Digimon 1. Prologue

If you readers are big fans of Wizardmon, you'll probably like this,

This is the FULL history of him.

Note from the author: I don't own digimon but I've seen most of the episodes in seasons 01 and 02. And I purposely made some major changes in the whole story for example: digimon don't disintegrate when they die, they die like humans do! Also they don't hatch out of digi-eggs in primary village neither are they born there (except for ones who are orphaned), they have parents.

Part 1

almost a hundred and twenty years before the Digi-destines came

Prologue

It began in a country in the digital world on an island far away from all the other digimon. A mega sorcerer digimon was arriving from across the ocean. He had the body and face of a human (all of the ultimate and mega sorcerers and sorceresses did) with glowing white skin and long snowy blonde hair that flowed freely down his back. He wore two robes made of silk wrapped around him. His first robe was white with gold suns bordering the hem and sleeve and the whole fabric was patterned with diamonds. Over it was another robe that fell down to his mid-calves it was ice blue patterned with golden stars and fancy designs and rhinestones. Fastened to a white belt around his waist was a magical sword in a jeweled scabbard and he wore a long cape that was silver on the outside and glittering white on the inside that was fastened with a sterling silver and diamond brooch. He wore on his head and covering his eyes a silver helmet with a gold eight-pointed star in the middle, and last but not least, he carried a staff in his right hand which was a crystal pole with a Celtic knot on top that formed around a rainbow moonstone. He carried two in-training digimon with him. One was a male and the other was a female, and the two of them were siblings. They looked identical in shape, both had the same round heads and wide eyes and had bat wings and paw-like feet, but in color, the male had pale blue skin and lime green eyes, while the female had sapphire blue eyes and skin the color of a pink rose.

"Azrielmon!" All the other sorcerers and sorceresses, wizards, witches and necromancers shouted with praise. The eldest sorcerer smiled at them as he landed upon the shore. He carefully lowered the two in-training digimon to the ground who were staring and gasped in awe.

"My dear sorcerers and sorceresses, wizards, witches and necromancers!" Azrielmon announced to them, "I welcome you my son and daughter, Magemon and Yoromon." The whole family embraced their elderly leader, others just simply raised their staves or weapons as a sign of greeting, and they gathered around the young prince and princess giving them warm welcomes.

That night, the ceremonial began for the two in-training digimon. They were in the middle of the village, there was no campfire, and instead, the sorcerers muttered an incantation spell to their staves to light up the whole place.

Saramon the digimon sorcerer of fire who was Azrielmon's younger brother came up to them. He was an ultimate. He had, pale skin, long silver hair and was clad in two velvet robes wrapped around him. His under robe was one side auburn and the other side a cardinal red patterned with garnets. His robe over it was blood red patterned with gold flames and over it he wore a black fur tunic. He wore a long burgundy cape bordered at the edges with tiny tongues of fire and fastened with a ruby and gold brooch. He pointed his staff which was a maple wood pole with dragons embossed on it and on the top was a ball of fire. First at Magemon.

At first, Magemon just thought Saramon was just merely pointing at him but then Azrielmon grabbed him holding him none too gently and the in-training bat was shocked at how iron vice and hurtful his grip was, he couldn't move an inch. A second later, it was so hot and his skin broke sweat, and then he felt an unbearable sting in the middle of his forehead. But before he could cry out , the pain stopped quickly, and he was now bearing the symbol mark that all the other sorcerers and sorceresses had to show their identity. Azrielmon slowly let go of him. Yoromon was whimpering a little when her turn came, but then just like her brother, it was all over in a flash.

When both of them were finished, last but not least, Niavmon, a sorceress digimon with long glittering lavender hair, a white mask across the top half of her face, clad in jeweled violet and dark amber robes and a white velvet cape fastened with an amethyst brooch placed on each of them a strange amulet on a black cord. The amulet was a round gold pendant with symbols carved in and circling a white gem in the center. Azrielmon, spoke loud and clear to the sky,

"Our digi-god, (In their culture, it was forbidden to speak the name of their god). May my children; the next two heirs keep these marks and special amulets for as long as they live. For they are now your children! It grieves me to realize that this is an age when evil endures the world, and many of our friends and allies have left us because of this. But that does not mean we should give up and stop protecting ourselves and others who are on our side! May the blood of our people not be wiped out or grow thin, for these two shall be our only hope, if all is lost for us!"

When it was all over, the two were taken to their new home, Yoromon immediately dozed off, but her brother stayed awake. Magemon was not used to sleeping in a regular bed, for over a year, he had been spending his nights in a cushioned cradle back in Primary Village where all digimon were born. The bedding was comfortable, but not very soft. He thought about his new home and the ceremonial, tracing the amulet with one wing and the marking on his forehead with the other. The mark happened to be an engraving on his skin, a perfect circle with a four-pointed star on the inside. He did not quite understand Azrielmon's words back at the ceremony; neither did he feel so threatened by it. After all, Azrielmon and the stronger digimon would protect him and Yoromon, what did he have to be frightened about?

MAGEMON DIGIVOLVE TO AURAMON. YOROMON DIGIVOLVE TO DRICOMON. It had been almost two years since the ceremonial; Auramon and Dricomon examined their rookie forms. Same colored skin and eyes, and they still had their scars and amulets but they were now bigger, they looked lake baby dragons, their legs were longer and their wings were bigger, and for the first time they had arms and a body and on their right ankle was a ring, Magemon had a silver one with symbols carved into it and a lapis stone in the center and Dricomon had a gold one with an emerald stone, they were charm rings that showed their sorcerer and sorceress blood in them. The change felt even more awkward than digivolving from baby to in training.

They were not quite old enough to learn any incantations except Azrielmon taught them the history of magic and legends of other worlds that existed and Niavmon the healing sorceress started to teach them medicine. The two siblings enjoyed the fresh air and the warm sun on their backs as their teacher showed them where the healing herbs grew.

"You see this, Auramon and Dricomon?" She explained showing them one "This is called a hyssop flower! This is good for healing burns if you mix it with coneflowers and goldenrod flowers! And this," She added walking to a patch of yellow and pink blossoms on tall stems and took a small bunch out. "These are called hollyhocks. They help soothe scratches and irritations, and if you want to heal minor wounds, you use the root part of the plant."

"How do you make medicine out of these plants?" Auramon asked.

"It depends on what medicine you have to make from them!" Niavmon explained. "These plants you have to make into a tea in order to use them!" She took out her bowl, put the plants in there and muttered aloud the incantation and in an instant, the roots crumpled like dust and turned to liquid. She then took two more bunches and handed them to the two dragon digimon.

"Now you try!" She said "Sorry I have only one bowl!" the two of them concentrated hard as they copied what Niavmon chanted. Auramon went first, he then looked into his bowl when he finished he could not see the plants anymore and the bowl felt heavy with the liquid.

"Very good, Auramon." The sorceress digimon exclaimed. "Now it's your turn, Dricomon."

Dricomon closed her eyes and muttered the spell, when she opened them she saw that the plants were gone but noticed some powdery substance floating in the tea. Niavmon smiled and gave her a pat of encouragement on the back.

"That was a good try, but you mispronounced a word." Dricomon did not feel very disappointed, for this was only their first day of learning. "Our kind is very skilled in healing." The sorceress added on. "But they don't always do it with roots or plants, some wounds cannot be healed with plants, but I'll teach you those kind of spells later. Let's go back, it's almost dark."

A great thunderstorm came that night. The lightning flashed and struck the village like a drum and everyone could hear and almost feel the pounding rain on their roofs. Auramon and Dricomon sat in the great study hall with their father Azrielmon!

It was a quite a gigantic room, as big as an acre of the forest they lived in and it was built underground with an ancient limestone staircase leading down to it from the trapdoor above. The walls all around were built of old gray bricks with rich green moss growing out of from the corners. Tall sturdy wood shelves of spell books, storybooks and ancient scrolls covered most of them. The two little dragons sat at a small wooden table with the elder sorcerer as he showed them books of legends, languages or histories of the digital world.

The two of them looked at the strange ebony texts that were carefully written in their own language and many other languages that they were learning on the fragile pages.

"Father," Auramon asked curiously. "Why do we have to learn these other languages? Why do we have to learn about these other cultures?"

the elder sorcerer smiled and looked at the blue dragon.

"Because, there are other languages and cultures that no longer exist but we must keep them alive as much as we must remember our own history, and the language we once spoke!"

Dricomon took her sapphire eyes off the scroll and looked up at him. "But all of this happened in the past!" Said Dricomon. "And uncle Saramon had said to us that these days becoming a warrior and defending your own kind is all that matters!"

She saw her father sigh and give some sort of worried look though she could only half tell because of the helmet that covered his eyes.

"Yes, he is partly right, your uncle." Their father admitted. "These days, the digital world has grown dark and dangerous, but that does not mean we must give up absorbing this knowledge…it's far too early to tell you, when you're both older, I shall explain!" And with that the three of them stood up and walked into a hallway across from the staircase, which was a shortcut to their own home in case it rained!

In the late afternoons (mostly in summer or mid-spring) all them except for the megas and ultimates who thought themselves too old for such activities, would go to the largest meadow in the country. Auramon would participate in a lot of games with the young rookies and in-trainings. Azrielmon occasionally would come and play games with his children but most of the time Auramon and Dricomon were on their own with the children. one day they were by the river bank, Auramon crept up behind his sister and threw a glob of mud at her back, only to let her run after him and push him into the water and they tackled each other. Eventually the two of them finally collapsed, covered in mud and laughing so hard their sides were splitting.

Auramon suddenly woke up and almost screamed as he felt someone holding him tightly, he looked around, it was all so dark and eerily silent; he couldn't even see the digimon that had grabbed him except he was able to make out a strange shadow of a something humanoid and nearly ten times his own height .As the dark shape moved even closer while holding him, a dim light appeared and Auramon could make out more features on it then just simply identifying it as a mere shadow. It had a long cape and was clad in a cerulean blue jacket with two rows of gold buttons; the only thing he still could not see was its face. The young dragon shuddered as he felt the shadow's cold breath on his neck, but had no hope of breaking free, unless…

"DRAGON FIRE!" The rookie dragon screamed and a ball of flames, which looked like the ball of fire on Saramon's staff, flowed out of his mouth. The monster shrieked as the attack hit its face and dropped Auramon to the ground.

Unfortunately his enemy recovered fast, and shouted with outrage: "You will die!"

Auramon's eyes widened with terror as the virus digimon spread his cape. "GRISLY WING!" he shrieked and thousands of bats came charging non-stop with their mouths open towards the dragon. The rookie dragon opened his wings, flapping them furiously as he leapt off the ground and tried to fly away. He cried out in pain as one of the bats managed to grab and sink its teeth into his right wing drawing blood….

"AURAMON!" Auramon's eyes opened wincing at his sister's piercing scream, she then let go of him.

"Why did you bite me?" the young dragon shouted angrily but then his expression softened when he saw also his father standing over him, his sapphire eyes full of concern.

Dricomon gave a look at her brother, "I couldn't find any other way to wake you! You also made a hole in the roof!" Auramon looked around and saw the burned hole above him. A red flush of embarrassment passed over his face.

"Never mind that, brother!" Said Dricomon, noticing the look on his face. Azrielmon gave a stern glance at his daughter and then turned back to Auramon.

"Son," He asked putting a hand on the rookie dragon's forehead as if checking for a fever. "Are you alright?"

Auramon nodded his head.

"It was only a nightmare, go back to sleep, I'll be okay!" Both father and sister gave him a look of disbelief but then after a moment Auramon got a kiss on both cheeks from the two.

"Alright then," Said the elder sorcerer, "Goodnight Auramon!" And the two left him. Auramon did not sleep for the rest of the night and instead he thought about the dream he had. What was this digimon that he kept seeing? Even awake, he could still hear that voice and the bats screeching inside his head and could feel their nearness, as they were right here surrounding him. Auramon began to shake and wrapped the covers around him even tighter, even though he knew none of this was real.

a hundred or more years passed by. , Azrielmon was sitting alone in the meadow. He was trying to look forward into the future, for the past two years, he had only sensed something was wrong, something that was going to happen to his people, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not see the bad omen. Sensing it was not enough.

"What are you trying to tell me, our digi-god?" He was so deeply concentrated in his meditation that he hardly noticed Saramon running up to him.

"Azrielmon!" Saramon cried.

The fire sorcerer had to say his name three times before the elder sorcerer finally turned around and asked in annoyance. "What is it?"

"I know you were in the middle of your meditation, Azrielmon," Saramon apologized, "But there's something strange going on!"

"What strange thing?" Azrielmon asked he had never seen his brother looking so alarmed and on the verge of panic. It must be what I was trying to look at, he said worriedly in his mind. But it was too late now if so.

"I don't know, brother." The fire sorcerer said. "I've called everyone back to the village…..." Azrielmon stopped his brother in mid sentence. "Something's coming…Aaaargh" the sorcerer digimon cried out in pain as something that felt like hot metal wrapped around his neck, and he choked and gagged as the chain started dragging him away.

"AZRIELMON!" Saramon cried.

"DARKNESS WAVE" Suddenly the fire sorcerer cried out in agony as something hit him across the back, shocking his entire body. A female digimon (who's name was Ladydevimon) with pale gray skin, and clad in a revealing black ragged outfit came charging towards him, her waist length white hair flying back with a black claw stretched out. The attack had made him go numb and clumsy that his staff nearly dropped from his shaking hands as he pointed it at the devil lady.

"MAGICAL FIRE!"

gold flames shot out and first her revealing black dress caught fire, then her skin. The devil digimon screamed as she flew past him blindly while still on fire. When Saramon turned around his brother was close to disappearing through the thicket.

"Hang on brother!" Saramon cried out. "EMBER SWORD!" The golden flames that wrapped around the long steel blade grew bigger as he sent a crushing blow, breaking the chain in half that bound his brother. "INCANTATION WATER!" Azrielmon shouted hoarsely and cool water splashed all over him to stop the burning. Azrielmon fell to the ground wheezing and clutching his neck; the skin was raw, and bleeding in a few places where the chain got him.

"Are you alright?" asked the fire sorcerer as he helped his brother up.

"I think so!" Azrielmon answered still coughing. Just then a furious Skullmeramon came charging out of the bushes. "He's a henchman!" said Saramon noticing the henchman mark on the fire demon's left arm. "FLAME CHAIN!" Cried out the fire demon, this time he threw out two long chains at the both of them.

"BOOK OF SPELLS!" . Gold symbols embraced in a brilliant blue light that emerged from Azrielmon's staff disintegrating the chains instantly and pierced Skullmeramon in the chest. The fire demon gave out a cry of agony, wounded severely and coughed up blood as he dropped to the ground and went limp. Saramon ripped off a piece of his cape and wrapped it around Azrielmon's neck as a bandage.

"Thank you. I'll be fine!" said the elder sorcerer.

"Quick, a Ladydevimon was with him too, she's headed towards the village!" Cried the fire sorcerer in panic.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Said a mocking voice. Suddenly a horde of virus digimon blocked their way.

Meanwhile Auramon, Dricomon and Niavmon were heading back. Suddenly the healing sorceress gave a cry of pain as someone from behind grabbed her long pink hair and gave a sharp tug, pulling her head back. Her neck would've been snapped off if Dricomon hadn't boldly rushed forward and attack the virus's hand she was using to pull.

"FIRE BALL!"

the devil woman screamed as she let go to grab her hand before it burned to a crisp. All three of them gasped in such horror, It looked like she was already severely injured. she was bleeding and horribly scarred and her mini dress was in shreds.

"Ladydevimon!" the healing sorceress's eyes narrowed in anger at the devil lady and started up her attack

"Dricomon, Auramon, go!" She shouted. Ladydevimon regained her strength quickly, and just gave an evil smirk at Niavmon.

"Do you, think that's such a wise idea?" Suddenly the sorceress gasped and saw behind her ten other viruses! She would be dead before she killed half of them. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard as she tried to call her kin. _"Help me, I'm outnumbered. Dricomon and Auramon are heading back to the village."_ She spoke telepathically. She couldn't hear a reply, but had no time to try again

Dricomon and Auramon flew a short way but were too worried about Niavmon that they crouched into the thick branches of an Oak tree and watched as Niavmon formed a glowing gold ball in her hand. "ENCHANTMENT OF LIGHT!" the whole forest lit up, Auramon and Dricomon could not see a thing, and the blinding light finally forced them to close their eyes. They heard shrill screams of agony.

"I can't look!" Dricomon whimpered, Auramon closed his eyes as well and when they opened their eyes again a couple minutes later they gasped at what they saw., the healing sorceress had taken out half of the enemies even Ladydevimon were lying limp and unmoving, they were either dead ir or were dying on the ground, but Niavmon herself was badly wounded and fell to her knees groaning.

"Very impressive, let's see if you can destroy me!" said a voice that came out of nowhere. Auramon gasped, for he had heard that voice before. Suddenly a tall digimon surrounded by bats came in. He had bluish white skin, long bright blonde hair bound back in a ponytail, and was clad in a cerulean blue suit with gold buttons on the side and tight pants, and black leather boots and gloves. He wore a long cape, darkest of crimson on the outside and scarlet red on the inside that was held together with a golden bat brooch and had large darker red batwings that were around his neck like a collar. He had a human body and face and wore a red mask with bat wings on each side of the mask across the top half of his face that brought out his steel blue eyes and last he had purple painted lips which broke into a malicious smile barring sharp teeth and two pearly white fangs. He was a vampire digimon. The two rookie digimon shuddered in horror. "Myotismon!" The sorceress replied coldly but weakly as she stood up with a bit of struggle. "I should've known it was you who sent these digimon here to kill us! If you think you can destroy me or my people that easily, you're wrong."

The vampire's grin faded, "Why not? It's no more than what your kind deserve!" He then spread his cape, "GRISLY WING!"

"INCANTATION LIGHT!" her incantation blocked his attack like a shield, destroying every single bat that charged towards her. The vampire digimon covered his eyes with his cape groaning.

"ENCHANTMENT OF LIGHT!" Shouted Niavmon throwing another gold ball and would probably be the last attack she used before her energy was gone. It hit him right in the shoulder. The vampire digimon screamed squeezing his shoulder as if it was going to fall to pieces dropping to the ground. Niavmon waited. He had fallen in defeat and was lying still, but was he really dead, or just fell unconscious? Just to be sure, the healing sorceress formed another gold ball in her hand, it was small and dim, but unfortunately she could not make it anymore powerful, and cautiously walked over to the fallen vampire. When she got close enough, she slowly leaned forward preparing to kill him. Just then she gasped startled as Myotismon quickly got up and grabbed her by the arm in less than a second; his grip was beyond firm that she thought her arm would break. He got up and pulled her to him and then thrust his head forward so he was close enough to brush his lips against her neck. Niavmon screamed so loud and with such pain that it nearly deafened the two dragon digimon as she tried to break free, but he only held her tighter as he sank his teeth into her neck and lapped up her blood.

"NIAVMON!" Dricomon screamed as she flew out of her hiding space, "Sis, don't..." Auramon cried out, but it was too late to stop her. Why aren't the rest of our people coming to help us? He thought, Azrielmon, Saramon, Enchantemon! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS? He had no choice but to fly after her, he did not want Niavmon to die, but he didn't want Dricomon to die either!

"FIRE BALL!" She shouted. Myotismon winced as the attack hit him straight in the cheek, it did not do much damage, but he let go of the sorceress who dropped to the ground half-conscious.

"GRISLY WING!" the enraged vampire shouted.

"NO!" screamed Auramon. He could not tell if the screaming was his own or his sister's, as the bats covered her, injecting their poison with their fangs and tearing savagely at her flesh like a pack of wolves feeding on a dead rabbit.

"DRAGON FIRE!" Auramon shouted nearly exhausting himself as he breathed out the biggest ball of fire he could make, but the attack only managed to disintegrate two bats out of the thousand. It's not enough! Dricomon and Niavmon were dying, and the rest of his kind was probably in danger too! He thought to himself in panic. I'm only a rookie and he's an ultimate. A tear trickled down his blue cheek. Oh if only I could digivolve, not just to save my twin sister, but the rest of my family, oh if only if only…. Suddenly he stopped; he could hear the voice of his sister, talking to him. But she was in torture! How could she be talking to him? It had to be telepathically, then!

"_Brother, you cannot save me or the rest of us, but you can save yourself."_ "Don't say that, sis." Cried Auramon, fighting back tears. "I'm not going to abandon you, I will save you!" _"You can't Auramon! Please live…. for me…for us!"_ he could hear her screams in the background as her telepathic voice got weaker. _"Promise me you will…go on…living without us! Goodbye, brother!" _Her last two words faded out that he could hardly hear them.

"NO! I LOVE YOU DRICOMON, I LOVE YOU ALL I WO……." Suddenly he did not notice a Darktyrannamon was storming from behind. He heard the oak tree behind him cracking. Auramon turned around; the dinosaur had knocked it down. He freaked out and tried to fly away, but wasn't quick enough as the trunk knocked him to the ground. There was a deafening crash and Auramon screamed in pain as the fallen tree fell on his right wing, he heard the faint sound of bones cracking and most of all the pressure pinned down not just his wing but also his whole body. Fortunately the dark dinosaur did not see him and passed by. Now his only hope was Father, Saramon and the others, he closed his eyes. "_Help us, my sister and Niavmon are going to die, and I'm trapped!" _He fought back his tearsas he spoke aloud. "Oh brothers please come please!"Suddenly he heard something, he could hear their voices crying out, it sounded like they were being attacked, or worse…dying! "No!" he yelled in a whimper.

"Oh what a pity they can't hear you!" Auramon looked around and saw the guy who was mocking him was a small blue and white bat (except for it's feet which looked like the feet of a bird) hovering above him. The angered dragon spat as high as he could in the air, but the bat only laughed his head off.

"DRAGON FIRE!" Who's laughing now?" Auramon sneered in a mean way as he saw the fire hit the laughing bat right in the face knocking him down. The bat looked up, half of his energy was gone, and he was covered with pink burns, but fire would not stop him.

"DEMI DART." His voice was shaking. Auramon saw orange waves floating over him; he was shocked that he wasn't feeling any pain. Instead his eyelids grew heavy and his body fell limp like a rag doll. "Sweet dreams…" Was the last thing heard from his enemy, before he lost all consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

"Get up!" said a harsh voice.

Auramon awoke at a hard rather startling slap at his right cheek. The hit made his cheek sting terribly, that he whimpered helplessly and put a hand to his face only to get slapped again on the other side. Auramon's eyes finally shot open, he had no idea how long he had been sleeping. There was a musty stench in the air and it was so dark, the only thing he could see was a dim figure of a digimon, a tall human shape with a long cape, white pearly fangs and glinting blue eyes that stared coldly into his own. He gasped,

"You!" the dragon digimon tried to bellow out angrily but it only came out in a pathetic gurgle.

"Well, what do we have here?" said the digimon standing over him. Auramon shivered as he felt the vampire's gloved hand enclose around his neck. The dragon digimon tried to move away but the demi dart had made him too weak and groggy to even stand up. He found himself gasping for air as the strange digimon lifted him into the air by the scruff as if he was a cat. He realized his amulet was still around his neck and he wondered why it still was. It was the first time Auramon looked into his enemy's face. He could not tear away his gaze, the vampire's face may have looked human, but his facial features were sharp and overly bony, and his own skin color was white and toned with pale blue hues, definitely not a human's normal skin color. Besides that frightening coldness in his blue eyes, he was one of the most beautiful looking digimon Auramon had ever seen in his life. The little dragon digimon felt a cold chill running down his spine.

"You are afraid, aren't you! I like fear you know!" the vampire digimon put his face forward; Auramon could smell old blood in his breath. Suddenly the dragon knew exactly what he was going to do, it had to be it, and he had seen it in his nightmares. He shuddered, and then the shudder turned into a deafening scream the moment he felt four sharp fangs sink deep into the scaly skin of his neck and start lapping up his blood. The vampire's tough grip made it impossible for him to break free no matter how hard he struggled. Auramon kicked furiously and slapped and scratched with his claws his enemy's face as hard as he could, but the vampire wouldn't budge, he didn't even wince in pain. After awhile Auramon's screams died down as he started to grow weaker and lose consciousness. Finally he stopped but the dragon digimon was too weak to move and was already on the verge of passing out.

"Well, Myotismon!" said another voice, the dragon digimon's ears perked, unaware that the bat that attacked him earlier was in the dungeon with them.

"He seems too weak, but I'll train him well." Myotismon answered, he then dropped the dragon who blacked out immediately after he said those words.

Auramon woke up an hour later and realized he was now alone in the cell. He tried to move but then he heard a clanking sound and there was a sharp tug that forced him back. Myotismon had chained him hand, and foot to the wall, "Murder, you killed my family, MURDERER!" Hot tears poured down his face, his neck was throbbing with pain from the bite, and not even his grief and anger could block it out. How he longed to see Dricomon's and his father Azrielmon's face, or even hear their gentle voices that always gave him great comfort, and how he longed playing games and learning things with them and the rest of his friends. But no one was there anymore to stay by his side, he was alone.

"Bastard! Murderer!" Auramon spat between choking sobs as if the vampire digimon was there. "If you think you can turn me into your henchman, you're wrong! I hate you, I HATE YOU!" he banged a fist against the wall hard. Suddenly he heard the crack of a whip. The young dragon screamed, and felt as if a hot knife blade had sliced away the flesh from his back. He turned his head and saw Myotismon outside his cell holding what looked like a crimson red lightning bolt through the bars of the door.

"You've been keeping me up all night with that racket, do I have to hit you again to shut you up?" he hollered angrily.

Auramon shook his head and lay back down shaking.

"Good!" the vampire said and he walked away from the cell.

For the next five years. Auramon found himself being forced to work for Myotismon. And often times if he would refuse to follow orders he would be taken to the dungeon and Myotismon would torture him by whip for hours. Torture from Myotismon also happened to other henchmen if they failed in a mission or disobeyed, but not as badly, especially to his top soldiers. Many times Auramon would try to escape from the tower, but no matter how clever he made his escape plans he would be caught the next day and be brought back. The burning pain of the whip was growing more and more unbearable for the little dragon. The torture often made him go mad and he would forget about the good inside of him which was always a pleasure for the vampire, but it was so astonishing not only that he was still alive, but how he would never loose his memories completely. But as the years passed by, the possibility of him becoming evil drew near. He was already getting close to digivolving again, and if he became a virus which could only happen in the ultimate stage, there would be no hope for him.

One day Auramon was relieved that Myotismon was away for a while, but since he was being closely watched by his other henchmen, he had no chance of escaping, but he was glad to be free of the vampire for the moment. It was a clear and sunny that day, as he left the tower and sat himself down in the fresh air, on the bank of a small lake. He had not looked at his reflection in so long, and gasped when he saw himself in the water. He could hardly even recognize himself; he saw a number of scars from the past whippings all over his back and stomach and even on his face which was all red and swollen, making him look like a chipmunk. He looked closely at the right side of his neck and realized it was a sickly purplish color and it still had those two puncture marks from where he got bitten. He had healed his wing though. Suddenly he saw two red flashes come up from behind, and quickly ducked and managed to miss one but the other hit him across his back, reopening one of his wounds. Auramon gave a sharp cry and dropped to the ground, as the enraged vampire walked up to him.

"Did you really think that if I was gone, you could just go out and fool around?" Myotismon snarled. "Get back to work, and if this happens again, you know what I do to worthless henchmen!"

Auramon narrowed his eyes; he was already getting sick of being treated like this. "If I've been so worthless to you why don't you banish me? Besides, you still know I'd rather be worthless than be your top henchman…" He screamed in mid sentence as Myotismon hit him again but even harder making already half of the rookie dragon's back bleed.

"I said get back to work!" the vampire bellowed. Now all Auramon could do now was nod and crawl (since his sore back would not let him get up) back to the castle, feeling so stupid that he talked back like that. Just then he stopped, why was he doing this? Why was he being so submissive towards his enemy, always shrinking back in defeat and obeying after getting punishments he did not even deserve? After all he never wanted to serve Myotismon, but he was doing it anyway! He turned around in anger and since the whipping on his back had drained away too much of his energy to use his attack, he found a sharp rock beside him, picked it up and threw it straight at the Vampire. Myotismon just laughed, despite the fact it hit him hard straight in the chest.

"Go on, do anything you can to kill me, but you know you can't!" he said mockingly. Auramon's voice turned cold.

"Now I can't, but I'll destroy you one day for what you've done to me!" the vampire only laughed harder.

"You really amuse me Auramon."

"DRAGON FIRE!" Auramon cried and surprisingly the fireball that emerged from his mouth hit the vampire right at the side of his face. Myotismon screamed and swore as he clutched with both hands the half of his face that caught fire. His black gloves put the flames out, just in time before they spread but his enemy wasn't finished yet.

"You may have killed my sister, you may have killed my father and my friends, why don't you just kill me too? I would rather die!" The rookie dragon shouted and at that moment and at that moment leapt into the air and began to fly off but Myotismon took his hands from his face and grabbed the little dragon by the tail, yanking him forward. Auramon gasped in horror as he saw what his fire attack had done, on one side the vampire's face half of his mask had burned to dust and was gone, the white skin was a ugly burnt yellow brown and all wrinkled and twisted in a hideous matter and one nostril and the eyeball was gone leaving a dark socket, but he was even more horrified when all of it disappeared and his face looked perfectly normal as if he had not gotten burned at all.

Myotismon threw the blue dragon onto the ground knocking the wind out of him and picked up his crimson bolt whip which he had dropped and raised it in the air. Myotismon cracked his lightning bolt and whipped the dragon three times his hardest across his face using all his strength out of anger at each hit.

"You fool!" Myotismon shouted as he raised his whip to strike him again. "You're nothing but a pathetic weakling! And a stupid one, against me! If you attack me again it will be your last!"

And Auramon screamed in agony, he felt like his face was on fire, the stinging flames burning his flesh till it wrinkled and then consuming his bones as the Vampire hit him again and even harder than before, and he did not stop. .

The darkness faded slowly and Auramon saw a strange star of light appear above him. He could still feel the unbearable pain through out his face as if Myotismon was still whipping him, but his screaming voice was gone and he felt limp and weak like a corpse. He slowly opened his swollen eyes shaking. Who knew how long he had been sleeping but he was woken up quickly, still tortured and traumatized by the stinging pain in his face. He was back in his cell lying on a bed of straw. His entire face felt wet and sticky as if someone had poured a liquid substance all over his face and he tasted the salty blood. Even though he could not see, he could already imagine his face as it was now, skin split open revealing series of deep ugly welts across but the whole thing was covered with blood. He couldn't see through his left eye and overall it felt like Myotismon's whip had ripped off his face completely. He never thought he'd wake up again after what had happened. How could he have been so stupid? Although he despised Myotismon so much, he was only a rookie digimon, weak and helpless compared to an ultimate like him, and not only that, this wasn't the first he had tried to resist him! Tears fell down his bloody face making the pain worse. It was hopeless for him! On the other hand, he wanted to die, to end this life of his, so was it really such an unwise decision? . Just then he heard his door burst open and Demidevimon came in swearing under his breath as he brought bandages, sewing thread and a gourd of none too clear water. The blue dragon did not bother to open his eyes and turn around, neither did he notice the bat digimon's shrieks of terror when he saw him, and if he did, he ignored it. The blue dragon groaned as the bat digimon grabbed him none too gently dragging him across the floor and Auramon soon found himself forced to sit up against a wall.

"Ugh!" Demidevimon complained, staring at the rookie dragon's face and glancing at the pool of blood. "Idiot! Why couldn't you just die? Then I wouldn't have to clean up this disgusting mess!"

Auramon said nothing in response; the only thing that ran through his mind was all the pain and agony in his face! The bat digimon spread out one of the bandages, picked up the gourd with his two claws and poured all the water in it over the cloth. He then took the wet bandage and wrapped it about the dragon's face, Auramon felt a little suffocated, and there were only narrow gaps in the places where his mouth and nose were. When Demidevimon had finished wrapping and grabbed the extra bandages and the drinking gourd and gave one last look at the rookie dragon before he was out the door.

"Don't even think about thanking me!" He said coldly, "If you get disfigured and ugly, that's your own problem!" And with that he flew out and slammed the door behind him.

After a month had passed, Auramon had the strength to get up. His face except for his right eye was covered completely in bandages. He couldn't move his jaws except maybe open them a couple inches, the tight bindings of the bandage kept them clamped together. He at least was able to drink water and tea, but fluids was all he could take in to keep himself alive and after a month or so he had grown alarmingly thin and half-dehydrated.,

it was bright and sunny, that day that for the first time his whole cell lit up! He felt somewhat parched and took a big drink from his bowl of water. When he finished there was still enough water left to show his reflection. Out of curiosity and yet very uneasy at the same time, he stepped back and carefully undid the bandages. When the wrappings were removed, he looked back into his bowl and almost cried out in horror, shocked and terrorized at what he saw. Shaking a little, he walked back and looked at himself again, this time forcing himself to stay where he was. The top half of his face looked normal, his left eye was still closed though and it looked swollen, but on the right side on the bottom half of his face, he looked grossly scarred. His skin in that area, once blue was now a sickening purplish yellow, as wrinkled as a sun dried prune and was split open like a skin peel all the way and in the gap where his skin split was a thin layer of flesh left that was bumpy and wrinkled and it's color an unhealthy purple crimson. He had three of those ugly marks across the bottom half of his face and he inhaled sharply in disgust as he saw a hint of blood slowly oozing out of them! And then when he took off the last wrapping (practically tore it of until it came down in shreds because it was hard to undo the knots) that bound his jaws he could not even gasp, nor could he scream! Was he fated to have these hideous scars forever? The other permanent scars on the rest of his body, mostly on his back, were rather ugly too but they were nothing compared to these! Auramon could almost see Myotismon behind his reflection, laughing and telling him how stupid he had been trying to fight a digimon that was stronger than him, and this was what he got for it, hideous scars! Enraged, he finally slapped hard at the water to block out the image and turned away from the bowl. He sank to the floor and hung his head in defeat, in the end it seemed like his only choice left was to serve his master! Fevered tears poured down his face as kept touching the scars tracing them across his face. Ugliness was a curse to digimon in the digital world. Although not all digimon were good looking, those who did look like him or even worse were either scorned and jeered at, or just feared by others. Those who did not look beautiful or at least normal were outcasts. It was cruel, but that was the way of it, and even if he weren't deformed, because he was a slave, probably those who resisted Myotismon would turn on him! Forever would he have it so it reminded him what would happen to other digimon if he ever became evil!

As the years went by, the light was leaving the young dragon, and he started to become more obedient to his master. As if the once good Auramon was now being buried away deep inside him, and only behind the evil mask, he knew Myotismon was still his sworn enemy. One night Auramon woke up in his headquarters. His stomach was feeling rather queasy as if he had eaten something spoiled and there was a familiar tingling running through his body. Suddenly he jumped up excitedly and could not control himself. "AURAMON DIGIVOLVE TO…." His tail shrunk into nothing, his wings and scales fell out as he grew nearly three feet taller than his normal size into a human shape.

"WIZARDMON!" he said in a voice that was much deeper and manlier like. Wizardmon examined his new form gasping with pleasure. He was a four foot five humanoid digimon with long straw-colored hair that was tied back in a loose ponytail, the same light blue skin, and he was clad in a tan-colored jumpsuit with crazy zip-up pockets, he wore brown gloves and boots with gold crescent moon buckles and a long cape that was dark blue and on the inside were strange gold symbols. On his head he wore a dark blue pointed wizards hat with a white skull in the center. Most of all, he carried a staff, a thick wooden pole with a shiny golden sun on the top. He was more humanlike now, on his way to a sorcerer. Except for his face which was round with childish features, with no nose and a wide mouth. The wizard admired his new look, but then again, he still had the scars that Myotismon had given him a long time ago! And worse he had a mouth that was sewn together with black threads, and yet he could still freely open his jaws. It was such an odd feature! Although he had in a way stopped caring when the other henchmen gasped and whispered to each other whenever he passed by, it still hurt him nonetheless that he looked so disfigured, even if he didn't have these scars, there was his stitched mouth. He ripped off a long strip of his cape, and wrapped it around his mouth covering the scars and his whole face with the strip of cloth. The only two things that could be seen were his deep green eyes. It did not make him look any better but at least no one would see the scars or stitched mouth! Now that he had digivolved to champion, it was just one more stage before he would become a virus. He sat on the ground, pushed back his bangs and traced the old family scar on his forehead. The mark was still there. He could not forget the digimon he was before all this, as much as he could not forget his people, but his memories before he met Myotismon had been withering away over the years; it now felt like there were two digimon inside of him fighting each other, Auramon the sorcerer's son and the Auramon who's loyalties lie with Myotismon and both sides were battling against each other!

Another year later, Wizardmon still did not become one of Myotismon's top henchmen, but the vampire took his trust in the wizard that he would start obeying his orders and no longer called on his other henchmen to keep an eye on him. Wizardmon's major job became healing of other henchman (if they got wounded by other digimon, if the got hurt by Myotismon, the wizard would not be allowed to see them.). All he knew now was that he was Myotismon's servant and would be loyal to no one but Myotismon forever.

A young boy awoke at the sound of chirping crickets, not that he was afraid of the noise but back at home in a big city, you could hardly hear the sound of animals! He could not remember much except that he was playing with his three-year old sister and two alien gizmo devices appeared almost magically on his desk next to the computer. He walked over and picked them up to look at them, and the next thing, a light came flashing out of the computer screen and he felt as if two hands grabbed him and pulled him forward so fast that he couldn't break free. He then fainted in fear and woke up to find himself in some strange forest. Slowly he sat up and pushed back his messy brown hair. It was so dark, and quiet…too quiet.

"Mom, Dad…?" he said softly.

Suddenly he heard his sister crying. He looked around frantically and saw her sitting right next to him and pointing at the sky. A strange figure was flying towards them, as the creature got closer it looked like a young boy with light blue skin, straw colored hair, wearing a thick jumpsuit cloak and a witch's hat. He could not see its face, for half of it was covered with a scarf. The boy gasped as he gathered his little sister in his arms and broke into a run.

"Where do you think you're going?" It sneered at them.

The young boy kept constantly looking over his shoulder, it was much harder to run while carrying his sister at the same time, and the monster kept coming closer and closer. Just then he stopped confused, all of a sudden he couldn't see the creature anywhere! It just disappeared in thin air. "Hello again!" Said a voice. He screamed and saw it standing right in front of him blocking their way. He turned around to run in the other direction, but the creature appeared in front of them again blocking that direction too! "NO!' he whimpered. "IT'S JUST A DREAM THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!"

"Really?' Are you sure about that?" Asked the monster casually with an evil grin behind his scarf. Tears poured down the young boy's face; his little sister was crying hysterically.

"Leave us alone, you monster!" he spat.

Wizardmon pointed his staff at the young boy and his sister. "Orders are orders, human!" he said. He looked at the two year old girl who was still sobbing. "Oh will somebody shut that kid up!" He snarled in annoyance. And he aimed for attack.

"NO, NOT MY SISTER! DON'T HURT MY SISTER!" the boy cried. "BE QUIET!" the wizard snapped at her.

The dark-haired boy held his sister close and would not let go! "No, please no!"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Wizardmon shouted angrily "MAGICAL-" but then he stopped before he could finish, he tried to say the whole Incantation again but he seemed to choke on the words. He looked into the eyes of the two children; the girl stopped crying and looked at him. He then saw himself in the boy's place and his own sister Dricomon in place of the young girl, his memories of her coming back to him. He had lost his sister and now that poor boy was about to loose his, and then his own life. His grip got looser and looser until the sun staff dropped from his hands, making a loud thump on the ground. He stood frozen unable to even make a twitch. What's wrong with me? He thought in frustration, am I not a top henchman? Am I not a virus?

"I can't do it!" He blurted out in a tone that sounded so sad and pathetic. He hung his head in shame, "Forgive me!"

and all the two of them could do now was just stare in confusion. Just then Wizardmon lifted his head, worried that Myotismon would come and kill them himself.

"Well don't just stand there!" He snapped. "Hold up the digivices and it will reveal the portal to the real world."

"What are you talking about?" The boy asked. The Wizard pointed to the two devices he was still carrying, "hold those up and you will be able to get ba…" He was interrupted by a wicked laugh behind. All three of them gasped.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Myotismon asked in a casual tone. "Nothing, master!" Said Wizardmon.

"That's right, you are doing nothing!" the vampire snarled. "You insolent coward!" He formed a bolt of his crimson lightning in his right hand. Wizardmon stood in front of the two children like a shield.

"No, please! They did nothing wrong…..AAAAAAAAAh" the wizard cried out as Myotismon cracked his whip striking the wizard across the stomach and he did it so hard that it sent him falling on his knees and two Bakemon grabbed him by the arms and pulled him aside while another Bakemon took away his staff.

"No, don't!" Wizardmon cried as he struggled to break free. I need my staff!

"GRISLY WING!"

It was too late; the wizard watched as Myotismon's bats attacked those two kids. He could not see it happening, but their agonizing screams were so unbearable for him, that it made his head pound and could almost imagine them being eaten alive, dying such a horrible death; he closed his eyes shuddering. Finally it was all over he struggled and managed to break free of the Bakemon as he rushed over to the dead bodies. When he got closer he gasped when he saw that only one of them was lying dead on the ground it was the boy but the girl was not there, she had somehow escaped, but how did that happen? He kneeled beside the one dead body that lay in a pool of blood examining every inch of him. The boy's face was still normal looking with a few puncture marks on his cheeks but most of his skin was gone that he could see could see his bones and organs in many places. He reached out his hand to touch him, his heart feeling heavy with guilt.

"Don't!" He heard the vampire's commandment. "You've caused enough trouble already!" Wizardmon turned around and stood up, only to hunch over a little because of the pain in his stomach, his eyes gleaming with anger at Myotismon.

"I take no orders, you heartless murderer!" The vampire filled with rage and was prepared to raise his whip. Wizardmon muttered an incantation spell and his staff flew out of the Bakemon's hands and into his own in a flash. "MAGICAL GAME!" he cried and blue lightning emerged from his staff hitting Myotismon right in the chest before he could block it with his cape. It tore a hole in the vampire's jacket and there was a bloody wound. Myotismon gave a sharp groan in agony but it did not do enough to make him fall over.

"NIGHTMARE CLAW!" the vampire chanted. And in less then a second, Wizardmon's body grew heavy and his muscles became as stiff as rock, he was paralyzed! "CRIMSON LIGHTNING" the wizard was unable to cry out but he sweated and his head throbbed madly as the attack hit him. He couldn't fight back for his lips were frozen stiff. There might have been an incantation that could heal paralyzing, but he didn't know what it was or couldn't remember it. "Bakemon!" The vampire demanded as he hunched over and clutched the wound on his chest, "Lock this traitor up, I'll deal with him later!"

An Hour later, Wizardmon found himself back at the castle. He expected to be in the torture chamber but instead he was back in his headquarters, where he slept, on his bed of straw. The door was locked though and his dried bread and bowl of water was gone. He had to get out of here, but he had tried many times when he was Auramon and the Vampire would always track him down and bring him back. But he could not let himself give in to Myotismon, it had almost happened to him once! Also he was still paralyzed, unless he remembered the healing spell, he would not be able to get up and break the door open with his attack, good thing he had been holding his staff while Myotismon paralyzed him, somehow after he froze it was stuck to him. He could not move his lips but he could say it in his head. He tried to picture the time when Niavmon taught him the healing Incantations. The image was too faded; his beatings from Myotismon had washed away most of his memories. Come on! He said in his mind, the long lost words came slowly into his head, but he could only hear whispering gibberish. Finally, a small but clear sentence came to him; he could hear his own voice saying the words. But nothing happened, he felt no difference at all, he tried again but still nothing happened, just then a warm green light passed over him like a blanket, he felt like he was melting as his body got softer. "Did I mutter the wrong incantation?" He gasped; he had just moved his mouth when he said those words. Wizardmon stood up in a clumsy manner leaning on his staff; it felt so good to move again! He then pointed his staff on the door but then stopped. He would easily be caught if he went out the main entrance. He turned around and looked at his caged window, it was small, but he was certain it would be big enough for him to squeeze through. It was clear daylight outside, which gave a good chance, though Myotismon was sometimes out during the daytime, vampires could not always go outside when the sun was up because the light was not healthy for them. His "Magical Game" would not be strong enough against iron but maybe his "Thunder Ball" could break the bars. He groaned as he slowly pulled himself to his feet with his staff and lifted his hand. "THUNDER BALL!" He cried.

To be Continued……….


	2. Meant to Survive

Part 2

Wizardmon stumbled through the harsh barren landscape. If he flew across any longer, his staff would loose its power. The sun was beyond strong that day that he could barely open his eyes and pulled the brim of his hat down to shade them. The heat was growing intense by the minute and his cloak and jumpsuit made it especially unbearable for him. Sweat kept breaking on his skin and made his clothes stick to him .

he did not know how long he had been walking, it felt like several hours and he was still in the middle of no where, .

His stomach where Myotismon hit him was throbbing with pain that he hunched over a little when he walked, he had several other unbearable injuries from the whip but the one on his stomach was the worst. He stopped and looked under the cloths that he had wrapped around his waist for bandages and inhaled sharply as the deep gash under there stung like knives the second it was exposed to the dusty air. the wound was bleeding again and it had become infected.

"Oh crap!" He murmured under his breath.

But there was nothing he could do about it now, the land was too dry for healing herbs to grow; and he rewrapped it and kept going.

Suddenly a breeze hit him so suddenly that he gasped and looked over his shoulder. It looked like a sandstorm. There it was, blowing closer and closer to him; it looked like thick smoke from a fire, he quickly wrapped his cloak tightly around him and re-adjusted his scarf as he looked around in panic for a place to hide. There was no such place in sight where he could hide himself except for a few large cactuses nearby. It wouldn't do much good, but there wasn't much tome left.

Frantically he rushed over and crouched behind the biggest, pulling down his hat so his entire face was covered. The next minute, he could feel the sand whipping his entire body the grains scraping him as if they were trying to break into his skin. It felt just like getting lashes from Myotismon's whip, but not quite as bad. His breathing grew more and more scarce; sand got under his scarf and into his mouth that he found himself coughing and choking as the sand buried him alive. Finally his lungs began to burn for air and he was blindly waving his staff and his free hand above him trying to find a surface to break through. Unfortunately he felt no air or any sign of emptiness above him. He finally sank down in defeat and wrapped himself even tighter in his cloak. Please! He begged. Please let this sand storm pass soon!

A few minutes later, all went still and quiet around him. he no longer felt any sand hitting him nor could he hear the sound of the wind. Was it over? So soon though, but why did that matter!

Wizardmon moved his free hand around, practically digging through for the cactus he stayed beside. He stopped short as he felt the spines caught onto his glove, and he winced in pain as he grabbed hold of the top part of the plant and started to climb up letting the needles dig into his hand until it bled while digging through the sand with his staff. He was so relieved when he broke through the surface and sucked greedily at the fresh air as if he hadn't breathed in a long time. He then shook himself as he pulled the rest of his body out and continued on his journey.

Another few days passed, and he still did not stop for rest. his feet ached as if they were on fire and became so sore. He wondered if he had gotten ill from the infected injuries, his temples throbbed painfully and his forehead as well as the rest of his body burned like fire,. He put all his weight on his staff like a cane, as he grew nauseous and there was something sickening in his stomach that could make him vomit all over any minute. waves of dizziness kept passing over him, making his head spin; soon he found he could not stand on his own without using his staff.

The pain in his stomach had gotten no better and the pain in his other whippings were increasing like mad. Wizardmon clenched his teeth and tried to resist from crying out in pain, he looked down and could see a huge stain of blood growing on the now dirty bandages. He was losing blood!

He couldn't remember the last time he ate or drank and his throat had grown beyond parched. He ran a dry toungue over his cracked lips, if he didn't find a well or a water hole soon, he would die of exposure, if not from sickness or bleeding to death.. He thought about the last words Dricomon spoke to him and the last words Azrielmon spoke in the ceremony

"Promise me that you will go on living without us!"

He kept muttering to himself, though it was more like a hoarse whisper for his throat was too dry to speak! Then the memories began to turn into hallucinations as he saw ahead through his half-open eyes, strange flashing images of his family and friends.

Then without noticing it he lost his balance, his staff slipped and he groaned as he felt his body hit the ground, dust blowing everywhere around him. He winced in pain, and started to get back up leaning on his staff for support only to fall down again. Finally he gave up and remained lying there. Why should he try again? There was no point in getting back up, no point in surviving, and most of all there was no point in living! Why should he get back up, how could he keep going when he had no life, anymore? He had nothing left to live for, no friends, no place to go, he was alone! Why not just give up and die right here? He closed his eyes,

_I'm sorry sister!_ He said to himself, his dry throat and throbbing injuries though were hard to ignore, and begged him to get back up, but he had to refuse;

_I should've died a long time ago!_ He thought to himself. _Then I shall die out here, and if it means I have to die slowly and painfully…so be it! _ Hot tears welled up in his eyes and soaked the sand beneath his face. The last thing he could do was silently cry out all his pain for the loss of Dricomon and his people that he kept inside for years. Tears ran down his face, making him even more dehydrated.

"There is nothing left…" he sobbed.

Suddenly he thought he heard soft footsteps. But how could that be? He had seen no one else but himself in this desert! The footsteps got louder and closer; they sounded like the soft step of a furry animal, just then he felt a shadow over him. He lifted his head up half conscious. He couldn't make out the creature in the bright sun not even it's shape except for two big and round cerulean blue eyes looking at him.

"Dricomon?" He mumbled in a hoarse whisper, no she was dead!

"Drink this!" the eyes spoke to him. the voice sounded feminine and gentle. Drink? He looked down in surprise as a bowl of fresh water was put before him! He didn't pull down his scarf though, despite how parched he had been!

Don't be a fool! He thought to himself. This is only a hallucination!

"I said drink this!" The eyes said again.

He stared hard into the bowl. I want to die! He thought, but his throat was just aching for liquid, he couldn't resist. Frantically he pulled down his scarf and pulled his pointed hat down so those eyes could not see his face and nearly put his entire head in the bowl. There was water in there! he gulped it down greedily. How cool and refreshing it was, every drop of it hydrating him. When his tongue tasted nothing but the bitter bowl itself he pulled his scarf back up and his aching head dropped back down into the soft sand. He then gave a loud groan of exhaustion and closed his eyes losing all consciousness.

Wizardmon stirred at the sound of crackling fire and the smell of strong herbs. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, he felt so limp where he lay, though his head still ached and there was a small but painful sting in his wounds, he could scarcely remember the last time he had any strength to move. Slowly, he opened his eyes. It was nightfall, and the climate was moist and much cooler around him now. There was a thick canopy of tree branches above that blocked out most of the diamond-like stars up there and he also saw gray smoke curling in the sky, which he realized came from a roaring campfire next to him. But the last thing he remembered was passing out in a desert, what was he doing in the middle of a forest? And where did that campfire come from?

"Ah you're awake!" Said a voice. "You've been hurt so badly, I wasn't so sure you would come around!"

Wizardmon groaned softly as he lifted his head to see who just talked to him. Another digimon was sitting across from him on the other side of the fire . She was a small cat her fur was white as the winter's snow, and she had abnormally large ears that were shaped like rabbit's ears with purple fringes on the tips and a long white and purple striped tail with a beautiful gold ring on it. She had silver whiskers on her face that glinted like her fur in the light of the flames, a black button-like nose and she had those wide cerulean blue eyes he had seen earlier

. "Did you save me?" He asked the strange cat. His voice was weak but she heard his question

"It was nothing, really!" She answered. "I just felt I couldn't leave you there to die!"

The wizard did not know what to say, he looked down and felt a warm flush of embarrassment when he realized he had been stripped down naked (except for his mouth-covering scarf and pointed hat, he still had those on) to the waist and clean linen bandages covered his wounds, but the fire warmed his bare skin against the cold weather. It felt so good to not be in any pain, and he was no longer parched after that drink he had some time ago.

"Well…uh thanks!" He assured her. He started to get up from the ground and put his jumpsuit back on but couldn't zip it up because his hands shook and he could not get a firm grip on the zipper so he wrapped himself in his cloak. He then realized he didn't have his staff beside him; he looked around frantically and spotted it a few feet away from him, propped against a tree.

"Lie back down!" The white cat insisted, as if it was an order. "Don't be silly! You're not strong enough to go!"

But the wizard ignored her; his muscles ached terribly that he could not hold in a painful grunt when he stood up and took a step forward. His legs felt so weak and were shaking uncontrollably when he tried to keep his balance, Just then he felt a sickening sway passing over him, and realized his wounded stomach which the white cat had sewn up and re bandaged for him ripped and saw the blood form a stain on his jumpsuit. He inhaled sharply and dropped to the ground . The white cat digimon rushed to the fallen wizard and grabbed one of his arms

"See! Now I have to stitch that up again, and you still have a fever!" She quickly grabbed a log behind him pulling it forward helping him sit up against it. She then handed him a cup full of tea medicine. He noticed her paws were covered with green and red striped gloves. Wizardmon took the cup and looked at the tea in it. The smell was unrecognizable but its darkish color hinted it might be some sort of willow bark tea. He pulled down his scarf with one hand and pulled down the wide brim of his hat with the other lowering his head, as he took in a few sips, he sensed that the white cat was wondering why he always covered his face completely even when he was going to eat or drink!. He then pulled his scarf and hat back up and looked at her

"Why did you help me?" He asked, a little coldly, after he pulled his scarf back up, he did not want her to see the scars or his stitched mouth.

"I already told you why!" The cat digimon answered, a little disturbed by his attitude.

Wizardmon frowned at her. "You could've just let me die out there! No other digimon cared for me, I ..." He stopped; hesitantly and the continued. "Well, I don't need your pity. I don't want to be a burden to you. I have nothing to live for!"

She frowned back at him.

