"Sonne…? Lua…? My AI assistants?"

Komet keeps looking at them in shock, almost frozen at this point.

"So, you are finally awake" says someone in a calm voice

Komet whips her head towards the voice. Her eyes get even wider when she sees the creature: a very tall and slender anthropomorphic jackal, with a pair of long golden wings, long black hair with two locks going down his chest and wearing Ancient Egyptian garbs.

Komet gets paler and slowly points at him while shaking "A-are you A-Anpu, t-the Egyptian god related to death? Am I actually dead?"

"Please, you need to calm down, then I can explain the situation. But this is… A complicated matter for someone like you" says the jackal

"Calm down… Calm down… Okay…" Komet lowers her head and instinctively hugs Sonne and Lua. She slowly breathes in and out. After two minutes, she looks at the jackal again "So… Who are you…? Where am I…? What happened? Why am I… Different?"

"I don't think just straight answering these questions will help you understand your situation. Let's start from the last thing you remember before waking up, shall we?"

She nods and closes her eyes. "I was investigating… Something. When I finally reached what I wanted, some kind of black matter came out of my monitor and attacked me… It pressed me against the wall. It felt as if it was burning me, then it stabbed me, I don't know… This is when everything started to black out. And now here I am, in a different place and… Different body?"

The creature looks at Sonne and Lua. "Now, you two, could you tell your part of what happened?"

"I can! I can!" says Lua, bouncing in excitement. "After we broke through that last security layer, this weird black thing passed through us so fast that we didn't get the chance to do anything at that moment!"

"We assumed it was some kind of defense system that would compromise your investigation or even your identity, but then it crossed a portal that was not existent before. We had no idea of what that was or lead to, but we did not just sit idle" says Sonne

"We followed that creature, of course! And before we realize, we were somehow materialized in the Human World, along with that creature that was hurting you!"

"Your vital signs were getting weaker, and the creature would not release you. You would not survive for very long, so calling an ambulance or the police after getting rid of the creature was not a viable option. Our only solution was…"

"Bring you to the Digital World" say both at the same time

Komet tilts her head. "Digital… World…?"

"Thank you, you can leave the rest to me" says the jackal. "You are in the Digital World, a place that exists beyond what humans call 'Dark Web'. We, monsters that live in this world, are called Digimon"

"H-huh? Am I inside the network? Inside some kind of cyberspace, is this what you are saying?"

"The Digital World, yes"

"How did I end up like this…?" asks Komet, while touching her horn. She sees the jackal turning around and leaving. "Anpu, wait!"

Not long after, the jackal returns with a golden plate, and gives it to Komet. She grabs it and uses it as a mirror. She gets shocked: she has horns, pointy ears and yellow eyes. Her clothes are a RPG-fied version of what she was wearing before the attack. "W-why did this happen to me?"

"When Firamon and Lekismon- Pardon, Sonne and Lua arrived here, your state was very critical. Fortunately, the digitalization of your body slowed your process of dying. Sonne and Lua begged me to help you, but there wasn't much I couldn't do for you, because you are not a Digimon, so I can't recycle your data. This is when they said they would give their own data to save you at all costs"

"Dying…? Giving their… Data…?"

"Yes. They gave me as much data as they could, which made them devolve to their current forms, and somehow your body received it. I don't know much about your species, so fragments of your memories were used to reconstruct your body to the current shape"

"Fragments of my memories…" Komet looks at her hands and covers her face

Lua frowns in worry. "Did we disappoint you…?"

The lass immediately lowers her hands and looks at Lua. "No, no, of course not! You two… You two saved my life, why would I be disappointed?". Komet pets Lua. "So, are your real names 'Lekismon' and 'Firamon'?"

"No" answers Sonne. "These were the names of our previous species. We have devolved to Sunmon and Moonmon, but we are still Sonne and Lua"

Komet scratches her head, confused. "Evolved…? Devolved…? Ahm, anyway… So, Anpu… Oh, I mean, erm…"

"I am Anubismon, but you can call me Anpu if that makes you comfortable" says the jackal

"Ah, okay… Anpu, can you tell me how I can go back to my world, please? I have… A lot of important things to solve, it's urgent…"

Anpu sighs. "I can, but you are partially a digital life form now. If you somehow got to return to the organic part of the Human World, you would lose the digital repairment"

"Huh? But Lua just said they materialized in the Human World. The creature that attacked me also came out of the computer"

"Is it normal for digital creatures to materialize in your world? Is this a technology you can find around and use?"

