As soon as they return to Plesiomon's hut, Lua helps Komet patch her wounds. The bunny also sews her clothes. After some time, everyone goes to their respective places to go to sleep, except for Komet, who goes outside to call Anpu to confirm if he got the infected data. It's now past midnight, and the full moon shows its full splendor in the starry sky. Goma and Plesiomon sleep together outside the hut, since Goma is now too big to fit inside. Sonne and Gomi sleep in the bedroom. Komet still sits outside, next to the shore, looking at the sky.

"Still can't fall asleep?" asks Lua, while coming out of the hut.

Komet looks downwards and shakes her head.

Lua sits next to her. "Something is troubling you, isn't it? What is it?"

The lass looks at the sleeping Plesiomon and looks back, leaving a sigh. "The Corrosion Virus was never a problem here until yesterday, when we arrived here…" She shakes her head again. "Something similar happened to Cerranis… As soon as we arrived there, a Digimon got infected. In the Village of Beginning, the Infected quickly came to our position, despite the monster existing around for some time already. Those can't be just coincidences, can it?"

Lua waves both hands. "No. No. No. Stop. Your presence here is not causing the Corrosion Virus, if this is what is in your mind. Soon enough Anpu will confirm it for us. Besides, we would have noticed it already if that was the case, so you can relax, don't worry!"

Komet hugs her legs. "Easier said than done…". She looks back at Plesiomon. "Regardless… We weren't fast enough to prevent her from getting injured… She will never recover her flipper, is she…? If only I had a-"

Lua frowns in worry and hugs the lass tight. "You really need to start turning your brain off more often, you know…? Everyone came back alive, and the lake is safe! It wasn't perfect, but it was our best outcome. You should be happy about that!" She opens her hands, creates bubbles from her gloves and spreads them around themselves. "Perhaps you need a bit of distraction to put your mind at ease"

Komet looks at the mesmerizing bubbles, which reflect the moonlight in a way she has never seen before. She gets very captivated by them, and touches one of the bubbles, which pops close to her face. That triggers all the other bubbles to pop too, suddenly making Komet feel numb. Then, less than 5 seconds later, she falls asleep in Lua's arms.

Lua sighs, looking a bit unhappy. She gently hugs Komet. "Sorry for tricking you like that… But you really need to rest…"

It's nine in the morning. Komet opens her eyes and notices that she is in the bedroom using Sonne as her pillow again. "I don't remember coming here and falling asleep… Was I that tired…?" she thinks.

"Good morning, Komet," says Sonne. "Hopefully you slept well today"

"Ah! Good morning, and sorry for keeping you stuck here again…!"

They get up and go to the living room. Lua, Goma and Gomi are chatting. From what it seems, they are talking about the battle against the Infecteds, and Goma is not sugarcoating the fact that Plesiomon is injured because of his own irresponsibility. He is more than willing to set a good example to his younger brother and make him a future better guardian to be proud of.

Lua jumps out of her chair and walks towards Komet. "Good morning! Did you sleep well?"

"I did. I had no nightmare whatsoever" She puts her hands on her waist and looks at the Lekismon's face. "I can't get over the fact that you are taller than me now. Is your ear still injured, despite the evolution?"

"Oh, yeah!". She touches the bandaged ear. "I have forgotten about this! Can you remove it for me?". Lua squats down a bit to make it easier for Komet to reach.

She carefully removes the bandages and sees just a faint scar. "It looks healed. You can barely tell it was a hole before, although your ears are different in size and shape…. Whatever how that works, it's fine now. Where is Plesiomon?"

"She went to see her lake friends! Apparently the news about her injury spread very quickly, so now they are looking for a way to give her a new flipper" Goma answers.

"That's some good news. If she doesn't return anytime soon, can you guide us to her? I'd hate to leave without saying goodbye"

Goma nods. Since everyone is awake, he serves them the same colorful fish that the mom served the previous day. They finish eating, and as promised, Goma takes them to Plesiomon. The group sees her surrounded by different aquatic Digimon. Komet feels guilty as soon as she bats an eye at Plesiomon's injury. The mom instantly notices their presence.

"Oh, dear! Don't worry about that, we are going to find a way to solve this problem. I'm the guardian of this place, so this was bound to happen at some point" she says, as cheerful as always.

"O-okay…" Komet looks a bit down, but then smiles. "We are departing now"

"Awn, already? That's okay, everyone has their duties. You are heading north, right?"

Komet nods

Plesiomon looks towards the mountain range that can be seen in the distance. "There's a pass you can take to get to the other side of The Skyscrapers, so you don't need to fly over it. As soon as you cross it, you will find Digimon in higher stages more easily, as well as bigger villages and cities. I know you are strong, but I'm warning you anyway because I'd hate to see you getting hurt. You know, mom behavior" she smiles at them. "So, be very careful, understand?"

Komet and the two Digimon nod. "Thanks for hosting us, and…" she sighs. "Sorry for-"

Plesiomon stretches her neck closer to her and nuzzles her. "Thank you for helping protect this lake. Thank you for helping my son grow. We will never forget you and your deeds, and hopefully you don't forget us either". She tilts her head, giving a sweet smile.

Komet nods. "Of course we won't forget you!"

Lua turns to Goma. "Be the best example you can to your brother!"

Goma nods. "Of course! I'll make him as good as my mom!"

"Have a safe journey you three!" says Plesiomon

Sonne nods, while Komet and Lua wave at them. The lion flies away from them, heading towards their next destination.

