Though they were provided accommodations for Davis, Kari and the others, the heroes and heroines were quick to learn that there were not enough rooms for individual or couple's suites, and thus the various groups agreed to bunk with the closer of their friends for the night, with those new to Witchelny seeing those who came before them react to the idea of the Dark Lady's return.

In one room provided to the Appli Drivers, Rei and Hackmon watched as Eri and Astora paced back and forth with matching expressions of terror and concern as Musimon and Dokamon did what they could to try and calm their partners down.

As for Haru and Gatchmon, the green haired boy and his Appmon partner held shared thoughtful, albeit distant expressions on their faces.

Keeping an eye on their friends, Rei and Hackmon could see the terror in Eri, Astora and their partners, while Haru and Gatchmon seemed quieter than normal, this seemed particularly off for the search Appmon.

"This is bad, this is bad, this is so not groovy..." Astora muttered halfheartedly as he sat himself down upon one of the beds, the memories of their battles against Kari's fallen counterpart replaying within his head.

Sitting down and beside her discouraged boyfriend, Eri then expressed her own terror.

Turning to look at her hands, which were trembling, she said. "We can't let this happen... we can't let her return or she'll..."

Although they had bested Leviathan and despite the strength of the Appli Drivers, confusion continued to further itself within Rei and Hackmon.

"Is she really that terrifying?" The Hacking Appmon questioned in uncertainty as he and Rei tried to wrap their heads around how a sweet and caring girl such as Kari could become something that would cause this much fear within his friends.

"YES!" Astora, Eri, Musimon and Dokamon all yelled simultaneously, their response causing Rei and Hackmon to move back slightly, before the pair then noticed Haru looking at them with a shared expression of seriousness and concern.

"When we first arrived here, working together, we saved the Fire Tribe, we saved the Light Tribe and the Water Tribe, battling through the Dark Tribe Digimon thrown against us, prevailing each and every time." The green haired Appli Driver told Rei and Hackmon, his eyes turning toward his D-Bracer as he then went on to say. "We felt that we could do anything, that it wasn't a question of if, but when we would win and come home."

"Until we met HER for the first time." Gatchmon added, shivering slightly at the memory of their first battle with the Dark Lady. "She didn't even take us seriously back then, she thrashed all of us and forced us to run, where we learned afterwards that she wasn't even using her full power."

"After that, she would show up in one way or another in our battles, most of the time just going for her goals while letting her minions distract us, while other time, she would fight us in one way or another, just to test Davis and his skill, even though we didn't know it back then." Astora then informed, the blond clenching his fists as he remembered the battles of the past, particularly one he knew would forever weigh itself on Eri's mind.

"When we battled her forces invading the Earth Tribe, she took control of half of our team and forced us to fight against them... she..." Eri began to say through her trembling voice, before continuing through her understandable pain. "She took over BardMusimon... and I... I just froze... I couldn't fight him!"

"And that was just one battle, one of many that she never took seriously..." Haru explained, adding as he looked out the window. "If she returns and finds out her Davis is gone... I'm actually scared of what she'll be capable of."

Sharing a glance amongst one another and taking in what their friends had told them, Rei and Hackmon remained uncertain about the upcoming battle and what they could expect from their new enemies.

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In the next room over, Tagiru, Nene, Gumdramon and Mervamon remained in silence, the superstar and the brown haired idol couple sitting on one bed together as Yuu, Damemon, Airu and Opossumon looked between then with a shared sense of confusion and concern.

And though they were there only a few moments prior, both Mikey and Shoutmon said they had to talk to Davis and Veemon, leaving their friends for a little while as the threat of the Dark Lady's revival hung over their heads.

"Come on guys!" Opossumon then said as she broke the silence, bouncing on her feet as she told Nene, Tagiru and their partners with a positive tone. "You guys stood up to Quartzmon and you've beaten this Dark Lady before, so I know with our help, we can beat her!"

Instead of getting the four to cheer up, however, the frowns on Tagiru, Nene and their partners' faces only grew, the superstar gaining a serious expression that freaked out Yuu and Airu slightly as both weren't used to seeing Tagiru express such a serious side.

"Every time we faced her, she toyed with us, she never took us seriously as she tested Davis, often leaving us broken and beaten, and during our last fight, she fought to keep her ritual going, to bring her Davis back... I don't even want to think about what she will be capable of if she is brought back and learns that he is gone." Tagiru said with a growing mix of concern and fear in his tone, one that sent a chill down Yuu, Airu and their partners' backs as they started to understand the seriousness of all this and how it was affecting their friends as well as their loved ones.