"No, not that I know…"

"This is what I thought. From what I have understood, what happened in that moment was an anomaly. Luckily, or smartly, Sonne and Lua took advantage of the anomaly to save you"

Komet lowers her head again. "So… What can I do then? How can I finish what I started? I… I really need-" Her hands start shaking

Sonne and Lua squeeze their bodies on her, attempting a hug

"I'm sure we can find a way to do something! After all, we always helped you from the other side of the screen! Isn't that right, Sonne?" says Lua

Sonne nods. "I am certain we might find someone to help you, too"

Komet takes a deep breath and raises her head again. "Yes… You are right! We can find a way to make things work out"

Lua and Sonne smile

"Anpu, please, tell me how I can return to my world!" says Komet

"As you wish. But I will warn you in advance, this is not going to be an easy task. Normally, I would send you back through a connection line between the Dark Area and the Dark Web from here. But, unfortunately, I had to sever the connection, because the creature that pursued you tried to invade the Digital World. Due to circumstances, I can't restore the connection, so you will need to travel to Central Network Palace, and from there I'll guide you to get access to the Dark Web"

"How far is Central Network Palace…?"

Anpu opens his hands and makes a wireframe hologram of a golden pyramid. The pyramid gets smaller and reveals to be a map being zoomed out. It keeps zooming out until the Central Network Palace is visible.

"T-this is so far up! I don't need to walk to that place, do I…?"

"Unless you find a better transportation method for you, you do"

She swallows hard. "Is there a way for me to get this map at least…?"

"I could, if you had a device to receive this"

"She does," says Sonne. "She has a smartwatch, and as far as I remember, it made it here unscathed somehow"

Komet lifts her now long sleeve, and notices that her smartwatch is still on her wrist and undamaged. "Huh, that's impressive"

Anpu approaches Komet and inspect her smartwatch. "Hmm... I can't send it to your device yet, not without an upgrade… But I know who can solve this problem. Are you fine with some modifications on your device?"

"Sure! This will be helpful"

Anpu nods. "May I also request you to do something else while you journey back to your world?"

Komet hesitantly nods

"It will come to you as a surprise, but it actually involves your world"

"My world…?"

Anpu nods. "Digimon live in a different layer of the network, some even say dimension, from that of the Human World. Even so, data from the human network can and will influence our world, which is just natural, necessary even. Despite that, Digimon don't naturally cross the barrier between our worlds, after all, they are unaware of the existence of your world. The opposite is also true, humans don't reach any layer of the Digital World"

"But… Sonne and Lua have been living with me for more than a year now. Also…" Komet looks at herself

"This is because I sent them to the Surface to investigate a matter. A very few of us have the power to do that. For some time now, weird data from your world has been penetrating the Digital World, corroding a Digimon's Digicore and making them go berserk. This is causing huge damage to our world, and it's been getting even worse recently. We don't know what the exact cause is, but I am certain that it's being caused by humans trying a harmful contact with the Digital World. We call this infection the Corrosion Virus"

"What can I do about it?"

"In your journey to the Central Network Palace, you will end up finding those rampaging foes. They need to be destroyed before they infect or even destroy other Digimon. I would like to have their data to study it, then I can learn what it is exactly and possibly create a vaccine against it. With your improved device, you will be able to retrieve and transfer me the infected data"

"Why can't you do this yourself…?"

"You see, I am the guardian of the Dark Area and the judge of the souls of the dead. My role here is to bring a new life to those with good souls that came to pass, punish the evil souls to the Dark Area, and to protect the gate of the Dark Area to prevent evil beings from invading and destroying the Digital World. Because of that, I can't just leave this place and do that job"

"Ah, I understand… I didn't mean to be rude, I'm really sorry!". Komet holds her hands behind her back. "When you say 'retrieve the data', you mean…"

"Kill them"

"H-huh?" Komet looks at Anpu with a mix of shock and surprise as he says those words in the calmest way possible. "Sorry, I don't know much about this world, and yet you are asking me-"

"I see. You barely know this world, and yet, you are concerned about their lives"

"Ah!"

"A fully infected Digimon has their Digicores - a vital part of a Digimon - degraded, beyond the point of salvation. Keeping them around will just cause more chaos and infection. It's probably similar to some illness from your world"

"Sounds like rabies…" she says still pensive, while shaking her head. "My main goal is to get back to my world as soon as possible"

"You already let that very clear, young one"

"What I mean is, even though I would like to help you, I will try to avoid confrontation as much as possible, ask other Digimon to guide me through complicated places and stuff like that"

"Hmm… There's something you should know before you put yourself to danger"

"What is it?"

