Digimon: Knights of the Sun

[Agro]

Digimon: Knights of the Sun

 

I'm back! This is back! I know none of you read it, but whatever!

 

And I really edited the first chapter too, so yeah!

 

Don't worry, it surely won't take 2 years for me to write chapter 3 (maybe 4 years)

 

You get a like if you comment. Because as we all know, that always gets comments.

 

But yeah, here ya go:

 

[spoiler="Chapter 1: "Tahiro, the Journey Begins!" "]
 
Ground. Dirt. That’s what he could feel underneath his hands, and smudging against his face. It was cool, and wet. Nothing like the dry sod he was used to. It was unusual, unnatural in this part of the country. Why was it so wet?
 
He reached up, his hand trying to find a spot to push himself up. Slowly, it came into contact with something; felt like wood. His bedpost? Surely, but, it was soggy, and… not like he remembered. More like an actual branch than a refined two-by-four.
 
As he used it to lift himself up, he opened his eyes, looking down at his support beam, seeing a dark brown, moss covered branch stretching across the bare ground. Wait… actual wood? Why was he sleeping outside?
 
“Where the hell am I?”
 
His thought was interrupted as the branch snapped beneath his weight and he came crashing down back to the ground.
 
“Ow.” He rubbed his forehead, rolling over and sitting up, looking at the piece of wood that was left in his clutches. Even without him putting much force on it, it was breaking apart. A dead branch, decaying in his hand.
 
Deciding to better figure out his surroundings in such unusual circumstances, he stood up, dropping the dead piece of wood to break apart in the wind. “Tahiro, what did you get yourself into?”
 
The terrain in front of him was varied, ranging from patches of plains, bare soil and, further into the distance, rows and rows of trees that encircled the rest, coming up right behind where he stood. Past that, and at an extremely far distance at that, were foothills leading to a steep mountain range.
 
But there was a surreal difference, he could tell, from this area and that of the forests near his home in Fukushima. The nearest National Park to his home was Oze, and while there were certainly similarities- such as the open spaces and mountains- this was nothing like that.
 
For one, there were more trees, and more that looked like they would belong in a tropical jungle. More importantly was the sound, or rather, the lack of it. There wasn’t any sound. No birds chirping, bugs buzzing- at least none that he could hear.
 
Worst of all, though, was the smell. It was the same smell he’d experienced when he was six and tried to keep a stockpile of fruits in his closet in case of an alien attack. Just like the branch that must have fallen from the tree line behind him and rolled down the hillside, everything reeked of decay.
 
So all this led to the question: Where was he and how did he get here? He’d spent five days in summer camp. Not nearly enough to gain any wilderness survival experience– assuredly money well spent at this point–and… once thought about, Tahiro couldn’t even recollect what the last thing he was doing back home was.
 
Perhaps he was dreaming? Tahiro pinched himself. Nothing. He slapped himself, nothing. He sighed. He was prepared for alien attacks but not in the case of being incepted.
 
Tahiro took a step forward, turning to look around himself once again, only to miss entirely and tumble down the hill before him, coming to a sharp stop at the bottom where he landed into a patch of barren ground that was just damp enough to barely soften the impact.
 
Tahiro groaned as he pulled himself up from the muck, realizing after spending the past few minutes prone had left him covered in mud. Mildly dazed, but remembering the lake to his left, he headed out in that direction.
 
After having to weave his way through thick and tall, but dry grass, Tahiro arrived at the water’s edge and knelt at the edge of it curiously. Even with all of the dirt and decay surrounding it, the lake itself was surprisingly clear, and the plants within it were thriving healthily, although even more strangely, there was not a single fish in sight.
 
He slid a hand into the clear water, flinching a bit to the cold touch the lake gave in response. He pulled his had out quickly. The dirt and remnants of the decaying foliage and bark had quickly dissipated off of his skin, almost magically. He rubbed his hands together, scanning the shallow waters as the hairs on his back settled down. He jumped in.
 
A few minutes later, Tahiro climbed out of the water a little ways down the shore. He’d spotted a rock formation jutting out of the edge of the lake where he could rest up, a spot he assumed would be dry.
 
He moved quickly out of the lake and onto the rocks, his gaze completely missing the ripples cast in the water behind him, a great large set of eyes quickly descending back into the depths.
 
The rocks didn’t stand all that high off the wet ground they sat on, and while much of the formation was covered in moss, the majority of it was dry. Tahiro sighed, laying his clothes out to dry while he tried to figure out which direction was which.
 
Remembering something his old man had once told him, he looked for a larger rock that was smooth and flat on three sides. If there was moss on a higher point of it, and that side was on the other side of the sun, then that was North… or South… However that worked was never really explained to him. Either way, he had to look up at the sun… and what would have been just a glance turned into a stare of panic.
 
“What’s going on?” The light from above was not cast by a sun. No, in fact, there were two balls of light hanging in the midday sky. Two suns.
 
Stumbling, he tripped and fell back, catching himself on his elbows, not in any way caring whether or not the rocks had gashed them as he glanced hectically around at this now dangerous looking environment. He had no idea where he was or what he was doing here. He couldn’t even trust the most basic of physical attributes he’d known his whole life.
 
In all his confusion and panic, a sound had slowly grown in volume in the field. Footsteps, or at least the crunching of dead leaves below them. Only now had Tahiro noticed it. And there was something else… voices?
 
Not wanting to get caught off guard- and in his undergarments, no less- Tahiro quickly dressed and leapt down off the rocks, staying low and creeping along between the water’s edge and the tall grass, keeping his eyes above the tips of the blades to try to see who, or rather what, was coming.
 