"Her power was... is terrifying, but everything she did with it was out of grief and desperation." Nene then told Yuu and Airu, her words receiving a nod from Mervamon, who added to her partner's statement and said herself. "Now if we don't stop the Cult, that power will be used for rage and revenge, and we might not be able to stop it."

Standing up, Nene then approached Yuu.

Taking her brother's hands into her own as she looked him in the eyes, the older Amano said with a further seriousness in her voice. "If we do end up facing her, do not take her lightly, any of you, let those of us who have fought her before try and take her down and... and if we fail, you guys need to run. Witchelny needs protectors, against the Legions and against Her wrath."

Hearing Nene tell them to run away from this Dark Lady really cemented to Yuu, Daemon, Airu and Opossumon to how afraid and to how dire of the situation she, Tagiru and their partners knew this to be, which left a sense of silence amongst the group as tried to figure out how to help their friends in the battles to come.

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In the room across from the Fusion Fighters, Thomas and Gaomon looked at the serious expressions held upon Marcus and Agumon's faces, expressions shared through Yoshi and Lalamon.

"Ankokukyomon is right, we can't let the Cult revive her." Marcus then told his friends, breaking the silence as Thomas, Yoshi and the Digimon turned to look at him.

"We saw both Karis, ours and the Dark Lady, consumed by desperation, one to save her Davis, the other to revive her own as a God... That desperation turned to rage... I don't want to see what that would be capable of." The auburn haired DATS member confessed, his words receiving nods from Yoshi, Agumon and Lalamon as they too agreed with Marcus and in his feelings on the matter.

"And if we can't stop them?" Thomas then inquired, who went on with a further honesty in his voice. "How can we prepare ourselves to fight this dark version of Kari?"

"Always remain on your guard, her power alone can make you feel dread and sickness." Lalamon told Thomas and Gaomon in reply as she remembered her own first encounter with the Dark Lady.

"But most of all, she knows each and every one of us." Yoshi then said with her own seriousness and concerns.

"I have no doubt she'll use Relena's name just to make you slip up, so remain focused. If you have any other questions, ask Kari. She understood her counterpart better than any of us."

Nodding their heads in reply and understanding, Thomas and Gaomon looked to one another, ready to do their part in the conflict ahead and prepare themselves for the possible battle with the Dark Lady they had heard so much about.

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Across the hall and within their own shared room, Koichi and Tommy saw a different side toward Takuya and Zoe, the Warrior of Fire looking out of the window thoughtfully as he asked out loud. "I hope Kari is alright after hearing her counterpart might be coming back."

"She's tougher than she looks, I know it won't bother her as much." Zoe said in reply, before frowning as she then confessed. "I'm even more worried about Davis."

"Just when we believed that the Dark Lady was just another random enemy, not someone we knew, Davis pushed himself more than any of us to stop her, part of him thinking that she was targeting Kari and would take her away from him. But after learning the truth..." The Warrior of Wind said, her tone containing a great solemnity, who then added as she looked down with a growing concern within her eyes. "I don't know how he'll react if we have to fight her again. Out of all of us, he might be the only one who can fight her one on one."

"If it means protecting Kari, he'd do anything for her, just as I would for any of you." Takuya said in reply.

Clenching his fist, the Warrior of Flame then went on to say. "Though... he might try to calm her down first... I hope that it is possible in some way..."

"And if not, you guys won't be alone." Tommy then said with confidence in his tone, his words getting Takuya and Zoe's attention as they saw the Warrior of Ice stand up from his bed. his fists clenched and the same determination within his expression Takuya himself often expressed.

Siding alongside Tommy, Koichi stood beside the Warrior of Ice with his own confident smile.

"There are more of us this time, and we'll help in the battle in any way we can." The Warrior of Darkness added with his own sincerity and determination, this causing Takuya and Zoe to smile to have Tommy and Koichi in their time of need.

Afterall, they knew they would need all the help they could get.

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Down the hallway, the majority of the Digidestined and the Digimon Tamers sat with one another within the same room, with Davis and Veemon absent and contacting Arcanadramon in order to update him on the situation.

Within the confines of the shared room, Tai, Sora, Kari, Takato, Jeri, Rika and their Digimon partners remained in deep thought as the memories of the final battle against the Dark Lady, Mortismon and the fallen variant of Davis came to the forefront of their minds, haunting them all.

