hearing that. Sylvia noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…Congrats."

Kaden knew Nico well enough to tell when he was lying. And whatever implication this had surely had him pissed. Sylvia looked a bit disturbed by his answer but took it, nonetheless.

"So now that you know, if you wanna check on Riley, feel free. I have to check in with Dr. Woods for the morning."

"Right…that's why I dropped by, to remind you two…of that."

Sylvia could see the underlying bitterness in his face, while Kaden could hear it. She looked afraid to ask whether his anger was spawned by jealousy or concern. She left him with a cordial smile and went to take care of her business, leaving Nico alone in the hallway.

Terriermon materialized, "Don't be upset…"

"I'm not." Nico balled his hand into a fist. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black and violet D-Streamer. "I swear I'm not…"

Lopmon exhaled sharply as if watching the moment play out brought back painful memories. Kaden picked Lopmon up, and they watched as Nico headed into the room afterward. Kaden was lost in thought about what he had witnessed himself, so much so that he didn't notice Sylvia standing beside him.

"It's messed up, right? What I did to her?" Sylvia asked, causing Kaden to jump out of his skin.

"Sylvia? What…what happened to you? Where's Raelyn?!"

Sylvia responded by snapping her fingers. The scene shifted, and Kaden found himself along the edge of the border separating the Southern District and the Nadir. Based on how it was built—or lack thereof—this must have been a time before the current situation they're faced with, or even a time before STREAM Corp really capitalized on human presence.

Lopmon, who was silent this whole time, said, "Sylvia took part in the early tests of Project X-Stream and was sent here to the Nadir District, a quiet area where little activity went on, or so it was thought."

Kaden only then realized that Sylvia had vanished. Lopmon led the way, and Kaden followed it into the forest until they reached a clearing. The pair stood behind a tree and watched as Sylvia wandered into the clearing.

She pressed on her D-Com, "I'm in the designated area.

"Excellent, my dear." Dr. Woods' voice responded. "Alphamon is set to arrive shortly, so hang tight."

"Understood," Sylvia said, hanging up afterward. She looked around the dark forest and shivered internally. "Though if I'm being honest, it would've helped if they picked a brighter area to meet up. This place is definitely more of Riley's speed…"

Lopmon reacted again. Kaden meanwhile watched and waited for something to happen. After a minute or so, the temptation to run out and get an answer to his question got to him. Sylvia jumped at the sound of a snapped twig, and Kaden reactively backed up, thinking he was the one who signaled her.

"Rae…is that really you?!"

Sylvia turned, hearing the voice. Kaden heard it as well and remembered it from the prior scenes. Lucemon crawled out from an adjacent bush, drawing Sylvia's attention. The young Angel had their wings down and seemed almost timid to approach.

"Rae…"

"A…Lucemon?" Sylvia questioned. "Where…did you come from?"

"Rae, it's me! Lucemon!" They stated.

"Rae…? Do you mean 'Raelyn?'"

Lucemon paused, realizing something was off. "Who else…would I be referring to?"

Sylvia bit her lip. The Digimon seemed familiar, though she didn't know it. Dr. Woods never mentioned anything about Raelyn other than her name. She pressed on her D-Com, but Lucemon flexed their hand, causing only static to pour into the speaker. Sylvia shrieked and pulled the device off her ear. "What was that for?!"

"Enough with the games!" Lucemon demanded, lowering their arm. "Who are you, and why do you look like Raelyn?!"

"I should be asking that! Who exactly are you, and why are you here?!"

"Why? Because I was told, I could find you here. I've been waiting for you for a very long time after all…"

"Why? I never met you before in my life."

Lucemon's eyes widened at the sound of that. "What…what are you talking about? We're…we're partners…!"

Sylvia saw that she had struck a nerve. "Look, I admit, you seem familiar to an extent, but… beyond that, I don't know you. I'm sorry."

Lucemon was beside themselves, tears protruding from their eyes. "I…no…no, no, no, you're lying! There's no way you don't remember me! I can tell it's you, Rae! You have to be there. There's no way we're not synchronized right now!"

Sylvia, growing nervous, took a step back. The sound of the shuddering trees drew their attention upward, and they saw a quick flash of light. A human-sized figure landed on the ground. Zack stood and dusted himself.

"You must be Sylvia." He acknowledged.

"Alphamon…" Lucemon recognized. "Drasil warned me of you…"

Zack turned, "Can I ask what a Zenithal such as yourself is doing here?"

Lucemon's gaze narrowed. "Back off and mind your business."

"They're claiming me to be someone I'm not…" Sylvia hid behind him.