Aliens was clearly the first thought in his mind. What else could they be? He was definitely on another planet. That fact was for sure. I mean, why would humans be out here? Well, yeah, he was out here, so maybe there’d be others, but that consideration was out of his thoughts.
 
“Are you sure it was around here?”
 
“Yeah, this is the spot. Snimon told us to investigate immediately.”
 
Tahiro fear began taking on a strain of confusion as he realized he could understand the language of whomever it was heading his way. Did this that mean they were human? Snimon wasn’t a Japanese name, and didn’t sound like any name he’d ever heard in American movies or world news. What was going on?
 
“Why is he so worried about this? It’s probably just another silly electrical disturbance. Is there something he knows that we don’t?”
 
He still couldn’t see the owners of the voices
 
“I don’t know. Rumors were something like this happened in the Northern mountains before everything happened there. Snimon probably just doesn’t want to be responsible if something happens to Hokakamon like what happened to Bishomon.”
 
Tahiro tried to think past the names, which obviously at this point were making less and less sense. The names all seemed to end with “-mon”. Were they honorifics? Each of those they spoke of would imply they were of a higher position, so that was certainly a possibility.
 
At least he now knew which direction was which. The mountains were North.
 
“Please, do they really think a human could have come here of all places? That’s ridiculous.”
 
So they were looking for a human?
 
Tahiro shifted in his spot, crouched below the line in the grass, trying to get a better view of the owners of the voices.
 
If they were talking about humans in the third person, then they must not be human. They had to be…
 
Tahiro would have yelped at the sight of the creatures if he didn’t cover his mouth with his hand. They were giant roaches, with hideous faces that definitely resembled a human face. They were just disgusting, four arms and everything.
 
He was lucky he’d hushed himself, and his reaction was faster than he’d expected. Though… his hand did feel weird. More importantly, when did he grow a third hand? Oh, god.
 
Tahiro looked down at the “hand” keeping his mouth shut and saw a yellow vine instead. Shifting back, he looked behind himself to see a very large yellow plant staring back at him with shifty red eyes. A large mouth hanging open in an ugly smile, teeth, white and large, dripping with saliva.
 
Tahiro screamed, or he tried. It was muffled up by the plant’s vines.
 
The plant wrapped its arms around him, shaking him, and closing its mouth in agitation.
 
Tahiro looked down to see a smaller creature crawl up beside it. This new one was round, looked a lot like a tadpole. Green, with an orange fin atop its body and blue stripes running parallel to it. It’s fangs hung underneath its closed mouth and, he felt, it looked a little hungry.
 
But its actions seemed to counter that, as it lifted up one of its four fins and raised it to its mouth, making the human motion for silence. Nonetheless, Tahiro tried to struggle, but his efforts were in vain as the oversized vegetable tightened its grip around him.
 
“What was that?” The voices from the roaches floated over the tall grass, making the two other creatures shift uneasily. “Who’s there?”
 
Tahiro looked back at the roaches, and while scared, he was slowly beginning to realize he had more to fear from them than any other creature present.
 
“Let’s check it out.”
 
The roaches started inching forward, carefully moving through the underbrush searching for what they thought they had heard.
 
Tahiro looked back at the other two creatures, looking for help from others that looked almost as uneasy as he did. Looking past them, however, he saw something else. Something moved in the lake, causing a ripple to travel across the otherwise calm waters.
 
Tahiro motioned to the waters, trying to let them know something was there, and it was moving. He could see the top of a yellow head rise partially above the water, slowly weaving towards them.
 
The yellow plant was certainly not helping, instead of noting his worry, it wrapped its vines around his arms, holding him down. Looking to the smaller amphibian for help, and glancing at the water, the little thing looked back and nodded, hopefully trying to be reassuring.
 
“Do you see anything?” One roach asked the other.
 
“Nothing yet.”
 
An audible buzzing sound slowly rose over the tall grasses. One of the roaches was airborne. The two creatures pushed Tahiro closer to the grass, clearly trying their best to stay out of the creature’s line of sight.
 
The creature in the water moved closer and closer, and as it did, Tahiro could feel the plant’s grip on his mouth loosen, and when it finally let him open his mouth, he instinctively gasped.
 
“What was that?”
 
Just as the grounded roach was about to stumble upon them, the creature in the water arose, and boy was it massive.
 
A giant sea serpent, turquoise in color, emerged from the water, rising tall above even the trees of the surrounding forest. It’s yellow head opened as it let out a roar, causing the roaches to stumble away from Tahiro’s hiding spot.
 
“Roachmon. What are you two doing encroaching on my lake?”
 
The roaches quickly regained their composure in the face of the giant sea serpent. “Your lake, Seadramon? This part of the forest is under Snimon’s control! You lost ownership long ago!”
 
“Maybe so, but if I remember, I am allowed direct control in his stead.” Seadramon lowered his head down in front of the Roachmon, demonstrating the differences in their size. “Is Snimon here to tell me otherwise?”
 
The Roachmon quivered in fear, slowly backing away from the Seadramon.
 
Tahiro felt a nudge in his side and looked down to see the amphibian creature motioning for him to move with them down the shore away from the scene. Tahiro, contemplating whether or not this was the best idea, took one last glance at the intimidating Seadramon before making his decision.
 
“We’ll be back, Seadramon!” “Yeah! We’ll be back!” The Roachmon yelled as they fled the scene.
 
Seadramon let out a mighty roar, causing the pair to fly far faster than they had been previously. Rid of the roaches, Seadramon twisted his body around and dove back into the depths of the lake.
 