" You are not burden. I was just trying to help you, and this is the thanks you give me?" The white cat retorted feeling utterly insulted.

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you just let me die?" He snapped back. "You don't even know what I've been through! You don't know what it's like to…" But before he could finish, there was a tight squeeze in his chest and pulled down his scarf as he coughed up a mass of phlegm. When it passed he covered his mouth again and felt a paw on his back.

"Best take it easy!" The white cat suggested who was suddenly standing right next to him. "You're in pretty bad shape!"

The wizard's frown melted away, she was only being kind to him, he shouldn't have been harsh to her about it, why did he get angry at her in the first place? Was it true then? Had Myotismon really hardened his heart and made him unkind?

"You sound so lonely to say such things." She said softly.

The wizard gave her an odd look.

"What do you mean?" He asked,

"I know your feelings! I understand your pain!" Said the white cat sitting down next to him, her tone was warm and friendly. "Because…" She hesitated, he could almost see a tear about to fall down her furry cheek, "Because I feel them too! I've been through a lot of misery and suffering myself."

Wizardmon suddenly looked at her curiously as she continued on.

"I…since I was a small baby digimon. Like you, I've been so alone all my life! I didn't belong anywhere, I never had any friends and yet I still survived. It's been several years, I've been trying to find my place, the key to where I belong!"

"What do you mean?" The wizard asked.

The white cat digimon turned away and there was a faraway look in her deep cerulean blue eyes as if she was trying to remember something.

"I do know I have a family out there, I've been searching for this person, someone I belong to…"

"Who is this person?" Wizardmon asked interested.

She then gave a sigh of frustration and cried out. "Oh I can't remember! It was so long ago! All I know is that I'm still looking for her!"

who was she looking for? But he decided not to ask her. He lightly put a hand on her shoulder as a sign of comfort until she calmed down. The white cat digimon then looked up at the wizard again.

"My name is Gatomon by the way! What's yours?"

"Wizardmon!" Wizardmon answered her and for a long time the two sat together in silence! After a while, Gatomon quickly got up to put the fire out,.

"Well it's getting late; I'll tend that wound while you rest!" She said quickly.

"Thank you, but I think I'll tend to it myself!" the wizard insisted. Gatomon shook her head.

"No I'll do it!" and curled up on the ground.

A few days passed. It was early morning! Wizardmon got up and grabbed his staff, it felt so good to be able to move again! His legs still felt pretty weak and he leaned against his staff in case he would fall over again. He spotted Gatomon who was leaving right away with a cloth bag over her shoulder.

"Why are you leaving so soon?" He asked When she noticed he was following her, she stopped and looked at him in annoyance.

"Will you stop following me? I can take care of myself. I don't need your companionship!"

Wizardmon was taken aback by her sudden coldness.

"Well…umm… would you mind if I needed yours?" He asked, trying to find the right words. "I'm afraid I don't know my way around this place, and…well I could use a guide!"

Gatomon gave him a strange look and for a minute he thought she would say "no". But she just shrugged at his request,

"Sure, whatever!" She didn't sound like she meant it, though, and the two of them walked together down the narrow forest trail.

Wizardmon had not fully recovered yet and he found himself struggling to keep up with the white cat who was almost trotting down the gravel path! He wondered where she was going, but was getting easily exhausted. Maybe he should've let her leave and continue traveling by himself, but there seemed to be no point in that. Gatomon had no where to go either so it didn't hurt if the two of them traveled together. Just then his legs lost control and he slipped and fell to his knees. He grunted and pulled himself backup.

"C'mon!" the white cat urged him she sounded like she was commanding a slave or a soldier. "I said c'mon!" She snapped angrily. "Do you not know how to walk or something?"

"No!" The wizard muttered bitterly. He did not understand it! First she saved his life and was being so kind to him, and now she was being so cold and distant as if none of that ever happened. He wondered if she had a family or any friends around or used to like he did! She had also told him last night that she had suffered! Perhaps, like him, her own heart was hardened by pain and loneliness.

The hours went by, it seemed like they were getting nowhere, and Wizardmon would get embarrassed as Gatomon stopped every second and yelled at him.

"If you're coming with me you better keep up! Now, either stop slowing me down or just go your own way!" Finally he could not take her bitching at him anymore, and his anger flared at her.

"It's not my fault, Gatomon!" He snapped at her. "I'm getting sick of you acting this way towards me! But if you can't put up with me…..I'll respect that."

Just then Gatomon hung her head and her ears went down in shame of herself.

"I'm sorry!" She muttered softly. "I'm….I'm not used to being nice to people. It's just that…I've been so alone all the time, I'm not used to being around other digimon!"

Wizardmon nodded his head, understanding her, "Well, you think I haven't been as lonely as you?"

She looked up at him but said nothing.

"I do understand, Gatomon, maybe…." He hesitated but then went on, "maybe you should talk to someone about it! You were telling me earlier about…finding someone!" But he certainly did not want to talk about his troubles, so why should he make her tell him about her own? The white cat digimon shook her head.

"No!" She answered softly. "Not now anyway. I'm sorry for yelling at you." And with that she turned around and started walking again but much slower, with the wizard following behind.

By sunset they stopped and Wizardmon helped Gatomon make camp. They didn't really have any supplies except the bowl and cup she carried in her bag, and they collected wood for a fire. The two of them sat down and watched the lovely sunset in the sky. A ball of fire in a purple, orange and gold background sinking into the horizon. The two of them did not exchange a word, it seemed awkward in a way, but the wizard didn't mind the silence, it was comforting enough to have a companion with him. He gave a little chuckle. I never thought I would find somebody either! He thought to himself.

"So, where are you from?" He asked.

Gatomon shrugged at him in response.

"I uh…I don't live anywhere!"

Wizardmon gave her a look. "Well, did you have any friends or family?" He asked.

"I don't really know!" She answered still not looking at him. "That's why I keep traveling." She then looked up at him. "What about you?". Wizardmon hesitated, though it wouldn't be so bad to talk about his past life, about all the pain he had been through when he became a slave to Myotismon that he had kept inside for so long and he never had anyone to talk to until now! "Well, I use to live a long way from her….In a village…." He trusted Gatomon, but on the other hand, he hesitated and did not feel ready! The wizard shook his head, "I don't want to talk about it!" He answered, The white cat digimon saw his grave expression and cast her eyes down,

"You don't have to tell me anything." She assured him.

"We don't have to talk, you know." Said the wizard. He then turned around and looked at the sky, the sun was gone, the only light there was the full moon and a few stars that gave off a bluish tone against the black sky. He then looked back at Gatomon who was looking at him again and nearly gasped in awe. Her large cat eyes had changed from cerulean blue to sapphire and lapis, and they were sparkling silver like both precious stones, or like the stars! Same with her tail ring and her fur looked so soft and glossy in the moonlight. She looked so beautiful and glamorous. Suddenly the image of Gatomon faded away and he saw instead the face of Dricomon smiling and looking at him with those sapphire eyes.

"Are you alright, Wizardmon?"

Wizardmon snapped out of his hallucination and saw the white cat digimon again.

"What?" he asked.

Gatomon looked concerned for some reason.

"You're crying!" she said.

The wizard then noticed his sight was blurred and he could feel hot tears pouring down his cheeks, he brushed them away with a gloved hand.

"I'm alright, Gatomon." He answered, then he realized that she was frowning at him. The white cat digimon looked away with an angry grunt. "Can you do something for me?" She said her tone was bitter that it made him feel uneasy.

"Of course!" Wizardmon answered. Gatomon then turned back to him but she had her eyes fixed on the ground.

"I…I don't like be stared at. Not in that way." She insisted.

Wizardmon nodded "I'm sorry, Gatomon.

I'm going to sleep now!" and with that, he laid his staff against a tree, and laid down on the ground wrapping his cloak around himself for warmth.

It was chilly that night. The ground was really hard and rocky, that no matter what position Gatomon got into, she couldn't get comfortable, and found herself tossing and turning. It wasn't good to stay awake all night though! She finally felt defeat and looked over at Wizardmon who was already dozing off, he looked so warm wrapped up in that cloak, so peaceful. She slowly found herself walking over to him, but then stopped. What was she thinking? Quickly she got back down and shut her eyes.

Wizardmon awoke in the middle of the night at the sound of her restlessness. He didn't even notice how cold it was and shuddered a little . He got up on his feet and walked over to the white cat digimon. His wound had completely healed; it didn't hurt him when he moved. She was curled up in such a tight ball, her whole body was shaking and her feline teeth were chattering (despite her fur)! He unfastened his cloak and carefully put it on her like a blanket. She shuddered a little and grasped his cloak with her paws. He gasped softly when he saw that tears were running down her cheeks, why was she crying? he bent down and gently brushed them away with a gloved hand. At that moment Gatomon's eyes began to open, Wizardmon hesitated and went back to his sleeping spot quickly before she noticed.

The next morning, they started out again. And this time the two of them talked during their journey, or actually Wizardmon would talk about his background (He told her nothing about Myotismon, or the death of his family), and about the place he came from and Gatomon would listen, enjoying what he had to say. But still most of the time, nothing but silence would come between them. Wizardmon still wished Gatomon would tell him something about herself, he still felt like he didn't know her, besides her name and that she was a good but not kind digimon. Often when they weren't talking, he noticed sad expressions or those silent tears from last night that trickled down her face, which worried him, but he couldn't hide his concerns from Gatomon, and she would notice instantly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine!" She assured him, but it didn't sound honest.

When it was sunset again, the two of them made camp in a meadow on a soft bed of grass, so both of them would sleep comfortably.

"What should we have for dinner tonight?" Gatomon asked.

"Fish maybe?" Said Wizardmon. "There is a small river nearby that may be full of trout!"

"That would be nice!" the white cat smiled. "I'll go get it, if you don't mind!"

Wizardmon shook his head. "Of course not, I'll get the fire wood!"

As Gatomon headed towards the river, something did not feel right, she noticed her shadow was getting bigger, but not just bigger, she caught a glimpse of fluttering wings sprouting out! She shuddered and looked over her shoulder, nothing was there! The white cat sighed and continued on.

Wizardmon wandered deep into the woods, but, it was mostly twigs or sticks he found on the ground! He spotted a couple of good looking logs, but it would not be enough for a cooking fire. It hadn't rained in quite a while, but there was a lot of moisture in this forest. He gasped with excitement as his eyes spotted several berry bushes and patches of edible plants all around. Although they were having the fish, it wouldn't hurt to have something on the side! He picked up a random stick and bent down to dig up some non-poisonous mushrooms. Just then he flinched as a sudden shrill scream from a distance rang in his ears. He dropped the stick stood up.

"Gatomon?" He called. He was only answered with another shriek. With that he started to run back only to get knocked flat on his stomach. The sudden hit knocked the wind out of him and if it weren't for his protective scarf, he would have swallowed or caught half the ground soil in his mouth.

"I knew we would meet again!" Said a voice that Wizardmon did not want to hear.

The wizard lifted his head saw his long forgotten enemy Myotismon standing over him. He was holding Gatomon by the scruff of her neck in one hand and his sun staff which he had left at the camp site in the other "Myotismon!" Wizardmon gasped. Myotismon just simply cackled at the wizard.

"Wizardmon, help me!" Gatomon cried as she struggled to break free. The vampire's hand was like a steel trap around her neck.

"Let go of her!" Wizardmon cried. He got up, aiming to attack, but then realized Myotismon had his staff. The vampire ignored his anger and turned to the white cat that was still squirming helplessly in his grasp.

"Good work, Gatomon!" He said. "You brought back one of my henchmen!"

Gatomon gasped in shock at his words, and so did Wizardmon!

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"Did you not know?" Said Myotismon. "Your little friend works for me! She's been loyal to me all her life! Maybe I should've captured you earlier too!"

"What!" The Wizard could not believe what he just heard. She works for Myotismon?

"Wizardmon please!" Gatomon cried. "I had nothing to do with …" her sentence ended in a gag and cough as the vampire squeezed her neck, choking her! "Quiet you!" Myotismon snarled at her. "But you're also a traitor like he is! Idiot! you were supposed to bring him back like I told you to and instead you spent the past five or six days helping him and…" he glanced at the wizard "trying to escape me, are you?" He then turned back to Wizardmon and spread out his cape. " But you both know that no henchman of mine gets away with his or her betrayal, GRISLY WING!" He shouted.

The wizard was not quick enough to dodge the black bats, but they did not attack him. Instead, they grabbed every inch of his body, their claws scratching him, and he was lifted off the ground, and carried away with Gatomon and the vampire digimon. The three of them headed Straight back to the castle.

Wizardmon woke up, back in his own cell; it looked just the same except for the window that he used to escape. The opening was replaced with new bars and in was much narrower than before, causing a little stuffiness in the room. The iron shackles that the Bakemon had put on his feet weighed him down and his staff was gone. He lay on the filthy bed of straw.

"Gatomon!" he gasped "Where's Gatomon?". He started to get up, almost forgetting about his own whippings Myotismon gave him an hour ago and the pain stung him the second he moved. He groaned and fell back down.

"No!" He cried softly. He had to go and find her, wounded or not. He slowly got up again and took deep breaths to hold back the unbearable agony of his wounds. Since he did not have his staff for support, he pressed himself hard against the stone wall to hold him up. Nausea and dizziness was starting to take hold of him, he took off his cloak and wrapped it around the whipped areas like a bandage so he wouldn't lose anymore blood and pass out. The shackles stiffened his ankles and made it hard and tiring to walk that he found he was dragging himself to the door while still pressed against the wall. He put his hands on the rusty knob and tried to turn it. It wouldn't budge! Either Myotismon had bolted it shut, or it was stuck. He tried again even harder, and then a third time, squeezing his hands and making them sore. He got frustrated and threw himself against the door as hard as he could. He screamed and sank to the ground. He only made it worse by bruising himself. When he finally got over the bang, he slowly got back up and put a hand forward.

"THUNDER BALL!" He cried. And an orange ball of energy emerged from his outstretched hand and broke the door open in less than a second. With that he dashed; practically limped out of his cell.

"Gatomon, where are you?"

He did not know where her cell was; but he thought about looking in the torture chamber, he knew where that was! He headed down the dark halls, trying to keep as quiet as possible, so Myotismon wouldn't hear him and come to hurt him even more! His ankles were already aching sorely from the shackles and he feel a firey sting spreading throughout his back, the familiar pain after you got beaten by the vampire. He looked down at his light brown moon buckled boots and breathed loud and heavily in and out and felt like he could collapse any minute. But then Gatomon came to his mind, he shuddered as he could almost see her in his head chained to the wall in a cell her back turned to Myotismon as he hit her with his whip. If he passed out or became too weak to move he would have no hope in helping her at all. As he came closer he could hear the faint screams and the whip cracks echo around the halls., They slowly got louder the more he limped forward. When they were loud and clear, he stopped and put a hand over his mouth to stifle a gasp.

"Gatomon!" He recognized the screams were her own. It wasn't coming from the torture chamber though!

He followed her screams and halted at a small cell door where they were coming from. Myotismon was hurting her in there.

"This will teach you for your disobedience!" He heard the vampire shout. Wizardmon was tempted to break the door open and stop the torture, but with Myotismon in there, and with out the power of his his staff, he would have no power to defend Gatomon.

He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear her agonizing screams. Why are you taking all the blame and torture on her! He thought to himself bitterly. I deserve it all! Wizardmon sank in despair. What was he to do? He couldn't just sit there and let Myotismon abuse Gatomon, or worse, kill her, but how could he stop it? Suddenly, the white cat's screams died down and he no longer heard the vampire's whip cracking. Myotismon was walking towards the door. The wizard started to panic but where could he hide? He wouldn't make it back to his own room in time! The door opened, it moved towards him as he shrank back against the wall before it hit him. At least the door gave him some protection but the vampire would close it and would certainly see him! He held his breath, what if he was too late and Gatomon was already dead? He could not turn back now! He kept as still as possible, afraid to even breathe.

But to his surprise the vampire's footsteps faded and he didn't even do anything the door. Wizardmon sucked in and squeezed through the narrow opening between the door and the wall. He looked around in every possible direction to make sure Myotismon was gone and there weren't any of his henchmen lingering in the hallways. The coast was clear!

The wizard then poked his head into the cell, it was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside and there were no burning torches so it was too dark to see.

"Gatomon?" He whispered. "Where are you?"

He looked around, the cell seemed empty and he could not hear anything. "Gatomon!"

He went inside and forgot to hold on to the wall collapsing on the floor. Suddenly, his right hand hit something wet and warm. He looked at his hand and saw fresh blood. He looked ahead and gasped in shock. There she was; he could make out her limp figure in the middle of the floor, she lay flat on her stomach and was almost covered with deep bleeding gashes where the whip had struck. The wizard crawled over to the injured cat and grabbed her shoulders as he turned her onto her back., she didn't even flinch when he grabbed her, she lay so limp, that he could feel much less see any sign of life in her. tears formed at the corners of his eyes while still holding her shoulders.

"Gatomon!" He whimpered shaking. "don't tell me you're already dead! Please hint me that your still alive!"

He shook her hard but she didn't even twitch. tears welled in his eyes. He put a hand lightly over her mouth and then shuddered with relief as he felt a very faint and slight hint of breathing. She was still alive, but barely! He removed his cloak to wrap it around her. It was stained with blood from his own wounds, but he had nothing else that would keep her warm. He carefully lifted her up, she felt so hot and feverish in his arms.

"Hang in there, my friend, you're going to be ok!" Said Wizardmon.

And with that, he carried her back to his own headquarters. It was much harder to keep his balance and made sure his body remained pressed against the wall as he carried her.

When he got back to his own cell, he sat down quickly in front of his bed next to his bowl of water leaning back against the wall and grunted as he laid her down on his bed of straw and unwrapped her. Every inch of her body was covered with whippings that were bleeding severely. He took a clean washcloth from the shelf, soaked it thoroughly in his bowl of water and carefully bathed her burning body, scrubbing away the blood and dirt from her white fur. The water he bathed her with was ice cold, even colder than the castle, but it was all he had and he did not re-dip so the water would stay clean.

Her stillness worried him a little, but he had to hold back his panic. When he finished he rewrapped her in the cloak and went out to gather healing plants. He made sure his door was closed when he left so Myotismon would not see Gatomon in there and think he was still locked up in his room.

When he came back, he muttered several Incantations, turning the plants into salves and ointments. There weren't enough for him but he soon forgot about his own pain as he concentrated on rubbing salves and other roots into the whipped areas. He was relieved when he noticed her flinching in pain at the stinging medicines he put on her wounds.

He stroked her burning forehead to calm her down. He could not find any plants that would help with the fever. Just then he threw his head back groaning. His own body was growing weaker as his wounds ached for healing as well. His throat felt a little parched so drank from his water bowl. At least something to drink would help a little bit, besides his whippings were nothing compared to her! All he could do was keep bathing her with cold water which would help some. He then wrapped her in another clean cloth and laid his cloak over her. sweat poured down his face and he nearly went limp against the wall shuddering; he never felt so weak and overly exhausted his hands clenched and unclenched and he could feel sweat break out on his skin as he tried to ignore the pain in his back. Finally he undid the lace ups on his red vest and unzipped his jumpsuit. Then took the last clean cloth in the pile, soaked it in the water and tried to wrap it as best he could around the whipped areas with a frustrating struggle, for he found it a little hard to dress his wounds while pressed against the wall, his hands were trembling and it was too tiring to lean forward. But he finally managed and then laid down on the stone floor right next to Gatomon. He immediately fell asleep without zipping his yellowish brown suit back up and putting on his vest, despite how freezing the floor felt against his bare skin.

For the next two and a half weeks, Wizardmon stayed by Gatomon's side day and night nursing her back to health. He sang sweet lullabies to her that he learned back at home while healing her wounds. And every night she kept having fevered dreams, that Wizardmon would wake up, take her into his arms and give her comfort by stroking her and singing softly until she was calm again.

But after another three days she had still not woken up and Wizardmon grew worried about her. He put a hand to her forehead, her fever was shooting up to those dangerous temperatures, and she was shaking uncontrollably. He took another washcloth, soaked it in his bowl of water and bathed her brow but she kept tossing and turning in the bed that it was hard to wash her. The wizard sighed in frustration and re-soaked the cloth and squeezed it in one hand over her body. Cold water poured out of the cloth and soaked her entire forehead.

If only I had something to cure her fever with or at least keep it down. He muttered to himself. He took one of her paws in both his hands and squeezed it.

"Please don't leave me now, Gatomon!"

his eyes welled up and thin tears streamed down his pale blue cheeks. "Where would I be without you? You've given me a life when I had nothing, you're the first person in so long that has been kind to me!"

Somehow ever since she rescued him from the desert, she kept him alive; she was now the only reason he was living. Her pain had helped him get over the loss of his sister and his people! He cried softly. He still could not help thinking about that "key to her past" she was searching for. No wonder Gatomon did not want to talk to him about her background, he already knew, or figured it out! Her past life and her life right now, paled his suffering. Oh Gatomon! Living all her life under the control of Myotismon, no friends, no family! Just darkness!. But he had given her every possible treatment, what was he missing that was keeping her from getting better?. It was the best he could do and with that, Wizardmon curled up next to her, but not too close using his hat as a pillow and shut his eyes!

Where am I? Gatomon thought when she started to come back to her senses. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping, it felt like she had been asleep for weeks. The earliest thing she could remember was Myotismon torturing her back in her prison, and what happened next! She just passed out!

But even after she blacked out, besides her fevered nightmares, she also remembered dreaming that Wizardmon was by her side nursing her, or that somebody was tending to her while she was injured. She opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself in a cozy bed, not her own, wrapped in a soft warm towel, and a deep blue cloak.

I thought I would never wake up again! She thought to herself. I thought this was it and Myotismon has surly killed me!

She still felt weak and dizzy, but her wounds weren't hurting her anymore and with the cloak and towel wrapped around her; it was the first time she was resting warm and comfortably! She turned her head to the side and gasped. There sleeping next to her was Wizardmon!

He looked very different without his cloak and hat. His long straw-colored hair, his thick tan jumpsuit with all the pockets and the red lace up vest over it were showing more. He still had that scarf on though that covered his entire face except for his eyes.

She looked at the dark blue scarf , wondering why he wore it, what could he be hiding besides most of his face under such a scarf? if she removed it, what would his whole face look like? Because of that scarf, she could never tell what his exact emotions were, if he was happy or sad, she could only read his expressions or just guess how he felt by looking into his deep green eyes, but that didn't always work. She noticed his clothes were tattered and ripped in the back, which obviously came from Myotismon's whip. She also had many permanent scars from her past punishments but her white fur covered them except for two x-marks on her paws, which she covered up with the gloves . Although she did not know what his complete appearance was, she had to admit that he was so far not a handsome digimon, and yet there was something about him that could make a digimon feel drawn to him.

Just then, the wizard's eyes shot open. His sudden wake ness made her flinch. He looked at her with his pretty green eyes with such warmth that she never got from any other digimon.

"Gatomon!" He exclaimed sitting up, she could say nothing except just look at him. "How are you feeling?"

Gatomon gave a small nod. "I'm fine! Thanks to you!" She answered, in a weak voice . And with that she smiled and gave a soft moan. The white cat digimon felt a wave dizziness pass over her as she leaned back against the soft pillows and fell unconscious. Wizardmon reached out his hand and felt her forehead. Her fever had miraculously broken, he sighed with relief. She just needed another three days of rest before she would recover completely.

Two days later when Gatomon had the strength to sit up in bed, Wizardmon came back into his headquarters with a basket of new fresh bread and water which he set down on the shelves.

"Gatomon, I must talk with you." Said Wizardmon sitting down next to her.

"What is it?" The white cat asked wondering why he looked so anxious. "Well," he began. "The first thing I have to do is get my staff back before I'm finished packing so the two of us can escape!"

"Escape?" Gatomon looked surprised.

"I know I've tried this many times and probably you have too," He explained. "But I just cannot bear living here like a slave. That vampire wants us to become his henchmen, and he's forcing us to with torture! If we stay Myotismon will keep hurting you and me like this, and if he doesn't kill us, we'll become as evil as he is! I never wanted to turn to the dark side before, and I don't want to turn to the dark side now! And after what he did to you, Gatomon; he almost killed you….I don't want you to die!"

Gatomon looked fearful about this, but Wizardmon grabbed her paw and continued.

"I know you don't want to turn evil either, Gatomon. Besides you will be much safer if we leave this place."

Gatomon drew her paw back and turned her head away.

"But where would we go?" She asked not looking at him.

"Anywhere that's better than here!" He answered.

The white cat shot one of her serious glares at him.

"No!" She protested. "You can leave if you want, but I must stay here!" Wizardmon did not understand. "What are you talking about? You don't have to stay here, you have a choice!"

The white cat turned her head with a calmer expression "That is….I want to stay here!" She explained.

Wizardmon's eyes widened, shocked and confused at her answer. Obviously when he first met her, she was trying to run away before, and why would she change her mind all of a sudden after what Myotismon had done to her? In fact, why would she ever want to stay at all with such a cruel digimon that had beaten the life out of her for years?

"I don't understand!" Was all he could say in response.

Gatomon tried to explain.

"Listen! I did try to escape before, and you're right, I don't want to turn to the dark side either, but after Myotismon recaptured the two of us and after you nursed me I've been thinking about this decision over and over, and I think it's better if I stay here."

Wizardmon was still confused. "But why?" he asked.

Gatomon continued. "First of all, since I'm a soldier he's not willing to lose, if I escape, he'll track me down no matter what. Second, if I stay I might…no, I know I'll be able to find the key to my past."

Wizardmon sighed; it was now his turn to look away. "I know it's such a risk to take, Gatomon," He nodded understandably, "Even I have tried to escape many times and got tracked down. But if we stay here, if we become viruses, what hope will we have of gaining any freedom? What hope will you have of finding this person? Is there no other way you can find her?" his tone was grave.

The white cat shook her head. "No, Wizardmon!"

He cast his eyes down in a gloomy and sad matter for a brief moment and then looked back at her.

"Besides," Gatomon added her voice shaky, he saw tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Because…..of what we are, or maybe what I am…..that is no other digimon in the world would accept me because……well you know…."

The wizard shook his head, "What? Tell me!" He pleaded.

She looked away from him but continued. "Do you know what it's like…..to be all alone even before you're a slave to some cruel master? Wandering all alone because you don't know who your family and yet you have a fools hope that you have one. No digimon comes help you or even befriend you, and the only digimon who takes you in is…." She stopped in mid sentence, sniffling a bit, tears ran down her cheeks as if she was on the verge of sobbing.

"Oh Wizardmon! If I told you all the horrible things I did to innocent digimon, you would….you would never want to be friends with me. You would see me the way all other digimon who resist Myotismon see me. That's why I can't leave."

"How do you know I would be like that, why don't you tell me, or do you want me to look into your thoughts…."

"No!" Gatomon cried backing away from him, "it's too horrible!"

although he wanted to know what she did, somehow something was stopping him from asking. Part of him felt suspicious of Gatomon, and wanted to know what she did that would be so horrible as to break their friendship, but then another part of him could not imagine her being so cruel to other digimon after what he saw Myotismon do.

"Well look!" She whined.

"at what?" The wizard asked still confused and she pulled off one her green gloves. Wizardmon gasped as he saw on her bare paw a strange purplish crimson scar similar to the ones on his face except it was in the shape of an x instead a simple diagonal line.

"The rest of the scars are covered by my fur. I never had time to be a child, I….I only labor and get hurt. I'm like a shadow or a wretched creature that only digimon who despise me can see…..but everyone else; no one knows me!" She began to sob.

Wizardmon himself felt a tear trickle down his pale blue cheek and then took her scarred paw in the other hand.

"I know you, Gatomon! Years ago….." He stopped hesitantly and could feel his own tears in his eyes and tried to blink them back. "Myotismon and his henchmen and maybe some other darkmasters they…….I saw my family get killed….right in front of me! But I…I was just a young digimon, and I could do nothing but watch them all die." He could not suppress his tears and let them run down his face, he had not cried for Dricomon, his father or any of his people for a long time.

"Since then, the vampire made me a slave like you. Now….I feel like I'm dead too, but worse….I'm in hell instead of with them!"

He looked into Gatomon's eyes, she was crying too. He still held her scarred paw in both of his hands. She then leaned forward and took her paws away and threw her kitty arms around him. Wizardmon rested his head on her own and held her. After a long while he took his hands off her, put them on her shoulders and gently pushed her away, while still holding her by the shoulders.

"We shall stay together then, Gatomon!" He didn't give her a chance to say anything else and he grabbed the basket of fresh bread from the shelf and sat down next to her. "Are you hungry?" He asked handing the basket to her. "I put a couple spells on it so your strength will return faster!" Gatomon looked at the bread, she was so used to eating it dry, her mouth watered as she broke of a large piece and began to munch on it. She had nothing to eat for weeks except for water and tea that Wizardmon made for her. The bread was so warm and fresh, how did he do it? "Slow down you're going to make yourself sick!" Said Wizardmon chuckling.

When Gatomon fully recovered, Wizardmon started to escort her back to her cell. "Are you sure that's your final decision, Wizardmon?" the white cat asked. The wizard nodded. "I made my choice; I shall stay here for your sake and for mine!" When Gatomon stopped and pointed out her door a few paces away, she turned around as if to give the wizard one last look before she would disappear into her headquarters. "Well goodnight, Gatomon!" Wizardmon said. Gatomon nodded. "Goodnight!" She responded gravely and opened the door before disappearing into her cell.

The more Wizardmon and Gatomon were together, the stronger their friendship got. But it wasn't easy for them to hold on to it, especially when Myotismon, the Bakemon or Demidevimon would get in the way. But they would constantly help eachother complete their missions fulfilling the vampire's wishes. But what really hurt Wizardmon, was that he realized Myotismon hardly ever tortured Gatomon because she failed in a mission, it was because of her lovely eyes, or so she had told him. What did the vampire have against those cerulean blue eyes? Even Gatomon despised them no matter how many times Wizardmon tried to tell her that there was nothing wrong with her eyes. But it also hurt him that he had made this decision to stay and work for his enemy because of his friend. The only time he refused was when Myotismon ordered him to go and destroy any digimon that the vampire was against or capture some to make them his henchmen. It was only every night that the two of them would spend their time together. Somehow they had a way of making each other smile and forget their miseries by telling eachother jokes or funny stories that happened in their lives. But their happiness would never last. And as the year passed their lives got too serious to find any happiness. Gatomon confused him sometimes, most of the time, even towards him, she could be so cold and distant, but the way she looked at him and talked to him, was like she was two completely different digimon.

One afternoon, Wizardmon was in his friend's headquarters sitting on the bed while Gatomon nursed his bleeding wounds that Myotismon had given to him for refusing to capture any digimon.

"If you don't want this to keep happening to you, Wizardmon, than you must obey Myotismon's orders!" Gatomon said as she rubbed in the last healing root.

Wizardmon gave the white cat a hard look. "I would rather suffer the consequences than murder innocent lives!" He replied coldly.

She frowned at him. "Listen! If you are going to stay here, you have to do as you're told! Myotismon may kill you, if you keep dong this."

The wizard sighed and looked down. "I know!" He said more calm. Gatomon's frown softened to a worried look. "I don't want you to die, Wizardmon."

He nodded understandably and then put on his cloak and grabbed his staff nearby to help himself up.

"Thanks for the help, Gatomon!" And with that he headed back to his own headquarters. A small tear trickled down his pale blue cheek. Sometimes he wished that he had never made this choice. Even with Gatomon by his side! But the white cat digimon was right! Whenever he had tried to escape, Myotismon had always been able to track him down; it was hopeless to escape, and yet he never gave no matter how many times he had failed the attempt. And yet ever since he met Gatomon, who suffered as much as he had and still did, the pain had been eased inside of him. _she _was keeping him alive, she was the light in his now-world of darkness. And maybe he was doing the same for her!

The next night, he woke up as he heard a soft scratching at the door. "Gatomon?"

He tried not to groan but it was after midnight and he hardly got much sleep.

"Wizardmon!" He heard her calling from the other side. "I want to talk to you!"

The wizard sighed heavily as he got up on his feet and opened the door. He gasped when he saw her; she was standing out there dragging an ugly brown carpet bag full of her stuff, she was not as badly injured as the last time when Myotismon tortured her, but she had bruises and a few pink burns and gashes on her back. He caught her quickly before she collapsed to the floor and helped her over to his bed. She sat down against the wall as Wizardmon collected some clean cloths from his shelves and soaked a couple of them in his bowl of water. He then sat down next to her.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" He asked as he began wiping her wounds with one of the damp cloths. Gatomon stopped him suddenly by putting a green gloved paw on the hand Wizardmon was using to wipe her injuries.

"Why do you help me like this?" She asked frowning. "Why do you even care about me?" he was surprised by her question and gave her a look.

"Is the reason not obvious to you, Gatomon?" The white cat shook her head.

"I've seen you, Wizardmon!" She answered.

The wizard did not know what she was talking about. "You saw me?"

Gatomon frowned but she wasn't mad at him.

"I've seen the way you've suffered, being forced to work for Myotismon and all that! And it's all my fault, you said so yourself, you're staying because of me!"

Wizardmon gave his friend a hard look. When did he ever say that? He sighed and but a hand on her paw. "Don't say that, Gatomon! You're right though that I cannot stand working for my enemy, but none of that is your fault! In fact, I could have chosen to leave this place, but I didn't!" The white cat cast her eyes.

"You cannot help me, Wizardmon!" She said. "I lied about why I wanted to stay here, I don't even why I'm staying here. I'll never be able to find "her"! Now that I'm a henchman of Myotismon, I never even knew who I was searching for;" Her eyes began to well up with tears. "I'm lost, Wizardmon. I thought if I found that person, I would have a reason to live, but really…I have no friends, I have no life…"

Suddenly she felt a great slap across the cheek, it was not as strong as the feel of Myotismon's whip, it still hurt terribly though almost like a bee sting, but she was too shocked to scream or even wince and looked at the enraged wizard.

Oh stop it!" Shouted Wizardmon none-too-kindly. "I think there is somebody that you are looking for, someone who's out there just waiting for you to come, I don't believe you would waste your time just looking for something if it didn't exsist. So how could you just give up on yourself when there is always hope that you might find your destiny! If you just give up hope, Myotismon would have this chance to take over your life and destroy it! Giving up is the last thing you should ever do!" The white cat answered softly. "I'm not strong enough.." her voice faltered "Yes you are!" The wizard demanded . "Don't ever say to me that you're weak, and that it's hopless! You're stronger than…. Than even I am!" Gatomon said nothing and turned her head away.he gripped both her paws firmly in his own gloved hands. "I know what I said is difficult to understand!" He continued. "Believe me I know. When my people and especially my family were killed and my village was destroyed by Myotismon and his henchmen, eversince the vampire captured me and made me his slave, I thought I had nothing left , all I wanted to do was die! But I changed my mind when you rescued me from that desert, and I found life again!"

Finally the white cat digimon looked up with her sapphire blue eyes into the wizard's green ones. A tear trickled down her furry cheek. Wizardmon brushed away the tear with his gloved hand. "Second," he went on, "am _I_ not your friend?" The question brought more tears to Gatomon's eyes. She only put out her arms in response to hug him, but he moved away from her. "Well, am I or am I not?" He said, his voice was more calm.

"Yes!" She blurted out. Unlike most other digimon, he always defeated her whenever she tried to make a point in something, whenever she was around Wizardmon, she could never hide her feelings or her emotions from him. . "Listen!" He continued, his voice was quieter and more gentle. "You will find the key to your past! I have faith in you, Gatomon! There is always hope, even if it may feel like there is none! You're a strong digimon!"

"Oh Wizardmon!" She cried throwing her arms around him and the two embraced each other . The white cat digimon burst into tears the minute they hugged. Wizardmon held her close stroking her white fur coat, she slightly purred and buried herself in his arms. When Gatomon finally stopped crying, he gently broke away from her.

"Well, let me finish cleaning those wounds!" When he finished he wrapped them in a clean cloth. "Thanks!" Said Gatomon. "You're a good friend!" Wizardmon smiled at her behind his scarf she could see the glowing happiness in his brilliant emerald eyes. The wizard could feel hot tears stinging his eyes and tried to fight them back. Deep down inside he felt a slight envy of Gatomon! after they would be freed from Myotismon, she would have someone to live with and a place to go to, but what about him? He had no home anymore! He would be happy for her when she found her partner, but on the other hand when she does, he would have to part from her that it was also unbearable at the same time.

neither of them noticed that Demidevimon, Myotismon's most loyal servant had secretly followed Gatomon and was spying on the two of them.

An hour later, the white cat and the wizard who had fallen asleep together on Wizardmon's bed were woken by a sudden intrusion.

"Awww, well if it isn't the two love birds!"

They heard the familiar voice of Myotismon as he leaned casually against the open door. He looked at Gatomon.

"I thought you're sleeping place was in the discipline cell!"

Gatomon shot him another one of her cold glares, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING" Myotismon shouted as he cracked his whip striking her across the side reopening one of her wounds. She screamed. "You know I really hate it when you give me those eyes!" The vampire said bitterly.

"Gatomon!" Wizardmon cried as he grabbed her by the arms to help her up.

"I'm okay!" Gatomon said softly.

Myotismon tried to grab the white cat but the wizard was holding her protectively.

"Get out of my way, Wizardmon!" The vampire hollered. "Or you'll be taking the punishment too?"

Wizardmon glared at him. How was it Myotismon didn't beat him too when he gave the rebellious look? then Myotismon raised his bolt of "Crimson Lightning" and whipped him hard across the back, tearing off his cape and reopening his own wounds.

Wizardmon's body screamed but he bit his lip to hold back a cry of agony, which only angered Myotismon even more and he hit the wizard again in the same spot.

"Wizardmon, please just let him take me away!" Gatomon begged, but he still held on to her as Myotismon hit him again and again. Eventually, the wizard grew weaker and weaker from each strike. Finally Gatomon wriggled free out of Wizardmon's arms.

"LIGHTNING CLAW!" She cried, using her sharp cat claws to sever the whip in two. the vampire looked at his broken whip on the floor and then at the white cat as he gasped in complete shock. She had never fought against him like that since he kidnapped her and she first digivolved to Gatomon.

"I promise to go back into the torture chamber if you stop hurting my friend!" She pleaded.

The vampire grinned.

"Very well!" He sneered and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and walked out of Wizardmon's headquarters.

"No!" Said Wizardmon, but he was too weak now to stop him.

"I'll take care of you next, Wizardmon!" Said Myotismon with a smirk. "You will be more obedient with a little encouraging!" and with that he slammed the door and locked the wizard in his cell.

"AAAaaaaiiih!" Wizardmon screamed as the vampire cracked his whip again. The wizard was inside a small cage chained to the bars while he was being tortured. Blood flowed freely from his reopened wounds where the whip had struck him and the pain burned as if his skin was on fire!

Myotismon snarled.

"So you are trying to turn one of my top henchmen against me! You made your choice to work for me, but I always knew you just did it to stab me in the back with your tricks!"

"Well, if …..Gatomon is…your top henchman," He said panting, a little weak to talk. "Why do….you treat her with such cruelty?"

His sentence ended with a bloody coughing fit, as Myotismon cracked his whip again.

"Cruelty? It's called discipline!" the vampire snapped. Wizardmon laughed.

"She is already against you, Myotismon! She's…..always been against you, and you know it! Besides, you don't even care about her or any of us…" The vampire narrowed his steel blue eyes at him on the verge to strike the wizard again. "

You are so much like your father, so much like my father and the rest of our people, or should I say _your _people, Wizardmon!" as if he was throwing an insult at the wizard. "After all, I became so…so dark because of you ! It wasn't my fault I became this way, I was apart of the family, and, I was and still am the son of a leader sorcerer!" His tone grew colder and harsher. "But I guess none of that mattered to your people did it! When I escaped, and came back home after years of torture and enslavement, they didn't care, instead of helping me they shunned me out of cruelty and arrogance…"

"THAT IS A FILTHY LIE!" Wizardmon shouted coldly, "My people did nothing to you, what are you talking about you….." he had heard quite enough.

He was interrupted by another scream of agony and this time Myotismon whipped him once on the side where his scarf was fastened causing it to fall off and then again in an area where he never got hit before, across the mouth, the whip broke all the stitches that had sewn his lips together. Myotismon did not have any interest in what the wizard had to say, and after that hit, the wizard was not gagged but he could not open his mouth to speak without feeling any more pain in his lips. Blood flowed from his mouth and down his chin in crimson streaks. He then felt the vampire's cold hand grab his chin clawing into his cheeks that he winced in pain. Although Myotismon had lifted his head up, Wizardmon kept his eyes cast down refusing to look into the vampire's icy blue ones. But then he looked up a little and saw Myotismon run is tongue across his purple painted lips, and then shuddered as he felt that toungue, cold and rough it was, run teasingly across his cheeks and chin licking up all the blood. When it stopped he was forced to look into Myotismon's cold blue eyes, his breath was like a winter's chill on his face. for some reason it was only his blood Myotismon took.

"If I ever see you with Gatomon again," the vampire spoke loud and clear. "I'll kill her myself!" He meant what he threatened And he took his hand away and the wizard watched him leave the room.

His promise to Gatomon was broken, he hoped nothing worse happened to her but now he couldn't go and see if his friend was alright , because Myotismon would kill her if he found out.. For he knew from the moment Myotismon tracked him and Gatomon down that that the vampire was clever and would do anything to make sure his soldiers would not show even the slightest hint of betrayal, and get away with it. But spending time with Gatomon wasn't betrayal, in fact, it had nothing to with betraying Myotismon at all; unless…..had he been spying on the two of them, or one of his messengers, like Demidevimon been watching? He would not do anything that would put Gatomon's life in danger, even if…… it meant he would never see her again. He closed his eyes and hung his head in grief. Tears stung his eyes but he let them run down his face. He then went limp and passed out from the loss of blood.

Gatomon lay face down shaking and whimpering as the pain burned not just on her skin but throughout her entire body like fire. Her entire backside was covered with wounds from Myotismon's whip, and older whippings that were reopened. She was shackled paw and foot, the sharp steel rings around her wrists and ankles were cutting through her fur into her skin. Just then she almost screamed as she found herself being grabbed by the scruff of her neck, forcing her head up, the hand squeezed the wounds there making them worse. She heard footsteps nearby, and then she saw, what she recognized to be Myotismon's black boots.

"you and your wizard friend will never see each other again, not even have eye contact!" He roared threateningly. .

"Where is Wizardmon?" She said angrily through clenched teeth, despite how much pain she was in. "What did you do to him?"

Myotismon narrowed his own eyes to slits back at her, how was that she and Wizardmon were not afraid of him and never were before unlike most of his henchmen who would tremble at his feet when they were in trouble? "That is none of your concern is it, Gatomon!" He snarled. The white cat hardly had energy left but she still had the strength to flare her anger.

"Yes it is, Lord Myotismon!" She hissed. "I heard him screaming when you tortured him!" The vampire smiled maliciously at her. "I'm afraid your friend is gone!" He said mockingly. Gatomon widened her narrowed eyes. "Gone?" She said gasping somewhat. "What do you mean gone?" Myotismon chuckled softly.

"You know what I mean, my pet! He's abandoned you!" The white cat digimon could not believe what she just heard .

"LIAR!" She screamed in outrage. "YOU'RE A LIAR!" She then felt as if her air was cut off and began to cough and wheeze as if she was suffocating.

The vampire remained calm but his smile faded away. "You think I'm lying to you?" He asked. "Why do you think he'd want to stay with a digimon like you?" He drank the last of his blood and threw it towards Gatomon, she freaked out but it missed her by a hair and hit the wall. After it exploded, the shards falling like snow onto the floor, he turned to her continuing in a harsh tone.

"Have you forgotten what I told you long ago? Even before you were a slave to me, you were always in outcast! You ended up alone because you were abandoned by your own kind!" Gatomon opened her mouth to protest but he did not give her a chance. "How could you ever escape from me, when you know that everyone will revile you as the evil Gatomon?" He then stared hard at her down-cast face as if tempting her to gaze up at him. "And those eyes," He breathed hard holding back a temptation to strike her. "Those horrid eyes of yours; no body wants to look at them but they do because they're so monstrous! How can you live on your own, even I can not look at them!"

"Wizardmon, was kind to me though!" Gatomon protested hoarsely, "he….. didn't….. despise my eyes. You think I have no-"

She was immediately silenced as the vampire cuffed her across the face, not with a whip but with his own hand, and she fell flat on the hard floor. She gasped as the wind was temporarily knocked out of her. His gaze then turned to the two Bakemon gaurds who were standing by the cage that Gatomon was locked in. "Bakemon!" He ordered the two gaurds. "Take her out of my sight, I need some time alone!" The two ghost digimon grabbed the white cat and took her back to her cell.

Meanwhile Myotismon sat in a nearby chair at the fire place thinking. For no reason at all, he could feel fear churning in his stomach. What has Wizardmon done to her? He could remember way back when he first met Gatomon, at night in the middle of the forest, but she wasn't Gatomon, she was in her rookie form, Salamon the white puppy dog, at the time! And ever since he captured her he trained her to become a member in his army and put her under lots of beatings to keep her well disciplined and more obedient because despite the fact that she was a weak rookie, he believed that she would make a very powerful henchman. Like Auramon, Salamon had also refused many times to serve him and either rebelled or tried to escape from the castle. But she eventually stopped all that after she digivolved to Gatomon! Once she digivolved to her champion level, he was right, she forgot everything that happened before she met Myotismon and was no more evil than his other top henchman, but she was much better at fulfilling the vampire's wishes and doing ordered tasks than the rest of his army! Gatomon became his most loyal and trustworthy servant ……until now! After a while he finally stood up and walked towards the doors. "Well, why should I worry?" Myotismon, muttered to himself as he swung them open. " She'll never see Wizardmon again , and once Gatomon is convinced that he abandoned her, she will go back to her old self!" And he headed to his bedroom in the tower.

Wizardmon awoke, his eyes opened halfway. He was lying on the floor of the cell, his chains were gone and he was stripped naked to his waist while someone was bandaging his wounds.

"Gatomon?" He asked though it came out in a too-faint-to-hear murmur as he winced in pain for his mouth was still bleeding and untreated.

"No!" Said a voice that wasn't Gatomon's or Myotismon's but somebody else he remembered from a long time ago. He turned his head in surprise. "Demidevimon! What are you…Owww!" He stopped and kept his stitched mouth closed while the bat digimon nursed his injuries, though all he was doing was wrapping him in linen bandages, But the wounds had been cleaned and stitched up. When Demidevimon finished he helped the wizard stand up and handed him his sun-staff which he had been holding in one of his claws. Wizardmon leaned on his staff and put on his jumpsuit zipping it up to his neck.

He then tried to grab his cloak and gloves which were lying on the floor but then a wound in his back ripped, blood soaking the bandage. Wizardmon cried out in pain, sweat pouring down his face, but before he could fall over, he felt a sharp jerk on the back of his suit as Demidevimon pulled him back up with his bat claws.

"Better be more careful, Wizardmon!" He said casually, he had no emotional expression when the wizard saw his face. Then the little bat picked up the wizard's cloak and gloves in one swift dive and handed them over. The wizard took his accessories still looking shocked. He had always seen Demidevimon as an evil digimon like the other henchmen, why was the little bat all of a sudden being caring and had done something so kind as to save his life? The blue and gray bat digimon, ignored how shocked the wizard was, and continued talking; even his voice sounded different!

"Well, uh, about your mouth, I did rub in a few healing herbs, but that was all I could do for it!"

Wizardmon was near speechless, but he finally turned his gaze away from Demidevimon and started to walk towards the cell door.

"Thank you!" he said gravely, and that was all he could say to him as he opened the door exiting the prison.

"Wait!" Demidevimon almost cried out. The wizard stopped and turned around, narrowing his brilliant green eyes, the blue bat digimon shuddered a little at his glare!

"Don't you want to see, Gatomon?"

"What?" Wizardmon asked surprised but a little suspicious at the offer. Demidevimon gave a look of worry towards the disloyal henchman. "Myotismon is sleeping right now, I can take you to her, she needs you Wizardmon." Such warmth and honesty he put into those words, but the wizard looked at him in disbelief.

"Why should I trust you, Demidevimon?" he asked and forgot about his mouth pain, but he still kept talking. "How do I know that you're not going to tell Myotismon afterwards that I went to see Gatomon? How do I know…?" His voice faltered as he inhaled sharply and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"I've been disloyal to my master to save you!" Demidevimon answered coldly. "I haven't even done anything that horrible to you! Is that not enough for you to gain my trust?"

Wizardmon shook his head. "No it's not!" he replied.

The little bat digimon was starting to sound desperate: "Please, wizard!" He begged. "Please trust me this once! I won't say a word to the vampire!"

The wizard said nothing and turned away and started to limp back to his headquarters, using his staff as a cane, only to fall on one knee groaning. "Here, let me help you!" Demidevimon offered in a kind matter and flew over to help him up. Wizardmon did not object when the little bat grabbed his sleeved and pulled him up until he saw sweat pouring down the bat's face.

"Why are you doing this?" The wizard asked him, leaning on his staff like a cane. Demidevimon was still holding on to him for support.

"please, Wizardmon! Gatomon sent me here!" The wizard shot a cold glance in response,

"Liar!" he said coldly. "Gatomon doesn't even trust you!" and he shook off Demidevimon and started heading back to his headquarters. The bat digimon grew frustrated but he remained calm

"Besides!" He continued. "If you don't let me take you now, you may never see her again, and she'll think you abandoned her!" Wizardmon still said nothing, but he stopped walking at those last words and turned around and looked at Demidevimon. How could he trust anybody other than Gatomon no matter what they told him? Demidevimon had done a lot of cruel things to Gatomon; he could easily betray them and tell Myotismon where they were. Then the vampire would kill her and Wizardmon would not be able to stop it. On the other hand, how could he refuse to see his only friend, especially if it was the last time he could see Gatomon!

Gatomon was in her headquarters sitting on her little cat bed, the floor. It had been nearly four hours and she was still waiting for Demidevimon to come back with "What's taking, him so long?" She muttered under her breath. I can't believe I even chose to trust him! what if he doesn't bring Wizardmon back to me!"

hours ago, the bat digimon had come into her room and offered to bring Wizardmon to her, and at that time, she couldn't refuse, in fact, she saw no point in refusing his offer, even though Demidevimon was her enemy! Just then her ears perked up the sound of fluttering wings outside her door. Wizardmon! She thought exitedly. I'm coming! Anxious, she swung the door open in one pull,

"Wizardmon I knew…" But then she stopped in midsentence. Her paws that were outstretched to hug her friend dropped at her sides along with her perked up ears and tail, and her sapphire eyes widened, dumbstruck and disappointed.

"Where is he?" Gatomon asked Demidevimon who landed in front of her. He gave his mischevious grin.

"I'm afraid he's abandoned you!" The little bat digimon answered her and with that he slammed the door in her face.

NO IT'S NOT TRUE! She cried out inside . Her heart was broken and she slowly collapsed on the floor bursting silently into tears. How could he do this to her? How could he? HOW COULD HE? But outside she was still and emotionless except for the tears that fell down her cheeks.

To Be Continued…………


	3. The Eighth Digimon

Part 3

One year later.

Myotismon had won again, Gatomon believed him and went back to being the loyal and trustworthy servant that the vampire liked. He grinned barring his pearly white fangs, feeling more than pleased with himself for his triumph and poured himself another glass of blood. "Why was I so afraid in the first place?" He muttered to himself still smiling. "I knew she would be too weak to betray me, and as for Wizardmon….." He paused and slowly sipped at his glass, somehow, he had always felt fear when it came to thinking about him and Gatomon, even though he always had a fear of the wizard. As long as his sworn enemy didn't get in the way, nothing bad would happen to her! "Its because of him that she has been remembering her past before I kidnapped her….but she'll forget about it, as always! Gatomon is my best soldier, I cannot let that wizard turn her against me!" and he continued to drink. His worry about Wizardmon did not matter at the moment. A group of human kids with digimon who were their bodyguards or partners were in the digital world. There were seven kids; one eight and the others around ten, eleven or twelve years old, but they were missing another kid and his or her digimon. The eighth child, the real threat right now to Myotismon and his army. The vampire shuddered when he remembered the prophecy about the eighth digi-destined, the child also had a partner digimon that was supposedly the only digimon that could destroy him!

That night the vampire ordered Demidevimon and the Bakemon to go wake up all his henchman; there was something important he needed to discuss with his soldiers.

"LIGHTNING CLAW!" Gatomon scratched the little bat digimon deep across the face Demidevimon screamed and buried his face which was covered with deep bleeding claw marks in his wings. "Wake me up again," She hissed at him, "and I'll make those scratches permanent on your face!"

The bat digimon looked up, his eyes narrowed in anger at the white cat digimon. "The boss wants you and the other henchmen to come to the main hall!" He said through clenched teeth.

Soon all the soldiers gathered around the vampire. Wizardmon came too, but stayed far back in a corner as if he was trying to hide himself from the other digimon. He looked around and saw Gatomon standing way up front and remained staring at her (Even though she wouldn't notice him) while the vampire gave out his orders. He listened intently to every word!

"The eighth digi-destined still remains unfound!" The vampire announced.

"If we don't find the child before the other kids do, then it could mean the end for all of us!"

Soon all the henchmen, even the ones who were half asleep were alert at this warning. "We shall go at once and start searching, don't worry, I've discovered a secret way to get the human world, at least we know the eighth child will be there!"

and with that Myotismon took out from the left pocket of his blue buttoned-down coat a hand full of tags and crests, one for each henchman and for himself, all with the same symbol: crest of light and the same color: bright pink. He threw them all except for one across the room, and all the soldiers, even Wizardmon started running in circles, pushing each other down to catch a tag and crest for themselves. When the chaos stopped, Myotismon continued on.

