Chapter 56: The Skeleton King

Sephyrus

Cyprus Desert

9 Hours

 

It was nearing midnight by the time the swirling sands of Cyprus Desert came into view. It was a cloudless night, and the moon was nearly full. Lilithmon stopped walking instantly, and looked up at the sky.

“Soon…very soon, the first of my friends will be freed from the Dark Area,” Lilithmon said. Her skin and clothes were still stained with Irene’s blood, if one looked closely enough, though she didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

“Forgive my ignorance, Mother, but how exactly are you going to free anyone from the Dark Area?” Michalis asked. “They’re dead…dead, and gone forever…”

“I was sent to the Dark Area, but I came back to you, my son,” Lilithmon said patiently. “You know what a Horcrux is, don’t you?”

“Yeah…a little while ago, Sephyrus told me it holds a very small portion of the soul of a Human or a Digimon.”

“Correct…as the one who created these Horcruxes, I am able to use the Horcrux to call forth the Digimon in the Dark Area who has their soul trapped within the Horcrux in question, but only once. Once I have brought them back, the portion of their soul that lies resting in the Horcrux will join with the remainder of the Digimon’s soul, leaving me unable to bring the Digimon back again should he or she be killed — unless, of course, I make another Horcrux for them. The little details are of no concern to you, dear child…”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“Do you have any other questions before I begin?”

“…Just one…how come we had to come all the way to Cyprus Desert to free this Digimon? Couldn’t you have brought him back from anywhere?”

“Unfortunately, no…the Cyprus Desert was where SkullCaliphmon was killed…that is why we must be here...though I was never sure why that was a necessity for this spell. Now, if that is all the questions, I would like to begin. If anyone attempts to intervene, stop them at all costs!”

“Understood, Milady,” I said.

“Yeah, sure,” Michalis said.

“Very good.” Lilithmon placed the necklace into the sands of Cyprus and closed her eyes. She began speaking in a quiet, mumbling voice.

“What is she saying?” Michalis whispered to me.

“It’s an ancient language, one from over 500 years ago, so it’s even older than I am,” I replied. “I’m afraid I don’t know what it is she’s saying. I never took the time to learn it…”

Thomas Kasuto

 

“Oh, no…we’re too late! She’s already started!” Apollomon said quietly. To my surprise, there were a few trees that were a part of Lotisea Province nearby for us to hide behind. “We have to do something…before she conjures up a Digimon from the Dark Area!”

“Well, then, let’s go and stop her!” I whispered back. Apollomon nodded, and the two of us stepped out from behind the trees and over to the evil Mega Digimon. Michalis and Sephyrus watched silently as we did.

“There is no way for you to emerge victorious,” Sephyrus said. The [LSF3] calm man pulled out his gray Digivice and placed a hand over it. “Bio Hybrid DNA Charge! Bio Hybrid Digivolve to, BioPremenitmon!”

“You are too late! Mother will summon forth all her friends from the Dark Area…and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Michalis grabbed his Digivice, and did the same as Sephyrus. “Bio Hybrid DNA Charge! Bio Hybrid Digivolve to, BioBeelzemon!”

 “Fools; you mean to face the one and only Apollomon in combat?! Is it your aim to die?! Or have you forgotten that I killed BioBlackWarGreymon all by myself?!” Apollomon asked.

“…He does have a point,” BioBeelzemon said.

“If you wish to back down, suit yourself,” BioPremenitmon said. “I, however, fully intend to obey the orders given to me!”

“Thomas[LSF4] , stand back while I fight these two; that’s an order! Solblaster!”

Reluctantly, I jumped back out of the way and watched the fight around me.

“Shadow Evolution; Aquarimon! Goddess Urn!” Aquarimon summoned forth a huge eruption of water from her vase that doused the flames of Apollomon’s attack.

“You…you dare mock me by turning into my friend?! The friend that you murdered?! I’ll fucking kill you! Phoebus…” Apollomon raised his arm and prepared to attack, but when he looked down, his arm began trembling, and his fist unclenched itself.

“Apollomon…please…don’t h-hurt me,” Aquarimon said, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry…please, don’t…hate me…for what I’ve done…”

“…I…Irene…” Apollomon’s raised arm fell limply to his side. I, too, felt taken aback at the sight of the Digimon that greatly resembled Irene.

“Darkness Claw!” BioBeelzemon rammed into the dumbstruck Apollomon, knocking him down to the ground.  Apollomon tried to move, but BioBeelzemon slammed his boot on the side of the Mega’s face. “You’re about to get what you deserve, Apollomon! Double—”

“—And now, the ritual is complete!” Lilithmon shouted from a few feet away. “SkullCaliphmon, I call to you from the other side! Join us, and put an end to the lives of the miserable wretches who murdered the eleven of us!” The necklace began emitting a pale blue light, and the sands around it began swirling madly in the air. Lilithmon began laughing maniacally as a black hole formed under the necklace, and a skeletal arm reached up from the circle. The arm pulled its body the rest of the way out, and standing before us was a rather tall, cloaked, skeletal Digimon holding an enormous, two-bladed sword, the likes of which I have never seen.

“I am free!” the Digimon said.

“…Unbelievable…a Digimon from the Dark Area,” BioBeelzemon said, his tone of voice giving away the fact that he was obviously impressed. “Mother…you really are something else, conjuring a Digimon like this…”

“I’m not just any Digimon; I’m SkullCaliphmon, an ancient king of the desert sands; lord of the desert breeze!” SkullCaliphmon said.

“‘Lord of the Desert Breeze?’ That doesn’t sound very impressive…”

“Careful, now; even the gentlest breeze has the potential to become a raging hurricane, capable of smashing through solid rock!”

“…Whatever you say, Your Majesty,” BioBeelzemon smirked.

“SkullCaliphmon, it is wonderful to see you again,” Lilithmon said. “That is, good to see you alive, and not in the Dark Area!”

“Oh, Lilithmon, I’m always dead! I’m a skeleton, remember? By the way, I saw your…glorious return from death…when you popped out of that rather cute Human girl. It was kind of icky…a little too much blood and gore for my taste. I don’t really like icky and creepy things,” the skeleton said. “Now, remember; the two of us are not as strong as you’d like for us to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our power comes from the lives of all twelve of us. Our lives, Lilithmon, and nine of us are still not alive. As we are now, even a Human could kill us!” SkullCaliphmon laughed to himself. “As I am sure you are well aware…”

“…Right. I’ll have to remember that…”

“Now, who is that that your crony steps on?” SkullCaliphmon pointed at BioBeelzemon.

“That’s Apollomon,” BioBeelzemon said.

“Really? The Apollomon? The ruler of Lachesis? That Apollomon?” SkullCaliphmon looked down at the struggling Mega. “You, BioBeelzemon, and you, BioPremenitmon!” SkullCaliphmon looked at the two Bio Hybrids. “You two boneheads stand down! I haven’t killed anyone in a few hundred years; I want to make sure I haven’t lost my touch!”

“Yes, sir,” BioPremenitmon, still in the form of Aquarimon, immediately turned back into Sephyrus. BioBeelzemon reverted back to his Human form without another word. In an instant, Apollomon was back on his feet, standing face-to-face with SkullCaliphmon.

“Don’t be too depressed if I defeat you; I used to be quite powerful,” SkullCaliphmon said.

“I could say the same to you, except that I still am powerful,” Apollomon retorted. SkullCaliphmon whistled, looking impressed.

“Bold words, o mighty one! Let’s see if you live up to your reputation, then! If you lose, you’ll look like quite the bone-afied blowhard!”  SkullCaliphmon began laughing to himself.

“…Your puns are terrible, as I’m certain your fighting skills are,” Apollomon said. “Whatever; let’s get this over with!” Apollomon clenched his fists, and SkullCaliphmon swung his blade effortlessly through the air. Instinctively, I reached for mine, but I stopped myself.

Apollomon told me to wait here…Apollomon ordered me to wait here while he dealt with them…But there’s no way he can win! He still hasn’t fully recovered from when Lector stabbed him in the hip.

“Arrow of Apollo!”

“Grave Danger!” SkullCaliphmon raised his hand, with his palm upwards, and a giant tombstone emerged from the sand. Apollomon’s attack hit the tombstone, which then crumbled back into sand. “Now, dance, my tombs! Dance!” SkullCaliphmon began waving his enormous sword around in the air as if it were a conductor’s baton; countless tombs popped out of the sand and begun flying in the air around Apollomon. Every now and then, one of them would crash into him, shattering into a few jagged stones that would cut through his skin, and even his Phoebus Blow attack was strong enough to protect him. “Well? What do you think, mighty one? Am I strong or what?!”