-------------------------
 
“This way!” The little amphibian motioned to Tahiro.
 
The pair had led him away from the lake, and after passing through row after row of similarly looking trees, they had arrived at a large oak that stood on the edge of a cliff.
 
Its branches were broken or lacking of leaves. In fact, the highest parts of the trees looked like they broke off long ago, and the remains of those branches lay decaying on the ground below.
 
“You can talk?” Tahiro admitted that while he’d seen the Roachmon and Seadramon speak, and while the little guy had made motions just like humans had, he hadn’t really expected the amphibian to actually speak.
 
“Of course I can! All Digimon can talk!”
 
“Digimon…?” The word didn’t ring any bells.
 
“Huh? You don’t know?” The little guy looked over at his veggie buddy before looking back at Tahiro. “I’m sorry, I guess I just assumed you’d know.”
 
“Know what?”
 
“Where you are.”
 
“And… were exactly am I… um, what’s your name?”
 
“Betamon! And this here,” Betamon motioned to his friend, “Is Veggiemon.”
 
The plant creature waved one of its tendrils in the air welcomingly.
 
“And this place you’re in. This place you’ve fallen into. This is the Digital World.”
 
“The Digital World?”
 
“Yup! Ever heard of it?”
 
Tahiro put his hand on his chin, running the word through his mind.
 
Betamon looked enthusiastically up at him, expecting the connection to light up in his mind at any second. “And?”
 
“No clue.”
 
Betaman slouched as Tahiro answered. “Well I guess if you don’t know, we’ll have to explain everything!”
 
Betamon looked at Veggiemon.
 
“So… can we explain everything?”
 
Veggiemon shrugged.
 
“Oh… so, um…” Betamon walked over to the roots of the tree and poked around until he found a hole in the roots. With a quick peck, the roots moved, by themselves, opening a secret pathway underneath the tree. “Since we can’t explain what’s going on, we’ll have to bring you to someone who can! Follow me!”
 
Without another word, Betamon jumped into the hole, and Veggiemon quickly followed.
 
Tahiro stepped over to the entrance and looked down. It fell into the ground a few meters before turning forward and out of sight.
 
“Are you coming?” Betamon called back up from somewhere underneath.
 
Tahiro wasn’t exactly sure if he wanted to follow. In fact, he was debating on whether or not turning tail and taking his chances of not running into something like the Roachmon again would be the better option.
 
But as he looked back at the forest, whose trees seemed to grow closer the longer he stared at them, he realized he’d be lost without their help. And so he jumped into the hole behind them, looking back up at the entrance as the roots closed together above him.
 
On the outside of that wall, one unfriendly set of eyes, hidden beneath the cover of a nearby bush, turned away from its attentive watching of the tree, having witnessed the human who escaped beneath it. Its owner’s wings buzzed as it flew in the other direction, intent on passing on the knowledge it had learned.
 
-------------------------
 
The ground in the tunnel was a little slippery. Due to that, the fall turned into a slide that led Tahiro forward, down, around, maybe even back up at some point. A thick, but dry patch of grass padded his landing as he found himself in the middle of a large rectangular cavern.
 
“This way, this way!”
 
Tahiro looked across the cavern he’d slid into to see Betamon jumping up and down on the other side.
 
Light trickled in from the ceiling, allowing him to barely make out his darkened surroundings. The room didn’t look like a natural occurring structure–the straight lines and jagged, ninety-degree corners made him sure of that much. From what it looked like, they’d stumbled into some ruins, overgrown and covered by the surrounding forest. Though, who was Tahiro to say what was and was not natural in this world?
 
Noticing his guides had already started down a tunnel exiting from the opposite end, Tahiro began running to catch up.
 
“Come on, come on! We’re almost there!”
 
Tahiro had to stick close to the wall to help guide himself through the much darker tunnel, using it as his guide and the thick, strong roots that hung from them as a stabilizer to keep his balance. There were two turns in the path, and finally, after a few minutes of walking, he could see light around one corner, with Betamon’s high-pitched voice adding extra guidance.
 
“We’re here! We’re here!”
 
Even after only a few brief minutes in the dark, Tahiro needed to shield and rub out his eyes to adjust to the bright mid-day sun glaring down on him. Once adjusted, though, the sight he beheld was breathtaking.
 
The ruins he’d just come through was only the beginning, it seemed, as old stone buildings overrun with floral life were scattered across a beautiful canyon landscape. Lush trees stood tall over the buildings, ridding up even the cliff sides and arriving on top, leaning over the canyon giving it a canopy that Tahiro could only assume looked like the rest of the forest from the skies above.
 
“This is amazing!”
 
“Well it’s not the most beautiful place in the Digital World.” Betamon seemed to try to sigh after he said it. “Well maybe it is now, after what Hokakamon has done to the forest.”
 
“Who’s Hokakamon?” Tahiro was beginning to piece together the social make-up of this new and dangerous world. The Roaches had referred to Hokakamon previously, and with Betamon’s mentioning of him, it had become obvious that he must be someone extremely important, and dangerous.
 
“We’ll have Mistress Lotosmon tell you,” Betamon chirped as he trodded along on all fours. “She’s the best at explaining things. She should be able to answer every question you have!”
 
“That’s good. I think.” Tahiro was sure there’d be at least something she wouldn’t be the one to tell him. “Who is Lotosmon, by the way?”
 
“She’s the guardian of the forest! Or at least our part of the forest. Sad to say, the real guardian has been absent for a while, but I’m sure Mistress Lotosmon will fill you in on that.”
 