Meanwhile, TK, Cody, Izzy, Mimi, Catherine, Henry, Suzie, Kazu and their Digimon partners had mixed reactions as they looked upon their friends, some worried and some bewildered and puzzled by the situation.

Kazu, however...

"Sheesh, you guys act like there's a funeral going on or something." The brown haired Digimon Tamer commented.

Resting himself against Guardromon, Kazu said with his usual overconfidence. "You guys trashed this Dark Lady chick last time, and this time you've got us to back you up, it'll be a piece of cake."

In response to Kazu's words, Takato and most of the Digimon Tamers just sighed, while Rika muttered under her breath. "I swear, I'm going to kill this moron one day."

"Please don't, I won't be able to Digivolve if Kazu is dead." Guardromon pleaded, the words of Guardromon causing Kazu to glare up at the machine Digimon in response.

Remaining with a sense of unease to the tension amongst her and her friends, and also curious to the Dark Lady, Catherine questioned. "Is this Dark Lady really that terrifying?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but while we know you all have told us about what she had done in the past, I still cannot see Kari of all people act with such cruelty." Floramon then added, continuing Catherine's path of thought.

"I feel the same way." Mimi added as she looked at Kari with a sincere smile and remarked. "After all we've been through, I just can't see you willingly causing harm to anyone for any reason."

"You've never seen me desperate before." Kari said back through an honest tone, looking down and away from her friends as she then explained. "You all know Davis means everything to me... The mere thought of losing him scares me at times, even though I know he can handle himself... but unlike me, she did experience that loss, and she was willing to break this world just to bring him back."

"In her eyes, none of us were real people, just duplicates of the friends and family she knew, detaching herself from reality as a reason to justify her actions. There were no consequences, as long as her Davis was brought back. When she took our Davis... I felt for a brief moment the same desperation she felt, I was willing to do anything, sacrifice anything, just to make sure Davis was safe." The Digidestined of Light went on to say.

Her eyes narrowing slightly, a sight that startled the newer group to Witchelny slightly, Kari then said. "If I woke up one day and found out Davis was gone, that he had been murdered, regardless of the reason... I would burn the world, and that is a promise..."

Feeling a supporting hand rest itself upon her shoulder, Kari snapped out of her darker thoughts to see Sora standing over her, a solemn smile upon the orange haired Digidestined's face, which caused Kari to sigh and to express a more pleasant smile upon her face, namely to ease the tension of her friends, especially after seeing Suzie clenching Lopmon and Terriermon in her arms, the pair of rabbit-like Digimon trying to remove themselves from Suzie's overwhelming death grip for air.

Letting out a chuckle, however, he received a few glances from his friends, TK then said. "It's like Davis told me, we all have light and darkness within us and it's how we use it that counts."

"Well, I hope he's ready, cause if the Dark Lady is revived, Davis and Veemon might be our only hope of taking her down." Gatomon then commented, the Digimon of Light knowing that with the Sword of Helios in their possession, Davis and Veemon could reach the mighty and astonishingly powerful form of MagnaVeedramon: Divine Mode, and thus they'd be able to go head to head with the power which the fallen version of Kari wielded.

However, Gatomon was unsure if Davis would be able to take the Dark Lady down on his own, this wasn't because it was out of weakness, but out of now knowing that their enemy was a version of Kari all along, which could have a mental effect against the maroon haired Digidestined.

"Davis will do what he always does." Takato then said, becoming the centre of attention as the leader of the Digimon Tamers pointed out. "He'll try to save her from herself first, and if he can't, then he'll do what needs to be done."

Once again, silence reigned within the room as the humans and Digimon thought on what was to come in the days ahead.

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Meanwhile and upon a balcony that overlooked the Dark Tribe's capital, Davis, Veemon, Mikey and Shoutmon stood around within a circle as Davis held a large blue gem in his hand, one that projected an image of Arcanadramon from Mt. Broken and explained the situation to the mystic Digimon, who gained a deep frown in response.

"This is... most troubling." Arcanadramon said with a growing annoyance in his tone as he added. "I understand Ankokukyomon's reasons for not informing us about the Cult, but the fact that they are trying to resurrect the Dark Lady should not be a secret! We already have the Legions to worry about, her return and her rage would only shatter the resolve of our forces!"

"That's why we're going to do everything we can to stop them." Davis said in reply, his determination causing Arcanadramon's anger to subside as the Digidestined of Miracles added. "Tomorrow we are meeting with one of the three Orders here in the Dark Tribe, the Knights of the Dark Blade. Hopefully, we can convince them to not only help us stop the Cult but work with the other two orders against the Legions."