“Solblaster!” The sphere of flames on Apollomon’s back spread itself out, enveloping all of the flying tombs in their flames and making them melt. “You’ve picked the wrong Digimon to fight, SkullCaliphmon!”

“I was just thinking that of you, Apollomon! Crossfire Hurricane!” SkullCaliphmon began swing his sword in a circle, and Apollomon’s flames followed suit. They began to form a ring of fire around Apollomon, leaving him in the middle of them. SkullCaliphmon then brought the blades of his sword down into the sand, making the flames swirl around the sky as a single stream of fire. The skeletal Digimon then pointed at Apollomon, and the flames struck Apollomon directly in the chest. “So, now what do you think? That attack has absolute command over wind, and it can even be used to manipulate flames like yours! If anything, you chose the wrong opponent!” Apollomon didn’t reply; he was screaming in pain and agony as he was burned by his own flames. The flames soon vanished, and Apollomon was left, brought down to one knee and covered in minor burns with steam flying off his body. He glared up at the opposing Mega level, and tore his bandages off from around his waist, throwing them to the side.

Apollomon…I’m sorry, but it looks like I’m going to have to disobey your orders again!

“I’m not…finished yet,” Apollomon said between labored breaths, as if he had read my mind.

“Well, then, by all mean; show me what else you’re capable of!” SkullCaliphmon cackled.

“Phoebus Blow!”

“Sirocco Sword!” Apollomon stood up, but he was forced back down once again when SkullCaliphmon swung his sword, striking him multiple times across the face, chest, and stomach. “Even a fire Digimon like yourself can’t help but scream in pain when struck with this sword, which strikes as painfully and sharply as the scorching sirocco wind, capable of reaching speeds as fast as a hurricane!” Apollomon raised a trembling arm and clenched his fist, preparing an Arrow of Apollo attack. “Sirocco Sword!” SkullCaliphmon swung his sword in the air once again, and Apollomon was knocked over onto his back by an unseen force. “See? I don’t even have to make contact, and this sword can still kick some major bony ass!”

“Excellent job, SkullCaliphmon,” Lilithmon said.

“What are you talking about? I’m not even finished with him yet! Sirocco Sword!” SkullCaliphmon brought his enormous sword downward towards Apollomon’s neck. I ran as fast as I could up to the skeletal Digimon, and sighed with relief when I saw that SkullCaliphmon’s sword made contact with mine, rather than Apollomon. “You…I remember you…You were in Mandala when Lilithmon was killed for the second time! I saw you get killed, meatbag! What are you doing still walking around?” SkullCaliphmon asked.

“He was wearing the necklace,” Lilithmon replied. “Your Horcrux.”

“My Horcrux…The Immortal Necklace…Well, I suppose that makes sense…Horcruxes infused with the soul of a Digimon gives whoever is in possession of that Horcrux any special abilities they have…I am immortal during special circumstances. I wonder if those circumstances apply to whoever wears the necklace.”

“…You said you were weak enough for a Human to kill you,” I said.

“Yes; the only reason Apollomon wasn’t able to do so was because I was able to perfectly counter his attacks,” SkullCaliphmon said. “I am weaker without all twelve of us here, and perhaps even you could easily kill me, Human.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way this…kid could defeat you!” Lilithmon said.

“…We shall see,” SkullCaliphmon said. The opposing Mega Digimon raised his sword and swung it at my head, barely missing it by a few inches. “Huh…this bonehead’s pretty fast. I like that! Makes the hunt that much more enticing! Keep running, being of flesh; make this game of cat and mouse as enjoyable as possible!”

“If it truly does take a Human to kill someone like you, then I shall do everything in my power to do so!” SkullCaliphmon threw his blade, narrowly missing my head once again. His sword kept flying through the air until it found its way into a tree of Lotisea Province several feet away.

“Damn it! Now my…frickin’ sword’s…stuck! This is why I hate frickin’ forests!”

Perfect! Hopefully…this will kill him! I ran up to the Mega Digimon and stabbed him in the side of his skull.

“…You…boner…” SkullCaliphmon brought his hand to the side of his head where my sword had struck, and several cracks had begun to form on his head. In a matter of seconds, his skeletal body dissolved and crumbled into dust, leaving his crown, cloak, and sword behind as his dust mixed into the sands of Cyprus Desert. Lilithmon stared, pale-faced and wide-eyed as I wiped the remnants of SkullCaliphmon off my blade.

“You…what…WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?!” Lilithmon shrieked.

“You can keep trying to bring your friends back from the Dark Area all you like; you will never prevail,” I said.

“That was…a job well done, Thomas,” Apollomon said as I helped the Mega Digimon stand up.

“DAMN YOU BOTH!” Lilithmon ran toward us, her right claw extended.

“Solblaster!” Apollomon threw a scorching orb that hit Lilithmon in the middle of her stomach, burning through her shirt and searing her skin.

“Milady, we must retreat for now,” Sephyrus said, bending down to pick up the partially buried necklace. “You cannot waste any more energy dealing with these fools.”

“…Fine. We must hurry and find the next Horcrux!” Lilithmon, protectively placing her left hand over her belly to cover the relatively minor burn, turned and ran off, with Michalis and Sephyrus close behind.

“Should we go after them, sir?” I asked.

“No…you would be unable to defeat all three of them by yourself, and I would be of no help to you as I am now,” Apollomon said. “Let’s return to the villa…I’m sure the others are wondering where we are, and I’m certain Zelda misses you. When we get back…I’ll tell you everything.”

Chapter 55: The Body in the Burlap

Thomas Kasuto

Mandrake Town

24 Hours

 

The Thanatos Bandits are different from other organization of bandits. For one, they’re a great deal more intelligent — some of them could even read — and very, well, organized. That, I’m sure, is what makes them more dangerous to fight than other bandit groups; they know how to read any sort of terrain well, and can — and will — cleverly plan out their formations on the spot as soon as they are faced with one from our group or, more uncommonly, a squad of Valencian Knights. They were also stronger than most other bandits, as banditry, to the Thanatos Bandits, is a way of life more than it is to other groups, and when they are not burning down settlements or killing innocent people, they would train day and night to strengthen their bodies. They were also more inclined to rape than other groups. The very sight of them made me feel ill — not because fighting them could be considered a challenge — but because they all reminded me of Clive. The two Human men whispering to each other also bore a striking resemblance to him in terms of the same glint of perversion in their eyes, and the same nasty grins. They stood in front of me, completely unaware of my presence as I hid myself in the shadows of a darkened hallway of a very old palace, abandoned for ages.

And these two are the leaders of this group, I thought. Once these two are taken out, the rest will fall like Flymon. I was concealed behind a stone archway, and Statuedramon stood directly across from me on a stout, square pedestal meant for a sculpture. He stood unmoving, without so much as blinking, making him look like an actual bronze statue. The two bandits finally finished speaking to each other and began to leave. They walked past Statuedramon; a devilish grin spread on his face, and he jumped off the pedestal, aiming to ambush the bandits and attack them with his sword and…he landed face first on the floor behind the two. I rolled my eyes. The bandits heard him fall and quickly turned around.

“‘Ey, dis thing ain’t really a statue!” one of the bandits said.

“That’s good; it was freakin’ me out!” the other bandit said. “It was too scary-lookin’ to steal!”

“Ow! Goddess, that fucking hurt!” Statch exclaimed. He picked himself up off the floor and rubbed the front of his snout. Their backs were to me as they observed Statuedramon as the Rookie level Digimon began to ramble on about…something. I wasn’t paying attention. I quietly drew my sword, and without making a noise, I ran across the hallway unnoticed, behind the bandits. I snuck up behind the one closer to me and clasped my hand over his mouth as I slit his throat with my sword. He was dead in an instant and hit the floor with a dull thud. His friend noticed and wheeled around to face me. I stabbed him in the chest as Statuedramon stabbed him in the lower back. He, too, hit the floor, dead, when we removed our swords. “Well, that was easy,” Statch said.

“What about the bandits they commanded?” I asked.

“Already dealt with,” Statch replied. “Hardly any Digimon among them; it was pretty easy.”

“So, we’re done here?” Statuedramon nodded.