"Not every Digimon will be friendly or passive to you. In fact, this world is ruled by 'the law of the jungle', especially in what we call 'wild areas'. Some Digimon can and will attack you and your Digimon just for the sake of getting stronger, and this is just normal here. That means some battles are inevitable, and you will need to defend yourself and fight back"

Komet sighs frustrated. "I get it…". She stands there, thinking for a little longer. "You know, I hate to be in debt with someone… Especially when that person saves my life. And since this involves my world anyway… I will just give it a little thought first. So, what should I do to get my smartwatch upgraded?"

"I need you to fetch a Digimon called Bokomon. He is my friend and an expert with devices, so he can make it function properly in the Digital World. Worry not, I will lead you to the exit, and from there you will see signs leading to Village of Beginnings, where you will find Professor Bokomon. The path is safe"

"Roger that. But before that… I need some time to get my legs to work…" she grimaces

Anpu helps her get up and walk, and leads the trio towards the exit. In the end of the corridor, 0s and 1s appear, materializing a wireframe of stairs and then rendering into a black set of stairs with golden holographic glyphs on it. In front of them, a triangular shaped door opens, revealing a bright day in a forest. The forest is not different from the forests in Human World, except for some random technological junk scattered around. The sky is also slightly different, where chip circuit-like lines and rectangles in slightly different shades of blue can be seen.

At first, Komet covers her eyes from the sudden bright light. Then she looks around impressed. "That's not very different from my world"

"When you return with Bokomon, he will know what to do. I wish you luck" says Anpu, while waving

Komet gives the first step out of the pyramid while the triangular door closes behind her. When she looks behind, she sees nothing, as if the pyramid never existed in the first place. Then she looks at her hands, realizing they are shaking. "Why am I feeling so nervous…?". Her face slowly changes to a worried face. She feels her heart starting to beat faster. She then closes her eyes and breathes slowly.

"Hey Komet, remember that you are not alone! You can count on us for everything" says Lua

Komet opens her eyes and smiles. "Yeah, you are right! Thank you. Maybe… Maybe I am scared of the unpredictable…?"

They start walking. They go for some minutes in awkward silence, until Komet decides to break the silence.

"So… You are not AI tools, you are actually living digital beings that happen to be my tools… Anpu said you two were on a mission in my world. So you two were, erm, using me and my computer to spy on my world…? And why me?"

"Technically, yes," answers Sonne. "Around one year ago, Anubismon sent us to your world when we were still eggs, registering in our memories about our mission. We gathered data from your world and sent it to him, for him to analyze it and hopefully find an answer to the cause of the Corrosion Virus. We were sent to the estimated main source area of the virus, however, 'close' in the network is still a huge area. We were in need of a place to be hosted, so we prioritized devices related to people that are very knowledgeable when it comes to IT"

"How come my computer didn't detect you two as viruses…?"

"I think our sizes were so small that we were basically undetectable! Or close to it, at least. Then you were messing with that software that helps you take care of your life, so we took the chance to integrate ourselves with that software's AI! We gathered so much data that we got bigger and stronger and better at helping you and at being your tools!" says Lua, proud of herself

"Please, don't call yourselves tools anymore" says Komet while frowning

"Why not? That wasn't a problem before!"

Komet started poking her fingers "I… I didn't know you were actually some sort of living being. I feel bad for calling you tools now"

"Do not be afraid of calling us tools and using us as such, Komet. This is how it started, and there is no reason to stop that now. We are gladly at your service" says Sonne

"No!" Komet shakes her head. "I don't want to call you 'tools' anymore. From now on, you will be called buddies, companions, friends! Because this is what you two actually have been to me"

"If this is what you wish for…" says Sonne

"Friends?" Lua opens a big smile. "This is what humans call each other when they think they are special and very important! Thank you very much! But… Aren't you mad at us for using you and your software for our own gain without ever telling you?"

"No, I can't just get mad at you two now. After all, you really helped me a lot with my health, my work, and hacking… You even saved my life! You were, and still are, my closest friends. My best friends. Why would I get mad at you? You are doing this to save your world after all" says Komet

"You, too, are giving your soul to guarantee the best for your world. While we are on the subject: Komet, if my mind does not deceive me, you have found the answer you tirelessly were looking for, correct?" asks Sonne

"Ah, yes, I did! The person is-" The moment she tries to recall the name, her head starts to hurt a lot right. The pain is so intense that she falls on her knees and lets out a shriek.

