Digimon Unholy Crusade (RPG Thread)

[TheSequelReturns]

"Gear Stinger!"

A burst of small blue lasers impacted all around Yam Lotan, disrupting his Clown Trick for the moment, and giving him a bit of a surprise as well. It seemed that Yam Lotan had actually decided to ignore him to focus on Kole. Trowa wasn't sure if he should thank Kole or fell insulted. Ah, either way.

No sooner had Yam Lotan turned to face Trowa than the rattle of a chain sounded from behind him. Yam Lotan jumped up where he stayed floating in the air as the chain flew under him, where he had been just seconds before. Duo moved up in, closing off Yam Lotan's only escape route. Now there would be no escape for the clown, he faced Kole in front, Trowa on the left, and Duo on the back right.

And still, Yam Lotan grinned. "Come on then, see if you can take me down!" he called as he raised his good hand. His four swords flew out from behind him and began spinning wildly. "Trump Sword!"

The possessed blades flew out with intense speed, tearing through the air towards his three opponents. Trowa threw up his blades to parry, but it seemed that Yam Lotan had two of his blades focused on Trowa. As a result he wasn't able to move forward very easily.

Duo on the other hand was tearing towards Yam Lotan like the unholy creature he seemed to be. His scythe arm deflecting the blade every time it even got close. Yam Lotan flipped the blade from Duo to Trowa, having the insect face a third blade.

"Ending Snipe!"

The blast impacted Trowa hard in the chest and knocked him back a bit, nearly pushing him to the ground. Instantly, all three blades (the forth being on Kole) spun back around towards Duo. Duo took to the air, flipping over and over as he dodged his way through the blades he was unable to deflect, and taking a few hits on his metallic frame, the metal-on-metal contact creating bursts of sparks and metallic screeches.

Duo made his way to Yam Lotan, and was soon in a deadlock between his Judgement Scythe and two of Yam Lotan's blades. "You will not survive this day." Duo said, his voice cold and metallic.

Yam Lotan let out a wailing laugh, a true sign of his insanity. "Neither will any of you. Nothing can stop the Mikaboshi." And again, he laughed.

Duo nearly missed the third blade, and was forced to break the deadlock as he jumped back to parry the attack. Yam Lotan wasted no time as he launched his other two blades forward, piercing Duo in the chest with both. Duo grimaced, but soon a grin formed on his inhuman face, and he too joined in with Yam Lotan's laughter. Despite what the Reaper may have promised him, a bit of that dark presence was still lurking on the edges of his mind, and it relished the pain, it embraced it, and Duo was worried that if this kept up he wouldn't be able to keep control.

They needed to find a way to end this, and all he would need was one good hit, but Yam Lotan was too focused on him right now and he was too quick. He needed a way to ensure that he hit.

He looked towards Trowa, and Trowa nodded, understanding the message. He wasn't strong enough to take down the Chaos Lord on his own, but there was one thing that he was good at, one thing that he had always been good at, and it was time to do just that. This had better work... Trowa thought as he took a momentary retreat.

Duo jumped up, Yam Lotan's blades still lodged in his chest, and began spinning, searing flames beginning to erupt from his cannon arm. "Burning Cyclone!"

Duo's form was once again covered in a blazing tornado of fire that arced into the sky. Yam Lotan reached out his head, preparing to rip his blades from Duo's chest, but once again, he was too focused on what lay before him.

"Sky Rocket Infinity!"

The massive amount of rockets impacted the entire area around Yam Lotan, causing the ChaosPiedmon to disappear into a cloud of smoke and debris as Trowa came jetting down in his CannonBeemon form.

Yam Lotan began laughing from within the smoke, and no sooner had the clouds of dust and debris started to dissipate than Yam Lotan jumped towards Torwa, his other two blades at the ready. The Chaos Lord raised his arm to deal what could very well be a finishing blow to Trowa when a sudden impact of cold metal stopped him in midair. Yam Lotan looked down, a look of horror on his face as Duo's Guilty Chain wrapped itself tightly around his body. With a single click, Yam Lotan found himself hurtling back towards the ground, where Duo was waiting.

Duo jumped back, allowing Yam Lotan's speeding form to impact the ground as the Guilty Chain was drawn back into Duo's cannon arm at an amazing speed. The instant that Yam Lotan impacted the ground, Duo charged towards the Chaos Lord. Yam Lotan attempted to get up, but found the chain pulling him towards Duo once again, literally taking his feet out from under him.

Yam Lotan made one last ditch effort to stop the attack, and with a wave of his hands, one of the blades in Duo's chest twisted brutally and tore itself from his metallic frame. Blood as black as night poured from the wound, but Duo did not stop. The two speeding figures met, and with a slick unmistakable sound and a spray of blood, Yam Lotan found the lest two feet of Duo's Judgement Scythe sticking from his chest.

The Chaos Lord, his back to Duo, and his feet off of the ground, tried to give out another laugh, as if his insanity really knew no bounds, but all he managed to do was sit up blood between his labored gasps.

Duo grinned and raised Yam Lotan even further off of the ground, the darkness inside of him taking a pleasure from the felling of the Judgement Scythe sticking even further through the ChaosPiedmon's body. With a harsh toss of his hand, Duo flung Yam Lotan's body from his scythe, a spray of blood, both the crimson blood of Yam Lotan and the dark oily blood from Duo's wound, arced through the air, tracing a path as it followed Yam Lotan's body towards the ground. Without even giving the Chaos Lord a change to hit the ground, Duo leveled his cannon.

"Bone Duster!"

A burst of hellfire shot from the cannon, hitting Yam Lotan's body like an unholy grenade. But it wasn't enough.

"Bone Duster! Bone Duster! Bone Duster!!" Duo shouted, as he began to pick up the insane laugh again. With each shot of the cannon came an immense burst of hellfire, completely leveling what was left of the buildings he had tossed Yam Lotan towards. Again and again, he fired, until there was nothing ahead of him but a sea of searing hellfire. Finally, he stopped, and fell to his knee.

For a moment, he just sat there, breathing heavily. Eventually, he reached up and pulled Yam Lotan's last blade from his chest, letting the black blood stained blade fall to the ground with a weak clatter. Ahead of him, the fire roared, a funeral pyre for Yam Lotan. Duo was certain that the Chaos Lord was dead, and yet he couldn't pull his eyes away from the sea of flames. He kept thinking that as soon as he looked away, the Chaos Lord would rise from the ashes.

But Trowa landed beside him, back in his TigerVespimon form, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Its done. We did it."

"Its not over, not yet." Duo said, turning his gaze towards the Mikaboshi. there as a flash of black light as Duo reverted to his BlackWarGreymon form, the injuries carrying over. "Was it it all worth it?" he asked.

Trowa tilted his head in confusion.

Duo shook his head, "No, its nothing."

Trowa sighed, "Whatever you say, but you should really get those looked..."

"No, this isn't over yet. Not as long as the Mikaboshi still stands." Duo said, his eyes turning towards where the real battle was still going on.

 

[PeeGee]

Kole awed in amazement as he watched Trowa and Duo destroy Yam Lotan.

That should have been your kill

"Shut up," said Kole. "It wasn't going to be my kill anyways."

That shouldn't have mattered, but lets hope you have enough in you to get back to fighting big and ugly over there

"I do," reassured Kole. "Like for instance this. Heaven shall crumble and Hell will rise! Face my wrath with your very own eyes! From the heart of chaos itself! I shall destroy you myself! Apocalyptic Evolution! Apocalymon!"

Kole felt the familiar rush of energy flow through his body as he transformed into the monstrous digimon.

That might possibly do, so get your butt over there and fight!

Kole growled in agreement and started to make his way back over to the UltimateChaosmon.

