Chapter 79: Bandit Witch

Zelda

Black Rose Mountains

 

“Gallantmon! That didn’t take very long!” I said happily. Gallantmon bent down and revealed the three Horcruxes he held in his hand. The Mirror, the Flute…and Saias’s Sword… “Gallantmon…I don’t know how I could ever thank you enough…”

“Would you like to know something?” Gallantmon asked. I looked up expectantly at the Digimon Spirit. “A little while ago…I was visited by DeathPhantomon.”

“DeathPhantomon…one of Lilithmon’s allies?” I asked. Gallantmon nodded. “What…did he want?”

“He was very gracious…In fact, he gave me the ability to use an attack I had lost once he had been freed from the Dark Area,” Gallantmon said.

“An…attack?”

“Indeed…would you like a demonstration?” Gallantmon asked. When I remained silent, Gallantmon stood straight up and became enveloped in a black light. “Shadow Evolution! Premenitmon!”

I watched in amazement as the form of Gallantmon changed into that of the lizard-like Bio Hybrid. “Zelda…it’s been quite some time since we’ve met,” Sephyrus said. “At least, as far as your memory is concerned, it has been. For me, it was yesterday.”

“Sephyrus…it was…you?” I asked. “The entire time…you were Gallantmon?”

“No, not the entire time,” BioPremenitmon said. “The Gallantmon that protected you — the one that walked off just moments before — that was really your Gallantmon. I simply found the Horcruxes before he did. Oh, and you don’t need to worry about him; our paths haven’t crossed, so he hasn’t been harmed.”

“Then…with those three…”

“Yes; with these Horcruxes, we now possess all ten Horcruxes!” BioPremenitmon exclaimed.

“Royal Saber!” A blast of lightning struck the rock the Bio Hybrid stood on, causing it to explode and shatter into hundreds of small pieces.

“So long, Zelda! And thank you for all your hard work! I could never have done it without you!” BioPremenitmon began running off. “Shadow Evolution! Gryphonmon!” In his new form, the Bio Hybrid took flight, and in the blink of an eye, he was out of sight.

“Zelda…I’m sorry,” Gallantmon came running out of IceDevimon’s Castle. “I…couldn’t find them before he did…”

“No…Gallantmon, it isn’t your fault,” I said, giving the Digimon Spirit a small smile.

“What should we do?”

“Well…right now, we should go and find my friend, Luna.”

“Then…she’s probably fighting Asuramon and Parrotmon,” Gallantmon said.

“Are they strong?” I asked.

“Parrotmon’s a bit of an idiot and a loudmouth, so he shouldn’t be causing her too much of a problem,” Gallantmon said. “But Asuramon…if she isn’t careful, he could easily defeat her…”

“Let’s go, then! We have to hurry!”

Bellaluna Rosalina

 

“She’s using it!” Asuramon gasped. “She’s using Maleficia!”

“Shell Needle Rain!” Countless spikes shot out from my back and pierced through Asuramon’s legs, knocking the Ultimate Digimon over. I turned to face Parrotmon; the other Ultimate had a frightened look in his eyes, and he gently placed Chrysania on the ground as I began to stand up.

“No need for…any more violence, right?” Parrotmon asked, laughing nervously. “You…you wouldn’t actually—”

 I ignored his pathetic pleading. “Blue Prominence!” A ball of blue flames formed in my hands, and I fired it off as a stream of blue plasma at Parrotmon, who was instantly killed when the attack hit him.

“You’re getting to be a problem…Bellaluna,” Asuramon said. He was standing, and the spikes I had shot into his legs were now in his hands and being used as swords. “IceDevimon…would not approve of anyone being a problem to us!” The tips of the spikes became ignited in flames, and the Ultimate Digimon rushed forth.

“Avalanche Axes!” A pair of axes fell from the sky, and I hurled them at the approaching Digimon, slicing his four arms clear off. Asuramon fell to his back, unable to get up.

“The randomness…of Maleficia…always seems to work out in your favor,” Asuramon’s blue-masked face said. “It’s…a pity, really…you could’ve done…so much more with it…”

“Fenrir Sword!” A large sword materialized in my hands, and I thrust its blade deep into Asuramon’s chest. The flames covering his body dispersed as the Ultimate Digimon slowly became encased in ice.