"All of these crests you're holding are just copies, the true crest," He held up the real tag and crest for a brief second and then put it back in his pocket, "belongs to me, but these copies will help you locate the eighth digi-destined, do not stop until the child is found and then bring him or her to me! Do not fail me!"

"I won't let you down, Lord Myotismon!" Gatomon declared as she caught the fake crest in her green cat paws.

"I'm with you till the end, boss!" Demidevimon added. There was an uproar of applause from all the soldiers, only Wizardmon kept silent glaring at Gatomon (who was joining the other henchmen in their cheer) and then at Myotismon. Then he opened his enclosed hand that held the fake tag and crest of the eighth child which the vampire gave to him. He looked at it, studying every bit of it, the tag and crest looked like a triangular shaped pendant on a plain string so you could wear it like a necklace, the pendant was made of glass and he saw inside of it the crest a small rectangular token of silver. He then shoved the tag and crest into one of his zip pockets and raced back to his headquarters.

Wizardmon locked the door behind him the moment he was in his room, so no one would come and disturb him, not even the white cat. He propped his sun-staff against the stone wall and sat on his bed of straw leaning back against the stone wall. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly as he thought about what Gatomon had told him six or seven years ago after she saved his life and they were talking at the campfire

_I know your feelings! I understand your pain!" she said gently , as she sat down next to him, her tone was warm and friendly. "Because…" She hesitated, he could almost see a tear about to fall down her furry cheek, "Because I feel them too! I've been through a lot of misery and suffering myself. It's been several years, I've been trying to find my place, the key to my past!" Wizardmon looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" The white cat digimon looked away and there was a faraway look in her deep cerulean blue eyes as if she was trying to remember something. "I've been searching for this person, someone I belong to…" She then gave a look of frustration and cried out. "Oh I can't remember! It was so long ago! All I know is that I'm still looking for her!" _

"Somebody she belongs to!" He muttered to himself. Well, as far as he knew about the digi-destines, they were humans who each had a digimon partner, that were the real heroes and heroines destined to save both worlds. He gasped, Wizardmon took out the tag and crest and looked at it again. "But even if Gatomon is what I think she is, she will destroy the eighth digi-destined if she finds her, now that she has pledged her loyalty to Myotismon!" He traced the silver token inside with his gloved fingers. "Unless…" His voice faltered.

The next night all the soldiers gasped in awe as Myotismon did some sort of magic trick and created a wide blue swirling portal to the real world.

"Well don't just stand there gawking, idiots!" The vampire sneered. "Just go in and you'll be in the other world!"

"But what if the humans see us, Boss?" Demidevimon asked. The bat digimon shrank back into the crowd as the vampire shot him a fierce look, "They're supposed to see us, Demidevimon!" Myotismon growled. "If you get attacked by any, as long as none of them are the eighth child, kill them!" And with that the entire group even Myotismon went in, leaving the castle as they disappeared through the light one by one.

And at the same time the digi-destines also returned to their own world with their digimon.

The soldiers were amazed by what they saw, the human world was not only nothing like the digital world, but it was so alien with all the odd structures and humans walking around them, that they felt slightly overwhelmed by all of it. not one mortal though seemed to notice a single henchman.

"Well, why are you standing around, go and do your job!" The vampire hollered.

His harsh demand sent everybody on their way to search for the eighth digi-destined. All of them went in different directions.

Wizardmon looked around for Gatomon in the big crowd of people and then spotted a white speck in the distance with a golden ring shining bright in the sun at the ocean's shore, leaping from sail boat to sail boat. He leapt into the air and flew towards her but kept himself as distant from Gatomon as possible., he wasn't so sure his plan was going to work. Even though it had only been a year, since he had been with her, it was even more of a shock of how she became loyal to Myotismon so fast, and it also hurt him terribly! She had become a cold hard hearted digimon! he remembered when he was spying on her months ago when the seven children and their digimon entered the castle and she helped the other soldiers attack them, and one of the kid's digimon got badly wounded by her. He could never forget that sight, it was not like her to do such a thing! He knew Gatomon, despite her issues with Myotismon, as a kind and gentle person who befriended him when he was in so much pain. But now part of him believed that she wasn't that person anymore. What if it was too late change her back? He did not want to turn against her though, she was still his best friend and she would always be despite the mishap that came between them! The other thing he was scared of was Myotismon could catch him making trouble at any time, he knew the vampire didn't trust him even though he hadn't done anything disloyal or suspicious since the day he was tortured. But if he didn't follow her, than she would kill the eighth child!

Gatomon was quite a wanderer, it was nearly nightfall and the white cat was still searching. When she started looking in the city, the streets were crowded with humans that Wizardmon found it harder to follow the white cat, but his staff would be useless if he kept flying after her except the nice parks which were the only areas Wizardmon found a liking to because they were quiet, and were probably the only places that had wildlife, he was none too fond of this strange dimension. The humans did not seem to notice the wizard at all as if he was some invisible being. Wizardmon could not help staring at them out of curiosity, observing all the people, some walking in large or small groups talking and laughing with eachother, some not talking at all and rushing down the roads, or some others speaking to themselves while they held up a tiny object to their left or right ear. What a noisy kind of people, always loud, as if silence was a killer to their ears and a they all seemed to be very busy and going different places; no wonder, they weren't noticing him! Suddenly, he didn't realize his staff was dead and felt as if he had been hanging from a rope and all of a sudden let go of it. His sudden fall was shocking and he groaned in pain as he hit the pavement below, knocking over two young girls at the same time. When sat up and shook himself, he looked over, but the two teenagers looked unharmed except the fact that they were sitting up and looking stunned a the stranger who had knocked them over. They were both very pretty, one had long curly blonde hair and wore huge golden hoop earrings and the other had hazel brown and freckles all over her face, and they were wearing very revealing clothes and carried little bags which were now lying on the sidewalk and the accessories that were in them were scattered everywhere.

He felt a flush of guilt and embarrassment spread on his face, as he said in a small voice, "Sorry!" to the two friends. He then grabbed his sun-staff nearby and dashed off pushing his way through the crowd before the girls could even speak a word. Shoot! He cursed to himself, now I've lost Gatomon! What was he to do now?

Days passed, then weeks, and neither soldier had found the eighth child yet. Gatomon laid down on her stomach at the vampire digimon's feet, trembling with fear, they were down in the sewers where Myotismon's hiding place was. she could not make any eye contact with him , she could already see in her mind Myotismon glaring at her with his steel blue eyes, enraged that she had not found the digi-destined or his partner.

"Do you mean to tell me that after all these weeks of searching, you have not found the eighth child yet?" He asked in fury.

She trembled even more as she caught a glimpse of a red light from his crimson-lightning whip.

"I'm sorry, Lord Myotismon!" her voice was in a high pitched squeak. "I looked everywhere, and I couldn't find the child!"

"Well you haven't looked hard enough!" The vampire shouted at her, his anger flaring. And before he could give the white cat digimon a chance to speak, he cracked his whip but not so hard that it only left just a pinkish burn across her back, but Gatomon still flinched and then made the mistake by looking up. Their eyes locked with one another as she begged for mercy.

"Please don't hurt me, Myotismon! It won't happen again, I promise I'll...AAAAAAH!"

She cried out in pain in mid-sentence as Myotismon whipped her again this time with all his strength, turning the pink burn into a bleeding gash. Then he hit her again three more times taking all his strength on the whip enjoying to hear her scream after each whipping.

"Please! Please stop!" She screamed desperately. He finally did after his third hit and looked down at her wretched figure lying almost limp on the floor, face down.

"You know I don't like to look at those eyes, Gatomon!" He spoke, he was not yelling, but his tone was sharp and angry towards her! The white cat digimon nodded quickly, still staring at the stone floor. She could hardly move without feeling any more pain, but she also felt ashamed for disobeying her master like that. Myotismon noticed how sorry she was and his voice turned much calmer and softer.

"Alright, my pet!" He said. "I shall give you one more chance, but if you fail me again," at first Gatomon thought she was going to hit her again and she braced herself, She heard the whip crack, but then was shocked that he hit the wall behind him instead of her , "you know what will happen to you!"

"Yes, Lord Myotismon! Gatomon answered in nearly a whisper. "I promise!" and with that she scrambled to her feet and limped, because of the wounds on her back, as fast as she could out of the secret hideout, tears of pain stung her eyes but she blinked hard to hold them back.

Once she climbed out of the sewers, the friendly light of day and the fresh air embraced her, she decided to find something to heal her back. Gatomon walked across the green cut grass of the park, she could find nothing, her back was already burning and killing her.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" she heard Demidevimon call from behind her. the white cat stopped looked back staring as he flew up to her and landed on the ground.

"Where do you think?" she said coldly. The bat digimon saw the wounds on her back. He the gave her an evil look.

"You think, you're Myotismon's favorite soldier?" He retorted through clenched teeth his eyes narrowing. She then gasped as she saw there were bleeding wounds on his round back and they looked even more severe than hers. it was the first time she saw her enemy hurt.

"You think you're his pet? Well…sometimes I wish he just killed you when you were a Salamon!" He said angrily, and with that Demidevimon leapt into the air and flew off ahead with out any backward glances though he couldn't seem to go any higher off the ground.

Gatomon narrowed her eyes at him, feeling so insulted and yet full of pity at the same time. Demidevimon had been jealous of her, since she was captured and made a soldier of Myotismon. All the other henchmen, (except for Wizardmon though, but he left her to suffer) were jealous of Gatomon, which was why they said cruel things to her and bullied her so much, but why? Why were they jealous? Wasn't it obvious that Myotismon liked her no better than the rest of his soldiers? The white cat sighed and went on her way.

"Hey, you're a strange looking cat!" said a voice behind her.

Gatomon perked up her large cat-ears, looking over her shoulder to see who pointed her out like that. Standing behind her was a young human girl, about seven or eight years old and two thirds the size of Wizardmon. The girl wore pink shorts and sneakers, a bright sunny yellow sleeveless top with a bright pink kerchief tied around her neck and she wore a silver whistle that hung on a black cord around her neck. She was a brunette, her rich brown hair was cut so short above her shoulders, her wide eyes were a rich hazel brown color and she gave a friendly and unfearful gaze at the white cat digimon. Gatomon wondered why this girl was not afraid of her unlike most of the other humans who screamed and ran away at first sight of her and the other henchmen. The little girl gasped when she saw Gatomon's wounds and kneeled down beside her.

"Here let me clean that, kitty!" She offered in a sweet matter, and the girl got up and untied the kerchief from her neck, quickly rushed to a drinking fountain nearby and soaked it in water, and then came back and wiped the damp cloth across the white cat's whippings before wrapping her kerchief around Gatomon's waist to cover her cleaned wounds. Gatomon knew she was supposed to attack any human even if it wasn't the eighth digidestined who came near her, but her claws felt planted in the ground, she just stared into the girl's innocent brown eyes, stunned by her kindness!

"Wait," the girl continued. "Do you know Tai or Augumon?" The white cat digimon gave her a funny look. Who was Augumon? It was the name of a digimon!

"Well, forget it!" Said the girl shrugging and got back on her feet. "It was nice meeting you!" and with that the child ran off. Gatomon just stared dumbstruck at her! She wondered who Augumon was, it seemed like she had met such a digimon before! Then she remembered back at the castle when the digi-destines invaded the main hallway and she helped the other soldiers drive them out. Augumon was one of the digi-destined's partners, he was that orange short-tailed lizard that she had almost killed. Suddenly she gasped, her heart filled with excitement . If she knows Augumon, she thought to herself. Could that possibly mean that she is the eighth digi-destined? And with that, before the girl disappeared in the distance she ran after her as fast as she could wondering where the girl was going.

The white cat digimon was nearly exhausted when she finally caught up to the human child . She hid herself in a nearby bush and watched as the eight-year-old girl approached something that looked like one of those odd rectangular structures covered with plain glass windows. As the child disappeared through a large door (the door was still left open), Gatomon quietly crawled out of the bush shaking all the leaves from her fur and ran inside. She gasped when the girl heard her run from behind and turned around startled to see who was following her. It was too late for Gatomon to hide and she stood frozen shaking, her blue cat eyes locked with the young girl's hazel brown ones! But to her surprise, the eight year-old-old human broke into a sweet smile and still showed no sign of fear.

"Don't be shy now!" The little girl beckoned to Gatomon. "Come here!" Her arms were outstretched as if waiting for the white cat digimon to jump into them, but Gatomon who was now too shocked to even come near the child turned around and fled quickly without even looking back.

Wizardmon who had been searching for his friend for weeks soon caught sight of Gatomon again and saw her running out of an apartment building. He wondered why she looked so terrified, her eyes were wide with fear and she was running so fast, that he leapt into the air and flew after her.

"Gatomon!" He called after her. "What's wrong?"

The white cat did not seem to hear him and kept on running across the grass of the huge park.

"Gatomon? Gatomon!" He called out again even louder. This time She stopped so suddenly, nearly falling flat on her face. Her large cat ears were perked up high, that voice….she had heard before! She turned around and gasped in surprise as she looked up and saw the wizard digimon hovering above her. He landed softly on the ground.

"Are you alright?" He asked again, his emerald green eyes full of deep concern, he felt beyond joyful to see his friend again. But his joy ended in a shock as the white cat digimon narrowed her cerulean blue eyes at him and put up her paws barring her sharp cat claws as if he wasn't her friend, but one of her enemies.

"Go away, Wizardmon," She hissed in anger. "Before I use you as my scratching post!"

The wizard could not believe what she just said to him and yet was not surprised at the same time. He so longed to walk up to her and tell her that she wasn't the digimon she thought she was; the evil Gatomon that the vampire turned her into; help her find the key to her past. And yet how could he? Right now when he was seeing the dark side of her. She narrowed her deep blue eyes

"You stay away from me fiend!" Gatomon shouted at him "And don't gawk at me like that!"

and with that she ran off, disappearing through the mass of trees. Wizardmon sighed heavily and hung his head. He did not expect this to be easy; after Myotismon turned her against him, he had feared Gatomon in a way, but since the day he first met her, there had always been something else inside him, a feeling for her that he had not felt in so long, and it overpowered his fear and grief! He squeezed his other hand around the wood of his sun staff and leapt back into the air again.

"Well fool, or not, I will help her!" He murmured under his breath as he flew after the white cat digimon.

Just then he stopped and stood frozen in mid air, letting himself lose Gatomon. He was stopped by a rather uncomfortable vibration in his left leg and realized it was coming from the fake tag and crest. He unzipped one of the pockets on his left leg and took it out and held it up in front of him. He stared in awe as the crest glowed a bright rosy pink in front of him. He gasped, this was obviously a reaction from the tag and crest, but when he looked down there were no children nearby, which meant the crest's reaction was not a sign that he found the eighth digidestined.

"What sort of reaction is it then?" he asked allowed.

He began to fly straight across the park, the crest was still glowing and he kept it dangling in front of him. Just then he found that he came to a playground full of young laughing children, but his excitement crashed as the crest stopped glowing the moment he landed on the ground. The eighth child was nowhere around here then! Wizardmon sat down on a long wooden bench, he moaned softly as his whole body ached terribly from hours of flight. He watched as the kids played on those abstract wooden and colorful metal structures or played ball games out in the field. Laughing smiling, having so much fun. A minute later he leapt back into the air and flew off. The crest began to glow again in his hand the moment he left the group of kids.

"Please show me what your message is!" He murmured as if expecting it to answer back! Just then; he didn't realize it until his right shoulder suddenly hit a tree branch and something soft and feathery that was making annoying caw sounds had advanced on the wizard out of fear. Wizardmon flinched as the black raven, which he had hit, clawed him and pecked it at him with it's sharp stone-hard beak. He finally wacked it to the side with the his sun-staff and it few away quickly. The fake crest stopped glowing again but Wizardmon already saw right now it's message. Lying right there in the middle of the raven's nest was the eighth digivice!

Nightfall approached, Gatomon had returned to the building that brown haired girl went into. Apparently the child lived there and her room was on the top floor; the white cat figured all that out by sitting on the roof of another building across the girl's house and for the past three hours, she observed the young brunette child from there. The white cat digimon stared in suspicion.

"If she is the eighth child…." She thought allowed. She couldn't be so sure but there was something about that girl, something that Gatomon had been noticing since she first saw her and it grew stronger while she observed. For one thing, this child was not like other normal humans, she was obviously not afraid of digimon, she even knew one really well!

"If she is the eighth child, I'll have to destroy her!" Gatomon muttered to herself. She looked through the small miniature telescope that she found lying in the middle of the streets and picked up. The young girl was in her bedroom, sitting on her bed, a brown tabby cat jumped into her lap, curled up and began to purr as the little girl smiled and scratched it behind the ears. And then she cradled the cat in her arms.

"Oh brother!" Gatomon scoffed, but inside she felt a hint of jealousy by the love and affection she saw between the two. The white cat digimon turned her head away, a tear escaped one of her deep blue eyes.

Why did it hurt her to see such things like love and kindness? She took off one of her green red-striped gloves and looked at the hideous x-shaped scar deeply etched into her paw and shuddered. She had many other scars that were just as deep and ugly all over her body, but they were all covered by her white fur. her fur failed to cover the x-mark on her left paw which was why she wore the gloves! It was the scars that kept reminding her of every severe whipping she got from the vampire! No one had ever been nice to me! She thought bitterly to herself tears forming at the corner of her eyes. No one ever loved or cared for me at all. She looked at the telescope and could see a murky but clear enough reflection of herself, then she looked at her eyes and began to squeeze the small object with all her strength in anger that she could of snapped it in two. Those monstrous blue eyes, she though angrily, her teeth were clenched together tightly and tears were falling down her cheeks; she could almost see her own reflection, pointing and jeering at her for the way she looked! It was because of those eyes that she was hated! Myotismon tortured her whenever she looked at him with those eyes, and Wizardmon would stare at her as if she was some freak in a circus. On the other hand, someone had given her such love before, now whenever she saw it between the humans her heart ached for that person who had been so kind to her? Why did he have to throw her away like that? Wizardmon leaving had really crushed her, it was a blow that was more hurtful than the pain of Myotismon's whip. But he did come back, earlier, she saw him coming after her after she ran away from that girl, but what happened then? Why did he stop following her and leave again?

"Oh stop it," Gatomon hissed aloud at herself. "Those days are gone. Why do you miss such a digimon who left you to suffer! He doesn't deserve to be missed so get over it."

"Get over what?" Said a voice behind her. The white cat digimon cried out in startlement and turned around only to see it was Wizardmon hovering above her. His green eyes, except for the light in them were shaded heavily by the brim of his pointed hat as if he had no face at all and only his sandy colored jumpsuit, red jacket straw colored hair and the golden sun on his staff-pole were the most visible in the dark.

Wizardmon landed quietly on the ground,

"Yes what is it, Wizardmon?" Gatomon asked sounding annoyed. At least when he walked towards her, she didn't jump up and scratch him or anything.

"I have something for you, Gatomon!" He said calmly, and he took the eighth digivice out of his pocket and held it out in front of her. He looked at the white cat digimon, who gasped in excitement.

"The digivice!" She exclaimed in delight. "Where did you get that?" "Found it in a raven's nest!" The wizard answered her and chuckled. "Who knows how it got there!"

Gatomon shot him a nasty glare, uninterested in his comments. "Alright then!" She responded coldly.

Wizardmon was taken aback by her attitude even though he half-expected her to be cold.

"What?" He asked.

"Then the eighth digidestined must be somewhere nearby!"

The wizard shook his head "I don't think so, I don't think you'll be able to find the eighth child here." He said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Gatomon demanded as if he knew the answer. Wizardmon sighed, it wasn't going to be easy to change her back. "Well?" The white asked impatiently.

"Well," Wizardmon hesitated looking into her narrowed eyes. "Because I think the eighth child is somewhere in your heart!"

"My heart?" Gatomon asked, not understanding what he meant, her eyes widened into a curious stare. "What do you mean?"

"Gatomon!" He started to explain. "I think, a long time ago, long before Myotismon made you a slave, there was something else in your life, an important part of yourself that you had been searching for. But you could never find it and ever since Myotismon captured you, you buried it away. But you did not completely forget it, and when you did….." His voice suddenly faltered,

The white cat digimon looked at him funny, Still not understanding the wizard.

"What are you saying?" She asked.

Wizardmon was surprised. "Do you not even remember my friend? What you told me years ago when we first met each other?"

"Friend!" Gatomon narrowed her blue eyes again and barred her claws as well, as if showing a threat. "Who said we were friends?" She asked him angrily.

How could she have not remembered this? "Don't you remember?" Wizardmon asked desperate to remind her. "Before we met I was always alone, and like you I was slave to Myotismon but I escaped from his castle! Unfortunately, I escaped him shortly after he tortured me, and for the next few days, I wandered through the desert, injured, and weak. finally I collapsed and lay there dying. For a while it seemed like my life was going to end, but then you came along and found me! You saved my life, and we became best of friends since that day."

The white cat digimon scoffed at him as if he was talking nonsense. "I don't remember any of that!"

"I'm not finished yet!" The wizard retorted bitterly, hoping that she would listen to him and continued on. "Not only that, when we were talking by the campfire, you told me you were looking for someone, someone you belonged to." "I did no such thing!" Gatomon snapped. Wizardmon tried to stay as calm as possible.

"But it did happen, Gatomon!".

The white cat digimon threw her paws up in the air. "What's all this got to do with the eighth child?" She shouted in annoyance.

Wizardmon smiled behind his scarf as if amused by her anger.

"Miko!" Cried a voice that made the two of them flinch, they turned around and saw on the top balcony of the building across from them the young brown-haired girl holding up her cat in front of her. "Miko where do you think you're going?" The girl scolded. Wizardmon looked back at Gatomon who was staring at the child. The wizard raised his invisible eyebrows, she knew who that girl was, or at least met her before, he could see it in her mind. He put a gloved hand on her shoulder, and that made her turn to him instantly.

"I think your chance to find out has come right now!" Wizardmon answered still smiling and before Gatomon could even get angry at him, he leapt of the edge and flew towards the young child and her cat without hesitation. The girl saw the wizard, but her reaction towards him was different than when she looked at Gatomon. She gasped and dropped her cat Miko who scampered into the apartment terrified. But to Wizardmon's surprise, she was not afraid, only startled by his sudden arrival,.

"Whoa! Who are you?" The little girl asked gawking at him out of curiosity with those pretty hazel eyes.

"Wizardmon." Wizardmon answered her as he landed slowly onto her balcony. "What's yours?"

"I'm Kari!" The young girl answered. "Where did you learn how to fly like that, Wizardmon?"

"Hey!" Gatomon called out. The two of them turned their heads as the white cat digimon took a risky leap from the building across and landed on the balcony next to them.

"Oh it's you again!" Said Kari smiling at her. "I know you. You're a friend of Augumon, right?" The wizard and the white cat ignored the young girl's question.

"Kari!" Wizardmon began.

Gatomon gave him a suspicious look as if he was up to something, and he was.

"There is something…" He stopped and decided that his cat friend should do the talking. He held out the digivice to Gatomon. She looked at it, unsure what to do and then looked back at Wizardmon who was giving her some sort of urgent look with his brilliant green eyes. Finally the wizard gave a sigh in annoyance grabbed one of her arms and put the digivice in her paw. the white cat digimon enclosed her paw around the small device.

"Go on, Gatomon!" He whispered as he then gave her a push forward. "Tell her!"

Gatomon shook with such nervousness, What did he want her to say? Kari looked at the digivice that the white cat digimon held out in her green paw, "Wow, what is that?" The young girl asked and walked towards it with an outstretched hand. "Can I see?". Just then the minute Kari touched it, all three of them gasped as the digivice began to glow a bright white, and Gatomon could feel a warm vibration in her the paw that held the digivice. The terror and anxiety drained from her and instead the white cat's heart was filling up with excitement. The little girl finally took her hand away and the glowing stopped. The three of said nothing, stunned by what just happened. Then after a minute of no words Wizardmon broke the silence.

"It's you!" He exclaimed to Kari with delight. "You're the eighth child!"

"The eighth what?" Kari asked, she had no idea what he was talking about. The wizard then turned to Gatomon and put a gloved hand on her shoulders.

"Go on, my friend!" He said gently. "Tell her!" The white cat just stared at the young girl, her sapphire blue eyes were wide and blank as if she was hypnotized.

"Hold on you guys!" She finally said. "I think my memory is coming back! I….it was so long ago…..I was not born in Primary Village," She hesitated, but kept going. "When…. I….when my family-" The white cat digimon stopped and turned her head away from the two of them, frustrated. "Oh I can't do this!" She cried out.

Wizardmon dropped his sun-staff and put another gloved hand on her, gripping her shoulders gently but firmly with both hands. "Yes you can!" He said his voice calm but demanding. Gatomon did not dare look up at Wizardmon but she turned to Kari and continued, her deep blue eyes turning blank again.

" I remember my life began when I digivolved to my in-training form, Nyaromon, I was washed up on a river bank, all alone, and this loneliness terrified me but I couldn't walk yet so I just sat there and waited for someone to come and save me, because I knew since the day I was born, there was someone out there who would come for me. The minutes seemed like hours, and the hours seemed like days….I…I kept waiting and waiting, but…nobody came, and as the years went by, I began losing hope!" She stopped again and looked at both Kari and Wizardmon who were listening intently to her story. The wizard then took both his hands off her, and the white cat digimon cleared her throat and went on.

"Then when I became Salamon, I began searching. The seasons went by and I was still wandering from place to place, never stopping my journeys, but I never found her.

In the end, I did run into somebody, but the digimon I ran into was not the person I was looking for. I found evil! ….Lord Myotismon!" Gatomon continued her story. "And since then," She concluded. "I stopped my quest and forgot about my destiny!"

The white cat looked back at Wizardmon with anxious eyes, but he gave her a nod as if to say: "Well done".

"What are you talking about?" Kari asked completely confused. "What's this got to do with me?" Suddenly the three of them were interrupted, at the sound of a door bursting open. The white cat and the wizard gasped and stepped back cautiously as a boy wearing a blue t-shirt shorts came running out followed by his digimon who was a rookie but slightly larger than Gatomon with greenish yellow eyes and looked like a small orange t-rex. The boy looked alot like Kari, same rich brown hair and hazel brown eyes, but much older and was a lot taller than she. He and his partner caught sight of Wizardmon and Gatomon, and the two saw a look of distrust in their eyes.

"That's Tai, Kari's big brother, and that's his partner Augumon!" Gatomon whispered to Wizardmon.

"Kari, get away from those two!" Tai shouted.

"Why, brother?" the young girl asked. Her brother ignored her question as he and his digimon turned to the white cat and the wizard.

"What do you want with my sister?" The boy demanded.

"Stop it Tai !" shouted Kari "What's going on?"

"Those digimon are evil!" He cried. "They work for Myotismon!"

"They're not evil!" She spoke up defensively. "They were just trying to help me!"

Wizardmon had no time for arguments or taking sides, although he could not blame the boy and his partner for hating him and especially for hating Gatomon since she almost killed his partner! "Please listen to me.." the wizard interrupted with his hands in the air.

"Wait!" Gatomon, cried out angrily and silenced the four of them. She then turned to Kari, though still glancing cautiously at Tai and Agumon, and Kari looked back at her.

"But now, after all this time, I know who I was searching for! I was searching for _you_!" the white cat digimon smiled , and tears of joy welled up in her blue cat eyes as she leapt forward and threw her arms around the young girl hugging her tightly. "You're, the eighth digi-destined and I'm your digimon!" Kari smiled in response and embraced Gatomon affectionately.

"Look, Tai!" The young brunette girl cried out turning to her brother. "Now I have one like you!"

"Gatomon and Kari are together?" gasped the orange t-rex who was named Augumon, he and Tai looked at eachother rather shocked at this .

"But…but that doesn't make any sense!" stuttered Tai.

"It makes perfect sense!" Wizardmon protested. "Kari is the eighth child, and Gatomon belongs with her!"

the boy and his digimon shot a mean glare at the wizard.

"And just who do you think you are?" Augumon snapped coldly.

"His name is Wizardmon!" Gatomon spoke defensively as she quickly broke out of Kari's arms and stood between the two. "He has gone through all this trouble to bring me and Kari together! If it weren't for him I would've never found her! Kari is my partner, and I'll do everything in my power to protect her!"

"But how do we know we can trust you guys?" Tai asked.

Wizardmon, shook his head. "I can't convince you guys that we're trustworthy, but you can forget about that now!" And with that he handed the digivice to the young boy.

Tai took the device and looked at it.

"Why give it to Tai?" the orange t-rex asked. "It belongs to Kari!" "Because if I keep it, Myotismon may find out! We cannot let him know that Kari is the eighth digidestined or else it will put both her and Gatomon in danger!"

"But Myotismon has the real tag and crest!" Gatomon reminded him. "He could find out from that!"

"No, he won't!" Said Wizardmon. "Not if we go get the real one!"

"The real crest?" asked Tai. The wizard nodded his head and Gatomon took off the one that was around her neck and showed it to them. "The tags and crests Wizardmon and I have are just copies."

"The real one must be in Myotismon's secret hideout!" Wizardmon exclaimed to Gatomon. He then turned to Tai, Kari and Augumon. "We will come back!"

"We'll come with you too!" Tai offered.

"No, it's too dangerous!" The wizard said quickly, "You and Kari we'll stay here!" And with that he picked up Gatomon holding her in one arm and leapt off the balcony. Kari immediately ran over to railing and watched the two fly away into the night sky. "Be careful, Gatomon!" She called out. "Wizardmon, please look after her!"

Wizardmon flew over the city carrying Gatomon with one arm as he headed towards the main sewers where Myotismon's main hideout was, the two of them heard that he had a secret room down there where he slept and even his top henchmen were forbidden to enter it. Hopefully the real crest would be there.

"I thought you abandoned me, Wizardmon!" Said Gatomon turning to him, she did not feel the least bit comfortable just hanging there with his arm around her waist.

"I would never do that to you, Gatomon!" The wizard answered surprised that she would believe such a thing. "I'm sorry I didn't come back, but Myotismon threatened to kill you if I ever saw you again!"

The white cat turned her head away and her eyes were full of even more concern than before.

"Well it doesn't matter anymore." She said quietly and gave a half smile. "I'm glad to be with you again."

The wizard then landed on the ground, Gatomon was so glad, when he put her down, to be on her feet again. The two then pushed back the round iron lid. "uh..Wizardmon?" she sounded uneasy as she grabbed hold of his arm. "What?" Wizardmon asked, a little startled by her sudden grasp. "You…know..that Myotismon will kill us if he catches us in there!" She didn't sound too frightened about it though. "We'll just have to be careful, Gatomon." Was all he could reassure her, and they both climbed down the metal bars, the white cat first into the depths of the sewer. It was so dark and damp and much colder than above ground, just like the castle. Just when they reached the bottom; there was a long tunnel ahead. "I think I better lead the way!" Said Gatomon, since I've been down here once before!" and with that she ran ahead, with Wizardmon following behind. She looked like a flash of white light in the dark, he panted heavily as he could barely keep up with her.

"Slow down!" He called out trying to keep his voice down at the same time. "I think that's the secret entrance!"

She stopped immediately and trotted back to her friend who was standing next to an old crooked door. He carefully gave a push and the white cat helped, but to their shock, it was already open and both of them nearly fell face forward as it swung open ending with a big bang against the walls . Their eyes widened in amazement as they saw a large square room. The walls and floors were made completely out of limestone bricks and four gleaming torches were attached on each side of the walls that gave an orange-yellowish color to the room and at the far end of the room was an enormous stone coffin with a bat symbol carved into the lid.

"Come on, there isn't much time left!" The wizard urged in excitement as he headed towards the coffin. Gatomon followed and stood beside him as they put both paws and hands on the lid of the coffin. He looked at her and she gave him a nod in response meaning "ready" and the two of them pushed with all their strength. Beads of sweat broke onto fur and skin, their arms ached as the lid slowly but gradually moved making an irritating screech and finally slid off the coffin, and crashed to the floor. The two of them looked inside, but all there was, was some bedding covered with red and black silk sheets But then the wizard spotted the glint of a gold chain underneath it. Wizardmon took out his fake tag and crest, Gatomon had hers around her neck like a necklace and she took it off and the two threw their fake crests aside. Wizardmon removed the pillow, and both of them gasped. There it was, the real tag and crest, but it looked like all the other fake ones. It had to be the real one though, considering it was in Myotismon's hideout.

"Got it" said the wizard as he grabbed it just in the nick of time.

"What do you think, you're doing?" shouted a voice that made the two of them flinch and turn around. They gasped as they saw Myotismon standing before them in the doorway.

"Um, nothing master!" pleaded Gatomon keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. Myotismon glared in fury at the both of them and then held up something that shocked the wizard and the white cat. Hanging from a gold chain instead of a simple cord was another tag and crest. It's size, shape and color was the same but the crest inside had a carved in symbol: "the crest of light."

"Looking for this?" The vampire asked casually but his eyes were still narrowed coldly at them. Wizardmon looked at the crest he had just took out of the coffin. "Another copy?" He gasped.

"What?" Myotismon snapped coldly at them. "Did you really think I would leave the real tag and crest for thieves like you?"

"NO!" the wizard leapt forward "THUNDER BALL!" he cried and aimed for the vampire's hand that held the real crest. Myotismon winced but did not cry out in pain as the ball of energy hit him in the exact spot. His grip loosened the minute the wizard digimon grabbed hold of his hand. But then the vampire finally managed to yank him off. Wizardmon gave a startled yelp as he went flying across the room and hit the stone floor below. "Wizardmon!" the white cat digimon shouted running up to him. He sat up and rubbed his bruised ribs. "I'm alright, Gatomon." he then gasped as he realized that his hand was enclosed around the real tag and crest. Myotismon glared in fury at the wizard with his cold blue eyes, and then looked at the real crest in the wizard's hand, and then back at him.

"Give me that, now!" The vampire ordered coldly. Wizardmon enclosed his hand tighter around the delicate object.

"You can try." He retorted.

"If you want your life spared," Myotismon ordered his teeth were clenched and his face was turning a light shade of purple, "GIVE ME THE CREST!" But the wizard would not move. "CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" The vampire shouted spreading his arms and several red bolts emerged from his cape at the wizard.

"No!" Gatomon screamed, as she jumped in front of her friend, guarding him as if he was some sort of precious jewel to her. The white cat screamed at the top of her lungs as the crimson bolts lashed at her from every angle like whips, reopening her wounds making them bleed again. When it was over she fell to the ground, the attack had made her body sore and her wounds stung her terribly.

"Gatomon!" Wizardmon cried out. He grabbed the white cat and helped her off the ground. She had just saved his life.

"I'm fine, Wizardmon!" Gatomon reassured him in a weak voice, but he knew she was lying and he continued holding her as if afraid that she would collapse if he let go. Myotismon shook with rage, he could not take this anymore.

"You traitors!" He shouted.

"Pick on somebody your own size!" Gatomon snapped at him and she shot him a cold glare with those deep cerulean blue eyes. Myotismon glared back. Again she looked at him with those eyes he despised so much. "Those eyes again!" He said coldly. "Whenever you looked at me with those eyes, I knew you would turn against me; that was why I always had to teach you to become a better servant, but now I feel I haven't disciplined you enough, and from now on I'm going to try even harder!"

"Leave her alone, Myotismon!" Wizardmon shouted standing in front of Gatomon with his arms out like a sheild. He then turned to the wizard who had his lime green eyes narrowed at him. "And as for you, Wizardmon, I gave you the chance to be one of my most powerful henchmen, but instead you attacked me. You betrayed me like your people did and not just that, you turned your little cat friend on me, but did you really think you'd get away with your betrayal?"

"How could I be a traitor," the wizard protested, "If I was never on your side to begin with?" "GRISLY WINGS" Myotismon shouted spreading his cape again and thousands of black bats came charging towards Wizardmon and Gatomon. The wizard quickly lifted his staff. "MAGICAL GAME!" he cried as blue lighting emerged from the golden sun destroying nearly half the group of bats. "LIGHTNING CLAW" Gatomon squealed, she still had enough strength to attack and destroyed the rest of them with her shocking claws. But then another hundred black bats came and suddenly the two of them were lifted into the air. The wizard and the white cat screamed as they broke through the ceiling and were above ground in the middle of a harbor. Finally the bats let go and the two of them "Oofed" with pain as they hit the wooden dock. Myotismon then flew up from the hole and landed before the two.

"You both cannot defeat me!" He said sharply. "I'm too powerful!" Gatomon was a little drained but Wizardmon stood up immediately pointing his sun-staff at the vampire.

"We'll just see about that, Myotismon!" He threatened preparing to attack, "MAGICAL-"

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" But the vampire quickly sent out his crimson bolts and Wizardmon cried out in pain, squeezing his staff in one hand and the real tag and crest in the other as he got whipped all over like Gatomon did, the lashes reopened his wounds and there were going to be even more scars.

"And let that be a lesson to you, Wizardmon!" Myotismon snapped as he watched him drop to the ground, now both the wizard and the white cat had bleeding gashes all over them. The white cat digimon put her arms around her fallen friend and looked at Myotismon with her furious cat eyes.

"It wasn't his fault that I betrayed you, Myotismon!" She shouted angrily. Myotismon bit his lip hard drawing blood.

"There are those eyes again! Why would you turn on me Gatomon?" He said bitterly. "You and your wizard friend have nothing else in your lives. And yet you are too stupid to realize how hopeless it is how useless it is to dream that someday you will find another life!"

"Because it's not hopless!" Gatomon shouted. "It was my dreams that got me this far!"

"Dreams?" What nonsense are you telling me?" The vampire sneered getting ready to whip her again for giving him those eyes. Gatomon stood firm where she was holding back her fear. "I bet you never had any dreams. If I didn't keep believing in mine, I would have never found out the truth! I know who I truly belong with and it's not with you!"

"What do you want?" The vampire snapped. The white cat digimon answered him: "I have a destiny to defeat you! I want to return to my real identity! The one before I met you!"

Myotismon gasped and was taken aback by Gatomon's words. Never had he heard her talk like that, but not just that,

"If you have another place in life," said Myotismon as if he was suspecting something, "If your destiny is to kill me, does that mean," He gasped his steel blue eyes widened, "You're the eighth digimon!" He cried out in triumph. Gatomon and Wizardmon gasped, the vampire had found out the truth which had sent their hopes crashing down. "GRISLY WING" Myotismon cried out and a new swarm of black bats emerged from his cape, and before Gatomon could even escape, the bats grabbed her by every inch of her body, their claws were like ropes binding her as she was lifted into the air,

"Help me, Wizardmon!" Gatomon cried as she struggled to break free from the thousands of black bats that held her.

"No!" Wizardmon cried as he got up leaning on his staff. "GATOMON! Let her go, Myotismon!" He threatened preparing to attack the vampire, but Myotismon was too quick for him and he let out a single bolt of his "Crimson Lightning" but instead of hitting him, the lightning whip wrapped around the wizard's neck, choking him. Wizardmon coughed and gagged as the whip squeezed tighter and tighter around his neck until he could scarcely breathe. He grabbed it with both hands trying to pull it off. He could no longer feel the ground beneath his feet as the vampire lifted him up.

"You think you're so wise, wizard!" He sneered as if throwing an insult at him. "You may have outwitted me and cost me one of my best soldiers; foolish little man, you've just thrown your own life away for it and not just that, you've cost the life of your little cat friend as well, now say goodbye to her, Mwahahahahaha!"

And the last thing the wizard saw was Gatomon screaming for help and Myotismon laughing and bearing his pearly white fangs before the bolt around his neck came undone and he felt a big push as he was thrown backwards. He cried out but his cries were muffled by a big splash and a huge shiver ran down his spine as the coldness of the ocean waters embraced him.


	4. Into Hell

Into Hell

Wizardmon coughed and sputtered as more water got underneath his scarf and filled his mouth. He could hardly keep his head above the water as the high waves constantly crashed on top of him, forcing him to go back under water. He kicked and gave a dozen strokes; the force of the ocean was too great, he felt like a helpless creature struggling to break free of the powerful typhoons that carried him towards the deeper end of the ocean. he was also holding for dear life onto his sun-staff and the real crest of light that he finally snatched from Myotismon at the same time! His fingers in both hands grew sore and his palms began to bleed through his gloves as he squeezed tighter and tighter around the two items. If he didn't have to hold on to those two, it would be a little easier for him to swim to shore, and yet if he did, all would be lost for both him and Gatomon. He kicked and moved his arms as best he could, his muscles were becoming sore, and his body was growing numb from the coldness of the water. No! he couldn't die! Not here, not now! Not if Gatomon was in danger, since the vampire digimon found out the truth, who knows what he could have done to her! he hoped desperately that she was still alive despite what Myotismon had said to him. He came bursting out of the surface "Help!" He cried. "Somebody-" But his last words were cut off as another typhoon fell on top of him. Who would come and save her if not him? He wasn't even so sure if Tai or Augumon believed what he said about Gatomon! Eventually he grew more and more exhausted from struggling so much. If he didn't want to feel more pain, he would have to give up and drown! His lungs burned like fire for air, and he tried to break through the surface again. I don't want to die! He pleaded. "Help me!" He cried out again before swallowing more water. He treaded furiously wasting more energy than before but at least he kept his head above the ocean longer. "Help me…..somoeone…" his voice was muffled again by another wave crashing on him. "Someone…Gatomon, I must find you!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Just then he flinched as several sharp things scratched him and he felt something solid under his feet. Whatever it was it lifted him out of the ocean he collapsed face down on the solid thing which turned out to be an enourmous brown furry hand, clutching onto his staff and the tag and crest, as he coughed and sputtered his whole body was drenched and soaked, and the air felt much colder than the water around him. He shivered slightly and tried to move but his sore muscles were limp and would not let him. He hardly catch his breath as he coughed up more water. He closed his eyes and passed out before he could breathe normally again.

Meanwhile Myotismon had conquered the whole city and ordered all of his henchman except for two Bakemon to capture every child in the city and bring them here. The vampire headed towards Gatomon. she was locked up in a small cage and the two Bakemon were standing guard over her. The white cat grabbed two bars as she looked up at him in fury. "Your wizard friend is dead!" Myotismon sneered coldly at her. "so who's going to save you now?" At those words, Gatomon let go of the bars as she hung her head in defeat. "What are you going to do to me?" The white cat asked quietly. The vampire ignored her question and turned to the two Bakemon. "Bakemon!" he commanded them. "Keep a close eye on her! we need her to point out the eighth child for us." And with that he spread his cape, leapt into the air and took off. Gatomon slumped down inside her cage, a tear fell down her white furry cheek. . He was going to force her to tell him who the eighth child was, and there was no way she could escape. No! She thought. If only Wizardmon were here to protect me, but he's gone!

A couple hours later, Gatomon stood up and gasped in horror as she saw nearly half the children young and old from toddlers to teenagers being dragged by Bakemon and other henchmen before her and the vampire lord. The kids were struggling to break free as they were brought forward, some being held while others were in chains and led on leashes, but it was the very little kids who were crying and screaming for their parents. The white cat's eyes welled with tears but she didn't have time to look away, because the two Bakemon unlocked the cage and grabbed her by the arms the minute the door swung open pulling her forward. While the two Bakemon held her none-too-gently, she was forced to stand up and look ahead at the whimpering children. She prayed desperately that Kari was not with those kids! Myotismon was standing right behind her, watching her closely. "Which one of these is the eighth digidestined, Gatomon?" He asked. One of the kids from the group was brought to her. It was a young boy probably in his teenage years, with black hair, blue eyes, and he was still in his gray plaid pajamas, and he was trying to keep a brave face on when he looked at the white cat digimon. Gatomon's large ears dropped down as she shook her head. "It's not him!" She answered. The boy stopped shaking and a Bakemon grabbed his arm and brought him back to the crowd of children. Another child then came forward. She looked so young with long pretty blond hair and hazel eyes and she was crying hysterically. Gatomon shook her head again. "It's not her either!" was her answer. "Gatomon!" Myotismon hollered from behind She gasped and turned around but she tried not to look at the vampire, and stared at his knee length dark boots instead. "If you lie to me, I'll destroy you and everyone around here!" He threatened her. The white cat digimon gulped and turned her head shaking. He may kill me even if I'm not lying! She thought to herself.

Wizardmon woke up a few hours later, he felt exhausted and his head was spinning like mad, he gave a soft groan as he slowly opened his eyes, which still stung from the salt water. "are you awake?" said a voice. At first he thought it was Gatomon or maybe even Kari, since it sounded like the voice of a child. When his vision cleared, he saw two kids sitting across from him. They were both boys, one looked much older than Kari, probably around Tai's age, he was really thin and tall with deep blue hair and he wore large round spectacles over his dark brown eyes and was carrying a white bag that was strapped to him like a purse. The other one looked no older than Kari or maybe he was even younger than that, he had hazel blue eyes and a large round green and blue hat was placed over his hair, which was blonde like his own but much lighter. On top of his round hat sat a small digimon; he looked like a flying brown hamster with a white belly and muzzle and four tiny paws. He had little bat wings and large blue eyes that were like Gatomon's eyes but they were a lighter shade of blue. "Wh-who are you?" The wizard asked weakly. The young, blonde haired boy smiled warmly at him while the other two just stared with shocked expressions. "I'm Takeru." Said the blonde boy. "You can just call me T.K." He pointed at the older boy with the glasses, " And This is Jo!" "Aren't you going to introduce me!" Shouted the brown winged digimon on T.K's hat. "Oh sorry," T.K. apologized. "This is Patamon, my digimon partner!" He said pointing to his partner. Wizardmon gasped, "You're the digi-destines!" He exclaimed. At that moment he remembered what had happened last night and held up the real tag and crest before the three of them who stared at it in wonder. "We've got to get this tag and crest to Kari!" He demanded. "Do you know where she is?" T.K, Jo and Patamon gasped, "Do you mean…Tai's little sister?" the blue-haired boy asked. "She's the eighth child? The one we've been looking for?" The two boys suddenly exclaimed. The wizard nodded, to answer their question and took the crest back before continuing on. "I…I need your help!" He began, a little hesitant to ask for this, but they needed to know the whole truth. "Gatomon is in danger, she was captured by Myotismon last night!" The boys and the winged digimon looked at the wizard a little suspicious. "Gatomon?" T.K asked. Wizardmon did not feel like going into explanations, there wasn't much time left, but he had no choice. "Gatomon is the eighth digimon!" He explained to the three of them. "She belongs to Kari, and we have to help her!" The two were just shocked and confused but the brown winged hamster frowned at him. "You, lie, wizard!" Patamon accused him. "How could Gatomon be the eighth digimon? She works for Myotismon who's going to destroy the eighth child, she's one of the evil digimon!" The other two digidestined gave a gesture of agreement. Wizardmon shook his head at them and sighed in frustration, but after all the terrible things his friend had done, it was not like they were going to believe him instantly! "Please!" The wizard begged desperately as if he was begging them to spare his life. "I know you don't believe me, but Gatomon _is _ the eighth digimon, we don't have much time left, Kari and Gatomon need this crest!" Patamon, T.K and Jo looked at each other and then looked back at Wizardmon rather dumbstruck. No doubt the wizard digimon had the real tag and crest and knew who the eighth child and her partner was, but he could be lying,. "How can we beleive you, Wizardmon?" The teenage blue-haired boy asked. Just then all three of them jumped up as a loud deep voice spoke up, "Sorry to interrupt the conversation, but we've just arrived!" Wizardmon was especially disturbed and looked around to see where the voice had come from, and then he realized that thing he was riding on with T.K., Jo and Patamon was another digimon, probably Jo's partner digimon. He was enormous, like a brown hairy weasel or beaver and on his back that the four of them rode on was an iron shell, and he carried a steel hammer. They had just arrived at a dock. "Look, Matt, it's T.K and Jo!" Shouted an older girl's voice ahead. Jo and T.K. immediately climbed off the large beaver digimon almost slipping as they made their way down but Wizardmon stayed back and saw two other children, a human girl and boy, both way older than Kari or T.K. The girl wore baggy jeans and a yellow sleeveless top and light brown gloves like Wizardmon's. She had light brown eyes and short brown hair like Kari's except it had a touch of red in it and was covered with a strange round blue helmet. The older boy was blonde with hazel blue eyes , he looked related to the younger boy, T.K, perhaps they were brothers. And then the wizard saw coming from behind him a short red headed boy with the darkest eyes and eyebrows accompanied by a tall dark-haired adult man and a strange insect, his colors were several shades of red, yellow and green and he looked somewhere between, a lady-bug and a fly. Then came a large nearly eight foot high white wolf with black tiger-stripes all over it's body and an alarmingly large red and orange firebird with golden hawk eyes and reddish, and two mighty wings attached to it's humanlike body. Wizardmon gasped as he noticed the firebird was carrying another digimon in one of it's hands. He realized It had been paralyzed by Myotismon's "Nightmare Claw" because it had no color in its skin and clothing except for an ugly shade of gray. Feeling great pity, he slowly stood up, leapt into flight off the beaver digimon and landed as safely as he could on the ground. Once he came into present, although his eyes were fixed on the paralyzed digimon he sensed that the kids, the man, and the other digimon noticed him. Unfortunately they were not all too welcoming towards him. "Wizardmon?" Said the older blonde boy with displeasure. "What are _you _doing here?" The wizard ignored the boys question and walked towards the paralyzed figure. But how did they know his name? He never even met them before! His legs were weak and felt like jelly as he moved forward rather clumsily. As he reached the firebird's hand to get a closer look, he realized the paralyzed digimon was some sort of leaf fairy or flower pixie. She was slightly taller than he was and had the body of a human but not exactly the head of one. She wore a revealing mini tube dress with large broad teardrop flower petals at the bottom of it and wore lower arm coverings trimmed with leaves at the wrists and leaf-trimmed boots with daisies decorated on them. She had four skinny dragonfly wings, when he got to her face, it was round and oval shaped with a tiny lipped mouth two large shining black eyes shaped like the teardrop leaves that gazed off into space in sorrow and on her head she wore a plump but un-blooming blossom which was probably her own hair. "She was attacked by Myotismon wasn't she?" Wizardmon said, his tone understanding. "So what if she was?" He heard the older girl say behind him as if she didn't care if this fairy digimon was badly hurt. Wizardmon felt slightly hurt by their coldness, how did they even know in the first place that he was one of Myotismon's henchman? They didn't even know who he was! He tried hard not to care what they thought and continued to stare at the paralyzed pixie girl. He laid his gold sun staff on the ground so both his hands would be free. He then closed his emerald eyes, locked his gloved thumbs together and concentrated hard as he tried to recite a healing incantation in his head.. Finally the whole spell came to him smoothly and he opened his eyes and put his hands forward towards the fairy digimon. His hands felt warm and tingling and then gradually began to burn up until they sweated underneath his gloves. At that moment his hands began to glow a bright blue azure and then it drained into a ball of green energy that shot out of his palms and hit the fairy like an attack. The kids and the other digimon gasped as the pixie digimon absorbed the green light and it made her whole body glow brightly. Wizardmon gasped too as he vaguely saw through the blinding light the gray color draining from her. When the light faded he saw her natural colors: the fairy girl's boots were a spring green with bright yellow daises decorated on them and her bracelets were also yellow and her four wings were a deep green. her pale skin was the same color as human flesh, her eyes still remained their shiny black and her revealing tube dress and the blossom on her head were a soft light pink. She gasped and twitched all over, as if she was moving her muscles for the first time, the wizard sighed with relief, it worked! This was the first time he healed a digimon with magic. "Lilymon!" The older girl gasped. The pixie digimon did not seem to notice Wizardmon as she sat up and looked over his shoulder at the kids and the other digimon standing behind him someowhat dazed, for no reason the wizard also turned around to look at them. "Sora?" She asked weakly. "Matt, T.K., Jo, Izzie, Tentamon, Garurumon, Zudamon?" She then turned back and looked up at the firebird who was holding her. "Garudamon? Wh-what happened?" Before anyone could open their mouths to speak Wizardmon quickly spoke up. "Are you…alright…uh Lilymon?" He asked politely. The fairy pixie turned to him immediately and gave him a sharp glare. "_you_!" She hissed as if he was some kind of enemy. Wizardmon felt suddenly threatened and grabbed his staff off the ground backing away quickly as the flower pixie stood up and jumped out of the fire birds hand onto the ground. He did not want to harm her, but it seemed like she gave him no choice. "Wait! Stop, Lilymon!" T.K. shouted running forward and stood in front of the wizard with his arms out, so Lilymon could not attack him. "Wizardmon is one of us, he is one of the good digimon, he has the tag and crest!" "What?" everyone else gasped except for Jo, Patamon and Zudomon as Wizardmon held up the tag and crest of light in front of them and then gave a side nod of "thanks" towards T.K.. "This tag and crest belongs to Kari!" The wizard explained to them,. "We've got to save Gatomon! She was taken captive by Myotismon, and won't survive much longer unless we rescue her and give this to the eighth child!" Sora the auburn brunette, the older blonde boy (who was called Matt) and Izzie the redhead dark eyed boy and the pixie digimon stared at him dumbstruck. "Why Gatomon?" Sora asked, her eyebrows raised. "Because she belongs with Kari!" Jo explained further, Matt, Sora , Izzie and Lilymon gasped again. Wizardmon ignored their shock, he was too afraid for Gatomon and Kari! "Now where is she?" He asked rather demandingly, "Where is Kari?" T.K., Patamon, Jo and Lilymon all turned their heads to Matt and Sora who were hesitating and looking at the ground. Wizardmon fixed a his eyes on the two. "Well?" He asked impatiently. "They got her!" Matt answered gravely.