Komet looks towards The Skyscrapers. The mountains live up to their name - they can be easily seen even though they are so far away. "Higher level Digimon are more common beyond those mountains…"

About one hour later, Sonne lands. He decides that it's safer for the girls to not be exposed to harsh sunlight, especially when the sun is at its peak, so he resumes the trip running on land, where they can at least get some shade from the trees.

"We are not too heavy for you, are we?" asks Komet

Before Sonne could answer, Lua simply jumps off of Sonne and starts running alongside him. "If we were, then we aren't anymore!"

"It seems my answer does not have any relevance in this matter…" Sonne sighs. "Anyhow. Lua has informed me of the way you helped her reach evolution. Should I reiterate what Prof. Bokomon said about abusing the usage of your own data to assist us?"

"Don't worry about that, I'm not doing it recklessly. I don't plan on dying, at least not before I'm done with my investigation"

"About this. Lua gave me the details about this friend, 'Hydra', that you claim to have been wronged, and I want you to confirm if the information is correct. He was a friend of yours that was accused of killing the criminal Don Werisley along with his victims - more than 15, by the way - by taking control of his home automation to burn everything down"

Komet gets tense and swallows hard.

"Despite the efforts of some news portals to call it 'manslaughter', the final sentence was 'homicide', which led him to get the death penalty. Yes, I can feel your heartbeat accelerating. Apologies for starting such sensitive topic"

"It… It didn't help that his criminal record wasn't clean… He had already gotten some arrests for security breaches…" She sighs, unsettled. "Go on"

"Your investigations aimed to find whatever secret you believe the trafficker was hiding, which, according to you, would take away any blame Hydra got from this incident. What makes you believe said 'secret' exists in the first place?"

"Hydra would never just burn down a place like that, I just know it"

"That's not proof of its existence, Komet"

"H-he…". She starts shaking. "He told me something like that before getting arrested. That the criminal let himself burn to death with all the evidence of whatever he was hiding"

Sonne shakes his head. "Apologies, but I fail to find logic in this. I appreciate your will to help your friend, but-"

Komet raises her voice. "No! He is innocent! I know that! Just trust me, please! W-we even found clues that could prove his innocence, remember…?"

"Worry not, I intend to help you until the very end. However, my concern lies in your dangerous conviction to find the truth, in which you have already stated to not be afraid to forfeit your life for it. In fact, I became aware that you actually attempted to do it once"

Komet lowers her head, looking gloomy. "What are you trying to say…?"

"If the truth that you seek just confirms the final verdict was correct, it would make a deep wound in your heart, which would possibly lead you to…"

Komet can feel the pain in Sonne's words as he says them. She even has the impression that she heard him whimpering. "I see…". She pets his mane, hoping that it will make him calmer. "I just know he is innocent. I know I lack evidence for this claim, but you can trust me"

Sonne sighs and discreetly shakes his head.

"Look… If by chance the truth turns out to be this thing that you fear, I promise I won't try anything against my life"

"Pinky promise?" asks Lua, raising her pinkie

"Pinky promise". Komet does the same and locks her pinkie with Lua's. "That's not all. This is one of the biggest motivators that keeps me moving". She clenches one one her fists and moves it close to her chest, looking at the horizon with a determined look in her eyes. "I'm going back to the Surface. I'll discover the truth behind the Hydra incident and whatever tried to kill me. I'll fight as hard as I can to prevent the loss of privacy and freedom. I'll also help you finish the investigation and put an end to that mess that Corrosion Virus is making in your world. It doesn't matter what adversities this world throws at me, I'll not stop. I'll not give up. This is my resolve!"

Sonne nods and smiles. "Thank you, Komet. This will leave my heart at peace. We will never leave your side. You can always count on us"

"Agreed!" Lua gives a thumbs up. "Even if you decided to not help us at all after going back home, I wouldn't turn my back on you"

"You guys…" thinks Komet while smiling, but feeling a bit guilty. "Sometimes I think I don't deserve you… You two are too awesome…"

A day passes. Komet is riding Sonne, while Lua walks beside them. The Skyscrapers mountains are very close. Some mountains are so huge that it's hard to see the peak, especially because it's cloudy. In the distance, they can see a considerably narrow space breaking the mountain range in half, like an alley between two big buildings, except that four or five cars side by side could cross that alley together. It's The Skyscrapers' Pass.

Komet looks at the direction of the pass. She tries to see the exit, but the path is so long that she can't see the end of it. She swallows hard. "Alright team, after we cross that, we are going to expose ourselves to greater danger, so I hope everyone is ready"

The two Digimon nod and walk towards the pass. It's colder than all the other days. They see some bird Digimon landed on stones. Two big black birds with sharp teeth coming from their beaks cuddle each other, with their eyes closed. Komet has the impression that she saw a snake with wings on its head flying around the mountains.

"Ugh… That place unnerves me…" She shakes her head. "It's going to be fine, hopefully"

"Of course it is! We are Team Twilight, after all! We always make things work" says Lua

"Imagine if we had to take a shot every time you say that, we would be done for already" Komet giggles

"Haha, very funny. You better watch your back, because I can easily get back at you with the same argument" Lua smirks

"I will tolerate no disrespect towards Komet" says Sonne

"But 'disrespecting' me is fine?"

Komet laughs

At that moment, they hear someone yelling "NOW!". They whip their heads towards the voice, and see the two black birds flying towards them. Sonne and Lua jump out of their way, but the two birds open their feet and attack Lua, trying to take her to the skies. Lua kicks one of them, while Sonne quickly turns around and tackles the other. The two birds fly back up. Komet uses that opportunity to identify the Digimon. "Saberdramon. Level: Adult. A giant bird shrouded in flames. Because of that, approaching it can be difficult. It usually attacks striking from the air with their talons"

"In short, it's a bird on fire" says Lua, rubbing her leg that's been scorched a bit after the counterattack.