"Then I wish you luck, my friends." Arcanadramon replied, before adding with a seriousness in his voice. "If the Cult is to succeed, however, they need for a certain celestial alignment to be present in the skies above Witchelny, and that will not have for three days, that is your timeframe. Please keep me updated on your progress, and I will inform you if any more void rifts appear."

Nodding to the words of their mystic Digimon friend, Davis, Mikey and their Digimon partners watched as the image of Arcanadramon faded, before the maroon haired Digidestined sighed.

Placing the crystal back within his pocket, before resting on the edge of the balcony and looking out upon the city below, Davis remained in deep thought.

"Everyone's probably freaked out or worried about fighting the Dark Lady again, we need to help them keep calm and focused." Davis then said to Veemon, Mikey and to Shoutmon, the Digidestined of Miracles concerned for the mental states of their friends.

"And what about you, Davis?" Shoutmon then had to ask, the Digimon King voicing his own concerns as he then questioned. "If we end up facing her again, knowing what you know now, will you be able to fight her?"

"MagnaVeedramon: Divine Mode may be the only one out of our group that can fight her, but we need you to be willing to do so." Mikey added.

"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it." Davis said in reply, turning and facing the three before him as he added with an honest tone. "I would want to try and save her from her pain, but if it comes to it, I will protect those I care about."

Nodding their heads in agreement and accepting Davis' words, Mikey and Shoutmon turned and returned to their room, while the maroon haired Digidestined and Veemon went back to their own quarters in order to get some much needed sleep.

And as the heroes and heroines slept, with Davis holding Kari in his arms, an action Veemon mimicked with Gatomon, the Digidestined of Miracles' D-Bracer began to glow with a white light as he and his Digimon partner shared the same interesting and important dream.

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Looking over the small band of followers, each a DeathKnightmon loyal to the Cult, DarkShikyomon commanded with authority. "The so-called heroes that defeated our Mistress are planning on meeting the traitors of the Knight of the Dark Blade. Intercept them and make these outsiders pay for their crimes!"

Bowing before their leader, the group of Cult Mega level Digimon stood and left to find their foes, ready to do their part in the revival of the Dark Lady.

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The next day, after a big breakfast, as well as Davis, Veemon and a few helping to cheer the group up, reminding them of their victories together and of what they were brought to Witchelny to do, the heroes and heroines followed ShadowEclipsemon towards an open field a few miles from the capital, where the Chief Mystic informed them that they were to meet with the Knights of the Dark Blade, who were all eager to meet the legendary heroes and heroines themselves.

As they awaited the arrival of the Knights, Davis and Veemon silently wondered if they should share any information about their shared dream to the others, knowing that what they had learned might help if the Dark Lady returned.

However, the more they thought about the dream, the more the duo of Miracles realized that it may be best to hold onto that information for a little while longer, with Davis and Veemon hoping that they could stop the Dark Lady's revival from happening to begin with.

After a few minutes of silence, Kazu noticed a small group approaching them, one consisting of knightly Digimon, causing the brown haired Tamer to question curiously. "Hey, is that them?"

Turning their attention to the newcomers, the heroes and heroines spotted at least twenty DeathKnightmon coming towards them, the sight of which left Davis, Kari and a few of the original heroes and heroines feeling that something was off.

It was then, as if to prove their feelings correct, that ShadowEclipsemon held his right hand out, causing a dark metal staff with a blade on one end and a dark gem on the other to firm within his hand, where the dark mystic Digimon got into a fighting stance as he said with urgence in his tone. "They are not the Knights!"

As the group of DeathKnightmon got closer, Davis, Kari and the other original heroes and heroines then tensed as they saw a symbol painted on dark knight Digimon's armours, a black image painted in the familiar design of the Dark Lady's helmet, showing these new foes' allegiance to the Cult of the Fallen.

Seeing their friends tense up, TK, Catherine and the other newcomers to Witchelny quickly got to their feet and moved to their friends, each preparing themselves to change forms as the Cult Digimon stopped a few feet before them and their leader looked to ShadowEclipsemon with narrowed eyes.

"Leave now, traitor, or die along with these outsiders!" The lead DeathKnightmon declared as he then withdrew and aimed his blade toward Davis and the others.

"They must all pay for their transgressions against the Dark Lady!"