Gatomon was still defining the eighth digidestined. "Well Gatomon is she the one?" The vampire asked. A tall pretty golden haired girl with light brown eyes like Kari's and wearing a pink nightgown was placed in front of the white cat digimon. Gatomon shook her head "No she's not!" She answered. Suddenly Demidevimon came flying towards them, startling everyone. Gatomon wondered why he looked so excited. "Hey boss!" The blue bat digimon panted as he spoke, "Oh you're going to love it boss, I have great news for you!" "What is it, Demidevimon?" Myotismon asked curiously. "We got her! We got the eighth digidestined!" Demidevimon bellowed in triumph. The vampire and the white cat both gasped. "Oh no!" Gatomon whimpered softly to herself. "Not Kari!". "You did?" The Vampire asked, and then he smiled bearing his fangs as he turned to Gatomon. "You hear that? It's over!" He jeered at her. The white cat digimon shot him an angry glare, but Myotismon had already turned his head back to the blue bat digimon and did not notice her anger response. "Demidevimon!" He ordered. "c'mon, you'll lead the way!" "Yes, Master!" Demidevimon nodded. "What about all these kids, though? What should we do with them?" The vampire gave a chuckle of malice. "Make them all go to sleep! I'll deal with them later!" and with that the bat digimon obeyed him and sent a waves of energy from his beating wings. One by one the kids closed their eyes and dropped to the ground. When all of them had fallen into a deep slumber, Myotismon then grabbed Gatomon by the scruff of her neck and leapt into the air and both he and Demidevimon cackled as they flew towards the building where Kari was held prisoner. _You_! She thought bitterly, as he carried her through the flight. _You think it's over? You think you've won? Bastard of a Vampire, I'll destroy you for what you've done to me! While I'm still alive! _ But deeper inside, it was hopeless for her, and she knew it.

"Look guys!" Izzie cried pointing at the sky, "Its Myotismon!" Everyone looked up and gasped as the vampire headed towards a strange building with Demidevimon leading the way. Wizardmon looked up at the vampire his lime green eyes widened when he saw him carrying someone else that he knew. "He's got Gatomon!" He gasped as he spotted the white cat digimon being carried by the scruff of her neck. His eyes narrowed in anger. "I'll save you, my friend!" He cried out. "I'll get you out of his clutches before he destroys you and Kari! I swear!" They didn't seem to hear him as they landed on top of a building, and sunk through until they disappeared into it as if there was a big hole in the roof. "That's where Kari is!" Sora cried out pointing at the building Myotismon had just gone into. "Hurry!" cried Matt as they all started running towards the building's entrance which was a broken glass door. Wizardmon shoved the crest of light into one of his jumpsuit pockets, but just as he started to run forward, his jelly legs shook, he felt nauseated in his stomach as if was going to vomit all over any minute, he felt so dizzy and yet he tried to pull himself together, but in the end he fell to his knees and breathed heavily.. "Wizardmon?" Said a gentle voice "Are you alright?" Wizardmon moaned softly as he looked up and saw T.K. and that young dark-haired man standing over him concerned. The human adult kneeled down generously, and reached out his hand without a sign of fear which surprised the wizard. "Here," He offered. "I'll give you a hand!" Wizardmon smiled with relief and grabbed the young man's hand and he helped him off the ground.

Kari was at the very top floor of the building. The young brunette stood trembling as Phantomon another one of Myotismon's henchmen clad in red and black robes and a red hood with a black scarf that covered his whole face except for his eyes which were a beady yellow and who carried a long razor sharp scythe that he held less than an inch away from the girl's throat. She then gasped as she saw a swarm of black bats suddenly appear at the ceiling. Demidevimon came out of the swarm first and then her light brown eyes widened in horror as Myotismon came out of them feet first landing on the ground in front of them and she saw that he was holding Gatomon by the neck. The white cat digimon looked at Kari with her sorrowful cat eyes. The vampire fixed his steel blue eyes on the little girl and gave an evil grin, venom slightly dripping from his fangs. "I got you my pretty!" He said. "And your little cat too!" and he cackled at his own joke. When he stopped he was still grinning evilly at the girl. "My dear!" The vampire said with a hint of mocking. "Why have you done something so stupid as to show your face to me?" His voice got louder and harsher. "Do you have any idea, what's about to happen to you?" A tear trickled down Kari's pale cheek, she was shaking uncontrollably but she couldn't help it.. "I…I guess I have an idea!" She spoke up hesitantly. "Then why?" Myotismon asked. "Because…" Kari began, swallowing her fear. "Because you were hurting all those people…and…it was all because of me you were doing this!". At that moment the young girl's light brown eyes narrowed as she held up her fists at the vampire. "Someone had to stop you from hurting innocent people!" Kari snapped coldly at him trying to show courage. Myotismon gasped as his grin faded into an astonished look,. But then his grin returned shortly afterwards. "My, my!" He complimented. "What a thoughtful little girl you are!" He then turned his head and looked at the white cat digimon who had her head turned away from Kari "Gatomon! Will you not look at the eighth child's face?" Myotismon asked. "No!" Gatomon answered him coldly. "Because she's not the eighth digidestined! Who is this child anyway? I've never seen her before!" The vampire looked at her in disbelief. "Oh really!" He said suspicious that she was lying to him. "We'll see about that, won't we!" and with that he snapped his dark gloved fingers and Demidevimon grabbed handfuls of the human girl's short brown hair with his claws. Kari screamed at the top of her lungs as the bat digimon lifted her off the ground by her hair. Gatomon quickly turned to her, her deep blue eyes wide with horror "KARI!" she screamed staring helplessly at the young girl who was crying out in pain as she hung a few inches from the ground. "NO!" The white cat digimon shouted as she struggled to break free from Myotismon's grasp . She then heard the vampire chuckling. "Kari!" He mocked. "That's interesting! You know her name and yet you've never seen her before!" He then snapped his fingers again and Demidevimon let go, the young girl dropped to the ground tears streaming down her face. Myotismon then let go of Gatomon who scrambled to her feet once she hit the ground and ran towards her human partner. "Kari?" The white cat digimon asked as she helped the young brunette girl to her feet. "Are you alright?" Kari looked up at her as she rubbed her head with both hands. "I…I think so, Gatomon!" She answered. "Together again!" The vampire chuckled. Kari and the white cat digimon turned their heads to Myotismon. Gatomon stood in front of Kari protectively with her arms out. "To bad it's ending so soon!" The vampire cackled as he spread his cape. "GRISLY-" "What do you think you're doing?" Shouted a voice behind him. Gatomon gasped as a dark-eyed redheaded boy came running forward accompanied by an insect digimon. The boy held up his digivice and it began to glow a dark purple. the insect digimon behind him began to grow larger. "TENTAMON DIGIVOLVE TO….KABUTERRIMON!" and hovering in midair where Tentamon stood was now a large flying blue and black horned beatle. "MEGAELECTRO SHOCKER!" Kabuterrimon shouted a blue and white ball of electrical energy emerged from the beattle's two front claws. "FLOWER CANNON!" Shouted a female voice and a pixie digimon had shot a green ball of light from the center of an enormous pink tiger-lily that she formed in her outstretched hands. Myotismon blocked both of the attacks with his cape and sent them upward as they hit the ceiling. Everyone screamed trying to hold their balance as the whole building shook violently. When the smoke cleared there was a huge hole in the roof and Myotismon grabbed Gatomon by the scruff with one hand and Kari by the front collar of her bright yellow shirt with the other. "It's getting a bit noisy in here!" He spoke casually as he lifted himself into the air heading for the large hole above him. "Lets find some place quieter!"

The young man stopped and panted at the top of the steps, there was only one more flight to go before they reached the top floor. Wizardmon did not feel all that exhausted but that was because the man had been half carrying him the whole time they walked up all the flights. When he saw how tired the young man was he gave a nod of approval. "Thanks for your help, sir!" The wizard said smiling and he really meant it. "Are you sure you can go the rest of the way by yourself?" The human adult asked a little concerned for him. "Don't worry!" Wizardmon assured him as the man let go of him. "I'll be fine!" And without looking back he ran up the last flight of stairs. But when he reached the top floor, he gasped and was shocked to see that the whole room was empty. Where had everyone gone? Just then he heard Myotismon cackling. The sound was coming from above him, he then looked up and his eyes widened as he saw a large hole in the ceiling! "You can't hide from me forever, vampire!" Wizardmon muttered under his breath as he leapt into the air, emerging from the hole. He saw that the vampire digimon had his back turned and he landed on the roof as quietly as he could thrusting his hand forward. "THUNDER BALL!" He cried and a round ball of orange light shot out of his hand. Myotismon did not have a chance to block the attack and it hit him hard in the back. He cried out as he was knocked flat on his stomach, and standing a few feet away from the vampire, the wizard saw Kari and Gatomon holding each other in fear. Gatomon gasped and quickly broke away from Kari's embrace when she saw who it was. "Wizardmon!" She cried out with joy. The wizard smiled quickly at her beneath his scarf and then turned to the young brunette girl and dug out the tag and crest out of his pocket. "Kari, catch!" The wizard cried as he threw the tag and crest towards her. Kari caught it with somewhat hesitation. "So, you've found your way back from the dead, Wizardmon!" Myotismon observed his tone bitter, as he quickly got back on his feet, unhurt. The wizard glared angrily at the vampire digimon. "That's right, Myotismon!" He responded coldly. "It will take more than the likes of you to destroy me!" "We'll just see about that!" The vampire digimon snarled, and his red bolt whip formed in his right hand and glowed it's blood red. "CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" He shouted as he cracked his whip and Wizardmon dropped his staff to the ground and gave a cry of agony as he got hit across the chest and was sent flying backwards quickly. "No! Wizardmon!" Gatomon cried as her friend was about fall off the edge where he would hit the ground far below. Just then the wizard gasped as he stopped frozen in midair and so suddenly that it felt like a big jerk in his whole body. He opened his eyes and saw Kari and Gatomon looking up at the person who just rescued him. He looked up too and saw the fairy pixie that he had healed and who tried to attack him holding him by the shoulders as she flew back towards the roof of the building and gently lowered him to the ground "You saved _my_ life!" Said Lilymon smiling at him. The wizard nodded "thanks" to her as she flew back to the other digimon. "I'm getting awfully bored of all this mush!" Myotismon shouted impatiently. He then turned his cold eyes back to the young girl and her digimon. "Now I'll finish it!" He spread his cape again but before he could prepare his attack he stopped short as something interrupted him. "Hey, fang face!" Shouted a voice in the distance. "You've picked on the wrong guy's little sister!" everyone including Myotismon turned their heads. Kari smiled when she saw who it was. "Tai!" She cried out. Gatomon and Wizardmon gasped, standing another building across from them was Kari's older brother, with Augumon and another older girl. Gatomon had seen her before, it was the blonde girl in the pink nightgown. "Lilymon!" The blonde girl shouted. "Mimi!" The pixie digimon exclaimed happy to see her human partner again. "Kari, catch!" Tai shouted as he threw the digivice as far as he could, and fortunately it reached the building Kari was on but before she could just grab it, Demidevimon flew over and caught it first. "I got it Myotismon!" The blue bat digimon boasted. "I got the digivice!" "Good work, Demidevimon!" The vampire digimon complimented. "Not so fast!" Tai shouted. The brown haired boy held out his digivice and it glowed a sunset orange, then his digimon partner began to glow the exact same color. The midget dinosaur digimon began to grow larger and more muscular. "AUGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO……GREYMON!" where Augumon once was stood a huge t-rex same color as it's rookie for except he had black stripes on his back, and on his head was a black metal helmet and a sharp horn on his snout like a rhino. "NOVA BLAST!" Shouted Greymon as he breathed out a huge ball of fire. "FLOWER CANNON!" Shouted Lilymon sending another energy ball from her tiger lily. "WING BLADE!" scarlet red fire came bursting out of Garudamon's crossed arms and the fire took the shape of a vicious hawk that came charging towards the vampire. "VULCAN'S HAMMER!" cried Zudomon raising his war hammer. But Myotismon did not even flinch or tried to dodge all four attacks instead he made them all just fade into nothing, which shocked everyone. "He's too strong!" T.K. pointed out then turned to his digimon partner who nodded in agreement. At that moment the young blonde digidestined took out his digivice, the light it glowed was a bright yellow and then Patamon absorbed the glow. "PATAMON DIGIVOLVE TO…..ANGEMON!" A tall and handsome digimon with a human face and body stood (floated in mid air) where the small cute flying hamster was. He had long smooth brownish gold hair six feathery white wings, and he wore a white tight suit, with a shimmering blue ribbon wrapped around his right leg and arm and a silver helmet that covered his eyes and he carried a long warrior spear. "Now what!" Myotismon groaned when he saw the angel digimon suddenly pop up behind him. "HAND OF FATE!" The angel shouted and a golden ray of light emerged from his fist and pierced the vampire's shoulder like a spear. Myotismon cried out in agony and fell to his knees clutching his injured shoulder as if his whole arm would fall off if he let go. "Do you finally give up?" Angemon asked him coldly. "Or are you still going to fight?" Myotismon looked up at the angel digimon smirking. "I was actually going to ask you the same thing!" The vampire sneered and at that moment he got back on his feet and turned back to Kari and Gatomon thrusting out his arms and spreading his cape. "GRISLY WING!" He shouted. Everyone gasped. "KARI!" Tai cried out, as they all saw thousands of black bats charging towards the eighth child and her partner "NO, GATOMON!" Wizardmon screamed , but it was too late! he was doomed they were all doomed, in less than a minute the bats would start feeding on his friend and her human partner alive and they would die the same slow and painful death like his sister and those two children did. He had already lost his own people, he could not lose _her!_ Gatomon was especially frightened and tried to shield Kari who was screaming, they could not escape or even dodge half the group of bats, in less than a second, they get poisoned and eaten alive. She had just found Kari she had just found where belonged and she had just escaped from the evil Gatomon Myotismon had turned her into, and now it was all ending. If she and Kari died right here, right now, it would not just kill her best friend Wizardmon, but her's and Kari's death would bring darkness to both worlds. Just then, a rosy pink light which startled everyone suddenly appeared and grew larger until it was like a shield that covered the young brunette girl and the white cat digimon, their was an irritating screech as the bats quickly dissolved in the light's glow, turning into swirling bits of data. The light was coming from the tag and crest. Just then, Demidevimon screamed in pain as the digivice he caught suddenly began to glow too, making the device burn like fire in his claw. "I…can't….hold on!" He cried and dropped it. Wizardmon grabbed it quickly before it hit the ground. "Kari!" He cried throwing it towards her and she caught it! "NO, NOT HER NO!" Myotismon shouted panicking, but it was too late, and Gatomon's entire body glowed pink and she felt a shocking tingle through her system. Suddenly she gasped, as her cat tail disappeared and so did her lovely tail ring, her white fur fell out as she grew taller into a human shape. She was now a humanlike digimon like Angemon her body so slender and beautiful and her human face so fair. Her large cat ears went back and turned to shiny golden hair on her that flowed down to her waist and six white and feathery wings sprouted out of her back. Her outfit was a very revealing bikini with a plain white bottom that was a bikini bottom on one side and tight white pants on the other and a gold winged bra and she wore four black leather belts with silver buckles, two around her bare stomach and two around the thigh part of her left leg. she wore a bright pink ribbon across her shoulders and around her arms like a shawl and at the bottom on both sides of the ribbon, it look plump and feathery, and she wore on her feet two different boots, one boot was white with lots of big feathers on the foot part and the other boot was also white with a silver zipper all the way through the middle. Last her deep cerulean blue eyes we covered completely by a silver helmet with white angel wings on each side. "GATOMON DIGIVOLVE TO……ANGEWOMON!" "Gatomon?" Kari gasped in wonder. Everyone even Myotismon stood frozen when they saw Gatomon's ultimate form. Wizardmon stared in amazement, and could not take his emerald eyes off the new image of his friend. Once the adorable white cat he was used to; she was now a beautiful angel of light and there was a rainbow glow that surrounded her form, the glow of heaven. "Gatomon!" He finally exclaimed in awe. "You…digivolved!" Myotismon narrowed his steel eyes in fury. "She is pretty, no doubt," The vampire replied coldly, "But she won't defeat me!" "Myotismon!" Said the angel woman all though her eyes were covered you still knew that they were fixed on the vampire. "You tried to destroy me and the eighth child! You enslaved me and tortured me with your cruelty but it wasn't just me you oppressed, You've hurt Wizardmon and those who've been loyal to you as well!" She snapped at him her tone was harsh. "How could you be so cruel?" The vampire grinned evilly at her, but inside he felt a twinge of fear for his defeat. "Don't play such coy with me, Gatomon!" he shouted coldly. "Why should I have regrets for the things I've done? I have a destiny to conquer both worlds, and neither you nor anyone else can stop me!" He spread his cape and arms again. "GRISLY WINGS!" He cried, but before even one black bat could emerge, the angel woman thrust her arms out immediately. "HEAVEN'S CHARM!" Angewomon cried, and she put her hands together in front of her and a golden halo shot out which turned into a white light that encircled the vampire. Myotismon cried in agony, the light was a vanquishing fire that caught onto his whole body and started burning him alive. But in the end he wrapped his black and scarlet cape around himself and the fire disintegrated but his cape and clothing was torn and everyone could see patches of bright red and blistery (some of them bleeding burns) all over his body and face. Even though he had gotten rid of the flames, he was still in so much as if he was still on fire and he screamed and braced himself for a death blow. "You….cat…Btch!" He finally shouted as he looked up at her and then leapt into the air. "CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" He cried out, and several crimson lightning bolts came lashing at the angel woman from every angel. Angewomon screamed as they whipped her from every angel so hard; although she had digivolved, she still had her scars when she was Gatomon and Salamon, but not all of them were reopened and when it ended, she dropped to the ground and took quite a long fall. "Gatomon!" Kari screamed running towards her fallen partner. But the young digidestined stopped short, when the angel woman heard her partner's call and turned to Kari smiling weakly at her. "Don't worry, Kari! I'm fine!" she assured her and she was, although her whippings were hurting her terribly, and she felt somewhat weakened by the blow, she still had the strength to get back up and fight. "Are you ready to surrender to me, now?" Said Myotismon. "Never!" Angewomon cried and a white glittering bow and arrow appeared suddenly in her hands. "CELESTIAL ARROW!" She cried and released the magical arrow from it's bow, it came too fast for the vampire to block it and he screamed as the arrow went right through his heart. The fact it was an angel's arrow and it had heaven's magic on it made it even more painful, he could feel the fire again but this time it was spreading on the inside and was powerless to stop it from growing. Wizardmon, Angewomon and all the other digimon and digidestines watched with triumph. Just then their hopes crashed down when the vampire looked up at them and grinned evilly at them. He grabbed the arrow that was in his chest and pulled the whole thing out with one yank without even wincing or crying out in pain, and they all watched in shock and disgust as the bleeding wound that burned a large hole in his cerulean gold-buttoned suit and half of his skin off, closed up quickly, the skin even turning back to its natural color as if the angel woman had not harmed him at all. "You cannot defeat me!" Myotismon sneered at them. "Pity I have to finish you off so easily and so suddenly!" He then threw his head back in laughter. "Say goodbye!" He cackled. Before anybody could make a move, the vampire began to chant some sort of spell, that even Wizardmon could not understand. When he finished, appearing before them was a dark swirling portal not to the digital world, but to some dark hell dimension. "Now!" Said Myotismon, "hand over Gatomon (or should I say Angewomon) and the eighth child or you will all be sucked into one of the darkest worlds you could not even imagine! This is your last chance, either I take one life or all of your lives!" The kids and the other digimon fell silent, and exchanged worried glances with Kari and the angel woman, now all of their lives were at stake! The vampire finally grew impatient. "So, be it!" He decided. Suddenly everyone felt some invisible force grab them and pulling them towards the portal. The biggest and strongest digimon, Greymon, Garudamon and Zudomon grabbed on to the balcony rail or dug one of their claws into the floor while they tried to hold onto all the kids and the smaller digimon or just the smaller digimon while they held onto their partners, . "Hang on tight everybody!" Sora shouted. "Don't let go!" The youngest kids, T.K. and Kari, and the older blonde girl Mimi (who was a older than them but could be very whinny sometimes) were screaming bloody murder, tears pouring down their cheeks as they clung onto their partners or onto the bigger digimon for dear life. As for Wizardmon, he would've gotten sucked in immediately if Angewomon had not grabbed him but now the angel woman had both Kari, Tai and Wizardmon to hold while Greymon held her. Myotismon who wasn't getting sucked in, although he was standing right close beside it he was standing away from the portal's pulling force, cackled his head off and waved his arms and the portal grew larger making the force stronger. "Zudomon! Please don't let go!" Jo panicked, his partner digimon had one of his arms hooked around the rail and held Angemon who held T.K. in one hand and Kabuterrimon who held in his bug claws Jo and Izzy in the other. "I can't hold on much longer, Jo!" The war beaver digimon shouted. "None of us can! The portal is too strong!" Shouted The fire bird digimon Garudamon who was holding Sora, Mimi, Lilymon, Matt and Garurumon all in one arm. Wizardmon looked at Angewomon (even though she digivolved, he still saw her as Gatomon) who stared right back at him. He could almost see her eyes behind her silver helmet full of fear and welling up with tears from trembling so much, overall, he knew that she was frightened not just for her own life but for Kari's, he could feel her fear in his bones, and she wasn't the only one who was terrified. He looked at Kari who was crying as she clung onto her digimon partner. "Mommy!" She blurted out between sobs. "Where are you mommy? I don't want to die!" "Kari, I'm here!" said Angewomon who tried to comfort her but even she was trembling. The wizard watched as Tai put his arms affectionately around his sister, "Kari!" He spoke gently, but Wizardmon could sense fear in him too, "Kari everything is going to be okay!" The young boy held her close. A tear trickled down the wizard's pale blue cheek, and then he immediately saw himself as Auramon in place of Tai and Dricomon in place of Kari, this young boy was about to lose his own sister just like he had lost his. He then turned away and looked at the others, T.K. and Mimi were also crying out loud not just for their parent's but for their own lives while the rest of the older and braver kids, Tai, Matt, Jo, Izzy and Sora and the other digimon tried to hold in their fear while they tried to comfort their friend. Wizardmon then looked back at Angewomon who was looking at him in fright as if she expected him to save everybody. The wizard was frightened too, they were all going to be destroyed unless somebody could close that portal, but they would still have to destroy Myotismon and he could just open up another! He tried not to tremble in front of the angel woman and brushed back a tear, but then he forgot that she could always notice his deepest feelings no matter how hard he tried to hide them. He already lost a sister and a family that loved very much now he was going to lose his best friend. Just then a thought came to his mind, he shuddered, for it would be a great risk for him, NO it wouldn't be a risk it would be worse than that, but on the other hand, he knew it would be the right decision, and he had to do it, there was no other way. It was a spell he had learned from his father about closing portals, when Azrielmon taught him about magical worlds! As long as Gatomon and the digidestines will be saved, he thought to himself, I shall be happy! "Gatomon!" He spoke up. "What is it Wizardmon!" Angewomon cried out. He feared this choice greatly but wasn't scared enough. "Forgive me , Gatomon!" The wizard's voice was low but she could hear him and just then the angel woman gasped in shock even Tai and Kari looked up and saw the wizard all of sudden struggling to break free. "Wizardmon!" Angewomon screamed. "What are you….What do you think you're doing?" "Let me go! I have to do this!" Wizardmon yelled in response. "Do what?" Cried the angel woman. "Are you crazy?" "Gatomon, there's no time left!" Wizardmon shouted growing angry and impatient. "I must get Myotismon through that portal and then close it!" as long as the vampire didn't move away, he could extend his arm and grab Myotismon by his suit or cape and pull him in. Angewomon began too break sweat as she squeezed her arm around him with all her strength. "No Wizardmon!" She screamed. "I'm not going to lose you!" The wizard could scarcely breathe, the more he struggled, the tighter she held him. "Let go of me, dammit!" He coughed. He did not want to hurt her but there was no other way! The angel woman cried out in pain and Tai and Kari gasped in horror, as the wizard hit her arm with his staff putting all his strength into it the rays on his golden sun scratched her, drawing blood. Angewomon did not let go but she loosened her grip some allowing Wizardmon to break free from her grasp. He stretched his free hand out to the side, he felt as if a chains had bound his arms legs and waist and began to pull him forward towards the portal faster and faster until he could see nothing around him but blurry shapes and colors; he felt as if he had been pulled right out of his own solid body and his spirit was entering the gate of death. He was half relieved when he felt his hand And then his whole arm hit something soft like a body and heard Myotismon gasp as he held him With both hands by the collar dragging the vampire into the portal with him. "WIZARDMON, NO!" He could hear Gatomon screaming in the distance as he muttered under his breath as best he could the incantation. His body could no longer take the great speed and he felt nauseous and his stomach bound itself into knots. Where was he going? Was he already in the dimension? Did the portal close behind him? He could not tell, everything was a blur. Suddenly he was finally stopped when something hard and sharp hit his head knocking the wind and all conciousness out of him. He closed his eyes and fell far down into space.

The portal had closed and faded into nothing, the digidestines were safely to the ground as all of their partner digimon dropped onto the balcony and de-digivolved to their rookie and champion forms. Although they were all exhausted, they were too shocked to lie down catching their breaths. What just happened to Wizardmon and Myotismon; it all happened too fast, all that was left behind was the wizard's golden sun staff lying there before them. Gatomon ran forward, picked up Wizardmon's staff and held it close to her in her arms. She was not crying out loud for the loss of her friend but her cerulean blue eyes were heavily welled with tears that she could barely see. "Wizardmon!" She sniffed, hot tears pouring down her white furry cheeks, she hugged the staff tighter, just then she saw something else lying on the ground, a strange item that Gatomon had never seen before, but it surely must have belonged to the wizard.she dropped the staff and brushed away her tears as she picked up the strange object examining it. It looked like an amulet or a medallion, it was very pretty, a round and flat golden pendant with a sparkling white gem in the center of it and circling the stone were what looked like strang markings of an ancient language etched into the gold and the thing hung on a necklace chain. Kari ran up to her, the young digidestined was crying too as she kneeled beside her partner digimon. "Oh Gatomon!" Kari said gently and put her arm around the white cat's shoulders, she then noticed the item her partner was holding and touched it curiously tracing the symbols. Gatomon did glanced at Kari, her mind was still on her best friend, he saved her, and gave his own life for it! But why did he have to leave her? Gatomon dropped to the ground shaking and held the amulet to her chest while Kari tried to comfort her.

To Be Continued……


	5. The Vision

Note from the Author: I still don't own digimon, or the digidestines, and remember the major changes I made! If not, look at the top of the first chapter!

Part 5

The wizard woke up hours later, he was awoken by thousands of frost needles that constantly poked at him . He felt bitterly cold all over, it stabbed him like a dagger. Quickly, he opened his eyes. He was lying in some arctic area, in a bed of snow on his back. his jumpsuit, and vest were ripped so badly that his naked body could almost be seen beneath the shreds of material, only his cloak and scarf were left to cover him. He slowly sat up and looked around, his golden staff was gone, where was Myotismon? The vampire digimon was gone too, he was alone!

Shivering, he looked around frantically for a shelter. He sighed with relief as he spotted a cave, (a little far it was, but it was there!), still too weak to stand up, he rolled onto his stomach and crawled towards it.

He breathed heavily as he dragged himself across with all his strength. The blizzard grew heavier, blowing everywhere like white smoke, it blurred his sight. He had to get into that shelter quickly before he froze to death. "I will not let myself die here until I've found my enemy!" He muttered to himself.

He finally made it and crawled inside grabbing the damp rocks on the walls to help him move along faster. When he could go no further he slumped down into a small corner against the wall, he could still feel the cold wind from outside but not as much.

The wizard wrapped himself in his cloak shaking severely. He rubbed his frozen fingers, he could no longer feel his hands or feet inside their coverings as if they had been amputated and his skin was raw and sore from the cold,. The shelter did give him some warmth, but he would've felt much better if there was a fire and a heavy blanket wrapped around him, rather than this worn out cloak of his, hopefully the block of ice he had become would melt soon, as long as he rested in here.

He could not control his shivers but relaxed as best he could and closed his swollen eyes. He shuddered slightly as he could hear Gatomon's voice in his head; she was calling for him! He sighed heavily hanging his head. If only he had a chance to say goodbye! If only she would understand why he did it….but it was too late! What if he never saw her again? Tears stung his eyes and he squeezed his lids to hold them in. Myotismon opening up a portal to hell? He thought. it did not make any sense! Ultimate digimon could have no more than three attacks, maybe the portal-opening was some special ability Myotismon had that no one else knew about, just like Wizardmon's special abilities were healing, incantations and flying. On the other hand, vampires did not have magical powers, they weren't mystical digimon like wizards, sorcerers or necromancers! It did not make sense at all! Then Clearly, it wasn't Myotismon who opened that portal! Then who was it? And how did he do it and made it look like the vampire opened the portal? He then shivered as a huge wind went through the entrance and whipped him hard. Just then Wizardmon's eyes shot open and saw something glowing faintly. Without getting up, he crawled towards it out of curiosity while trying to keep himself bound in his dark blue cloak. He winced in pain as the raw skin on his knees scraped against the cold stone ground. The light grew bigger and brighter as he drew closer. Finally he gasped in astonishment as he realized the light was coming from an object, not just any object, a tag and crest was lying there on the ground! But he had gotten the tag and crest to Kari and Gatomon! Maybe it flew out of young girl's hands and went through the portal with him and Myotismon…..or maybe there was another digidestined, but how could there be? Wizardmon picked up the tag and crest, and struggled a little because his fingers were so numb, he was shocked to see that it was still glowing brightly, even while he held it in his hand, he tried hard (though with a little trouble) to look through the blinding light to see if it had the marking that symbolized "the crest of light". It was still glowing in his hand, that he finally shook his head and shoved it into one of his pockets and the glow finally faded. If a digimon or a human touched a digivice or a tag and crest, if it glowed, then the human who touched it was a digidestined or the digimon had a human partner. "Surely this cannot mean that I also have a human partner like Gatomon!" He muttered to himself.. "If there really was a ninth digidestined out there and I was her partner, either father would've told me or I would've known long ago!". He wasn't even so sure what his real destiny was; Gatomon had found hers though, and he would always be grateful for that, and the only place and path he knew he had was gone! The only thing he would want now (if never saw Gatomon again) was to find Myotismon and destroy him, then the part of him that had always been full of hatred and anger, would be gone for good! He knew he could not defeat the vampire, not now anyway while he was still a champion. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted, and he lifted his head in alert as he heard something coming from the depths of the tunnel. It was somebody's voice no doubt, it sounded high pitched, almost like a weeping child down there! The wizard gasped, some innocent digimon was trapped down there and crying for someone to rescue him or her. Oh the poor thing! He thought, feeling sympathy for who ever it was down there! "Hang in there!" He called and got up onto his feet and began walking down the tunnel, carefully following the noise. At least he wasn't the only good digimon trapped in this hell hole! It grew darker and very stuffy, the farther he went! he wished he had his staff with him so he could turn it into a burning torch, . Finally when the slightest hint of light disappeared he put his hands in front of him and allowed them to be scraped against the damp walls of the cave. At least the weeping sound would guide him, the noise got louder and clearer the closer he got. He then stopped and listened, the voice had deepened, that it sounded more like a young woman rather than a child! "Don't be afraid!" the wizard assured the voice gently. "I won't hurt you my friend!" Suddenly, he almost stopped breathing out of shock as something, a hand grabbed his neck, it was so cold, almost as cold as outside and it had razor sharp claws that tore holes in his scarf and nicked the flesh on his neck as it squeezed hard with all it's strength. Wizardmon coughed and made gurgling noises, as he felt all the air in his lungs being squeezed out of him, and he could feel something cold and painful as if he had swallowed ice needles spread inside and suck out all the heat in his body. His whole body stiffened and grew heavy, and soon he could no longer feel even the slightest touch of warmth and the only thing he felt now was cold ice! As he began to freeze, he heard a loud cackling in front of him, but the laughing did not sound like Myotismon, it sounded more like a scream then a laugh. His neck was immediately released, he then shuddered deeply in fear and disgust as something thinly stringy and wrapped quickly around his arms and legs and he realized he was being attached to the cave walls. He was too frozen and paralyzed to struggle, the bonds felt wet and stick as it soaked through his clothes and there was a stench in the air that was so foul, that it was useless gasping for air. His eyelids grew heavy as rocks as the cold within his body made him feel very tired. He then went limp as he hung there by his arms, and did not even see a red glowing whip suddenly come forward.

Back in the real world, the digidestines spilt up and went back to their homes. Tai, Augumon, Kari and Gatomon went up to their apartment. "Tai?" Kari asked, she was carrying Gatomon who was still holding Wizardmon's staff and had the strange medallion around her neck the white cat digimon had been simply staring at both the items in silence during the whole journey. "What is it, Kari?" Tai wondered. "Shouldn't we go look for mum and dad?" the young girl asked. Tai put a hand on his sister's shoulder as if to show a sign of comfort. "Our parents and the kids have no doubt been set free after Myotismon was destroyed, they're probably looking for us, so we better stay here!" He advised and with that he pushed open the unlocked door to their apartment and they all gasped except for Gatomon at what they saw. Their own apartment was in ruins as they walked in to examine it all. The tables and chairs were turned over the bunk beds in Tai and Kari's room (the two kids shared a bedroom) had collapsed and both the top bunk and the bottom bunk were lying splat upon each other, all the windows, mirrors, most of the flower vases and other china stuff were cracked or shattered and the entire floor was covered with shards off glass, porcelain, and other garbage. Tai grew furious. "That no good, vampire!" He spat and kicked a framed painting that fell from the wall. Kari was anxious to calm her older brother but Augumon did the work for her and grabbed his partner's arm. "Oh Tai!" groaned the little orange t-rex. "Calm yourself!" The brown haired boy turned to his digimon partner and angered face softened. "You're right, Augumon!" He said quietly. Mean while Kari (since she wanted a bit of privacy at the moment) walked into her mom and dad's bedroom and carefully put her digimon partner down as if she was a some delicate object before closing the door. Gatomon stood up still holding the staff in her paws, despite how weary she was getting by its heaviness, the amulet around her neck was especially weighing her down, and walked over to the bed and without jumping on to it curled up on the carpeted floor in a small but comfortable area where it was cleared and had no junk covering it. "Why did you have to leave me, Wizardmon, why?" She kept murmuring to herself. She couldn't accept the fact that her friend was gone, she couldn't, it just hurt too much to believe it! The young digidestined could no longer stand to see her partner so depressed, Wizardmon's death had hurt her very deeply as well, but it hurt her even more to see Gatomon in such grief. "Gatomon?" the little girl asked gently as she kneeled beside her. The white cat didn't respond she didn't even glance at her human partner. "Gatomon please!" Kari cried fighting back her tears and suddenly, she grabbed the still unmoving Gatomon like a stuffed animal hugging her tightly. Finally the white cat dropped the sun staff, the young girl winced as it dropped on her knees and rolled onto the floor, and looked up at her human partner, her pretty blue cat eyes were no longer welled with tears, but the young digidestined saw much pain in them. "I…I'm sorry, Kari!" Her voice cracked. The young brunette girl held her close and stroked her shiny white fur. "It's alright!" Kari said gently. "I'm so sorry about Wizardmon! I'll miss him too!" Gatomon said nothing and turned away allowing Kari to hold her while she grieved. It made her feel somewhat better to have the comfort, but being held by her human partner was not the same as the time when Wizardmon first took her into his arms nor was the comfort from Kari the same as the affection he gave her when she was deeply wounded. Wizardmon was the first person who had ever been so kind to her, he didn't care if she was one of Myotismon's henchman, he didn't care about the cruel things she had done to other digimon, he saw her for who she really was inside, he saw her good side! When ever Myotismon beat her up, he was always there to heal her, and she never forgot that moment when Myotismon nearly killed her but Wizardmon took her in and nursed her back to health. But even most of all, he gave her hope when she thought she had none, and if it weren't for him she would've never found her true identity. she only wished that she could thank him for all his help and…..tell him her true feelings about him!

Two hours later,

A young girl around eight or nine years old came running across the snowy fields. It was quite a blizzard outside, she only had her long thick red hair to warm her head and ears while she had on a hoodless animal skin cloak, over her brown tattered dress and on her feet were fur boots. It was getting colder by the minute, and she could barely see anything except make out through the slits of her narrowed eyes, more snow and bluish gray mountains ahead of her. She suddenly spotted a small cave nearby and sighed with relief as she bounded towards it and went inside. It was not as warm as the last cave she was in, but it sheltered her enough and she happily sat down in a corner getting as far from the entrance as possible. The redheaded girl relaxed against the wall and rubbed her frozen toes with numbed fingers. Ever since her brother was killed she had lived a lonely life in this strange world, she had no idea how she escaped those terrifying bats and without even getting a scratch on her, it was quite a miracle. A kind monster, named Elecmon took her in and raised her but only for a few years and two dark humanoid digimon came and would've killed her if Elecmon had not sacrificed himself. The girl hardly knew herself, except that she wasn't a digimon like all of the others, she was a human being and belonged in another world. If only she could go back to that world, back to her home and find her real parents. Her cheeks were warmed by tears spilling down her face and she didn't bother brushing them away, but she did push back her dark red hair that had been uncombed for days, almost years and had been constantly getting in her face . "Who are my real parents?" The girl thought aloud. "Do I even have someone who would care for me apart from Elecmon and my brother?" There was only one thing she had that gave her some hint of where she belonged,. The young girl reached into the pocket of her coat and took out the strange gizmo divice. She looked at it, and remembered when she showed this strange device to Elecmon and asked him about it, he told her it was called a "digivice". "That must mean that you are a digidestined!" Elecmon had told her. "What is a digidestined?" She remembered asking Elecmon. "A digidestined is a human being like you!" He had explained to her. "But not just any human, you are one of the legendary warriors and each warrior has a digimon partner to guide them and protect them!" "Can you be my partner?" The young girl asked him and she remembered Elecmon shaking his head laughing at her request. "Oh no, child!" He chuckled. "I wish I could but who your digimon partner is, that is not for you or me to decide, but don't worry, you will find your real partner!" And the young girl could remember asking him, "How will know who my partner is?" and Elecmon answered her. "The digivice will tell you!"

And so far, ever since Elecmon died, she never found her digimon! She knew that this digimon would care for her and take care of her, if she never found her way back to the human world. her soft crying got louder than before and she buried her face in her arms and began to sob in loneliness and despair. She wondered after six years in this world, she would ever get used to her solitude. The answer was never! Her grieving was interrupted as a massive wind swept by and hit her from inside the cave and she immediately got up shivering down to her bones, she put the digivice back in her coat pocket and decided to go deeper down where it was warmer. She hunched over as her stomach ached in weariness and she heard it give a vibrating growl. She usually got her food after Elecmon was killed by collecting berries and nuts and drinking from wells or springs but or by stealing from market places in various towns which was riskier and more dangerous but living off food in the wild was not the healthiest thing for her, whenever she spotted her reflection, she always appeared to be much thinner and scrawnier than the last time she looked at herself. But here it was too cold for vegetation and the next town was probably miles away. The young redhead sighed pushing back her long tangled hair again. It was getting darker further down and rather stuffy that she felt a little smothered. Suddenly she almost jumped when she felt a heavy vibration on her side. She realized it was coming from the digivice, she took it out quickly it warmed the hand she held it in and it glowed a sparkling white. She then turned around and gasped as a long ray of white light grew out of the very center of her digivice like a flower growing quickly out of the ground and pointed in the direction that would lead her right out of the cave.

Wizardmon slowly opened his lime green eyes, bloodshot red they must have been right now. and braced himself as he felt bitterly cold. He found himself lying in a strange dark and freezing room. The walls were brick and mostly covered with ice and snow and the floor beneath him was pure ice. He shivered and tried to wrap his cloak around himself but his numb fingers would not let him. "What's the matter, wizard?" Said a deep female voice behind him that made him jump startled. "Is it too cold for you?" The wizard turned around and narrowed his swollen green eyes at the digimon who had trapped him in here. She was a human digimon like Angemon and Angewomon and around the same height as the angel woman except for her arms which were abnormally long and thin and her hands which were huge with sharp claws. She had pale grayish skin firey red eyes and long straight white hair, and two black bat wings that looked all worn out. She wore a black mask across the top half of her face and a revealing black mini dress and an iron chain was wrapped about her like a shawl. She grinned at him showing rows of canine teeth. "Nice to see you too, Ladydevimon!" Wizardmon replied coolly. He had thought she was dead. He flinched and tried to shrink back as she reached out a clawed hand but she was too quick and lightly touched his face and ran her fingers through his straw colored hair. He shuddered and tried hard not to scream, her hand was ice cold that it froze the skin on his cheek where she was touching him and a bitter chill went through his spine. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and tried to move away from her touch but then she grabbed hold of his blonde ponytail like a leash and he felt a hurtful jerk on his scalp. "Pity!" She sighed trying to sound sweet. "You're not quite as handsome as the vampire! He was so fair and strong, but you," She gave an evil look in her fire eyes, "You are very appealing, but what a weakling you are!" Wizardmon ignored her and once she got close enough, he immediately thrust his hands forward and enclosed them around the devil lady's throat and nearly exhausted himself as he squeezed as hard as his frozen fingers would allow him. Ladydevimon coughed and struggled to break loose, but she was shocked at how strong his grip was around her neck and she fell backwards onto the floor in defeat. Sweat began to pour down his face and he was breathing hard as he pinned her to the ground. "You…calling me weak?" he panted. "….think…again! I…wont let you go until…until you tell me…..where is Myotismon?" The devil lady laughed but it came out in a pathetic gurgle. "How should I know?" Then she gasped as he pushed down harder on her neck. "If you want to live…" He hissed under his breath through clenched teeth. "Alright!" She cried out, her voice cracked as she gasped for breath. "He's in here!" The wizard looked at her in disbelief, "Where in here?" He demanded not daring to take his eyes off her, but he was already growing weary from pinning her down. Ladydevimon choked as she struggled to speak further, "Let me go!" She wheezed. "And I will show you!" Wizardmon gave her a look and still remained holding her, he wasn't so sure he could trust the devil woman, but he needed to find Myotismon and maybe even find this other enemy who opened the portal. With that he let go of her and almost attempted to grab her again as she sprang to her feet. but fortunately, she did not run off or attack him instead he winced in pain as she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to her. "This way!" She said sulking and tapped the ice covered wall with her claws and a doorway appeared before them. They went inside and walked down a long square hallway. Wizardmon's feet began to freeze up inside his tanned brown boots as he walked across the smooth floor stumbled and fell down a couple times as it got slippery like an ice rink but Ladydevimon would gave a hard jerk on his arm forcing him back up. Finally they reached a small room ahead. "He's in there!" She said pointing. Wizardmon poked his head inside, the room was small and square and just like the previous one he was in, but he saw no vampire in there in fact the whole room was empty. Just the devil lady let go of his wrist and gave him a powerful push forward, the wizard fell flat on his stomach and his chest and head banged hard on the ice knocking the wind out of him that he couldn't breathe for ten seconds. Ladydevimon tossed back her long white hair and cackled as she raised her hands and doorway turned into wall. When Wizardmon finally regained his breath it was to late, he was a prisoner now! He banged his fists against the wall where the door was in anger. "You won't keep me in here forever!" He shouted, with that he sank to the floor in defeat.

Meanwhile outside his prison, the vampire digimon suddenly appeared before devil lady just as she turned around. "Did you find Wizardmon yet?" He asked her, and she nodded in response. "I've trapped him right in here!" Said the devil woman pointing at the wall behind her. "Behind this wall is a secret prison!" Myotismon gave her an evil grin, "Good work, Ladydevimon!" He complimented her. "But don't keep him in there too long!" Ladydevimon looked confused. "But boss!" She protested. "Why not just kill him? Is he not a traitor?" the vampire frowned at her. "Of course he is! But he wants me to kill him! Besides, death would be a horrible way to punish him, I want to make him suffer for what he and his people have done to me!" He looked away his face all of a sudden looking grave as he continued. "It's because of them that I suffer so much! I did nothing wrong to them, I belonged with them and…." His voice faltered. The devil lady did not know what to say as she cast her eyes down in sympathy. "Not only that," He just then gave a malicious grin, "Once I get out of here I will find Gatomon and the eight child again. now that he cannot stop me!

Wizardmon had been listening. "NO!" He screamed with outraged and cried out even more as he threw his whole body against the invisible door as if he hoped that would open it. "No!" Wizardmon cried again banging with his fists. Gatomon was going to be destroyed, and Kari and the other digidestines would die with her, he to get out of here! As long as he wasn't going to be killed he could try to find a way out. Put up a hand towards the ice covered walls. "THUNDER BALL!" he cried sending a ball of energy towards the wall, it hit but it dissolved into the ice without even leaving a mark or a dent. If only he had his staff with him, that would make everything much easier. He tried again, "THUNDER BALL!" Still nothing happened. He could waste all of his "Thunder Balls" and not even get a crack in the wall. It was hopeless, and he sank back down to the floor and buried his face in his arms out of despair. What could he do now? Except just wait until that evil womon came back. He thought about his dearest friend Gatomon, he would never forget the day she digivolved to ultimate, that image of her as Angewomon would not only be forever haunting his memories, it was the last time he saw her before he and Myotismon were sucked through the portal. His emerald eyes welled with tears that soon fell down his light blue cheeks as he concentrated on remembering every image when he looked at her, the sound of her voice in both forms when he heard her speak and most of all, every moment the two spent their time together since the first night they met. He did not even know why, but he had such feelings for her that he had never really felt for anyone else except for Dricomon, Azrielmon and his people, but they were long gone. How could Myotismon hate him so much as to do this, most of all how could he hate his people and his family, how much more could he take away from him? What was the vampire talking about anyway? His kind did nothing to him and he killed them all! And what did he mean he belonged with him and his kin? He was a vampire!

Gatomon laid in her little cat bed that Kari had made for her. It was already half past midnight and everyone was asleep but her, she had been awake for the past four hours. Tears blurred her sight and spilled down her white furry cheeks as she reflected her past when she was with Wizardmon over and over again. She could almost see him through tears hovering above her, looking down at her and smiling underneath his dark blue scarf. She lifted up a paw to touch the imaginary face of him and cried even harder. He didn't care if I worked for Myotismon! She thought to herself. He didn't care if I was sometimes mean to him!. "You were always there for me!" She sobbed. "Please come back to me Wizardmon!" Just she heard Kari stirring in bed and gulped to silence her crying. She then sat up and took the medallion that was still around her neck in her green gloved paws and played with it as she rotated the gold piece in her paws and traced the markings around the stone. She had never seen the wizard wearing this before, it was a very pretty amulet though, and she wondered if it bore any special powers! She had not really seen her friend die, the last time she saw him, when they were all about to be sucked into that dark world, he made her let go of him and he grabbed Myotismon and the two of them got sucked in and the portal closed behind them. The whole thing happened too fast…why did it have to happen? Just then her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a hand on her shoulders. She was so startled that she squeaked in fright and then turned around and saw Kari out of bed and kneeling beside her. The young girl looked so red eyed and tired, that Gatomon immediately cast her eyes down apologetically, but then the brown haired girl put a hand under the white cat's chin causing her to look into her partner's deep brown eyes. "Gatomon, are you alright?" Kari asked in a gentle whisper so she didn't wake her brother or Augumon. "You're still thinking of Wizardmon?" Gatomon looked away and said nothing but nodded her head in response. Kari looked away, her friend was in pain and the fact that she could think of nothing to help her except give affection made her feel utterly helpless. She had just found her partner and that she was a digidestined, she was only starting (or trying) to get to know Gatomon better, but instead it felt like she and the Gatomon were being drawn away from each other out of grief, because of Wizardmon's death! Tears formed at the corners of the young girl's eyes, she understood The white cat digimon's grief and should allow her to mourn for the loss of her friend, but what if her digimon partner never looked at her again? Kari looked at the medallion that the white cat digimon was holding. "This must have belonged to him!" She observed. Gatomon nodded, and brushed back her tears as she continued staring at, "I've never seen him wear it though Kari! This and the staff are all I have left of him now!" She whimpered. The young brown haired girl then quickly took Gatomon into her arms and while holding her close gave a deep kiss on her forehead. The white cat digimon smiled and returned the embrace before the two of them broke away. "Please, get some sleep!" Said the young girl and then got up and climbed crawled into her bed. "Goodnight Kari!" whispered Gatomon and she curled up onto her cat bed and shut her eyes.

Kari lay awake in her bed for a few more minutes thinking, she had to think of something that could help her friend! simply comforting her was not enough, but what else could she do? She thought about it over and over even after she closed her eyes.

The hours passed, who knew what time in the day or night it was! Since the conversation between Myotismon and Ladydevimon there was nothing but deep silence as if he had lost conciousness but he hadn't! He had been awake for all these hours, and there was no way he could get to sleep anyway, it was too cold, on the other hand he felt weak and very tired at the same time. Wizardmon sat huddled in a corner, he finally managed to wrap his cloak around him, but he could feel the ice walls and floor as much as the air around him through the thick material of his clothes consuming his body. He shook uncontrollably and his teeth chattered the only part of his body left that was still somewhat warm was his head. His eyes ached to be closed but the swelling in his eyelids made it hurt to even blink. How much longer would he have to sit in this ice box? Myotismon was not going to kill him, on the other hand he was going to make him suffer, he was succeeding, he had to admit it bitterly to himself, now. Just then, he heard the sound of trickling water and lifted his head. The wizard looked around and was surprised to see a rather large puddle of water in another corner across from him. How could there be water in this frozen region? He felt rather parched and could use a drink, slowly got up though he could not stand up all the way and stumbled across the floor. When he got to the puddle, he pulled down his scarf cupped his hands and took a big drink. Just then he stood frozen the minute the water filled his mouth, it was so cold and he flinched as it's icyness gave him a big punch in the chest, but it wasn't just the water's coldness, there was something strange about it that made him rather nervous. It did not feel like water in his mouth, it felt like cold thick syrup and it floated over his tongue, but he then he almost forgot how thirsty he was gulped it down fast. Suddenly he gasped as his head felt heavy and began to spin like mad. He groaned as the whole room, everything around him grew blurry and was physically rocking back and forth, side to side like a ship caught in a hurricane. What had he done? The water he drank must have been poisoned or had something in it that drugged him! He felt dizzy and sick and could no longer take the feeling inside him, that he finally fell flat on the ground and groaned as his head hit the floor a little too hard and his eyes closed as he was swallowed up by darkness.

It was in the late afternoon, but the sun itself was blocked out by the clouds and their grey thickness. The icy rain patted hard and noisily on the ground turning the earth's soil into an unpleasantly thick mud and raising the ponds and rivers. A handsome sorcerer clad in emerald and gold lined robes and another humanlike digimon were running side by side laughing across the plains to the stone house. They were soaked all the way to their skin when they finally got inside into the great halls and puddles were already forming beneath their feet on the cold stone floor, and yet their faces were full of light and joy as if they could not feel the horrible weather that was before them. The female digimon that was with the sorcerer was tall, slender and very beautiful with light skin slightly toned with shades of violet and long raven black hair that fell down to her waist. She was clad in a deep sapphire blue sleeveless dress that was very revealing and fell down an inch below her knees and over it went a strange silver piece that was placed over her breasts and her stomach. She also wore a lovely scarlet cloak lined with gold fabric held together with an eight pointed star shaped silver brooch, elbow length violet gloves with golden sun symbols on them and she carried a long sword in a maghony leather scabbard that was attached to a leather sling so she carried it like a purse and she wore a dark purple mask brought out her eyes which were a deep blue.

The two of them finally stopped looking at each other and walked hand in down the great hall hearing the squashing sounds that their wet feet made. They entered a room through two large and tall wooden doors with a large dragon carved into each one and a silvery white woven carpet covered almost the entire floor in there. The room was dim with only a grand fireplace (there were only bits of glowing embers in there) on the other side of it and a few still-burning torches on the walls for light. As the two of them sat down on the floor, the sorcerer spread out his robed arms and muttered an incantation, increasing the flames in the fireplace and making the whole room brighter and warmer. "Oloriousmon?" the strange humanoid digimon suddenly began, taking his hand, and he winced and immediately squeezed hers when he realized how much colder it was than it's own. "I want to thank you; for saving me out there and taking me into your home!" The young wizard/sorcerer's peach-colored lips broke into a warm smile as he took her frozen hand in both of his. "You know, I haven't even asked what your name is!" He exclaimed. She hesitated suddenly when he asked her that, "Well uh….there are some who call me….Alitheamon!"

"Alitheamon!" The young sorcerer echoed, obviously liking the sound of her name. He then quickly took his hands away and stood up. He formed a symbol with his hands in front of the fireplace and after a brief moment of reciting the spell, the flames died down quickly once again making the room dim and there was an irritating mellow-pitched creek as the brick wall in the back of the fireplace slowly swung open like a door revealing a dark hallway ahead. Aliheamon stood up and took Oloriousmon's outstretched hand as he led her through the secret entrance. Once they made it into the narrow hall the open wall closed behind them and they walked up a spiral staircase until they reached another room. This room was not exactly grand looking except the walls were covered with beautiful woven tapestries not of sorcerers, but of other great warriors that lived thousands of years ago. a soft mattress covered with a woolen blanket was on the floor. "Here!" He kindly offered pointing at the single bed. "You can sleep in my bed!" "Thanks!" Alitheamon exclaimed, but just as she started walking over she stopped suddenly and turned to him. "Are you sure you want to do that?" Oloriousmon grinned at her, "I wouldn't have offered it to you." She smiled back but still looked worried. "But what about you?" "Oh don't worry about me, Alitheamon!" He assured her. "I can find my own place to sleep." And with that he walked up to her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight!" He said gently and left her there in the room. The female stranger nodded as he walked off and closed the door behind him so she would have some privacy. She could not get over it and put her gloved hand on her cheek where he kissed her. Maybe he did not really know who she truly was, but she never thought that a digimon like him would rescue her from those frog like digimon and their leader who attacked her. But why would he do it if all other good digimon despised her? Her teeth suddenly chattered and she braced her now cold and drenched body. She quickly snatched the soft blanket that covered the mattress wrapping it around herself. She never felt so warm and safe, and gave a moan of pleasure as she laid herself down on the bed and shut her eyes, but could not fall asleep completely(despite how tired she was).