They try to grab Lua again, but she dodges it easily. They keep trying to grab her over and over again, just to keep failing miserably. The Lekismon swiftly dances around their attacks, while smirking, and then readies an attack from her gloves. Upon noticing that, the Saberdramon decide to fly back up and circle around them. One of them looks at the other. "Are you sure you don't want the other Man-type?"

The other bird looks at Komet, who is just riding the lion during all that. "The horned one? It looks so much weaker! We need the strongest we can get, so we are going for the bunny"

"You know we don't have time to be picky, right? The competition begins tomorrow! We need to get whatever comes at us". Saberdramon looks around. "Where's Yatagaramon, by the way? That bastard should be here helping us!"

"Are you insane? I'd rather go back on empty talons than embarrass ourselves after being away for so long trying to capture the best!"

Sonne and Lua watch the birds being too busy arguing, and take the opportunity to run towards the pass and leave them behind. But the moment they approach the entrance, an even bigger bird lands in front of it, shaking the ground upon landing. It caws so loud that it sounds like a roar.

"Oh, finally! It took long enough, you idiot!" says one of the Saberdramon.

The bigger bird, which seems to be Yatagaramon, is a giant three-legged jet-black crow. It has two pairs of wings and a red beak. It has golden objects attached to its front wings and wears a golden mask with holes for its two pairs of eyes.

Komet snorts. "Engaging in a battle is inevitable now. Get ready, Team Twilight!" She summons Ogremon's club. "We are at a big disadvantage here. Stay defensive while I examine their battle style and come up with a plan. It seems their focus is to catch Lua"

"So all we need is to outsmart them as usual, right? Right! Then let's go!" says Lua

Yatagaramon screeches once again. Saberdramon's eyes widen upon seeing Komet summoning the club. "Yo, the horned Man has a Skullgreymon bone! That one is definitely strong too"

Komet lifts her sleeve to fetch more information from Yatagaramon, but the big crow screeches while opening its wings wide and emits black light from them, making the surroundings very dark. It's so dark that Sonne's flames don't light the area very well. The birds use that moment to try capture Lua, but unfortunately for them, she is not off guard.

"Nice try, but I can see well in the dark, losers!" says Lua. She tries to kick them, but they just fly away again.

Komet looks at Yatagaramon's direction, but she is only able to see the two glowing pairs of blue eyes, which don't seem to be moving around. "It's standing still... Is it only trying to prevent us from crossing to the other side?"

Lua jumps closer to Sonne and Komet. "I guess your flames don't work well here, huh? Anyway, I will put some bubbles in the air, so don't touch them, or it will put you to sleep. Moon Night Bomb!". The bunny creates bubbles from her gloves and launches them to the air.

Sonne turns his head at Komet. "Your commands?"

"We should get away from the crow. That will probably get us out of the darkness-"

At that moment, they hear small wings flapping. One of them bumps on Komet, so it starts screeching. This makes all the others start screeching too. It wasn't some regular screech: they were being amplified by some kind of speaker, making it so loud that it hurts anyone close by. Some of the creatures fall on them after hitting the sleep-inducing bubbles. The trio flinch and fall on their knees, trying to block the unbearable noise. Komet drops the club in the process.

The darkness disappears, and Yatagaramon also drops on the floor screaming in pain, flailing its wings frantically. Komet, almost in tears, presses her hands on her ears while angrily looks around, and sees some blue bat-like creatures lying unconscious. Their bodies are shaped like a musical note, and their wings have a lot of red speakers.

As soon as the other bats leave, one of the Saberdramon quickly flies towards Komet and grabs her by her arms, going back up as fast. "I GOT IT! Let's leave quickly!". The lass, unable to react fast enough, screams. She struggles to try to break free, but it doesn't take long until they are very high up.

Lua, upon seeing that, gasps and vainly stretches her hand towards her. "NO! KOMET!". She forces herself to get up and runs towards Sonne, who also does the same. She sees the Ogremon's club on the floor and takes it with her.

The bird duo fly towards the mountain range. A lot of the mountains are like large pillars rising to the sky, similar to a lot of clustered tall buildings in a metropolis. On one side, she sees the forest they came from. In the other, a big desert with orange sands can be seen. Komet grits her teeth and frowns in fear.

"We finally did it! I'm sure it couldn't get any better than that. But I feel bad for sacrificing Yatagaramon for that" says one Saberdramon

"Nah, he is going to be fine. What that dumbass lacks for brains, he makes up for brawns. What's important is that we caught something good enough to defend our clan's pride!" says the other

Komet is very scared, but also curious about their motive. "They need me alive… So asking them why will probably not hurt-". Suddenly, she sees an ice stake almost hitting the other Saberdramon, but he dodges on time. She looks behind her back and sees Lua mounting Sonne coming to the rescue.

"Crap! They're already on our tail! And here I thought that dumbass would hold them for us!"

"Worry not, we are near the airflow. We just need to be faster-"

At that moment, they dodge an energy shot. Komet looks behind again and sees Yatagaramon pursuing Sonne. The big crow caws at the lion, charging another shot from the object on his wings.

The Saberdramon holding Komet looks at the big crow, incredulous. "What the heck is that idiot doing? He is going to kill us like that!" he screams

"And that's why we should never let him do stuff unguided! Let's be quick, we are almost at there"

Yatagaramon shoots again, and all Digimon dodge it. The Saberdramon get more pissed off, but they keep focusing on going fast, while swiftly dodging the stone towers. Sonne, on the other hand, is not doing well in the pursuit, since he is in unknown terrain while needing to pay attention to the attacks.