 

[Kamotz]

Thor could feel the world turning; in his bones he felt the deaths of the Chaos Lords, the Dark Gods that had slipped deeper into depravity than any other. Now the Peacemakers were together once again; brought in full force to stand against the Mikaboshi. It had been his intention all along; he had no illusions about defeating the Chaos on his own, but he could stall it until all of the Peacemakers were brought together. That had been his vision: when Odin's power flowed through his mind Thor saw every Peacemaker standing before him and beside him; standing with him against the Mikaboshi.

Singular powers would not be enough to defeat this monster; even all their powers combined and hurled with frenzied vigor would not be enough. They had hurled more than enough force at the Mikaboshi over the course of the battle to defeat a being of equal might; but it was the Mikaboshi's nature that preserved him. He was the chaos from which all things eventually came, from which all opposing forces came, and until all things came together, he could not be defeated.

"Opposing forces," Thor whispered. "He cannot be defeated by a throng of joined attacks; that is chaos as well, and will only feed his power. Our effort must be precise, pinpoint, ordered to perfection. We strike him with what we are; our very essence. We strike with opposites; Order and Chaos, holy and unholy, fire and water, life and death, darkness and light, positron and electron, substance and void."

"How have you come to know this, Thor?" Svarog asked.

"You are not the only one whose eyes have pierced the veil between life and death," Thor answered simply. "We must strike quickly," Thor insisted. "Bedivere and I will lead the charge, the rest will follow immediately, and then Bedivere and I will put an end to this once and for all."

 

[Hotshot]

Nocchi stood with his hands on his hips, grinning mischievously as Ophion fell to pieces (quite literally) just inches from where he stood. The Puppetmon's grin widened into a victorious sneer, as he watched the enemy he and Galic had faced disperse into clouds of data. Nocchi stretched his arms above his head, closed his eyes and sighed.

Bringing his wooden limbs back to his sides, the Puppetmon snickered, "Nyeheheheh...I'm afraid I never caught his name. But I sure as heck caught him."

Nocchi glanced up at Galic and said, "Nyehhhh...good work, Galic. Glad you could help out." At this, the Puppetmon gave the MirageGaogamon and smile and tenderly patted the hole in his torso. "I'm kiddin'! I'm kiddin'! You did a little more than 'help out', I know. Not much more, but more nonetheless. So thanks."

The puppet then turned to the battle at-hand. The battle with the Mikaboshi. Chaos itself. Nocchi cringed. "Nuts. I was hopin' they'd've finished 'im off by now, so I wouldn't have to do nothin'. But nothin' ever goes right for me, anyway. So why should I start expectin' it now?"

Shaking his head, Nocchi muttered, "Well, let's get goin'. We don't have all day. 'Specially not with that thing on the loose."

===========================================

Gigas, wings beating furiously, alighted next to Sha, who stood shaking in a lake of his own blood. The Shawjamon was trembling from the shock of the Mikaboshi's terrible attacks, and with nothing to defend against them, it was just too much for him to handle. The HerculesKabuterimon X stood next to him and laid a gentle claw on his shoulder.

"You okay, Sha?" Gigas inquired, looking over at his friend.

"Never better," Sha grumbled, wiping away a trail of blood from his jaw. "Now come on, Gig. We've got a chaotic beast bent on annihilating the world to beat!"

Gigas smiled and folded his four arms across his chest. "Hoho. I think we can take this guy."

Sha cracked his knuckles, springing forth more blood. The amphibious Digimon grinned maniacally. "So do I. But we're going to need all our power to do it."

Concealing himself inside a torrent of seawater, Sha chanted, "Look out, in awe, over the horizon! My form, all-powerful, you'd best fix your eyes on! Behold, my power! That of the great Poseidon! The oceans, I rule them, for I am Neptunmon! God Ascension! Neptunmon!"

 

[storymasterb]

They stood assembled, Bedivere, Guinier, Caradoc, Thor, Svarog, Samael, Michael, Perun, Pyra, Kheprius, Nocchi, Gigas, Sha, Galic, Duo, Lucia, Trowa and Kole, the eighteen Peacemakers arrayed at arms against the terror of the Mikaboshi. Even as the storm of chaos howled overhead, they stood firm and ready, as Thor spoke, a rallying speech that gave them clear instruction as to their plan of attack. They were to find their opposites among each other, and each pair would attack as one, using the opposing powers to strike the Mikaboshi with all the aspects of existence, the antithesis to the chaos which it depended upon and reigned over.

Bedivere already knew his logical opposite, Thor. Order against Chaos, King opposite Knight, White against Black, they had been destined as opposites from the very beginning. This was their destined moment, when they would strike together against Amatsu-Mikaboshi.

Guinier too saw her opposite, her future's light against the destructive darkness of Kole, her UlforceVeedramon Future Mode opposite his Apocalymon, Light opposite Darkness, Future opposite Destruction, Skill opposite overwhelming Power.

Caradoc wondered for a moment, before Galahad spoke. "The Puppetmon... Nocchi, he stands opposite to you. All that you are, your virtues, your honor, your duty... while you stand as truth and honor, he is deceit and dishonor. He is the one you attack beside here." Caradoc gave a slight nod, and gave Nocchi a meaningful glance.

Bedivere rose up to stand beside Thor, reading the Black Sword.

"Peacemakers!" he called, gaining their attention. "You heard Thor! We pair up, opposites together, and attack in sequence, one pair after the other. Thor and I lead the charge, you all attack in turn, and then the two of us will put an end to that abomination, once and for all." The Black Sword lit with crimson, chaotic power as he spoke, as he called forth its power for this almighty blow. "Let's end this now! CHARGE!"

Spreading his wings, he surged forwards beside Thor, the storm raging to ever-greater heights overhead as the dragon-knight and thunder-god charged, raising their legendary blades in their hands ready to deal crippling strikes to the UltimateKhaosmon that towered over the ruined cityscape ahead, its wings, arms and tentacles lashing around its form madly as it gazed upon them balefully.

The Black and White Swords struck, speaking their power, Chaos and Order howling forth to strike as searing flame and burning lightning that speared the Mikaboshi's eyes an instant before the swords stabbed into the baleful cores, sending a cascade of power tearing through the orbs to rip across the Mikaboshi's whole body. Fire and lightning danced across its flesh, spearing its body and burning through layers of chaotic data in their passage.

As the power burned around him and Thor, Bedivere knew only a song, the song of discord and void, the song of the Black Sword, but then a new melody crept forth, the song of Order, of life and being, the White Sword's power. The melodies became as one, a strange, unearthly sound that was at once horrible and beautiful. In that instant, their power united and speared the Mikaboshi, and it howled from the eternal void of Chaos, even as the united energies wracked its form and tore it asunder, searing through its flesh, its muscle and bone.

And then the song was gone and Bedivere gave a roared command to his allies.

"Attack NOW!"

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

Reassured that Nocchi wasn't going to be turning into tiny pieces of untouchable data floating and dissipating into the air anytime soon, or so he hoped, he gave the Puppetmon a curt nod of sincere respect and took to the air, looking for the two Digimon that he desperately needed to see.

A turn of his head granted him sight of Bedivere and Thor, as well as a few of the other Peacemakers, close and conversing with each other. The serious expression in their eyes told him just how grave the situation was getting.

"Opposing forces," Thor whispered. "He cannot be defeated by a throng of joined attacks; that is chaos as well, and will only feed his power. Our effort must be precise, pinpoint, ordered to perfection. We strike him with what we are; our very essence. We strike with opposites; Order and Chaos, holy and unholy, fire and water, life and death, darkness and light, positron and electron, substance and void."

"How have you come to know this, Thor?" Svarog asked.

"You are not the only one whose eyes have pierced the veil between life and death," Thor answered simply. "We must strike quickly," Thor insisted. "Bedivere and I will lead the charge, the rest will follow immediately, and then Bedivere and I will put an end to this once and for all."

Galic overheard Thor's low voice as he approached the god and their leader, hoping to be of assistance to whatever plan they may have been formulating, which he knew they needed. This massive monster by the name of Amatsu-Mikaboshi definitely wasn't the run-of-the-mill antagonistic being that could be dealt with by a congregation of powerful blows, that much was certain to the MirageGaogamon Burst Mode.