"Raelyn, please!" Lucemon reacted.

"I'M NOT HER!" Sylvia screamed. "Whoever she is, I hate to say it, but maybe she's gone…"

Zack trained his eye on Lucemon, who was growing more emotionally unstable. Kaden, meanwhile, continued to be a fly on the wall. Assuming he could also interact with them in this scene, would he want to get in between them? Likely not.

"I don't care who you say you are…" Lucemon said. "Because deep in my core, something is synchronizing with you. That's more than enough to tell me that you're Rae!" With that, Lucemon vanished and reappeared behind Sylvia. Before Zack could react, Lucemon slammed their palm into her back, resulting in a flash of white light illuminating the entire area. Kaden leaped back and was blinded, and the area rumbled from the impact that followed. Moments later when he regained his sight, Kaden looked out and saw Lucemon was gone, and Sylvia lay still on the grass. Zack, who was blown back, recovered, and rushed over to her.

"What in the world was that?!" Zack said, picking up the girl. "Where did Lucemon go?"

"After so long…I found her." Sylvia replied weakly sending a jolt through him. He looked at her face, faded, golden eyes peering back at him while expelling a stream of tears. "But…it wasn't Raelyn. What happened to her…? Where is my partner…? They...promised..."

Zack picked "Sylvia" up bridal style, the latter drifting in and out of consciousness. "This…is going to turn into a problem down the line…"

Suddenly to his surprise, her body glowed white and vanished from his arms, leading to more questions for himself.

"That sorta explains how Raesyl and Alphamon came in contact with each other…" Kaden managed to figure it out.

Lopmon added to his conclusion, "Remembering the name 'Drasil' from Lucemon, Alphamon conducted an investigation later on between the Zenith and the Nadir, which prompted him to take the drastic measures he did eventually. At the same time, after realizing that Lucemon's words implicated that they hailed from a separate reality as he did, he felt personally responsible for their situation, resulting in his actions to take down the Zenith, who manipulated them into acting the way they did."

Everything was leading back to the Zenith; even this situation to such a detail…

The scene shifted again, the eternal night replaced by a bright sun and clear blue sky. Kaden suddenly found himself in his Cobalius Saibatar form. Looking around his surroundings, he quickly recognized this valley as within the Eastern District. He heard footsteps on the grassy surface and turned, his heart skipping as he realized the scene he was in:

His and Syl's first meeting. However, her expressions indicated something different…

Before them, the game state regenerated. Meicoomon joined Meiko on Sylvia's side revealing itself as the Security Trigger that went off before, while Candlemon remained idle in the Raising Area. DinoBeemon returned to Kaden's side as well.

Meicoomon (BT9-074)

Color: Yellow/Purple

Level: 4

DP: 5000

"Meiko suspended since I played a 2-colored Yellow and Purple Digimon this turn," Sylvia explained briefly.

MEMORY

2-1

The fight is still ongoing... Kaden took a card from his hand, then stared at Sylvia. She didn't react. If anything, she still held that disdained look that Raelyn gave him before.

"I'll end this sooner or later. And for that DinoBeemon, become the cobalt meteor that sets the world ablaze with emerald flames!" Kaden raised his hand and swiped hard across his device. "Digivolve into Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode!"

DinoBeemon's jaw beneath the mask split open and it let out a ferocious roar before taking off into the sky. Kaden and Sylvia watched as the blue and green binary code swirled around DinoBeemon and transformed it into the powerful dragon digimon.

Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode (ST9-06)

Color: Blue/Green

Level: 6

DP: 12,000

MEMORY

1-3 (Turn Change: Sylvia)

"Using Imperialdramon's effect, I play Flamedramon and Veemon from its sources back into the Battle Area. Veemon's effect repeats."

Flamedramon and Veemon materialized beside Imperialdramon, building upon Kaden's small army of dragon-themed digimon. Veemon's effect activated, revealing Magnamon, Magnamon X and Wormmon. He retrieved Magnamon and sent the rest to the bottom of the deck.

Sylvia drew. "Candlemon moves out and digivolves into Angemon!"

After announcing it, Candlemon embraced the yellow and blue binary code and reformed into the angelic Digimon, flexing its muscular build and wings afterward.

Angemon (BT8-024)

Color: Blue/Yellow

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

3-0

"Now, Meicoomon will digivolve into Maycrackmon: Vicious Mode, it's effect allowing me to discard a card from my hand."

Meicoomon growled as the binary infusion made it go feral suddenly. Afterward it reformed into the more feminine-appearing feline Digimon, red claws extending and eager to cut.