"There! Turn left! Turn left!" says one Saberdramon

Both birds tilt left. Suddenly, Komet feels their speed increasing drastically. She starts choking because of the sudden acceleration. She looks behind and sees the distance between them and her friends increasing quickly, and just short after, she can't see them anymore. She lowers her head and shakes it in frustration, only hoping to find an opening to break free from them.

Lua screams in horror as soon as the Saberdramon get out of their sight.

"How were they capable of gaining so much speed in an instant?" asks Sonne, while still dodging Yatagaramon's attacks. He tries to keep following the birds, but a sudden gust pushes him so hard that almost makes him hit against one of the rocky pillars. He adjusts his position and dodges it.

"HEY! Be careful there! We have a friend to rescue, you know?" yells a hysterical Lua

Yatagaramon flies away from them, taking the same path the Saberdramon took and gaining a great speed boost as well. Sonne tries to follow him, but he is thrown off by the gust again. The big crow, just like the other two birds, disappears from their sight.

"Fuck!" yells Lua

"Lua, please, screaming and swearing will do us no good" growls Sonne.

She starts crying, muttering about not being stronger, faster, smarter or whatever could save her friend.

"Lua, please, calm down. Although we cannot deduce their reasoning, they do not intend to kill her yet. Also, do not forget that as long as she is wearing her smartwatch, I can check on her heart rate"

Lua sobs a bit more, and then wipes her tears. "Yeah… You're right… Okay, no time to waste, keep following them! They can't fly away forever!"

Sonne nods and starts flying faster. "If I am not mistaken, Anpu can track her device. Call him and try to get her position"

"Roger that". Lua closes her eyes and focuses on contacting Anpu, but she gets no answer. Some minutes pass, but still no answer. She gets very stressed and agitated. Then, around 20 minutes later, she finally hears Anpu's voice in her mind like telepathy. "I hear you"

"My gods! Why did you take so long to pick up the call? It's urgent, you know?"

"Good morning to you too. You know very well I'll not always answer it right away. Anyway, you said urgency, right?" says Anpu

"Komet was captured and we lost sight of her! Please, please, tell us that you can locate her! Please! Please!"

"Oh, that certainly explains why you are flying over The Skyscrapers towards the sea at such high speed"

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes"

"How far are they from us?"

"I do not know. I can't track you two, after all"

"Goddammit!"

"What is the matter?" asks Sonne

"Anpu can locate her, but not us, so there's no way to know how far apart we are!"

"Where are they at the moment?"

"Apparently still flying over these stupid mountains, moving towards the sea"

"Right. Request Anpu to inform us about any change in their trajectory"

"You heard the big puss, right?"

"Yes" says Anpu. While only Lua can hear Anpu at the moment, the jackal can hear everything around like a phone call. "Any more questions?"

Lua pokes Sonne. "Do you have any other questions for Anpu?"

"Yes. I noticed that those mountains possess dangerous wind fluxes. I believe this is the cause of our enemy distancing themselves with such tremendous speed, which we could also use in our favor. Can you confirm if my logic follows correctly?"

"It is correct." says the Anubismon. "However, the flows are very treacherous. One mistake can take your life in an instant. Use caution when taking the airflows. And do not fall on the desert's side, understood?"

Lua tells Sonne what Anpu said. Since they don't have any more questions, Anpu wishes them good luck and hangs up. She sighs and looks down, still very frustrated. "I still can't believe we let Komet be captured just like that… If she gets badly hurt because of that, I… I…" She clenches her fists

"I share your sentiment, but focusing too much on it will not help us in any way. We do not intend to stop until she is safe with us, after all. Correct?"

Lua nods, still looking worried

"Now. May I ask you how resistant your bubbles are? I intend to use it to predict the trajectory of the airflow"

She looks at her glove. "I… Don't knoooow… Only one way to find out!"

Sonne nods and flies close to the middle of the mountain range. Lua ties the club to the moon belt around her neck and opens her hands, producing a lot of bubbles and scattering them in the air. Some bubbles just fly up, but others are caught by the airflow. They go very fast, taking wild turns and popping afterwards because of the force. Some of the bubbles, unable to keep following the drastic turns, crash into the stone walls.

Lua scowls. "What the heck am I looking at? This is ridiculous!"

Sonne grits his teeth. "Anpu's warnings are more than understandable now…"

"Okay, big puss, time for some tailwind! You can do it! And even if you can't, I'll make you do it somehow!" she says while pointing at the airflow. "Don't you think I'll be useless just because I'm not the one flying!"

Sonne nods and takes the airflow. The first ten times ends in failure: he either loses his balance and is thrown off the flow, or leaves it as soon as he has the impression they will crash into a mountain. Despite it, they are still moving faster than if they decided to not try. For every time they get out, Lua uses her bubbles again to detect the flow and get back in.

During the pursuit, the duo take a few detours due to invading other Digimon' territories, and after countless tries, Sonne finally starts to get the hang of flying in the airflows, giving the duo a bit of confidence boost. As the time goes on, Lua starts getting more and more nervous again, since they are getting no sign of the kidnappers or any kind of call. Then, about eight hours later, Anpu finally contacts them again.

"Aaah! Anpu is finally calling! Quickly, get out of the flow, I need to hear him!" shouts Lua

Sonne leaves the airflow, lowers his height and flies beside the mountain range.

"That took so long! Where did they go? Where should we go? Or… You didn't lose the signal, did you?" she nervously asks Anpu

"Worry not, I'm still tracking the device. They didn't change their direction. They just left the continental area"

"Wait, what? Are they flying over the sea?"