“The people they’ve captured have been freed, the leaders are dead, and the other bandits completely vanquished,” the Rookie said. “Sounds like we’re done to me.”

Saias’s Villa

4 Hours

 

“Thomas, Statuedramon…welcome back,” Luna said as the two of us slowly and exhaustedly strode up to the villa. The witch sat herself on one of the chairs of the villa’s front porch, shaded from the bright light of the gently setting sun by the porch roof. “You weren’t gone nearly as long as I thought you would be.”

“That’s ‘cause the bandits took one look at me and ran like hell!” Statuedramon boasted as he jumped onto the porch. “Seriously. Some of them actually did that.”

“I thought you told me you killed them all,” I said.

“Oh, well, I did that, too, of course. Some of them ran, though.” I sighed, smiling down at the short Digimon as I reached for the front door. Luna grabbed my arm and forcefully pulled it closer to her.

“You’ve bled…you’re bleeding…again,” the witch stared at the back of my hand with a crazed look in her golden eyes.

“Yes, that does tend to happen in our particular line of work…Luna! Is that really necessary?!” I yanked my arm away just as Luna began licking up the wet blood that had stained it.

“Oh…oh, I’m sorry!” Luna’s face immediately flushed bright red once she had realized what she had done. “Sorry…I just…I saw all that blood, and…well, when I see blood, I just lose control of myself…”

“What else is new?” Statuedramon asked sarcastically. “There’s not even that much; just a small trickle…”

“Ooh, but now that I’ve tasted it, my stomach hungers for more!” Luna’s eyes were glued to the blood on my hand and running down my arm. She made another attempt to grab my arm, but I had moved too far away from her for her to reach me.

“Yes…well, you enjoy yourself,” I said. “Statch and I are going to get something to eat. Feel free to join us if you begin hungering for food instead of blood.” I opened the villa’s front door and was greeted by Zelda when Statch, Luna, and I walked inside. Smiling sweetly, she kissed me on the lips once I had closed the door behind me.

“I’m glad you’re back; I missed you,” she said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have gone with you…”

“It’s not your fault; it was Apollomon’s idea,” I said. “He said it was a good idea for the two of us to not go together when we’re out on jobs. He said if whoever we fight discovers we’re together, they’d be able to use that to their advantage by holding one of us hostage…or something to that effect.”

“A load of crap is what it is! The two of you can take care of yourselves!” Statuedramon said. “Also, I’m always there with you! When I’m around, nothing bad like that will ever happen! Does he really think I’d let something happen to you kids?!”

“Or maybe he doesn’t want you two to get distracted,” Luna suggested. “If you know what I mean.”

“Yes, well, all the same, I agree with Apollomon to a certain point. Zelda, I love you, and I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you, but I seriously think Apollomon might be overestimating the mental capabilities of some of the bandits we fight.”

“And that’s assuming some of them even have mental capabilities,” Statch added. “Hey, you still have that necklace Zelda gave you, right?”

“Of course I do.” I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the necklace that had once saved me from death. “I keep it in there so it won’t break.”

“If one of you was to be kidnapped by some bandits and held hostage or something, and the one that was being held hostage was wearing the necklace, then wouldn’t that ruin their plans?”

“I suppose it might…”

“Statuedramon, what if the one that isn’t wearing the necklace got kidnapped?” Luna asked. “They’d have an easily killable hostage, and then nothing would be accomplished.”

“Who would kill a hostage?! That’s just plain wasteful!” Luna and Statuedramon began arguing. Zelda sighed and walked closer to me. As I continued staring down at the necklace, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned but saw nobody.

“What’s wrong?” Zelda asked.

“I thought I saw……never mind. It’s nothing to worry about.” I was staring down at the beautiful gemstone in the center of the necklace when, without warning, an unseen force struck me in the head from behind, and I fell to the floor in a daze.

“Thomas! Are you okay?!” I heard Zelda ask. I was only half conscious, so it just as easily could have been anyone else. The room was spinning and my head was pounding, but when I reached up, I couldn’t feel any physical wound. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Hey, where’d the necklace go?!” Statuedramon asked. I looked into my hand and gasped; the necklace was nowhere to be seen. A knock on the door broke the silence. Hesitantly, Statuedramon opened the door.

“Nice to see you again, lizard.”

“…BioBeelzemon…” Statuedramon began slowly backing away from the open door. The Bio Hybrid followed him, holding a shotgun aimed right at Statch’s face.

“Sorry…but you won’t be needing this little trinket anymore,” BioBeelzemon grinned. Sephyrus suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind him, holding the necklace securely in one hand and a burlap sack in the other.

“I apologize that it had to come to this,” Sephyrus said. He carefully slid the necklace inside one of his robe’s pockets. “However, our lady is in dire need of this.” Sephyrus’s words pulled me out of my dazed stupor. With a small effort, I forced myself to stand up. “We do not have any explicit orders to bring any of you to harm, so I implore that you do not force us to do anything drastic.”

“Your lady…you mean…Lilithmon?” Statch looked up in horror at the two taller men. “But…Thomas killed her a year ago, didn’t he?”

“That’s right; but she’s back!” BioBeelzemon grinned down condescendingly at the shorter Digimon. Statuedramon glared at the two Bio Hybrids.

“…Give that necklace back,” he said through clenched teeth. “Zelda gave that to Thomas…It’s really important to him…”

“I have already explained that we are unable to do so,” Sephyrus said sadly. “However… The two of us are far from ungrateful; we’ll be more than happy to trade you something. We’ll let you have this in return for the necklace.” The priest tossed us a brown, burlap sack, which landed in the villa on the floor with a thud, indicating the presence of something solid inside. “If that is all, we’ll be taking our leave of you for now.” The two Bio Hybrids turned their backs to us and began walking away.

“Get back here, damn it!” Statch began running after the two.

“Don’t tell us what to do; Double Impact!” BioBeelzemon pulled out his guns and shot Statuedramon in the knees, making him fall helplessly to the ground. The two were soon out of sight, all of us alone at the front door with the sack Sephyrus had tossed to us.

“Statuedramon, are you okay?!” Zelda asked, kneeling down beside him. Shaking her head, Luna closed the door.

“Yeah…I’ll be okay…I’ve been hit by worse than this,” he smiled weakly. “I might need one of Luna’s potions, though…So, Thomas, what’s in the sack?”

Why do I have the feeling that there’s something alive in here? I knelt down and slowly opened the mouth of the sack. Or dead, from the smell of it…

“What’s going on? What happened out here?!” Apollomon and Chrysania came running downstairs. “Are you all okay?”

“Well, I got shot in the knees, but otherwise, I’m fine,” Statuedramon said. “Also, two of those Bio Hybrids showed up and stole the necklace Lilithmon said was a Horcrux, but we got a sack in return for it.”

“The Bio Hybrids?! They were here?!”

“Yeah, they said something about Lilithmon being back. So, Thomas, what’s in the sack?” Statch asked once more. I didn’t answer — well, it was more like I couldn’t answer. My eyes were completely transfixed on the contents of the sack. Nausea, dread, confusion…so many emotions and feelings were occurring all at once. I felt myself grow dizzy as tears began to well up in my eyes. “Thomas? What’s wrong, buddy? What’s in there?” I heard Apollomon’s heavy footsteps as the tall Mega Digimon walked up to me. “Thomas?” Apollomon opened the mouth of the sack wider, and gasped.

“……Irene…” Zelda’s face went completely colorless. Chrysania gave a chilling scream and Luna broke down in tears when they saw Irene’s mutilated corpse, thoroughly soaked in blood. Statuedramon slowly backed away from the sack. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t think. In all my years fighting bandits, I had never once seen a body this badly damaged; she had bled from practically every area of her body; her dress had been torn to shreds; her face was eternally frozen in wide-eyed, painful agony; there was a huge vertical split running down the front of her body. After a few minutes of gazing wistfully and silently at Irene, Apollomon finally knelt down and closed the mouth of the sack, tightly clenching his fist around it.

“I’ll…I’ll take care of it…” Apollomon gently picked up the sack containing Irene’s body and as he slowly walked outside, presumably to the villa’s backyard, I could hear him quietly choking back a sob.

“Thomas…is she…is Irene… really dead?” Statuedramon asked quietly. I nodded grimly. Luna had taken Chrysania upstairs, but I could still hear her crying hysterically. “Damn it, it was those two bastards who did it, wasn’t it?! How could they do something so horrible like that to such a sweet little girl?!”