“…Nicely…done…Luna,” Asuramon’s yellow-masked face said. “It was…good…seeing you again…”

“Electron Cannon!” From the palms of my hands, I unleashed a devastating electrical blast that struck him directly in his frozen face. Asuramon and the blade wedged in his chest shattered into thousands of little pieces, the ever-prominent smile on his right head remaining until it, too, shattered with the rest of his body. “Chrysania!” The golden light I emitted vanished as I ran over to the injured girl and crouched down next to her; to my immense relief, she was still breathing, though just barely. Her face had gone completely pale from the loss of blood. “Hang on, Chrysania; mommy’s got you! Mommy’s going to make you all better…” I hurriedly drew two cross-shaped designs in the dirt with Chrysania’s blood. Her hands, which had been hanging on by a few threads at the wrists, joined back together with her arms. They looked good as new, as if they hadn’t been nearly torn off in the first place. “Chrysania! Chrysania! Oh, please, be okay, Chrissy!” I lifted the small girl’s upper body off the ground and tightly hugged her, crying. “Please…be okay…”

“Chrissy is okay…mommy,” Chrysania said, smiling up at me as I laid her down into my lap.

“Chrissy…why…why did you follow me?” I asked tearfully.

“Chrissy was…worried about her mommy…She wanted to make sure Zelda or her mommy wouldn’t get hurt while they were gone…”

I smiled back at her, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Chrissy…the next time mommy tells you to stay behind…do it.” Chrysania nodded. As she continued looking up at me, her smile began to fade. “What’s wrong? I’m not mad at you, if that’s what you’re wondering…”

“No…It’s…that Digimon that bit Chrissy…he said…He said that…you used to work with him…Is that true, mommy?”

“…Yes, it is,” I said.

“Can you…tell Chrissy about it? That Digimon…told Chrissy what you did the day we met…”

“He…told you that?” I felt the blood drain from my face.

“You…you destroyed Chrissy’s village when she was younger…Did you…really work with those two Digimon? Or did he lie to Chrissy?”

“…No. No, he…he didn’t lie,” I said. “A little over ten years ago, when I was about nineteen…I worked with Asuramon and Parrotmon under IceDevimon’s rule…as bandits.”

“B—Bandits?”

“It was the only way for me to get money,” I said. “I was young and foolish…when I was fifteen, those two told me they needed a witch of my skill to work with them. It was the first time I had ever been praised for my work…so I did whatever IceDevimon asked of me without hesitation. I destroyed villages, murdered innocents with a smile on my face, ruined thousands of lives, and gorged myself on their blood until I felt as though my stomach would burst…Whenever I worked with Parrotmon, or Asuramon, or Zudomon, IceDevimon would always remind us to not kill any girls that had green hair; he always said to bring any we found directly to him…The day I met you, Chrysania…It was a day unlike any other. I had just finished destroying your home village of Lady’s Mantle in Cherifia Territory. I had burned everything to the ground with Parrotmon and Asuramon on my side…until only you were left. Three years old, and you were standing all alone, surrounded by flames, and…you were crying. You had no idea what was going on, but you were frightened…and it was all you could do. You were scared and alone, and…in that state, you reminded me of myself…Scared…and all alone in the world…”

“Chrissy…doesn’t remember this…”

“When the three of us found you…It was as if I had just realized what I had done those past four years…You had nowhere else to go, so it was at that moment that I decided to adopt you myself…But I couldn’t stay and live on as a bandit with a three-year old adopted daughter…so I left…and joined Lachesis as its witch, back when Apollomon, Dianamon, BlackGaomon, and SlashAngemon were the only members. I joined them to fight against bandits like Parrotmon and Asuramon…mostly as atonement for what I had done to you…but also…I wanted to be a good role model for you…But I can clearly say that I’ve failed…Rather, I’ve never had a chance.” Chrysania reached up and placed her small hand over my cheek.

“You’ve done a good job…mommy,” Chrysania smiled. I smiled back sadly, and shook my head.

“No…No, I’m…I’m a terrible person, Chrissy!” I said. “I ravaged your entire village! I killed your entire family! I…” a dagger materialized in my hand without my notice. “Chrissy…I understand…if you hate me…for what I’ve done. You deserve to live a life without hate…” I raised the dagger up to my neck. “But there’s no need for you to dirty your pretty hands…”

“NOOOO!” Chrysania quickly snatched the dagger out of my hand and tossed it far away from me. “Mommy…you can’t die!”

“You don’t…hate me?”

“No! Chrissy loves you! You can’t leave her without a mommy! Chrissy doesn’t remember her real mommy, so you’re now Chrissy’s real mommy! Chrissy doesn’t care about what you did in the past! Please don’t leave Chrissy all alone!” Chrysania had thrown her arms around my waist, and begun sobbing uncontrollably into the front of my shirt. “Chrissy…loves you…mommy…”

“Chrysania…I…I love you, too,” I said, stroking the back of her head. “I’m sorry…I promise I’ll never leave you again.” Chrysania raised her head, smiling at me.

“Mommy…why did you never tell Chrissy you could do such powerful magic?”