"Yes. I believe they will keep their trajectory and land in the Tavrmenos Islands, but I have no clue where they could possibly go from there"

"Maybe they just live there, right?"

"Perhaps, but unlikely. After all, there's nothing around that area, at least no living creatures, nor in land nor in sea"

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"I know the place of a Digimon's death when I collect their data. Tavrmenos Islands used to be a populated place, but according to Bokomon, they isolated themselves from the rest of the world, and because of that, not many people know about that society. But it's been years since the last time I got to retrieve soul data from that area, so I assume that society is long gone for whatever reason. Natural disaster? Corrosion Virus? Who knows… But it's still impresses me that not even wild monsters live there"

"Well, regardless of the reason, we are going there to rescue Komet. If they land there, I'm sure she will call us as soon as her arms are free. If there's really nothing there aside from those three stupid birds, then things will be infinitely easier!" Lua smiles, feeling a bit less nervous. "Thanks Anpu! We will continue our journey"

"I wish you luck"

Anpu ends the call. Lua looks at the horizon with a stern face and points ahead. "Let's go, big puss! Operation Save Komet! To the ocean and beyond!"

"It's too cold… It's hard to breathe… I'm hungry… I'm thirsty…"

Time flies fast for people who're trying to get to their destination as soon as possible, but not for people that got kidnapped. Komet manages to stay conscious against all odds. They have been flying over the ocean for quite some time, but she can't tell for how long, since she lost the notion of it. All she knows is that it's night.

At some point, she starts mentally questioning if it's even possible for them to be flying for long hours. Then she reminds herself of the existence of bird migration, although she doesn't know exactly for how long they fly. For her, it feels like days, but a whole day has not passed yet. She is so dizzy that she doesn't even know if the birds have tried talking to her.

Some more time passes, and they are finally approaching something. It looks like a village. A very big and ancient one. The closer they get, the better she can see the architecture: it's a bit Ancient Greek-like. They fly for a few more minutes before landing at a pier, where a lot of Digimon wait. Most of them look like birds.

"They are back! It's really them!" says one of them

"They have finally returned!" says the other

"I really thought they wouldn't make it" says a third one, while getting relieved

The Saberdramon that holds Komet lands, pinning her on the floor. "Of course we did! We caught a good one, even! Now, call the acolytes, quickly! We don't have much time left!"

The other Sabirdramon approaches Komet. "You better win for us, Beast Man, if you don't want to die!"

"What is it all about…? I was so scared and overwhelmed that I forgot to try asking them…" Komet thinks. It doesn't take long until two cloaked figures appear and hold the silver-haired lady by her arms, taking her away from the birds. In the background, Digimon shout and scream in happiness and excitement. She looks around and sees Digimon celebrating something while eating, singing and dancing around, with colorful ornaments and tents decorating the city, despite being late at night. Most Digimon she sees around are animal-like, beasty… Such as birds, four legged mammals and lizards. Unlike in Cerranis or even Loch Pless, It doesn't look like there's a creature with more humanoid features.

Some time later, they leave the city and enter a forest area. They stop in front of a trapdoor, open it and throw Komet in, closing it back. Fortunately it's not a straight fall, but actually a slide down. She is so tired that she doesn't scream, only groans. It doesn't take long for the slide to come to an end, which, unfortunately for her, ends in a straight fall, so she falls on her butt and grunts in pain. After recovering from the impact, she sits up and looks around. It's a large room with nicely decorated walls and tiles, finely painted in geometrical shapes, which doesn't look worn out. She is not alone in that room: eight Digimon are sitting around there, taking some distance from each other, all of them looking exhausted.

"One more poor soul joins the fray…" says one of them

Komet looks at the opposite side and sees some kind of bar walls, except that the bars are not made of iron, but of some kind of dark energy. "We are jailed…". She looks up, from where she fell, examining if there's a way to go back up.

"Forget it, we have tried escaping already. It's impossible"

Komet turns her attention to the talking Digimon, which is a small wolf-like humanoid. She pays closer attention to all of them: in contrast to all people celebrating outside, all 8 Digimon locked up there are some kind of humanoids. The wolf-like keeps talking.

"We even tried combining our attacks to break these walls. But as you can see…" the wolf punches the wall in anger. "...we weren't even able to scratch it. So don't waste your energy trying"

"At least we only need to wait for one more person before we get more information about this shit, right?" asks another mon

At that moment, they hear footsteps coming from the other side of the prison. A Digimon wearing some kind of ritualistic mask, green robe, red cape, brown gloves and boots appears, accompanied by two cloaked figures - the cloaks having the same nice patterns as the walls - with a long and thin tail sticking out of the cloak. They lift their cloaks above their heads and go under the dark energy bars, throw a Digimon in and step away.

The new Digimon, to no one's surprise at this point, is also a humanoid. A satyr wearing big white gloves, white half pants and a red scarf around its neck. The satyr groans and gets up while shaking in pain. He seems beaten up. All the other Digimon look at the satyr in pity. The masked mon speaks up.

"Welcome, monsters. You were chosen by one of the five clans of Tavrmenos. Your duty is to show your worth despite being filthy Man-types. A chance to pay for your sins and ascend to glory" he says, while looking up and opening his arms. The ever maliciously smiling mask makes things creepier.

"Who are you calling filthy, you piece of crap?" asks one of the Digimon

"I'm calling all of you filthy. Your existence is a bane for the beasts. A curse!"