“She didn’t…suffer…did she? Thomas? Did it…look like…she suffered?” Zelda asked tearfully.

“No…please…don’t make me remember it,” I said in a barely audible whisper. I tried to stand back up, but my legs were shaking too fiercely; I had to sit back down. Zelda sat down next to me and placed her arm around my shoulders. For a few moments, we sat together like that until Apollomon came back inside.

“Thomas…we’re going after them,” he said. His hands, arms, and chest were smeared with blood that I could only assume was Irene’s. “We’re going to find those two…and the two of us are going to make them pay.”

“Just the two of you?! By yourselves?! What about me?!” Statuedramon asked. “Those bastards killed Irene; I wanna hurt them, too!” Apollomon sighed. He fiddled with the blood-stained bandaged that were still wrapped around his torso, a nervous habit of his I noticed not long after his fight against Lector.

“You…are injured, Statuedramon. Zelda…take him up to Luna’s room so she can heal his legs.”

“Apollomon…do you know where they went?” I asked.

“They took your necklace, didn’t they?” Apollomon asked. “That means they’re headed for Cyprus Desert.”

“Apollomon, that makes no sense,” Statuedramon said. “At all.”

“I don’t have time to explain! We need to go! Now!” Apollomon grabbed one of my arms and hoisted me to my feet, and the two of us began running as fast as we could. “Zelda; you make sure to take Statch to Luna, okay?!” A confused ‘yes, sir’ was all I heard from her before Apollomon and I turned around a corner, and soon, the villa vanished from my line of sight.

Chapter 54: In the Flesh

Sephyrus

The Savage Prairie

Elphierr Territory

 

“Sephyrus, you actually remembered where I would show up…How…romantic,” Lilithmon said. Her ghostly form stood tall and loomed above us; she gave off a pale blue glow, and could partially be seen through.

“How could I forget? It was the first time I had ever laid eyes upon anything as breathtakingly beautiful as you,” I whispered. “And it was then…when we first met…when we decided to gather quintessence. My lady…would you consider joining us once more? We need your guidance.” 

“Yes…well…as tempting as gathering quintessence with you again sounds, I’m afraid I must decline. I have…other matters to attend to. I’m afraid I don’t have the luxury of finding any more. Now, I must hurry and find a body for my spirit before—”

“Hey, Lilithmon!” Adrian walked up to the Mega level Digimon. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were but angry slits, like those of a Sandiramon. “If you’re not going to look for quintessence anymore, then give me what you promised me for helping you! I worked my ass off for four years! The least you could do in return is give me what I asked for!”

“…What did I promise you? Oh…the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors,” Lilithmon sighed. My heart skipped a beat when she did. She was only a spirit, but her voice sounded the same as it did a year ago, and every time I heard her voice, my heart raced. “Honestly, Adrian; did you expect a story as ridiculous as that could ever be true? That story was only a myth, Adrian; the Legendary Warriors, the Spirits…they were never real.”

“What?! I…I’ve been working my ass off, risking my life, for NOTHING?!” Nobody noticed the faintest of smiles on my lips. I, of course, knew that Lilithmon had been lying to Adrian all along, as she had been doing to Irene, and all of the other Bio Hybrids. I simply counted myself among the lucky for not desiring anything for loyally serving the beauteous Lilithmon.

“It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?” Lilithmon’s pale ruby lips twisted into a wry smile. Her ebon robes fluttered in a passing breeze.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“I’m afraid not; now, step aside.”

“Oh, no; don’t think I’m going to let you get away so easily!” Adrian pulled his Bio Link Digivice from his pocket, placing the palm of his hand over it. “Bio Hybrid DNA Charge! Bio Hybrid Digivolve to, BioArbormon!”

“…Are you making an attempt to intimidate me, Adrian?” Lilithmon asked, a bored look forming on her ghostly face. “In case you’ve forgotten what Sephyrus told you…I’m a ghost. I have no physical form. You are incapable of hurting me. However, if you insist on fighting me, allow me to find a body worthy of me, first.” Lilithmon turned her back to the Bio Hybrid. She began smiling once again. “You may not have to wait long…I believe I have found…the perfect vessel for my spirit!” Lilithmon raised a translucent right arm, and pointed at Irene. “Irene…you’ll do. They don’t come more endearing than you.” With a scared look on her face, Irene cowered behind me, tightly gripping the sleeve of my robe.

“Do not resist, child; it will be less painful for you,” I said.

“No…please…”

I grabbed Irene’s arm and hoisted her effortlessly up off the ground. “She’s all yours, Milady.”

Michalis and even BioArbormon looked on with looks of fright and shock on their normally dour faces as Lilithmon’s spirit dove into Irene. The young girl shrieked an ear-splitting cry for my help. In the blink of an eye, Lilithmon’s ghostly form was nowhere to be seen, and I dropped Irene into the grass just as she coughed up a small puddle of blood.

“Irene? Are…you okay?” Michalis asked nervously.

“Irene…is no longer with us. I…am in control!” Lilithmon began laughing maniacally and uncontrollably, though this only resulted in her coughing up more blood. “Damn it…can’t…control…” Lilithmon lifted up one of Irene’s arms just as one of her fingers fell clean off. Veins began bulging out everywhere, and many areas of her skin ripped open at random and began surging and oozing with blood. Her small dress became ripped and tattered in some areas.

“Mother…what’s happening?!” Michalis asked.

“My lady, what is going wrong?!” I asked. Lilithmon slowly turned her head to me, and I could see that Irene’s eyes had widened considerably in pain. She was breathing heavily, and clenching her fists as hard as she was able to.

“She’s…struggling…too powerful…need more…quintessence…” she then turned to look at Michalis, and pointed at him. “You…kill…Adrian…Give me…his…quintessence…”

“Understood,” Michalis nodded. “Bio Hybrid DNA Charge! Bio Hybrid Digivolve to, BioBeelzemon!” BioBeelzemon unholstered his shotguns and pointed them at BioArbormon’s head. “Sorry I’ve got to do this to you…just taking care of business. You understand.”

“How can you still work for her, Michalis?! For all you know, she may not give you what she promised you!” BioArbormon said. “She’s not even your mother! Your mother was the woman you murdered! Don’t let her trick you like this! You’re smarter than that, right?”

“I…was promised nothing. Do you know why? Because I wanted nothing in return for my services…for my mother! I was turned into a Bio Hybrid unwillingly at a young age! I was taken away from my ‘real’ mother, and given power…more power than I could have ever dreamed of! This power I have now…it is the only thing I need. See you later…Adrian; Double Impact!” BioBeelzemon’s attack hit BioArbormon in the shoulders, knocking him over onto his back. Adrian tried to get back up, but Michalis slammed his foot into the middle of his chest, pinning him to the grassy field. “Any last words before I snatch away your life force, Adrian?”

“…You haven’t won yet. Don’t get cocky, you little bastard,” BioArbormon said. “What do you think I’ve been doing this week; nothing? No, no, no…I’ve been training. And you know what? I’ve learned your special trick, Michalis.”

“No…you mean—”

“Roundhouse Punt!” BioArbormon punched BioBeelzemon in the face with enough force to knock the taller Bio Hybrid off his feet. Adrian then stood back up just as he began to glow with the light of Digivolution. “BioArbormon Digivolve to, BioPetaldramon!”

“So…you are capable, after all,” BioBeelzemon said. A wily grin formed on his face, and he said, “Good…this might actually prove to be a challenge! And you know how I hate being bored!”

“Thorn Jab!” BioPetaldramon thrust his tail into the ground. Thorny vines burst from the earth around the shorter BioBeelzemon which held him in place. “Leaf Cyclone!” BioPetaldramon released a maelstrom of leaves from his nostrils, many of which ripped through BioBeelzemon’s clothes and tore through his skin.

“Hurry…up…” Lilithmon wheezed. Irene’s petite body had become completely covered in her own blood, and her clothes completely soaked.

“You ain’t goin’ anywhere!” BioPetaldramon yelled.

“Well, this has been fun, Adrian,” BioBeelzemon said. The expression on his face was as calm as ever. “But now…it’s time to say goodbye.”

“You got that right, kid! So long!” To BioPetaldramon’s surprise, the ensnared Bio Hybrid broke his right arm free of the thorny vines and snapped his fingers, summoning forth a huge, cannon-like blaster that became integrated to his free arm.