The group stepped to the side of the narrow path they walked on as a group of green, blue-eyed plant Digimon with flowers sprouting from their heads sprinted by in a playful manner; laughing idly and sneaking glances at the human in their midst.
 
“Who are they?”
 
“Hm? Oh, those are Palmon. They’re the most frequent Digimon you’ll see around here. Most of the plant Digimon live under the protection of Lotosmon. After all, she’s the one keeping all the plants here healthy!”
 
Tahiro realized he hadn’t noticed it before, even when walking in the darkened path. The faunal decay that had been so prevalent outside in the forest was completely absent within this area. So whatever deathly force had pervaded the outside world was being held at bay- possibly by Lotosmon’s power.
 
Betamon finally stopped as the trio arrived at a dead end in the path, a chasm with dark waters below. A drawbridge on the other side. “We’re almost at Lotosmon’s temple, human! Just got to talk to the gatekeeper!”
 
“My name’s Tahiro!” Tahiro tried to tell the little aquatic monster as a blast of water shot up from the dark chasm below, causing him to jump back in surprise, and Betamon to jump up in amusement.
 
“Tahiro! Tahiro! Getting scared so easily, huh?” Betamon chuckled. “I think you met our gatekeeper before, right?”
 
Tahiro gulped as the stream of water that had rushed up from below fell to reveal a large turquoise sea serpent with a yellow head staring back down at him.
 
“We may have, but I don’t think I gave an introduction. I am Seadramon, defender of the forest waters.” It’s mouth opened in what must have been an enjoyable smile to anyone other than Tahiro. “And you are the human, Tahiro. Just arrived here by the grace of Amatarumon.”
 
“Amatarumon?” Tahiro was having a hard time filing all these new names. Hell, the idea that this was all a dream was still hanging in the back of his mind.
 
Seadramon let out a mighty chuckle. “You’ll come to learn of our more theistic social observances as you spend more time here. For now, I shall let you pass!”
 
Seadramon swung himself around and slashed at the hook holding the drawbridge in place, allowing it to fall down and complete the pathway into the temple.
 
“Come on! Come on! Let’s go see Lotosmon!” Betamon jumped up into Tahiro’s back, pushing him forward and across the pathway.
 
“Good luck, young human. Pray to Amatarumon that you have been chosen, Digidestined.”
 
The last word rung inside Tahiro’s mind as he was pushed, by both Betamon and the quiet Veggiemon, into the inner sanctum of the temple- unable to ask the serpent about it before it dove back into the depths of the canyon waters.
 
[/spoiler]
 
[spoiler="Chapter 2: "Angel of Restoration, Lotosmon Appears!" "]
 
Like every other building in the valley, the temple itself was overgrown with moss and foliage. The inner sanctum was smaller than he’d expected, circling around a center marble platform, bathed in the light coming from the open ceiling above. At its center, lay a spectacularly large closed purple rose bulb- scaling nearly twice the size of Tahiro, himself. He would have considered it tacky if the faint light that appeared to bounce around within it were not so mesmerizing.
 
This feeling grew as they approached it, and the petals opened, revealing the beautiful fairy Digimon inside. Lotosmon looked very much like a human, with the obvious difference being the purple skin. Parts of her clothing matched that color– those solid pieces that were held closer to her body, which stood in contrast to the white flowing petal-like skirt and sleeves that enveloped her arms and legs. In either hand, she held a staff, one, a Caduceus, the other, topped with a crown adorned with rainbow petals.
 
“Miss Lotosmon! Miss Lotosmon!” Betamon hopped happily along before coming to a halt just before the petals. As apparently nonchalantly as he had skipped his way over to her, he proceeded to make whatever sort of bowing motion was even possible for his little ball of a body.
 
“Hello, little one. I see you’re doing quite well.”
 
“Yes, yes! In fact, just a little while ago, I ran into a human! A real one! I brought him here to meet you. I thought maybe he could be of some help! Yes, indeed!” Betamon hopped around to look at Tahiro. “This is our guardian Lotosmon, please introduce yourself!”
 
“Uh…” Tahiro inched forward, unsure if Lotosmon was even looking at him, a strange purple and yellow crown masked her eyes, leaving her currently emotionless mouth as the only sign of what she was thinking. “I’m-.”
 
“Merumoto Tahiro.”
 
“H-how do you know my name?”
 
“I keep quite a steady eye on everything within this realm, my child.” Her tone turned a bit lighter midway through the sentence, perhaps understanding the slight fear that grew through Tahiro as she revealed her knowledge of him. “The trees in this forest grow long roots, they told me of your arrival ahead of time. There’s no need to fear, I promise you. How do you like our city?”
 
“I-it’s beautiful.” Tahiro tried to force a smile as a slight one grew on Lotosmon’s own face.
 
“This city is an ancient citadel, known to a quaint few, including myself, as a shrine to the holy Amaterumon. It’s strong in power and magic, which makes it easier for me to offer my powers to protect those living inside– a result of a fragment of Amaterumon’s soul resting here, if old tales are to be believed, but there’s nothing to truly credit such a tall tale. In either case, the results are quite helpful, so I hope you feel at ease here.”
 
“Uh, thanks. Um…” Tahiro unbottled an awkward laugh, just trying to show his thankfulness for being let into such an apparently sacred place.
 
“Miss Lotosmon!” Betamon had slowly inched his way onto the flower pedestal.
 
“Yes, little one?”
 
“Tahiro here was wondering, I’d told him you’d know, I mean to say I assumed you’d know the answer…” Betamon’s voice slowly trailed out under Lotosmon’s invisible gaze, as he glanced over at Tahiro.
 