"But aren't you a Man-type Digimon yourself…? You may be heavily dressed, but we can still notice some stuff, you know?" the wolf growls, looking directly at the masked creature, but he just stares back at her, giving no answer. She rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Just tell us already what we need to do. I'm tired of being locked up already"

The masked mon puts his hands together. "Ah… Yes! Your duty is to soothe the troubled heart of Great Bullmon, a great leader of Tavrmenos that was cursed and became a dangerous monster called Minotaurmon by envious Man-type Digimon. Before the advent of the curse, Tavrmenos was a thriving and bountiful place. The paradise of the beasts! But your wicked Type brought suffering to us, transforming him into a half man and half beast, a conflicted bull. The existence of this anomaly is a disgrace for this island, and since it's a creature can't be put down-"

"Can you go straight to the point already?" asks a humanoid lizard

"Heh, impatient and arrogant, like the trash you are" he scoffs. "Minotaurmon is locked in the labyrinth, a masterpiece built by the great engineers of Tavrmenos to prevent the unkillable anomaly from ever running away and rampant. Your duty as the chosen ones of Tavrmenos is to reach the center of the labyrinth and ring the blessed bell, which will resonate with the Digicore of Minotaurmon and awake the perseverance of Great Bullmon, holding back the ire of the Man-type side that disturbs his soul" He points at them. "It's the only way your kind can redeem yourselves by existing"

One of the Digimon snarls at him. "I hope you are done slandering us. So, all we need is to reach that damn bell and ring it, right? Then we are free"

The masked creature laughs. "Yes, 'only that'. But during all that time, Minotaurmon will be hunting you down. He kills everything that enters his territory. He feels your presence. He smells your presence. And when he finds you, he tears you down piece by piece until you wish to die. That's the curse your kind bestowed to him"

"You will be placed in different areas of the labyrinth, all of them equally far from the goal, to make it fair for everyone. The first one that rings the bell is the only one that will be saved. The rest will suffer from Minotaurmon's wrath" says one of the hooded creatures

"Wait, are you saying we are not even going to start together?" yells a captive

The satyr speaks up. "Hey, hey! This doesn't need to be a problem! All we need to do is to gather together…"

All the Digimon in the room and Komet look at him

" …and then we kill Minotaurmon and end the curse forever!"

The Digimon look at each other, but the lizard shakes their head. "Are you deaf? That bastard just said the monster is unkillable! Unless your plan is to get us killed altogether!"

"N-No, of course not! Do you really believe the creature is unkillable? We won't know until we try! This festival happens very often, we can't let this keep going for-"

A Digimon dressed in fire pattern clothes grabs the satyr by the scarf and lifts him. She points her giant matchstick at his face "Oh, so you are crazy about facing that monster, huh? Why don't you face me now, then I can trust your words? Hm?"

The satyr whimpers and starts shaking. "W-Why are you threatening me…? We should work together…!"

"Hey, don't kill him" says another Digimon. "If he is just a wimp, then I can use him as bait to escape the monster. Well, I can use any of you, actually!" They cross their arms while boasting about themselves. That causes the other Digimon to start arguing and growling at each other.

The fire-clothed Digimon whacks the satyr with the matchstick, drops him and huffs. "Weakling. Hopefully the monster will go after you first." Then she walks away, especially from the Digimon that are almost killing themselves

He looks down. "We need to do it together… We shouldn't all die for that…!"

The wolf shakes her head. "Stop being delusional. We are not on the same page. We won't work together. I, at least, won't waste my time looking for others when I can just run straight to my survival"

He sighs, frustrated

Komet approaches the goat boy. "I accept working with you. You want to put an end to that cycle, right? If there's something I'm well aware of, it is that we are stronger together! We also have better survivability together"

The look on the satyr's eyes is filled with hope

"Fools, assemble!" shouts a Digimon, snorting in laughter. "Maybe she is already planning on using and backstabbing you, ha! Smart"

The satyr flinches and looks at Komet. "Y-you are not going to betray me, will you…?"

"If I say 'no', will you trust me?" says Komet

"W-well, of course!"

She looks at him surprised. "Just like that? Why?"

"W-well, everyone is pretty much showing their true colors already, so I don't see why you would be different! Besides, you seem to be willing to trust me, so why wouldn't I trust you back?"

Komet sighs and looks at him, concerned. "This is not how it works, you know…?"

The satyr ignores her remark and stretches his arm, readying a handshake. "I'm Aegiomon! Nice to meet you!"

Komet looks at his hand, then at his face. The goat boy is flashing a confident smile. She goes farther to the opposite side of where the other Digimon are and gestures to Aegiomon to follow her. Then she looks at his hand again. "I'm Komet" She shakes his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Kometmon! I really hope we can end this curse together!"

" Kometmon…? So… You seem to know about this… 'Festival'"

"Yes! Wait, how do you know it's a festival?"

"I saw people celebrating outside like a big regional party. My captors said they needed to get here before the 'competition' began. And I assume the competition is this maze thing, correct?"

Aegiomon nods. "Yes, yes! It's a festival that pretty much happens every six months. When I was still an Elecmon, I always celebrated it and believed Man-type Digimon were really cruel, until I met a Man-type, an escapee… We became close friends. She told so many cool things about the outside world, like Man and Beast working together! But not long after, I became a Man-type myself…! My clan, the people that loved me and I loved back, immediately locked me up for weeks, waiting for the next festival, as if I was never one of them to begin with…! And now I'm here! This is so messed up! Our festival is messed up!" He roughly rubs his head.