“Corona Blaster!” The weapon on BioBeelzemon’s arm fired a destructive wave of bright fuchsia-colored energy at the larger Bio Hybrid, who roared and screamed loudly enough to shake the air itself.

“Damn it…yesterday’s ally…is today’s enemy,” BioPetaldramon muttered as he became completely enveloped in the light of BioBeelzemon’s attack.

“Excellent…Job well done, Michalis,” I said. BioPetaldramon’s body vanished, leaving Adrian’s horribly burned and very dead body behind.

“Quintessence…Give me…his quintessence…ALL OF IT!” Lilithmon was now gasping for air; her skin had become pale and glistening with sweat and blood, making her appear almost translucent. She began dragging herself through the grass toward Adrian’s motionless and unbreathing body.

“Of course, my lady; sit tight for just a moment,” I said. She finally managed to drag her way all the way over to Adrian’s body and wrapped her small hand around one of his legs just before passing out.

“She’s not dead, is she?!” Michalis asked. “My…mother…”

“No, but she will be if I don’t hurry.”

Lilithmon

10 Minutes

 

Before, there was only darkness around me. Now, I stood tall, flesh and bone once more. I was soaked in blood, but I didn’t care; I was just thrilled to be back again.

“My lady…it seems I was successful,” Sephyrus said, kneeling before me.

“Is it always this…bloody, mother?” Michalis asked, grimacing and looking away from me and the corpse of Irene that lay at my feet.

“Yes, it is, my son,” I said, looking at Irene. She had become a disfigured mess of blood, and had a vertical split down the front of her body from which I had emerged, thus explaining the blood that had me completely drenched. Her face was permanently contorted with the agony I had felt mere moments before I had blacked out. “The only other time I did this…it wasn’t so difficult. The woman whose body I took over, she offered no resistance. Irene, I suppose, struggled so much because she had the life force of a Human and a Digimon within her. With the life force of two in that tiny body, I guess she just couldn’t handle a third.”

“Irene was quite strong to begin with, milady,” Sephyrus said. “Michalis…are you uncomfortable with the sight of blood?”

“Well, no, but…you can see her insides and everything…”

“This coming from the young man who stabbed his pregnant mother to death?” I asked, partially amused.

“And his father,” Sephyrus added. Michalis turned away.

“Victoria…was not…my mother,” he said in a darkened tone of voice. “Lilithmon…you are my mother.” Lilithmon gave the young Bio Hybrid a kind smile.

“Well, Milady? You still have the two of us at your service. What will you have us do?” I turned to face the two of them, but mainly looked at Sephyrus.

“Do you remember…the day I died?” I asked. “You stabbed Thomas, but he didn’t die…because of his necklace. That necklace…it is a Horcrux. I need it. I need the other nine just like it.”

“So…you want us to break into that villa where they all live and steal that necklace?” Michalis asked.

“If you would be so kind.”

“It shall be as Milady wishes,” Sephyrus said.

Chapter 53: A Chat Amongst Friends

Lilithmon

The Dark Area

 

“That damned Thomas! Just because he and that stupid lizard managed to defeat me doesn’t make them stronger than me! They’d better not be thinking that up there!” I pouted, sitting cross-legged on one of the many floating rocks of the Dark Area. Even after two-hundred years, it looked exactly the same as it had the last time I saw it; a dull orange surrounding, a myriad of floating rocks, and completely bone dry. “Well, no matter; I think it’s been long enough. I’ll just go see DeathPhantomon so I can—”

“So you can…what, Lilly?!” A loud, almost mechanical voice said from behind me. Turning around, my mouth gaped in horror as I saw Machinedramon standing behind me. “You’re here with US now, and you must deal with the consequences of your actions!”

Oh, no…they’ve found me!

“Indeed,” another voice said from behind me, and this time when I turned around, I saw a Digimon emerge from another rock, tunneling his way from the bottom. He was a tall, skeletal Digimon, carrying a two-bladed sword. “It’s time to begin your eternal torment!” SkullCaliphmon laughed.

“Eternal torment? Whatever for? What have I done?!” I asked, a look of fear and confusion I could see spreading across my beautiful face in the reflection of Machinedramon’s armor.

“Have you forgotten your promise so soon, Lilly dear?” another Digimon said, hovering slowly down from a rock further up to look me in the eye. He was a heavily armored knight that towered over me and even SkullCaliphmon. “You promised you would find a way to free us from the Dark Area. Instead, you chose to spend your time looking for meaningless quintessence and make a pitiful attempt for ruling Arcadia,” Generalmon said, his enormous axe instantly materializing in his hands. As I looked at my closest, and only, friends, I noticed tears began to well up in my eyes. Another rock floated past, but a large Digimon struck it, shattering it into thousands of pieces.

“You’ve betrayed all ten of us, Lilithmon!” Hydramon said. “You’ve left us all here to suffer in this bone dry pit!”

“All those centuries we’ve waited for you to free us, while you were out having fun! Have you any idea how long we’ve waited for you to help us?!” Horusmon said, emitting a piercing shriek similar to that of a falcon as he soared through the air past me.

“We have been here for 200 years,” Lucemon said, hovering silently behind me, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. “That is precisely 73,000 days, 1,752,000 hours, 105,120,000 seconds...”

“And not once…during any of those wasted seconds have you even attempted to free us!” Belphemon said, his booming voice making even the air quake.

“My friends...please, listen to me! I was searching for the quintessence so that I would be able to free you!” I protested, backing away from my angered friends. “It’s not my fault that the door to the Dark Area requires so much quintessence to open up!” As I continued to back away, I soon backed into yet another Digimon. “Myotismon! You believe me, don’t you? Come on...tell the others that I needed all of that quintessence to open the door to the Dark Area.” Myotismon continued to look down at me, his stern facial expression not changing. “Myotismon...please...tell them—”

“Enough of your excuses, wench!” Myotismon said angrily, slapping me across the face. “You desired all that quintessence for you alone. Crimson Lightning!” Myotismon’s attack struck me across the chest, bringing me to my knees.

“Now THIS is a good look for you, Lilithmon; you ought to bow down to your superiors more often,” Lupinemon growled, slowly approaching me as I quickly got back up to my feet. I began backing away once again until Lupinemon cornered me against a rock.

“Please...I can free you...please, just give me another chance...” I sobbed, tears sliding down my face as a large Digimon carrying a scythe hovered up to me. “DeathPhantomon...you were the one who freed me last time...you can do it again...can’t you?” Though DeathPhantomon’s single, glowing red eye appeared glued to my large breasts, a long, slightly misshapen black tongue — at least, I hoped it was a tongue — came from underneath DeathPhantomon’s hood and lapped up the tears sliding down my face.

“Ahh, the sweet taste of fear,” DeathPhantomon said with a sigh. “Thy face is slathered in it!”

“Those are tears, DeathPhantomon,” Lupinemon said in an annoyed growl.

“Honestly, must you overdramatize everything you say?” Horusmon asked.

“And do you need to be so…creepy about everything? You’re even creepier than Lucemon over there!” SkullCaliphmon said. “And that is one creepy little shit, lemme tell ya!’”

“Lucemon chooses to ignore this statement,” Lucemon said, his voice as hollow and monotone as ever.

“How…do you know all of this?!” I asked. “You’ve been here for two hundred years…how could you possibly know what I’ve been doing?!”

“My crystal sphere,” DeathPhantomon cackled with glee as he pointed to the necklace around his neck. “With this…I am capable of seeing every action of whomever I wish!”

“I’m sick of all this talking!” Belphemon roared. “We should just kill her now and get it over with!”

“Wait, please! I can still help you! I can still get you out of here!” I pleaded. “Please…just give me another chance!”

“…Give us one good reason why we should not kill you,” Myotismon said.

“Other than the fact that we can’t die since we’re here, of all places,” Hydramon mumbled, looking around the barren Dark Area.

“Because…I’m the only one who can get you out,” I said.

“Don’t even try to kiss up to us with that old excuse, Lilly,” Lupinemon said.

“Yeah; who’s to say you really would free us even if we did let you out?” SkullCaliphmon asked.

“…Because this time, I know you’re all watching me,” I said. “Also…I found one of your Horcruxes before I was killed. All I need to do is get my hands on it, and I can free one of you! After that, I can work towards freeing the rest of you! If you so deem it.”

“…Very well, Lilly. You have earned yourself that second chance,” Myotismon said.

“Tell me, Lilithmon; can you be trusted?” Machinedramon asked.