It was the next morning when the womon stranger was introduced to the sorcerer's family and people. Alitheamon held tight onto Oloriousmon's hand as he lead her outside where they were all waiting. She saw a large crown of sorcerers, sorceresses, witches and wizards, enchanters and enchantresses, they're silk robes, steel armor and jumpsuits of all colors twinkling in the sunlight and they're fair faces (most of them half covered with either helmets or scarves while others wore masks) turning to her with warm welcomes. But there was something wrong with their sweet smiles and greetings that still made her feel that lurch of nervousness in her stomach. It looked like it was all forced. Oloriousmon immediately sensed her fear and turned to her hoping he would offer some comfort. "I know how you're feeling about this." He whispered to her and she turned to him. "My kind don't welcome any strangers or outsiders these days; but they'll eventually accept you, once they get to know you." Eventually? She thought in her head, but then how did you come to accept me so fast? On the other hand, he did not yet know, where she came from or what her true identity was, but she could not trust him yet to tell him.

Another day passed. Alitheamon had no idea how long she had been sleeping but she could feel the strong sunlight on her face that she turned away from it before opening her eyes. She almost jumped screaming as the door burst open. "Oh I'm sorry!" Oloriousmon exclaimed when he saw how startled she was. "No, that's alright." She said quickly. "What time is it?" "Way after dawn I'll tell you!" He answered and with that handed to her plate with scrambled eggs smothered in some spicy sauce on it. Alitheamon looked at the plate and greedily snatched it. "Thank you!" She whispered and began stuffing her face. She had never tasted anything so good and like a child she sucked the extra sauce off her fingers. She didn't seem to notice that Oloriousmon was watching her eat, until she heard him softly chuckling and looked up from her plate. "What are you laughing at?" She frowned at him. "Sorry, you just look funny sometimes." He grinned. "I cooked these myself by the way!" She raised her eyebrows.. "Really?" She asked surprised. "Well they're very good!" Oloriousmon beamed at her compliment. She smiled back and finished her last few bites, her mouth somewhat burned uncomfortably from the sauce but the food had eased her aching stomach and she was satisfied. "Here, drink this!" the young sorcerer handed to her a mug. She did not recognize the liquid in there, it looked like some sort of dark greenish tea. But the female stranger took it without hesitation, for she trusted him. She slowly pursed her lips to the edge of the mug and began to drain it. The drink was so sweet without any hint of bitterness in it and it had a thick syrupy texture to it. She made sure every drop went down her throat before handing back the emptied mug. The young sorcerer then put the mug down and took her damp gloved hand, warming it with his own. She looked up at him, whenever he touched her she always felt a warm sense of comfort pass over her. "Come with me, Alitheamon." He spoke gently. "I want to show you something!" She stared blankly at him, unsure of what to say. He then pulled her to her feet and they walked over to the large window. Oloriousmon tightened his grip around his white staff and murmured an incantation. The female humanoid digimon had no idea what he was going to do, suddenly she nearly screamed as they suddenly leapt off the window ledge outside into the clear blue sky. "Don't be afraid, I got you!" He assured her calmly. At first she shook in state of shock as she gazed at the grounds and the forests that were now down below her. But then after a while she calmed down and squealed with excitement spreading her arms out letting the wind hit her face and comb her long dark hair. Her own body felt so weightless, no gravity touched her at all not even by a hairsbreadth. "Do you like the flight?" Oloriousmon asked her. "I love it!" Alitheamon exclaimed with such enthusiasm. "Where are we going though?" "You will see; it's a surprise!"

It seemed like they were flying for hours. "There it is!" The young sorcerer finally shouted and he pointed to what looked like a large but long waterfall on a cliff. "You may want to hold onto me." He warned. Alitheamon obeyed and wrapped her arms around him tightly and he temporarily let go of her hand and held her by the waist. "Are you ready?" "Yes!" She nodded. Oloriousmon than pointed his staff at the waterfall itself, his eyes half closed as he began to fly downward. Faster and faster he went, everything around blurred and there was an unpleasant feeling in his stomach as he squeezed his arm around Alithieamon's waist. She squeezed her own arms around him as well and shut her eyes. "Careful, we may get really wet!" He cried out right before they rushed right through the waterfall and she winced as the cold water hit her hard, but only for a brief moment. It felt like they were going through some secret tunnel behind the waterfall as the air around them grew damp and stuffy. "Alright! You can open your eyes!" He exclaimed as they finally stopped. Alitheamon slowly opened them and gasped deeply at what she saw before her. They were sitting right behind another waterfall but a much narrower one so they they could see most of outside even through the thin greenish waters. Rocky mountains that were capped with fluffy snow and were toned with all kinds of blues and violets surrounded the entire area, and below were the greenest forests she had ever seen n her life, and a colorful rainbow cut through the entire sky to mark its beauty. Oloriousmon encircled his arm around her. "Isn't it beautiful?" He exclaimed. "When I was a boy in my rookie stage, me and my friends would go there and do activities; it became like our secret hideout, nobody but us knew about it!" Alitheamon turned to him. "What about other digimon?" She asked curiously. The young sorcerer shook his head. "Nope, strange but true!" The two then looked into each other's eyes, emerald green and pale blue, feeling drawn to one another more than they had been drawn to any other digimon in their lives. Slowly they leaned towards each other that feeling inside them growing stronger until their lips lightly met and then the two of them kissed long and deeply.

Eventually they broke away but the young sorcerer still had his arm around her. "So tell me about yourself!" He offered. "You already know a lot about me." Alitheamon nodded with a half smile, "Well…" She began and then hesitating, stopped, it seemed like she was afraid to tell him. Looking into her thoughts would not be the right thing to do, but he wondered why she was so afraid to tell him. She finally spoke up, "Do you mind if I not tell you? Well…not yet that is!" Oloriousmon nodded, part of him felt that he should force her to tell him or at least read her thoughts, but he knew it was wrong to feel any signs of suspicion, after all he trusted her as a person. "Don't say anything, then." He told her. She smiled and then their lips met again.

It was late at night when they returned. The sky was almost pitch black and the only light left was all it's shining stars and the half moon. Instead of going through the bedroom window they landed right outside in the meadow. A young champion digimon about two thirds the size of Oloriousmon and Alitheamon was standing before. "Hey brother!" The young sorcerer exclaimed. "Hey Oloriousmon!" The champion digimon called back and ran up to them "Hey Alitheamon!". He was a sorcerer but a small and less powerful one with pure white hair bound back in a ponytail and he wore a silvery white long-sleeve jumpsuit with a cloak over it and a white pointed hat. His skin was a pale blue and his staff was a long wooden pole with a white sparkling hand-carved snowflake on it.. "Would you mind, if I talked to my brother alone for a bit." Alitheamon glanced at Oloriousmon and nodded her head. "Of course, Sorcerymon!" And she walked off allowing the two brothers to have their privacy, though she did not walk off completely and found a great oak tree that looked like it was attached to the stone wall of the castle and she hid behind it, watching the two brothers talk.

"How much longer is this friend of yours going to stay?" Sorcerymon asked; he sounded like he was anxious to get rid of her. "I don't trust her, Oloriousmon, none of us do!" Oloriousmon narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. "I understand what you're saying brother!" He said bitterly, "I know she is not one of us, but that is no reason to be hostile to her! I know she is one of the good digimon; I haven't read her thoughts entirely but I've sensed her feelings and I believe she has know intention to bring harm to us!"

"But doesn't she ever look familiar to you?" The champion sorcerer argued.

"Familiar; what are you talking about?" The older sorcerer nearly retorted.

"I mean…" Sorcerymon tried to explain. "Her features, her black hair and purplish skin, her awkward behavior, most of all her name: Alitheamon! Black or any hint of dark features could mean evil." "I'm shocked at you, little brother!" The older sorcerer gasped. "That's what everyone else has been saying about her, Oloriousmon!" The champion sorcerer protested. Oloriousmon gave a look of disbelief. "Our people would never be blinded by such ridiculous prejudice!" Sorcerymon opened his mouth to argue, but his older brother continued: "She's not an evil digimon, and I know this in my heart!" "I'm sorry!" the champion sorcerer sighed. "I do want to believe that, but if our kin are against her, you would not be able to keep her here much longer!"

It was past midnight, and Oloriousmon slowly walked to his new sleeping place. His heart had just sunk into his dark boots; after hearing from his younger brother who was sometimes even wiser than he was, he dreaded the possibility that Alitheamon would be cast out forever, and if that happened, he would have no power to stop them. Why did he care so much about her anyway? In fact, since the day he rescued her, Alitheamon was the first outsider digimon that he not only welcomed into his home but the first outsider he ever befriended. But why this digimon? He still didn't know her, except as a shy, gentle and beautiful humanoid digimon, she still would not tell him where she came from or who her family was. The fact that she was keeping all that a secret made a part of him as suspicious as the rest of his family and friends. But the other part was as plain as a nose on his face: he was in love with her! He immediately rushed up the spiral staircase and opened the door to his old bedroom. "What's wrong?" He suddenly asked when he saw her sitting on the bed and crying silently. "You don't have to tell me!" She sobbed, brushing away her tears. "I heard you and your brother talk back there! I…I'm sorry, I know I'm not welcome but…" She was silenced immediately as the young sorcerer kneeled beside her and lightly touched her lips. "It's alright, Alitheamon…" He started but she interrupted him, refusing his comfort. "No it's not, Oloriousmon!" She snapped, her tone was cold. "If I told you right now who I really was…. you would exile me like everyone else! But I didn't because I was afraid you would do that!" "I would never do that!" Oloriousmon argued. "Yes you would!" Alitheamon said coldly. He grabbed both her hands , squeezing them. "I know you are good, Alitheamon, I love you…" "STOP IT!" She shouted withdrawing her hands. "Outcast or not, I'll tell you who I am, because….." She sighed and her voice got softer. "Because I love you so much…that it would hurt me not to tell you. I'm a…I'm a….." Why couldn't she say it? She wanted to tell him so badly, but she seemed to choke on the words, and nothing but awkward silence was coming out of her. Finally, after a while of patience, Oloriousmon touched her face running his hand through her raven hair and she looked up at him. "If you are not ready to tell me now," He said gently, "Tell me in the morning." Then their eyes were locked with one another's which made her even more silent, and then he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. She wanted to stop it and tell him now before it was too late, and yet, once she felt his warm mouth upon her own she couldn't break away and threw her arms around him moving in closer.

The door burst open. Oloriousmon and Alitheamon, who had been sleeping together all night jumped up as they were awoken………

"Wizardmon?" Wizardmon thought he heard someone calling his name, but the voice was so distant, he couldn't even tell if there was someone calling him and relaxed again. "Wizardmon!" The voice said again much louder this time. "Wake up, Wizardmon!" The voice sounded so familiar, but could it be who he really thought it was? He slowly opened his eyes and saw a white furry figure with two large cerulean blue eyes welled with tears. "G-Gatomon?" He gasped. "Wizardmon!" Gatomon exclaimed throwing her arms around him and her silver whiskers tickled his face as he felt a deep fuzzy kiss on his left temple. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from him as he sat up and gazed at her. "What are you doing here?" He asked in surprise. "Is it even possible…" The white cat digimon silenced him with a paw on his shoulder. "I shall explain everything later!" She assured him, she was then pointing at something on her and he saw she had his sorcerer amulet around her neck. "You should partly thank this remarkable thing of yours!" She complimented removing the charm pendant from her neck and handing it back to him. "If it weren't for this medallion, Kari and I would not have found our way into this prison!" As Wizardmon took the medallion from her, she motioned to a large dark tunnel that had not been there before! "Kari?" The wizard gasped, "Kari is here too?" Gatomon nodded. "She's got your staff, she's outside! C'mon we must move quickly before the portal closes!" " Portal?" He wondered as he slipped the medallion over his head and slowly stood up with his arm around Gatomon for support as she helped him walk towards the exit.. "Yes!" The white cat digimon nodded. "I told you I'll explain….." Suddenly her last few words began to fade away, and she, yet not moving was all of a sudden getting farther and farther away from him. "Gatomon, come back!" Wizardmon cried out desperately he outstretched hand as if attempting to grab her. Just then another sickening sway passed over him causing his head to throb with pain again, and then everything around him went black again.

Alitheamon sank to the floor inside a small cave in exhaustion and dismay. A young champion digimon who had been traveling with her seated himself down as well both breathing heavily after their long walk. The other digimon looked like a wizard, a very young one. His face and body was humanoid but more childlike features. He had light skin with a slight hint of purple in it and the deepest cerulean blue eyes from his mother, golden hair from his father, fair from both, and he wore a simple scarlet red dress garment with long bell-sleeves patterned with strange gold symbols and he wore a deep navy blue cloak held together with a silver brooch and he wore dark brown gloves and boots, but he carried no staff with him and did not wear a pointed hat. "Mother!" He finally said breaking the long silence. "Are you ever going to answer?" "Answer what?" Alitheamon groaned out of tiredness, which made the young wizard shy away a bit but he continued. "Why don't we have a home like most other digimon? Why do we have to keep living like this?" He sighed angrily and turned his head away from her. "I'm tired of moving from place to place, making a new home from scratch. And when we do settle down somewhere, the next day, we're on the road." "Oh Mystiamon!" The half vampire lady sighed and put her arms around her son, but he rudely slipped away from her embrace. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened mother?" He snapped coldly. His mother sighed again, this time more heavily. "Mystiamon," She slowly began. "I am the wife….you are also the son of a sorcerer!" "What?" Mystiamon asked. The vampire lady explained to him. "Your father is a sorcerer and his name is Oloriousmon. He….he was a good digimon, he….he rescued me from certain death and took me into his home after I ran away from my real home where I was merely imprisoned and treated with cruelty all my life. Oloriousmon and I loved each other so much, even when his own family rejected me, he still treated me with kindness." Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she quickly brushed them away with a gloved hand and continued. "But I didn't tell him until the end when his people exiled me that I….that I was a forever virus." "Exiled you?" Mystiamon asked, not understanding what she meant. "His family no longer wanted me here, I'm sure he already figured out that I was what I was, but when I did tell him the truth……" Alitheamon buried her face in her hands sobbing, the young wizards own eyes began to well up with tears as he put a hand on his mother's shoulder as a sign of comfort. "You were cast out and he let them?" He asked his tone sounding shocked. She nodded her head. "Yes, my boy, but I don't blame him for doing so!" Alitheamon sniffed. "Even when I explained to him that I wasn't always a vampire., I was captured by the dark digimon and therefore, as you can plainly see, I was infected." Mystiamon frowned at her and put both his hands on her lap. "But Mother, it wasn't your fault that this happened to you! Besides, can't you change yourself back into an angel?" The vampire lady bowed her head, more tears fell down her cheeks. "If only I could, son!" She said softly. "But I can't change back; that's why digimon like me are called forever viruses." The young wizard blinked hard to fight back his own tears, his desire to help her, his fear for her and for himself made his whole body ache. He wanted to curse the good digi-gods for the fate he and his mother were born with. "It isn't fair!" He protested. "How could you not blame father for turning you away like that?" The vampire lady shook her head. "I don't know why. Maybe because I still love him even after what he did." She put an arm around his shoulders and he leaned against her breast. "Does that mean that I'm a forever virus too?" He asked. Alitheamon shook her head. "I don't know about forever, Mystiamon, but the virus is no doubt in your blood!" "But how can we be viruses then if we're not evil?" Alitheamon opened her mouth to explain but then hesitated "I…I don't know!" was her answer but it didn't sound all too convincing. Mystiamon clung onto her like a small digi-child. A cold chill ran down his spine and he could not suppress a slight shiver. There was obviously something else that she wasn't going to tell him. A hidden truth about their fate. "Are we gonna have to keep running for the rest of our lives?" Alitheamon chuckled at his question, but the laugh sounded forced. "You ask to many questions, my boy, now get some sleep!" But Just then the two of them looked up as something entered the cave. They gasped in horror a strange darkness fell over them and then the darkness turned into a thousand beast and humanlike digimon shapes. One of the shadows which was a humanlike digimon stepped forward. "Alitheamon?" He gasped, his voice sound breathless and cold. "I knew I would find you again! You really think you can escape your fate, vampire? Look at how those digimon cast you out because of who you are, even your "true love" told you to go, and you've been wandering alone for the past ten years!" "I'll say it was a lot better than being your slave, Ancientdaemon!" The vampire lady said bitterly. The dark demon ignored her insult as his unseen eyes turned towards The young wizard who clung to his mother trembling. "Oh you pour thing!" Ancientdaemon mocked, suddenly Mystiamon could scarcely breathe and found himself coughing and gagging as the dark demon clicked his fingers and a dull silvery ring appeared around the young wizard's neck. "And who might this little companion of yours be? Your son, I believe!" "Leave him alone," Alitheamon cried out, "Or I'll have your blood to nourish me!" The dark demon laughed as if she had just made a joke bearing rows of discolored teeth. "Do I have your word then that you will come back with me?" He asked. She glanced at Mystiamon and shuddered as she saw the ring getting smaller and tighter; soon it would snap his neck. "Yes, you have it!" She said quickly, Ancientdaemon then clicked his fingers and the ring disappeared. The vampire lady grabbed her son, holding him protectively as he clutched his throat wheezing. "Now get up!" The dark demon demanded. Alitheamon sprang to her feet instantly and then helped her son up; but she did not let go of his hand. "NIGHTMARE DEMON!" She suddenly screamed spreading her scarlet cape. Mystiamon gasped both in terror and in awe, at what he saw. Her skin and even her night black hair lit up and glowed a shade ten times lighter than their natural colors, her eyes grew wider and rounder and changed from deep blue to a firey red and her fangs grew longer and even sharper than before until they looked like the teeth of a saber toothed tiger. Her dress, her sword, her gloves and boots and even her mask dissolved into nothing leaving her completely naked in front of all of them and her cape transformed into six enormous bat wings. "No, I will never serve you!" She cried. The dark demon laughed again. "Foolish girl! What are you going to do? Destroy us? We are neither living nor dead, you cannot defeat us!" Alitheamon narrowed her eyes at them and gave savage like growl. "Maybe I am. You are right, I cannot escape my fate, but my son is not bound to it; I will not let you hurt him the way you've hurt me! You can make me suffer all you want, but not him! I'll give in my own life if I have to for his sake!" There was stunned silence and then a pair of narrowed hideous yellow eyes appeared before them. "So be it then, Alitheamon!" And suddenly a pair of ugly hands that looked like they were decayed thrust forward. But the vampire lady let go of her son's hand and bolted forward before he had a chance. "SCARLET TEMPEST!" She screamed spreading her arms suddenly the whole cave was darkened to pitch black before the young wizard's eyes as thousands of vampire bats came swarming right out of her bare arms but basically just appearing like puffs of smoke. He could not see them though except for their wide yellow eyes that made him feel all cold inside when he looked into them and he heard their piercing screeches which were quickly drowned out by shrill screams of agony. The The black demon in front though laughed and knocked away all the bats charging towards them so easily, as if they were merely stuffed animals. The Vampire lady narrowed her fire eyes in outrage. "You think that is so funny?" She mocked, her tone murderously calm. "How about another trick then…" "Go on then, little girl!" He mocked back. "See if you can waist every breath in you on me!" Alitheamon gave another animal growl, and suddenly, her long fangs began to glow a deep metal silver, and in a way that they looked like two sharp stakes in her mouth. "DRACULA'S BITE!" She Cried out and she bolted towards her enemy so fast that she looked like a flash of white in the dark suddenly the dark demon broke into a hideaous scream as she clung to him like a spider holding onto it's prey and her sharpest fangs sank deeply into the disgusting flesh on his neck as she lapped up his blood, sucking out whatever life he had left.

Mystiamon shook with horror, the sound rung painfully in his ears and yet….part of him was not afraid at all; in fact he could not help but just stare dumbstruck with terror and awe! He knew his mother was a vampire, a "dangerous bloodthirsty creature", but because of her gentle soul, he had never seen nor could imagine her being so vicious, much less a real killer until now!

"POISON DAGGER!" Shouted a deep and half-muffled voice. Suddenly Alitheamon ceased her bloodsucking as something which felt like a dagger-sharp icicle stab her. The vampire woman extracted her fangs and tossed her head back screaming and gagging, while her throat began to slightly close as it started cutting off her air, as she let go and dropped . her glow faded along with the fire color in her eyes back to deep blue, her fangs shrank to their normal size, her wings fell off and disappeared and her clothes and accessories were back on her before she hit the ground. Alitheamon lay there shaking severely. Sweat was pouring down her light purplish skin, but inside she felt like an ice cube as if a thousand needles had injected into her and were draining all her body heat. "MOTHER!" Mytiamon screamed as he rushed to the fallen vampire. He kneeled down and threw her arms around her

"Hey! Hey wake up!" "I'm already awa-" Wizardmon stopped as his eyes shot open. Standing over him was not Gatomon but a hazel blue-eyed human girl with long deep red hair that hung down over his face like a canopy. He gasped. What was a human doing here? She was very young, alarmingly thin, making her facial features very sharp but pretty. She had poor ratty clothing on and her entire face and body was streaked with dirt, darkening her skin.. The wizard gave a slight moan as he sat up and pulled himself onto his feet. "Who are you?" He asked. She said nothing in response, and pulled her digivice out of her pocket and showed it to him. He raised his eyebrows when he saw it. "How did this thing help you get in?" She slowly pointed to the right and he saw that same dark tunnel he had encountered in his dream! It was the power of her digivice that led her in here. "It…it was glowing!" She explained her voice was shaky. "So I followed it's light!" the wizard stared hard at the digivice as she still held it out. He felt a strange sensation within him and without thinking he walked towards the girl with his hand outstretched as if the device was calling to him, for he did feel somewhat drawn to it. But then he stopped hesitantly and hung his head, for no reason, he felt fearful to touch it. Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. "Are you alright?" The girl asked her eyes full of concern. Suddenly they turned their heads as they heard footsteps on the other side of the locked door. Wizardmon quickly grabbed her hand; she winced as he squeezed it. "Let's go!" He urged and with that, he began to run into the tunnel, dragging the confused girl with him.


	6. Another Side of the Darkness

The vampire had been sitting alone for hours; he had found an isolated room in the ice cave where no one would disturb him! His fang teeth began to chatter and he could feel himself shaking, despite his black and ruby cloak and the cerulean blue suit that he wore for warmth, and yet why did he feel so cold? Vampires couldn't feel anything, no coldness, no warmth no emotions what so ever! The only thing they could ever possibly feel was physical pain when they got attacked! Unusual it was, but that was the way of vampires! But now icy chills were running through his bones and his fingers were stiffening to rock that he could barely flex them! But inside it was worse as he felt a troubled confusion spread through out his body and made his stomach lurch with guilt.

_What did you think you were doing?_ A voice that sounded like his own in the back of his head roared.

_Why did you save that wretched wizard's life? Why have you kept him alive all these years! You finally found the stomach to kill Gatomon, but not to kill him? Is he not your enemy?_

And he had been keeping him alive! Whenever he tortured him, he always sent one of his henchmen afterwards to go and heal him but not all the time! After Wizardmon and Gatomon met, he stopped tending to him after a severe whipping and left him there to die; since then he had truly tried to kill him! As for Gatomon, he hadn't been trying to keep her alive at all, even when he gave her the most severe whippings which occurred many times, more often than with his other henchman, including Wizardmon.

Suddenly he gasped as he heard another voice in his head, it was a high-pitched childlike voice, more calm and gentle that he had never heard before……. or had he? Deep down there was a slight feeling in his gut that he _had_ heard it….a long time ago:

_Isn't it interesting that you could kill so many innocent digimon, but you could not kill that wizard no matter how many times you tried! _The childish voice deepened a little and began scolding at him harshly! _So why did you give up? Why did you let him win, so he could turn you into the monster that you are? How could you_! _Though, is there something about that wizard (not his little "romance" with Gatomon), but something else about him that you deny_...

His own voice suddenly cut in: _Do not listen! You were weak to begin with, but look at yourself now, I cared for you! I saved you from the weak digimon you once were and made you the most powerful digimon in the whole digital world! I crowned you leader in my place when I was dying, and gave you the destiny to save us and conquer the world! I gave you a task that I could no longer complete, and this is how you thank me…by saving this digimon who plans to destroy you?..._

The child's voice cut in quickly. _Are you going to swallow such a lie? He doesn't care for you, in fact, nobody loves you, you have no friends, you are alone, vampire! Alone and lost!_

"ENOUGH!"

Myotismon screamed and savagely grabbed at his ears as if to pull them out of his head! _I don't think so!_ The child's voice continued! the vampire threw his head back screaming as if somebody was beating him with a whip! "I won't disobey you again, master!" He cried out through clenched teeth. "I shall go and destroy, Wizardmon, Gatomon and all who are against us! I swear!" He finally calmed himself down but then gasped as he saw Lady Devimon standing there by the open door way simply wide-eyed and petrified as if her master had gone mad! "What are you looking at?" He snapped at her annoyed hoping that she had not been gawking at him the whole time! The devil woman stepped back a little ways. She was shaking with fear, and Myotismon wondered why she looked so terrified of him! "L-Lord M-Myotismon?" She stuttered. the words came out in a pathetic squeak! She hesitated. "What is it?" The vampire shouted impatiently. Ladydevimon gulped and continued.

"Wizardmon….he's…gone!"

The two of them eventually reached another ice cave and collapsed on the hard floor exhausted.

The young girl fell asleep immediately but Wizardmon lay flat on his back awake and thinking. He thought about that long vision he had some time ago, strangely he could clearly remember every detail of it.

He could not get over what he saw; what happened to that poor womon, but that female digimon was a vampire, a virus, and all viruses were evil, and those were his own people who shunned her!

After all weren't all vampires bad? On the other hand she seemed like a gentle soul who was lonely because digimon judged her from the outside, maybe this virus he saw really did have a heart! And then there was her son, if that girl had not awoken him he probably would have found out what happened to him. When he first saw that young wizard in his vision, there was something about him that striked him. Maybe it was the way he looked: The red clothes he wore, the color of his skin, his blonde hair and blue eyes; why did he look so familiar? Even more, it felt like he knew him, maybe from a long time ago….. Also those dark shadows that were talking to them; was there another kind of evil out there? Another side of the darkness he did not know about? This was all getting complicated, or maybe not making much sense! He finally closed his eyes, too tired to think any more and his breathing decreased.

Wizardmon slowly opened his eyes moaning. It was awfully dark but surprisingly warm and he sensed an ember glow from the corner of his eye. "Ah! You're awake!" Said a high pitched voice.

"Gatomon?" He gasped as he turned his head and saw a small campfire next to him.

"No! Who is Gatomon?"

He then lifted his head and saw the red-headed girl sitting across from him. They were still in the ice cave. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping and gave a soft groan as he sat up and found a small and sturdy boulder behind him to lean against.

He gazed at the young girl somewhat fondly.

"Do you have to make breakfast, child?" He asked, noticing that she was rotating something on a stick over the small fire and for a split second forgetting that there was no day light here.

"It's not even dawn yet!"

The young girl just shrugged "It's always dark here! Or have you forgotten that?" and walked over to him carrying two sticks that had cooked fish on them. "Hungry?" She asked offering him a stick with fish on it. The wizard nodded a silent "thanks" to her and took the stick. The young girl smiled and sat down right next to him munching on her own roasted fish.

"Where did you get this?" He asked.

"I found a frozen lake outside close by, and we have no food!"

Wizardmon looked at his own fish and then at the girl; he felt reminded of the time when he first met Gatomon, the two of them were sitting at a campfire in the middle of the woods!

"What is your name, child?" He asked quietly.

"Chihiro." The young girl answered.

Wizardmon nodded to her in response. He made sure he had his back to her before pulling down his scarf and taking a big bite out of his fish. It was not fully cooked and it had no taste to it except maybe a hint of a smoked flavor, but he had not eaten anything in days and was terribly hungry.

He had a feeling that the girl was watching him with curiosity and suspicion, and who wouldn't wonder why he always hid his face! even when he ate and drank, he kept his mouth covered!

He then turned back to her with his scarf pulled up.

"How did you end up in this place?" he asked, "you look like you must've been here a long time!"

The red headed girl nodded

"When I was very little," she explained, "Me and my older brother were sucked into this strange world. I learned later that it was called "The digital world". We were attacked by a human-looking monster. My brother covered me so I…so those bats would not get me….when he was dying, I ran away leaving him there. He saved my life, but I was alone and miserable without him."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and quickly brushed them away before she continued.

"I was in a forest and wandered from place to place, crying for my family and praying that this had all been a nightmare. It did not take me long to….to find out that it was all real, which made me even more sad. I finally stopped my journey and remained hidden in a cave, because monsters, or should I say "digimon", often came after me. I was already dying of thirst and hunger, anyway, and I had never been so scared to death! Then one day, a small red creature, kinda cute she was, found me and was the first creature who ever showed kindness to me. Her name was Elecmon, and she took me in and raised me at this nursery place. I wondered why she was the only digimon who didn't attack me and I never asked her, four years later, a group of digimon attacked us. Elecmon died! She sacrificed herself to save me and once again, I was all alone! But there was one thing she told me before her death."

She pulled out her digivice and looked at it.

"She told me I was a digi-destined, a human who had a digimon friend as her guide and protector." The wizard listened intently to this, and strangely, the more he listened; it felt as he had seen her before. He was surprised by her story

"You mean you've been here-"

Chihiro nodded, blinking back tears, "All my life!" She smiled at him. "What is your name?".

He swallowed his remaining bite and covered all but his eyes again with the scarf before turning to her.

"Wizardmon!" said the wizard

"But you're not like the other digimon!" She pointed out;

"You and Elecmon!"

Wizardmon's lime green eyes widened as he was taken a back by what she had just said. "What do you mean?" He asked, with a bit of demanding in his tone of voice. Chihiro, feeling that she insulted him hung her head in shame.

"I'm really sorry!" She muttered, "But it was because of digimon that...that I lost my brother and lived alone for most of my life!"

Wizardmon nodded with pity and lightly put a gloved hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"I'm so sorry Chihiro." He said gently.

"True, our world is a harsh and cruel place, but not all digimon are like that!"

She looked up at him as he continued on:

"There are digimon who are good and kind in this world, probably, even though it would be wrong to speak for your kind like that, back in your world, you have humans who are non-digidestines that look upon us with fear, and therefore, we look on you the same way….that's why we would probably attack you or shun you from our homes, after all we are both from different worlds!"

"Digidestines!" Chihiro echoed.

Wizardmon nodded "They are humans with digimon partners!" He explained "I do not know a whole lot about these humans, but they and their digimon are very special creatures who are destined to save both of these worlds from evil! My best friend, Gatomon has a human partner, that's how I know them."

And with that, he reached into one of his pockets, pulling out the tag and crest. Chihiro took it from him and gasped as it glowed in her hand a brilliant white.

"And as a matter of fact,"

he pointed out as the crest continued to shine,

"you _are_ one of them!"

The girl half smiled through her dropped jaw. Eventually the glow faded and she put it in the loose-stitched pocket of her tattered parka along with her digivice. The two looked at each other. She was a very pretty girl to eyes, despite how dirty and ragged she looked at the same time, her long tangled red hair looked like still fire in the ember light that came from the real fire next to them. Finally Wizardmon turned away and the two of them sat in silence.

Wizardmon still couldn't help thinking about his vision. But he certainly couldn't have just seen something by drinking a mere puddle of water. The water had been dripping from the ceiling of the cave he was imprisoned in, maybe there was an old vision pool or something above him. Did that mean he would have to go back if he wanted to find out more?

But how could he go back? Myotismon was probably out there searching for him but he probably had guards back there that would catch, and maybe he would have to take Chihiro with him. But if there was no other way, he would have no choice but to take a risk. He slowly stood up, the icy floor was rather slippery and he didn't have his staff for support.

"Where are you going?" Chihiro asked.

"I need to put the fire out; we should get out of here while we're still awake!" said the wizard as he gathered up some snow that had been blown into the cave from the blizzard and began throwing it on the flames. "Why?" She asked wondering what the hurry was.

"Quick, if we stay here any longer, Myotismon will find us!" Wizardmon urged her demandingly before the embers completely died out.

"But we can't see in the dark!" Chihiro protested. "It's best if we wait till dawn!"

"Chihiro, don't argue with me!" He nearly snapped at her, "And you best not make a fire next time, or else he'll see the smoke!" He could not keep his fear down; he had already put the girl in danger by escaping with her. The vampire would never stop hunting him down! He reached out to grab Chihiro's hand but she quickly withdrew it from him, frowning.

"Thank you!" She snapped. "But I don't need to be dragged by you!"

And with that she scrambled to her feet and the two of them headed out of the ice cave.

It was no longer snowing outside. The snow the blizzard had left sparkled like the stars in the night sky and looked like white sugar in the moonlight. The minute they stepped right out of the ice cave, both of them felt as if they would drown as the several inches of snow buried them up to their necks. At that moment, Wizardmon felt Chihiro grab his hand and was being pulled back into the cave.

"We can't make it!" She cried out.

He nodded.

"You're right!" He agreed.

And if they did make it to another cave, they would leave a trail for the vampire to follow, a trail that he wouldn't be able to clear. The two of them climbed back in, Wizardmon let Chihiro get back in first and helped her climb on to his shoulders for support.

"What are we going to do!" The wizard sighed with frustration, as he and the girl sat down panting a little. Just then the young red-head pushed back her heavy tangled hair and turned her head, not towards the exit but in the opposite direction, Wizardmon looked the same way too.

"There is another way out of here!" She pointed out.

"But it's long and it's on the other side of the mountain!" .

The way looked long, dark, and ice caves were not the least bit safe. On the other hand what choice did they have? The wizard and the young girl looked at each other. They could almost read one another's thoughts; they were exactly the same:

"Let's go further down!"

The wizard stood up first and held out his hand. The young girl took it and he pulled her up before they started walking into the depths of the ice cave.

The walls were closing in the deeper they went, making the path narrower but the ceiling which was covered with crystals and icicles that looked as sharp as daggers at the ends was rising above them! But it was not so cold (except when you fell down on the ice floor or were brushing against a wall), in fact the narrow tunnel made the temperature surprisingly rise to a warmer climate, but it was dark, the further they got away from the exit that they could hardly see what was in front of them. Neither of them had spoken a word, for even the slightest bit of noise could lead to a cave-in. Suddenly Wizardmon jumped as he heard a shrill scream right next to him. "Chihiro, be quiet!" He hissed under his breath and he since he couldn't see her, he thrust his hands forward and then from side to side in panic attempting to grab her and cover her mouth until finally his hand touched a scrawny human arm on his left side and gasped as he realized she was about to fall into something. He tried to grab her but the feel of her arm disappeared too quickly into air and the screaming gradually got less and less shrill until it ceased, like a fade-out.

"Chihiro!" Wizardmon cried and madly waved his arms all over the place as if hoping he would feel her body. Suddenly he found himself being forced to bend over and he thrust his arms sideways for balance as the ground shook violently beneath his feet. He could hear the sound icicles breaking and flinched as one of them crashed onto the ice floor a hair's breath away from him. The floor was cracking like thin ice and without realizing it he stumbled forward and felt as if he had toppled right off the edge of a cliff.

It was bright and early the next day there was a knock at the door of the Kamiya's apartment. "Do you think that's mum and dad?" Kari asked who was already awake and dressed. Tai, who just got up, answered her by rushing to the door with excitement, but when he opened it he rather rudely gave a moan of disappointment as he saw his friend, Matt, T.K, their digimon and their father standing at the doorway. "Hey Matt! Hey T.K!" Said Tai unenthusiastically.

"Hey Tai!" replied the older blonde boy.

"T.K! Matt!" Kari exclaimed when she saw them.

Gatomon stumbled out of the bedroom to see what was going on but first she stopped at the doorway and stretched her whole body across the carpet, yawning deeply.

"I was going to call you, man!" Matt explained "But I'm afraid Myotismon and his henchmen have even destroyed most of the phone lines!"

"What were you going to tell me?" Tai asked.

"Your parents have not been freed! Neither have the children who were captured! " T.K, and Matt's father explained further.

"The city is nearly empty and destroyed, and there are still hundreds of that..that evil digimon's henchmen about!"

Tai and his little sister gasped.

"Have you guys found our mum and dad?" Kari asked, her voice sounding anxious. "Do you know if they're still alive?"

Matt's digimon, Gabumon, the rookie form of Garurumon shook his head but sympathetically. "I'm afraid not, Kari!"

"Come on!" Matt beckoned them. "We have to go find the rest of our group before we start searching!" And with that they all started heading out the door. Tai stopped for a brief moment to put his shoes on, but Kari and Gatomon stayed behind.

"C'mon Sis!" Tai demanded, "We've got to go!"

Kari shook her head sighing and then turned to Gatomon was sitting at the door with her head bowed low.

"Go on, Kari!" Gatomon muttered clearly to her partner, her eyes were still fixed on the floor.

"I'm not going without you, Gatomon!" The young brunette girl said firmly. The white cat digimon looked up into the girl's pretty brown eyes. "Please go!" She ordered. "I want to stay here!"

Kari frowned at her digimon partner.

"It's Wizardmon isn't it!" She sighed, nodding understandably. Tai frowned at the white cat.

"Gatomon!" he snapped. "This is not a time to grieve for your friend! You are one of us now, you have a duty to save the world!"

"Tai, stop it!" Kari shouted and shot her brother an angry glare. "It's not like you would feel the same way if you lost me!"

The rest of them were silenced by her saying. Tai sighed and looked down at the floor feeling somewhat ashamed. He knew he would've felt the same way if he lost his younger sister, after all, he had almost lost Kari when Myotismon captured her and Gatomon and then _they all_ would've died if Wizardmon had not made that sacrifice! Just then Gatomon lifted her head and looked up at all her now new friends.

"Maybe we could find a way into this place?"

Matt the older blonde shook his head doubtfully. "You heard what Myotismon had said about that place. We're all sorry about your friend, Gatomon, but there is nothing we can do!"

"What if there is!" The white cat digimon protested.

"Oh Gatomon!" Kari tried to comfort her partner.

Tai shook his head. "Even if we could get in, Myotismon would be able to escape back into our world or worse, some other kind of evil that's stronger than him!"

"Hey look!" Matt interrupted. All their heads turned to the older blonde boy, even Gatomon's,

"I almost forgot, we've got to get to Izzie's house. He said he wanted to show us something important!"

Augumon the orange t-rex, nodded in response, "Right, lets go!" And with that they all headed out of the apartment. Kari found she had to pick up Gatomon and carry her as the white cat refused to move.

The door to Izzie's apartment was wide open; as they went inside, they found the rest of the digidestines besides Izzie, Jo, Sora, Mimi and their digimon partners all waiting for them in the living room. Matt, Tai, T.K, the young man,. Kari and their partners were all shocked to see how neat and untouched the place was compared to their own which was in ruins.

"So, Izzie," Tai began. "What is it you wanted to show us?"

The redheaded boy nodded at them.

"Gennai needed to talk to us right away!" And with that he rushed over to his computer.

"Kari?" Gatomon asked as they gathered around Izzie's laptop.

"What is it, Gatomon?" The young brunette girl kneeled beside her white cat friend.

"Kari. Last night, when I was sleeping, I saw him, I could feel him nearby!"

Kari did not understand what she was talking about. "Saw what, Gatomon?"

"I saw Wizardmon, Kari!" The white cat digimon explained.

"Is he alright?" The young girl asked. Gatomon cerulean blue eyes gave a far away look all of a sudden as if she was trying to remember what she saw.

"I don't know. He looked awfully sick; he was lying there unconsciously shaking in the middle of an ice cave. I rushed over to him and tried to wake him up….he felt so cold…..when…when he woke up he was happy to see me and I was helping him escape, but before I could get him out of there….I woke up!"

Suddenly Kari almost flinched as Gatomon grasped her arm with her cat claws.

"There, there!" The young girl said gently with her free arm over the white cat's shoulders, "it was only a nightmare you had."

"Oh Kari!" Gatomon frowned at her. "You don't understand! I don't know about you humans, but when digimon have dreams about someone they're close to them, what's happening to them in the dream is happening to them for real!"

Kari nodded "I'm sorry, Gatomon. I didn't know."

"Kari, Gatomon!" Tai interrupted them, "Come look!" Kari stood up and Gatomon leapt on the desk to watch. The white cat digimon gasped as she saw a strange looking man appear in the middle of a violet screen. He was human, a very elder one, short, hunched over, with long tangled white hair tied back in a ponytail, very crinkled skin and he was clad in a dark blue and deep violet kimono robe. She could hardly see his eyes as they were sunken in by all the wrinkled flesh (he was very skinny though), and shaded by those thick bushy eyebrows.

"Greetings, digidestines!" He smiled at them, he had a pleasant young voice. "Good work! I see you have finally found the eighth child!"

"Yes we have, Gennai." Izzie answered, all of them feeling honored.

"So what is it you wanted to tell us?" Tai asked. The elder's smile faded at his question.

"I'm afraid Myotismon's reign over both worlds has not ended yet."

"But we already got rid of Myotismon." Exclaimed Jo. "He disappeared through that portal that was made to destroy us all!"

Sora nodded. "So wouldn't our parents and those other kids have been set free already?"

Gennai shook his head. "Yes, I know what happened. But he will find away out before you have a chance to stop him. But he'll have to get through the digital world first before he makes his way back into the human world!" The kids and their partners looked at each other uneasily and then turned back to the elder human in the screen.

"Do you know of this other dimension that Myotismon and Wizardmon have disappeared to?" The redheaded boy asked.

Gennai sadly shook his head again. "I'm afraid not, Izzie. What I do know is that it's not a different world, it's a dark side of the digital world that could only be found through magical portals! Some call it the dark ocean, and believe it's a place where the virus's go after death." He coughed a little and they saw that the screen was growing fuzzy as he continued. "There isn't much time left kids! You all must leave you friends and family and go back to the digital world at once,"

"But our family….." Kari almost protested but Gennai quickly interrupted her. "Oh and one more thing….oh no I'm out of quarters, I need to go!" "Wait!" Cried Gatomon but the man had disappeared and the screen went black at that moment.

The kids looked at eachother. T.K. and Matt's father gave them all a nod of understanding. "You kids must go now, for the sake of the world."

T.K. eyes welled with tears. "I love you Daddy!" The young blonde boy sniffed as he ran up, clinging to his father with all his strength.

The young man embraced his youngest son back and looked up at his older son and smiled. "Take good care of yourselves." He assured them as T.K finally let go and walked back to the group. Matt smiled back at his father and then all the kids took out their digivices and held them out so they all touched each other.

"Lets go and save both worlds!" Tai shouted.

Wizardmon slowly stirred into conciousness. He had hit his head and groaned in pain as he rubbed the exact spot that smacked against that icy wall. It throbbed and stung too painfully that he quickly took his hand away and looked at the light colored blood on his gloved fingers.

He felt dizzy and tried to put his eyes back into focus. He was grateful that he hadn't been killed but he must've had a concussion or something from the fall. The wizard tried to move but was weighed down by several rocks and icicles as if the lower half of his body was completely smashed.

"Chihiro!" He gasped aloud, where was she? He looked around but could not even catch any sign of her.

"Chihiro!" He called out and frantically began tossing the rocks aside that covered him.

"Chihiro, where are you?" He heard nothing. Oh god! He panicked in his head. The worst it could be that the rocked had smashed her whole body and killed her. Suddenly he heard an irritating crack of a bone as he tried to move a heavy chunk of ice aside and gave a cry of agony as he felt sharp pain in the left side of his ribcage and fell down on his back grunting. He must of badly bruised them, of worse they were broken! Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm, he was so startled and almost cried out again until he felt a hand clamp over his covered mouth. But when he saw that the hands were human, he gave a shudder of relief.

"It's only me." He heard the young girl's voice behind him and turned around. "I'm so glad you're alive!" She exclaimed and looked like she was about to cry. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Look at you!" Wizardmon exclaimed when he saw what happened to her. She had a large but shallow gash on her left temple a couple minor bruises across her arms but worse, he that her right leg was bleeding badly and twisted in an odd angle.

"Your leg..it's…!" He gasped.

"I know." She murmured and started digging him out. When he was finally free, he examined himself and found that nothing was broken except for half of his ribs and his left leg was sprained. Chihiro looked at the broken ribs and inhaled sharply.

"Ow, that looks painful." She observed.

"Here!" The wizard offered kindly as he reached out to examine her bad leg. "Let me loo…OW!" once he gently grabbed hold of it, the pain in his ribcage increased like mad but he tried to hold in another cry as he looked at it. The girl gave a soft groan and looked away.

"I'm sorry, but does this hurt?"

"OW!" She screamed, he heard something crack and slowly put her leg back down.

"It's broken." Wizardmon sighed and gave a soft moan as he put his hands behind his neck and unfastened his dark blue cloak. "Here!" he grunted, he tried hard to ignore the pain in his ribs as he wrapped his cloak around the girl's bleeding leg like a bandage. "I'll…OW….get a splint for it later!" he then clutched the side where his ribs were broken but Chihiro grabbed his free arm before he tried to pull himself up.

"Wizardmon, are you sure you're alright?"

He shuddered as he gazed into her worried blue eyes for a brief moment. Even though he could move, his whole body felt battered and crushed; the last time he ever felt this kind of pain was years ago when he was his rookie, Auramon, his village was being attacked and a tree fell on him and his wing broke.

"I'll be fine!" He assured her. "We can't stay here!" He grabbed her arm while she still clung to his. "Put your arm around me!"

The redheaded girl did as she was told and held on as tightly as he could as he pulled her and himself to their feet. Wizardmon kept his free arm around her waist as he helped her walk. It was hard not to fall back down again as they were walking on unsteady ice chunks and boulders. There seemed to be no way out. The only possible exit they spotted was a small opening in the piles of ice rocks that was only big enough for one person to just squeeze through. The wizard and the young girl looked at each other with uneasiness.

"Now what?" Chihiro groaned.

Wizardmon hesitated to answer as he looked at the small exit and then at Chihiro's injured leg.

"Do you think we'll have to try to…squeeze through together?" The young redhead asked as she looked at her leg too and shuddered, uncertain that she'd want to risk hurting it even more.

The wizard sighed heavily.

"I don't think the both of us could get through an opening that small, no matter what! I could squeeze through the exit first and then pull you through…."

Chihiro frowned. "Well…I guess there is no other way!" She grunted icily, more to herself than to him. "C'mon, lets do it!"

Wizardmon hesitated for a moment, she had it worse than he did, and he was ashamed to make it more painful for her. The redheaded girl put her other hand on his shoulder and he looked into her hazel blue eyes. "Wizardmon," she gave him a reassuring smile. "I lived alone here for years, do you think I won't be able to handle something like this?" Although there was a hint of shakiness in her voice, he could see it in her mind that she was being honest. He smiled back behind his scarf.

"Of course!" He still felt very hesitant and uncomfortable about it but immediately started walking towards the small hole, helping the young girl along.

When they finally reached it and were close enough, Chihiro undid her arm around his shoulders as he laid her on the ground as carefully as possible. he groaned softly as he felt another broken rib crack. The wizard then took off his pointed hat and undid his cloak and stuffed the two items as best he could into his red vest jacket before crawling head first into the hole.

As he managed to get both his arms all the way through he grabbed hold of too large roughened boulders on other side, making his grip as strong and stable as possible. He got his head and shoulders inside first before pulling the rest of his body through, using only the strength of his arms. He winced in pain and gave a sharp inhale as some sharp rock underneath him scraped his side, and he could hear a tear in the upper side of his jumpsuit. There seemed to be no exit ahead, or the hole was too dark to see one. He reached out his left hand as far as he could and spread his fingers.

"INCANTATION LIGHT!"

after reciting the spell, a large glowing flame appeared in his left hand. His hand grew unbearably hot and sweated under his glove from the flame but it did not burn or even destroy his left glove. He squinted his emerald green eyes, almost closing them as the blinding light caused them such pain. He then brought his other hand forward and made the symbol "deka" meaning "dim! The flame then shrunk into mere glowing ball, and he could see ahead of him an exit that was big enough for both him and Chihiro to crawl through, but that was all. He then put the small flame out making everything dark again and breathed heavily as he stretched his hands as far as he could in front of him. There he felt it, as his gloved hands grabbed the edges of the opening and grunted as he pulled with all his strength. Slowly the rest of his body moved forward, his arms already ached terribly, he used his legs as best as the narrow space would let him, which helped a bit. Finally he was half way out and managed to pull out the rest of himself which ended in a unpleasant tumble on to a hard brick floor. Wizardmon sat up and could hear the redheaded girl painfully pulling herself through the tunnel and trying not to cry out.

"Here." He offered as he put his left arm through the hole. He flinched as Chihiro grabbed his arm with both hands tightly and whimpered painfully as he tried to pull her through as gently as he could but with little success. He then grabbed her waist as she was halfway out and the young girl could no longer hold in a painful cry as he helped her struggle out and she fell on top of him. Wizardmon pushed her off and looked at bad leg, removing his cloak which was badly stained with blood.

"I'm…sorry about your cape!" Chihiro shuddered when she noticed how dirty it had become. The wizard

Forced a brief smile behind his scarf. "Don't worry about it." He assured her and then gasped when he looked at her leg. It was starting to develop an infection and he spotted the shin bone sticking out of the cut skin. This was not good! If he didn't find some medicine or at least a splint for her leg, she would develop a fever and she would possibly develop the rotting disease, gangrene. The young girl felt around Wizardmon's body which made him uncomfortable and grabbed his red vest as if trying to pull it off whimpering even harder. "It really hurts!" She grunted. The wizard felt for her hands and then covered them with his own. they were even colder than his and he squeezed them tightly to warm them up. "Hang on, Chihiro." He tried to comfort her. I'll think of something. And he then took her hands of his red jacket and stood up. It was too dark to see anything. He could hear the young girl wheezing behind him; he could hardly breath himself and he felt a slight burning in his lungs. He feared they would both suffocate in this dark place. It far much colder here, probably one of the coldest rooms he had been to. He outstretched his left hand again and lit up another flame, but a much stronger one with his "Incantation Light". He gasped in awe at what was around them. It looked like a room in a palace but it was not like any room he had seen before. The place looked between a library and a kitchen and looked like it had been abandoned for centuries. All the books and scrolls were buried under years of dust and cobwebs and looked so fragile, that if he even touched one, it would fall apart into dust. But there were also cracked musty bottles of all sizes filled with potions that Wizardmon did not seem to recognize and wasn't sure if any of them were healing potions, and in the middle was a long wooden table that was broken in half and he spotted two of it's legs broken off and lying there before him. They were a little big but they would. He picked up the two legs and kneeled beside Chihiro. He muttered in incantation and water from his free hand splashed onto both the table legs, cleansing them as best he could. "Hold these two against your leg!" as the girl held both wooden sticks on each side of her leg, the wizard took his cloak and wrapped it around her leg and the two wooden splints as tightly as possible with just one hand while holding the flame in his other. "Thank you!" She smiled at him when he finished. The wizard gave a small nod in reply. "I'm sorry it's the best I can do." She gave him a heavy shrug. It was at least enough for her that he saved her life, she could not remember anyone treating her with kindness except for Elecmon. He then looked around again and found in a far corner an old cracked and burned out torch. He gave a half sigh of relief as he rushed over to it, picked it up, it was as dry as dust in his hand as he muttered a spell and for a brief moment all went pitch black again as the flame in his left hand went out in a flash and then lit up again on the end of the torch.

"What kind of place is this?" Chihiro asked as curious as he was. Wizardmon shook his head as he waved the burning torch around. "I don't know! Some tribe or civilization must've inhabited this dimension generations ago and this place underground was where they lived!" He shined the torch on the books again and hesitated, and yet feeling a temptation to read one of them. Well, what there was no harm. "Talk about a lot of books!" The young girl observed. "What kind of books are there?" The wizard looked at them, wondering the same thing too. He grabbed a random book as gently as he could; to his surprise, the book didn't crumble, or even fall apart the minute he handled it. It was so heavy and thick that he almost dropped it when he walked over and placed it on the half of the table that was still standing. He brushed as much dust and other disgusting dried up substances that stuck to it with a gloved hand to read the label. The words on the cover were partly scratched off that he could not read the book title, so he carefully opened it to the first page. Dust came blowing in his face like a sudden breeze making his eyes squint and blink out any that possibly got in and the paper which was a sickly piss-yellow cracked slightly when turned the page to the ink-written words.

The language it was written in was not his own but he had learned how to speak it, not fluently, but well enough! "What does it say?" The young girl asked. Wizardmon stared hard at the book as he began to read aloud:

"_I always knew, this day would come when we could not survive here much longer. The digi-god Ancientseraphmon and his followers had been outcasted by Azulongmon for their treachery now many of our dearest friends who worshipped him sadly turn against us! Except for the angel race, although they knew that betraying their god would put their lives in grave danger, they also knew what darkness would overcome them if they followed him now , Galadrimon, my friend, the fair arch-leader of the angels, the world will never more be at peace! Evil is coming, all will come to darkness and I fear it! If we must end our lives in bloodshed to save this world then so be it! You and I and or kin shall fight this evil, side by side until….." _

But just as Wizardmon tried to turn the page, he gasped the last pages in the book crumpled into dust and looked like bits of paper in yellow cornmeal on the table. "Was that it?" The young girl asked, wondering why the wizard stopped. "I…guess so!" The wizard answered softly still staring at the last pages of the book that were no more than a pile of dust.

