Chapter 58: Romancing the Stone

Thomas Kasuto

Cyprus Wasteland

One Day

 

Statuedramon’s mouth fell open in horror as he caught his first glimpse of Cyprus Wasteland. Scattered across the landscape were millions of rocks.

“How the fuck are we ever going to find this one rock?!” he asked. I looked at the barren landscape before us; even though it was the middle of the day, the sky was a perpetually deep orange, and it reflected upon the landscape, turning everything in sight the same color.

Everything is exactly as it was described in every book I’ve read about this place… Statuedramon’s anguish did not seem unfounded, as I continued looking around the vast wasteland. There was nothing but rocks lying on the ground as far as the eye could see. “As far as I can tell, all the rocks here look to be a normal color for rocks; I’d think a purple one would stand out.”

“So…we just start looking around for a rock that might be purple?”

“That’s about all we can do for now,” Zelda said. 

Sephyrus

 

“So, what’s the plan, S?” Michalis asked. His voice was filled with vigor and energy to spare, though his body looked as though he were on the verge of collapse. I certainly couldn’t blame him; the heat of Cyprus Wasteland was appalling, and even worse than that of Cyprus Desert due to its lack of a strong wind.

“We wait.” I looked down from the small plateau from where we hid ourselves. Thomas, Zelda, and Statuedramon were not even a mile away, but they had no idea how close we were to them.

“For how long?”

“Until they find the stone. Then, we take it from them, saving us the trouble of trying to find it. Afterwards, we can take it to Marigold Spire to the East. That was where Myotismon was brutally murdered by Beowulfmon.”

“Oh…is mother already at the spire?”

“There is no need for her to travel to a place as harsh as this one,” I said. “She taught me her spell; the one in the ancient language. If all goes as planned, and you are able to distract the three of them long enough if necessary, then Myotismon will be free.”

Thomas Kasuto

1 Hour

 

“…Thomas, are rocks edible?”

“No, Statuedramon.”

“…What about the dirt? It’s starting to look like chocolate powder…”

“Get the dirt out of your mouth, Statch.” Even without turning around, I knew what he was doing.

“You’re mean!” I heard him reluctantly spit the dirt out, though from the sound of it, it was more from disgust at the taste rather than from me telling him to.

“I’m aware of that.” I grinned.

“…Man, this is taking forever! I wonder how Zelda’s doing…” Statuedramon glanced over at her just as she bent down to pick something up.

“Thomas! Statuedramon! I think I found it!” Zelda walked over to me, and in her hand was a vibrantly purple rock.

“No way! That’s it, all right!” Zelda handed Statuedramon the rock. The Rookie Digimon gripped it tightly, and a flare of golden flames began circling him. “All right! Let’s take this back to Apollomon so he can deal with it!” Statuedramon began walking ahead of us to the desert.

“Oh, I’m so glad I did something right for a change!” Zelda said, looking very pleased with herself. “I could never do anything right when I was just a little girl!”

“…Zelda…there’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said as she handed me the Horcrux. “It’s about your lack of self-esteem. Have you always been like this?”

“As far as I can remember…I have been. Because I’m one of the Marked, my mother would always yell at me and insult me, as if it were my fault she carried the mark as well. I eventually began to believe all the things she said about me — and I’m sure I will for the rest of my life — that everything is my fault, that I’m not smart, that I’m not pretty, that I—”

“Zelda, you cannot believe anything she told you about yourself that made you feel bad,” I whispered. I placed her small hand in mine, and looked into her lovely eyes. “I am grateful to her for bringing you into this world, but you just can’t believe any of those lies. Do you believe me when I tell you how beautiful you are? Do you believe me when I tell you that I love you?”

“I…maybe? I’m not sure…” She looked up at the sky, and smiled. “…When I was younger, growing up in Adonis Village with Anna…At night…at any time during the night after my mother passed out drunk after yelling at me…I would always go outside, and look up at the sky, at the stars…they always looked so pretty to me. I often dreamed about becoming a star…I remember thinking to myself when I was five or six years old that, if I could become a pretty star, then I would be able to prove my mother wrong…”

“Zelda…you are more beautiful than any star in the sky.”