“Powerful magic? Oh…you mean Maleficia?” Chrysania nodded. “It…can be very dangerous to use,” I said. “First of all, it’s difficult to control the attacks, making it difficult to hit my target. However, the main reason I never showed it to you…was because the Digimon attacks called forth by it are chosen at random. If I had gotten the wrong attack…I could have killed us all…”

“Oh…”

“Well, that’s enough about that,” I said. “We need to find Zelda. Do you feel okay enough to walk?”

“Yeah, Chrissy’s feeling better!” The young witch stood up and smiled down at me. “Thank you…mommy…”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I said, standing up too. “Mommy’s little angel…”

“Are you two okay?” a voice called out to us.

“Zelda! Yay, Zelda’s here now!” Chrysania ran up to and threw her arms around Zelda. “Is Zelda okay, too? Zelda didn’t get hurt, did she?”

“No, I’m fine, sweetie,” Zelda said. “A lot has happened, though…”

“…Why don’t you tell us about it on our way back home?” I suggested.

“I think that would be best…”

Sephyrus

1 Hour

 

I followed a river that led from the mountains all the way into the dense jungle of Lotisea, eventually coming to a stop at Lake Viscaria.

“The original resting place of Hydramon,” I said. “Now…it shall be known as his second waking place.” I placed the Clairvoyant’s Mirror into the frigid waters of the lake and watched it sink slowly and gently to the shallow bottom. As it slowly floated away, I begun reciting the ancient words Lilithmon had taught me. The mirror emitted a bright gleam that cut through the clear blue surface of the water, and in mere moments, the monstrous Hydramon stood before me. “Good to have you join us, Hydramon.”

“At long, bloody last…liberation!” Hydramon exclaimed. “But…you said ‘us,’ didn’t you? You are the only one in sight…”

“Lilithmon couldn’t be bothered to come here herself, but she is here in spirit,” I said. “Also, DeathPhantomon is still on the prowl somewhere; for all we know, he could actually be here. I just cannot fathom what goes on in that mind of his…”

“I understand perfectly,” Hydramon smirked.

“Now…forgive me if I am wrong, good sir, but…do you not have eight heads?” I asked. “I see only one…”

“You are correct; ages past, I was once an Orochimon, a destructive eight-headed beast. However…those heads were but a mere illusion, and were little more than puppets. Upon evolution to the Mega level, the other heads seem to have gained a mind of their own, with their own individual personalities. It shames me to say this, but…if too many of my heads are present, we all begin to bicker. I keep only a few of my heads visible to avoid just that. Now, enough of the pleasant chit-chat, Sephyrus; I need to speak with Lilithmon. Quite urgently, really. Might you know where I can find her?”

“She is in Mandala, good sir,” I replied.

“Mandala…and we’re in Lotisea? Of course she chose to live in a place on the other side of the continent…”

“Look at the bright side, Hydramon; Mandala sank to the bottom of the ocean,” I said.

“Well…that is good news, isn’t it? Haven’t had a good swim in a while!” Hydramon looked quite thrilled. “Care to join me, Sephyrus?”

“I’m afraid I cannot; I still need to free Machinedramon and Lupinemon.”

“I understand,” Hydramon’s center head nodded.

Chapter 78: Strength of Heart

Bellaluna Rosalina

Black Rose Mountains

 

Small drops of blood fell from Parrotmon’s beak as he opened it, revealing that Chrysania’s left hand was hanging by a few threads. “What…what have you done to her?!” I asked, unable to control my sobbing. Poor Chrysania’s screaming filled the air. “She’s…just a baby…What kind of…monsters…could do such a terrible thing…to such a sweet…young…girl?!” I tried to force myself up, but Asuramon pushed his foot down harder on my back.

“Tell us what we want to know,” Asuramon’s blue-masked face said. “I don’t wish to see this child harmed any more than you do. Tell us. Now.”

“Or maybe you need another demonstration of what we’re capable of?” Parrotmon asked, forcefully raising Chrysania’s right arm.

“No…please…”

“Mommy…help me,” Chrysania said, her face wet with tears.

“…Your maternal instincts for this one are strong despite her not actually being your daughter, I’ll admit,” Asuramon’s yellow-masked face said. “It can be said that that is the source of your innermost power…but it is also your greatest weakness, Bellaluna. What kind of mother would just sit by as her beloved daughter gets tortured like this?”

“Why haven’t you told us yet? It’s obvious that’s the ideal thing for you to do,” Parrotmon said.

“If I…tell you…” I tried unsuccessfully to move my arms and wipe the tears from my face. “If I told you…you’d only use them to…hurt more people…more innocent children like Chrysania…”

“And if you don’t tell us, then an innocent person exactly like Chrysania will get hurt!” Parrotmon laughed. “Exactly like her…because it is her! Get it?!”