Just then flashbacks from his vision came running through his mind. He remembered the part when those dark digimon killed Alitheamon and took her son away, that mysterious sight of them that he wished he could've seen more clearly. Just then he thought about those very words he read in the book: _The digi-god Ancientseraphmon and his followers had been outcasted by Azulongmon for their treachery._

His gloved hands began to slightly shake with excitement as if he was catching on to something……

"Wizardmon!" Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted as Chihiro suddenly cried out and gave a startled yelp as he turned to her. Suddenly his deep green eyes narrowed when he saw her point at the small entrance they crawled through. "Someone's been watching us!" He gasped, reading the girls thoughts. Myotismon was coming! Quickly, he closed the book and carefully lifted it with on hand while holding the torch in the other and slipped it easily into the bookshelf. He then rushed to the redheaded girl who flung her arms around his neck the minute he bent down to help her up. The two of them looked around frantically for an exit. Wizardmon gave a sigh of frustration, there had to some kind of door! He waved his torch around hoping he would find some unevenness in the bricks of the wall that would hint a door. But there was nothing! "Now what?" Chihiro groaned. The wizard hung his head. "I don't know!" Was all he could answer. He shined the light of the torch on the walls again. Just then he stopped as he saw something carved into the bricks. " Maybe that is the key!" And the two walked closer. It was a short inscription etched deeply into the walls, written in the same language that he read in the book. Some sorcerer and wizard clans did not build doors in their houses , instead they would use spells to magically open up walls or floors to get to the next room. "Can you read what it says?" The redheaded girl asked admiring the delicate symbols carved into the walls . "I believe so!" Said Wizardmon and he slowly read the inscription, translating it into his own tongue:

"_Niyo hithil mest, andalm Ma naik_

( Reveal this gate, in your name)"

Suddenly the two of them flinched as several bricks faded to nothing so fast and so silently, revealing a dark tunnel ahead. Slowly the wizard and the young girl moved forward. Just then they gasped as the entrance closed behind them back into a wall. Everything went black as pitch, the burning torch was the only light they had, but it was no more than a firey ball glowing dimly in the darkness. It was even stuffier, the air around was so thin and moist that they could feel their own clothes grow cold and damp and clinging to their skin as if they had just walked through a river Wizardmon could hear Chihiro softly coughing drowning, and found himself wheezing a bit as their lungs began to burn, aching for oxygen. Just then the two shuddered with relief when they saw an exit none too far ahead.

It was a wooden door, a small stench of rotting wood filled the air when they reached it. Their were broken bolts across it that were covered in chipped blood-colored rust but no sign of a knob. Wizardmon put his free hand on it and gave the old door a firm push and then even harder putting all his strength in his arm and upper body. His whole body began to sweat and he finally had to stop and inhale the small amount of air into his burned lungs before pushing again. Chihiro tried to help by pushing with one hand while still clinging to Wizardmon with the other. Finally it budged but stopped half way as it banged against something. The two of the gasped as there was a brief rumbling sound inside, almost like hearing rocks falling. As the two of them walked in, they were breathing too hard to groan, when they saw a pile of large boulders blocking the exit. When they finally caught their breaths, the two looked at each other. "This can't be a dead end!" The young girl groaned. Wizardmon studied the hundreds of piled rocks. "I don't think it is!" And with that he carefully placed Chihiro down. "What are you doing?" She asked. "Wait here." The wizard answered without looking back as he thrust his arm forward as closed his dark green eyes hoping he would have enough energy to do this. "THUNDER BALL" He cried out. At first nothing came, but just then his outstretched hand began to warm up quickly until a large orange ball of energy emerged from it and he backed away as quickly as he could as his attack hit boulder pile like a bomb and Chihiro screamed as her ears were startled by a deafening explosion. Wizardmon waved madly at the thick dust that blew everywhere like smoke squinting his eyes to mere slits. When it was all over, he sighed as both his and the girl's eyes were greeted by an opening. Without he bent down towards the young girl who put her arms around him and the two started moving through the door way.

When they were on the other side of the wall. Chihiro screamed until Wizardmon clapped his free hand hard over her open mouth but even he could not suppress a gasp in horror. It was some kind of torture chamber, and a very old one. The walls were wet and dripping and covered with dried almost disintegrated skeletons of long deceased digimon chained to the walls and other hanging chains that were empty. In one large corner was some kind of deep pit filled with pitch black ash (it probably used to be a fire pit). Wizardmon looked into the skeletons faces, most of them half gone, shaking as he felt like all his body heat was draining from him, his heart was like a heavy boulder inside of him and leapt into his throat. Although they showed no sign of emotion, as he looked deeper into their dark eye sockets, he could almost see their faces all flesh and blood and alive inside his head. All twisted with fright, he squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to their screams for mercy, it reminded him of when he was still a slave to Myotismon and how the vampire tortured and others who served him! Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted as something squeezed his shoulders almost hurtfully and turned around and looked into Chihiro's fearful gaze. "We….we better go now!" She urged, her voice was shaky and Wizardmon could tell that she was trying to keep on a brave face, but was sadly not succeeding. "You're right!" He answered quietly and then looked around and saw a half open door made completely out of steel across from them at the far end of the chamber. The two of them walked forward and fortunately the opening was large enough for them to slip through easily.

There was long ascending staircase. Wizardmon leaned against the wall, forcing his already weary legs up the spiraling stairs. There was perhaps another room up there at the very top! A room that would probably lead him closer or towards the answers, if they could make it….

To be continued…….


	7. The Vision II

The Vision Pool.

Wizardmon bent over the edge of the pool. The water in the stone-carved tub was crystal clear like the water he drank. He stood there with patience, waiting for something to come up besides his reflection which was all he could see at the moment.

"Nothing is happening!" Chihiro pointed out, she was losing patience quickly, but tried to stay calm. The wizard could not understand why he saw nothing. Did he have to drink the water? Recite some kind of spell? What? Just then, the water began to ripple and the move slowly clockwise. Gradually the movement got faster, erasing the two's reflections, until it was a large whirlpool. The center of the whirlpool which looked like a small dark hole, began to rise and grow larger as it still remained a black color. Just then the black hole which was now no more than a huge flat spot in the middle of the pool; the black and the rest of the water faded to brilliant white or a round light that you would see, if there was a full moon and you were staring at it's reflection in the water. He saw his own reflection again but, then he saw himself in the water grow smaller and covered with white fur.

"Gatomon?" He gasped softly, as he saw the white cat staring back at him, she was covered with bloody wounds that he had seen on her before from Myotismon's whip, her lovely blue eyes were welled with tears; she looked like she was in such despair, and his eyes grew wet and stingy as he felt a deep longing to be with his best friend again.

Was this a flashback of when the two of them were together during the vampire's reign? Suddenly his breath was nearly taken away as the cerulean blue eyes remained the same shape and color (though they turned a little more towards sapphire), but the rest of Gatomon faded into another female digimon who was a pink rookie dragon.

Dricomon! He exclaimed inside his head, as he looked upon his long gone sister with grief and longing and he gasped as he noticed that she was covered in the same bleeding wounds as Gatomon and greivious expression was the same.

Then the image of his sister turned into a male digimon and grew taller and more human, even the eyes changed their shape and turned from sapphire to a cold steel blue and there was Myotismon, but the image of the vampire digimon was not quite clear, it was fuzzy and the wizard saw standing in front of Myotismon was the see through or ghost figure of that young wizard Mystiamon. The vampire digimon's gaze at Wizardmon was cold and fearful, which was not suprising, for Myotismon had always looked down on him with hate. But Mystiamon looked blank and so emotionless, or worse the poor soul was dead!

Mystiamon and Myotismon then disappeared, eyes and all and another familiar digimon stood in their place. It was Azrielmon, but Wizardmon could not tell the excact feeling in him because his eyes were covered by the silver helmet, but the wizard grew frightened as he noticed his father's long whitish blonde hair was tangled and messy and his lovely silken robes were covered with blood and dirt and ripped to shreds. yet the bits of material still hung on his body which was covered with burns and serious gashes and the wizard shuddered at the sight of him coughing and weezing up bloody masses of phlegm, and then the sorcerer faded and next he saw in the water his own village but all the stone houses including his own, was destroyed and in ruins or smothered in flames, and the glowing fire shined on all the faces of his people who lay dead and rotting all over the fields and forest grounds, so emotionless and peaceful though they looked, and their eyes were staring into the sky as if there was some far away dimension that exsisted up there.

Wizardmon shuddered even harder those were his most horrible memories, and felt as if a knife had sprang out of the pool and made a careful incision into his heart.

"Oh, what does this mean!" He finally cried out aloud unable to take it anymore. Chihiro was watching all of this but was more frightened and confused, for she had no idea who these people were, except for Myotismon!

The wizard and the young girl, stood there stone-faced at what they saw. Was that it? Was there no more to be seen? For a long time the two of them just stared into the waters, the visions they saw in there were still carrying on inside their heads.

"What does this all mean?" Chihiro finally asked, breaking the silence. Wizardmon did not know what to say to answer her question.

"I…I…" He then lifted his head and she did the same and their eyes locked with one another for a brief moment.

"We've got to find away back to the human world!" He demanded urgently. "We can't get back!" Chihiro exclaimed hopelessly, "There…there is no back!"

Wizardmon touched her face in a way that forced her to look at him straight in the eye.

"There's no other choice, Chihiro!" there a sign of desperateness in his tone of voice. "We'll have to find a way!"

"How?"

Wizardmon hesitated at her question and took his hands off her. What if she was right? Maybe there was no way they could get back, but it just pained him too much to give up now, he longed too much to leave this wretched dimension! The only one who would know how to get back was Myotismon.

"I've got a plan!" Wizardmon finally announced turning back to the red headed girl.

"What?" She asked though still full of doubt.

"I knew I would find you here, Wizardmon!" Said a voice behind. The two of them nearly jumped and turned around to see Myotismon standing on the other side of the pool.

"You've got to have a better escape plan than that!"

"You!" Chihiro shrieked shooting a glare at the vampire.

Wizardmon gave a shocked glance at her; she knew Myotismon?.

"Who is this?" the vampire eyed the young girl rather hungrily, since he had quite a craving for human blood, "have you made a new friend, now that you've deserted Gatomon?" Wizardmon saw the look in the vampire's steel blue eyes and the turned to the young red headed girl, who quivered and backed away as far as she could.

"Leave her alone, Myotismon!" He cried running in front of Chihiro with his arms out like a shield.

"She is of no use to you!"

"She's a digidestined," Myotismon said coldly, noticing the digivice and the tag and crest she possessed,

"And you say she's of no use?"

"But she's no threat to you!" The wizard retorted.

The vampire grinned evilly, bearing his fangs as he walked towards him and the young girl.

"We'll just see about that!" he sneered. "Bakemon! Ladydevimon!" He called out. "Lock them up!" a herd of ghost digimon and the black devil lady all of a sudden came flying towards the victims; two Bakemon carried shackles. Wizardmon put his arms down, a flush of guilt passed over him as he hung his head in defeat , Chihiro also gave in out of helplessness. Slightly wincing as one of the Bakemon cuffed her wrists together behind her back she turned to Wizardmon, another Bakemon was cuffing his wrists together.

"I'm so sorry to get you into this!" He muttered softly, his eyes still fixed on the ground.

"You cannot blame yourself!" She shook her head at him, as they were carried back to the underground cell.

The vampire watched his henchmen leave with the prisoners. When they were out of sight, he looked over in curiosity at the strange pool. He then looked up and saw the dug out tunnel that Wizardmon and that human must have came through. But the there was something strange about it, he recognized that doorway, and felt as if something grabbed him and pulled forward as he began to walk through it.

The tunnel wasn't very long, it led to something, to a room. Just then the vampire stopped right at the entrance, something cold ran down his skin and he could feel himself slightly shaking.

It was a torturing prison, it looked even worse than the one he had back at his castle .The room was ice cold and the stone bricks it was made out of were covered with ice, fungus and cobwebs, and there was no light except for a single torch that was strangely still burning. But it was more than that, something else that frightened him, but since when did he fear anything? Everything around him felt so……familiar….almost like he had been in this room once, but he couldn't remember; it was so long ago……

He then spotted in the back of the cell, a cracked wooden table with hot pokers and sharp daggers lying on it. Next to it were thousands of iron chains and shackles attached to the wall that badly rusted as if they were covered in blood, and they were; he could smell it and it was far too inedible to his stomach.

Just then he cringed as his eyes remained glued to that wall of chains and he heard a shrill and agonizing scream in his head. The cry reminded him of the way his henchmen screamed when he tortured them. Suddenly for a brief moment, he could feel those chains and shackles being put on his wrists and ankles around his neck; practically his whole body. He gasped and winced in pain as the heaviness of the chains made drop the ground and the shackle cuffs cut into his skin. The scream in his continued and got even louder. Myotismon was unable to move, sweat broke onto the his skin and he felt so cold and naked as if invisible hands in a split second tore off all his clothing, and he could not stop shivering. What was happening to him? He could barely speak and his only breath of life was the air he exhaled as the fear inside squeezed and squeezed nearly stopping his heart. But why did it feel like it all happened before? He could not remember any of this! The scream got even louder until it rang in his ears and felt as if his eardrums would burst any second, but his hands were not free to cover them. "What's happening?" But the words came out in an high-pitched gasp. Just then the screaming in his head turned into his own as he felt a hot searing,stinging pain across his back that was spreading throughout his body. he felt like he was being stabbed and cut open by a thousand daggers, or as if he was on fire; Oh god, make it stop! Were the only words that ran through the vampire's head, he desperately struggled to break free but it only made the pain worse!

Myotismon's steel blue eyes shot open. What just happened? He was lying on the cold stone floor feeling exhausted. He then sat up, the pain was gone except for a slight sting and when he looked down he was fully clothed and the chains and shackles that just bound him were gone, as if nothing happened at all. But when he looked closer, he saw various blood stains that were dark and old all over his deep blue jacket and even on his cloak. An chill ran down his spine and with shaking hands he frantically unbuttoned his jacket and gasped as he saw hundreds of ugly pale yellowish scars and five sets of purplish red puncture marks (not the puncture marks of a vampire though) all across his bare chest and shoulders. He even remember having such scars before, and why did these look so old if his clothes were stained with blood? He wrapped his scarlet and black cape around him and shuddered deeply as his heart, still being squeezed by the fear, leapt into his throat and he shook violently. Even though that sudden moment of torture had stopped he was stung by the painful screaming which still sounded but was now no more than an echo inside. What was wrong with him? He was even acting like his own soldiers when he punished them for disobedience. He stopped shaking as the scream finally died out and he heard another familiar voice inside his head.

"_Weak minded fool_!" The voice bellowed. "_Why didn't you listen to me?" _

"Listen to what…master?" Myotismon asked, his voice was shaky.

"_Don't deny your disobedience, now get out, unless you want to stay traumatized!" _And the vampire suddenly found himself scrambling to his feet and running back through the tunnel without even thinking about what he was doing!

Wizardmon and Chihiro (who were back in the same ice prison) looked at each other shocked. That surly could not have been Myotismon screaming; since when was he afraid of anything even more in pain? And yet, the wizard had heard the vampire digimon cry out like that when Angewomon attacked him! But no one was attacking him and no other digimon would be. "Maybe he was down in that horrible cell we passed through!" Chihiro suggested and she forced a painful chuckle. "Thank goodness we didn't get put in there." Wizardmon looked at her and nodded, feeling a little grateful too. "But I wonder why he didn't though." He said, more to himself then to her. Myotismon was a cruel digimon who always liked to make his prisoners suffer, and this cell they were locked in was just like an empty ice-stone box and nothing compared to the torture prisons he'd been locked in before back at the castle, though the cell he once lived in was an exception! Just then he felt a soft hand on his shoulder and looked up. "What's wrong?" the young girl asked. Wizardmon took her hand off his shoulder and holding it in both of his own. "I've just been thinking…." "About what?" "Well….about what we saw in that pool; before you came and found me, I drink some of that water (I didn't know it was from that strange pool then) and next thing, I had a vision that I think may be similar to the one we both saw. The only thing different, was that It was like someone telling you the story but visually," Chihiro looked at him curiously. "Wizardmon?" The wizard told her as best he could about the vampire digimon, Alitheamon who was taken in by Oloriousmon, a sorcerer. And how the two fell in love and they both bore a digimon child. But Alitheamon did not give birth to their son until after she was casted out because she was a vampire which was considered one of the virus digimon and finally, after Oloriousmon's eyes were "unclouded" by his love for her.

He also told her that the vampire digimon had a vaccine identity before she was infected, how she and her son were hunted down by a strange darkness and what happened to the two of them in the end.

The young redhead gazed at him feeling both stunned and fascinated by the wizard's interesting story. Light tears welled up in her hazel blue eyes. "How sad (what happened to Alitheamon)." She said gravely. "And it wasn't even her fault!" Wizardmon said nothing as he cast his eyes down and his heart sank at the thought of it; it was the first time he had ever felt even the slightest grief and pity for a virus. "What became of her son?" The wizard shook his head at her question. "I don't know what happened to him; you woke me up right after those evil digimon carried him off." "What has it got to do with that other vampire digimon?" She asked, she was referring to Myotismon. "Isn't he the only real evil in this whole digital world?" All the wizard could do was shake his head. "I don't know, Chihiro. I don't have any answers. He his a pure evil digimon no doubt, but there may be also someone else out there, another evil thing that's also behind all this….." He gave frustrated sigh.

Suddenly Wizardmon gasped and the young girl almost screamed as they heard the breaking of bricks and ice. When they turned their heads, they saw Myotismon surrounded by his black bats crashing through the wall into their cell. The mad growls the vampire was making and the rage of fire blazing ever so brightly in his steel blue eyes sent an ice shiver down both their spines. Wizardmon gazed in shock and horror, his whole body felt as cold as the ice around him and he could hear Chihiro screaming as she clung to him with all her strength. Of course Myotismon was always angry, but not _this _angry; the vampire digimon looked like he had gone insane. "I should've killed you when I had the chance!" Myotismon shouted. "Why did I let you live! Traitor, weakling, heartless digimon! You've never meant anything to me and you never will, NOW DIE!" "No!" Chihiro screamed as the he prepared his attack, Wizardmon grabbed the young redheaded girl by the shoulders yanking her off him so hard that she fell backwards. "CHIHIRO, GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. This is it! He thought to himself, shaking. My fate to die has finally been accepted! He thought it as if it were a good thing. This was the end, and there nothing, no one, even he couldn't save himself.

Myotismon did not hesitate nor regretted anything. Why would he? That wizard and his little cat friend were nothing but trouble. Once he destroyed Wizardmon, Gatomon, and the eighth child, it would all be over! He would have his triumph, his revenge! He crossed his wrists together, preparing to spread his cape. "GRISLY……….." What happened? He tried to yell it out again but his hands would not move away so they would grab his cloak. He tried again…..it felt as if invisible chains had come and bound his wrists and arms together. He couldn't move, he felt like a stone in the ground. "GRISLY…" He tried to shout again but then he felt a tight squeeze in his throat and the rest of the words came out in pathetic gurgle. What was wrong with him? He wanted him dead…he wanted all of his enemies dead! He had waited for this moment of vengeance for years!

Myotismon could feel himself shaking inside, that horrid fear again squeezed at his heart making him suffocate again and he began to wheeze. But this time, it wasn't just fear that grabbed at him, something else……he could not identify it for he never had such a feeling, or maybe had not felt it in so long…… neither horrifying nor painful. He gazed down at Wizardmon who was still lying on the ground bracing himself for death. Suddenly The wizard's normal skin color paled rapidly into whitish violet like his own. His wizard's hat and scarf disappeared and his features turned more humanlike but it was a younger version of his own face, his dark cloak and jumpsuit turned into a simple scarlet robe, and his emerald eyes turned a deep blue; they reminded him partly of Gatomon's eyes and partly of his own. And like Wizardmon, this other wizard was also trembling at his feet. That strange feeling was growing stronger and stronger. He knew that wizard, but he wasn't just another digimon he knew long ago, that wizard was……. "NOOOOOOOO!" Myotismon screamed, those were only words that came out of him but his heart was squeezed too tightly for breath and his lips were trembling.

"_what's wrong with you!_ _Don't show him mercy…mercy is for the weak! And you're not a weak digimon!_

The vampire grabbed his ears and bolted faster than ever out of the cell without looking back as if he was fleeing from the two captives! But he was weak! He had always been but since the night he fell into this dimension it had gotten strong. He felt something hot and wet rolling down his cheeks. He had to get out of this place!

Myotismon found another empty chamber to hide in, locked the door behind and leaned against the wall panting hard out of shock and exhaustion. What was happening? He wanted to kill Wizardmon, he wanted him dead! Suddenly he screamed and dropped to the floor as he felt something razor sharp and burning like fire and yet frozen at the same time pierce his flesh so quickly, slowly digging into his stomach . He lay there ever so stunned as that voice in his head spoke again in a bellowing voice. "_How could you fail me like that," _the voice shouted

"_because you are afraid? You're so pathetic, you wretch!"_

"I'm sorry! I tried!" The vampire digimon shouted only to scream in agony as he felt another firey stab.

"_No you didn't!" _It shouted again. _"I should've known that you'd turn on me the same way she did." _

Myotismon gasped at his words. The same way "she" did? Who was this "she" that….He screamed again as his thoughts were stopped by another painful stab.

"_Never mind!" _The voice was suddenly much calmer now.

_There is no one else now but you to help us, Myotismon! _

Myotismon groaned clutching his stomach, still feeling the pain in the place where he was stabbed that he couldn't move without feeling anything at all. "I know, and I will help you!" He promised but his voice was shaking and he felt a sickening twist deep inside after he spoke those words. He could almost see a pair of ugly glowing eyes narrowing to slits at him.

"_I don't fully believe you for a minute! I may be withering a way even after all those years of triumph, but I could still find another….." _

"NO!" The vampire shouted trying not to sound cowardly, but another apart of him; a childish voice was shouting at him: _"Yes, I would rather you killed me!"_

"I've never let you down before!" The vampire digimon protested. "_Alright then! I shall give you one more chance.!"_

Myotismon looked up the pain in stomach was eased.

"What about the wizard?" He asked. "Shouldn't I get rid of him first?" "_Whenever you have the stomach to!" _The voice said bitterly. _"But he will never stop hunting you, and you must destroy him before you leave this place! _

Wizardmon could not get over it as he stared wide-eyed and dumbstruck through the large hole that the vampire had made recently. What just happened…what he saw….it paralyzed him, his lungs were burning and aching for air as if he forgot how to breathe. Of course he was a bit traumatized because his sworn enemy almost killed him…..but it was much more than that….. Wizardmon could not believe what he saw, and yet it was too real deny to himself. I've never seen him like that before. He thought to himself. He had always known Myotismon as a pure evil virus, a heartless digimon who was cold and cruel to innocent digimon, other creatures and even his own henchmen. But then….all of a sudden he was standing there, trembling helplessly like a frightened child and yet when he looked into the vampire's eyes they were not cold and dark as he was used to …..but so….lost and confused, the way Gatomon would often look the more Myotismon tortured her. And then he just turned around and fled, sparing his and the girl's life. It was almost as if Myotismon had…..feelings. No! He protested to himself, that vampire digimon is evil. He's a virus, he can't feel anything….

He jumped and his thoughts were interrupted as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to Chihiro who looked no more stunned than he was.

"Did you see that?" She exclaimed, shuddering.

"You mean the look on his face?" Wizardmon asked. The girl gave him an odd look.

"No! I mean the other thing. The wizard was confused.

"What do you mean "the other things"?"

"How could you not notice?" She snapped at him as if he asked a stupid question.

"Well I didn't!" Wizardmon retorted. Chihiro looked away from him, her hazel blue eyes narrowed and she looked as if she was deeply concentrated on something.

"Maybe I only imagined it," She told him, "but I was fully awake and all and…."

"Tell me then!" The wizard sounded as if he was commanding her. She hesitated and then looked up at him.

"First He had blood stains and then I saw a number of bleeding wounds all over him!"

"Wounds?" It did not make any sense to Wizardmon, on the other hand, he had heard a scream coming from that dungeon earlier but what other digimon around would beat him?

"I wonder what digimon would attack him?" the redheaded girl thought aloud. The wizard looked at her. Suddenly he stopped short excited. That was it! Although he had only discovered his talent for reading minds recently, since back in the human world when he read Gatomon's thoughts, he could find a way to look into Myotismon's thoughts.

At that moment he closed his eyes. "Wizardmon…." But the wizard put a finger to the girls half open mouth silencing her.

Myotismon slowly sat up, leaning back against the ice cold wall, breathing loud and heavily, the air like puffs of smoke whenever it escaped his exhaling lips.

What is wrong with me? He thought. I almost killed him! I've always had the chance to kill him, but that time…..that very moment when I was ready….and I spread my cape and I almost said it………..

WHAT HELD ME BACK?

The vampire gave a sigh of frustration as he buried his face in his hands. It just kept on happening!

Not just with Wizardmon though, Gatomon too! But unlike Wizardmon, he had more nerve to kill her than to destroy him, whether it meant beating her to death or using his "Grisly Wing" attack on her; and he did almost kill her and he did almost kill her and eighth child in the human world.

It was because of those eyes she had; he despised those eyes, whenever he looked into them (especially when she glared coldly at him), he want nothing more than to hurt her and make her suffer. He loathed Wizardmon more than anything, and when he started seeing him with Gatomon it made him the wizard even more. he hated everything about the wizard…..and yet why did he not destroy him when he had the chance? Was there something else inside of him? Something else he…..

Suddenly Myotismon's thoughts were interrupted and he gave another scream in agony as he felt that sharp invisible dagger in his side again but even deeper almost reaching his gut.

"_Enough! Let go of your past life, it means nothing to you! They are your enemies, that 's all that matters now!_

"I'm….sorry….master…." The vampire blurted through clenched fangs trying to hold in any more cries.

_Stop it! Now get out of this place at once!_

Myotismon slumped down exhausted as the pain stopped.

"But…what about Wizardmon?" The vampire breathed heavily.

_Leave him! He'll die here anyway without me to open the portal!_

_Now go, before it gets worse!_

Wizardmon rushed like mad carrying Chihiro in his arms. although he was still overcoming from shock, he had no time to think except to find Myotismon before it was too late! "Wizardmon, what's going on?" Chihiro cried wondering what he was hurrying for. But the wizard would not answer her, his heart pounded like mad in his chest, he was already growing exhausted and panicked as he forced his legs to keep their pace and his mouth hung open as his breathing grew shorter. He could hear Myotismon's voice faintly ahead of him, as he got closer it got clearer. He was reciting the spell! Wizardmon pushed his legs further, if only he had his staff to fly, he would get there much faster! They made it to the room the vampire was in, "Are you crazy?" Chihiro almost screamed. "What do you think you're doing?" Wizardmon suddenly stopped nearly slipping on the icy floor beneath him. The vampire was gone and the portal was almost closed. "NOOOOOOO!" the wizard cried as he threw himself at the disappearing light….

To be continued……


	8. Alitheamon

Alitheamon

Myotismon gazed at the stars that sparkled like diamonds in the night sky, the luminous full moon and its silvery light bathing his frozen body. It was overall the only possible light a vampire or any darker virus could tolerate. But something was not right; inside he kept shuddering, still shaken by what happened to him in the other dimension. Not just shaken though, he could not find the right word for the feeling, but he felt strangely different. For the past twenty and a half years, or for as long as he could remember, he had lived his whole life as the leader of digital world ever since his master became too weak to rule. It was his destiny to defeat the digi-destines and restore power to the digital world, or else his people, the dark gods would die out. The vampire closed his steel blue eyes, the last words that were spoken to him running through his mind:

"_We must not let the humans prevail over our world, they never belonged here, they know too little about us and our world and yet they will try to conquer it. As for the digimon that have betrayed us; sadly we cannot blame them for being deceived by Azulongmon, but now there is know other way, I fear that if the humans come, they will do us greater harm! Myotismon, you're the only who can help us, I need you! We need you! I've been fighting to save my people from dying out and have failed. But don't worry; this heavy burden will not be on your shoulders entirely…_

He was doing the right thing, and yet, why did he always feel a small regret in him when it came to Wizardmon or Gatomon? The vampire groaned as he slowly sat up, he could still feel that chilled pain as he grabbed his side. Why did he feel so uneasy? And yet ever since he captured him, he had felt something important between him and Wizardmon and It had been growing stronger inside of him over time….but was it? what was this dark secret that even he didn't know, that stopped him from killing his enemy?

He spotted a wide but calm river right beside him and leaned forward to look into it. He stared at the murky but clear face of a vampire with the palest bluish skin, light blonde hair that was bound back in a ponytail, naturally purple lips with fangs that almost glittered in the water, a dark reddish mask, and steel blue eyes that gazed into his own. That was his own face. Suddenly he gasped as his skin started to grow darker into an almost lack gray, his blue eyes grew duller and turned yellowish and he shuddered as his face began to shrink and his flesh caved in as if it was disappearing and revealing the skull underneath making him look disfigured……Myotismon thought he would scream, but the horror made him almost choke as it squeezed his heart. He shuddered and could feel the blood in his veins running colder than ice that he could not stop shaking. Finally he cried out in anger as he forced an arm to slap across the surface of the water and his hideous reflection blending with the splashing waves made by his hand until it finally disappeared. He then withdrew his now wet arm and backed away from the river shaking.

Just then, it was almost as if his thoughts had been shut out completely, he could not remember what he was thinking about just a second ago as he stood up and narrowed his ice blue eyes. _ There isn't much time left! The digi-destines are close, you have lost most of your henchmen but you are still not alone. _

The vampire nodded as he started as he pulled himself to his feet. He would find them. He would find his enemies.

Suddenly he stopped short and felt a slight gasp emerge within him as he looked around. Strange, there was no one, but then why did he sense someone else's presence as if he wasn't alone? He could hear the hear the familiar breathing in his ears, feel the shadow, the shape……it wasn't a stranger for one thing……The vampire narrowed his steel blue eyes to slits. "Wizardmon!" He muttered bitterly. He made it through the portal. How was that possible?. He looked up at the sky again and realized that dusk was coming as the stars began to fade out and sky was turning towards it's orange violet colors of a sunrise. Once he found his castle, he would bring back his loyal soldiers and his army would rise again and be whole once more.

But as he started down the path, that feeling of fear was growing stronger as much as his thoughts of Wizardmon, and his recent memories of what he encountered in the dark ocean. It was as if those thoughts, those memories that troubled him and was troubling him still, made him weaker and strangely different. But why that? "Well it does not matter!" He muttered but the words as well as the thoughts seemed forced into his head. "I am not weak, I am the strongest digimon in the world, and I will not let the whole digital world fall into chaos!"

But deep down inside it wasn't sounding like his own words.

Wizardmon slowly opened his deep emerald eyes; he felt something soft underneath him like a feather bed and a warm blanket covering him up to his neck. Something whitish gold and shining swam into view that made his eyes squint in pain as if he had never seen the light of day before. But when his eyesight cleared, the image of an elegant room surrounded him.

The walls were made of white marble stone with designs carved into them that were quite abstract to the wizard but fancy except for one section where there were enormous arch windows across the right side of the wizard with drawn in curtains that were made of silk brocade it's color the palest violet. As Wizardmon lifted his head he looked down at the bed he had slept in, big enough for more than one person, he was more surprised to see that there were no blankets or quilts on this bed, but just thin layers of plain silken sheets, and yet he felt so warm and comfortable underneath them as if they were. He gave a small yawn, and groaned softly as his sore ribs ached like mad again the minute he sat up, but the pain was not so severe as it was earlier. Carefully examining himself; he still had his cloak and scarf on but his red vest and hat were gone and he was stripped from his jumpsuit down to his waist leaving him half naked. Linen bandages were wrapped tightly around his waist and chest and he could feel halfway underneath the wrappings two short metal sticks for splints that were pressed rather unpleasantly against the side of his rib cage that was broken and fractured.

Where was Chihiro? He gasped. Where was he anyway? He put the rest of his jumpsuit on, zipping it up to his neck and moaned as he attempted to get out of the bed. Just then a large door across from him opened, a humanlike digimon stepped inside. She was tall and beautiful with long white hair pale bluish skin, only slightly blue, much lighter than Wizardmon's more like Myotismon's, she had only two enormous feathery wings instead of six with large ears that were pointed like an elf's or a fairy's and a silvery glow surrounded her body. She wore a violet and mauve body suit that revealed most of her skin, a lot like Angewomon's outfit except his one wore a half breastplate of pure silver, cut away at the bottom leaving only her breasts, and shoulders covered. On her stomach was a tattoo of a black dragon that spiraled around her navel and she wore dark elbow-length lapis blue gloves and over her eyes she wore a silver helmet. Wizardmon (knowing it was disrespectful to gawk at a magical being, even though he was one too) bowed his head quickly.

"Greetings, uh…." The angel digimon smiled, "Lithimon is my name, I'm glad that you're awake," Wizardmon would have thanked her and her kind for saving him but his thoughts of Myotismon and his worries about his friend held back any gratitude he would give,

"Tell me, fair one! A human girl was traveling with me, she has…"

"Your human friend is alright!" Lithimon interrupted with reassurance.

"Where is she then?" He asked desperately, "Please take me to her!"

Although the womon's eyes were covered, he could make out the shock and partial anger on her half covered face. "Patience! You will see her," her voice was calm. What was he being so cold for? He could trust the angels, of course they wouldn't have done anything bad to Chihiro, but it was nothing to do with that at all. He had to let go of his fear; it was not helping him in the least, but how? Something bad was coming but he couldn't see what it was! He sighed heavily, casting his eyes down in shame. The angel woman moved closer, and for a moment he though she was going to comfort him but she did not lay a finger on him.

"I have orders to take you to our leader, the archangel digimon, can you walk?"

"Of course!" The wizard nodded, and he tossed back the sheets and stood up as if he was proving it to her. He then spotted his cloak and hat hanging on the post of the bed and snatched the two items.

"Follow me then!" Lithimon ordered and started walking rather fast out the door with Wizardmon following her behind.

The too descended a stone staircase that spiraled about a tall column. There were those huge arch windows again on each side but they had no curtains and as Wizardmon looked outside, he gasped in amazement at the strange and unusual landscape. It wasn't a landscape but clear skies above the color of precious turquoise and white fluffy clouds below. When he was an Auramon, he remembered his father telling him about the angels. They were sometimes called the heaven's race because the digimon in the clan were also sylphs and seraphs, not just angels, like the sorcerer race, they had magical powers, and were one of the wisest immortal digimon, the first born children of the digi-gods, who walked in neither life nor death and yet they could still be destroyed. No other digimon not even their close allies knew where they lived, it was believed by many that when heroic digimon died, the angels would escort their souls to a place; a special realm ruled over by the gods. The wizard kept his lips pursed together as he felt another hot knifing pain in his ribcage, even with the splint and bandages on, the pain was more eased but he could still feel it stabbing at him.

As they neared the end of the staircase, he put his pointed hat on and fastened his cloak around his thin shoulders. It felt so good to be all covered again, and yet in a way, it seemed pointless to hide the whipping scars that covered his whole body, though no one had seen the most hideous ones which were on his face and he hoped that even Gatomon would never see them or his stitched mouth, even he wouldn't dare to pull down the scarf and look at himself in a mirror. I might as well keep my image hidden, he thought.

They finally reached the bottom and walked down a long hallway that was more like a long balcony because of the enormous hollow arch windows surrounding them with swirling designs engraved into the columns. All in all, it seemed as if this entire palace had no thick wall coverings or windows that were covered with plain or colorful glass at all, like the large houses of the sorcerers and sorceresses. The hall balcony had in intersection. There was a small garden of lovely wildflowers, chrysanthemums, rose bushes, asters, white lotuses, violets, and they surrounded a round water fountain in the center of the intersection which was a stone tub with water sprouting like an upside down waterfall out of the pool. But the angel kept walking straight, and the wizard kept following until they reached two large doors that opened instantly revealing a large room surrounded by walls of smooth pure white bricks and slightly smaller arched windows. Statues of ancient warriors and digi-gods carved delicately with so much detail out of the darkest bronze to cream colored ivory were built into the walls and although this place was not in a some kind of forest or on any piece of land, Wizardmon noticed deep green moss and ivy growing out of the bricks. Strangely this room (or the style of it at least) reminded him so much of what the palace in his own home.

He gasped in surprise when he saw Chihiro, standing with a long carved out walking stick to support her, and her broken leg was bandaged in clean linen, but his heart was filled with joy to see her alive and looking all well as he rushed over to her and the two of them grabbed each other's hands and squeezed them hard with excitement. Standing next to her was the most handsome powerful angel digimon Wizardmon had ever laid his eyes on. It was the archangel (leader) Arisamon. Unlike the other angel seraph and sylph digimon who wore armour and skin-tight body suits, he was clad in robes, that came down to the floor like a sorcerer or sorceress of yellowish cream color with sparkling gold specks embedded in the fabric and rich forest green. His long snow- white hair was partly pulled back in a loose but sturdy braid and he had not six but eight enormous feathery wings folded behind him. He wore a helmet but Wizardmon could see his eyes which were a deep violet mauve and the helmet had tall light bronze angel wings on each side, every feather detail carefully carved out and there was a clear but shimmering crystal four pointed star in the center. The wizard slowly gave a bow. "I've never been more pleased to meet the archangel!" His tone was very humble. "Hail, Wizardmon son of the sorcerers!" Arisamon answered rather pleased but his tone had a hint of graveness in it. The wizard raised his brows in astonishment but then the two turned their heads to Chihiro who immediately cut in.

"That's strange!" The young girl was never more curious. "I mean, Elecmon has told me that the blood of both the angels and the sorcerers had grown thin because of a great disaster between your kind and the gods and this is where you go for exile? It's not a bad place I'll admit."

Arisamon nodded at her statement. "Your little friend is partly right but sadly our race may not stand much longer, now that we've heard that Wizardmon is the last of his kind, or last that will ever be known in the digital world, nor is this our realm of exile. A great number of us are scattered and live like wandering rebels or even slaves!"

"But I couldn't be the last!" Wizardmon spoke up in protest. "Surly, Myotismon and his henchmen could not destroyed my entire kin at once, it would take more than even the most powerful digimon's strength too have us killed!" the sudden fact that he was (or could be) the only one shocked him so that there was only a small belief that it was true inside being pushed out by fear and denial.

The angels even with their eyes covered by their helmets seemed to express their grief well on their faces, while Arisamon cast his own eyes away from the wizard's desperate gaze. "You may be right, but we know naught where they are, have you felt their presences at times, do you even feel them now?"

Wizardmon sighed heavily, had he felt that there were any other survivors but he? He closed his eyes shaking, he felt something hard but not hurtful pressed against his head and he almost thought his own brain would erupt and die of stress as he tried to remember if he'd felt anything. He had felt someone, not always though, and it was not someone he would want to feel close to him. For a long time though he had hardly admitted it to himself, he had felt this digimon, mostly in his dreams than when was awake, or in visions. He shuddered as he could still remember those horrible nightmares about that mysterious monster attacking him when he was an Auramon before his family was killed as clear as if he could see them now before his wide waking eyes. But even after that, it was no more than a vague memory he would forget about of a digimon screaming, as it was being tortured or crying out in anguish and despair. But now, it was the first time he ever clearly thought about these insights and for a second, Chihiro, Arisamon, everything around him was gone, vanished into nothing and those screams and mournful cries grew louder more outside to his ears than inside his head. Suddenly the room, the scenery of the palace, the angels and his friend snapped back into his vision and he almost felt like shaking himself, shaking that dreadful thing off of him, and forgetting about it before it drove him mad.

"I do feel something, but not my people!" He almost blurted out as if forcing the words out, and he prayed that the angel was not going to ask him anything about it, for even the thoughts began to sicken him.

Arisamon just gave a nod of understanding as if he heard the wizard's plea. "But I came to see you both not for that!" Chihiro gave a worried glance at the wizard as she asked the archangel "Is it because we were in some kind of….you know….hell dimension?" But she could not keep wondering why her wizard friend would always flash into someone who was remembering something painful and then the next moment look all tired and weak. She then looked back at the angels who gave her a strange but clear frown that read "patience" on them and she sighed as she waited for Arisamon to go on. "Poor child, little you know about our histories and cultures despite what you have learned in your early childhood. " She felt uneasy at the amount of pity in his tone. "But you and Wizardmon have foreseen much in the dark ocean, you have uncovered something didn't you that we know nothing about!

Will you both not tell us of it?"

Wizardmon shook his head, "My, lord, I wouldn't say we've uncovered something…..that is……not yet anyway, or we have and we don't know what it is."

Slowly the wizard with little enthusiasm told them his entire story how he was sucked into the dark ocean, had a vision, and told them the story about the sad relationship between Alitheamon and Oloriousmon and that she had a son and what became of the both of them. He stopped near the end when he saw the angels exchanging strange glances but when he looked upon Arisamon's face, the archangel's old violet eyes were filled with such sorrow as if the very names he mention brought back something….a moment in your life so painful and heartbreaking that you would do anything to stop the agony and shut it out of your memories. Wizardmon glanced at the other angels who looked away in silence and then at the archangel's glowering expression. "You knew her! You knew them didn't you!" he gasped he could feel the impatience and anxiety growing stronger and soon it would all burst out.

"Yes, I knew Alitheamon!" The archangel replied almost coolly. "I knew her even before she became…..Alitheamon, before she was turned against us………..I knew the digimon they destroyed and brought back into an evil creature..

Long ago, your kin and my kin were allies. The digital world was created by the digi-gods, Azulongmon was the leader god, the father of these four guardians. Each digi-god created at least two or three races and govern them (nowadays, we all worship Azulongmon and the last guardians that remain, but back then, we were to serve the ones that created us. )

But then one, his name was AncientSeraphmon the god the my people worshipped betrayed us all and not just him some of the other digi-gods joined his side.

"What reason would they have to go against the whole digital world?" Chihiro asked.

The young girl felt disturbed by the look Arisamon gave her. " I would partly regret it!" The archangel responded rather gravely and there was hesitance in his voice. "But…..only you and your human kind would answer that." The red headed girl did not understand it, what was he talking about? "What do you mean "only I would answer that"?" She snapped in defence as if he had thrown an insult at her. Wizardmon glanced at Chihiro confused as she was. "I don't understand!" He said calmly but his tone was firm. "Are you saying the digi-destines are responsible…."

"Yes and No!" The archangel cut the both of them off and they could sense the impatience in his tone of voice. But the humans have a connetion to our world as they always had, though they are not one of us, they and their digimon were the protectors of our world. But some of the digi-gods found their being-here a threat to the digital world since they were aliens, foreigners, and always will be, they fear that the power of the gods will tempt the humans and one day take over their rule."

"But you betrayed your god, and then fought against him and his followers." The wizard added he suddenly hesitated but the words had already come out. Arisamon raised his barely visible eyebrows in surprise. "How did you know?" He gasped. Wizardmon nearly gasped too, and yet what he said was not just a guess. "First, Chihiro and I were in some ancient abandoned library and I read something in an old textbook about AncientSeraphmon and his followers being exiled for betrayal. " He could hear the very summary of that paragraph repeating in his head. The archangel nodded. He was also the god of your kind, the sorcerers and sorceresses, and together, our people fought in a great battle against the traitor digi-gods and the digimon that followed them. Since that time we turned against them, we still feared and partly regretted our own betrayal……." He was sounding more and more hesitant but kept going. "And we should've known how harshly they could punish us………..

My best friend…." His voice was starting to shake and he sounded as if he could almost burst into tears ".The archangel Galadrimon, our beloved queen was captured and destroyed….. and came back not as a digi-angel…….but as the virus Alitheamon.

But to our surprise, we defeated them along with the help of the gods who were on our side. The leader Azulongmon punished them for their treachery by sending them into permanent exile, and they were no longer digi-gods but were now given the title…..the Dark Masters.

After that…..no one knows what happened, but many say that because Azulongmon made them powerless, they simply died out or just stopped exsisting!

The wizard gave a soft look of pity as he still thought about that vision of Alitheanon. "I'm so sorry!" He whispered, his heart filled with sympathy. The archangel's sorrowful face then faded as he continued, his deep violet eyes widened and he sounded as if shocked by something. "I don't understand why you aren't as surprised as we are but until you told us…..we never knew that she had a son and that she slept with…..Oloriousmon!"

"Who was this…..Oloriousmon?" Wizardmon asked.

"He was a great sorcerer, though we didn't know him very well, his father fought with us in the battle against the dark digi-gods."

"I see." The wizard nodded in interest

Then there was another enemy, those dark mysterious digimon were gods or…maybe they were once gods. But if these gods were destroyed years ago……and even if they were still alive, how he couldn't see them or even hear them (On the other hand digi-gods were only to be seen for real if there was an important message to send or after a digimon died. There were some digimon that could see the all the time though like his father)? The only time he did see them (though it was more like seeing their shadows), they were only images in the visions he had. Most of all, how did Myotismon relate to all of this?

"Arisamon!" Chihiro wondered, "Is it possible that these so called digi-gods still have their power and are planning something that is a threat to the digital world?"

"But why have you not mentioned Myotismon?" Wizardmon asked. "Is he not also a threat to us?"

The archangel shook his head. "Neither of your questions I can answer."

Both the wizard and the young girl looked at Arisamon in surprise.

"What do you mean you cannot answer!" Wizardmon could not keep the cold impatience out of his tone.

Arisamon frowned at him. "I'm sorry, Wizardmon, what I do know is that Myotismon is not one of them, he is not a digi-god."

"Then that would just make him their apprentice…..or their puppet." Said the wizard feeling uneasy, then he sighed and looked at up at the angels. "I must go before sundown, I have to find Gatomon and the digi-destines and warn them."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to Chihiro.

"Let me come with you." She pleaded.

The wizard smiled beneath his scarf. "Of course you'll come." He winked at her.

Arisamon nodded understandably. "I understand, farewell good wizard!"

Wizardmon bowed low that his pointed hat almost touched the stone floor. "farewell, great one and thank you for your hospitality."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Gatomon bent down at the edge of the creek feeling parched. The water was clean but ice cold and it froze her paws the moment she cupped them and dipped them in to take a drink despite the heavy lime green gloves that covered them. She then settled down hugging her knees close to her flat breast gazing at the sky which was starting to show it's first signs of a sunrise. She could almost picture the dark bruise-like circles forming under her deep cerulean blue eyes; it was almost dawn and she had not slept all night and even now she just couldn't sleep. Although she wasn't crying the tears seemed to already be welling in her eyes.

Wizardmon is gone, now move on!

It kept shouting inside her head but the other part of her would say: How can you move on? He was your best friend! Not only that, he's in the dark ocean now, what if he is still alive and needs your help?

Gatomon could still remember that dream when she was in the dark ocean and she saw Wizardmon lying limp in a dark ice cave, he was still alive though, yet his breathing looked irregular. But when she came closer……the white cat digimon could feel her self shaking, and the natural sweat that ran down her white fur turn ice cold……his face; his deep emerald eyes were wide open that he looked crazed and deeply terrorized and the light in them was dulled to fogginess. She had seen such looks from many of Myotismon's henchmen after they were tortured for so many years………before their own hearts became as black as his……

Gatomon hugged her knees tighter shivering, the very thought of it felt like Myotismon's icy touch squeezing her pounding heart until she was choking and gasping for air….

Suddenly she was interrupted as her large cat ears picked up the sound of someone walking towards her. Though a bit startled, she assumed it was only her partner and didn't bother to turn her head as her eyes remained downcast at her feet and the gravel bank.

"I'm alright, Kari!" She murmured reassuringly. "Who?" Said a soft male voice. The white cat digimon jumped up gasping as if someone was just sneaking up ready to slay her while she was still deep in her thoughts about Wizardmon . Her rich blue eyes narrowed and her dagger sharp claws almost glowed in the half moonlight the same way her night-vision cat eyes were shining as she barred them defensively "What do you want?" She hissed. The stranger, who didn't seem to feel threatened at all, laughed softly. "I'm impressed by your stout heart, little one, but if I meant you any harm, your mammal instincts would've told you already!" Gatomon's face softened instantly at the warmth and honesty in his voice but, she did not lower her claws. "But I am only half mammal, stranger." The white cat replied firmly as she still felt uneasy at his presence. "I still could've been stabbed in the back by that firey weapon you carry."

The smile on the stranger's faces slowly faded but his deep amber brown eyes remained gentle and calm despite the frown that his thin lipped mouth made ,though his mouth and eyes were the only parts of his face he could see since he wore a large hood over his head. He was tall, about the same height as Myotismon, his silk velvet huge sleeved robes which were two shades of deep red and rich burgundy hooded cloak, which was fastened around his shoulders with a sparkling garnet brooch, were darkened and caked with streaks of dirt and dry cracking mud at the bottom up to his knees and he carried a tall maple wood staff with a large ball of fire on the top. "I will not hurt you, young one!" His tone was cold but not harsh. Gatomon gave a small sigh of annoyance as she lowered her cat claws. "Alright then," She replied coolly, "who are you anyway?"

The digimon's eyes became even graver, "My name…..who I am? All of that means nothing to me, to this world, I am a digimon in exile, no more than a homeless wanderer mocked for his helplessness…." The white cat's annoyance faded and felt that painful grief and loneliness overwhelming her as she was reminded of her own past, long before she met Wizardmon, when she was searching wearily and hoplessely for Kari as Salamon, how she was always alone with no friends through her years of travel, and then Myotismon made her forget. "So am I….or was, that is!" Gatomon nodded understandably. "I know what its like to be an outcast."

The strange digimon leaned on his staff as his reddish brown eyes gazed rather fondly at Gatomon. Then her sympathy faded into a frown.

"But that does not mean you shouldn't tell me your name, after all, I don't happen to trust complete strangers unless I know who they are!"

The digimon sighed as he pushed back his heavy hood, his long silvery hair was tossed back as it flowed out from the hood and Gatomon saw that the flesh on top half of his face and head was much paler then the normal color at the bottom which was deep grey and there were faint pink marks across the dark circles under his eyes and the bridge of his nose that made her wonder if he used to wear a mask or a helmet. But she was most horrified when she saw the ugly scars that looked like old burns on the left side of his face and there was one deep scar that ran from his left temple all the way down to his chin.

"My kin called me Saramon, the fire sorcerer!"

The white cat digimon gave a small smirk. "Nice name! I'm Gatomon."

The sorcerer bowed low out of politness.

"But why did you sneak up on me in the first place, Saramon?"

"Well…." He hesitated for moment but continued. "I did not exactly _sneak_ up on you," His tone was slightly bitter as if she had offended him. "But you are troubled about something and I-"

"Are my troubles any of your business!" Gatomon snapped.

"Yes they are!" Saramon retorted. "At least this trouble you have. You've lost your friend haven't you!" His tone was calm but firm. "I've lost him too……long ago…..and I thought he was dead for years."

The white cat digimon, gazed at the sorcerer in astonishment.

"You know Wizardmon?" She gasped

………………….

A young Champion digimon with blonde hair tied back and clad in red was partly lying down on the floor of a dark musty cave. His face felt hot and soaked from the constant tears that ran down his face. He was hugging another digimon that lay nearly limp beside him.

"Mother please don't go!" His voice was high pitched and trembling. "Without you, I'm nothing! Don't go where I can't!"

A female face with long dark hair, the palest blue skin and eyes the same color as his own, deep blue looked up at him, her dark, crimson lips were warm. "Son, listen to me……" Her voice cracked as it grew hoarse: "You are not a full virus like I am,……darkness as no power over the holy blood that runs through our veins……our ancestors are with you….. I'm with you and…….your family's strength and power is with you!"

"I don't understand!" The young wizard blurted in frustration.

"One day, you will understand my words….."

Myotismon's icy blue eyes shot open. His suit and skin felt damply cool and slightly sticky against the rocky floor of the cave. He blinked hard as he sat up and wrapped his cape around him tightly to warm himself against the frozen air. It was still the middle of nightfall and he hardly had any sleep for two days. He could still see that young wizard before him as if he was still dreaming. Who was that strange digimon? Somehow it wasn't the first time he saw him, in fact, he remembered seeing that mon more than once. When he tried to kill Wizardmon and his human friend, he saw that red robed wizard in place of his enemy and then earlier, when he walked into that dungeon. And now, he just saw him in a strange dream crying over someone. One thing the vampire was sure about was that that other wizard was just a merely an image, a hallucination whenever he saw him. But then what about that vampire womon in his dream, he never knew of any other vampire digimon but himself, and he could still hear those words she spoke to her son inside his head.

_Why does it matter? They are just illusions, nightmares that will soon pass….._

"STOP IT! Just illusions you say? Are you keeping something important from me, or do you think me mad? Some master you are; what is it you fear so much that you would hide it?"

The vampire clasped a gloved hand over his mouth gasping, but the words had already escaped his lips before he could even silence himself. What had he done? Why did he talk back like that in the first place? He shuddered and felt something colder than bitter ice trickling down his spine as he braced himself for a punishment

But to his own shock, the dark voice laughed eerily, but it sounded more like a hard shiver as if the cackle was forced. The vampire couldn't believe it! He couldn't be feeling what he was feeling, but the that fear was as real and as the thirsting blood he could smell whenever he passed by a human.

"Alright then." The dark digimon gave a snarl. "I'll tell you who they are!" Then his tone turned more calm and sorrowful as he answered the vampire's question. "Long before you became my apprentice, there was another; that woman digimon was more than just a servant to me, she was like a sister to me, she was a dear friend to all of us.

But then one day (I'll never understand why), she turned against us, but since she knew she had not the power to rebel she ran off like a coward. We didn't come after, for we thought she would come back and understand that there was no escape for her, that her destiny lay with us.

But we should've known that she was more than foolish. We waited….for weeks….for months and even years and she never came back.

Ten years had passed, and we went out looking for her. We found her eventually in a cave, and we were so shocked that there was another digimon with her who happened to be her son. She had suffered all those years she was missing and we begged her to come back and bring her son with her. Now that she knew of the cruelty and chaos brought upon the digital world, we thought she would listen to us but how could she have been so blind? Instead she attacked me like a mad animal……..and….."

"You killed her!" Myotismon concluded for him already knowing from his dream.

"Yes," The dark digimon continued. "As for her son…..so young he was….and yet his heart was filled with such hate for us, he had the stomach to withdraw his mother's sword from it's sheath and……he drove the blade through his heart."