Lua panics. "Komet? Komet!"

"This must be related to the corrupted data in her brain that Anubismon told us" says Sonne, concerned

"Why is the most important information the corrupted one?"

"This was certainly intentional, even if the final goal was to take her life"

"That doesn't matter now, we need to help her!"

"D-don't worry, I am fine" says Komet, slowly getting up while wincing. She shakes her head disappointed. "I'm sorry, I can't remember the name… I got this literal headache instead"

The two Digimon seem relieved after seeing her fine.

"Don't overthink it. Anubismon had informed us that this memory could be restored over time. If this happen not to be the outcome, we can retrieve that information again later" says Sonne

"Hopefully we go for the best case scenario…"

After 10 more minutes walking, they arrive at the Village of Beginnings. The village looks like a playground in the center: a lot of toys and colorful objects are scattered around. Some toys are so big that it's impossible to move them around, unless the person is a giant. Bordering the center area lie small buildings. A lot of different small creatures, most of them round, can be seen playing around. Some of them have little horns, some long ears or tails, and some even have leaves or flowers on the top. They come in different colors. Some are bouncing around, while some are floating.

"Awwn, they are so cute! Are they the same kind as you?" asks Komet

As soon as the small creatures hear Komet, they turn in her direction. Before she can even say anything, they all bounce and float towards them. Komet gives one step back, but they all jump on her before she can do anything, making her fall on her butt.

"Hey, look! It's a new Digimon!" says one of them

"What kind of Digimon is this…?" asks the other

"Oooh, look at those big horns! I want to be like it!" says yet another Digimon

The Digimon start bouncing and laughing on top of her. Sonne immediately jumps on Komet's belly and swings his flame around while growling

"Back off!" says Sonne

"Sonne, no, it's fine!" Komet picks one of the small Digimon up and pets it. The little creature smiles at her. "I wasn't scared, I was just caught by surprise. They are very adorable!"

"Awn, is that a soft spot for kids? That's so cute!" says Lua

"H-huh?" She flushes

Komet plays with them for a little bit. They seem very interested in her, especially her horns. After some minutes, she carefully places the baby Digimon on the floor for her to stand up. Then she sees a non-baby Digimon clumsily approaching. He is three times the size of the baby Digimon, which is still not big. He is white in color, has a pointy head and wears a pink belly band.

"My my, what is going on here?" asks the approaching Digimon

"Oh, hi!" Komet waves at the Digimon. "Are you Professor Bokomon?"

"Ah, yes, that would be-" Bokomon looks at her and gets astonished. "A-are you… A… A-" He swallows hard and gives a few steps back "Babies, go back to the school! Now!"

Komet tries to reach out her hand at him. "Wait! I mean no harm! Anpu- I mean, Anubismon asked me to look for you!"

Prof. Bokomon starts shaking and points at her. "Liar! Anubismon would never ask a human anything! Your species is the very reason why our world is degrading!"

"Don't call her a liar, ugly gnome!" says Lua

"Lua, please, watch your mouth" growls Sonne. He bounces ahead of Komet and looks at Prof. Bokomon. "Moonmon and I work for Anubismon. We came from his pyramid, He is requesting your presence to work on modifications in a device"

"You won't deceive me, little ones! You shouldn't even stay with a human, it's extremely-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he hears a lot of baby Digimon screaming from the other side of the village. He turns around and he gets paler than he already is. "W-why is she already back?"

Komet looks at the direction Bokomon is looking. She sees a green muscular humanoid Digimon holding a bone club. The Digimon is tall, has a big pair of horns, long white hair, spikes coming out of the shoulders and a big mouth full of sharp teeth. The Digimon walks in their direction like a 'bad boy', not caring if it accidentally steps on a baby.

"Listen, Bokomon! I'm not happy with your last batch of crappy food. It barely made me stronger, y'know? You better give me more in one hour, or I will start snacking on these little pwecious babies'' says the snob Digimon

"O-Ogremon! T-that wasn't the deal! I don't even have enough food now, let alone for the next hour! Please, give us more time!" stammers Bokomon, while cowing in fear

"Is that it?" Ogremon picks one of the baby Digimon by the antenna. "So I guess I am feasting on them now"

"No! No! Please, don't do that! I will-"

"Why don't you pick on someone of your size?" says Komet, standing in front of Ogremon

Ogremon's eye twitches for a moment, and then she smirks again. "Are you really challenging me? You look like a yapping weakling-"

At that moment, Komet just uses her horns to ram into Ogremon, knocking the monster to the floor. She releases the baby and her club because of the attack.