“Enough of the jokes, Parrotmon!” Asuramon’s red-masked face barked. “I’m not in a generous mood anymore, Bellaluna; I no longer care if your fake daughter gets hurt! Give us the power to use any Digimon attack! Give us Maleficia!”

“First…release Chrysania…and let me help her,” I said. “Then, I…I’ll tell you everything…”

“…Yeah, right; like we’re dumb enough to fall for that old ruse!” Parrotmon said.

“I don’t think she quite gets the message,” Asuramon said. “The hostage gets released when we get what we want. Convey it to her again, Parrotmon.”

“Gladly!”

“No! Mommy, help me!” Chrysania wailed.

“Let her go!” I screamed. “Don’t hurt—”

“Fire Fist of Shiva!” Asuramon punched the back of my head, nearly knocking me unconscious. Chrysania’s screaming filled the air as I heard Parrotmon’s beak snap shut around her other wrist.

I…have to…save her…And the only way I can is to use it…But…what if…I hurt her? It’s dangerous to use; it’s unpredictable and hard to control, and I haven’t used it since the day I found her…

“Well, Bellaluna? Are you ready to concede?” Asuramon asked.

I have to…It’s the only way I can save her…

“Well?”

“I think you knocked her unconscious, buddy,” Parrotmon said.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Asuramon barked.

“You guys…want Maleficia?” I asked.

“That’s why we’re here,” Parrotmon said.

“You want it…then I’ll give it to you!” My body became enveloped in a blinding, golden light.

“No! That light! She’s using it!” Asuramon gasped.

“I’ll make you pay…for hurting my baby!”

Zelda

 

“Chaos Disaster!” ChaosGallantmon’s lance pierced clear through Dynasmon’s chest. Dynasmon roared and punched the opposing Digimon Spirit in the face before disappearing.

“Good! Now, finish the job!” IceDevimon shouted excitedly. ChaosGallantmon slowly began walking up to me, avoiding looking me in the eye. “Remember to keep her alive…I’d like to be able to hear her scream.”

The Dark Knight came to a stop. “I…I can’t do it,” he whispered.

“Come forth, SaberLeomon!”

“I’m ready for action!” the Digimon Spirit said.

“…SaberLeomon? All I see is a Leomon,” IceDevimon noted. Leomon looked down at himself.

“Oh, my bad; I forgot to Digivolve!” Leomon laughed nervously. “All right, here goes; Leomon Digivolve to—”

“Judecca Prison!” ChaosGallantmon emitted a dark energy beam from his shield at Leomon, making him disappear before he could even Digivolve.

“No more hesitations, ChaosGallantmon!” IceDevimon said. “Do your job! Or else!”

“…I…I…I can’t do it,” ChaosGallantmon said. “I can’t hurt her…” The Digimon Spirit fell to his knees, facing me. “She…she still cares about me…even though I abandoned her when she needed my help…”

IceDevimon grimaced. “If you can’t do it, get out of my way!” he said. “Avalanche Claw!”

“No!” ChaosGallantmon leapt in front of me, protecting me from IceDevimon’s attack with his shield. “I won’t…let you hurt her!”

“You won’t let me? Don’t forget, I was the one who gave you power, and I can easily take it all away from you!” IceDevimon laughed.

“Chaos Shot!” ChaosGallantmon fired a blast of dark energy from his spear right at IceDevimon’s chest, sending him flying into a far-off cliff. “Zelda…I…”

“Thank you,” I said. “For protecting me…thank you…”

“I’m sorry…I’m so…sorry…”

“I know you are…But there’s nothing for you to feel sorry for,” I said. “You didn’t do anything wrong…” That…that’s what Luna was trying to tell me…Even now, I say it to Gallantmon when I don’t believe myself of being truly innocent… I smiled, laughing at my own patheticness.

“I will make it up to you, Zelda,” ChaosGallantmon said. “I will destroy IceDevimon…I’ll do whatever you want…from now on.”

“Gallantmon…”

“You’ll destroy me?! Good luck trying; Tundra Freeze!” A blue light shone down on us from the sky; ChaosGallantmon ran over to me and covered me, taking IceDevimon’s attack full on. The light vanished, and when I looked up, ChaosGallantmon was nowhere to be seen. In his place stood Gallantmon, exactly as I knew him before.

“You’re finished!” Gallantmon yelled. “Royal Saber!” Gallantmon’s lance fired a surge of light the punctured IceDevimon’s chest and sent the Champion level Digimon falling to the ground.

“How…how did you turn back?!” IceDevimon asked, attempting to cover the gaping hole on his chest with his hands. “What the hell happened?! Don’t tell me that girl had something to do with it?!”

“She did,” Gallantmon said. “It was her light…Her light brought me back to the way I was when we first met.”

“My…light?”