“Do you know why I’m here?” he asked.
 
Lotosmon shifted in her stance, vines moving around the ground beneath her, forming a seat on which she could rest against. “Unfortunately, I cannot know for certain, however, within my knowledge, I can perhaps provide a possible conclusion.”
 
“And that would be?”
 
“Our record of human’s in this world is very much something time has had its effects on. It’s harder these days to separate what is true from the myths spun about them, however, consistently in all tales, humans have come to this world during times of great crisis. That, it seems, has not changed. My child, have you been told anything about the state of our world?”
 
“Um, I’ve picked up bits and pieces… something about a, uh… Houka…mon?”
 
“Hokakamon. He is a demon Digimon, a plague of destruction and decay.”
 
Betamon shuffled around on the ground. “Up until a couple of years ago, before I was born, the world had been protected by four of the most powerful Digimon ever. But they all disappeared, and the four demon kings took their place.”
 
Tahiro watched silently as Betamon’s eyes trailed along the ground, Veggiemon put forward a vine and patted his little friend on the back. When it seem Betamon would not continue, Lotosmon picked up the story. “Hokakamon is just one of these demon kings, the master of the eastern forests, tearing it apart every second his poison infects this land. Each demon king in existence is sovereign over one cardinal direction, with Hokakamon controlling the Eastern lands.”
 
Tahiro could feel a knot begin to grow in the depths of his stomach as Lotosmon’s tone continued to grow bleaker. She was not telling him this simply so he could hear a sad tale.
 
“But there is hope yet. Even now, the people of this world are fighting back against the demon lords that are oppressing them. In the Northern mountains, a demon king has already been overthrown, sealed away by the hero, Beelzemon.”
 
“That’s great!” Tahiro bluntly interjected, “So that means you have the power to overthrow this Hokakamon!”
 
“Yes, now, with your help, we might just be able to!” Tahiro wasn’t sure what he expected to hear. Maybe something along the lines of ‘Yes, you’re right, we can do this by ourselves, feel free to go home, human.’ That would have been nice…
 
Tahiro stared at the fairy Digimon in front of him, his physical actions slowing down, including, even, his breathing as his mind raced faster and faster. “Is there something wrong, young one?” Lotosmon’s words echoed around his ears before settling into his consciousness. He straightened his gaze to respond.
 
“What makes you think I can defeat a d-demon k-king?” Tahiro’s voice faltered as his sentence neared its conclusion. “J-just because I’m a human, you think I can help you so much?”
 
“That is of which we are hopeful, yes.”
 
“Why?” Tahiro yelled the word, but backed down quickly as he saw how it made the others in the hall jump.
 
“Ahh. Perhaps I should have informed you previously.” Lotosmon sighed. Taking a moment to choose her words correctly. “But the Digimon in the north did not defeat the demon lord alone.”
 
“W-what do you mean?”
 
Lotosmon’s tone, although patient in its delivery, was rigid, solid, and frank. “You are not the first human to come to the digital world in this age.”
 
Tahiro’s mouth stood agape, but not a noise escaped through the opening. His gaze ventured to look down at the two creatures nearing his feet. Veggiemon just lifted up his vines in a shrug of indifference, while Betamon’s body rotated slightly to the left as he confirmed both their thoughts, “First I’ve heard of it.”
 
“It was nearly a year ago, today,” Lotosmon began, twiddling her fingers as she began spinning a story for them, “The first human in more than a millennium entered our world. And after, not even long after his appearance in our world, the first demon king– the northern demon king– was sealed away. If you are here now, I can only assume the goddess, Amaterumon, has brought you here to do just as that human did before you.”
 
“So… there are others…” Tahiro’s eyes wandered above Lotosmon’s blossoming crown and into the pale skies above. After several seconds, he reigned in his gaze and looked back at Lotosmon. “B-but why me?”
 
“Why?” Lotosmon set both staves into her right arm, and wrapped her arms around both, leaning against them. “That is indeed an important question. No tales have ever truly told why a single hero came over any other. However, ‘why’ is no longer a question. You have been given this choice, and it is your choice alone to make: will you or will you not take up the mantle of Digidestined and assist us in our fight?”
 
“I… I’m not…” Tahiro edged away from the altar. “How can you expect me to fight? If this Hokakamon is even more powerful than those Roachmon we saw earlier? How can I…”
 
“You will not be alone.” Lotosmon’s tone remained calm, collected, and, to Tahiro, a bit controlling.
 
“I won’t…?”
 
“Tahiro, your power does not come from physical stature or strength, you need not worry yourself about whether the time will come when you need to fight a powerful Digimon with your own two hands. Your power will come with how you empower your Digimon partner.”
 
“P-partner…? But I don’t-.“
 
“Don’t worry, Tahiro!” Betamon jumped up onto Tahiro; the boy catching the little monster on his reflexes alone. “I’ll be by your side through thick and thin! Together I know we’ll be able to make it!”
 
Tahiro looked down at the little tadpole-lizard, then to the smiling-eyed vegetable monster behind him, then, again, back towards the guardian of the forest, who, while gaze hidden, Tahiro felt, was eyeing him closely. As Betamon laughed about how well they would get along, she stood up and stepped forward from her petal-covered altar. “Wait…”
 
Lotosmon lifted her staff, and a strong force pulled Tahiro from his feet and into the air, turning him every which way for her to examine him. “Wait! What are you doi-.”
 
The magic released him and he fell back hard to the ground. “Child, do you not have a Digivice?”
 