Maycrackmon: Vicious Mode (BT9-076)

Color: Purple/Yellow

Level: 5

DP: 6000

MEMORY

0-4 (Turn Change: Kaden)

"By discarding Salamon, a purple Digimon, I can delete one of your Level 3 or lower Digimon."

Maycrackmon pulled its arm back and swung, dragging it across the ground and sending shockwaves toward Veemon, who was overtaken by the attack. Veemon was deleted before Kaden, pausing his plans to turn it into Magnamon the following turn. With that, he drew and studied for an alternative. As he did, a breeze passed him by, invoking memories. He found himself smiling.

"Do you remember this place? Here in the Eastern District, just like now…we battled one another for the first time."

Sylvia didn't seem keen on responding. It didn't stop him, though.

"My Imperialdramon versus your ShineGreymon deck," he continued. "For the longest time, I stood undefeated…until this fairy comes along out of nowhere and wrecked my deck." He chuckled. "Come to think of it…I haven't won against you before; you know, besides when you surrendered before."

Sylvia narrowed her gaze. "Why are you talking as If she's here before you?"

Kaden grew silent. His humored expression shrunk, and he exhaled what was left of his enthusiasm. With a shrug he admitted, "wishful thinking, I guess." He then hatched DemiVeemon. "DemiVeemon Digivolve into Wormmon and then into ExVeemon."

ExVeemon materialized in his Raising Area, roaring as it materialized fully, white wings expanding with swift force.

Wormmon (ST9-08)

Color: Green

Level: 3

DP: 1000

ExVeemon (EX1-014)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 4000

MEMORY

4-2

"Flamedramon, Security Attack! Its effect activates, giving it a 3000 DP boost in strength!" Kaden stated as Flamedramon ignited its fist and dove forward.

Flamedramon: 5000-8000 DP

The Security appeared before Sylvia, and it was smashed seconds later. LadyDevimon lashed out and hissed, though Flamedramon was able to sidestep her and roundhouse-kick her into the dirt, deleting her with a flaming fist driven into her exposed back.

Sylvia

Security: 5-4

"Imperialdramon!" Kaden followed, his ace charging the positron laser on its back. With it fully charged, Imperialdramon melted another appearing security, however, Sylvia quickly countered. "Security Trigger: Flame Hellscythe. Minus 6000 to Flamedramon, then I revive MagnaAngemon from my trash."

A ghostly scythe flew from the melted security and cut through Flamedramon, staggering it. Afterward the data it extracted was used to revive the Level 5 Angel digimon. It's effect then regenerated the security, making Imperialdramon's assault moreso a detriment to Kaden.

"I play Davis and Ken to end my turn..." Kaden said, summoning the dual tamers. The pair appeared beside one another with fierce determination, as if coordinated with Imperialdramon.

Davis Motomiya and Ken Ichijoji (BT8-088)

Color: Blue/Green

MEMORY

2-2 (Turn Change: Sylvia)

Sylvia drew, "Wishful thinking...they both thought like that."

Kaden perked up upon hearing that. Again, before he could question it the space around them shifted and he found himself back in Raelyn's living room. However, unlike before, it was silent. It gave him an ominous feeling, and his anxiety crept as a Tinkermon rose from the couch several feet away to greet both Kaden and Lopmon. She then took a moment to find words to continue the story.

"When all was said and done, Sylvia and Riley went on to live as sisters. In reality, the superstar known as Raesyl fell into obscurity, whereas the VTuber Syl became the latest trendsetter to cross the media landscape. While Syl acted out for the world and entertained the way Raelyn would've wanted, Riley took steps back from the eyes and embraced a semblance of normalcy that Raelyn also desired." Tinkermon explained.

Kaden heard a lock click upstairs and a door open. Sylvia walked out in casual clothing, beaming from a successful stream likely. The pair watched as she walked across the balcony to a door on the other side. She knocked. And kept knocking until the door swung open.

"Why are you bugging me?! Shouldn't you be streaming?" Riley snapped, her attire indicating a clear shut-in aesthetic.

Sylvia only smiled. "I saw you in the stands, y'know…"

Riley glared and closed the door on her. After getting over her surprise, Sylvia knocked again.

"Go away!" Riley could be heard from the other side.

"Not until you admit that you enjoyed my match!"

"The hell should I?!"

Sylvia pouted. "You don't understand that your support means more than everyone else's."

"You tried that trick already!"

Sylvia paused for a moment, looking down at her feet. Kaden and Tinkermon watched intently to see what she'd do next.

"I get it…" Sylvia began, "Listen, you don't have to be jealous of me. It's not good—!"

