Chapter 73: Stolen Horcruxes

Zelda

Saias’s Villa

 

“This is where Apollomon keeps the Stone,” I said. I led the two Bio Hybrids deep underground to the villa’s basement. It had been quite some time since I had been down here…not since the first time I met Victoria when she was still alive. Just thinking about her — how she died at the hand of one of the Bio Hybrids standing next to me — filled my entire being with an incomprehensible rage. It was all I could do to keep myself from choking the life out of him, but I knew that Sephyrus could very easily kill me in return, should he choose to...

“Just the stone?” Sephyrus asked. “Where is the Diadem?”

“…I don’t know. I assume it’s still in Thomas’s hands,” I said. I picked up the Stone and threw it at Sephyrus, who promptly caught it a split second before it hit him in the face.

“You’ve done well thus far, milady.” Sephyrus took the Stone. “Now…about the Diadem…”

“I already told you; if it’s anywhere, Thomas or Apollomon would still be holding on to it! Now, let me go! And don’t even think of following me!”

“…Very well. Zelda, I am a man of my word; Michalis and I shall leave you be,” Sephyrus said.

“See you later. Thanks for the help!” Michalis said, turning to wave at me. However, in doing so, he left his face vulnerable to my oncoming fist, which made contact with his nose and caused blood to come dwindling out his nostrils. The Bio Hybrids ran up the stairs, but before they could reach the top, the basement door opened.

“You two?! What are you doing here?!” Apollomon asked. In his hand was the Diadem of Spiritual Balance.

“We’ve come for the Diadem, Apollomon!” Sephyrus yelled back. “And you aren’t going to stop us! Bio Hybrid DNA Charge! Bio Hybrid Digivolve to, BioPremenitmon!”

“Bio Hybrid DNA Charge! Bio Hybrid DNA Digivolve to, BioBeelzemon Blast Mode!”

“Lilithmon will never get her hands on the Diadem! Sol—”

“Corona Blaster!” BioBeelzemon waved his canon in front of Apollomon’s face and fired, sending the Mega Digimon flying through the open basement door. However, he quickly got back up and prepared to attack again.

“Claw of Phantasms!” BioPremenitmon’s claws raked across Apollomon’s face, leaving behind three deep gashes. Apollomon dropped the Diadem, which the lizard-like Bio Hybrid was quick to retrieve.

“Arrow of Artemis!” A barrage of ice arrows rained down on the two fleeing Bio Hybrids. “Damn it; get back here!” Dianamon yelled.

“Dianamon…go after them,” Apollomon said, staggering. “Make sure…they do not release Lucemon…”

“Yes, sir!” I heard Dianamon’s loud footsteps as she ran after the Bio Hybrids. Apollomon looked down at the stairs, looked down at me.

“…Zelda…”

“You…you’re going to bitch at me for leading those two down here, aren’t you?” I asked, not looking up at the Digimon.

“No…What happened wasn’t your fault,” Apollomon said. I heard the wooden stairs creak as he began descending them, slowly and carefully.

“But…but it was,” I said. “Those two…they took advantage of me; they…used my anger to control me! And they were right…I…I don’t belong here—”

“Zelda, please don’t ever say anything like that again,” Apollomon said. “Of course you belong here. We are your family. We are your friends, and your companions. Everyone here — me included — cares so much about you…”

“I don’t…deserve—”

“You’re only saying that because of the effects of the Diadem,” Apollomon interrupted. “All of this — anything that may have happened where you were involved — you are not to blame for it. It was the magic of the Diadem that made you do this. It is Lucemon, and Lilithmon, and the Bio Hybrids, and that Zudomon who are at fault. Not you…”

“Apollomon…can I…ever turn back? To the way I was before the Diadem fell on me?” I asked. “I don’t want to feel this anger ever again…I want to go back to enjoying life, and enjoying it with everyone here…But I don’t feel like I can…”

“Of course you can, sweetie,” I heard Luna’s voice say. “This was the work of magic, and magic can always be undone. Just give me some time…and I’ll have you back to your kind old self again. I promise.”

“Luna…thank you…”

Dianamon

 

“Drop the Diadem!” I shouted. I was breathing heavily after having run for over three hours to the outskirts of Mandrake Town. Sephyrus stood in the center of town, reciting something in an odd language. Between us stood BioBeelzemon, who aimed his canon at my rising and falling chest. “Relinquish the Horcruxes at once!”