“A what?” Tahiro stood up, rubbing his rear end and cringing. “And what the hell was that even for?”
 
“My apologies, Tahiro.” Lotosmon’s tone was sharply growing quieter, Tahiro assumed, because she was calming herself. “Digidestined have, in all legends and tales, always possessed a magical device forged from their souls. Digivice, as we’ve become accustomed to calling them, allow the user to access powers in Digimon that we have, hitherto, not had access to. The knowledge is there, but the power to access such power has remained random, scattered, and at the mercy of the forces of the world we live in, alone.”
 
“So does this mean I’m not one of the ‘Digidestined’? Does this mean I can’t fight?” Tahiro was relieved, although his conscience was not quite as much.
 
“For now, no, I cannot for certain say.” Lotosmon looked down at the little reptile who had turned himself in Tahiro’s arms to look at the fairie queen. “I’m sorry, little one, but you are not a Digimon partner.”
 
“Aww…” Betamon jumped down to the ground and shuffled around in disappointment.
 
“However, you are still a human in the Digital World, and your mere existence is a drastic change from the status quo. Even if you have not yet run into Hokakamon’s forces, it is quite likely that he has some vague understanding of your entrance into our world. Whether or not you have a Digivice, there is no telling how soon he will send someone for yo-.” Lotosmon was cut short as a great boom that sounded as if it came from a great off distance rattled across the stone walls of the palace. Without hesitation, Lotosmon snapped her fingers, and a large plant monster with sharp green claws and a head enveloped in the flowers of a fully-grown sunflower emerged from the shadows of the chamber. “Sunflowmon, what’s happening?”
 
“It’s Snimon, milady, he and his men have broken through the barrier to the forest and are on their way to the center of our city as we speak.”
 
“Then my fears were realized.” Lotosmon cringed, realizing that whether they were ready or not, expedient actions needed to be taken.  “Betamon!”
 
“Yes, lady Lotosmon!” Betamon jumped forward at the attention.
 
“I require you to lead Tahiro somewhere safe, Snimon is an overconfident insect, but he is assuredly not a bright, nor powerful nuisance. If we can keep him occupied for long enough, it’s likely we need not worry about his sudden intrusion into our home. Without a human, he and Hokakamon do not see us as a threat.”
 
“Y-yes milady. C-come on, quickly, Tahiro!” Betamon exclaimed, his tense voice jumping all over the place as his body followed suit, leading Tahiro around Lotosmon’s altar. “In here, in here. Come on!”
 
Veggiemon pushed Tahiro into a fast pace through a secret passageway covered in vines that Betamon had pushed aside to offer him room to squeeze through. He turned around once Veggiemon let up to find Lotosmon on the other side of the vined veil.
 
“You must keep quiet and out of sight. This passageway has many entrances, but none are likely to be found by Snimon and his minions. Even so, they’ll likely search high and low for any sign of a human, so keep quiet and stay on your guard.”
 
“Can’t you fight them, lady Lotosmon?” Tahiro questioned.
 
“Even against all the forces Snimon is likely to bring, it is likely that I am more than capable of handling all of them, yes. However,” Lotosmon’s tone jumped from calming to concerned, “It is not Snimon of which I fear. It is of whom he serves. And that is why I cannot let him find you. Not yet.”
 
“But…” Tahiro struggled for something to say so that he wouldn’t need to hide in some tunnel like a rat, but inevitably, he understood, there was nothing else he could do.
 
“Milady, he’s almost here.” Sunflowmon warned her. “We don’t have anymore time to dally.”
 
“Very well. Child, remember what I said, when trouble has passed, I’ll come to you.” Lotosmon slammed her stave into the ground, and the wall of vines thickened until no light entered the pathway from whence they entered.
 
“Great, now I can’t see.”
 
“Human’s can’t see in the dark? Huh, for some reason I figured you could.” Betamon’s chuckle died as Tahiro let out a small grumble. “I’m kidding, just kidding. Veggiemon, can you do the thing? You know, the thing?”
 
Veggiemon let out a slight grumble of acknowledgement before a groan, increasing in pitch, began to awaken from his general vicinity. Within the next few seconds, the room went from pitch black to bathed in a calming yellow glow as Veggiemon’s entire body erupted in a phosphorescent light, bringing the entire tunnel into the visible spectrum.
 
“Wow.” Tahiro muttered under his breath, unable to exclaim his thoughts on the surreal ability past a slight release of pent-up air.
 
“Impressed so easily, aren’t you, Tahiro!” Betamon chuckled. “Come, come! We should start moving away from here. They’ll likely look for you in the throne room first. Come on!”
 
With no other way to go, Tahiro followed the bouncing little tadpole and the glowing yellow vegetable down the winding pathway away from whatever it was that was searching for him.
 

-------------------------

 
“You look flustered, Sunflowmon. Are you that worried about Snimon?” Lotosmon chided her aide as they walked briskly down the pathway to the temple’s gate.
 
“No, milady,” he affirmed, stumbling in speech, “I mean, I am only curious as to why you’re so focused on these humans. Do you not think we can fight without their aide? Isn’t this our fight, not theirs? Can you not take on Hokakamon with your own powers?”
 
“Your faith in me is lauded, Sunflowmon, but it is not supported by knowledge of mine nor the demon king’s own powers.” Lotosmon’s monotone voice echoed through the hallway. “It was my job to protect not only the plant and animal Digimon in this sanctuary, but the entire forest, and within days, Hokakamon had stolen all of it. All that my power could protect is here in this land we live on now, and even that is because the demon king is confident enough, or perhaps foolish enough, to believe we are no threat to him, and as it stands, our only chance of survival is making sure he keeps that assumption.”
 