He approached the, skipping the formal greeting he tended to use in favor of a look in his eyes that told them that he might be able to help. He turned his head to Thor.

“If that’s the case, then we need to do this quickly, and I can be of assistance,” he looked from god of lightning and thunder to the leader that he had come to respect. “What we do know right now would be that you, Bedivere, and Lord Thor hold the epitomes of chaos and order, which means that everyone else will have to find their own match, and I can find that quick enough.”

He spun around, giving everyone a single second’s worth of a glance before turning to the next, his mind thinking faster than it had ever done before. All of his efforts were gathered into that one single act of finding everyone’s match, so to speak. Given the dire situation at hand, who could blame him?

“Lord Svarog,” he said suddenly. “Lord Svarog and Sir Sha, gods of fire and water respectively, the forces of nature that are always that always means the end for one or the other.”

He then jerked his head to Michael. “Lord Michael with Sir Samael, representatives of both heaven and hell, opposing forces of holiness and unholiness,” he said quickly, turning to the Beelzemon.

He then turned to Guinier. “The faith in a future and the certain coming of the apocalypse, a bright hope or a dark future, the two opposing ideas, beliefs, embodied by Lady Guiner and Sir Kole,” he ascertained as Guinier began to look at Kole.

Beside Guiner, he regarded Caradoc. He then turned to Nocchi. “Fire and wood, the two which are the destroyer and creator of life. Sir Caradoc’s power to control with the use of upfront strength and Sir Nocchi’s ability to manipulate others in the shadow, as well as opposing natures of duty to others and to oneself.” He saw Caradoc look at Nocchi, and then he gave Nocchi a meaningful look. Galic didn’t skip a beat and turned to the Gigas, who was next to Nocchi.

“Gigas, who has abilities stemming from the negative charges of electricity,” he said out loud as he turned to Pyra. “Should be a match for Pyra and her positively charged beams.”

Beside Pyra was Khep. “Void and antimatter. The ability to disregard space and use it as he will. The antithesis of Perun, whose whole makeup is that of many elements from which matter takes form in.” He gave the Susanoomon a nod before he turned to Duo and Lucia.

“Sir Duo, whose Reapermon abilities lie in darkness and bringing upon death, and Lady Lucia, whose Minervamon strength comes from light and protects life,” he said expressively to the two.

Finally, he turned to Trowa. “Sir Trowa, the physical epitome of technology and follower of instinct and spontaneity. And I, one who has lived off nature and relies on logic and forethought plans. You are with me.”

With that, he turned to Bedivere and Thor. “Lead the way, milord.”

 

[Griff4815]

Perun overheard the nearby Bedivere's words and nodded in understanding. Without a second thought, his gaze turned to Kheprius, who was looking at him in turn. He flew over to the GranKuwagamon and placed his hand on Khep's shoulder.

"I know Tyr's in there and his ideals are completely opposite to me... but ideals don't kill city-sized, chaos jerks. ...You sure about this?"

Perun nodded. "I am the combination of the ten spirits. Fire, light, ice, wood, metal, wind, water, earth, lightning and darkness. I am a conflux of matter and substance. Whereas you, you can manipulate space and travel through that great span of nothingness. Your attacks are of negativity and void. And void is a larger part of you than just your attacks..." he added ominously. "I am a god and you despise the idea of gods. We are opposites, Kheprius."

The GranKuwagamon nodded, casting his eyes to the side. "I'm definately nothing like you..."

“Gigas, who has abilities stemming from the negative charges of electricity,” he said out loud as he turned to Pyra. “Should be a match for Pyra and her positively charged beams.”

Pyra looked at the cannon on her arm and then up at Gigas. "That makes sense," she agreed.

Beside Pyra was Khep. “Void and antimatter. The ability to disregard space and use it as he will. The antithesis of Perun, whose whole makeup is that of many elements from which matter takes form in.”

"Yeah, what we said," Kheprius said.

As he finished his sentence, Bedivere sounded out the call to attack. Perun summoned the ZERO-ARMS: Orochi in a shimmering bolt. He looked over to Khep before stepping on his back between his wings.

"I hope you don't mind a passenger," he said as he steadied the large weapon.

"Oh, of course not," Kheprius said with a roll of his eyes. "Shall I charge, your holiness?"

"Please," Perun said, looking down the sight of the ZERO-ARMS to see Bedivere and Thor break from their attack.

"Hold on tight," Kheprius said, speeding through the air. Perun, positioned his feet appropriately on Khep's back as to not be thrown off by the G-force of his assault.

They ripped through the air towards the titan of a digimon, who writhed from Thor and Bedivere's attack. "In range... I am ready when you are," Perun said, looking down at Kheprius.

"Just a bit more," he hissed, swerving to the right to dodge a violent blast from Amatsu-Mikaboshi. "...NOW! Grand Darkness! Dimension Scissors!" he yelled, unleashing matter-annihilating power from his mouth and pincers.

The metal band on Perun's head snapped downwards in front of his eyes. "Celestial Blade!" he thundered, allowing a massive conflux of energy in the form of a beam blade to rip from the end of the ZERO-ARMS: Orochi.

The two attacks surged against one another as they blistered through the sky and slammed into Amatsu-Mikaboshi's giant midsection. Kheprius and Perun poured ounce of energy into their attacks. Black and white power fought and continued warping its point of contact.

Perun looked behind him and beckoned with his head to the next pair of Peacemakers to charge while they continued their attack. The Susanoomon saw them approach as their attacks began to die down. Perun tapped Khep with his metal boot to signal him. The two ceased their attacks and both split off in seperate directions, Perun following Thor and Kheprius following Bedivere.

 

[PeeGee]

(OOC: I hope I didn't mess up too badly with Guinier)

"So you and me need to attack as one?" Kole asked Guinier.

"Yes it does seem so," replied Guinier. "Are you ready?"

"Well I am ready as ready could possibly be," said Kole. "Though I will admit that I am nervous about this not working."

"Don't worry," assured the Ulforce Veedramon X. "We have gone through far too much for it to be a wasted effort."

"We have, haven't we," remarked Kole. "Then lets do this, and show that SOB who's boss!"

The pair of digimon got closer to Amatsu Mikaboshi, and once they were in a closer proximity they attacked.

"Total Annihilation!"

"Ray of Victory!"

The black beams of energy burst from Kole's claws, and the ray of light energy burst from Guinier's crest. The two attacks made their way to the Mikaboshi, moving around each other. The attacks slammed into A-M's body, Kole and Guinier putting all the energy they had into the attacks. Soon the attacks started to taper off, and seeing this as a signal, the two digimon followed Perun and Khep's suit and quickly made their way from Amatsu-Mikaboshi.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

Galic watched from a short distance away, his eyes glowing bright gold as energy gathered around him, materializing into golden spheres that appeared, disappeared, hovered, spun and fluctuated all around him. A few meters away from, Trowa hovered, spinning and swinging the Royal Meisters in his hands, which he had grown accustomed to using with expertise over the past few days.

“Well, blue boy?” Trowa asked impatiently, eager to get a move on.

“Not yet,” Galic replied, his eyes constantly watching the movements and actions of his fellow Peacemakers. He knew they would have to do this soon; the part of Trowa that was impulse was important. He shouldn’t keep him, but he knew he had to stay true to his own nature as well.

Trowa let out an audible humph, looking alternately between Galic and Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The MirageGaogamon, meanwhile narrowed his eyes. ‘Almost,’ he thought.

“Can you get a move on-“

“Now!” Galic told him, disappearing into thin air.

“Finally!” Trowa exclaimed, brandishing his two weapons and charging towards their gargantuan opponent. He stopped in front of Amatsu-Mikaboshi, arms outstretched to his sides and holding the Royal Meisters parallel to each other and pointing to the air.

“Time to make explosions!” he declared, suddenly spinning his energy blades, turning them into turbines with speeds that couldn’t be followed. “Gear Stinger!”

