Chapter 64: From Love Comes Hidden Strength

Zelda

Shendu Territory

 

“Thomas!” Tears began to well in my eyes as I saw him land in a bloody, motionless heap. “Thomas! Thomas!!!”

“Don’t….worry…” he examined the wounds on his chest with his hand, which became soaked with blood. “I’m fine…I’ll be fine…” Thomas began to pick himself up off the ground, but in spite of all his struggling, he collapsed once again.

“Come forth, Dynasmon!” I cried.

“…A Digimon Spirit?” The swordsman looked up at the Exalted Knight Digimon, undaunted and unsurprised as I made my way over to Thomas.

“My lady…This one is…different,” Dynasmon said.

“What do you mean?” I asked. I raised Thomas’s body up off the ground by the shoulders and rested his head in my lap.

“I sense a strange power coming from this one,” the spirit replied. “I feel…like there’s more than a single soul in his body…that he’s experienced more than one life.”

“I have,” the swordsman said, not even bothering to look at Dynasmon. In contrast, Dynasmon didn’t once avert his eyes from the man, carefully watching his every move down to the blinking of his colorless eyes.

“…What is your name?”

“I have none, Spirit.”

“What shall I call you, then?” Dynasmon asked.

“You do not need to call me anything. All you need to know is that all of your power is meaningless if you wish to challenge me.”

“What do you mean?” Dynasmon asked.

“Digimon Spirits…their power dwindles in my presence, as if I’m sucking away their very life energy.”

“…What are you?” Dynasmon asked. “You aren’t a Digimon…but you aren’t a Human, either! Wait…are you…”

“Enough! Fight me!”

“Very well; Dragon’s Roar!” Dynasmon held up his claws, but nothing happened. “Dragon’s Roar!” Again, nothing happened. “So, I was right. You really are—”

The swordsman interrupted Dynasmon, cutting through his body with his swords. The spirit roared and howled in pain before vanishing.

“What…what are you?!” Thomas asked. The man ignored his question and turned to face me and Thomas.

“If you’ve no strength left to fight, then this will be over shortly.”

No…No, I can’t let him die! I grabbed Thomas’s sword from the ground beside him and stood to face the swordsman.

“So…is it now your turn to fight me?”

“Zelda…don’t do it…”

“I’m sorry, Thomas, but I’m not going to let this man kill you!” I said.

“And there’s nothing I can say…to change your mind?” Thomas asked.

“I’m afraid not,” I replied. “I’m doing this because I love you, Thomas.”

“So instead, you’re choosing to sacrifice yourself and the life in your belly?”

“W—What?! No, I…I’m not pregnant!” I felt my face turn red and slightly warm, and I myself felt quite flustered. “Why do you keep saying that?! Do I look…big?” I looked down and examined my belly.

“Zelda…Even if you did…you’d still be beautiful…”

…Wow…I have the sweetest boyfriend in the world…

“Now, go kick his ass!” Thomas said loudly, though he must have said it a little too loudly, as he began coughing up blood. “I…I believe in you…”

“Come forth, Renamon!”

“You called, Milady?” Renamon asked.

“Yes…I’m going to do something a little drastic here,” I said. “I want you to stay with Thomas while I do.”

“As you wish.” Renamon knelt down next to Thomas and lifted his upper body off the ground.

“You shall not win,” the swordsman said. “I can see it in your eyes; you detest violence and bloodshed, so you’ve always left the fighting to those around you.”

I tightly gripped Thomas’s sword.

“There’s nothing wrong with being the kind of person you are,” the swordsman said. “But…you will never be able to inflict pain on others like that.”

“I’m fighting for the man I love, just as he’s always done for me,” I said. “I will win. I have to.”

Luna

 

I lay on my back in a daze, looking up at the cloudless sky. Generalmon stood over me; he had not moved since he had attacked me. His violet armor gleamed in the sunlight, sending rays of bright light into my eyes. I wiped the blood off my face and tried to stand up, but an unbearably sharp pain in my ribs stopped me, and I fell back down. into the bloodied sand.

“Judging by the look on your face and the sound of your scream…I’d say I broke a rib or two,” Generalmon said. I glared up at the huge Digimon, and he began to laugh. “Hurting other people…is so much fun! And while I greatly enjoyed harming you, I have some business to take care of.”

“No…wait…” Ignoring the searing pain in my stomach and ribs, I stood up and faced Generalmon. “I can’t…let you…get away…”

“Don’t be so foolish; I didn’t even use half my strength against you, and I broke a few of your ribs. While I admire your dedication, there is nothing you are able to do about your predicament, but I will fight you if that is what you want,” Generalmon said. He clenched his fist, and sharp spikes rose from the knuckles of his gauntlets. “I guarantee you; the next time I hit you, you won’t get off so lucky!”

“Go ahead and try!” With my own blood, I drew a cross-like design on my belly. The dark bruise left by Generalmon’s fist vanished, as did the pain in my ribs. “Ahh…much better! This symbol…it is a healing sigil.”

“…You’re quite resourceful, aren’t you? Perhaps you will be a worthy opponent after all.”

“Oh, I have to be resourceful; I wouldn’t be a very good sorceress if I weren’t!” I replied. Without Generalmon’s notice, I began drawing a different symbol on the palms of my hands, this one resembling a sun. “And if I weren’t any good at what I do…nobody at Lachesis would want me and my daughter around…”

“A touching story. Now, shall we begin?” I nodded. “Ars Prima!” Generalmon lunged toward me and aimed a punch, with his spiked knuckles, at my head, but before he could hit me, I jumped up and punched him in the chest. His armor became dented where I struck him, with a few small cracks here and there. Generalmon clutched his chest and looked down at it in bewilderment. “What the hell?! What the hell did you just do?!” I showed him the symbols I had drawn on my palms.

“Like the Honest Cross I painted across my belly, these symbols grant their mage special abilities,” I said. “The twin Suns of Courage…they grant inhuman strength. Are you certain you still wish to fight me, knowing that?”

“You…FUCKING WHORE!!!!” Generalmon struck me across the face, his knuckle spikes leaving deep gashes in my cheek. “You dare talk down to me as if I’m some kind of coward?! Those crests might make you strong, but in comparison to me, all that makes you is a very strong rat!” I softly brushed my fingers across the cuts on my cheek.

Heh. More blood for me to use. What an idiot… Generalmon began walking over to his axe as I painted yet another symbol in the dirt. In the blink of an eye, Generalmon stood in front of me.

“Dæmon Icircumflex!” Generalmon swung his axe down on me as a flash of light illuminated the area.