“…Thomas…”

“You’re the kindest person I know, Zelda. If you didn’t take the time to help me, I could have lost my arm, and if you weren’t smart, you wouldn’t have been able to treat that wound. I love you, Zelda. I promised that I’d always be there for you, and that I wouldn’t ever let you cry again. Those are promised I intend to keep.”

“Thomas…I love you, too…You were the first person who was ever nice to me after I had parted ways with my sister…”

“Thomas, we’ve got a problem!” Statuedramon shouted, far ahead of Zelda and me. I glanced at him, seeing Michalis and Sephyrus approach him. “Stand back; I have a rock, and I’m not afraid to burn your asses with it!”

“We have come for that very stone,” Sephyrus said. “Hand it over, or suffer the consequences!”

“…Think fast!” Statuedramon gripped the stone, and a stream of golden flames shot out of it at the two Bio Hybrids.

“Bio Hybrid DNA Charge! Bio Hybrid Digivolve to, BioPremenitmon!” Michalis stood behind the Mega level Bio Hybrid as he took the flames emitted from the stone in the face. “Thanks for finding the stone for us; it saved us the trouble!” BioPremenitmon trudged through the flames and picked Statuedramon up by his wrist. “The stone. Hand it over.”

“Let go of him!” I brandished my sword and attempted to stab BioPremenitmon’s arm, but the tip of my blade bounced off his scales. Statuedramon suddenly began screaming, and I looked up to see that BioPremenitmon’s grip had tightened around his wrist until Statch’s fingers unraveled themselves from the stone.

“Thank you very much,” Sephyrus reached up with his other hand and took the stone. “We’ve gotten what we came here for. Let us go, Michalis; to Marigold Spire! Shadow Evolution; Gryphonmon! Quickly, Michalis; get on!”

“You fools are too late; Myotismon will be released!” Michalis laughed as he jumped onto Gryphonmon’s back. “And this time, there won’t be anything you can do about it!” Gryphonmon spread his massive wings and flew off, leaving the three of us behind.

“Damn it…now, we’ll never catch up to them,” Statuedramon said.

“No, we can still make it!” Zelda said. “Come forth, Dynasmon!”

“What is it you desire, milady?” Dynasmon asked as soon as he materialized.

“The three of us need to get to Marigold Spire as soon as possible!”

“Understood.” Dynasmon bent down picked up all three of us, and in an instant, we were in the air.

Sephyrus

Marigold Spire

 

“It is done, Michalis!” I exclaimed. The stone lay before us, emitting a bright light just as the necklace did when SkullCaliphmon had been summoned. “Myotismon, I call to you from the other side!” A black hole formed underneath the stone, and a cape-wearing Digimon flew out.

“You are not Lilithmon; who are you?!” Myotismon asked.

“My name is Sephyrus; I have freed you on behalf of our lady, for she could not be bothered to travel to a place with a climate as severe as this,” I replied. Myotismon sighed impatiently.

“Well, whatever. But what took you so long?! Surely my Horcrux would’ve been hidden in a place where it could’ve easily have been found!”

“I’m afraid not, Sir; your rock was buried in the sea of stones that is the Cyprus Wasteland. Furthermore, we had to allow our…rivals in the Horcrux hunt to find your stone first so it would be easier to retrieve.”

“Your rivals…you refer to the people who murdered SkullCaliphmon?!”

“Yeah, those are the ones,” Michalis said. “They always feel like they have to interfere with our work.” As Michalis spoke, Dynasmon, the same one that had attacked me in Mandala two weeks ago, popped up behind him, carrying Thomas, Zelda, and Statuedramon. “Speaking of whom…”

“You shall interfere no longer!” Myotismon shouted. “Crimson Lightning!”