“So why risk having the human here? Why look to him for assistance? What more could he offer with so much risk of our own destruction?”
 
“Because,” Lotosmon stopped at the mighty gateway under which Seadramon stood watch. On the other side, loud buzzing could be heard as many wings flapped at incredible speeds propelling Snimon’s advanced forces around the central circular plaza that sat over the chasm below, heralding their leader’s arrival. “I fear that in the end, no matter how it appears now, this fight may not be ours alone to fight.”
 
“So do you truly believe a human can save us?” Sunflowmon slouched dejected as Lotosmon slowly turned to him.
 
“At this point, Sunflowmon, I fear have no other choice. Hokakamon knows this, and that’s why he’s sent Snimon here. Not as a show of power, but as an act of caution and fear. Even he has heard of what happened to the demon king of the north at the hands of a human.”
 
“Then why did you not tell Tahiro everything that happened there…?”
 
“Lotosmon!” Sunflowmon’s voice died out as a screeching voice rang out from the other side of the gate, accompanied by a mighty buzzing noise arriving outside which then made way to the crashing sound of a mighty body landing on the platform outside the gate. “Your guard-serpent bores me. Come out, you witch, or in the name of the great lord, Hokakamon, I will tear this sanctuary to shreds!”
 
Lotosmon turned back towards the gate, away from Sunflowmon, who backed away a bit from his mistress.
 
“For the human’s sake, and perhaps for all of ours…” She started as she lifted her staff in the air, “The less he knows about what truly happened there, the better.”
 
And with that, she struck her staff against the stone ground, her magic releasing the drawbridge from its lock and opening the way to the creature waiting on the other side.

 
-------------------------

 
“So who is this Snimon anyway?” Tahiro asked, hushedly after Betamon, keeping quiet even in the tunnel in case someone outside could hear him. “I mean, I know he’s one of Hokakamon’s servants and all, but what is he?”
 
“Insect-type Digimon. A big one too,” said Betamon. “He’s not nearly the most powerful of Hokakamon’s minions, only a champion level Digimon, but he’s got a big enough head to convince enough of the insect forces to follow him.”
 
“Digimon have levels?”
 
“Oh yeah, all sorts of levels. There are quite a few baby level Digimon, whom you probably won’t see much of for now since they’re all hiding from Snimon at the moment. Then there’s the Rookie level, like me and Veggiemon here, as well as the Palmon you saw earlier,” Betamon’s voice slowly inched up in volume as he talked, apparently assuming his voice wouldn’t carry outside the passageway’s walls. “After that is the Champion level, like Snimon, the Roachmon you saw earlier, and of course, Seadramon. After that is the Ultimate level Digimon, though you haven’t met any of them yet.”
 
“So if Seadramon and the Roachmon were on the same level,” Tahiro voiced his apparent realization, “Why were two of them so afraid of one of him?”
 
“Oh, even Digimon on the same level vary in power greatly. Seadramon himself is probably as strong as Snimon. But the difference in power between Champion-level Digimon is nothing compared to the gaps in power that Mega-level Digimon have.”
 
“Is Hokakamon a Mega-level Digimon?”
 
“Yes, unfortunately, and one of the most powerful ever. Lotosmon, who was once considered one of the most powerful Mega Digimon in the land is almost powerless against him. And even then, rumor is he’s not even the most powerful Demon Lord Digimon.”
 
Tahiro needed to hear that about what he had considered to be his greatest obstacle. Definitely. “So if there’ so much difference in power, why even refer to them both as mega-levels?”
 
“Oh, levels don’t have to do with power levels,” Betamon chuckled, “Any given Digimon can have much more power than another without the being on the same or higher level. But there are set stages of Digivolution.”
 
“Digi… volution?” repeated Tahiro.
 
“Yes, throughout a Digimon’s life, they can grow stronger or wiser or any which way, and some way or another many of us grow, and digivolve from one level to another,” Betamon’s voice was starting to sound very hopeful as he continued into his explanation, “Someday, if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll digivolve into Seadramon!”
 
“Seadramon? What’ll I call you then?”
 
“Seadramon, of course!” Betamon exclaimed, “I’m not digivolving just for someone to keep calling me a ‘lil old Betamon!”
 
“But how,” and this question had been consciously nagging at him since they met the Palmon, “How do you think I’d differentiate you from any other Seadramon?”
 
“But you’ll just know, won’t you?” Betamon laughed off the question as if it were silly.
 
“How will I know if you look the same? Or when I call you ‘Seadramon’, if there’s more than one, how will you know I’m referring to you?”
 
“Huh?” Betamon gave Tahiro a look of complete bewilderment, “Oh, maybe I assumed too much. I didn’t think it’d be different with you humans. We Digimon just have a way of knowing, a sense of who is who.”
 
“So you don’t need the five senses to know who someone is? You have like a sixth sense for it?”
 
“Five senses?” Betamon looked at Tahiro awkwardly before looking away and continuing onward, “Uh, yeah, sure. Sixth sense.”
 
A few seconds passed as all three of them trod on down the path in silent contemplation. “So what were we talking abou-.”
 
“Tahiro, shh! ” Betamon quietly exclaimed, waving his flipper at Veggiemon. “Put out the light… do you hear that?”
 
The glow of phosphorescence dissipated from Veggiemon’s cellulose skin, as further down the pathway ahead, slivers of light danced on the right side of the arched stone walls. Barely visible with only that small bit of light, the left side appeared to be entirely made of vines, just like the entrance in Lotosmon’s temple, a former veranda overlooking the inner sanctum of the citadel– now overgrown.
 