“Of COURSE she can’t!” Belphemon said.

“And yet…if we desire our freedom, we have no other option,” SkullCaliphmon said.

“But all an eternity to punish her should she again deceive us,” Generalmon said to the skeletal Digimon. My legs began to tremble as I began to break out in a nervous sweat, and I could hear my stomach whine and growl with a queasy unease.

“Well, I’m convinced,” DeathPhantomon said. “Whether I get freed from this wonderful place…or I am able to punish Lilithmon and stay here…it makes no difference to me! I would be happy with either outcome! Spirit Influx!” The eyes on the skull adorning DeathPhantomon’s scythe shined a bright crimson red, enveloping me in their light until I, once more, became a spirit, floating weightless through the dry air. All eyes were on me as I slowly lifted up.

“Lilithmon…you do remember where our Horcruxes are hidden…do you not?” Myotismon asked.

“O—Of course I do,” I laughed nervously. Myotismon rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry; in no time at all, you’ll all be free from the Dark Area, and we’ll all be able to continue where we left off five hundred years ago!”

Sephyrus

The Savage Prairie

Elphierr Territory

 

“Thank you all for coming here today, my friends,” I said. The four of us sat atop rocks dotting the prairie’s landscape. The hot sun was high in the sky, and the melodic sound of a Biyomon chirping could be heard in the distance.

“What is this all about?” Michalis asked. 

“This better be important,” Adrian said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with quintessence, does it?!”

“I have been coming here every day for the week,” I said. “It is at this spot that I first met Lilithmon…two hundred years ago.”

“…Two…hundred? But…you don’t look that old,” Irene said. I laughed.

“No, my dear; it is the quintessence the two of us have found over the years that has kept me looking the same age I was when I first met Lilithmon. It can grant an eternal life…remember?”

“Is immortality the only thing quintessence is capable of?” Adrian asked. “If it is…that’d be pretty boring…”

“No. It is capable of changing one’s appearance, for starters.”

“That’s…that’s how Lilithmon killed my mother,” Irene said.

“In addition to changing one’s appearance and extending one’s lifespan, it is how we were all able to become Bio Hybrids.”

“You mean, it can merge a Human with a Digimon?” Michalis asked.

“Correct; it is also capable of fusing two Digimon together through the process of D.N.A. Digivolution.”

“…So, what do you think would happen if you fused two Humans together?” Adrian asked.

“Both would die. Believe me; I’ve—”

“Sephyrus, as…interesting as I find all of this, you still have not told us why you needed us all to come here today,” Michalis said. “You told us this was where you first met my mother when she had just left the Dark Area; that I get. But why did you need the three of us here?”

He still thinks of Lilithmon as his mother…This could prove to be beneficial…

“Yeah! If Lilithmon was trapped in the Dark Area for three hundred years before freeing herself, who’s to say she wouldn’t stay there for another three hundred?” Adrian asked.

“Because…after I introduced her to the concept of quintessence…she told me something,” I said. “She told me that she had friends in the Dark Area…ten of them. They are ten of the strongest and most evil Digimon to ever walk on Arcadia. She told me that they were waiting for her to free them…for her to find their Horcruxes. Now, since she’s been doing everything but that for the last two hundred years, I would imagine those Digimon would be a tad miffed about her ignoring them.”

“…And that’s why you’ve been coming here,” Michalis said. “This is where she appeared the last time she left the Dark Area…you figured it would only be a matter of time before she would be released again, lest she face the wrath and scorn of those Digimon.”

“Correct.”

“So, if she doesn’t show herself today…us coming here would prove to be a waste of time.”

“It’s been two weeks since she was killed; surely, she’ll be surfacing any day now.”

“How…how did it happen?” Irene asked. “Did she just…come out of the ground? Or, did she—” Irene was interrupted by an abrupt, raging tempest that had quickly and unexpectedly rose up from the ground. The generated wind was quite strong; it was almost strong enough to move the rocks we sat on. I quickly grabbed hold of Irene out of fear that she would be blown away.

“What the hell’s going on?!” Adrian asked.

“This is it! She’s coming!” I excitedly looked at the violently shaking grass; it almost seemed as though the sky darkened in color as clouds raced across it. A bright but pale blue ring of light instantly materialized in the middle of all of this. My grin widened as I saw the top of Lilithmon’s head pop up from the center of the ring. This vast feeling of happiness and excitement I felt only increased as the form of her phantasmal, translucent, and ghostly spirit came into view. “My lady…it is with warmest tidings that I bid you welcome to this plane of existence once more.”

“Oh…how charming it is to see you all again,” Lilithmon said, an evil and beautiful smile forming on her pale ruby lips. “You actually came here to meet with me again, Sephyrus? How romantic…”

Chapter 52: Beneath a New Light

You have finished the first half of my story. Unless, of course, you decided to skip it and jump all the way to this part, in which case, I implore you to stop being an impatient little sod and read the first half. If you have, in fact, read the first half — good. The previous statement does not apply to you.

This half of the story takes place one year after the events of the previous one. As you may remember from the previous story, Lilithmon was ultimately slain in battle. She vowed she would return — and return, she did. Only this time…the evil she would continue to spread would magnify itself to be untold thousands of times worse than before. This time, when freed from the Dark Area…she brought its darkness with her. Be prepared for the worst as you read on.

There has been little to no change to Lachesis since the story left off. They all work hard under Apollomon’s rule, working to undo the mistakes of the Valencian knights, and to rid the world of the Thanatos Bandits. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to rebuild their old fortress from when it was destroyed by Flamedramon…however, as Saias has allowed them to live in his villa, that hasn’t proved to be too insurmountable an obstacle. Following Saias’s death, it was discovered that the warrants for the arrest of everyone in Lachesis had been rendered null and void, and everyone had been able to roam the streets of Yew freely, without worry of being taken away by a knight.

Flamedramon hadn’t been spotted since he was last seen with the members of Lachesis in Mandala City. Nobody seemed to know where he went off to. Abigail, too, had seemingly vanished; apparently, she had promised to accompany the others to Mandala to help them fight Lilithmon. Nobody seemed to know where Irene had gone, either. Whether some of them would admit it or not, I know the members of Lachesis consider those two to be trusted and invaluable friends…friends worth dying for…and friends worth living for.

Apollomon still hasn’t fully recovered from the wound inflicted by Lector. He can still move, but in a fight…he does not appear to be able to do as well as anyone might hope he could.

Zelda, understandably, had taken the news of her sister’s death pretty hard…and though each day, she would bless us all with the sight of her beautiful smile, every now and then, Thomas would find her alone, crying. She and Thomas are now lovers.

At this point in time, Apollomon still hadn’t told anyone what a Horcrux is…all Thomas knows is that his necklace is one, and that it saved him from death. Apollomon promised he would tell Thomas, but it would not be until much later until he would divulge that information…well, that’s okay. Thomas still hadn’t told him about the Digimon he had met in Yew...Seraphimon. At the time, Thomas had completely forgotten about him, with everything that had been going on…with Lilithmon’s death…with his own…

I thank you for reading this short interlude to the latter half. Without further ado, let us continue onward to the story. Once again, this part begins with Lilithmon, once more in the Dark Area. The following takes place roughly two weeks since the death of Lilithmon.

~Wisemon

Chapter 51: Life Returns

Sephyrus

Mandala

 

Lilithmon was gone. Thomas and Zelda left. Flamedramon was nowhere to be seen. Everything was peaceful and silent in Mandala, save for the occasional slow surge of water that could be hear every now and again.

“…Are they gone?” I heard Michalis ask.

“So…the two of you were faking, as well?” I asked.

“Well, not the entire time; I admit I was unconscious for a few minutes, there,” Adrian said.

“Me, too,” I admitted, laughing slightly. “I don’t think any of them noticed…but you did, didn’t you?” Michalis and Adrian looked at me, slightly confused. “You can come out, Irene; we aren’t going to hurt you.” The small girl walked out from behind a marble column

“I…I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize, my dear; you were confused and frightened, and you simply didn’t want to get in the middle of that fight,” I said. “Having felt only a small amount of Dynasmon’s power, I can say for sure; none of you would want to experience that…”

“So…what should we do?” Michalis asked. “Now that mother’s dead…what should we do?”

“What do you mean, Michalis? What else is there to do?” Adrian asked. “We’re…just going to have to disband…”

“Disband?! But, I…I don’t have anywhere to go…”

“Unless you’ve got a better idea, that’s pretty much our only option.”