“Your kind and pure heart,” Gallantmon explained. “When we met…I was oblivious to such things…But now I know. Zelda…my desire to protect you gave me the power to be able to do so. And now…I shall finally do my job right…and destroy IceDevimon! Final Elysion!” Gallantmon’s shield fired a pure white beam that completely obliterated IceDevimon. Nothing remained of him when the attack ended.

“Gallantmon…you did it!” I exclaimed.

“No…we did it,” Gallantmon said. “If it weren’t for you…I’d have never been able to turn back into Gallantmon…I’d have never even thought of defeating IceDevimon. You…you helped me find not only the physical strength necessary, but…but also the strength of heart necessary to do so. Thank you, Zelda.”

“I…I’m glad I was able to help you so much,” I said. “And…I really am happy to see you again…Oh, Gallantmon, it’s been so long!”

“I’m sorry. I won’t ever leave your side again. That I promise,” Gallantmon said. “If there’s ever anything that you require, call me, and I shall get it for you.”

“Gallantmon...” I smiled up at the Exalted Knight, and suddenly gasped. “The Horcruxes!”

“The Sword, Flute, and Mirror?” Gallantmon asked. “I know where IceDevimon keeps them…are they what you desire?”

“They’re kind of why I came here, with my friend,” I said. “It’s important that we keep them away from the Bio Hybrids.”

“Understood,” Gallantmon said. “I shall find them for you and return posthaste.”

Chapter 77: Reunion of the Fallen

Bellaluna Rosalina

Black Rose Mountains

 

“Tell me, Bellaluna,” Asuramon began. “Why did you leave us?”

“That’s not my name!” I said defensively. “I go by Luna now!”

“Luna? So, you’ve shortened your name now…Still, it’s a pretty name, one befitting its owner,” Asuramon said. “Now…don’t avoid my question any longer. I’ve waited over ten years for this answer; why did you leave us?”

“Asuramon, I—”

“Why did you leave us?!” Asuramon’s center head, the one with the red mask, was the one who spoke now. “It’s been ten years since you left! Ten long years, and the two of us have wasted that time doing nothing but wait for you!”

“Asuramon, I...I’m sorry, but I—”

“It's so wonderful to see you again,” the head with the yellow mask said. He reached out one of his four arms, one from his right side, and delicately stroked my face with his hand and wiped away the tears that had begun streaming from my eyes. “Look at you! Somehow…somehow, you’ve gotten even more beautiful since the last time we’ve seen you; at the time, I’d have thought that to be impossible…Clearly, I was mistaken; you are more beautiful than ever.”

“Asuramon...” I whispered breathlessly, tears slipping down my face as quickly as they slid down Asuramon’s left head, the one wearing the blue mask.

“I...we’ve missed you so much!” the blue-masked head spoke, wiping the tears from his eyes with one of his left arms. “And now…now, you’re finally back!”

“Asuramon, please...please forgive me,” I said with a small smile. Just then as Asuramon's right hand moved from my face to grab me by the neck.

“But that does not change the fact that you left us! Abandoned us! BETRAYED US! And for that, you must die!” Asuramon's center head shouted.

“Asuramon, calm down!” commanded a voice from above.

“P…Parrotmon?”  I struggled to turn my head towards the voice, but Asuramon tightened his grip around my neck.

“Bellaluna…well, isn’t your pretty face a sight for sore eyes?” Parrotmon asked, swooping down from the sky and landing on the ground next to his partner. “Asuramon, stop being so impatient! You might be the smarter of the two of us, but even I know that we still need her to tell us what we want, and she can’t do that if you kill her, right?” Asuramon's grip around my neck lessened, and he finally dropped me on the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

“Did you get the girl?” Asuramon asked.

“Boy, it’s been a while since all three of us have been together like this,” Parrotmon said. “Over ten years, right? Boy, we sure had some fun…”

“Parrotmon!” Asuramon interrupted. “Did…you…get…the…girl?!”

“Yep; got ‘er right here!” Parrotmon held out his right hand, which was holding a small, young girl, his fingers wrapped around and under her arms to prevent her from leaving, a precaution that seemed useless as the girl looked unconscious.

“N—No...Chrysania...?” I gasped, still struggling to breathe.

“So, that's what you decided to name her,” Asuramon said, looking at Chrysania’s small, unmoving body.

“That other girl sure is lucky she went down that other fork,” Parrotmon said. “I’d hate to have to do this to that little beauty!”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“That girl…if I’m not mistaken, she carries the Mark, no?” Asuramon asked.

“…And if she does?” I asked.

Asuramon smirked, his yellow face turning to speak. “She’s lucky, then…She won’t have to deal with me,” Asuramon began laughing. “The Marked…filthy half-breed scum don’t deserve to live!”