An innumerable amount of bright blue lasers shot from the spinning blades, shooting all around the air space and surrounding Amatsu-Mikaboshi in a hurricane of bright sapphire energy, with him at the eye of the storm. “Come on, blue boy!”

“That’s mister blue boy to you,” Galic said, appearing right above Trowa, the mouth of his wolf-head breastplate opening its maw, which had a large sphere of golden energy gathered into it. Simultaneously, more MirageGaogamon Burst Mode’s appeared in multiple directions from Amatsu-Mikaboshi, all bearing the same golden energy that the original had been gathering for this attack. His eyes flashed brightly. “And don’t let me stop you from attacking.”

Trowa grinned under his helmet. “You’re not,” he told the former nomad.

“Then let’s us do this,” Galic replied. “Final Mirage Burst!” he and his clones yelled, a symphony of voices that resounded loudly in the battlefield as thick beams of golden energy blasted forth from their chests and towards the large target.

At the same time, Trowa stopped the spinning of his Royal Meisters, ending the generation of blue energy bullets, all of which continued to spin around Amatsu-Mikaboshi. “Yah!” he cried out, swinging both of his weapons to point to their large target. Simultaneously, the blue beams started to converge on the Primordial Chaos.

The destructive beams all drove into Amatsu-Mikaboshi’s body, creating a mass of explosions all throughout its surface, a lightshow of yellow and blue that burned, blasted and burst.

As Galic’s attacks died down and Trowa’s beams began to diminish, the two Peacemakers fell back, nodding to the following pair that went to deal their own combined attacks.

 

[TheSequelReturns]

Lucia (covered in Taimat's dried blood) and Duo (bleeding from the two wounds in his chest that had only just been bandaged) finally had the chance to meet up again. After hearing of the plan to defeat the Mikaboshi, Duo and Lucia spent the next few moments at each others side, watching the others begin the series of perfectly ordered paired attacks that, with any luck, would put an end to the Mikaboshi's Chaos once and for all.

"If this doesn't work," Duo started, but Lucia cut him off.

"It will work, it has to." She said, "at least, I believe that it will."

Duo smiled, "Well then, I guess if you're so sure about it then I have no reason to doubt." His expression darkened a bit though, and it didn't escape Lucia's notice. She placed a hand on his shoulder, a comforting smile on her face.

"Come on, lets get ready to go. The others need us."

Duo nodded, "You're right. But first, I just want to say that, whatever happens, here today, I'm glad that I was able to spend this much time with you."

Lucia smiled and embraced the BlackWarGreymon; the bodyguard she had enjoyed bossing around and the Peacemaker she had come to love. "I am glad as well. My life would have been incomplete without you." she said.

Trowa jetted down to the two of them, his own attack with Galic still lighting up the sky. "Why don't you two lovebirds go next!" he called. "You're not gonna let me and fuzzy over here one-up you are ya?"

Duo grinned, and nodded. No matter what happened here today, he would always be glad that he had met Trowa and Lucia on that day not quite so long ago. They had done more for his troubled soul than he thought he would ever be able to repay.

"Lets go." he said to Lucia.

She nodded and raised her blade. "Yes, let's."

Duo reached deep down into his soul once again, feeling that dark presence cowering there.

Back already? the Reaper said. Here to take my offer up again?

No. Duo said back. I'm done making deals with the likes of you. I come here not to ask for your aid, but to demand your power. No longer will I sit by and let you make my decisions, this is my life and my soul, and I will do with it as I please.

The Reaper was taken aback, not only by Duo's words, but by the new light that illuminated his soul. It had begun to cut through the darkness that the Reaper had cherished for so long, but there was nothing it could do to fight back. Duo was correct, this was his soul, and if the Reaper wanted to continue residing here (his only other choice being erased from this world) then he had no choice but to give in.

Fine, have it your way Greyclaw. The Reaper said. But you can't escape me. I'll always be here, watching, waiting, and the next time you fall, I won't be there keep you alive.

So be it then. Duo said.

There was a flash of black light, and once more, Duo found himself in the form of a Reapermon, the dark presence at the back of his mind all but gone. He nodded to Lucia, and the two of them took to the roof tops as they made their way towards the Mikaboshi, waiting for their opening.

And then, there it was.

Duo jumped with as much force as his mechanical legs could muster, Lucia holding tightly to his arm, her small form easily lifted into the air with him. "Ready?" he asked.

"Always." she said with a smile.

She charged as much energy as she could muster into the edge of her blade, and the Olympia began to glow with a radiant white light. Duo raised his cannon arm and did the same, and the barrel of the cannon began to glow with a dark and unholy flame.

"Dominion Blade!" Lucia called. She arced over, turning a full rotation in the air, Duo rotating with her, as she launched the massive arc of pure light from the edge of her blade.

No sooner had her attack left her blade than Duo leveled his cannon as he spun back around. "Bone Duster!" The intense burst of hellfire tore from his cannon and met Lucia's light arc. Together the two opposing energies intertwined and struck the Mikaboshi with a massive burst of hellfire and radiant light.

The sheer recoil from Duo's cannon blast was enough to stop their forward travel. Together, the two of them landed on a nearby rooftop as the two-toned explosion from their attack lit up the sky.

"We've done what we can." Lucia said. Even though they had landed, she still held Duo's arm in hers. "The rest is up to the others."

 

[Hotshot]

Two figures stepped up to the plate next; one striking a rather imposing, draconic figure, the other casting a very small, less-threatening shadow. With his hammer resting against his shoulder, Nocchi glanced up at his opposite, Caradoc, and snickered, "Nyeheheh. Ya ready to pants this guy?"

Caradoc nodded, his gaze fixed upon the Mikaboshi. "I was born ready."

Nocchi grinned and clutched his hammer tightly with both hands. The Puppetmon's eyes widened. The Dynasmon's eyes narrowed. The two Digimon took a step forward, readying their attacks. Dragon fire rippled through Caradoc's arms and focused in his palms. Nocchi drew back his weapon, charging up the energy within.

"Nyaaaaa--" Nocchi murmured, progressively getting louder and louder, until finally reaching the point of exclamation, "--HAAAAAAH!"

With a downward swing of his arms, the Puppetmon used all of his momentum and strength to power his greatest attack yet. The little puppet's hammer struck the ground with such a force that it shook the very earth on which he stood. Bullets exploded from the head of his hammer, mercilessly tearing through the air and ground at the Mikaboshi. Throwing back his head, Nocchi roared, "PUPPET PUMMEL!"

At the same time, Caradoc hurled his fists forward, sending an eruption of draconic flames rocketing in the Mikaboshi's direction.

"DRAGON'S ROAR!" The inferno collided with Nocchi's attack, lighting the gunpowder and resulting in an explosion of epic proportions. The blast struck Amatsu-Mikaboshi full in the face, sending the UltimateKhaosmon backwards a little.

When the smoke cleared, Nocchi and Caradoc stepped back, and allowed the next two attackers to strike. As these next two approached, Nocchi said, "Nyeheh. Go get 'im, Gig."

The massive HerculesKabuterimon X smiled down at his Puppetmon friend. "You got it, Nocchi!"

Gigas stood next to an Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, Pyra. He glanced over at her and gave her a big grin. The Imperialdramon responded with a nod. The two Digimon together turned to their daunting opponent. It was their turn. Positive and Negative energy combined. Wouldn't that make Neutral energy? Gigas decided not to think about it anymore. It only served to hurt his head.

"Ready, Gigas?" Pyra inquired, her eyes fixed upon the Mikaboshi, arm-cannon at the ready.

Gigas chuckled. "Hohoho...ready, Pyra!"

"Then let's go!" Pyra roared, taking to the skies, gathering all of her energy into her Positron Cannon. Gigas followed her example, also flying into the air, electricity gathering in his horns and claws. Their attacks illuminated the darkened sky. Blue and white lights lit the air and crackled with energy.