“’Fraid we can’t do that, sweetheart,” BioBeelzemon said mockingly, a sadistic grin on his face. “You just watch, frozen in horror, as Lucemon frees himself from the Dark Area!”

“It is done!” Sephyrus shouted. “Join us, Lucemon!”

A pitch-black hole formed in front of Sephyrus, and out of it flew an angelic, demonic Digimon, the likes of which I have never seen before. “Lucemon…how does it feel to be free?”

“Such a question is illogical,” Lucemon replied in a monotone. “Lucemon feels no emotions. Emotions are things best left discarded.”

Thomas Kasuto

Saias’s Villa

 

“Will that potion really work on her?” Statuedramon asked worriedly.

“Unless I did something wrong — an unlikely turn of events — everything will go fine,” Luna said. She and Zelda sat cross-legged on the villa’s living room floor, and in the witch’s hands was a vial containing a putrid-smelling, black liquid. She held the vial up against Zelda’s lips and forced her to swallow its contents despite her protests. “Please try to stop struggling; I know it tastes awful, honey, but this’ll make you happy again…” Soon, the potion was gone. Luna took the vial away from Zelda’s lips, and Zelda immediately began coughing.

“Is she okay?!” Chrysania asked.

“Don’t worry; she’ll be fine. She’s not choking; the potion just tastes quite awful.”

I placed a hand on Zelda’s back and massaged gently until she stopped coughing.

“As a side effect of this potion, she may forget exactly what it was she did while under the Diadem’s effects,” Luna said. Zelda rested her forehead in her hand for a moment. “Feeling better, sweetie?”

“…Ugh…no…”

“What did you put in that potion, anyway?” Statuedramon asked.

“Well, unfortunately, the only way I could get it to work was to add…” Luna glanced over at Zelda and quickly covered the younger woman’s ears. “I had to put in slime from a Numemon’s slime trail; that’s what makes it taste and smell so bad.”

“Dat is disgusting!” Pheragas grimaced. Luna shrugged and brushed some of Zelda’s hair out of her face.

“You’ll feel better soon, sweetie…” Immediately, Zelda doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach. She vomited up some of the potion.

“You were saying?” Statch asked.

“Oh, shut up; you heard what was in that potion,” Luna said. “That cramping feeling is just another side-effect of the…extra stuff, I’m afraid…”

“Are there any other side-effects we should be aware of?” Apollomon asked.

“She’ll be weak for about a day, so she’ll need to stay in bed until she feels better…Just handle her delicately and with care, and, physically speaking, she’ll be fine,” Luna said. “Other than that and the slight memory loss, there are no other side effects.”

“Thank you, Luna,” I said.

“No need for thanks; I was happy to help her,” Luna smiled, stretching her arms above her head. “Now would be the best time to take her up to your room.” I nodded, slowly picking up my girlfriend to carry her upstairs. As I walked, I noticed tears rolling down her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Does your stomach hurt really badly?” Zelda nodded slowly.

“That’s not why, though…Thomas…what did I do?” Zelda asked quietly. There weren’t many stairs leading to the second floor of the villa, and I made it to our bedroom in no time.

“Nothing happened,” I said. “Nothing that happened…none of it was your fault.” I gently set her down on the bed, removed her boots, and placed the sheets over her.

“What did…what happened?” she asked.

“…The Diadem landed on your head,” I said. “You didn’t turn evil…but it brought up all of your suppressed anger from when you were younger. The Bio Hybrids…they took advantage of that…but none of it was your fault. Nobody is mad at you…And we all just want you to get better…” I leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you.” After a moment, I turned to leave, but she grabbed my hand.

“Tommy…will you…stay with me?” Zelda asked. “I don’t…want to be left alone right now…Please…”

“Of course I’ll stay with you,” I said, climbing into bed with her. “I’ll stay however long you need me to.”

“…It hurts…It hurts…so much,” she sobbed. I quickly placed my hand over her stomach and gently began massaging her. “It…it feels like…I’m being stabbed…and also…like I’m starving to death…and stuffed and bloated at the same time…Thank you…Tommy…for…rubbing…my tummy…for me…”

“…I’m sorry I can’t do anything more to help you feel better,” I whispered.

“No…you are…helping…” she leaned over the side of the bed and vomited once more. “I’m…so sorry…I don’t…remember…what I did…Do…you…hate…me? For…for what I did?”

“I could never hate you, Zelda.” I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “You just rest now. Try and get some sleep, and…maybe…you’ll feel better in the morning…”