I raised my arm and slapped Asuramon across his yellow-masked face. “Don’t you fucking dare ever talk about her like that again!” I yelled. “Without even knowing her as an individual, you automatically assume she doesn’t have the right to exist, just because she carries that stupid mark?!” Asuramon’s grin widened. “You make me sick, Asuramon! Zelda is my friend! You have no right — no right whatsoever — to talk about her like that! Zelda is the kindest, gentlest person I have ever met! She’s dealt with people like you her entire life, and she’s still able to find it in her heart to care about the well-being of people that insult her like that!”

“Whatever…”

“Why did you call me up here, anyway?! Just to insult the people I love?!”

“Bellaluna…You will tell us what we want to know, and your fake daughter won’t have to be hurt. Tell us…where the Horcruxes are.”

“The…Horcruxes?”

“The Necklace. The Silk. The Diadem. The Mask. The Medallion. The Stone. The Jewel. Those were the seven Horcruxes we didn’t find,” Asuramon said. “The Sword, the Flute, and the Mirror are already in our possession. Now…tell us where the other seven are, or ‘Chrysania’ as you call her will receive your punishment!”

“The Horcruxes? Oh, please; don’t be so boring,” Parrotmon said. “What I want is the secret to Maleficia!”

“Maleficia?” I repeated.

“You know, that spell that gives you the ability to use every Digimon attack there is!” Parrotmon said. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already?!”

“You speak too much, Parrotmon,” Asuramon said. “But for once…you are correct. The secret to Maleficia…would be far more beneficial than the powers given to us by the Horcruxes.”

“The powers? Then…you don’t want the Horcruxes for the souls?”

“Of course not! It’s a lot more beneficial for us to have those souls locked away forever in those little trinkets! After all, once a soul leaves, the trinket loses the special powers!” Parrotmon said.

“…If you did have the Horcruxes…If you did now Maleficia…what would you do with them?” I asked.

“What do you think, idiot?! What the three of us used to do in the good old days!” Asuramon said. “Now, tell us what we want to know if you don’t want this child harmed!” Asuramon slapped me across the face.

“No, please don't — I don't know anything! Please…don’t hurt her,” I sobbed, trying to stand up, but Asuramon slammed his foot onto my back, pinning me to the ground. “Don’t…hurt…her…”

“You know that wasn’t what we wanted to hear. Parrotmon!” Asuramon looked at the other Ultimate Digimon and nodded. Parrotmon lifted up Chrysania's left arm and opened his beak.

“No...What are you doing?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief as Parrotmon placed Chrysania’s hand, up to the wrist, in his mouth. “No! Stop! Please, don’t hurt her! Don't hurt my baby! DON'T HURT MY BABY!” Parrotmon ignored my desperate wailing as he snapped his beak tightly shut around Chrysania's wrist, causing her to wake up and shriek in pain.

Zelda

 

“ChaosGallantmon? You’ve—”

“Yes…My inner darkness has been awoken,” ChaosGallantmon said. “You were so…happy to see me, you didn’t notice that I look different now…how like you…Zelda…”

“Well…it doesn’t matter to me that your name and your colors have changed,” I said. “You’re still Gallantmon on the inside…the same Digimon Spirit that I met many years ago…I’m glad you’re okay, Gallantmon! I’ve been so worried about you!”

“You…really…cared about me?” ChaosGallantmon asked. “Even though I…abandoned you? Over and over?”

I nodded. “Our personalities are complete opposites…but I don’t care,” I said. “I love you just as much as my other Digimon Spirits.”

“Zelda…”

“I’m so happy to see you!” I looked up again at the knight, smiling widely. “So…what are you doing here, Gallantmon?”

“I was told…someone would be coming down this way,” ChaosGallantmon said. “I was ordered…to destroy that person, but I…I didn’t know it was you…”

“That’s because I didn’t tell you,” a deep voice boomed.

“Master! I—”

“No need for words, ChaosGallantmon. Just do your job.”

“Who is that?” I asked.

“Well…I suppose it has been a while since we’ve last met,” the voice replied. “The very least I could do is grace you with my visit before your former friend here skewers you with his lance and serves you for lunch!” A light blue shadow crept out from underneath ChaosGallantmon, and from it rose a Digimon. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten my beautiful face, have you?”

“Ice…Devimon...” The memories of that Digimon, of the horrible things he’d done, the things he made Clive do, instantly rushed into my head. “This Digimon…Gallantmon…you’re working for him?” ChaosGallantmon lowered his head and remained silent. “You are…you really are working for this terrible person?”