The door swung open again. "What did you just say?"

Riley's sudden reappearance surprised Sylvia, yet she doubled down on her statement: "I said you shouldn't be jealous of me. If you want to stream yourself, I can help you."

"I—I—wow! I…I don't have a comeback for that."

"So…you admit it?"

Riley sucked her teeth, "You have three seconds to get out of my face."

Riley went to slam the door again, but Sylvia stopped her. Riley didn't bother to fight as Sylvia invaded her space.

"What's going on with you? We haven't had one decent conversation since we came home!"

"Three…"

A thought crossed her mind and she scoffed, "It's not…jealousy is it? that's it isn't it—you're jealous! That explains why you've been stalking me in Omnia every time I stream!"

"Two…"

"Riley, come on! That's not good for you mentally! And neither is running from me!"

"One—! Riley paused her counting and turned. "Me? Run from you?"

"Am I wrong?" Sylvia stuck to her ground and crossed her arms.

"Says the one who had this procedure done to us!" She stabbed her temple with her finger. "You were doing me a favor," she scoffed, "look where that got us! And FYI, any mental health issues I have were your fault! You screwed me up! I'm a mess because of you!"

At this point, Riley had tears streaming down her face. Sylvia was speechless and took a moment to react to Riley's admittance.

"Please…get the hell out of my room," Riley said in a cracked voice as she collapsed onto the floor.

Sylvia looked down at the breaking girl and decided to turn towards the door. However, she stopped at the post. She felt that she needed to make a statement before leaving, so she turned around, and with a grin, she shook Riley with her words.

"You're probably thinking to yourself, 'It'd be easier if you just disappeared,' right?"

Riley's eyes widened in fear. Astounded by Sylvia's words, she looked up at her and saw a sick sense of satisfaction on her face. Sylvia walked back into the room and knelt before her. "Why don't you then? No one cares about a shut-in like you anyway. Use this opportunity to run and escape from your problems. You're good at that, aren't you? I can't be bothered to remember."

Riley shuddered as Sylvia's hand wiped her tear. "…Why…what are you gaining from this…?"

"What…I'm simply taking care of my little sister…" Sylvia's hand trailed close to Riley's throat. Sylvia's eyes flashed before Riley, and her hand cuffed her throat "Now…go to sleep."

Riley shrieked reactively, pushing Sylvia back and attempting to escape the room. Hearing the commotion, Kaden quickly sprang into action, but Tinkermon threw her arm up to stop him.

"Watch closely," Tinkermon instructed.

Kaden hesitated and turned to Lopmon for support, only to see the smaller Digimon avert its eyes. Meanwhile, the two girls barreled out of the room and rolled against the carpeted balcony. Riley made it to the stairs, but Sylvia jumped onto her back and choked her.

"You're nothing but a burden!" Sylvia screamed. "My shadow! Helpless, vying for escape. A mere fragment of a wider whole!"

That wasn't Sylvia…Kaden was able to determine that. It had to be Raesyl provoking Riley. To see it influence Riley for so long must've—!

"RILEY!" Sylvia screamed.

Kaden had little time to react, hearing the first of several crashes down the staircase. The final one sent a wave of echoes into the space. Slowly looking down, he saw his sneakers stained blue, which led his eyes to the sprawled body a few feet from him.

Sylvia lay still, bleeding blue liquid and eyes fading. The clearer the scene became, the more Kaden felt like vomiting. His urge was interrupted by Riley's unhinged screaming from above. His neck snapped, and he saw Riley crumbling at the top, going into a full mental breakdown. Despite Tinkermon's instruction, he quickly rushed up the stairs and hugged her, covering her face to avert her eyes. He had no idea if this had any effect, but it was worth a shot.

"I killed her…! I killed her…! I just killed her! It's all my fault…!" Riley kept repeating it over and over again, making Kaden's stomach hurt from the twisting. He dared not move from his spot, hoping his wishful thinking would come through. Meanwhile, Tinkermon turned to Lopmon, who was also crumbling where it stood, unable to bear it. Feeling pity for it, Tinkermon walked over to caress its head supportively…

Outside, the group continued to watch intently and strategize a plan B in the event things went awry. However, in the midst of discussion…

Ordinemon twitched.

The Eosmon drones came to life and began to surround Ordinemon precautiously. Melanie, Milo, Mason, and the others all got ready to engage if need be, though the plan was to allow Eosmon take point as before. As it was then, the idea is to buy Kaden time, as their attacks do little to damage it.