"POSITRON LASER!"

"MEGA ELECTRO SHOCKER!"

A thunderous roar split the sky, as the attacks combined. Flashes of blue and white collided, blinding the combatants below. An enormous beam of white-hot energy burned into Amatsu-Mikaboshi, earning a strained roar from the incarnation of chaos.

Gigas and Pyra veered away, allowing the next two Peacemakers to make their moves.

Sha, in Neptunmon form, spun his trident around above his head, before striking the ground with it defiantly. He turned to Svarog and smirked. "You ready, Oggy? Think fire and water are opposite enough? Ya know, we may be too much for ol' Mika-Mika. The others might not have to do anything more."

Sha's eyes narrowed and his grin widened. Raising his trident, he exclaimed, "Let's get it on!"

 

[Kamotz]

"Ha!" Svarog laughed, his wings catching fire in the wind. "Do you think so? Can you match me, fish-man?" Sha's only reply was his patented laugh. "Then join me in glory!"

Svarog lit with flame and led the charge, flashing into the sky. He set the atmosphere ablaze with each flap of his new magnificent wings. He held his hands to the sun, calling silently to its undying power. He was swept with the exhilaration of it all, to return from the veil of death and take revenge upon the thing that killed you was a gift to the sun god.

"One last time," he whispered. "Now, fish-man! Sol Blaster!"

"Wave of Depth!"

The two powers lurched towards the Mikaboshi; fire from above, water from below, but they struck the exact same spot. The Mikaboshi seized, clearly straining to overcome the effects of the successive attacks, but the Peacemakers did not relent. As Svarog and Sha moved away, Michael and Samael rushed forward.

"I wanna carve this guy up," Samael snarled. He spread his new wings and shot forward with Michael hot on his heels. "Hurry up, Mikey!" The two flew side-by-side.

"Hallowed Knuckle!"

"Darkness Claw!"

The drove themselves into the Mikaboshi, and the Chaos let out a soundless scream of pain. His body convulsed as wave after wave of opposing powers slammed into it. Thor gripped the White Sword tightly. This was it. He nodded once to Bedivere and charged forward, pouring his power into the blade. Thor went hurtling towards the Mikaboshi, the sword in his hands howling, filling his world with its light.

"Odin, give me strength!" Thor called out. "Omni Sword!"

He plunged his blade into the Mikaboshi and gave a sigh as the entire multitude of his power flooded from his body, through his sword, and into his enemy. His world was consumed with the light of the White Sword's power. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't breath, but still he pressed onward, never loosing his grip or slowing his pace. His body began to quiver as the power he held ripped it apart. He felt his molecules vibrating as he approached the event horizon of the Mikaboshi's existence. Thor felt his body begin to dissipate as the power became too much for him to bear.

But suddenly there was clarity, and calmness, and a sense of peace. There was no battle or war, no Crusade, no Mikaboshi. There was only a golden field, and an ash tree, and a little stream. He sighed contentedly as this new reality enveloped him and his willingness to accept nothingness took hold.

"Not yet, my son," said a strong voice. A powerful force, a mighty hand, gripped his arm and Thor felt himself being pulled from the nothingness and back through the event horizon. "Not yet."

And Thor's eyes opened for the first time.

 

[storymasterb]

As Thor charged, Bedivere roared, a single howl of mattered existence unleashed at once, and the Black Sword burned with darkness and chaos as he erupted forth beside the white thunder god.

Wings spread, the dragon-knight impacted, burying the Black Sword into the Mikaboshi's flesh and letting loose its power in a rush of fire and lightning, sending its chaos and energy to spear the monster and rip it asunder in coordination with the Order of the White Sword.

As the two swords lit with energy in unison, their light and shadow met, forming a zone of intricate twilight across the Mikaboshi's form. The powers of Order and Chaos united and speared the UltimateKhaosmon, stabbing through its core-eyes and burning into its flesh.

"Ouryuken!" the Slayerdramon proclaimed in a roar that shook the earth, forcing the Chaos to his will and letting it merge into the Order of Thor's blade to lock the Mikaboshi in a howling, searing aura of pure, twisting Digi-Code runes, which formed intricate chains and locked around the Mikaboshi, growing tighter. Its form began to collapse, its extremities reduced to data which pooled at its cores, the shimmering mass of chaotic data growing ever-larger as more of the Mikaboshi collapsed under the power of the unified Order and Chaos.

Finally only the cores remained, still speared by the White and Black Swords, with the data dancing around them within the chains of runic script forged by Order and Chaos as one.

Bedivere stared into the eye his blade impaled, and into the howling void still visible in the dark pupil, he spoke four words, with a sense of grim finality.

"This is the end."

And in that instant, a silence fell like no silence since before the world. As the light of the swords chained the Mikaboshi's cores ever-tighter, a shining energy lit at the heart of the maelstrom, and from it came harmony, silent and forceful. Light reached out and wrapped into the burning cores, dragging them to its heart as the White and Black Swords burned with shining light and searing darkness. As the cores met, there was but a single second where time stood still...

Then the light enveloped the Mikaboshi's remnants, the data collapsing into the cores, which shattered and exploded in a great flash of primal sound and heat, hurling Bedivere and Thor across the ruins of Avalon to opposite ends of the destroyed city as the last act concluded, the primal avatar consumed by the finality of existence, that sweet oblivion called Death...

-

From afar, Guinier and Caradoc stood together and watched as the Mikaboshi was ripped asunder by Order and Chaos, before shielding themselves as the burning flash of its final end washed over them, knocking them back several feet with its intensity before they caught themselves.

"Is it... dead?" Guinier asked. Staring into the howling end that fell closed, they both knew it then, that the Mikaboshi had at long last finally met a final end, the finality even Odin hadn't been able to grant to the Avatar of the Primordial Chaos.

"Yes," Caradoc murmured, gently pulling her close. For a moment they knew peaceful bliss, there in that instant when they knew the monster was gone and that all mattered existence, all ordered life had been saved from its ravages, before a hint of discord entered the moment.

"Where are Bedivere and Thor?" the UlforceVeedramon Future Mode said softly, pulling away from the Dynasmon X and glancing around wildly for a sign of her brother and his white counterpart, the wielders of the Black and White Swords nowhere in sight. Eyes suddenly wide with worry, she shot into the air with a beat of her wings, and continued to glance, until suddenly the rubble erupted up in two separate places across Avalon.

Two Digimon rose up, tarnished and burned by the final blast, but otherwise unharmed as they emerged, still wielding the blades which had at long last brought the terror to its end. Guinier gave a cry of relief as she saw them, the white god of thunder and the black knight of dragons, wielding their respective swords proudly at their feat, the defeat of a being beyond even the might of Odin Allfather.

"We did it." Guinier turned, startled slightly, to see Caradoc, who hovered beside her with his wings spread wide, gazing at the god and his mortal counterpart with a hint of pride that wasn't entirely his own. "We won the battle against the Mikaboshi... did what no-one else could."

"Together," his lover murmured softly, gently embracing him. "We won it together... while Odin stood alone in the end, we fought the Mikaboshi together..."

-

Bedivere spread his wings and took to the heavens, gazing over the ruins of Avalon. His eyes deepened with sorrow at the devastation and the lives that had surely been lost in the futile attempt to stop the Mikaboshi. This had always been the war for the Peacemakers to win, not a conflict for the rest of the world. None but them held the strength to end the battle and overcome the Primordial Chaos... it was a tragedy that so many had payed with their lives in that futile struggle.

He descended, seeing something that had fallen from his attention during the battle. The azure form of Sei-Ryujin still lay among the ruins, badly wounded by his own fight against the chaos avatar, and Bedivere descended to the Council member's side.

"Bedivere... Stormheart..." the Azulongmon gasped, blood still leaking from his wounds. The Slayerdramon folded his wings and raised the Black Sword, instantly calling forth the Magna Antidote, sending a nimbus of light dancing across the azure dragon's flesh, staunching the flow of blood from the many cuts and gashes across his form, and driving back the fierce pain of the chaos poison still burning through him. Renewed by the healing technique, the Azulongmon rose up slightly, regarding the Black Sword's wielder.