Myotismon sighed aloud feeling sympathy for his master, and yet for no reason the feeling was more of suspicion that overwhelmed his pity. If the story he told him was true, why part of him not believe it? For one thing, who would keep a story like that so secret?

Just then he cried out as he felt that painful stab in his side again, that icy fire working into his gut and he could not suppress a shiver . _I already told you! What more do you need to know?_

The vampire did not respond finding it useless to argue.

"Boss is that you?" A high pitched voice gasped somewhere in the dark.

The burning agony stopped and the vampire ignored the voice as he slumped down against an uneven wall breathing heavily.

"Myotismon!" The voice gasped again with excitement.

The vampire was almost startled and surprised when he saw a familiar face pop up before him.

"Demidevimon?"

"I don't believe it boss, we thought you were dead!" The blue feathery bat flapped around with excitement and the vampire's ice blue eyes widened as he saw Phantomon and several of his Bakemon bodyguards emerge from the dark tunnel that lead to further down the cave.

"Of course I'm not dead!" Myotismon replied hotly. "How could those deceased spirits destroy me if I was on their side!"

The blue bat looked at his master puzzled.

"Really? I thought all digimon even viruses were fated to-"

"It doesn't matter!" The vampire snapped. He had strangely forgotten about his master's story of Alitheamon. "The digi-destines have landed in the digital world, there is not much time left…."

"We know that, master." Phantomon unwisely interrupted. "That's why many of us have fled from the human world and have been hiding in this cave."

Myotismon frowned at the black red cloaked demon but then dropped his feeling of offense and set his eyes on the rest of his henchmen.

"Well you soldiers will not have to hide here anymore. Come, there is much work to be done." And with that he pulled himself to his feet and started marching off.

"Where are we going boss?" Asked one of the ghost digimon.

"Back to the castle! where else?" the vampire sneered.

He could not resist a gasp much less put a gloved hand to his mouth. Strangely he did not think of his words, but his lips would move anyway. Part of him felt like asking…..was this really him talking? Never mind that, he told himself as he and his henchman headed back to the castle.

"Wizardmon and Gatomon may be still alive," He murmured under his breath so not even his henchmen could hear with triumph and yet with shakiness, "But those traitors will be punished when they have seen my _real _army!"

But his thought of killing Wizardmon especially would not stop that strange fearful pain deep inside him, whether or not it was the rightful thing. He could still feel it growing stronger, he then felt something cold breathing down his back and shook his head (practically jerking it from side to side), as if trying to push it out of his thoughts.

_Don't let your weak side take hold of you! You have to stay strong!_

It was a long journey, it was late morning and Myotismon found himself pulling a part of his cape over his head as the heat and light of the sun's rays began to softly then with force poke at his extremely pale skin like needles. It was even worse that he was in the sky instead of traveling by foot so at least the trees of the forest would give him shade. Fortunately the sun in the digital world did not hurt him as bad as the sun in the human world but it was still uncomfortable.

Finally the vampire stopped and turned around. He could see the coming exhaustion in the eyes of his soldiers except for a few who were more capable of long distance like him, as they tried to hold in any hard breathings or pants. "Remember, henchmen, unless you're strong enough to keep up, I will not bother to save you if you fall behind." And he continued to fly further. Why did he care anyway if lost all his henchman, now that he was going to have a more powerful army to defeat his enemies?

and yet…..what about Demidevimon and Phantomon who had been his most loyal henchman for years? Although he would not need them much longer, it felt somewhat…..regretful…...if he gave them up!

He sighed heavily. Then again, what use would his henchmen be to him after he summoned his army.

They finally made. To everyone's surprise the castle looked exactly the same both interior and exterior as it had before they left to find the eighth child and any cracks, extremely filthy areas or any damaged parts they spotted were ancient. The air inside though was much more dustier and less purer since it had been unoccupied for quite awhile. Myotismon walked into his bed chamber and lifted the lid of his sleeping coffin with some struggle brushing away any spider or cob webs that collected in there. He did feel rather weary from his long journey that started back in the dark ocean but he quickly slammed the lid shut refusing any attempt to lay on the soft cushions of his bed inside and walked out of his room down the steep spiral staircase.

When he reached the bottom where the main hall was his henchmen were all standing together as if they had been waiting for him. The vampire was filled with annoyance. "Well don't just stand there like dumb fools!" He barked.

"Do you carry out no orders for us, boss?" Demidevimon asked.

The vampire narrowed his ice blue eyes at his soldiers but kept his voice calm. What orders could he give them anyway? There was only one thing he could do at the moment.

"I'm afraid I have nothing for any of you. Go and rest in your cells and I'll tell you if I have any use for you."

It did not sound very leader like, but it was the best he could do until he could find a way to deal with them. The henchmen were especially surprised; since when did their master ever get soft on them and give them a free day? But they obeyed and rushed down the different hallways to find their rooms. Myotismon sighed as he walked up to his own chambers. At least he had now and the whole night to think about what he would do with his soldiers. It seemed likely the easiest way was to kill them, after all he had no use for them. Besides if he spared their lives and set them free, that would prove him weak, on the other hand they his enemies would just kill them and that would take care of it. He gasped, why did that thought make him shudder? When was he ever going to stop feeling like this digimon who was weak and merciful, had he been completely changed in that other dimension?

The vampire sighed as he carefully laid down in his coffin and shut the lid.

To be continued……


	9. Forgotten Memories

Note from Author: I still don't own digimon!

Readers, it's not really that important but so you wont get confused, I made a slight change in the first chapter: Wizardmon is a hundred and twenty years old not twenty.

Forgotten Memories

Wizardmon gratefully took the large cloth bag of food from the white haired blue-skinned angel and slung it over his shoulder. "Thank you Lithimon."

He bowed to her and she smiled at him a tear trickled from under her helmet and down her cheek. And then two other angels who were male with golden hair provided for them another bag full of supplies and two drinking gourds. The wizard and the young girl thanked them and then turned to the archangel Arisamon who smiled warmly at the young wizard.

"Farewell, Wizardmon son of Azrielmon, it's been so long since our kind have counseled with the sorcerers, even if there was only one that came to us now.

The wizard and Chihiro bowed to the archangel.

"Farewell, oh Lord. You and your kind have our thanks.

But may I ask one more thing?"

"Of course."

"Is there anything else you know about the sorcerer Oloriousmon?"

The archangel hesitated and looked as if the question troubled him. But he finally answered.

"I'm afraid not, good wizard. But if you find it useful to find out more about him, I believe he does keep a journal like his father did."

Wizardmon nodded. "Thank you. "

"Wizardmon!" Arisamon stopped the two before they began to head out. There may always be hope in this world and I would regret doubting you and your friends, but who knows how powerful they have become or will become. Do not underestimate the powers of the dark digi-god, beware especially of Ancientseraphmon, or you will suffer the same fate as Galadrimon and her son did. Your people will always look up to you, for you are the last sorcerer!"

The wizard nodded uneasily.

"I understand, Lord Arisamon." And the angels wondered why he fixed his eyes on them in a way as if he was going to ask something from them. "I'm not afraid." The angels, even Arisamon had a feeling he would say more, but instead Wizardmon simply bowed low to them and Chihiro waved "goodbye" as Lithimon led them out of the realm.

A young wizard sat slumped against the stonewall, something had knocked him out and he had just woken up he groaned as he still felt dizzy and his head was spinning. Where was he? He snuffled a bit, the air around him was so stuffy and damp as if someone had locked him away in wooden box and did not put in enough air holes, and his nostrils ached to be cleared with fresh air. And yet, despite the stuffiness, this room was so cold he could already feel goose bumps on his sweating skin.

Slowly he lifted his head and screamed, his red garment was torn up and stained with fresh blood and he could feel the searing hot sting in the wounds from his previous beating. He tried to get up and move, but he then heard the clinking of chains and winced as he felt sharpness of the metal shackles cutting through his gloves and boots into the flesh of his ankles and wrists and give him a hard tug until he was forced back against the wall, and he could not even sit up without feeling anymore pain.

"There is no escape."

The wizard shuddered as he heard a cold dark voice. A tall human bodied figure walked towards him his eyes, which were a sickening yellow hue gazing coldly into his cerulean blue ones. The wizard could feel his heart pounding in his throat he tried to move again but that agony held him back.

"Oh if only you understood." The dark figure said with sympathy but there was a chill in his tone of voice. "If only knew the truth about us,"

"I'll never join you!" The young wizard spat but his voice cracked.

"I don't know what she told you, but it's all lies. We are gods who were exiled against our will,"

"Oh really? Said the young wizard bitterly and then he mocked: "So you had the right to murder your brother Azulongmon's son in heir…."

"I did not murder him!" The dark digimon bellowed. "I had a right to the throne in the first place! Don't you understand little one? My people are not the enemy, they are. Look at us, we are nothing but powerless, godless weak, innocent beings that have been tortured and mocked the same way you were. They are the cruel ones not us…"

"And you expect me to believe you!" The young wizard snapped.

"You are a murderer, you turned my mother into a horrible creature and made her suffer you bastard…."

"FOOL! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" The dark digimon screamed so loud it almost seemed like the walls and the floor of the dungeon was shaking and the wizard shook as his own ears throbbed painfully. "

"Your fate lies with us, wizard, you cannot escape it, I won't lose you the way I lost her, and if this is the only way to make you see it…

Myotismon woke up gasping and choking as if someone were strangling him, his steel blue eyes rolling like a mad person, he felt the invisible fire burn his skin, the flames slicing off his flesh beneath his clothing and making his whole body throb.

_None of that ever happened to you, hear me!_

He heard that voice in his head

"Of course not!" The vampire howled through tightly clenched fangs as he tried to fight against the pain.

"You made me the strongest digimon, and… I will save you all!"

_You're lying! You don't believe me!_

"I DO BELIEVE YOU!" Myotismon could not bear the agony in him and nearly thought he would lose consciousness, worse lose his head and go crazy or even fall limp and never wake up again…

"Please…." He begged gasping as the burning pain made it almost impossible to speak. "Please…I don't want…to die…"

Suddenly almost like a candle being blown out, the pain stopped and the vampire sank deep into the soft cushions of his bed shaking and chilled sweat pouring down his face and the rest of his pale blue skin as if he had a fever. He finally sat up breathing hard. It was around late morning and shaded his steel blue eyes with his hands as the bright golden rays of the sun shined through the dull glass window, bringing light into the dim room. He couldn't hear anything about him, save for his heavy breathing.

After a moment or so he finally sat up and climbed out of his coffin.

He was still haunted by that nightmare and could hear the faint voices of that wizard and that dark digimon that beat him. Somehow that wizard's defiance towards that monster reminded him of the way Wizardmon and Gatomon defied him when they were still his slaves.

Even though he now knew who this _other _wizard was, why did he still keep having such nightmares and even while he was awake he kept seeing faint hallucinations of him as if he and that wizard shared something in the past…

Just then he gave a hard shudder. He tried hard to clear his thoughts of it,

I don't want to be in that agony again, He muttered in his head. Why did that strange wizard and his mother matter to him anyway?

He spotted his mirror in the corner and looked into it. His kind were not supposed to have reflections, but he had one…why was that? The last time he looked at himself, which was recently, his face darkened and became disfigured and hideous, he shuddered deeply as that memory came over him; but now when he saw himself, his appearance wasn't the same, his skin was its natural unhealthy pale blue and his eyes their deep steel blue color and all of his humanlike features, his straight nose, high cheekbones, finely curved mouth with those rich purple lips and sharp pearly white fangs; every feature was back to normal before he saw that hideous shape.

He sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his golden hair. No matter how he tried, he still could not get that red wizard out of his mind. Was it not enough that his master told him who he was? And then another thought came to his mind; though he feared to think it, it came anyway:

What if…he hesitated…what if _I'm _that wizard?

"That's impossible!" The vampire almost shouted aloud.

And yet…. what life did he have in the past? What is it like, before he found Gatomon, before he ruled this castle…before he even digivolved to Myotismon?

Strangely he could not remember anything that happened before he digivolved to his ultimate stage. All he knew was what the dark masters told him about his life, which was not much: that he was the son of a sorcerer and his family abandoned him before he was taken in and raised by the dark digi-gods. But who was his mother? That they never told him, and he was only half sorcerer…but if he was a vampire as well, how could that not be true?

Would that explain then that strange dream he had of that wizard getting tortured and then back in the dark ocean when he walked into that mysterious dungeon… he shuddered and his guts felt cold inside him as he thought of that moment…that horrid agony he felt…

He then thought about Wizardmon and Gatomon and the rest of his slaves and remembered how he tortured them for their disobedience.

He could still hear their screams in agony inside his head, as real as his own voice when he cried out. Was this the kind of pain his own henchmen felt when he beat them; the pain he had felt from his master not so long ago?

He still remembered clearly when he opened the rusted door and all of sudden for who knows how long, his whole blood ran cold and then…the pain was indescribable and was not like any kind of agony he felt before. Was that the same kind of agony his slaves would feel?

But I'm a virus! He thought in protest. Viruses can feel pain but they cannot feel for other digimon unless they're viruses too!

And why would they need to feel regret and sympathy towards their enemies?

I regret nothing!

Yet, no matter what he told himself or what his master taught him, he always wanted to know more, he always felt that sickness…that knife in his heart as if he did…regret.

There had to be something more to his past, that would perhaps explain: why couldn't he kill Wizardmon? Why did he keep having dreams and hallucinations of that red wizard, why was he becoming weak and useless like his henchmen?

Myotismon, still remembering that moment in the dungeon, nearly ripped his cerulean blue-buttoned shirt open and stared at his bare muscular chest in the mirror. Those old purplish scars were still there and were as clear as his own reflection. He traced them with his gloved fingers. All of this was making no sense.

Why do I have these scars? Who gave them to me?

No! He protested in his mind,. That couldn't be possible, I couldn't have been that wizard. My master, the dark digi-gods would never have tortured me or do anything cruel to my life. They rescued me when no one else would take me in! They are my only friends if not my real family.

He looked up into the mirror, staring hard at the scars through his reflection. this was making less and less sense.

Just then, his steel blue eyes widened as his handsome face began to slowly but gradually fade in the mirror. Suddenly he saw his blue toned skin begin to loosen and wrinkle up, crimson blood began oozing out of his flesh blackening his face making it look decayed. His blonde hair faded to dull white and became brittle like straw and his wide ice blue eyes turned that same ugly yellow. The vampire gasped, he found himself shaking, as he remembered that same face in the river. What is this, another hallucination? He thought with horror, what was happening to him? He hollered and heard a shatter of glass as he thrust an enclosed hand sending several crisscrossing cracks through his mirror. He inhaled sharply in pain and quickly withdrew his fist shuddering at the fresh hot blood that streamed all over his gloved hand. The pain burned and yet froze his hand at the same time and he winced as he carefully tried to remove the grain-small shards embedded deeply into his flesh. He shuddered and still felt that polar chill on his back. He did not dare look up, still shaken by what he saw. Even now, he could not push that monstrous face out of his head; every horrid detail was real before his eyes.

"Hey, Myotismon. Are you okay boss?"

Myotismon gasped and turned his head in a swift jerk. His eyes narrowed in anger, half annoyed and half startled by the sudden disturbance.

"Demidevimon, you idiot!" He snapped harshly at the blue-feathered bat that was flapping by the wide open door (which Myotismon did not remember leaving open at all). "How dare you sneak up on me like that! Can't you offer me a little privacy you-"

"But I wasn't spying on you master," the little bat blurted staring wide-eyed in shock at the vampire's shattered mirror and then spotted the blood on his master's right hand,

"It…. it wasn't my fault, b-but we heard you screaming a-and…well…. well the others wouldn't come up so…they forced me…" Myotismon chuckled in a rather sneering way, but the anger in his face did not melt. The bat saw the crimson bolt forming in the vampire's left hand and slowly began to shrink back.

"Demidevimon," Myotismon hissed coldly, "I don't care what your excuses are, you know you and the other henchmen are forbidden up here, now off with you!"

He raised his lightning whip and the rookie bat flew off quickly that he looked like a blue flash in the dimness of the room.

"You're lucky I gave you a chance to escape my beating."

The vampire muttered bitterly as if he could still hear him. He sighed heavily that the sound almost echoed off the stone brick walls.

No! He thought, I cannot show mercy to my slaves; besides, they would want me to be weak and sympathetic so they can lose their fear of me and turn against me like Wizardmon and Gatomon did. Why don't I just kill them off? I have no use for them now, why didn't I kill Devidemidevimon when I had the chance?

His eyes still remained fixed on the open door. Demidevimon had always helped him, whether it was capturing other digimon for new henchmen, or finding the eighth child. In fact, he was the first digimon that came to serve him. And then came Phantomon and the Bakemon.

And then he thought of Wizardmon and Gatomon. He picked them up when they were both in their rookie forms. Learning that his father was a sorcerer, although his father had died long before he went to kill the sorcerer clan, the dark digi-gods ordered him to take his revenge:

_Your family is already dead, _he could still remember their words from long ago,_ but your kin are not and they are a deep threat to you, to us. Though half their blood flows through your veins, they still banished you. Destroy them for what they've done to you!_

Myotismon had completely forgotten that last warning , and he did not feel afraid and would not have been able to destroy all the sorcerers and sorceresses if the dark digi-gods had not helped him. Except for one and he never intended to spare Wizardmon's life and force him to become a slave…but it happened nonetheless. It did not matter to him if the wizard he captured was one of his people; despite that he didn't kill him, he despised Wizardmon with passion for so many reasons, not to mention the wizard, ever since he was the rookie Auramon, was foolhardy enough to turn on him. And he remembered when he gave Auramon his hardest whipping; the young rookie would've been dead in a few hours after his punishment, but instead of leaving him to die, he sent Demidevimon to nurse him back to health. Although the wizard had his face half covered, he still remembered those horrid scars he gave him, he still remembered that moment. Why had he done it? Why did he spare his life?

As for Gatomon, strangely, the white cat digimon had been his favorite and most loyal servant apart from Demidevimon even though it took much more discipline than he would put on any other of his soldiers for she always defied him when she was a Salamon, and for five years, it wasn't until she digivolved to Gatomon, that she stopped. And yet despite her loyalty, he could not help feeling that she was still revolting, even if she didn't show it, whenever he looked into her eyes he saw something in depths, something cold, rebellious and threatening and almost…familiar…. as if he looked upon someone else with those exact same eyes. Whatever it was it drove him into anger and madness whenever she made eye contact with him, that he would always make sure she didn't look directly into his face. But it wasn't until she met Wizardmon that he despised her as much as he despised the wizard.

Now all he had were the dark digi-gods and these weak henchmen of his that he had no use for. He had thought of just letting them go, and now it didn't sound so bad when he thought of it again, but another part of him protested the idea, showing sympathy or any softness was the act of a weakling much less just sending them into exile.

He gave his head a slight shake.

Why not just let them go, He thought, weak I am or not, it's not worth killing them.

He looked up at his now broken mirror, there was nothing but a flat smooth board of wood bordered with small remaining shards. He looked down at the floor and his hands shook as he slowly lifted the largest mirror piece he could find that would be big enough to show at least most of his reflection. And again (though part of him expected it), his face looked all normal, same blonde hair, same pale skin slightly toned with bluish hues and his eyes were the same blue steel. He shuddered with relief at this and dropped the mirror shard on the floor absentmindedly.

Although it was still in the middle of the day, a little sunlight through the windows (especially the hollow iron-barred ones on the lowest levels) would not hurt him in the least as he slowly descended the spiral staircase.

When he reached the main floor, he wasn't surprised to see all his remaining soldiers waiting for him.

He wasn't so sure what how to tell them. At I won't be feeling this…. this awkwardness when I let them go, he thought. "I have decided, " He spoke in a demanding tone, "You've all served me well for the past…. several years, now it's finished, your days with me are over, the time has come to set you all free! I am no longer your master; you henchmen may go down whatever path you'd like and live in freedom." He felt a fire of annoyance within him when he looked upon their unintelligent gazes as his words turned them all shocked and dumbstruck. As he still waited, he did not feel any pain nor hear that voice again in his head.   
"Do…do you really mean what you're saying?" One of the Bakemon gasped.

"Course I mean it!" Myotismon snapped harshly.

"But master, " Demidevimon protested rather unwisely, "Most of our paths lie with you. Our lives are here in the castle, what other life could we lead if you send us away?"

Phantomon nodded. "Lord Myotismon, at least let some of us stay and serve you. There is nothing for us in the outside world…. not for me and Demidevimon that is."

The vampire narrowed his icy blue eyes at his two most loyal henchmen, but did not feel any anger towards them, and for a moment or two his mind was dead for words. So many digimon hated him; even many of his henchmen he knew were secretly against him. But even now when he permitted them to go they still refused? And yet he already knew the full truth: if he did let them go they would lead a life of cruelty and abuse, the other digimon would mock and curse them and they would be outcasts like he was long ago until the dark digi-gods saved his life. On the other hand, such a thing did not happen to Wizardmon and Gatomon when they betrayed me, He thought. That is not for long, now even the digi-destines respected them. But of course they would have to respect Gatomon, she is the eighth child's digimon, and Wizardmon is her companion. The rest of my soldiers are neither of that, so what excuse will they have to live in their world? Perhaps it would be much worse for them to suffer as outcasts then as slaves.

A small smile formed across the vampire's face.

He looked at his Bakemon guards, they seemed to say nothing a soft but assuring "Thank you Lord, Myotismon, we won't forget your kindness," and they started to leave without looking back. The vampire felt so astonished by their rather gentle words, for not even his most loyal servants have been that…courteous. He shook his head. _It makes no difference_, he seemed to force these thoughts into his head, _at least some are leaving_! His gaze still remained on Demidevimon and Phantomon.

"Do you still refuse to go free?" He asked casually.

"I'm already free, Lord Myotismon!" The dark demon answered. "I would rather stay and serve as I have for the past hundred years."

On the other hand the vampire was not surprised that Phantomon said this. He then turned to the blue feathery bat.

"Well Demidevimon?"

"Same here boss." The bat answered.

The vampire grunted in annoyance, and yet, perhaps he could find some use for them if they stayed. "Very well," Were the next words that escaped his mouth, "although you're no longer of use to me, and there'll be almost nothing I'll want from you…." He paused for a moment his eyes narrowed at them before he tossed back his crimson cape and started to fly off, "Well it's your problem, not mine." He said coldly and was gone.

Was he crazy? What was he thinking; deciding to let them stay. _They will leave when they want to_, he told himself

... It was nightfall. Wizardmon hovered over the small campfire that he built hours ago, most of the embers died out, but there was still enough light left.

Chihiro was already lying asleep, using his cloak as a blanket.

He could still not get that vision of Alitheamon and her son out of his head. Myotismon was Mystiamon, he was Alitheamon's son; how could it not be possible? Besides, was that wizard's mother not a vampire, a virus? Myotismon was both. It had to be true, why else would the dark masters (or dark digi-gods) be using him to take over? Although he had not seen it in the vision, Alitheamon tried to protect her son and after she died he knew they intended to take her son away to become their next apprentice, and when he and Chihiro looked into that pool one of images he saw was Myotismon and then at the exact same time he was seeing the vampire, he also saw the faint image of Mystiamon. It had to be him!

The wizard closed his eyes, his hands outstretched before him as he slowly recited a spell aloud in his ancient tongue. His head began to ache as he tried to concentrate on nothing but the one object he was calling to. He pictured it in his mind every detail and every feature as if it was here right now. Just then he felt something heavy and solid resting on his hands and opened his eyes to see a thick and ancient book with a plain brown cover that was covered with dust. So this was the diary of Oloriousmon. Using the dying fire for light, he carefully opened it as if it was beyond fragile. The pages were yellowish but not crumbling as he flipped through the book. Finally almost near the end, he found something about that vampire woman from his vision, it was apparently a written letter that never even got sent, or perhaps it did since the page had been ripped out. He read it:

_Dear Saramon,_

_I have been gone for nearly six months and I'm no longer Oloriousmon now; I have digivolved. I'm sorry I did not tell you that I would go; I don't know how I can even make you understand, but it's been four years since we banished Alitheamon and even now I cannot let go of my loss, and my partial regret that I sent her away. You may never understand my love for her and you and the rest of my people may think me a fool for still loving her despite the truth, but even though she was a virus there was good in her; I had seen it._

_For a long time I had searched for her, and as the days turned into weeks, I was beginning to lose hope. Then one day I came to Primary Village the digimon orphan edge. I knew I would not find her there but then Elecmon, the head of Primary village stopped me and said he had something for me. _

_He led me into the nursery and pointed out two Poyomons curled up together in one cradle. He told me that a virus that looked like a female vampire snuck into Primary Village and dropped these two children off and claimed that they belonged to Oloriousmon. There was a letter beside the two baby digimon, I read it and was terribly shocked; those Poyomons were her children, my children! _

_As their father, I will spare their lives and care for them. We shall return soon. I do not wish you to look harshly upon my actions dear brother, do not show this letter to anyone but tell everyone where I've been. When I return, give back the letter, for they must not know._

_Your beloved brother,_

_Azrielmon_

Wizardmon's hands shook violently that he nearly dropped the book. His breathing turned to shudders, and he grew terribly nauseous as his stomach twisted in the most painful, sickening way that he ever felt as if he had devoured something poisonous. The last four words in that letter kept echoing in his head: _Your beloved brother, Azrielmon. Your beloved…_

Azrielmon!

Oh Sorcerers, he thought shaking, this cannot be true, this cannot be possible!

To be continued…


	10. The Legend of the Elders

I still don't own digimon and I haven't seen the TV episodes of digimon adventure 01 and 02 in a long time and if I had (although I purposely made some changes as I told you in the first chapter), I would've made this story a lot truer to TV series than I've made it now. So I'm sorry to the one's who are purists!

Saramon's Lament and The Legend of the Elders

Chihiro set her wooden crutches against a large rock as she slowly sat herself down in the soft meadow grass moaning slightly as she tried not damage her broken leg and brushed the cracking mud from last night's rain off her rugged brown skirt. The herbs had worked on her wound, the pain in her leg was gone but now it felt numb and limp beneath the splint and the layers of linen bandages, as if the angels had cut it off clean and replaced it with a wooden stick or something. She pushed back her thick red hair, feeling the neglected tangles get caught through her fingers, and pulled out of a leather bag a large brown drinking gourd and a light stone carved cup that the angels gave to them. After she poured the fresh clear water she stopped before putting the cup to her lips and gazed into her rather murky reflection, her flesh so thin that it outlined nearly every part of her flat face from her brow ridges to her almost pointed chin making her features look so sharp, and then there were her round enormous eyes the color of a deep ocean with hints of brown hazel in them. What was the human world like, the world she was born in? The world where she had a real family? She was so young when she was sucked into the digital world, that she could not, even in the slightest, imagine what her people were like, even her, brother; she could remember nothing of him, except his death, and it haunted her dreams for years, even when she was awake, she could still hear the agonizing screams escape his lips drowned out by the screeching of bats as they devoured him alive. She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid, she would suddenly see an illusion of him in the water and quickly drank. She then stared back into the now empty cup. I'm a human, she thought, and yet part of me isn't human.

She took out her tag and crest, which was still around her neck, from underneath her dirty white shirt, and turned the triangular pendant around and around in her fingers. And yet, if I'm a digidestined, maybe I'm not a total outcast, and yet where are the other chosen children, and where is my digimon partner? She glanced over her shoulder where the wizard was still sleeping under a large ash tree. Wizardmon! She thought as if she was talking to him. It has to be you! You must be the one. But on the other hand part of her didn't believe it for some reason, somehow she could not quite sense it through her digivice or tag and crest that Wizardmon was her digimon.

Just then, she turned her head the other way as she heard faint but clear voice in the distance and footsteps that were coming towards them. Although it did not sound like anything threatening, she immediately grabbed her crutches, groaning with pain as she used mostly her thin arms to pull herself to her feet and began limping towards the ash tree.

"Wizardmon! Wizardmon wake up!" She hissed under her breath. The wizard stirred slightly, beads of sweat were pouring down his half covered face, and she gasped as she saw he was slightly shaking as if he was having bad dream. She limped slightly closer until she was standing right beside him, she gazed in both curiosity and puzzlement as she spotted tucked under his right arm, a large textbook that looked so ancient and damaged, and yet did not seem so overly fragile at the same time; she could probably lift it, and it wouldn't fall to pieces in her bony hands. Where on earth did he get such a book anyway, and why? Suddenly she gasped, as the footsteps gradually grew louder. If only she could just bend down and shake him; but she couldn't.

"Wizardmon!" She hissed a little louder, and yet she tried to keep her voice down at the same time. The wizard stirred again but his eyes still did not open. She finally let out a huge sigh of annoyance.

"Forgive me," she murmured under her breath and without the least hesitation, hit him as hard as he could with one of her crutches.

Wizardmon's eyes shot wide open in an instant as felt something hard, like a stick hit his side and he could not suppress a slight groan of agony as the hit got his fractured ribs. He gazed up at Chihiro, his deep green eyes narrowed. "Chihiro," he snapped, "what the hell are you…" but before he could finish, she quickly cut in: "I'm sorry, but it's not like I have two knees to bend down and shake you, you know! I'm sorry to wake you but…."

But before she could finish the wizard gasped and had already pulled himself to his feet, as he saw in far but clear enough distance a familiar face walking towards him. That soft white fur and those deep cerulean blue eyes that he had seen before. "Gatomon!" He gasped aloud, and blinked furiously as his forest green began to glisten with tears.

"Wizardmon!" She cried out from the other side of the meadow and on all four paws broke into a run. He kneeled on the ground as the white cat, her eyes welled with silent tears of joy, threw her skinny cat arms around him,

and he held her close. "I knew you would come back!" She whispered softly in his ear, "Are you alright?" "Yes I'm fine!" the wizard mumbled that only her large cat ears could hear him.

Chihiro could do nothing but stand there dumbstruck as she saw the white cat and the wizard holding each other like close siblings reunited with each other. And then she looked up and gasped as she saw eight more people rushing towards them. Were these people humans like her? They had the same flat faces, small noses, like childish versions of humanoid digimon, except she could sense almost no magical insight within them except for those white gadget things (which she soon realized were digivices like her own) attached to their belts or in the pockets of their pants or shorts. Two of them, a girl and a boy looked about her age, and the rest of them were much older and they were clad in the strangest indescribable clothing, she had ever seen, and seven digimon (which must have been their partners) which looked to be at their rookie stages were running beside them. Last but not least, her eyes widened as another digimon followed behind them, he was a humanoid, yet his face as well as his tall, frail like body was wrapped in a hooded cloak, of deep fiery burgundy and he carried a tall wood-carved staff with a deep glowing ball of fire.

Wizardmon and Gatomon broke from their embrace the minute the digidestines and their digimon approached them.

"Wizardmon!" Kari exclaimed in both shock and excitement, "you're alright?" The wizard looked up at the young brunette girl smiling beneath his scarf.

"Hello Kari!"

He then gasped as the brunette digidestined handed him sun staff that he thought he lost for good.

"My staff!" He exclaimed

"Um…hey." Chihiro stuttered in a sheepish matter, unsure if she should've said something or just stood there. Kari was almost startled as she turned her head and noticed her, soon all the digidestines and their digimon turned their heads, their wide eyes locked on the strange girl. The young redhead slowly stepped forward her hazel blue eyes gazing at the chosen children in such awe; it was as if she had never seen her own kind face to face in her whole life. Yet the longer they at each other, the more she felt awkward and tempted to shrink back until it unpleasantly lurched in her stomach.

"This is Chihiro, she's a friend of mine." Wizardmon quickly cut in, breaking the awkward silence. "We…sort of met each other back in the dark ocean…." He stopped in hesitation.

The white cat digimon saw the worried look in her friend's eyes and placed a paw on his arm

"What is it, Wizardmon?"

He slowly continued. "Listen there isn't much time left…I may have come back from the dark ocean but I fear that…" He was suddenly silenced by deep grave like voice:

"Auramon, there is still time, tell us everything tonight, for it has been too long since you have been parted from us." Wizardmon looked up, a tall digimon pulled back the hood of his deep burgundy cloak, his long silver hair, the same color as a sword's blade flying loosely in the small breeze, and he revealed a humanlike face with a long curving nose and hard-boned features, yet his once-handsome appearance was now buried away by those horrible flaming purple scars across left cheekbone down to his left jaw. The wizard's deep emerald eyes widened with such shock, his words were completely lost as he was struck dumb by what he saw, was this not a ghost? Could this truly be him? It was so long ago, but he still remembered what had happened all the horrific slaughter of his kind, and especially the way he saw Niavmon and his beloved sister Dricomon die before his own eyes; and now the mon whom he believed was dead along with the rest of the sorcerers, the brother of his father was standing before him!

"Saramon!" Wizardmon gasped as he found his voice again, the wizard was unsure what to do now, whether he should just sit there and stay shocked, or if he should walk towards the fire sorcerer and say more to him as if he were an old comrade, or just simply run forward and embrace him like a young boy clinging to his long lost father. How could this all be possible? It seemed like he didn't have to do either as the fire sorcerer slowly bent down and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Say no more, Wizardmon, we're all weary from our journeys. Come now, you will tell us everything later."

Both the wizard and Chihiro looked at the fire sorcerer, confused. Wizardmon then turned around as he felt Gatomon's paws grab his arm.

"Wizardmon, are you sure you're alright?" Asked the white cat her cerulean blue eyes full of concern. Just then Kari kneeled beside the two of them and touched the wizard's side as she felt one of the splints underneath his yellow-tan jumpsuit that held his fractured ribs. "Did you break any bones?" The young brunette asked. She then turned to Chihiro and gasped as she saw her broken leg. "What happened to the both of you?"

The redheaded girl just smiled in a sweet matter. "Don't worry the angels fixed it."

"The angels?" asked Gatomon confused.

"We'll tell you everything!" Wizardmon reassured them.

Myotismon turned a bronze key and swung the two large doors to his study open. Slowly he kneeled down on the crimson and gold lined carpet and looked up as he murmured something under his breath. A strange creature in the shape of a tall human, even taller than Myotismon, hooded and cloaked in pitch black with empty and lightless golden eyes (which seemed to be the only visible features on his dark shadow like body) appeared before the vampire gazing coldly at his apprentice. "Why so sudden, you call for me?" His tone was calm but with a slight harshness. Myotismon looked down at the red carpet beneath him.

"I do not wish to trouble you master," He started, "But I can't stop sensing that there is a much bigger threat rising in the digital world."

"What do you mean?" The dark shadow asked with slight annoyance.

The vampire looked up into his cold sickly eyes, puzzled. "Have you not felt it?" he asked in surprise, last night I…" He hesitated, he had not had this power for over fifty years, and yet it happened to him again recently. He sighed and continued: "I know for certain this wasn't a dream, master; it was a vision I had! I saw Wizardmon and the digidestines arousing an army against us, but…I saw something else in this vision, something that looked familiar, and yet I didn't recognize at the same time…. they were a small group of humans all old and young and clad in robes and…they were chanting a spell!"

The dark figure's eyes widened slightly. "Strange I have not felt it. So you say you curse of the sight, the ability to look into the future when things are going wrong," He exclaimed but not with much enthusiasm, a power that sorcerers, even your dead father, carry!" His eyes then narrowed again and tone became colder than ever. "Isn't it strange that I never knew that you also carried this gift?"

"Well, never mind that, master!" Myotismon snapped in interruption, and yet part of him was begging to recoil the minute he talked back to the dark shadow. "I saw what I saw! Were or were not those humans possibly the elders we killed?"

His master was silent for a brief moment and then he spoke more calmly: "Were those humans wearing those silver amulets with the human eye symbols?"

"Yes they were, my lord," answered Myotismon, "But how could this be possible? We have destroyed their kind almost sixty years ago; and if there were any survivors, we would've known a long time ago!"

The shadow shook his head, "You are right, my apprentice, but visions do not lie! Perhaps there are elders out there that have survived, and have found some way to hide from us for all these years. Besides, those elder humans were never so easy to defeat, just like the digi-destines or the sorcerer and angel clans."

The vampire turned his eyes back to the floor. He was right! Despite their mortality and lack of magic it was nonetheless unwise to underestimate the power of the digidestines or the elders, or any humans. But he could've sworn that he and the dark digi-gods have killed them off years ago. And yet if it were possible…if there were any survivors…. Suddenly the image of that strange young girl, whom he met back in the dark ocean, came to his mind. Somehow that child looked familiar since the first moment he saw her. That was the same girl whom I thought I had destroyed with my "grizzly wing" six years ago. And yet, wasn't that girl a digi-destined? But according to the prophecy, there were only eight chosen children. Every generation, there had always been only eight or six digi-destines, so why would there be suddenly a ninth one? And yet when he first looked at her, it was almost as if…. he had seen that girl even before he had tried to kill her and her brother:

A young woman slightly older than twenty with long dark red hair, deep hazel blue eyes and wearing a knee-length blue skirt and a white puffed-sleeved blouse buried herself in young man's arms with a round-like oval face, dark brown eyes long light brown hair bound back in a ponytail and clad in a crème colored robe that came down to his knees over his tight black trousers. In her arms the woman was holding two twin babies, one girl and one boy, both wrapped tightly in wool blankets, the young man finally took his hands off her as he cautiously looked outside of the small cave they were hiding in. There was no village or temple left, as everything burned to ashes in the fire, its beautiful, yet dangerous golden flames licking the night sky. Tears welled in his eyes and he began to shake with rage as they could both still hear the screams of their people being slaughtered.

He quickly turned back to the young woman his hands gripping her shoulder tightly. "It is time!" He urged yet keeping his voice down at the same time. "Go now! GO!"

She did not have time to embrace him again as he pushed her out of the cave. A champion digimon followed her from behind. The mon had a human like body and creamy skin and yet she had a long bushy tail, her legs and arms were covered heavily with white fur up to her knees and elbows and she had a dog-like face with a black nose and pointed ears that grew out of her long fire-red hair, and she was clad in a two piece red outfit that revealed most of her body. A tear trickled down the young woman's cheek as she handed the children to the wolf digimon.

"Are you ready, Kilaramon?" She trembled and she pulled out a digivice from her belt….

Myotismon quickly rushed out of the village moving his way out of the whole chaotic battle. "Where are they?" He growled in frustration, "Where is the head elder's son?" Just then he spotted the young elder and the redheaded digidestined standing outside of a small cave near the edge of the woods as if they had been waiting for him. He gasped, rather surprised that those two human infants and the woman's digimon weren't with them. But even if the two children weren't here, why couldn't he at least feel their presence like he could with the other elders? He landed and broke into a malicious smile, revealing his pearly white fangs.

"Oh look it's the two love birds!" He jeered in a mocking tone. "Where are your pretty little children mortals!"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, you fang face!" The young man snapped coldly drawing out a long silver sword. The blade began to glow as he raised it. But the vampire was too quick and flung open his black and scarlet cape.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!"

The elder dropped his sword, screaming in agony several blood red lightning bolts came out and lashed at him from every angle of his body like whips. He fell to the ground barely conscious, his clothing ripped and his entire body covered in deep bleeding welts from the whips.

"Benjamin!" the redheaded woman screamed, but before she could rush to her dying husband and hold him, she gasped and began to cough and gag heavily as Myotismon grabbed her by the neck lifting her into the air.

"Where are they, human?" He sneered, the woman shuddered while still gasping for breath as he put his face closer to hers and he could feel his bitter cold breath blowing on her. She then coughed loudly as he let go of her neck gripping her shoulders with both hands.

"Tell me!" He snapped even louder, and pulled her even closer until she could feel his own lips brushing her bare neck. Suddenly the vampire gasped as he saw clutched in the human girl's right hand two round amulets made out of silver woven Celtic style around a human eye carved out of gold, just like what the other elders wore around their necks. No wonder he couldn't sense the children's presence, he could feel the power of the amulets, but without children having them on…she took off their amulets so he would not be able to track them down so easily. He burned with utter rage as he turned back to the young woman, gazing into her hazel blue eyes that were wide with horror, as his own steel blue ones blazed with anger.

"Tell me where they are, you wench," He nearly shouted, "Or I'll rip your throat out with my bare fangs!"

Her lips as well as her whole body was trembling, all color drained from her skin and her face turned beyond pale as if she was already dead.

"I'd rather die than tell you anything, vampire!" She whispered bitterly.

Myotismon's eyes narrowed to mere slits and pressed her close to his body as if he was hugging her.

"So be it;" he said coolly, "if that is your wish!"

And she broke into a piercing scream as he sank his fangs into her flesh, the sweet flavor of her blood bursting into his mouth.

Myotismon gasped aloud as he remembered. "Master!" He exclaimed. "That girl I saw earlier in the dark ocean…I think she must be the granddaughter of the head elder!"

The dark shadow's eyes slightly widened. "Gennai's granddaughter?" he gasped in surprise, "Are you certain?"

The vampire turned his gaze back to the floor. "I'm not sure, but it might be possible. For one thing, she cannot be a full-blooded digidestined for there are already eight chosen children."

"Very interesting!" Said the dark figure, his tone turning casual again. "But then how does that also explain the fact that you saw more than one elder in your vision?"

A brief silence fell between the two.

"I don't know." Myotismon finally admitted, "But I will find out!"

Nightfall approached there was only a crescent moon and the dark sky seemed to glow in the ember flames of a roaring campfire. Saramon, the digidestines and their digimon gazed dumbstruck with both shocked and confused faces at Wizardmon and Chihiro after the two finished their long story. The wizard did not mention though Alitheamon nor Oloriousmon's diary and what he read from it; I cannot tell them about that…. not yet, he thought, even thinking about that letter from his father made him feel sick to his stomach.

Tai finally broke the silence:

"So…" He hesitated, "are you saying that there is another evil that's been behind Myotismon's plot to take over both worlds?"

"Exactly!" The wizard answered. "The dark digi-gods have all along been using Myotismon as their tool to take revenge on what they've lost!"

"Damn that vampire!" Matt hissed in anger. "Every time we think we've destroyed him, he always comes back even stronger than ever!"

"So what does this all mean then?" Kari quickly cut in. "That we have even more powerful enemies to deal with? If this is all true what you say, Wizardmon, then how can we save both worlds?"

Gatomon nodded. "Especially if those other enemies are digi-gods, which are no doubt more powerful then a dark lord like Myotismon! We'll be terribly outnumbered in this battle!"

Wizardmon sighed heavily and turned to Saramon who had been dead silent the whole time and he felt a slight queasiness lurching inside as he noticed the fire sorcerer had his dark eyes narrowed and seemed to be glaring coldly at him as if suspicious of something.

"Is there anything else you wish to tell us?" Saramon finally spoke up rather casually.

The wizard tore his gaze away from the fire sorcerer as the pain of nervousness gripped him. I sure hope he hadn't been reading mind, he thought. Finally he closed his eyes and decided to use his telepathic communication: _Saramon, once everyone else is asleep meet me by the campfire shortly after midnight…I…I must speak with you alone!" _

The fire sorcerer heard but didn't answer except with a small quick nod.

"No, there is nothing else, Saramon!" Chihiro answered. "We don't even know what their real plans are for destroying us!"

"We could try to get allies." Squeaked Patamon, T.K's partner. Other digimon have helped us before when we fought with Devimon and Etemon. If it's our destiny to save both worlds it may be the best, if not the least we can do!"

Saramon nodded. "I agree. I shall leave in the morning and look for Arisamon and his clan."

The digidestines nodded understandably.

"We should probably go see Gennai," Izzy suggested, "I'm sure he'll have some information about the digi-gods." The bright redheaded boy then turned to the wizard. "Wizardmon, Chihiro, how much time do we have until this battle?"

The two glanced at each other. "I'm afraid we don't know!" Chihiro answered.

Wizardmon rested himself against a large log as he gazed at the dying flames in the fire pit; soon they wood be no more than red sparking embers on the piled wood.

"So you wish to speak to me, Auramon?"

The wizard turned his head half startled as the fire sorcerer suddenly appeared before him and sat down on another log.

Wizardmon could not suppress a shudder of fear within him whenever he looked upon the horrible scars upon Saramon's face; it reminded him of his own scars, and he felt a slight temptation to pull down his scarf and trace them again with his gloved fingers. The more he looked at the fire sorcerer, studying every inch of his body from his torn-up mud and dirt streaked robes to the unhealed wound on his humanlike face, the more he wondered if this was the digimon he still knew one hundred and twenty years ago: Saramon, the sorcerer of fire, the most courageous and fiercest warrior in the clan, but most of all, Saramon the wise and gentle younger brother of Azrielmon. Was this still the same digimon that, despite his fiery warlike side, had a caring and always cheerful and lighthearted side whenever he was around the family? Or had everything changed since the invasion of Myotismon?

"I thought you were dead," he slowly started breaking the awkward silence, "I thought everyone had been killed since that terrible slaughter? Tell me, what has happened since then? What happened to you?"

Saramon sighed heavily his expression turned grave; he did not even dare look into his nephew's eyes as he slowly began his long endless story:

I can't exactly tell you what happened during the battle…everything went so fast before my eyes; first when we found Niavmon, your sister Dricomon and Myotismon, Niavmon was lying on the ground unconscious and barely alive as if she had slipped into a coma since the vampire had bitten her, but we were even more horrified when were poor Dricomon on the ground…dead, her flesh tail and wings were all ripped off and gone…. and…she looked like a piece of carcass in the grass!" He bowed his head low and the wizard noticed the tears welling up in his deep dark eyes. "I'm sorry we couldn't save your sister…we weren't even able to rescue Niavmon, as Azrielmon and I were caught up in a great battle with Myotismon. And then…. just when we thought we would defeat him, we saw something strange before our eyes; all of a sudden the vampire's body began to glow red, and as far I remember…. although we couldn't see their faces, and even the features on their bodies were all fuzzy…. they were more like black shadows with sickening yellow eyes, just like the monsters you told us about earlier, came out to attack us." He shuddered as if something ice cold was grabbing hold of him and a tear trickled down his cheek. "After that, everything was a whole blur, I became fatally wounded…and Azrielmon had thrown himself upon me, so…he could take the final attack from them, and then…. we were lying down together, I was partly covered in his own blood from his wounds…and…the last thing I remember was that he was weeping bitterly for the loss of his two children, and…. the last words he spoke not to me but to that heartless vampire that killed were like that of a mad digimon: "Alitheamon! What have I done to you?" But then I too was shocked, not just by my brother's words!" More tears streamed down his face and quickly brushed them away with his filthy hands.

"I don't know how long I was unconscious, but when I finally woke up, I wept for hours, perhaps even days as I saw all our people, nothing but corpses around. Hoping that there would be survivors, I grabbed hold of my staff, using it as a cane, as I walked across the whole field towards the village, which sadly had been burnt to the ground. You cannot imagine what it was like, Auramon………and sadly as I explored our once-beautiful home, I began to lose all hope as all I came across were burnt out houses and more my friends and the people I loved reduced to nothing but bloody corpses. But then I was finally relieved to find that Irweniamon, Niavmon's older brother was alive as he grabbed me before I collapsed and half carried me into the palace. He then led me down to the underground library, even the secret hideout was in complete destruction, every book lying torn up and scattered across the floor. My eyes were blurred with tears when I saw all of the rookie wizards and witches lying dead and covered with blood everywhere…not even the younglings that we tried to protect throughout the battle, survived!" The fire sorcerer could not hold back any more tears and let them roll down his pale cheeks like narrow waterfalls.

"I didn't realize how badly injured Irweniamon was until he laid me down on the floor and…I saw a deep wound in his side and that it had been poisoned…. he kneeled beside me, his hands then started to glow a golden white and when he realized he was going to perform the Shumal's energy force, where an injured sorcerer, would transfer the last of his energy force to another digimon, I begged him desperately not to do it, but I was too weak to stop him! 'My life is gone forever, my friend, and I wish to go join my sister and my wife' were his last words to me, as he put his hands on my body "But not all hope is lost, perhaps some of our kin, even your own nephew, have fled these lands like the angels, our former allies. Go and find them!' And then he was gone, and now I knew that I was truly alone!"

Wizardmon felt as if he would collapse to the ground, part of him wanted to burst into tears, but he could feel nothing coming out of his wide open eyes, all the pain and anguish was deep in his stomach, twisting and lurching and making him feel beyond nauseous. He looked up at his uncle who was avoiding his gaze, but the wizard could still see the grief on his face and the silent weeping.

"_But surly, Wizardmon," _The wizard heard the fire sorcerer's voice in his head, calm yet shaking, _ "this is not what you've come to tell me…. I can feel that there is something else that you're already hesitating mention." _He turned to the wizard, his dark eyes, that were glistened with tears, gazing into Wizardmon's emerald ones, "_Well tell me my nephew!"_

The wizard heard the sorcerer's grief as much as he felt it, part of him thought it wiser to just stop talking and leave him in his sorrow, and yet the other side of him felt that he should tell him about the letter.

Wizardmon finally sighed and pulled out from one of his pockets the large ancient journal of Oloriousmon. He then, as gently and as carefully as possible opened to the exact spot and took out the half crumpled letter from his father. Saramon gasped as the wizard stood up placing the book on the log he sat against.

"I believe you'll recognize this, Saramon." The wizard spoke in a cool yet casual tone as he handed over the letter.

The fire sorcerer took the pieces of parchment. He glanced at them briefly and then turned back at Wizardmon, yet his amber eyes were cast down upon the ground in guilt.

"You knew about this…. my father knew about this, and yet you both kept it secret for years" Wizardmon continued, he tried not to sound harsh but his tone was cold, "Look at me uncle! Look at me and tell me that this is all a mistake, and that Myotismon is not…."

"This was never supposed happen, Wizardmon!" Saramon retorted in interruption, and he looked up at his nephew through narrowed eyes, "My brother, Azrielmon, was a good digimon in many ways…but he was a fool…when it came to love, it blinded him like no other. My brother and Alitheamon were never supposed to be together, yet he claimed that she was still Galadrimon on the inside."

"You knew that she used to be the archangel Galadrimon?" Wizardmon asked, shocked.

The fire sorcerer nodded as he continued. "But I knew that the Galadrimon was gone, and that my brother fell for nothing but a forever virus!"

The wizard's face turned ever so grave as if Saramon's own words had completely stoned him, he felt something cold and bitter breath down his bluish flesh as he remembered those visions he had earlier of Alitheamon and Oloriousmon and their son. And then he let out a hard shudder bracing himself as he remembered when he was still a slave to Myotismon, those very words the vampire spoke to him while torturing him: "_You are so much like your father, so much like my father and the rest of our people, or should I say your people, Wizardmon!" as if he was throwing an insult at the wizard. "After all, I became so…so dark because of you! It wasn't my fault I became this way, I was apart of the family, and, I was and still am the son of a leader sorcerer!" His tone grew colder and harsher. "But I guess none of that mattered to your people did it! When I escaped, and came back home after years of torture and enslavement, they didn't care, instead of helping me they shunned me out of cruelty and arrogance…" _

Did even the vampire himself know about all of this?

"So…. is it true then?" He spoke softly. "And yet if it weren't for Alitheamon…Dricomon and I would never have existed either!" His voice faltered for a brief moment, as the terror wrenched his stomach even harder, as if the pain in his heart were becoming physical.

"But doesn't that also make me a virus, Saramon?" His eyes narrowed at the sorcerer, "Then why did you and our kin, spare our lives, mine and Dricomon's, and not exile us the way you exiled Alitheamon?"

The fire sorcerer brushed away the tears on his face and laid a hand on his nephew's shoulder, but Wizardmon shrugged away from his touch.

Saramon finally bent his head low again, feeling overwhelmed by sorrow and guilt.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are, Auramon," He answered gravely, "A virus mating with a vaccine has never happened before. One thing I do know is that for every digimon, even viruses, the first child who's born, whether he's a twin or an older sibling, inherits more of his mother's blood than his father's; that was why Alitheamon could only leave you and Dricomon at Primary Village."

Wizardmon stared hard at the ground. She he had saved our lives, he thought, but couldn't save her first born…Myotismon. The whole thing just made him sick; how could he bear the truth, that Myotismon, his worst life long enemy…was apart of him? He loathed the vampire, more than words could describe it; he had taken everything from him, causing him to suffer like this. But not just with him, with Gatomon, Chihiro, Saramon, he had hurt every good creature in this world! How could he forgive him, much less feel even the slightest bit of sympathy, after all he had done? How could his father do anything so…so foolish?

And yet, as those visions came back to him…he did see that there was still good in Alitheamon, despite what happened to her, the way she sacrificed everything to save her son! Her son…Mystiamon; it was even harder for him to believe that that poor wizard, who ended up being captured and used as a victim by those digi-gods, was…Myotismon, the vampire he despised with all his heart, that his enemy was once an innocent victim! When he saw Mystiamon in his visions, he did not even see the cold-blooded, heartless vampire that he knew.

And then when he confronted him and Chihiro in the icy dungeon…Myotismon could've killed the two of them in an instant; he had the chance…. but he didn't…. instead, he just simply recoiled and left!

Was it possible then? What if, that wizard Mystiamon was still in there, just like how Galadrimon was still in Alitheamon?

"Saramon," Wizardmon started, his voice slightly shaking, "What if this was supposed to happen? Maybe…maybe my father and Alitheamon were meant to fall in love!"

The fire sorcerer's gasped in surprise. "How can you say that?"

The wizard avoided Saramon's gaze as he continued, "I know it sounds crazy, I'm not so sure I believe it myself but…I know my father as well as you do, and like him, when I had those visions of my mother…. I also saw the good inside her, the same way he did. I may be the son of a virus, but maybe not an evil one!"

Saramon shook his head solemnly. "There can be no good in a virus, Wizardmon!" And even if Alitheamon was still a good digimon, her son already plans to bring darkness upon both worlds. Even if there was still good in her, what good will that do now for your brother, or for us? Will it stop him from taking over the digital world?"

The fire sorcerer then slowly stood up, leaning on his fire-torch staff, the wizard still did not look up at him.