“Okay, okay, I’ll admit it; I’m a bad guy,” IceDevimon said. “The powers I gave to Clive while living inside him…he used them to murder your precious sister…Hannah, wasn’t it?” I said nothing as he spoke; my hand was gripped tightly around the opening of the satchel at my waist. “And then there were all those naughty things Clive did before he was even aware of my existence…I knew what it was he had done, and I chose him as the host for my spirit until I fully recovered. I chose the man that had raped Thomas’s surrogate mother when she was sixteen. Clive may have been a bumbling idiot, but we did share that particular interest in common…” IceDevimon grinned at me. But soon, it faded. “Now, on to business. Your right eye, Zelda. Show it to me. Right now!” My heart skipped a beat, and hesitantly, I moved my hair away from my right eye. In the blink of an eye, IceDevimon stood directly in front of me, and was looking directly into my eyes. “…Hmm…Both the same color…I figured she may have died her green hair a different color, but there’s nothing that can be done about eyes, I suppose…But you are not the woman I was searching for for all those years…”

“You…you knew Zelda would be coming this way, didn’t you?” ChaosGallantmon asked.

“Of course I did! I knew she was a Summoner; I knew she would sense your presence once she got to that fork in the road. And she’s alone, too…That’ll make it easier for us to…have our fun.”

“You…you would actually—”

“Get to it!” IceDevimon barked, interrupting the Digimon Spirit. “I didn’t make you stronger just to have you bitch at me all day!” ChaosGallantmon lowered his head, and then turned to face me.

“Zelda…I’m sorry…”

“…You know…I fought someone out of revenge once…it wasn’t too long ago,” I said. I pulled a Digimon Talisman from my satchel and gazed at it. “The feeling I got…while I did it…I made him hurt. I made him bleed, and feel pain…I wasn’t able to control myself while I was attacking him over and over like that…It was awful, the feeling I got when it was all over, when I realized what I had done. I…I don’t ever want to feel that way again; I don’t want to experience that feeling I got from hurting someone else…But this Digimon…IceDevimon…he needs to die. He is not someone that can be allowed to roam free. For Hannah…for Victoria…for all the people you’ve hurt…IceDevimon must perish!”

“I…I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” ChaosGallantmon said sullenly, raising his lance. “IceDevimon is my master…he made me stronger…I won’t let you…hurt him…”

“I’m sorry…I don’t want to hurt you, but he must be dealt with!” I said. “Come forth, Dynasmon!”

Chapter 76: Black Rose Mountains

Luna Rosalina

Black Rose Mountains

1 Day

 

Before us stood the towering peaks of the Black Rose Mountain range, the tops of which were hidden by looming, dark clouds. Below us was a series of bottomless chasms and cliffs zigzagging throughout the rugged, dark grey landscape, dark as the clouds that hid the mountain’s peaks. The only signs of life nearby were a few trees here and there that had been robbed of their leaves, giving the area a haunting landscape…one that I absolutely loved. It was cold, too; even though we hadn’t begun to climb the mountains yet, we were shivering, and a small breeze that blew past us didn’t help. The entire landscape was mesmerizing, and I stopped in my tracks, completely enamored.

“This place…is so beautiful!” I exclaimed. “The darkness…This bleak, lifeless landscape…Oh, I love it!”

“Yeah, it’s…quaint, I suppose,” Zelda said, looking rather frightened.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” I asked.

“Well…I’m a bit scared…I’ve never seen the sky look so dark in the morning before…”

“I meant the whole headache, nausea, and self-doubt thing,” I said. 

“…I’m feeling better,” Zelda said. “We should get going; whoever wrote that note said that they’d be waiting for us just up ahead.” For a split second, I smiled at her as she led us deeper into the mountain range, and I was becoming more and more excited the longer we walked. Every now and then, I would spot a blood stain in the dirt, the only thing left from either a Human or Digimon that had been messily devoured.

“Oh, this one looks fresh!” I bent down next to a still-wet puddle of blood and dipped my fingers in it.

“You’re not actually going to…drink that…are you?” Zelda asked. I ignored her, and slowly lapped the blood off my fingers.

“Definitely a Digimon,” I said, wiping up more blood to drink. “Their blood…it tastes more…irony…than Human blood. Trust me; I know.”

“Luna, why…do you drink blood?” Zelda asked. “I’m sure I might not want to know the answer, but I really am quite curious.”

“I’m absolutely captivated by its flavor!” I began to wipe up the blood and drink it at a much faster rate. “It’s got a different texture, too…from water…I love the way it feels…on my tongue…sliding down my throat…and into my belly…Here, do you want to try?” I held out my blood- and saliva-stained fingers.

“…Uh…no…No, my belly is…perfectly…happy without any blood,” Zelda said. “But…uh…thank you for your offer…”

“You’re welcome!” I finished lapping up the blood puddle and stood back up. “I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t eat anything without getting sick if it lacks any blood, either mixed inside of it or slathered on top of it. It’s the same with what I drink; it simply must have blood in it, or my stomach completely rejects it, and I get sick. Not that I would actually try to eat or drink something that didn’t have blood…”

“…Luna…there’s a fork in the road,” Zelda said.