The other Peacemakers came to that shattered place, standing beside Bedivere as the Council member gazed at them.

"We defeated the Mikaboshi," Bedivere softly stated.

"Yes," Sei-Ryujin rasped out. "You have defeated it... where Odin himself failed, you succeeded..."

"Did any of the other Council members survive?" Caradoc cut in.

"I do not know... it was all too fast..." the Azulongmon whispered. "He was like lightning... too fast... too strong..."

"There's something..." Bedivere murmured, before turning as a weak groan sounded and Ahura Mazda weakly arose from his position behind a pile of rubble, the Goldramon just as wounded as Sei-Ryujin. Bedivere cast forth Magna Antidote, and Ahura Mazda's wounds closed, the Council member feeling stronger as the healing energy washed over him.

Another moan sounded, and Caradoc regarded an upturned throne beside him, before knocking it aside with a blow of his hand to reveal Loki, who was curled in a fetal position, trembling. "Please don't kill me!"

"Oh, get up," the Dynasmon X muttered, hauling the KingEtemon to his feet. "Show some backbone, you coward."

"Peacemakers!" With that cry, a small group of clearly-wounded Digimon descended, several angels, and two or three dragons. At their head was Sir Hector in his WarGrowlmon X form.

"Sir Hector," Caradoc said somewhat guardedly.

"What happened?" the Royal Knight asked. "Is the Mikaboshi defeated?"

"It's dead," Guinier answered. "Bedivere and Thor struck it down with the swords." A glimmer of relief shone in the Royal Knight's eyes at the words.

"That is good," he spoke. "Council." He bowed to them awkwardly due to his size. "Those who survived the initial battle await your orders."

"How many?" Guinier asked.

"Several dozen..." the WarGrowlmon murmured. "We weren't ready for what they brought against... we were massacred, the Tamers included."

"Tamers?" Bedivere cried...

-

A week later, the results of that final, cataclysmic battle were clear. Hundreds of Digimon had been slaughtered, and the vast majority of human Tamers who had entered the world were also dead. The horrifically mutilated bodies continued to pour into the hastily-established morgue, twisted and contorted unnaturally by the forces of the fatal blows they had suffered. In total, the death count among the humans came to two hundred and twenty-seven deceased Tamers.

More Digimon poured in from the rest of the world, answering a plea for aid. The Asgardians, the Nomads, and many other groups of Digimon came to offer their assistance with the grim task of removing the bodies from the battlefield, and the rebuilding of Avalon in the wake of its razing. All exalted the Peacemakers, all cheered their names over mugs of ale graciously provided by the staff of the tavern owned by Tyr's father.

Stood at the edge of the sky, on the atmosphere's outermost extent, Bedivere gazed down upon the ruins of Avalon through the eyes of his Examon form. Through the scope of the Ambrosius, he beheld the swarm of Digimon clambering across the ravaged waste of the once-proud city, angels and knights, dragons and beasts. Through their own hands they raised the city strong once more, erecting new buildings to replace those obliterated, creating new from the ashes of old. Now was a new era, a time where Chaos no longer stood as a threat. Now was a time of peace.

Bedivere lowered the lance and let a gentle smile grace his lips as his wings folded and he angled downwards.

"This is the beginning," he murmured, before gravity took him and sent him burning down to the earth below, a new earth with a bright future...

(Time for the epilogues! One per person, and once all yours are done, I'll post mine and wrap this up. The tea and biscuits are almost at hand!)

 

[PeeGee]

"We did it!" cried out Kole as the Mikaboshi was destroyed. "Finally, it has all payed off!"

Yes, the monster was defeated, but many Tamers and digimon were destroyed as well

"What?" Kole asked, slowly de digivolving back into Piedmon. "Does that mean... Tia?"

Kole focused his magic and sought out Tia. He could feel it probing every corner of the ruins of Avalon, and to the Piedmon's delight he couldn't find any trace remains that belonged to Tia.

"Well that's great," exclaimed Kole, "Now I just have to find her."

The Piedmon flew off, determined to find his friend.

-------------------------------------------------------------
One week later

"So tell me again why you aren't celebrating with everyone else?"

Kole turned his head and saw the Bastemon he called Tia standing there.

"I just needed a break," replied Kole, "And I just wanted somewhere to think."

"Well we will have plenty of time to think on the way to Old Man Piedmon's," said Tia, grabbing Kole's arm. "Come on and celebrate!"

Kole let out a laugh and allowed himself to get dragged away by Tia.

"So why didn't you say anything to Bedivere about being a Royal Knight?" asked Tia as they danced.

"Because I am not right to be a Royal Knight Tia," answered Kole, "For starters, I turn into Apocalymon, and I have to know what is going on with the voice in my head before I can even start to consider being anything of use. That's why I am going to Old Man Piedmon again, I know he can help me."

Tia snorted the explanation off and started to tell Kole about how he was a hero, despite turning into Apocalymon.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile deep inside Kole's mind.

My time is coming sooner, and soon I shall be the one to rule over this body!

The voice, who was able to keep itself from being heard by Kole, started to laugh.

Soon, Apocalymon shall return!

 

[Kamotz]

As the battle subsided, the Peacemakers came together; they stared into the light of the setting sun. It was an appropriate image for the ending of a time of mistrust, betrayal, and hate. A new day was ahead of them, one without the agonies of the past. Thor looked to his fellow Peacemakers, and with a heavy heart he remembered those they'd lost. He remembered Kame, whom they barely got the chance to know. He remembered Dunk and the kindness in his eyes. Thor owed Dunk his life, and whispered his regrets to the ages.

"Farewell, Thor," Svarog said wistfully as he too watched the sun set. Thor didn't understand. "When the firebird dies it wreaths itself in flame and lets out one final flash. I came back only to see this through, for there are some doors that should not be left open too long. But now I too must return Nav. I wish you well, god-brother, and all of you, Peacemakers. Live lives of honor and glory, and may we one day meet again."

Svarog spread his wings and, laughing heartily, he hurled himself into the air. Fire trailed in his wake until he reached the first evening star to appear, and then he was gone. Thor was in shock again, Svarog had become his brother; closer in a way than Baldur or Vidar (to say nothing of Loki). Svarog understood his soul, but now he was gone and Thor felt that much more alone.

"Well that's just great," Samael muttered. He turned to the sky, "Way to leave us to clean up after you," he shouted. "Prick." The fallen angel sighed, he never liked goodbyes. That wasn't exactly true; he'd never had anyone he felt warranted a goodbye, but the Peacemakers, despite all their flaws, despite all the things he hated about them and they hated about him, he felt he owed them that.

"I'll be seein' ya," he said. "Unfortunately," he added quickly. "I'd love to be rid of ya but somethin' tells me we ain't seen the last of each other." He let out a sharp whistle and the Behemoth roared into view. "I'll be around. If you need me, you can go screw yourselves. I'm on vacation." Without another word Samael mounted the behemoth and took of roaring into the night.

"He never learned how to say goodbye," Michael tried explaining.

"I hadn't noticed," Thor said with a smile.

Michael turned to the thunder god and extended his hand. The two clasped arms and nodded. "Farewell, King of Asgard," Michael said. "You have a trying new role ahead of you, and while I don't envy the weight on your shoulders, I know you will be a good king."

"We do what we must to see this world to its next day," Thor replied. "Go in peace, Hand of God. Should you ever need it, just say the word, and Asgard will be ready."

"The same to you, Odinson," Michael bowed. He turned to Bedivere. "Lord Bedivere, good luck. The world will turn to you now; you are the new Lord of the Empty Seat. With the Royal Knights disassembled it falls to you to gather new defenders." Michael glanced to the rest of the Peacemakers. "But I have a feeling you won't have to look far." He turned one last time to the Digimon he had fought and bled beside. He gave them one final nod, and then in a flash of brilliant white light, he was gone.