However, as they began to realize, this time was different…

Ordinemon lifted its head to the sky and screamed. However, this was different. This wasn't a scream of anger, but of pain. Before they knew it the monster sporadically swung its arms and tendrils, causing Eosmon to direct its drones to try and defend.

"AHHHH!" Ordinemon cried out. "KILLED….! KILLED HER…! AHHHH!"

Everyone was thrown off by Ordinemon's sudden ability to speak. So much in fact that the Eosmon drones were wiped out before their eyes.

"EVERYONE FALL BACK!" Mason screamed, realizing that the situation quickly shot south.

"Executive Ward!" Adara pointed. Mason swung back around, and his eyes widened at the sight of Ordinemon charging energy in her mouth.

Ordinemon blasted the sky with a crimson energy beam that at some point bounced off the sky as if clashing with a ceiling. It didn't stop, and as they watched in awe, they soon noticed what looked like frozen bolts in the sky.

"Oh no…!" Melanie uttered realizing what was potentially taking place. "We need to stop it now!"

"How?! Lucas protested. "We can barely get near it now that its pissed off!"

"If we don't then we can expect it to turn Earth into the Central District!" Melanie snapped back.

Lucas got quiet while Mason turned his attention to her. "Can you explain what you mean by that?"

"Just like Millenniummon and Armageddemon before them, Ordinemon is showing clear signs of being able to cross dimensions. Assuming it's no different, willing, or not, it's going to cross over into Earth and destroy everything indiscriminately unless we find a way to stop it."

"What about Kaden?!" Milo protested. "Ordinemon's been silent this whole time, so that must mean that something happened on the inside!"

"Hate to say it, but what if he's the one who triggered the monstrosity?" Adara countered. Milo didn't have an answer.

"Regardless, if we can avoid destroying it, then great. Until then we need to at least pin it down!"

"Allow us to handle that." An ethereal voice made out, drawing their attention skyward.

Suddenly a blue beam erupted from the heavens, followed by a red, black, and green beam, all surrounding Ordinemon.

"SOURAI!"

A blue thunderbolt sliced through the energy beam shot by Ordinemon and caused it to reel as the beam imploded in its throat. following this came a set of elemental attacks from the other pillars, from a helix of flames, to mountain like structures piercing the miasmic pit Ordinemon resided in and vine-like appendages to grab its limbs. Ordinemon screamed and cried, attempting to break free from its entrapment, but it was to no avail. The more it struggled, the tighter the prison became on it.

"It's them…!" Melanie couldn't help but smile. "Sierra and the others did it!"

Azulongmon descended down within its pillar along with Sierra riding atop its head. Meanwhile in the red pillar, Lord Vermil rode atop Zhuqiaomon, a crimson phoenix-like Digimon with multiple pairs of wings, along with what resembled a turbine on its back. It's appearance, while avian, had draconic elements to it, including its tail and talons.

Lord Emeron appeared on Ebonwumon, a beige-colored twin-headed turtle Digimon with a massive tree upon its shell, while Lady Onyxa rode upon Baihumon, a white-tiger Digimon with lavender stripes across its body to match the mask on its face.

Each of the four Digimon had noticeable Digi-Cores encircling their bodies, further illustrating their authority and power compared to other Digimon. This detail, along with the representatives, made it clear to those witnessing this spectacle that the long-awaited Sovereigns were finally making their move…

A/N: Hey everyone, just checking in before we get to the final chapter! Been a while hasn't it? Just want to say that this was meant to be the final chapter before the epilogue, only for me to quickly realize how much rushing I was doing between the "dream sequence" scenes. Admittedly looking back on it, I could've paced things out better, but between waning interests in the TCG (When I started X-Stream we were getting into BT10 and now we're so much further ahead with BT15 being recent) to the months long stats glitch posing as a demotivating factor (and not knowing how well the story probably did) you can imagine how hard it was to tell a strong narrative while also wanting to be done with it. With Digimon Liberators coming out in a few weeks, I want to at least finish this narrative by the time it does. After all, this 3-year project was my way to give fans something akin to what Liberators is set to do. While Digimon X-Fighters is something I REALLY am excited for, and hope to get out soon, I may be due for a break. That series means to be a celebration of 3-years of hard work, so I want it to actually be the best out of everything I've written thus far; that means I need to take some time to focus on it. In any case, I'm done rambling for now. We have 1 more chapter before the Epilogue and then we can look forward to the next (and final) adventure for the Cyber Drive universe of the Digimon TCG fandom. As always thanks so much for your support, don't be afraid to leave a review (I need constructive criticism to deliver better content for you all of course so be blunt) and I hope you all will join me for what's in store!