“My master sensed something passing over into our world, and we both well know you have that same power.” A voice, hissing, but faint, snuck through the cracks in the vines to the trio’s ears. Tahiro, Betamon, and Veggiemon each snuck up to the walls and, each finding their own hole in the overgrowth, peered down at the conversation going on below.
 
A giant green preying mantis-like Digimon, whose organic main claws were instead large scythes stood tall over Lotosmon and Sunflowmon, taking up more than his fair share of space. As if to offer some solace of strength in size, Seadramon had risen from the waters below to stand tall behind the guardian. Circling around them, buzzing to and fro, going in and out of every nook and cranny in sight were tens, or maybe even hundreds, of insectoid Digimon. Some looked like bees, some like dragonflies, and others still. Barking orders all around at each and every one of the other insect Digimon were the two Roachmon he’d run into before. All of them, looking for a human. All of them looking for him.
 
“Yes, something passed into this world, yet it was quite a ways from us, was it not? If this were such a concern to you before, would you not have sent someone to go look for it?” Lotosmon’s tone remained entirely neutral towards the giant insect, Snimon, even though anyone in the know could tell how chidingly her words were chosen.
 
“And so we did, yet once the Roachmon reached the scene, they were immediately attacked by your pet guard-serpent, claiming the land was under his protection.” Snimon laughed- or rather it likely would have been a laugh if his jaws allowed it, instead it was the most intimidating of screeches that managed in one way or another to imitate a cackle.
 
“No such attacking was ever committed by myself or anyone here, Snimon.” Seadramon erupted, clearly with no intention of committing to toying conversation to dance around what he did and did not want to say. “I merely questioned the actions of your subordinates and they, without any violence on my behalf, fled the scene in a hurry. There was nothing suspicious about my actions, which were only in response to the suspicious actions of your Roachmon. “
 
Seadramon almost let out a roar before choking it down in a gurgle that sounded quite a bit like Snimon’s own laughter. “I find it strange how you would believe so clearly the account of such cowardly individuals.”
 
“Enough out of you, you self-important low-worm, I do not take chiding or criticism from one so beneath me,” Snimon interjected in scorn.
 
“There was once a time,” Seadramon responded, numbingly, “Where you would not think of my as anywhere beneath you.”
 
“And yet here we are, low-worm,” Snimon hissed again, “I serve the high lord Hokakamon, and his quest for peace among everyone in the eastern lands, and you, giving sorry excuses for another sorry excuse in your master.”
 
Seadramon barked, baring his fangs and glaring without care for consequences at the grinning Snimon. “You worthl-.”
 
“That is enough, Seadramon,” Lotosmon cut him off. “Snimon, you can continue searching high and low in this sanctuary, but there are no humans here for one to find. While it is true that something passed over into this world, I can tell you from experience that objects of little importance to any of us cause very similar effects. There is likely nothing that came into our world of which you or your master should be afraid of.”
 
“Oh, you truly believe that, do you…?” Snimon cackled again, still quite pleased with the reaction he got out of Seadramon.
 
“I do.” One look at Snimon’s quaintly ecstatic expression and Lotosmon’s demeanor quickly devolved into a stern question, “There is something you are not telling me: what?”
 
“Bring the prisoner,” he ordered to the two Roachmon, who cackled in return. “This may not have been within your powers to sense, Lotosmon, but nothing escapes the knowledge and senses of my master, Hokakamon. We don’t just think we know what came through to our world, we know exactly what it was.”
 
“What is it you are trying to say, Snimon?”
 
“Simple, Lotosmon.” Snimon cackled as the Roachmon returned, landing beside him. “Because this isn’t the first time the same sort of object has entered our world.”
 
Tahiro let out a gasp as the Roachmon landed, each one holding steady the arm of the girl they kept prisoner. Tahiro couldn’t restrain his voice, “She’s a human!”
 
[/spoiler]
 

Comment or I will ignorantly rant on about how you're all selfish and arrogant before leaving a hole in the forum that no one will ever replace.

 

8'D

[Tentacruel]

Your lake, Seadramon*

 

 

Regardless, first chapter was great.  Feels like I'm watching Digimon. 

[Agro]

Your lake, Seadramon*

 

 

Regardless, first chapter was great.  Feels like I'm watching Digimon. 

Danke, I'll make the edit.

[Agro]

Bumping

[asterr259]

Digimon *heavy breathing*

 

I only read Chapter 1 so far, but I like it. Tahiro entertains me xD

[Agro]

Glad to hear. I'm still trying to flesh him out as a character. I was a bit worried about consistency from chapter 1 to 2 though, since there was such a huge gap in time between writing each.

[Agro]

Bump

[Raine]

Chapter 1 was a little hard for me to read. I mean, there was nothing wrong with it per say but it was very generic at points. I understand that was for the sake of getting by an introduction and stuff but you feel me, right? The dialogue leaved a lot to be deserved in Chapter 1 as well but again, I understand. By comparison, Chapter 2 was 350% better for me. The dialodge and personalities of character really amped up since I think you had the time for exposition. How Tahiro reacted and tried to understand the digimon mechanics was creative and enjoyable to read. Snimon's introducion of a human hostage was a very nice cliff hanger and it got me to really look forward to chapter 3. 

 

YCM Digimon Fic. #1! 

[Agro]

If anyone else is wondering why chapter 1 and 2 are so different, the simple answer is 2 years. Maybe I'll write another chapter before that though :o