"Calm down, okay? We will make our way out of here. You said you have a friend outside?" Komet lifts her sleeve. She sees it's 4 in the morning and looks at the 'Command' button. "Tell me more about this friend, because I have friends that's coming to save me, and I'm sure they can join forces. We will put an end to all this, whether the beasts like it or not… Hopefully"

Eighteen hours have passed since Komet was taken away. What was a somewhat smooth flight in the airflows starts being a problem again, as Sonne almost crashed at a stone pillar. Fortunately Lua was fast enough to use her strong legs to push them away from it. But that cost some injuries in her legs.

"Okay, stop, just stop, you are clearly not in good condition to keep using those air corridors!" says Lua while slapping his back to get his attention.

Sonne shakes his head. He looks extremely exhausted, but still tries to keep focused. "I… I cannot stop… It is our duty to rescue her… We could be running out of time… The ocean… Lies ahead of us…"

Lua looks at Sonne extremely concerned. She understands his feelings, since she is anxious too. "Yeah, of course this is our duty… I never disagreed with that. But you are dead beat!" she shakes her head and groans. "Look, I don't want to die, so let's at least proceed on land, okay?"

Sonne keeps going on flying, doing his best to keep his focus.

Lua clenches her fists. "SONNE, PLEASE!" she yells. "You are pushing beyond your limits! You don't want to die before getting the chance to save her, do you?"

Sonne squints, but he knows very well Lua is right. He sighs and flies away from the mountains, going towards the ground and landing a minute later. Lua dismounts Sonne and picks him up right away.

Sonne looks surprised and confused. "W-what are you-"

"Teehee! Did you really think I'd just let you die from exhaustion? I need to do my part too, you know? Those legs are itching for movement. Now, take some rest and leave it to me!" She winks at Sonne while placing him on her back, using the protrusions to help hold him firm. Then she sprints towards the ocean.

Lua runs for several minutes. She gets more determined but also nervous the more she approaches the ocean. Suddenly, in a fast reaction, she jumps back: someone tried shooting at her, or very close to her. She looks at her right.

"That was just a warning. You are trespassing my hunting grounds. Leave at once!" says a monster. She is a three-horned creature in ghillie suit, holding a rifle beside her.

"Oh, sorry for that! We are going to the ocean, so we will leave soon enough. We are trying to rescue a friend" says Lua

"Going to the ocean to rescue someone- Ooooh, I see. You are going to whatever land lies that way, right?" The ghillie monster points in the direction of Tavrmenos Islands. "Let me guess… That friend of yours is a Beast Man, just like you, am I correct?"

"Uuhh…" Lua isn't sure about what the hunter is talking about. "She has horns, long white hair, purple clothes…"

"Yes, yes, the Beast Man. I saw her being taken by birds. I guess she is never coming back. Oh well" she shrugs

"What do you mean by that?" she asks, getting angry.

"I've been living here for long enough to notice a pattern. Beasts taking Man monsters to that direction around the same time of the year. The beasts always return to the continent. The Men don't. I wonder if that's some kind of sacrifice ritual" The hunter rubs her chin

"Well, sorry to say, but this is impossible. There's nothing dying there. But thanks for the information anyway. I have no time to waste, so I'm leaving your property already" The Lekismon starts walking away

She waves at Lua. "Okay! If you are so eager to get yourself killed, then have fun I guess. It was nice to meet you"

Lua looks at the hunter annoyed by the sarcastic tone. "What now?"

"I guess your ears are just for decoration, huh? I won't repeat myself. Bye!"

"Apologies for my partner's behavior" says Sonne, in a weak voice. "It is wiser to listen to what you have to say regarding that matter. You seem to be a keen hunter, so I believe you are very perceptive about your surroundings. Any intel can make a huge difference for us at this moment"

Lua protests. "Is wasting time here really necessary? Didn't we hear from Anpu already that the place is empty-"

"Right, Lua?" he says in an imposing tone

"That's very big coming from you now! Where was all that wiseness when you were irresponsibly flying over the mountains?" she fires back

The monster in a ghillie suit just stands there, enjoying watching the two bickering. "That's some entertainment I don't get to see very often!". If she had popcorn, she would be eating it right now. But their argument is soon interrupted by someone contacting them in their minds.

"It's Komet!" says both at the same time

"Komet! Finally! I was so worried! Thanks, gods! Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Are you in danger?" Lua asks frantically while walking back and forth with Sonne on her back

"I'll keep it short before they catch me talking to outsiders" Komet says

"You have our full attention" Sonne says

"Hi, Kometmon's friends! I'm Aegiomon!"

"What?" Lua gets confused by the unknown voice

"A-ah, sorry! That's someone that is helping me here…! Aegiomon, I need you to stay silent for now, okay? Keep observing if no one is coming" says Komet. "Okay, updates. I'm in a place called Tavrmenos. It's an island with some aspect that I believe to be Ancient Greek or something. This place is located some hours over the ocean after you leave The Skyscrapers Mountains. Where are you two at the moment?"

"We are right in front of the shore, ready to head your way" says Sonne

"You two must be very tired, especially Sonne. This place is guarded, so take a rest before coming, because it's pretty much very likely that you will need to fight"

"Wait, are you saying that there are people living there? Isn't there some abandoned place?" asks Lua

"Not at all. Look, before you disagree with me regarding resting: don't worry, okay? They have captured me and some others to take part in some kind of… 'Not-so-safe sport' of a festival. But said sport will not begin anytime soon anyway. Aegiomon explained to me what is going on. They don't plan to let me go anytime soon either. Despite that, allow yourselves to take at least 6 hours of sleep, I'll be planning my escape in the meantime. After you wake up, I'll give more updates. Just trust the process!"