"There is no hope for Myotismon!" He said softly. He then bent forward reaching out his arm, and this time Wizardmon allowed him to put his hand on his shoulders.

"Farewell, Auramon." He spoke in a grave voice, "you may tell the others…. that they have my thanks! And I will return soon!"

And with that, he took his hand off, and the wizard lifted his head as he watched the fire sorcerer leap into the air, disappearing into the night sky.

Dusk was already approaching and the sky began to turn to cloudy shades of violet and fiery orange. The wizard knew he would only gain a few hours of sleep, but it was better than nothing as he wrapped his cloak about him and curled up in the soft grass.

Gatomon clung to a great oak tree with her cat claws as if she was about to fall over any second, her deep cerulean blue eyes were widened with shock, and yet they were almost glistening at the same time, as she had overheard the whole thing between Saramon and Wizardmon.

Wizardmon and Myotismon are…. brothers? She thought, her shock left her almost breathless and she gazed at the sleeping wizard as a silent tear trickled down her furry cheek. I know he probably didn't want me to find out… "And who is Alitheamon?" She wondered allowed.

"She is supposedly, a vampire…. and the mother of Wizardmon." Said a childlike voice. Gatomon nearly yelped and turned around completely startled.

"How do you know?" the white cat asked out of curiosity.

Chihiro shrugged her thin shoulders as she sat down beside the white cat digimon. "It's kind of a complicated story…. but lets just say that Wizardmon told me about it."

Gatomon looked at her paw-like feet as if she had been hurt. "He told you that Wizardmon and Myotismon are…related?"

"What? No!" Chihiro exclaimed aloud in shock, but fortunately she kept her voice down low enough, so she wouldn't wake anybody. "You know, you shouldn't even be eavesdropping on your friends little kitty!"

Gatomon gave the redheaded girl a stern-like glare, as if she had been insulted. "Well, what are you doing, up at this hour?"

The young girl sighed and bowed her head apologetically.

"I guess because I couldn't sleep, I'm as worried about Wizardmon as you are."

Gatomon nodded understandably and turned her gaze back at Wizardmon.

"So I guess it's true then!"

Chihiro said nothing as she too looked on at the wizard.

It was late morning when the digidestines finally started on foot again. After a few miles or so, they came to the edge of an enormous lake, it's deep blue waters clean yet cloudy that no one could see anything beneath it's surface.

"So where is this…Gennai person anyway?" Kari asked.

Tai pointed straight down at the lake itself. "He lives right under there, sis!"

Kari looked at the water, puzzled. "He's a human and yet he lives underwater!"

Her older brother simply shrugged. "You'll…just find out!"

Suddenly, everyone gasped as the ground began to shake and almost vibrate beneath them as if there was an earthquake. But to their surprise emerging from the lake's waters was a huge dark blue whale, almost as big as the lake itself, with torn up yet powerful fins and silver armour on it's head that extended down its back.

"Hey, Whamon!" exclaimed Matt.

The whale turned it's faceless head in their direction.

"Oh it's you, digidestines!" exclaimed the whale digimon, "long time since we've seen each other; what seems to be the problem now?"

"Whamon," asked Izzy, "could you possibly take us down to Genaii's home?"

"Why of course." The whale digimon answered and his jaws opened all the way revealing a shelter entrance through his mouth.

With that the digidestines made their way through.

As Kari , Gatomon and Chihiro entered the whale's belly along with the others they were surprised as they did not expect it to look like some kind of room in a house, completely clean and cozy.

The ride seemed like hours, even days.

Chihiro cautiously walked towards the two younger kids Kari and T.K. who were sitting together and chatting away.

The young redheaded girl felt a slight lurch in her stomach but she walked closer, "Um….hey you guys!"

The young brunette and the young blonde looked up at her.

Kari smiled sweetly, "Hey Chihiro!"

Gatomon could not help gazing worriedly at Wizardmon as he sat there wide awake in the far corner, away from everyone else; her friend had not spoken a single word since the night he told them about the digi-gods.

I must be so hard for him, she thought. She wanted to go over and at least comfort him the same way he always comforted her when she had troubles;

She briefly glanced at the young red haired girl who was busy talking to T.K. and her partner Kari.

"We're finally here!" A deep booming voice interrupted all of them.

the children and their digimon quickly got up, followed by Wizardmon and Chihiro, and once they left the whale's belly, the walls around them began to grow wet and slightly cooler, and the floor felt softer in a disguting way.

"Thanks for your help, Whamon." Said Kari as they finally stepped out of the whale digimon.

Whamon then closed his jaws and was gone as he swam off into the depths of the lake. Right before the water flooded in, a heavy door made entirely out of brick stone slid right in font of the exit ending with the most irritating screech. It was obviously a cave and there was a line of burning torches on each side of the uneven walls, turning the darkness of the cave into a deep shade of glowing orange vermillion. They began to walk down the long endless tunnel. The surrounding air cold and rather musty, making their own bodies feel damp and wet on the outside.

Fortunately the dampness in the dried up quicky, and it slowly began to get warmer as the cave walls turned to bricks. The line of torches ended at the brick walls as natural whitish light glowed in front of them.

When they reached the very end of the brick tunnel, Kari, Chihiro, Gatomon and Wizardmon all gasped at once in amazement and awe; they had never seen anything like it before! They were all standing on a long low wooden bridge over a lovely green pod covered with lime colored duckweed and beautiful water lilies off all their natural colors. Ahead, on the other side of the bridge, they saw a lovely garden decorated with trees, colorful, fully blossomed roses, lotuses and many other kinds of flowers all surrounding a small but nice looking house, made out of light brown and red-painted bamboo and wood with a flat curving roof, and huge glass door-like windows all around.

As they reached the other side, Tai softly knocked on the door; it slid open instantly, and there stood before them the same old man that they saw in Izzy's computer, only slightly taller than Wizardmon, nearly bald except for a grey ponytail, his eyes hidden under so many bags of wrinkled flesh that they seemed closed, a large round nose and a long hanging grey mustache and he was clad in a dark navy blue robe with a bright cardinal red collar that was attached to a crisscrossing brown belt, and he wore dark brown boots.

"Digidestines!" The old man spoke in a shaky voice, rather shocked to see them. "You certainly didn't say you were coming to see me!"

"I'm sorry, Gennai," explained Izzy, "But we really must speak with…." He paused in mid sentence as Gennai was staring in shock at someone else. The old man gasped in surprise as he started walking towards Chihiro who looked simply confused about all of this. "No, can it really be…." Gennai started, "somehow it's like I've seen you before". Everybody else turned to the redheaded girl who looked completely puzzled as she shook her head,

"I'm sorry, old man, I don't know what you're talking about!" the old man was then looking down at something. "What is that thing around your girl….not the tag and crest but…."

The redheaded girl pulled out something from underneath her dirty white sleeveless shirt. Wizardmon gasped, for he never noticed her wearing anything else other than her tag and crest around her neck. Hanging from brown woven string was a plain golden heart pendant, with two letters of someone's initials carved into it. Gennai gently cupped the pendant in his hands studying the initials.

"A woman I knew long ago, wore this necklace, but she then gave it to her newborn daughter…..before she died. Where did you get this child?"

Chihiro shrugged her shoulders, "I believe I had this necklace, sir, for as long as I can remember."

The old man looked up into her deep hazel blue eyes, his barely open eyes welled with tears. "Same hair, same eyes…..just like my daughter-in-law, Anya," Just then the redheaded girl gasped as Gennai suddenly threw his arms around her, hugging her close to him, "You're Chihiro, Anya's child!"

Chihiro felt rather uncomfortable by the embrace, and yet she hesitated to push him away. "Gennai, are you my……"

The old man finally broke away and ran a wrinkled hand through her tangled red hair. "I'm your grandfather! You are the last of the elders!"

"The what?" Chihiro asked confused.

Wizardmon and the digidestines gasped in surprise; one shocking thing was occurring after another.

"Can someone tell me, what the hell is going on?" Tai finally snapped with impatience, unable to take the puzzlement any further. "And who the heck are the elders?"

Gennai simply smiled at the older brown haired boy. "Come inside, and I'll explain everything!"

Wizardmon, Chihiro and the digidestines were led into a large living room, with a wooden floor, covered with a beautifully red and gold woven rug, there were light brown bamboo woven posts to hold up the roof and in the very center was a low risen maple wood table surrounded by red velvet cushions which everyone sat down upon.

Gennai left his guests briefly, and then a few minutes later he returned with china cups filled with hot green tea on a silver tray.

"Now listen," The old man began as he placed the tray on the table and sat down on one of the chair-like cushions, "A long time ago, long before you digidestines came here, there was another much larger group of humans that first came to the digital world. You, see since Ancient times in both worlds, there was a special clan of humans who had a connection with the digital world, and they would often go there and help shepherd it and protect it; and of course spend time with other digimon. Though later on, the humans of the clan were starting to lose touch with the other world as they were forced to mix in with other mortal cultures, so the head digi-god Azulongmon decided that he would choose one particular group of humans (the elders), that would live in the digital world and protect it or shepherd it, and another particular group, (the digidestines), that would stay in their own world and would only be called back to the digital world when they're needed; mainly to help the elders protect it from evil and they would have the 'chosen' digimon by their side."

Matt nodded. "So you and Chihiro are elders? How come we haven't met others of your kind?"

Gennai looked away as his face turned sad and grave. "Sadly our kind are nearly extinct, as many of them have been killed off by the virus digimon who opposed all human kind." He then turned to the young redheaded girl. "You see Chihiro," he continued, "You are only half elder. Sixty years ago, your father, my son, married a digidestined named Anya Kanzaki, and had two twin children, a son and a daughter. But when the war between the humans and the viruses broke out, and our own village was attacked I ordered my son and daughter-in-law flee and save my grandchildren, and your mother would have her digimon take you and your twin brother to the human world where you would both be safe.

A while later, I grew two worried that maybe something terrible happened during their escape so I went out looking for them. All my people had been killed and….when I finally found your parents…..they were lying the ground limp and lifeless, killed by Myotismon!"

Chihiro looked away from her grandfather as a tear trickled down her cheek,

"Myotismon also killed my brother, when we were sucked into the digital world." She spoke gravely. I really have lost everything, she thought with bitterness. She then turned around as she felt the old man's hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"But if this happened sixty years ago, then how come I'm only….nine years old?"

"Well, you see child, that's because time in the digital world moves a lot differently than time in the human world; it's pattern moves much more faster, so you only wouldn't have been nine if you stayed in the digital world."

The digidestines all stared at the old man in shock,

"But that doesn't make sense!" exclaimed T.K., "If we are descended from this…so-called "clan", that had a connection to the digital world, then how come our parents and grandparents were never….you know, digidestines or never even heard of digimon and the digital world?"

"Your grandparents may never have been digidestines," Gennai explained, "but one of your ancestors were most definitely apart of that clan; but the digi-god Azulongmon, knows which child is the chosen digi-destined!"

He then turned to Chihiro, taking her hands into his as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Chihiro, I never thought that you would survive since the outbreak of the war."

Just then he got up and walked over to a far corner of the where he grabbed a small flat wooden box off the shelf.

"I have a gift for you," and as he sat down and handed the box to his young granddaughter, Chihiro gently opened and gasped. Inside attached to a bronze chain was a beautiful amulet that was of sterling silver and woven in celtic style a human eye made completely out of gold, in the very center of the pendant.

"Oh, it's beautiful! Thank you!" She exclaimed. And with that she lifted it from the box attaching it around her neck.

Gennai smiled. "This powerful amulet carries the symbol of our people," And he pulled out from beneath his dark blue robe another amulet just like her own. The digidestines gasped. "This special pendant will always be there for you." And soon, the two of them were holding hands again, smiling at each other.

The young red haired girl then broke the silence. "But then if I'm half elder and half digidestined, then do you possibly know who my digimon partner is?"

The old man shook his head. "I'm afraid not! But Chihiro, if you are both elder and digidestined, then that means you can only choose one or the other, and that will become your lifelong fate."

"What do you mean, Gennai?"

"Meaning that, you can either choose to live in the digital world with me, for the rest of your life and become the next, if not last elder when I'm gone, or go live in the human world and Azulongmon will choose your digimon partner. You cannot have both, for such a thing is not possible."

Wizardmon gazed at the two of them. He was certainly happy for Chihiro, If she chose to become an elder at least she would have a home, a family, and a place in life, and most all, for Gennai's sake, there would be some hope that the line of elders would continue ; after being through so much, after losing her parents, her brother and then living all alone in a dangerous world for six years. And yet if she became a digidestined, that probably wouldn't be so bad either, since she would have a digimon that would always stay loyal to her and look after throughout the many dangers she would face like a mother or father……but Gennai, would be able to do the same thing as well.

And it was only because of Myotismon and the dark digi-gods that she suffered like this her whole life. Either choice she made would finally end her pain and loneliness.

Myotismon, he thought, how could I truly forgive him after what he's done, and yet…..why is my lifelong hatred for him suddenly….slowly withering away. Was it only because he just discovered that they were related? Either way, he felt so confused.

"So you know about the dark digi-gods already?" asked Sora, breaking the silence.

The old man looked at the older girl with the firey brown hair and the tomboyish outfit. "Of course I do, Sora!"

"So you also know," Izzy, added, "That these gods might have been behind Myotismon's plot to conquer both worlds, all along? That they are just using the vampire to bring darkness to our world and the digital world?"

Gennai raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How did you find that out?"

"From me!" The wizard spoke up. "When I was in the Dark Ocean with Chihiro, I had these visions of the dark digi-gods. And then when we were back in the digital world, we encountered a clan of angels, and their leader Arisamon told us the story of the god Ancientseraphmon."

"I see, Wizardmon," the old man nodded, and he sighed heavily. "I'm afraid that digi-gods are not that easy to defeat, unlike virus digimon, especially…Ancientseraphmon…I'm afraid it's impossible to destroy him!"

"What do you mean…impossible?" Tai demanded, as shocked as everyone else.

The old man bowed his head low, "Being the god of the angels and sorcerers, that also makes him the god of life and death! That's why he can never be killed, according to the texts on the gods, it says that he walks in both life and the underworld."

A brief silence fell upon everyone, as they felt beyond troubled about this terrible truth.

"You mean that it's hopeless for us?" asked Gatomon, "that there is no way we can defeat the head digi-god?"

Again there was a brief silence. "There might be someone," Gennai finally answered the white cat. "A long time ago, though it was probably only one or two years ago, I came across a written prophecy in one of the sorcerers' ancient libraries. I don't know if it's even true, but I remember it saying that there would be a chosen digimon who would defeat the dark digi-gods, who can kill the Ancientseraphmon and help the digi-destines bring peace to both worlds."

"Do you remember where this library was?" Wizardmon asked the old man. "Maybe I can go there and see if there is anymore information on this…prophecy!"

If this prophecy is true, what digimon could possibly have the power to kill to digi-god of life and death?

To be continued…


	11. The prophecy

Hey… this is Athena! I've written some of this.

Sabriel: Yes, Athena (for no important reason) visited me over Christmas Break in December, and she helped me write some of this, and if you've read her work, you will recognize some of the writing in here

Prophecy

"So tell, us more about the dark digi-gods." Persuaded the young blonds boy whose name was T.K.

"I believe because of Myotismon, because of all the power he gained, they've somehow recovered completely." Went on Gennai. "At first because they were defeated in the Great War between them and the alliance of sorcerers and angels and were exiled as gods, even Azulongmon believed that they were long dead. However after Myotismon came to be, overtime, it started to become more and more evident that they were still alive. Unfortunately, nobody could've stopped it from happening, after, Myotismon, it was already too late. They had hoped to destroy the eighth digi-destined, the line of your powers would be broken, and they would have had a more likely chance of destroying you all and taking over both worlds. But thank goodness that they didn't, there is still some hope."

"Why does Myotismon and these dark digimon hate us so much?" The young brunette girl named Kari asked, "Why do they so badly to destroy us."

The elder man sighed as he looked away from the young girl. "It's almost too complicated to answer, for there are many reasons why they do this…but….as all digimon and elders know, their hatred, and evil began after us elders and the digidestines came to be in the digital world, and because they were appointed, because you were appointed as the chosen digi-destines it angered Ancientseraphmon and his followers even more, because to them, humans and digimon belong in different worlds, they cannot be together as one."

The digidestines could not believe what they heard.

"So all this corruption in the digital world really did happen because of us," sighed Sora, her voice sounding grave.

"So you're blaming us for all this?" protested the blue haired boy with the large spectacles named Jo.

The old man shook his head, "Of course not! This isn't happening because of you;….at least I don't believe that! I'm just telling you that because of Ancientseraphmon's hatred for humans, he plans to take over the digital world and destroy all of you all and those that have fought against him in the past."

"Gennai," Wizardmon spoke up, "How soon do you think Myotismon and the dark digi-gods will be ready to fight against us?"

The elder gave a solemn look at the wizard's question as if he were troubled by something. "I'm afraid I'm not sure," he spoke gently. "However, it's most likely, or as most digimon have rumored, that Ancientseraphmon and his people will have fully regained their power…on the night of the new moon cycle; believed to be the same night when they were cast away by Azulongmon.

The wizard gasped. Probably the same night when they fought against the alliance of his people and the angel clan!

The old man gazed in sympathy at the grave faces of Wizardmon and the digidestines

"That sure is too soon, that's only," The brunette boy named Tai spoke softly, "There may be a chance to kill the other digi-gods, and defeat Myotismon, but if we can't kill Ancientseraphmon. Then we really are at a disadvantage."

The older blonde boy nodded. "But I guess we'll have no choice. But you say there is a prophecy that there is someone that can defeat Ancientseraphmon, if we can't."

The old man sighed heavily, "who knows though if we'll find the mon that can kill Ancientseraphmon, but I'll tell you, prophecies are nothing like mere rumors, they are never false. It is also believed that this mon can find the bond between all humans and digimon and perhaps bring order and peace to the lost civilizations of the angels and the sorcerers"

Later that afternoon, Gennai lead his granddaughter as she limped behind him on her wooden crutches to a large rather modest looking room with wood-carved and silken furniture as the two had a brief moment to themselves. The red headed girl slowly seated herself on one of the couches. "Did you not know that my brother and I were called back to the digital world?"

The old man shook his head solemnly, "for years, ever since I saw what happened to your parents I wasn't even so sure if you two were still alive, I couldn't even sense your presences since you didn't even have on your silver amulets. And I'm really sorry that my grandson was killed!"

Chihiro gazed into her grandfather's old narrowed eyes. "So, you say I have to choose what my destiny will be; whether I'll become a digi-destined, or an elder?"

Gennai gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "You are still young, my grandchild; and there may still be time. Unless you're ready to choose your destiny, your time to decide does not have to be now. But one thing you should know, you could still choose one of those paths, but there is a difference in choosing a path because you feel it's your mission, your duty to save the world, even if it's just one battle, and then choosing a path, not just because it's your duty, but because it is or will become your destiny for life."

The redheaded girl looked confused, "What do you mean by that?"

The old man smiled at her, "You'll understand one day."

Wizardmon, Chihiro and digidestines stayed longer and had supper at Gennai's home.

It was almost time for everyone to depart as Chihiro sat in the middle of a narrow hallway against the wooden walls, after politely asking to be alone for a while. With one hand she pulled out her digivice and with the other took off the silver and golden amulet that Gennai gave to her and she stared long and hard at the two items until her hazel blue eyes became sore as if memorizing every detail of the objects. How could it be that she could only choose one of them? What if she chose to become a digidestined, have a digimon partner and live in the human world with the other children she met? If Wizardmon became her digimon partner….he had been kind to her and she did feel close to him, and she knew he would always protect her from danger. And yet, she had lived in the digital world for most of her life, her real parents were dead and she barely knew that family that adopted her in the human world. What did she know about her native world anyway? If she chose to live with Gennai, she would have…..somewhat of a family of her own, since he was after all her grandfather, and she felt partly obligated to do so, since the line of the elders was almost over. Her gaze turned towards the ceiling.

Though maybe it would be a nice life for me, she thought, living in this lovely house that has a pretty garden, under a lake, I could be spending the rest of my life here with my grandfather, away from all this fear and chaos in the digital world….except when I become the head elder when Gennai is gone…..what will I do then? And if she chose to become an elder, she could never change her mind and become a digidestined. And yet, on the other hand, she suddenly remembered those words Gennai spoke to her:

_You are still young, my grandchild; and there may still be time. Unless you're ready to choose your destiny, your time to decide does not have to be now. But one thing you should know, you could still choose one of those paths, but there is a difference in choosing a path because you feel it's your mission, your duty to save the world, even if it's just one battle, and then choosing a path, not just because it's your duty, but because it is or will become your destiny for life._

What did he mean by that?

She turned her head towards the living room where most of the other children and their digimon were still eating their fill.

I also wonder if Wizardmon is still in there with them, she thought, or if he has already left.

Just then she gasped startled as Kari was suddenly standing over her.

"Kari!" Chihiro exclaimed. "I…I didn't notice you."

The young brunette smiled as she sat down next to her, "Sorry to startle you like that, I'm just wondering if you're okay."

The redheaded girl raised her eyebrows as if she had never expected someone to be concerned with her.

"Well…. uh that's nice of you." She said rather awkwardly. "Yeah I'm okay…. just thinking, I guess."

Kari nodded understandably. "It really must be hard for you. Living alone in the digital world all your life and never knowing your real family or where you really belong."

Chihiro shrugged slightly and smiled. "Maybe loneliness is not the worst thing," she sighed, "then again…. I've never really had any friends before, much less I've never been around…nicer people all my life."

The young brunette girl nodded understandably "Don't worry you'll get used to it," she reassured the redheaded girl, "you know, why don't you come and hang around with us."

Wizardmon shut the sliding door behind as he walked out on the garden bridge. It was hard to believe that were hiding in some mountain under a lake, it all looked too…real, as if this place was not an underwater hideout after all, and even when he expected there to at least be dark cave-like walls all around them, instead, above him looked like the clear blue sky itself.

"Wizardmon?" Said a soft voice behind him.

He turned around as he saw Gatomon walking towards him. He kneeled down in front of her. "What is it Gatomon?"

"Wizardmon," she sighed, and yet she spoke firmly, "Don't you what-is-it-Gatomon me and please tell me what is wrong. I know you are not leaving just to get the prophecy. Something has been troubling you ever since last night" She gazed at him anxiously "Wizardmon…please tell me, what is wrong?" Now that she already knew the truth, what was her friend going to do about it…was he going to do something about it? What was this terrible feeling deep inside her, that kept saying, that perhaps…. her friend was going to do more than just fight alongside the digi-destines. The whole thing must've been so hard for him; she still couldn't believe herself that he Myotismon were…. related; the whole thing just sickened her!

The wizard sighed, bowing his head low. This was not the time for her to be pushing him like this, how could he possibly tell her what happened between him and Saramon? How could he tell her that Myotismon, the world's worst enemy was his own…brother? He couldn't! Much less, he couldn't tell her what he was really about to do. That feel of guilt overwhelmed and he felt a lurching twist in his gut, but he knew he couldn't tell her…. she wouldn't understand, none of them would, she would only try to stop him, or worse…try to follow him, only putting her in danger, it was better this way…and yet…why did he feel this slight sense of remorse and betrayal? A slight wave of nausea over took him as his stomach lurched again.

"Gatomon…. I…" he started.

"Wizardmon, don't you dare "Gatomon" me!" The white cat snapped her blue eyes narrowed at her wizard friend.

The wizard could hardly say anything as he looked away.

"Is that all you are going to give me…just hesitating silence?" she snapped. "Gatomon, stop it!" The wizard retorted in interruption, as he looked away, his expression remained calm and full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry…. I just can't tell you!"

"Wizardmon, what do you mean, you can't tell me?" the white cat demanded, and then her voice turned calmer, but still remained firm: "You're my best friend, you can tell me anything! Please tell me what is troubling you!"

Gatomon frowned at him, as she let out a heavy sigh.

'Tell me what's troubling you!?' she thought bitterly, 'Gatomon, you already know what's troubling him! Do you really think he's going to answer you truthfully?'

Her stomach lurched as her memory of last night flashed back in her mind; what she had overheard between him and the fire sorcerer Saramon.

The white cat digimon turned her gaze towards a group of water lilies on the other side of the bridge. She had heard every word they had spoken, and now she felt a hot flush of guilt and worry pass over her. And then…that terrible feeling lurched inside her again…could it be…. he wouldn't!

"Look, I know Myotismon is your brother, and I know it's hard for you to face that... I probably can't even imagine how you must be feeling..." Suddenly she gasped and smacked a gloved paw over her mouth; what on earth was she thinking, saying something like that? Her friend probably didn't even want her or anyone else know the truth about him and Myotismon...and yet, it had already slipped out!

The wizard gasped in shock at her words. How did she…how could she…

"Gatomon! How did you...

Gatomon took hold of the wizard's light sand colored jumpsuit with both her paws, and yet did not dare let her eyes meet his.

"Listen, Wizardmon," She slowly began, "you don't have to say anymore. You see, I…. well…. I overheard what you and Saramon talked about last night."

The wizard's deep emerald eyes widened as he heard this, "You…what?!"

The white cat digimon sighed heavily as she continued, "I didn't mean to, I just couldn't sleep that night…. because, well you looked so troubled the day we reunited and…." Her voice faltered.

The wizard turned away from the white cat digimon as he leaned against the railing of the wooden bridge gazing out at small midnight pond ahead enveloped in the garden's flowers and plants, their soft bright colors seemed to give a cheerful light to the darkness of the tunnel they were staying in, and yet deep in his in his mind, his eyes seemed to be staring into nothing but darkness.

Gatomon finally broke the silence, as she leapt onto the wooden railing next to him, so the two were nearly level with one another. "Not only that, you seemed even more than ever since that night... and I don't why it would come to mind...but I figured you would do something so foolish..." she could hardly find the right words..."well don't deny it...I know I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but..."

"Gatomon," The wizard spoke softly, slightly shaking, "you're right... I do plan to confront Myotismon on my own. Please...you must understand. Saramon had told me, that Myotismon is nothing but a heartless killing virus and that there is no chance that he has any good in him. All my life I believed that even before he told me; besides, he and the dark digi-gods, murdered all my kinsmen; but now…now that I've learned what he really is…only part of me feels such hatred for him!"

"Wizardmon," She asked in confusion, "I don't understand! What are you trying to tell me?"

The wizard gave a slight shudder…how would he say this? Why was feeling this way in the first place? He could almost hear that voice shouting at him, that part of him, that feeling of hatred and anguish still burning like fire in his mind all the way through his veins:

You fool, how can you think like that?! How can you even accept that he's your brother?! He is evil, he killed your father, your sister, he murdered your kinsmen and even did cruel thing to other innocent digimon, like Gatomon. He was even cruel to you! That vampire is a monster! There is no good, no kindness in him, nothing!

It was all true! Myotismon was cruel and evil, and he despised him with all his being; and yet what was this other feeling that was holding him back? .

"Gatomon, I can't understand it all anymore than you do now, or even believe it but…after this, I can't stop feeling that there might be good in him. Despite what he's done to me…I feel as if I can't bring myself to kill my own flesh and blood!"

The white cat digimon gasped as her cerulean blue eyes widened with shock. Had her friend gone mad? She couldn't what her cat ears just heard. Myotismon having good in him? Why would he think something like that? This wasn't at all like him!  
"Gatomon, listen to me," he began slowly, "I think…all along…" he hesitated but continued, "all my life; somehow, I think I've always known that…Myotismon is my brother; that…. he was being used by this darkness, to kill off my people."

Gatomon looked puzzled, "You mean the dark digi-gods?"

The wizard nodded and went on, "Myotismon and I; we have felt a connection between each other…. for as long as I can remember. But…I think I was too afraid to believe that that connection…. might've mean something. That was why I never found out much less figured that he was my brother…until now.

Before he even came to wipe out my kin, I…I always saw him in every dream I had; and somehow I knew that he was the evil that was coming to us but…." His voice faltered for a brief moment. "Even now I can feel his presence from far away.

There is something else you need to know about Myotismon…his mother…my mother…Alitheamon; she was once an angel, and the dark digi-gods changed her into the same darkness Myotismon is now, which is also the same darkness that I am; If Myotismon and I share the same blood, then I also carry the curse of the virus…"

"Don't say that," the white cat snapped in interruption, "You may be related to him, but you are not like him! You are not a virus!"

Wizardmon sighed heavily, and could feel himself slightly shaking as he felt something cold and painful bite into his gut.

"How can you be so sure of that, Gatomon?" He spoke gently, "I'm the son of one! And more than that, when I was in the dark ocean, something happened to me, to Myotismon when we were both there. All this time when I was there, there was know way I could've survived, considering that we were both sucked into that portal together; Myotismon had his chance to destroy me back there, and then over twenty years ago, when he attacked my home, I was no more than a mere rookie, and he could've killed me along with the rest of my kinsmen, since he and the dark digi-gods had intended the sorcerers' race all along, but he didn't! It's almost as if…" it came out despite that it sickened him to say it, "as if there is still some good in him…. the way there was still good in our mother, Alitheamon."

The white cat gasped her eyes wide with shock at his words. How could he say something like that?

"But why must you confront him?" she asked softly.

"Because that may be my only choice, Gatomon," Said the wizard, "It might be the only way,"

"The only way?" The white cat asked confused. But she was silenced as the wizard clasped her green gloved paw, with his own gloved hand, squeezing it briefly as he gave a small smile behind his scarf.

"Please understand, Gatomon." He spoke gently, " Tell Chihiro, Kari and the others that…" He hesitated, what could he possibly ask her to tell them? He felt a ice chill run down his spinal column, he couldn't tell them that he would be back soon…. for there would be no guarantee that he would make it back alive. "…. Tell them to look after themselves!" He said quickly as he withdrew his hand from hers and started to walk towards the center of the bridge. Gatomon quickly grabbed hold of his free hand stopping him.

"Please take me with you," She begged.

"No, " the wizard protested, "I want you to stay here with Kari and the others. It's best if I go alone."

"Don't try to order me around," the white cat retorted, "Do you honestly think you can face Myotismon on your own? You'll die if you do! Besides, I'm not asking to go, I'm demanding it."

The wizard shuddered deeply as he gazed into his friend's anxious eyes, wanting to turn away from her.

"Gatomon," He said quietly as he kneeled down and gently but firmly grabbed her skinny white shoulders, "I know this may be hard for you to hear, but you must listen to me, unlike me, you are a digidestined's digimon, the eighth digimon, Kari and the digidestines need you more than anything. You still have a destiny to fulfill, to save this world; if I don't make it back alive, you and the digidestines are the only ones left who can stop him, who can stop the dark digi-gods.

"Wizardmon…." Gatomon tried to protest, but she hesitated and felt as if she had lost all words. She would never abandon her friend Kari and the other digidestines…why would she? But Wizardmon was also her best friend, she didn't want to lose him again…and yet, he was right about one thing; the digidestines did need her more than anything to save this world from darkness.

Before the white cat digimon could say anything more, the wizard quickly got up and pointed his sun staff at the floor, and it began to glow a fiery red as he softly muttered a spell. Slowly yet gradually, he became engulfed in a golden flame that glowed first from the bottoms of his boot and then spread all the way up to the top of his pointed hat.

Within the next minute or so he disappeared, it looked as if he had slowly faded into thin air.

The white cat digimon sighed faintly as she sank to her furry knees.

Myotismon cautiously opened a large metal door, there was nothing but darkness surrounding him; he could not even see his own hands in front of him. Just then the door finally opened and there was a dim room that was only lit up by four non-stop burning candles in golden lamp-like holder that was placed on the dirty stone floor. In the very center of the room was a large coffin-shaped bath tub that looked like a hand built pit in the middle of the floor with two large holes on each side that connected to the water pipes. There were large silver levers on the opposite wall, and as he stepped inside and walked towards them, he felt himself on the verge of choking as he knew of the inevitable point when he would need to remove his vestments and gaze upon the horrible scars of his past. His master had not hurt him since last night after he dreamed about that strange wizard being held captive—he had been tortured for hours; even now, that unbearable agony still felt as real as the vampire cautiously but steadily turned on the faucet and let the water run.

Perhaps now would be the time to examine the scars? The cleansing of his exterior could very well be one to his interior as well; no other time was better than now. He could not have done this in the presence of his master.

He untied the crimson, silk cravat that concealed his beautiful, long neck. His features might have been angelic, but the blemishes that adorned them forced the vampire to hide himself, even his face, from the outside. He removed the golden bat brooch that fastened his cape together and let the dark mantle drop elegantly to the floor. His gloves and boots were willingly removed; there were no deformities of the skin on his hands and feet. Finally, the leather belts were the last to go, and there was only his uniform standing between the illusion and the truth.

Shakily, dreading the inevitable, he undid the first gold button that held the top of his uniform together. The cerulean material fell to the side, exposing the skin at the top of his chest. He could see the slight purple scars that were once gashes from the whips his master had given him. Hearing the bathwater rushing against the metal, Myotismon slowly unbuttoned the other two, then let his arms hang as the shirt fell to the floor.

Only in his trousers yet feeling nude already, he traced the various scars running up and down his torso with a long finger, shuddering as each whip told a story. He let a viewing orb roll out of his free hand, and it floated before him and expanded like a bubble, serving as the only means that Myotismon could see himself, for vampires did not cast a reflection.

The vampire saw himself in nothing but his blue trousers that hung loosely around his thin waist. The candlelight reflected off the curves of his muscles, bathing him in an angelic, golden glow. He turned around and examined his backside in the orb. Through the shadows, he could still see every scar that crisscrossed his back like the agony of his past in his life—some were deeper than others and left a darker violet against the light blue, and those he could still feel! Nothing was worse than seeing this sight before him, his emaciated form where the bones still stuck out and his tender flesh ripped apart.

He whirled around, but his front side seemed even worse.

The scars still remained, hundreds of them. He winced and felt a sharp sting as he ran a finger down one of them, as if the wound was still fresh.

Why did he have such scars? How long had he had them? He had gotten wounded in battles with other digimon, and for the number of times he had healed himself, or even when he bathed, he had never even noticed these scars…. For a long time they had seemed entirely invisible to him; it wasn't until he came to that dungeon in the dark ocean when… suddenly the flowing blood in his veins froze like ice…when he saw them for the first time, or when any of this unknown madness that was making him crazed came alive… those mysterious dreams about that strange wizard and his vampire mother, these scars…it all started happening when he came into that dungeon, into the dark ocean! That was where it all started!

But these were not scars from a battle; they looked more like the scars of a tortured prisoner. After the number of years he had hurt his soldiers he could see still them whimpering before him chained and shackled to walls and covered in past severe whippings; he could remember pleasure and hunger growing inside him as fresh sweet blood flowed out of their wounds. He could still picture every single detail in his mind as if it were all happening right now before his eyes.

He gazed even harder at these scars on his body; they were exactly like the scars he saw on his henchman whenever they were punished for disobeying him.

But why did he have them? He would always keep asking himself that question. However, the scars would only hurt him when…he had those visions those strange dreams, and in that very moment when he had them, it was almost like he was really there…. or like he was inside those two mons, slowly feeling their sorrow and pain. Only then did it feel like someone, was really beating him, torturing him. And then whenever he thought deeply about all of it, his master…

He shuddered and squeezed his eyes tightly for a brief moment, unable to bear those thoughts any longer.

Perhaps the water would do him some good.

Myotismon hastily removed his trousers, standing fully nude for one brief moment before lowering himself into the water.

He winced painfully as he felt a slight icy sting hit his scars one by one as the scalding hot water slowly enveloped his whole body, it burned and yet soothed his flesh at the same time and then he moaned as the warmth of the water began to massage his old wounds all the way down to his aching muscles and the stuffy scent of steam filled his nostrils.

He slowly laid back his head resting on the stone edge of the tub, the candles were still burning brightly, their golden flames outlined every bony feature on his handsome face, making them look soft and warm instead of sharp like they usually were. He lightly traced them with his bare fingers, though he knew, unlike the rest of his body, his face bore no scars…Suddenly his hand came across his crimson bat-winged mask; he almost as suddenly a question came across him, something he had never asked himself before; how come took this mask off, why did he even wear it in the first place? Though for a long time he almost never even noticed, even when he looked in the mirror…. as if it was a part of him, or a part of his own face. If there was ever a time when he removed it and looked in the mirror…he could not remember it. What was he? What was under there? What was he hiding from himself from with such a mask?

He gazed into his mirror-like orb that floated above him on the ceiling both his hands touched the crimson mask slowly enclosing around it, as the temptation grew stronger and stronger. What was he hiding? The same question kept running through his mind, the water almost suddenly felt ice cold on his pale bluish flesh and he shuddered deeply as he slowly and carefully lifted the mask off….

Suddenly a blinding white light flashed over his steel blue eyes, and the dark damp ceiling and stonewalls that surrounded him seemed to disappear in it.

His eyes widened with shock, as, what seemed to look like a huge bright golden fiery ball, suddenly started floating above him above him and it seemed to cover the entire ceiling.

Myotismon gasped heavily, and for a brief second it felt like the lively air had been sucked out of his lungs, as the ball changed back into the mirror, orb that he had cast from his hand, but the mon inside it, that stared right back at him with the exact expression ……who was he? It was almost as if he did not recognize himself…or was this even his real reflection?

Although he had the same angelic face, the same hard-boned features, pale blue skin; even his eyes were just like his own, except…they were a deeper, warmer blue…. they almost reminded him of Gatomon's eyes. His blonde hair was almost golden and longer, flowing past his bare shoulders…a lot like Angemon's hair except it was way much lighter. His lips were colorless and his mouth bore no fangs. Just then he gasped as he noticed on his left eye, running down from his dark brow to his left cheekbone was a dark purplish, crimson scar; in the center of it looked like his flesh was ripped apart and there was that hint if blood oozing from the wound. He suddenly thought about the scars gave to Wizardmon, on his face, (which was why the wizard covered most of it with a scarf); both scars looked so much alike. He put a bear hand to his face and could hardly gasp, much less breathe as he felt the same unbearable sting as he had felt when he touched his other scars.

"So…." He whispered between heavy shudders, "is this what I've been hiding under this mask for the past hundred and twenty years? This…. this, hideous scar, this…. unknown face?"

Though strangely this mon's face in his reflection remained calm…if not so blank and empty at the same time even when his mouth moved, whenever the vampire spoke. And yet; although Myotismon could not see it in the orb, he could feel it both on the outside and deep down within him; this growing fear, this confusion…this pain of always seeing himself as something different; first as the young red wizard, then as that hideous black monster, and now… He finally squeezed his eyes shut unable to look at it any further. All this, that had been making him more crazed and sane by the day…but what was it leading to?

"It hurts doesn't it, but that is what feeling and emotion is all about. Pain, remembrance, loneliness…. but most of all, the pain of feeling so lost, like you're in a dark place."

Myotismon gasped as a young female voice suddenly spoke up. That voice…. he had heard it in one of his dreams.

"I once had felt that way…." She continued, as he slowly opened his eyes.

The vampire gasped heavily as he saw his strange reflection was replaced by the image of a tall and young looking female digimon. She was an angel! A very beautiful one with eight white feathery wings that glowed as brightly and as luminously as her pale blue skin and her wavy mane of golden hair that fell freely down past her delicate-boned shoulders. She was clad in an ice blue and silver tight two piece suit that revealed most of her skin including her slender legs and mid-drift. Over it, she wore an almost see-through white silken gown with a silver Celtic-woven belt about her waist, and then over that a pale lavender blue robe of pure velvet with natural pearls and diamonds woven into the delicate fabric and she wore gold Celtic and pearl-beaded belts. Resting on her nearly revealed breast was a small frost white gem pendant that was shaped like an eight-pointed star wrapped in silver and hanging from three pearl necklaces, and he could not see the rest of her body. She was definitely an archangel, although she wore a tall silver helmet with golden wings on the sides curving upward, her eyes…he gasped, when he saw when he saw her eyes which were a warm cerulean blue revealed behind a shimmering white mask. He shuddered and felt as if something ice cold and sharp running down his bare flesh as he gazed into her eyes; they almost reminded him of Gatomon's, or of…he gasped; that beautiful angel almost looked like…like the same womon that he always saw in his dreams!

He finally found his voice again and narrowed his steel blue eyes at the strange angel.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"My name was Galadrimon," answered the archangel, her voice was deep and smooth. "I was the archangel of the digital world hundreds of years ago. I once had this body, this vaccine soul within me, this name…now it's all not real; what you see me as now…was all from the past,

The vampire's frown softened at her words.

"What do you mean…. what I see you as now?"

"Behind this illusion you see, I'm nothing but a fallen angel, a virus," despite her rather firm tone, her eyes seemed peaceful and showed no signs

Of emotion as she spoke, "even my own son couldn't be saved from the darkness that I put into his blood…. that they had put into my blood."

Myotismon narrowed his steel blue eyes. "I don't understand what you're talking about!" he said coldly.

Just then, the angel woman's eyes seemed to glare back at him. "Perhaps not, but you know of what I speak, many of us did fear that the human race would take over the digitalworld despite that they were chosen by Azulongmon, but the truth is we've never really realized that they really did have a connection to our world; they've always had. That is why you and I have felt so lost. I once had a life of my own, and having you was both a blessing and curse that never should've been brought upon me. But in truth we both never really knew where our places were in this world."

The vampire stared at her in puzzlement, what the hell was she talking about, what did any of this have to do with him? And yet deep, down her speech almost…. moved him!

She continued before he could even say anything. "And yet sadly it was also because of the elders and digidestines, that they brought you into this world of darkness, but in the end we've all done each other evil whether we are humans, virus or vaccine digimon. However, that doesn't mean we should always accept what we've done, what we are, or what we've become."

The vampire gave a malicious chuckle but it felt like he was merely forcing it. "What crazy speech are you trying to give me womon?"

The archangel's eyes narrowed.

"Look into yourself Myotismon," her voice turned harsh and cold, "open up your clouded eyes and look at what you've done; what you're doing now! Do you really feel it's the right thing? Is this really your destiny? Do you not even have the slightest regrets over what you've done, or have you really forgotten…your true self?"

Myotismon's face turned serious again as he stared at her in confusion. "True self?"

The angel woman's voice began to soften. "Somewhere deep down inside…. you still know…who you truly are, who I am…" her tone began to sound rather desperate. "Did you really think that I betrayed you, that the digimon I loved betrayed you! Why do you always stop yourself from remembering? Could it be that you're too afraid of what you might find?"

The vampire frowned at her. "What I might find?" he snapped coldly, "What would I be so afraid of? I am Myotismon, the lord of all virus digimon, who will soon become the leader of the dark digi-gods, and it's my destiny to destroy the humans and conquer the digital world. That is all I need to know! And there is no one who can stop me!" But just as he spoke those words, he felt a cold sickening lurch in his stomach making him let out a slight shudder.

The archangel fell silent at his words for a brief moment, her face looked grave and sorrowful. "That's what you think," She spoke gently, " but he can't deceive you forever, he doesn't even have the power to keep you under his control. Why do you think you have these nightmares, these illusions? No matter what, you will always see those haunting faces. He knows what you are and he fears it greatly!"

The vampire let out a slight gasp; his steel blue eyes were widened,

"He?? What are you talking about?" how did she even know about…. those bad dreams?

Galadrimon bowed her head low but did not take her gaze off the vampire.

"Ask the one you call master." She demanded in a low voice.

The vampire was utterly shocked at her words and could feel it burn inside him as he shot her a cold and angry glare, "What are you saying, womon!?!" he demanded harshly.

Just then he squeezed his eyes shut as he let out a cry of agony as something that felt like the hot fiery blade of a sword slicing the flesh off his bare back reopening his scars. Suddenly, he didn't realize he was holding his mask in inch above his face and didn't dare open his eyes as something that ran down from his forehead in through his right eyes began to burn like mad.

"You'll be in even more pain, if you don't put that back on your face!!" Shouted a cold voice behind him; or it sounded more like behind the steel door.

Myotismon winced as he quickly placed the mask back on and then laid back in the hot tub the cold hard stone floor cradled his head and his heart pounded madly, making him breathe heavily in exhaustion and dismay as the pain stopped. On the other hand he could still though, feel the stinging agony burn through his reopened scars and he felt something warm and thick trickling down his back; but to his shock when he wiped a small part of his back with his finger, there was not a trace of crimson blood, as if there were no wounds at all.

He felt himself shaking and a slight wave of dizziness passed over him as he climbed his way out of the tub, pulling himself to his feet. He attempted to turn around and look into the mirror-like orb once again, but then felt something cold trickle down his spine and shuddered deeply as he looked away and began to put his clothes on. So he was watching this whole time? He thought, he shook his head, no if he was there the whole time he would've punished me hours ago!

He finished buttoning his cerulean blue suit and grabbed his golden bat brooch as he began to fasten on his scarlet and black cloak. "So what is your bidding, master"? He spoke rather casually as he pulled open the steel door.

Those disgusting yellow eyes glared at him. "Do not mock me, Myotismon." He snapped coldly. "Who were you talking to? Do you still see those digimon's faces?!"

Myotismon gasped in astonishment, and yet he felt a warm shiver of relief, "did he not see then what happened, he just merely heard it? Then again…how did he know that he had his mask off?"

Either way, he had no choice but to speak up, as he narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, master, if you've got the wrong idea." He said coolly. "What reason would I ever have to turn against you? They were just nightmares, illusions, they mean absolutely nothing to me!"

His whole body stiffened anxiously, but to his surprise the dark cloaked figure's face softened and he spoke calmly, "Forgive me, Myotismon, I should know that I can always trust you."

The vampire gasped in shock. He couldn't what he just heard, his own master, a dark digi-god apologizing to him? It would've been the last thing he'd ever expect from him.

Just then Myotismon shuddered, and felt a cold breeze blowing down his spine, as everything around him began to fade into darkness, everything began to blur even the hooded face of his master who was glaring coldly at him again.

But as the dark figure disappeared, he could not stop the cold lurch in his stomach. Still, he could not forget about what had happened; somehow, he knew it wasn't a dream; it all felt too real when it happened. That angel digimon he saw while he was bathing; what was she trying to tell him? And who was she anyway? Her voice, her face,….everything about almost looked and sounded familiar. Just then he gasped, could that angel possibly;…she somehow had to be…he saw her eyes when he looked at her, and for that long moment he could swear that when he looked at those eyes he saw that woman vampire from his nightmares! The vampire slowly sat on the cold stone floor and rested his head in both hands, running his gloved fingers through his golden hair and his flesh turned cold. There seemed to be no escape no matter what, he could remember every of that strange moment, every word Galadrimon had spoken to him running through his mind over and over again.

He couldn't understand it, what the hell did she even mean? Those last words especially kept repeating over and over in his head:_ "Ask the one you call master."_

What on earth did she mean by that? Just then he thought of his master's words and deep down he felt a slight sense of suspicion grip him.

Then again…why was his master acting so cruel and…suspicious in the first place whenever he found out about his strange dreams? Of course, his master was most of the time not a kind and gentle digimon, he was never the type of digimon that would act so friendly and fatherly towards him….but cruel? He was nothing like that! Despite his coldness, he raised him and took care of him when his real family abandoned him, and no one else would take him in, because he was a virus.

He squeezed his eyes shut slightly shaking. "Is there really something missing in my life? Something that in my past that even the leader of the dark digi-gods are…fearing so much?" His eyes opened up again as he stared blankly at the floor beneath him. "What it could possibly be, if there really is something important about those nightmares…if there really is something…why can't I even remember it?"

He then shuddered and shook his head as if forcing himself to snap out of it. "Why should I even care!" he muttered bitterly, "I have no choice, I have to end this chaos and stop the digidestines, once and for all!"

It was already sunset, the sky and the clouds had the colors of fiery orange and violets and they seemed to blend into each other. Wizardmon winced and felt himself shaking as his blood turned to ice beneath his bluish flesh, he had to be more careful, teleportation spells could drain his energy slowly but painfully, and the more he used them, the worse they would get. He then turned around where he saw not so far away, a hand carved entrance at the base of a grey mountain with a sorcerer's spell written across the top of it. This was no doubt the entrance to a sorcerer's library. The wizard glanced again at the setting sun and then quickly leapt off the ground as he headed towards the cave entrance. There wasn't much time left, soon the dark-digi gods would fully regain their power, and attack the digi-destines; he had to act quickly.

He slowly landed right in front of the doorway. Hopefully this was the right library where they had hidden the prophecy. There were only three ancient sorcerer libraries, and this was the only he had never been to. It had to be the right one; if not, he would have no choice but to do another teleportation. He looked at the symbols of the spell above the door carefully translating each one. They then began to glow a bright azure green, as the stone door slowly opened revealing stone steps ahead. Cautiously he went in, each stone step was steeper than the other and as he walked farther away from the door, it began to become darker, almost pitch black, and the air around him was full of dust and dampness, making it stuffy, and harder to breathe. He quickly muttered an incantation and the golden sun on his staff instantly began to glow brightly, and he shuddered in disgust as he could clearly see the mucked and grimy details on the stonewalls. He then muttered another incantation and the amulet around his neck began to glow as brightly as his staff, for if the dark digi-gods sensed even the slightest bit of his presence, they would waste no expense stopping him, and he would be done for. The stairs took nearly forever, almost more than an hour that when he reached the doorway at the base of the stairs the bones in his legs almost crumbled and he leaned on his staff for support. There was another wooden door in front of him with the same spell symbols as on the previous one. Again, he carefully translated the spell and the door opened with a loud squeak. He sighed heavily with relief as he stepped inside. He gasped in amazement, for he had never seen such an enormous library, even larger than Myotismon's and the one back at his old home; every inch of the walls covered with tall shelves made of cracked and darkened maple wood that almost touched the flat stone ceiling high above filled with nearly every possible ancient textbook and spell book imaginable, that the only nice decorations were an old but beautifully woven lapis blue and silver flowered rug on the floor. As the wizard stepped further inside, he also noticed, at the far corner of the library, there stood a doorway that led to what appeared to be a potion's room.

Wizardmon quickly ascended into the air towards one of the shelves, hastily searching through the hundreds of ancient books and nearly exhausting himself. Many of these books, were so fragile, that he felt he if he tried to take out one it would simply crumble to dust in his hands.

He sighed in frustration as he continued searching.

"Dammit!" He muttered bitterly, "It has to be here I just know it!"

Just then, he gasped as slightly pushed aside as thick red book, he spotted a small unlocked wooden door on the stonewall. He pushed the red book back even further as he carefully reached out and opened it. It made the most irritating squeak that he slightly winced; inside standing upright was a yellow sheet of parchment. His heart pounded madly in his chest with excitement. Could this possibly be it? Could this possibly be the prophecy? There did appear to be writing on the sheet, the ink was faded, but it was still readable. Carelessly he reached out to grab for it, but then quickly stopped hesitating, realizing how fragile the sheet was. Holding up his glowing staff to the paper he carefully read it:

_The digi gods that have betrayed Azulongmon that have fallen into darkness_

_Were once killed by the great alliance of angels and sorcerers, _

_But as gods their spirits can never be destroyed! _

_Soon Ancientseraphmon and his army shall rise again. _

_A mon, neither a virus nor data or a vaccine, _

_The mon that walks in neither life nor death, in neither evil nor good, _

_Shall heal their life long wounds and lead them into battle…._

_The battle that will destroy humankind_

_For he and others who carry his blood in their veins_

_Have the power to create darkness_

_And take it away and become the bringer of light; for them, there is no darkness or light._

_What is light, is darkness, and what is darkness is light!_

Wizardmon gasped, the blood running in his veins turned to polar ice as his whole body trembled with shock

"So it's true then!' He muttered

He could not get those words out of his head: _the mon that walks in neither life or death, in neither evil or good, shall heal their life long wounds and lead them into battle…. He and others who carry his blood in their veins_

_Have the power to create darkness_

_And take it away and become the bringer of light_

_for them, there is no darkness or light._

_What is light, is darkness, and what is darkness is light!_

And yet, deep down…somehow, he had always known.

He breathed deeply, so it was true all along! Slowly he descended to the cold stone floor, and began to walk towards the potion room. The bones in his legs felt like jelly and his muscles felt limp and crumbled into dust that he used his staff as a walking stick. He knew what he had to do….

"Oh god!" He shuddered deeply as the fear squeezed at his heart like a clawed hand digging deeply into someone's flesh.

As he walked into the potion room, he gasped in amazement, for he had never seen a potion room that with several wooden shelves that contained more than thousands to millions of potion ingredients from herbs and plants to gruesome body parts compacted into glass jars and ancient spell books. Carefully he ascended to the shelves that contained mostly books he set his golden sun staff against the brick wall, the orb like glow on the golden sun faded and he spoke aloud a powerful incantation. He winced as he hands underneath his gloves began to grow warm until they burned like fire and then bright red and orange flames began bursting out lighting every torch on the wall and then finally a large flame beneath the enormous black cauldron in the center of the room.

The wizard carefully measured each herb and plant (which he took from the shelves) of the spell, pouring each one into the boiling cauldron as he began to recite the spell. Slight nausea took hold of him as he inhaled the heavy scent of medicine that filled the room. He then hesitantly, grabbed a small but dangerously sharp knife from a nearby table and nearly whimpered as he removed his glove and dragged the blade across his left palm. Fresh blood slowly dropped into the cauldron turning the potion a dark sickening violet. He then dropped the knife to floor and quickly put his glove back on which became heavily stained with the blood of his hand. He then took from the table a small glass vial; his flesh felt cold beneath his layered clothing and his hands shook and slightly trembled as he slowly filled the vial with the potion. He stared at it long and hard studying it's thick bubbly texture and he could already taste its foul unpleasant stench.

"Forgive me ancestors, Father, Dricomon, Niavmon", he thought shaking as he pulled down his mouth-covering scarf, "For I may not live to avenge your deaths…but I fear this is the only way, if I can save those who still live in this hell!"

He shuddered and could feel his body turn to ice

"Please forgive me….." he then firmly pressed the vial to his stitched lips and opened his mouth.

To be continued…….


End file.