"You can leave the rest to us!" says Sonne

"What? No, you two, stay with Bokomon!" says Komet

"Huh? Why?" asks Lua

Komet shakes her head. "Look at your sizes! You two are too small, you will just get hurt in the process. I can deal with that!" She runs towards the bone club and grabs it, but Ogremon grabs her by her leg.

"What a weakling! Do you really believe you can beat me? How delusional!" Ogremon lets out a loud laugh and stands up while still holding Komet by the leg. "You are not a Digimon, are you? Let's test your resistance!"

She slaps Komet in the face, which immediately makes the lass dizzy, almost knocking her out.

"Don't be so dramatic, that was just a slap! Don't you want to feel my stronger punches?" says Ogremon while smirking. She readies her punch, which starts to gather purple aura around it. "I hope you are very nutritious, not-Digimon! Die!"

Before she can attack, Sonne and Lua jump on her. Sonne bites Ogremon's tongue, while Lua squeezes one of her eyes. That hurts her to the point that she immediately releases Komet and instinctively slaps both away. The two little Digimon bounces hard on the floor, and the impact causes some static noise to appear in their bodies for a few seconds.

Komet recovers from the attack and looks at them in shock. "What are you two doing? I told you to stay with Prof. Bokomon!"

"Then command us to do so, like you do to tools" says Sonne

Komet shakes her head. "I already said it, you are not my tools, you are my friends!"

"So we are going to act like your friends! We are going to fight with you and protect you" says Lua

She grits her teeth. "P-please, no, stay out of this! You two are getting hurt already"

Lua looks at her confused. "Why? We've always worked together, and did lots of dangerous things together too! Why are you trying to do things alone now? Don't you trust us anymore? Is this what you are trying to say? I thought you just said we were friends!"

"N-no! This is not it!" Komet shakes her head

"What is it then?"

Ogremon starts to walk toward Sonne and Lua. She scowls and cracks her knuckles. "I will start with you two"

Komet closes her eyes in tears and yells. "Because I don't want to watch my close friends dying again!"

"Well, too late, non-Digimon" Ogremon grabs and squeezes Sonne and Lua. "They are becoming my snack now!"

Almost in tears, but still trying to fight back, Lua answers "Guess what? We don't want to watch our best friend dying either! This is why we…"

Komet starts having a flashback from a distant past

"...should fight together! Look, those sticks won't break as easily when they are together"

"But some of them will still break… I don't want my friends to get hurt…"

"That's very sweet of you, you know? But look, I understand your worries, but you want to get as good as me, right? Then lemme tell you a secret: your friends don't want you to get hurt either, and this is why we do things together! Together we go farther! Together not even the skies can stop us!"

"But… What if they are much weaker than I am? I want to protect them"

"Look, even if you think the tiny bits will disturb more than help- Shit, let's try something different. Let's say… this heavy box is your mission and you want to pull it up with a rope. It's so heavy that pulling by yourself is impossible. In that case, you…"

Komet comes back to reality and sees Sonne and Lua attacking Ogremon with bubble attacks coming out of their mouth while still restraining, but the attack doesn't even make her flinch.

"'...allow your friends to be your pulleys. Share the weight, and before you realize, you are already lifting the heavy box together'. Why… Why are you and your stupid analogies coming to my head now…? Why are you still helping me?" thinks Komet, with tears rolling down her face. She quickly shakes her head, takes a deep breath, wipes her tears and grabs the club.

Ogremon just opens her mouth to eat both Sonne and Lua.

"You are right… I don't want to lose my friends, but… Alone we will easily break… But together…!" Komet hits Ogremon in her face with the club, flinching Ogremon. But Ogremon still doesn't release them.

"Please, stop! Let her just have what she wants from me before she gets even more enraged! Fighting is useless! Baby-level Digimon and a human are no match for an Adult-level!" pleads Bokomon

"Maybe you are right," says Komet, while 0s and 1s flow out of her body, moving towards Sonne and Lua. "But we are not just 'baby-levels and a human'"

Sonne and Lua start to glow very bright as the flow of 0s and 1s enters their body. The glow starts burning Ogremon's hands, so she releases them in the process. Then the bright silhouettes of Sonne and Lua change shape and get bigger.

"We are Team Twilight!"

End of the chapter! You can find the art of the human characters in chapter 3 in AO3 (same username) or in my Tumblr (digimontwilight)