“Oh, dear; what should we do? The note didn’t give us directions…”

“…We go our separate ways,” Zelda said.

“What?!”

“It’s just a feeling that I have, but—”

“No! Absolutely not!” I raised my voice. “Thomas trusted me to look after you, and I can’t do that if I’m not with you!”

“I know, Luna…But I will be fine,” Zelda said firmly. “I’m a Summoner, remember? I’ve been one for as long as I can remember…and I am able to sense the presence of Digimon Spirits. And right now…I sense one down the right fork.”

“Then let me go with you! You don’t have to go alone, you know!”

“…Yes…I do,” she replied. “Whoever left us that note…they know where we live. They knew that, based on where we live, we would end up at this fork. They wanted us…to go our separate ways, Luna.”

“But what if it’s a trap?” I asked.

“I’ll be fine. The Digimon Spirit I sense…it is a familiar one. Luna…we need to go our separate ways,” Zelda insisted. “Both for the Horcruxes…and for the Digimon I sense…”

“The Digimon you sense…? Is there something wrong with it?”

“Digimon Spirits can be considered to be nothing more than a physical form of the soul of the Digimon they used to be…And I sense anguish,” Zelda said. “Luna…that Digimon Spirit is in pain…I have to help it! But I can’t ask you to come with me. We need to get those Horcruxes before the Bio Hybrids do, because if we don’t—”

“Okay, I get it,” I sighed. I gave the younger girl a reassuring smile when her expression grew crestfallen. “We…we’ll go our separate ways for now. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“I’m fine, Luna,” Zelda said, smiling back at me. “I’ll be careful…and I’ll come back.”

“Just…be careful, sweetie.” I pulled Zelda into a hug. “I don’t want to tell Thomas something’s happened to you…He cares so much about you…And so do I…”

“Okay…But you have to be careful too. I don’t want to tell Chrissy something’s happened to her mother…” We pulled apart a moment later and went our separate ways. Every now and then, I would turn around to make sure she was still walking.

“I’m just going to have to trust her,” I kept telling myself. “She’ll be okay…She will be.”

“Ah, that’s the spirit!” I froze as an unknown voice spoke from somewhere above me. “Just have faith in your friend…and everything’ll turn out okay! Well, that’s the theory, at any rate.”

“Who are you? Who’s there?!” I asked. My heart was beating faster than it should have; there was no reason for me to feel so scared…and yet, it felt as though I knew that voice.

“Aww…forgotten me so soon, have ya? Tsk tsk…You know, Bellaluna, it really would pay to remember the sound of the voices of your allies!”

Bellaluna…? He knows my…real name? The only people who know it are my family at Lachesis…them and… “Who are you?!” I asked again.

“Come now, Bellaluna…surely, you can use that bottomless pit for knowledge you call a brain to figure it out,” the voice said. It was so familiar…

“…Asuramon? Asuramon…is that you?!”

“Ah, now you’ve got it!” a tall, large Digimon jumped down from a cliff higher up and landed in front of me.

“Asuramon…It really is you…” His left head, the yellow face of blessings, was the one that was speaking.

“Bellaluna Rosalina…it certainly has been a while,” Asuramon said.

Zelda

 

After a few moments of walking alone, I sat down on a flat-surfaced rock to rest. “That Digimon Spirit…it’s getting closer,” I said, breathing heavily. “It feels so…familiar…as if I know the Digimon…But its presence isn’t one that I’ve actually met, so it can’t be…him…” My heart sank when I thought about him. “I must be…more tired than I thought…Haven’t quite recovered yet…But I have to keep going! That Digimon that’s in pain…I will help you, whoever you are!”

Suddenly I heard a familiar voice from the distance. “You?! What…what are you doing here?!”

“Who…? Who said that? That voice…”

“You shouldn’t be here! Leave now!” The voice sounded rather panicked.

“Wait! Who are you? Your voice…are you—”

“Shut up! Just shut your mouth and get out of here right now!”

“It is you, isn’t it? Gallantmon?” The voice gasped, and after a few moments, I heard the footsteps of someone walking out from a narrow cave nearby. “Gallantmon! Gallantmon, it really is you!” I ran up to the Digimon Spirit, my eyes filled with tears of happiness, and I threw my arms around his leg.

“Zelda, I—”

“Gallantmon…Oh, Gallantmon, I’ve missed you…so much…” I looked up at the rather tall Exalted Knight. “Have you…been well? You…”

“Zelda…I am not Gallantmon…anymore.”

“…What?” I gave him a puzzled look.

“I am no longer the Gallantmon you remember. My name…is ChaosGallantmon.”