Thor sighed, "I would stay with you all," he admitted. "But as Michael said, I have a kingdom to attend to. Remember this day, my friends. And remember those who gave their lives so that we could reach it." He spread his tired wings. "A place will always be kept for you in the halls of Asgard, and should you ever need me, you know where to find me."

The god of thunder and king of Asgard flapped his wings once and took to the sky. He sailed through the evening clouds and disappeared over the mountains.

===
Paradise Eden.

"Lord Michael," said a mighty Seraphimon to the kneeling archangel. Beside him stood six other holy angels. They were the Seven Sacred Archangels, the holiest beings in all of Heaven. "For your virtue, we, the Seven Sacred Archangels, recognize in you the Seven Sacred Virtues of God. For the valor you displayed in the final battle with Amatsu-Mikaboshi, we have chosen to honor you with sainthood.

"Arise! Saint Michael the Archangel! The Hand of God!"

===
Elsewhere...

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

The glaring inscriptions on the gates burned red hot, mocking him with the brevity of its meaning. The dark figure wished to abandon hope, but he was prevented from doing so. He wished to abandon hope for pride, love for lust, courage for wrath, friendship for greed, sincerity for envy, knowledge for sloth, and reliability for gluttony. He wished to embrace the deadly powers from behind the gate. But alas, he could not; for destiny had spread wide the hand of fate and bound the seven powers of hell within the power of seven heavens.

"Virtue," the dark one mused as he placed a hand on the burning chrome surface of the gate and traced the etchings. "Virtue and sin, forever opposing one another. The world is kept in balance...but now there is no sin. Only virtue...virtue and virtue...virtue against virtue. And thus to balance, does virtue become sin, and sin, virtue." The dark one let out a terrible laugh as he remembered the terrible words of a terrible prophecy.

"Sin is virtue, and virtue, sin; to loose the beasts that lie within. Born of power, darkest might; swallow all their lofty light. Break their wings, bring them fear; impale their hearts on burning spear. A crimson rage, a bright red scream; with our own hands we crush their dream. For we shall sail from bloody shore; and shatter all their hearts with war. And they shall all sing their lament; as He doth rise, the Devil's ascent."

The words sent a hot chill through the dark one's black soul, and with his spirits high, he turned away from the gate and vanished into the air before him. The time had come, as he had always known it would. It was time to open the gates of Hell and venture into the inferno. It was time to bring Heaven to its knees.

 

[Griff4815]

Tiwaz, Kheprius, and Pyra stood amongst the gathered Peacemakers, watching as their comrades began to go their seperate ways. They felt an air of completion... finality. It was an uncomfortable situation, finally completing a goal because they then wonder, 'where do I go next?'

Kheprius saw his Sun God rival say his farewells and race towards the celestial body above. He then glanced to his left and saw his demonic pal make a quick getaway as well, leaving bitter exhaust in his wake. "Good riddance," Kheprius called after Svarog and Samael as they departed. He folded his arms and scowled. "...Now who'll I drink with?"

"The same to you, Odinson," Michael bowed. He turned to Bedivere. "Lord Bedivere, good luck. The world will turn to you now; you are the new Lord of the Empty Seat. With the Royal Knights disassembled it falls to you to gather new defenders." Michael glanced to the rest of the Peacemakers. "But I have a feeling you won't have to look far." He turned one last time to the Digimon he had fought and bled beside. He gave them one final nod, and then in a flash of brilliant white light, he was gone.

Thor sighed, "I would stay with you all," he admitted. "But as Michael said, I have a kingdom to attend to. Remember this day, my friends. And remember those who gave their lives so that we could reach it." He spread his tired wings. "A place will always be kept for you in the halls of Asgard, and should you ever need me, you know where to find me."

Pyra approached Kheprius and gave him a short nod. "Kheprius..." she said formally.

"So, I guess this is it, huh?" Khep asked, looking at her. "...Or are you here to arrest me and slap another electric control system in my neck?"

The Paildramon gave a small smirk. "No... I talked to Sei-Ryujin and he had full intentions on living up to his word regarding your deal. You're free now, Kheprius."

The GrandisKuwagamon smirked and extended his hand. "...And all it took was getting repeatedly pummelled and mortally wounded by mine truly!"

Pyra looked down at his hand for a moment before reaching out her own and clasping it. "And thank you, Kheprius... For stopping me."

"I can't say it was my pleasure..." he said, shaking her hand before retracting his arm. "Well, Pyra... for a teammate, you're not half-bad... as far as Dramons go," he said, casting her a final smirk.

"Take care, Kheprius." Pyra gave him a nod before turning around and walking away.

Not far off, Tiwaz stood in front of Fenrir, looking down at him. His form blazed and contended with the piercing rays of light emanating from Fenrir's body. "...Well, Fenrir, looks like we saved the world once again. It never gets old, does it?" he said, offering a grin.

A cool breeze flowed through his blonde hair held back by his goggles. "...It looks like you and I will be parting ways again," he said, with an air of regret in his voice. "Tyr and I will be going off our way... and you'll... well, you'll be going wherever the hell it is that you go..."

The AncientGreymon let out a soft exhale through his nostrils and turned around, but still looked over his shoulder at Fenrir. "Just promise me you won't die this time... It's just not the same kicking ass without you nagging my ears off," he quickly added, not wanting to sound soppy or anything.

He lightly whacked the side of Fenrir's arm with the end of his tail. "...And that was for kicking me in the face," he said before reverting back to Tyr's VictoryGreymon form. Kheprius saw this reversion and hurried over to him, assuming that Tyr was back in control.

"Well, Tyr, it's been somethin', hasn't it?" Khep said, leaning his elbow amiably on Tyr's shoulder.

The VictoryGreymon looked at him, but didn't respond. Kheprius ceased his casual leaning and walked around to stand in front of him. "Hey, why the glum face? Didn't you hear what Michael said? We're the new Royal Knights!"

Tyr's eyes widened. "No!" he abruptly shouted, clenching his fists. "I'm not!"

Kheprius regarded him with surprise and confusion. "...What are you talking about, Tyr? We did what they couldn't. You can even become a frigging god."

The VictoryGreymon scowled. "That's Tiwaz's power... It's not mine... I'm nothing special," he said adamantly, pushing past Kheprius and walking away from the Peacemakers.

"But Tyr--" Kheprius started.

"Be quiet," he snapped, not ceasing his strides. "I'm not a Royal Knight... None of us are. And I never will be..."

The dragon-man stormed away from them, walking through the ruins of Avalon as he did so. Tears stained the corners of his eyes as he hastened his step.

"I'm everything I wanted to be... so why aren't I happy?"

Kheprius and Pyra cast a quick glance at each other as they watched Tyr disappear upon jumping into the air and flying through a pillar of smoke.

Pyra's eyes softened as he hurried away from the Peacemakers. "Tyr..."

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

Asgard - Several days later...

Kheprius sat in the grand, golden library of Asgard. Having needed a break from the reconstruction effort and finding the lines at Avalon's taverns infinite, Kheprius ventured out to Asgard for some time off (and more easily accessible mead.) Fortunately for him, there was a tavern right across the street from the library.

Uniform rows of bookshelves towered over Kheprius from where he sat. Scrolls and books from across the ages stood in the ancient library. Some seemed old enough to crumble into dust at the very touch of them. He sat near a single window, where golden rays of sun shone in and cascaded along the floor and table.

With a mug of the honey-based alcoholic beverage on the table in front of him, not far from his hand, Kheprius scanned through the pages of a book about the Holy Host and demons. He had decided to take Samael's suggestion from awhile ago of doing a little research. Another book that lay beside his beverage on the table was on the topic of gods.

He lazily flipped a page of the book and raised his mug to take another drink. Upon tilting his head back and downing a portion of the liquid, he stopped, feeling a presence behind him. The GrandisKuwagamon slowly lowered his glass until it rested on the table, trying to act like he hadn't noticed the presence. Upon doing so, he shot up in his chair and turned around.