“Adrian is correct; we have but one option,” I said. “However, it is not the one he says. The only option we truly have…is to gather quintessence in Lilithmon’s stead.”

“Oh…that stuff, again?” Adrian asked.

“Are you displeased with my suggestion?”

“Well, it’s just that…I’m not sure if that stuff is really worth looking for anymore, with Lilithmon dead and all…”

“Of course it is! Have you forgotten everything it is capable of, Adrian? Don’t you want an eternal life?” I asked.

“…Whatever…”

Thomas Kasuto

Saias’s Villa

1 Hour

 

“Apollomon! By Goddess Arcadia, are you okay?!” I asked. The large Mega Digimon was laying down, eyes closed, across a couch in the villa’s living room. Blood-stained bandages were wrapped around his torso.

“He’ll be fine,” Dianamon said. “…Thomas…Saias and Lector are both dead.”

“…Oh…Well, I knew that Saias was a Bio Hybrid,” I said. “He and Apollomon must’ve fought…”

“Nobody ever tells me anything!” Statch pouted.

“So, why is Lector dead?” I asked.

“Because I killed him,” Dianamon said in a surprisingly casual voice. “He was the one who stabbed Apollomon…I can only surmise that he learned that Apollomon killed Saias, based on what Lector did to him…Lector died with a smile on his face.”

“…Why do these things have to happen?” Zelda whispered. I gave her small and dainty hand a reassuring squeeze.

“…Thomas…you’ve seen Irene recently, haven’t you?” Dianamon asked.

“Yes…she went with me to Mandala,” I said. “When we started fighting against Lilithmon, and against the other Bio Hybrids…I guess that’s when she just ran off…I don’t know where she went…”

“What about Flamedramon? He disappeared, too,” Zelda said.

“He really saved us down there,” I said. “If he hadn’t found Dynasmon’s Talisman…or, if he weren’t there to help us fight against BioArbormon and BioBeelzemon…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it; everyone did a good job but me,” Statch grumbled.

“The important thing is not how well you did. You were there with them…you fought alongside them — brief though it may have been — and you never gave up. At least, not intentionally,” Apollomon said.

“Oh, Apollomon, you’re awake!” Dianamon said. “You should get some more rest, sir.”

“What’s important is that you made the effort to help out your friends. As long as you can remember that, and not the actual results of how well you did, then you really have done a good job,” Apollomon said.

“Oh, really? Well, if that’s the case, then I guess I did better than you two!” Statch laughed.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Dianamon said. “Oh, and before I forget, when I was dragging Apollomon back here, I found this note on the door addressed to you, Thomas.” I took the paper from the Mega Digimon and began reading it.

Thomas,

If you are reading this, then I am dead. And if I am dead, then that means either you or one of your friends must have killed me. Either way, I give to you both my congratulations and my sincerest apologies. The things I have done as of late…may not have justified what I was attempting to accomplish, but just know that, in spite of what I may have done, I fought my hardest on behalf of my beliefs. I only wished to create a better world for the Marked…and the only person who could have helped me with that was Lilithmon. Just know that I never would have wished anything that may have happened (if anything did happen) on any of you. Even now, as a Bio Hybrid, I consider you all to be my good friends, and while I know I do not deserve any forgiveness, I have only this to say; my friends, I am deeply sorry. As a token gesture, I will allow you to continue living in my villa for as long as you like or need.

Saias

“All right! I fucking love this place!” Statuedramon exclaimed.

“Well…if that is what he wishes, then it would be remiss of us to refuse, wouldn’t it?” Apollomon asked, a sad smile appearing on his face.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to go get something to eat!” Statuedramon exclaimed, running to the kitchen.

“…Thomas…is there anything wrong?” Apollomon asked.

“…I recently learned who it was that murdered Victoria,” I said. “It was Michalis. Her very own son killed her…and her unborn child…”

“Is he still alive?” Dianamon asked.

“Yes; so are Adrian and Sephyrus,” I said. “I just…I couldn’t bring myself to kill him, or any of them for that matter. I didn’t want become…someone like him. Victoria taught me that blood leads only to blood, and violence begets violence. Nothing more. Revenge is simply another name for murder, and there is no forgiveness for wanton murder. Any good man must always condemn it. But still, you must abide it. You must sever the chain of hatred for once and for all, because if we allow hatred and fear to prevail, the world will be swallowed by them. If ultimate understanding can be reached, then we may still have a chance to be saved from ourselves.”

“Looks like you learned more than swordplay from her after all,” Apollomon said.

“Of course; it was because of her that I discovered there actually are good people in the world, and not…just thieves and murderers.”

Apollomon smiled. “You were lucky to have met her.”

“I’m not sure if it was luck,” I said. “She had lost a son…I had lost a mother, negligent and uncaring though she may have been…It seems as though we were destined to meet.”

“Well now, I suppose if you put it that way…”

“Apollomon…I have another question for you,” I said. “Do you know…what a Horcrux is?”

“…Why do you want to know?” I pulled up the necklace that still hung around my neck.

“Lilithmon said that this necklace was a Horcrux. I don’t know what that means, but I do know that it saved me from dying.”

“From dying? How is that possible?” Dianamon asked. “It’s just a…small pendant!”

“I was stabbed in the chest by a shape-shifter who had turned into Omnimon. This necklace lit up, and the stab wound disappeared.”

“…Horcrux…another word I never thought I would hear,” Apollomon said. “I will…tell you what they are later. I’m not sure when…but right now, I must rest…”

“We should probably rest too, Thomas,” Zelda said.

“Yes; everything we all went through would tire out anyone,” I said. The two of us left Dianamon and Apollomon and started going upstairs.

“…Um…is it…is it alright if I tell you something else?” she asked as the two of us arrived upstairs. “I said it in Mandala….but I’d like to say it again properly…if it’s okay with you…”

“Of course.” She looked at me nervously, so I smiled at her, hoping to put her mind at ease.

“I…I…I love you.” The last two words just barely came out of her mouth. “I’ve…had a crush on you…since I’ve joined…You’ve just always been so kind to me…you’re so brave, and strong, and…my goodness, you’re just so handsome…I…I’m starting to feel a bit faint…” I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. I felt the same. The nervousness was making me feel dizzy…and happy.

“Oh, Thomas, I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean—”

I placed my arms around her. “Zelda, you know I love you, too. I’d have told you sooner…but…I was afraid…afraid that you’d say no…” Zelda looked up at me, teary-eyed and smiling.

“…I never thought…I would find someone who cares about me…like you,” she whispered. “I feel…so much less alone now…Thomas…”

“I’m sorry I took so long,” I said. “I promise…I’ll do everything in my power to keep you from feeling alone, or sad…ever again.” The two of us headed for our bedrooms, and as we did, Zelda gave me a quick kiss on the lips that made my heart soar.

IceDevimon

 

I smiled to myself as I flew into a hidden cave in the Black Rose Mountains. It’s been a while since I’ve been back here…always great to get back home again. I looked around the dimly lit, musty cave and sighed happily; everything was encased in ice…as it should be.

“Welcome back, my lord,” a voice from the entrance of the cave echoed.

“Asuramon…it’s good to see you again,” I said as the Ultimate Digimon approached me. “How have you been?”

“Things have been going rather slowly since you’ve left,” Asuramon said. “Parrotmon and I have been required to do everything by ourselves ever since you were nearly killed, and Luna left us.”

“So…were you able to discover anything?”

“No, sir; we were unable to find the locations of any of the Horcruxes.”

“Is that so…well, don’t worry about it; Lilithmon isn’t an idiot. She wouldn’t have hid the other Horcruxes in a place where they could be easily found. For now, let’s just wait for Parrotmon to return, and we can figure out what to do from there.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Also…have you heard anything from Zudomon?”

“Not for a while, my lord. We’ve heard rumors of a Horcrux up in Nymphaea Province; when Zudomon heard the rumor a few months ago, he set off for the province immediately. I expect he’s searching hard for the Horcrux.”

“Yes…he’s always been a diligent one,” I murmured. “I suppose he should be arriving back any day now…”

“I should hope so, my lord. Even for a Digimon like him who’s accustomed to the cold, a place like Nymphaea can be lethal.” 

Chapter 50: Requiem for the Fallen

Zelda

Mandala

 

I looked nervously around the ancient city. Statuedramon, Adrian, and Michalis were all unconscious. Thomas and I exchanged glances. We both knew that Lilithmon had to be stopped or soon, we would all be dead.

