Chapter 67: Courage and Beauty

Thomas Kasuto

Lotisea Jungle

4 Days

 

“According to this map, we should be arriving at Deckerdramon’s Temple shortly,” Statuedramon said.

“And since when do you know how to read a map?” I asked.

“Pheragas taught me a few days ago.” The Rookie Digimon stopped briefly and looked at the compass he held before walking again.

Wow. He actually looks like he knows what he’s doing. We haven’t even gotten lost once, and he hasn’t walked into a single tree…yet.

“Okay, do you see those big trees up ahead? After we pass them, we’ll have reached the temple,” Statuedramon said.

“Halt!” An electrical attack shot down from the trees and struck the forest floor, just inches away from where Statuedramon stood. The attack made Statch leap into the air with surprise, and I looked up to see where the attack came from. “Who goes there?!”

“Hey, if you’re going to attack us and ask us who we are, the least you could do is show yourself!” Statuedramon said. After a brief moment of silence, the sound of an insect Digimon’s wings buzzing filled the air, and soon, standing before us was a Digimon I recognized as JewelBeemon.

“This area is sacred, and trespassers are not permitted,” JewelBeemon said. “Leave immediately, or I will be forced to make you leave.”

“Wanna bet?!” Statch asked.

“Statuedramon, don’t antagonize him!” I whispered.

“But we’ve been here before!” he whined. “We weren’t treated like this last time!”

“Last time? You two have been here before? Then…might the two of you be Thomas and Statuedramon?” JewelBeemon asked.

“Yes, sir, that is us,” I said. “I apologize for any inconvenience the two of us may have caused…”

“…I suppose this is what comes of being a guard to the royal temple; everyone seems like an enemy,” JewelBeemon said. “It seems my solitude has driven common courtesy from me. Please, come with me into the city.”

“Oh…Thank you, sir,” I said. JewelBeemon turned around and began leading us the rest of the way through the forest and into the city Statch and I had visited roughly two years ago. Nothing about the city seemed to have changed; the buildings and roads were all constructed of white marble, giving the city an ancient look to it similar to the one Mandala had. Humans and Digimon casually walked around the peaceful streets with carefree looks on their faces.

“Even today, I find it difficult to believe that this city was nearly destroyed by that vicious group of cutthroats,” JewelBeemon said. “If not for the two of you, these innocent civilians would not be living the lives they have now. I thank you two from the bottom of my heart.”

Every way I turned, there was a Human or Digimon, gaping at the two of us in awe, waving, or both. It had been a long while since the two of us were welcomed as we were by the joyous passersby of a peaceful settlement, and nearly as long since coming upon a village that still had people living within its borders.

“It seems that, because of what you have done for them, they have come to revere you two as heroes,” JewelBeemon said.

“No matter how many times it happens, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being treated as such,” Statuedramon said.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“We’re looking for something, actually,” I said. “We need to find a mask.”

“A mask? You’ll find none in the city, I’m afraid.”

“But…there just has to be!” Statuedramon said. “And we need to find it before some very bad people do!”

“…It isn’t here,” JewelBeemon insisted. “Do either of you know the dogma that we of Lotisea live by?” Neither of us said anything. “There are two aspects of life that we here believe transcend all others…courage…and beauty…The courage to protect what truly matters, and the beauty of life itself. The teachings of these two aspects are divided among the two genders. Our young males are trained on the finer aspects of courage, as courage without wisdom is foolishness, and courage without direction is far worse. Our young females are trained to have a love and appreciation of all life on Arcadia, no matter how evil it may appear to be. Everyone here, for the most part, strictly adheres to these teaching, but, as to be expected, there are a few who do not. Men who show a selfish cowardice in the face of danger, choosing to save themselves over others…women who are impure of heart and soul, choosing not to honor and respect the values of life…In our beliefs, there is no worse crime to commit. Those who do commit these crimes are punished, and forced to wear a mask. A man who acts as a coward…will be forced to hide his face in shame like a craven, and a woman who is not beautiful — and by that, I mean of heart and soul, and not her face — will also be forced to wear such a mask to cover her eyes to prevent others from peering into her unclean soul, as we believe the eyes to be windows to a person’s soul.”

“Wait, so…do you guys have masks here or not?!” Statuedramon asked.

“We do, but there are none in the city, as I said,” JewelBeemon continued. “They are kept in Deckerdramon’s Temple with our ruler, King Earh.” JewelBeemon suddenly stopped walking. “Our king…he wears a mask.”

“Is he a coward?”

“Statuedramon!”

“…Our king is the one who decides who is to be punished by wearing a mask, and yet he himself wears one…Thomas, why are you looking for this mask?”

“This mask houses a portion of the soul of an evil Digimon, and we need to find it before some evil people release that Digimon from the Dark Area, using that mask. The mask, while it still has the Digimon’s soul in it, is called a Horcrux, and it also gives its holder a small part of that Digimon’s abilities.”

“…That’s it. That’s the mask you seek. The Mask of King Earh is the one you search for.”

I stopped walking abruptly. “That’s quite an accusation to make,” I said. “Are you certain?”

“…It has to be the one he wears,” JewelBeemon said. “Why else would our king, our leader, wear a mask? In addition, there are many rumors going around that King Earh is not our rightful king, and that he took the throne forcefully from the true king or queen.”

“How is he as a ruler?” Statuedramon asked.

“…I am not supposed to say a thing like this…But King Earh…is the worst. He isn’t an especially cruel person, and he doesn’t derive pleasure from hurting others, but he…is very demanding and pushy, and he can be perceived as selfish and arrogant, depending on whom you ask. Above all, he isn’t cut out to be a ruler of any kind.”

“Well, should we go speak with him?” I asked. “If his is the mask we seek, we must get it away from him as soon as possible…”

“And if it’s not?” Statch asked.

“Then we won’t have to worry about fighting Sephyrus and Michalis to get it from him.”

“The king sits atop the throne in Deckerdramon’s Temple,” JewelBeemon said. “Come with me; I’ll take you to see him."