Swinging his staff as his free hand was consumed in dark energy, ShadowEclipsemon replied with returning determination. "It is you who are the traitors, and I will not abandon my friends to the likes of you!"

Preparing to fight, the heroes and heroines readied themselves for battle, but found their focus broken when they heard a trio of shrieks high above them.

Panicking mentally for a moment and believing that the Cult had sent even more of their dark forces to attack them, Davis and the others then looked up to see a trio of BloodDracomon rushing down from the skies, adding to the distress that the group was already feeling.

However, several things were noticed that quickly changed the heroes and heroines' thoughts on the situation, the first of which was seeing the DeathKnightmon back up in panic themselves, apparently having not expected these Dark Digimon to show up, the second thing that Davis, Veemon and their friends noticed was the fact that each of the BloodDracomon were clad in dark purple armour, which bore a symbol resembling a black sword displayed on their chests.

And finally, but most surprising of all to the heroes and heroines, were the trio of humanoid Digimon riding the BloodDracomon, each resembling a dark knight and unlike any the humans, Digimon and Appmon had ever seen before.

Though thinner than the DeathKnightmon, these newer dark knight Digimon were clad from head to toe in dark armour, with a dark purple sash and twin capes coming down from their shoulder pads, which held four spikes within each of them, two long spikes and three smaller ones.

Looking down upon those below them, the dark knight Digimon's faces were concealed in dark helmets, each with a half skull face and four spikes coming out of the top as the beings surveyed and scanned the area, locking their hollowed eyes with DeathKnightmon.

Leaping from its BloodDracomon, the first of the new Digimon withdrew twin dark blades it had holstered to its sides, the blades igniting in dark energy, before the dark knight rushed down at speeds most couldn't see, cutting through the lead DeathKnightmon like it was air, causing the Cult Digimon to dissolve into Data particles as the other DeathKnightmon backed up in concern.

In shock to see the power behind just one of these new Digimon, Davis quickly brought his D-Bracer up as it illuminated, revealing information about the dark knight Digimon as the Digidestined of Miracles then told his friends. "DreadKnightmon, a powerful Mega Level dark knight Digimon whose sole duty is to protect Witchelny no matter the cost."

"These are the Knights of the Dark Blade." ShadowEclipsemon told Davis, Veemon and the others as the other two DreadKnightmon landed around their companion, where the trio of Dark Blade Digimon drew their swords and rushed at the DeathKnightmon at great speed.

Attempting to fight back, the DeathKnightmon swung their blades to try and strike down the DreadKnightmon, who easily dodged the swings of the larger blades and cut through their foes one by one.

Relaxing a bit, the heroes and heroines watched in awe as despite being outnumbered by some of the toughest Digimon they had faced the first time they came to Witchelny, the trio of DreadKnightmon were making quick work of the DeathKnightmon, leaving only one remaining, who quickly turned and began to flee.

Bringing its blades together, the energy around the lead DreadKnightmon's weapons intensified, before sending the energy out as an x-shaped blast, one that cut through the final Cult Digimon, who cried out in great pain as its body dissolved into Data particles.

With their foes defeated, the DreadKnightmon put their weapons away, before turning to face ShadowEclipsemon, where the trio bowed as the lead DreadKnightmon asked ShadowEcplisemon with great respect. "Are you alright, Chief Mystic?"

"I am alright, brave knights, your timing was impeccable." ShadowEclipsemon said with a returned respect within his voice, just as the trio of Dark Blade Digimon looked toward the heroes and heroines and allowed their mounts to land around them.

"Our Master, DarkKishimon, is eager to meet you all in person, great heroes of Witchelny." The lead DreadKnightmon said, before looking above and behind the group, who all turned to see what their new allies were looking at.

Emerging from the dark clouds above, Davis, Kari and all of the original heroes and heroines' looked surprised to see one of the airships the Dark Tribe used during the War long ago slowly descend, this being the mobile headquarters of the Knights of the Dark Blade.

A smile then graced Davis' face as the maroon haired Digidestined was looking forward to meeting the Knights' leader and ready to do whatever was needed to aid his new allies in the battles to come.

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Author's Note: With a moment of self-reflection and worry behind them, the heroes and heroines have now come face to face with the Knights of the Dark Blade. What will they learn from this mysterious order, and will they be able to gain their aid in the battles to come? Stay tuned as the adventures continue.

P.S. Likewise, stay tuned for the next chapter of Trials of Nexus next month, hope you will all enjoy it, and I hope you all enjoy the finale of Ghost Game.