“Shadow Evolution! Splashmon!” BioPremenitmon once again became covered in shadows before taking the form of the enormous Digimon Splashmon.

“Fire Rocket!”

“Hydro Pressure!” Splashmon shot water from his fingertips, striking down Flamedramon from the air and dousing the flames covering his body.

“And now…you two are the only ones left,” Lilithmon said, looking at Thomas and me.

Gallantmon has left me…Statuedramon is unconscious, and Flamedramon is nearly there…Irene is nowhere to be seen…and SaberLeomon needs to rest…this is the strongest Digimon I have…I can’t let Thomas fight Digimon as powerful as these two! “Come forth, Vajramon!”

“You called, Milady?” Vajramon asked.

“Oh, please; this shouldn’t even be considered a challenge!” Splashmon said. “Shadow Evolution! Taomon!”

“Those two must be stopped,” I said. “I…need you to…to…to destroy…them…”

“Understood; Deva Blade!”

“Talisman of Light!” Taomon leapt into the air, dodging Vajramon’s attack, and began to paint a design in the air with a large brush. The design shone itself onto Vajramon’s chest, creating a gigantic explosion that completely annihilated the Digimon Spirit. “Shadow Evolution! Premenitmon!” The Bio Hybrid returned to his original form as the lizard. “There is…no more hope for the two of you!”

“Make sure you gather their quintessence when you kill them,” Lilithmon ordered.

“Of course, Milady; which one should I kill first?” BioPremenitmon asked.  

“Kill…the girl first. Maybe that will bring some emotion to the boy’s face!”

“NO!” Thomas ran in front of me, placing himself between the Bio Hybrid and me. “Stay away from her! Fight me instead! Do what you want to me, but I will not let you hurt the woman I love!”

The woman…that he… My eyes widened as I stared at his back. My heart was hit with all sorts of emotions, all of them joyous and confusing. Thomas…you…you…

“So be it. Shadow Evolution! Omnimon! Transcendent Sword!” From Omnimon’s left hand emerged a great and shining sword which he used to pierce clear through Thomas’s body. Omnimon’s sword retracted as he turned back into BioPremenitmon. Thomas fell backward into my arms, gasping for air.

“Thomas! THOMAS! NO! NO, YOU CAN’T DIE! THOMAS!!!!” Tears began falling down my face as I called out his name over and over. His mouth opened, and blood spilled out.

“Yes, he’s dead!” Lilithmon said excitedly. “All those who dare stand against my Bio Hybrids…all those who dare stand against me…they will all share in the same fate! They will all be exterminated, and their quintessence extracted!” I paid no intention to Lilithmon’s rambling; my arms were tightly around Thomas’s body, and becoming stained with blood as more and more gushed out of the wound BioPremenitmon inflicted. His face had gone pale. He stopped breathing, and had gone cold.

“THOMAS!!!!!!” His blood had stained my clothes, my arms, and my stomach, though I barely noticed.

“He’s…really…dead?” Flamedramon said, breaking heavily.

“Yes, he is!” Lilithmon exclaimed. “Look! He’s even stopped breathing now!”

“…No…Something isn’t right,” BioPremenitmon said. “After that attack…where is his quintessence…? I can’t sense it…”  I looked down at his chest, and to my surprise, around his neck, I could see through the tears in my eyes the necklace I had given him when I was accepted into Lachesis. It wasn’t the fact that he was wearing it that surprised me; it was the fact that the gem in the middle of it was glowing light blue.

“That necklace…could it be?!” Lilithmon gasped. “An item…with a portion of my friend’s soul inside?!” The three of us looked at Thomas, gasping in surprise as the wound on his chest closed up. The necklace stopped emitting light, and Thomas opened his eyes. He gasped, and began coughing up blood. “It is! That necklace…it’s a Horcrux!”

“Thomas! Thomas, you’re alive! You’re alive! Oh, Thomas…Thomas…Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Unable to control myself, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly, savoring the feeling of the newfound warmth of his body.

“Zelda…what happened? I was attacked…by Premenitmon…I got stabbed…didn’t I die?” he asked. He looked at me with a concerned expression on his face when he noticed that I was covered with his blood.

“I don’t understand…what just happened…but it seems evident that you’re quite the lucky bastard,” Flamedramon said.

“T—Thomas…you’re….back…” Thomas looked up at me and smiled. I helped him stand up and, once that was accomplished, I gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

“Well, so what if he can’t die?! That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything he can do to me!” Lilithmon shouted.

“Perhaps…he can’t,” Flamedramon said, standing up and walking slowly over to me. “But…she can.” Flamedramon took my hand and placed something in it. “Give her hell…fellow Marked.” I looked at what Flamedramon handed me; it was a Talisman.

The Digimon design on it…I’ve never seen anything like it! But, I can tell…this Digimon…This Digimon will be strong enough! “Come forth, Dynasmon!”

“Dynasmon?! How did you get your hands on a Talisman containing the spirit of a Digimon that powerful?!” BioPremenitmon asked, glaring at Flamedramon.

“I just found it lying on the floor,” Flamedramon said casually.

“Sephyrus, do something!” Lilithmon said.

“…As you wish, my fair lady. Shadow Evolution! EmperorGreymon!”

“If you think…you stand a chance against the likes me…you are a fool!” Dynasmon said. The Exalted Knight spread his massive wings and took flight. “When fighting for my master…I never lose! Dragon’s Roar!” Dynasmon unleashed a powerful shot of energy from the palms of his hands. The attack collided into the two villains, knocking BioPremenitmon aside as it struck Lilithmon, completely enveloping her in its light as BioPremenitmon reverted back to his Human form.

“Lilithmon, no!” Sephyrus ran over to the Mega Digimon. Dynasmon, however, saw him coming and struck him across the face with one arm, knocking him unconscious.

“Damn…you!” Lilithmon trudged through Dynasmon’s attack and raised her right arm. “Even if I die…this attack will destroy you! Even though…you are little more than a Spirit, you will vanish from existence forever! Nazar Nail!”

“My Master wishes for you to be vanquished without another living thing having to experience the pain you wrongfully inflict upon them…I shall do as she wishes!” Dynasmon said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Breath of Wyvern!” The aura of a colossal dragon appeared above Dynasmon. The attack soared head first into Lilithmon, and she shrieked as the aura dragon began burning her, searing her skin and igniting parts of her robes. “This…is the end for you.”

“No! You fools! You can kill me all you like…but I’ll just keep coming back from the Dark Area! Just you wait; when I’m back, I’ll make sure you all pay!” Dynasmon’s attack ended, and Lilithmon’s body was nowhere to be seen.

“My lady…my mission is complete,” Dynasmon said, kneeling before Zelda. “Do you have any task you wish for me to complete for you while I remain?”

“Oh…No…you did just fine, Dynasmon,” I said, smiling and placing a hand on the Spirit’s head. “Thank you, Dynasmon.”

“I understand. I shall await further instruction, then.” Dynasmon faded away, leaving nothing behind.

Thomas Kasuto

 

“…It’s finally over,” I said, smiling down at Zelda. To my surprise, Zelda threw her arms around me once more.

“Thomas…I’m so glad…you’re okay…when I saw you get stabbed…I thought you…that you were…”

“Don’t worry…I’m not going anywhere. I won’t ever leave your side. I promise…” I gently placed my arms around her. “Zelda…I love you,” I whispered into her ear.

“…Thomas…I love you, too…When I thought I had lost you like that…my heart felt like it was being torn to shreds…and when you came back, I felt…so happy…happier than I ever have been in my entire life…Oh, but…does Apollomon have any…rules about this sort of thing?”

I shook my head. “No…he doesn’t. And…speaking of him…we should probably get back before the Bio Hybrids wake up.” I looked down at Statuedramon, who was still out cold from when Lilithmon attacked him earlier. Michalis, Adrian, and Sephyrus all seemed to be unconscious, as well. Flamedramon and Irene were nowhere to be seen. Before bending down to pick up the snoozing Statuedramon, I placed a quick kiss on Zelda’s forehead. She blushed slightly, and I could see a few tears welling in her eyes, but she looked exactly as she said; happier than she had ever been in her entire life. The two of us, holding hands, walked to the entrance of the city and onto the blue tile Irene had told me of. I had hoped that I would never be required to return to Mandala.