Sonne and Lua look at each other, unsure if that's the wisest decision. "May I ask you for more details about said sport? That should help me analyze your expected performance in said activity, and prevent you from putting yourself into further risk"

"I… I can. It is- Ah, the guards are coming! Take what I told you as a command! Oh, two more things! First, if any of you two is considered a 'Man-type' Digimon, do not let them see you, they will immediately attack! Second, when you approach the island, you might find a potential ally. Her name is Sirenmon. She is a small humanoid that dresses like a mix of a fish and a bird, according to Aegiomon. Tell her that you are Aegiomon's friend's friends! I'm going now. See you later!"

Sonne and Lua stay silent for a few seconds. "Take what she said as a command…? I hope she is not actually doing anything crazy…" Lua says, very worried

Sonne lies down and rests his head on his front legs. "I have not detected any form of distress from her in the last two hours. If that changes, we might take drastic actions. But now we must follow her order"

The hunter walks towards them and pokes Lua with the rifle. "I have no idea of what's going on, but it seems an inner voice knocked some senses into you, especially for you, bunny. Do you two plan on resting now? Go to that cave there, or you two will be in my way. Good night and good luck to you!" She walks away while waving at them

Lua and Sonne walk towards the cave. The bunny, who's still worried, looks at the lion. "Don't worry, I'll be on watch while you rest, and then I'll rest too. Everything will be okay, because-"

"'...we are Team Twilight. It does not matter what gets in our way, we will always find a way to succeed', right?" Sonne says, hoping it will make himself calmer.

Komet sighs. Aegiomon looks at her confused. "No one is coming yet…"

"I know… But they will probably come soon anyway" she says, while looking disappointed.

The satyr looks back at the bars, turns around and walks towards her in little jumps. "Kometmon…"

"Yes?"

"Why did you hide the truth about the 'sport'…? You know this is a life-or-death situation…"

Komet lowers her head. "So, you've noticed, huh…"

"Why did you do that?"

Komet sighs. "Telling the truth wouldn't help any of us in any way… It would actually make everything worse… I noticed how tired they were, so I wanted to make sure they would rest before coming for the rescue. After all, you should never underestimate what a desperate person is capable of doing for a friend in danger… And that doesn't end well most of the time…" She shakes her head while doing her best not to cry.

"I… I'm not sure I get it, but-" Before he continues, he hears footsteps. "Now they are coming…"

The masked creature returns, now with four hooded creatures. He crosses his arms. "I hope you all enjoyed making friends or enemies, but now it's time to go to your respective private cells, after all, the competition begins in seven hours!" He raises his arms, which makes ten hidden doors open from the wall. Everyone looks surprised, as there was no indication that any doors existed there. "Oh, are you all surprised? It's just fine Tavrmenos engineering."

"I don't care what it is, I'm not going in by myself. Why don't you come and force me?" says a Digimon, while smirking and ready to fight

"As you wish". The masked mon stretches his hand towards the Digimon. That prompts the hooded figures to rush towards the stubborn Digimon, making the hoods fall as soon as they pass the dark energy barrier, revealing masked monkeys holding big boomerangs. They throw their boomerangs, which start moving in unpredictable ways. The Digimon fights back, and that makes almost all the other Digimon start a mini war against the monkeys. Komet and Aegiomon watch it nervously from the corner. For some reason, the masked creature seems to be enjoying the moment instead of trying to help his underlings.

"Oh, crap, that's right! We will not be together, so how am I supposed to find you in the maze?" asks Komet, while being attentive to any stray attack.

"Don't worry about that! If you trust me, then trust your ears! You will feel where I am, and as soon as you do that, I'll feel where you are!" he says, while giving her a confident thumbs up

She looks puzzled. "Ahm… Can you be more clear than that…?"

A stray boomerang hits the wall and falls next to her. She quickly looks at the fight, sees that no one is paying attention and grabs the object. Then she quickly stores it in her device. "Nice, now I have a weapon!" Suddenly, a strong blast hits the wall next to the fight, making everyone stop in shock.

"Enough. You all better go to your cells now or I'll cripple all of you" says the masked mon, in a very stern tone.

Everyone around felt how powerful the attack was. Since they don't want to risk getting it in their faces, they all go to their rooms in silence. As soon as Komet enters the cell, the door closes. The last thing she hears from outside is one of the monkeys complaining about not finding its boomerang. Then the room goes completely silent.

Komet sits down and starts worrying about her friends and the labyrinth. Then, per tradition, she starts feeling guilty for 'letting herself be captured so easily', thinking about what she could have done to avoid this. She shakes her head. "No, I should stop that. I have to admit that they just had a better plan, because this is what actually happened" . She then starts trying to make plans to survive the maze. But what does she know about it aside the fact that it's a maze with a bull monster?

She quickly reminds herself of what Lua told her. 'You really need to start putting your mind to rest more often'. She sighs and shakes her head. "I'm sorry… But an idle mind is the devil's workshop…" . Then she starts to get more and more nervous about the maze. "What if everything goes wrong…? I don't want to die here…!" But before she keeps burying herself in more thoughts, the silence is broken by a knocking at the wall.

"Kometmon? Do you hear me…?"

Komet has trouble hearing the voice, so she puts her ear next to the wall. "Oh, Aegiomon! Yes, I do"

"Ah, great! I just felt like telling you something. The same thing you told your friend…! Just trust the process!"

Komet could imagine Aegiomon smiling while giving her a thumbs up after saying that. She smiles and nods to herself. "You are right. Just trust the process!" Then she starts hearing a soothing song from the other side of the wall. Unlike his voice, she could hear Aegiomon's flutes very clearly. And somehow she knows it's being played by him. She closes her eyes, appreciating the song, and before she realizes, she falls asleep, finally freeing her mind from overthinking hell.