Kheprius spun around to face the form of a TigerVespamon, who stood their calmly, not moving a muscle in response to Khep's actions. The TigerVespamon's body shone a bright gold as the sun's rays from the nearby window enveloped him, giving him an awe-inspiring disposition.

"...You again," Kheprius growled, dropping his book and clenching his fists at the sight of the familiar digimon.

The TigerVespamon glanced down at the book that the bug dropped before looking back up, into his eye. "...That is a good read. It is probably better read while sober, however," he said in an ethereal voice as he gestured to the book about the Holy Host and demons.

"Who... are you...?" the GrandisKuwagamon hissed, glaring at the digimon. He wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"Barachiel Aker," he responded simply. Apparently, Barachiel wasn't either.

"You said you were my brother..." he said, tightening his fists. "You knew about the attack..." He knocked his chair to the side and stepped towards him. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I told you already... I am your brother..."

"Bullshit!" Kheprius snapped. "My brother's dead! He died that day! And he's nothing like you are!" he said in a raged fervor. "You don't even have the same name! How did you even find me?"

Barachiel regarded him calmly and didn't respond. He merely stood before him, basked in the bright light.

"Say something!" Kheprius snarled. Upon further silence, the GrandisKuwagamon charged him, throwing his right fist towards Barachiel.

The TigerVespamon took a single step to the left, causing Khep's fist to miss his head. Barachiel then pivoted, grabbed Kheprius' arm, and used the bug's own momentum against him. He smoothly flipped the GrandisKuwagamon onto his back.

Kheprius winced and scrambled to his feet, pushing past Barachiel and grabbing one of his Gran Killers from the table. He took a mean hold of Barachiel's red scarf with his left hand and held the three bladed points of the Gran Killer in the TigerVespamon's direction.

Barachiel stood still; calm. He regarded Kheprius with mild sadness and disappointment in his eyes. Khep was confused as to why he didn't act again.

"...You have changed so much, Kheprius..." Barachiel said.

"You're full of crap... I've never met you in my life," Khep declared.

Barachiel slowly raised his hand, asking for his brief silence. Khep reluctantly agreed, wanting an explaination, and the strange digimon started speaking. "...When I was just a young rookie, I always loved to adventure... I was a very reckless one," he remembered fondly.

"...I was driven by my curiousity and want for adventure, always following my heart. ...One day I went very far away from the village despite my parents orders. My brother followed me, trying to get me to come back, but I didn't listen... Instead, I came across a mean digimon and picked a fight with him," Barachiel explained in his angelic voice. Kheprius continued to listen impatiently.

"...He was much stronger than I and he beat me to near-death. It was my brother that intervened... he took me and flew back to the village with me as quickly as he possibly could. When my parents found me bloodied and beaten, my father was furious that I had disobeyed him and gotten so horribly injured." As Barachiel spoke, Kheprius' annoyance began to be replaced by deep thought at his words.

"But my brother insisted that it was his idea... that he made me come with him. My father struck him hard across the face for supposedly putting me in such great danger... but even then, my brother stubbornly took responsibility for my own stupidity..." Barachiel recounted, wearing a soft smile on his face.

Kheprius' eye slowly widened full with utter shock and disbelief as his mind came to the revelation.

Barachiel looked deep into Kheprius' eye. "...My brother was a kind, loving Tentomon... He always looked out for me, even when it inconvenienced himself and got him in trouble. ...The last time I saw him was the day that our village was attacked. And even then, he worried about me... he tried to stop me... If he could have... he would have come after me without a second thought," the TigerVespamon said softly, not taking his eyes away from Kheprius'.

Kheprius' widened eye glistened as he stared at Barachiel. His arms began to quiver. "...You're... You..."

"I am your brother, Khep..."

For what seemed like minutes to him, Kheprius stared in disbelief at him, emotions surging through him. "...Terrak!" he finally shouted, dashing forwards and wrapping his arms around the TigerVespamon.

Terrak slowly raised his arms slightly before pausing for a moment. He then proceeded to lightly embrace the GrandisKuwagamon warmly in response. After a minute, they slowly released each other and took a step back.

"You're... You're alive!" Kheprius decreed, with a rare, overwhelming happiness soaking his voice. He quickly blinked back a tear of sheer joy and gazed at his long lost brother. "But how?! I looked for days!"

"Hadrael found me the morning after the attack... An Angemon," Terrak explained. "He is a member of the Holy Host... but he came from Paradise Eden in order to help spread the word of God and the teachings of the Holy Host among the rest of us digimon, as a sort of monk."

Barachiel continued, realizing he was digressing. "He took care of me from then on... training me in his lifestyle and introducing me to his religion upon my asking. I grew up following in his footsteps, but I eventually joined the Avalonian army. I owe Hadrael everything..."

Kheprius's overjoyed smile was slowly evening out as he continued listening. This meant... "So Mom and Dad..."

"Your guess is as good as mine..." Barachiel responded. "I tried to put the past behind me and move on with my life."

"...'Move on'? How could you possibly do that?" he asked, slightly irritated that he made it sound so easy.

"Kheprius..." Terrak said evenly. "Kheprius, do you think Mom and Dad would want you to carry around what happened like a weight?"

"No..." Khep admitted, "but I don’t think they would have wanted me to grow up alone to become a mercenary and a criminal, either, but it still happened. ...In case you didn't hear, I didn't have the luxury of a guardian angel..."

Barachiel slowly looked down. "...Yes ...I heard about you."

"...And why did you call yourself 'Barachiel Aker' for all that time?" the GrandisKuwagamon asked, looking at him in confusion.

"I changed my name," Khep's brother simply responded in his still-even ethereal voice.

"Why would you do something like that?" Kheprius questioned, folding his arms.

"...Because I was ashamed," Terrak said, looking up at him.

"'Ashamed'? What the hell did Mom and Dad ever do?!" Kheprius grilled, glaring at him.

"Not of Mom and Dad, of you," Barachiel answered with a cold stare. "I found out that you were alive when I heard you were a wanted criminal and a mercenary... I have heard of some of the things that you have done..." he said in a calm, yet contempt-filled voice. "It is sickening to think about..."

Terrak then turned his back to him and began walking out of the rays of the sun, away from Kheprius. He made his way towards the not-far-off library exit. Upon stopping at the front door, he turned and looked at Kheprius. "And if Mom and Dad are watching down on you, then I have no doubt that they would feel nothing but shame too..." he said in an icy voice.

"...It was good seeing you, Khep," Terrak said, opening the door and exitting. Kheprius reamined standing alone, mulling over Terrak - no - Barachiel's words as his brother left.

"...And you've changed too, Terrak," he whispered.

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

Pyra stood in front of her large mansion of a house. Even with its sturdy build, the structure was half-destroyed by the combined efforts of the siege and the Chaos Lords' attack. She remained, unmoving, before the large front doors, one of which was completely shattered. Inside, she could hear scuffling and a murmuring.

"What a complete disaster," the gruff voice mumbled as the digimon looked around him at the rubble of the house.

The Paildramon closed her eyes and sighed, steeling herself. She then opened them and took a step forwards. Pyra kicked the remaining door open and stormed inside to see an Imperialdramon Dragon Mode wrench his head around to see her.

"Pyra!" Terraneus said in surprise at seeing his daughter.

"Father," she snarled without the shock and happiness that his voice had.

"It's good to--"

"Shut up," she firmly said, prompting him to stop talking out of pure shock.

"...What? What did you just say?!" he asked, his voice rising.

"It's because of you... You and Artorius," she hissed, taking a defiant step towards him. "I wasn't enough... you just had to have a son in the military to bring honour to the Torren name! And now look what it brought you... Max is dead!" he shouted, rage and sorrow clear in Pyra's voice.

"Pyra! What in the blazes are you talking about?!" Terraneus demanded.

"You know what I'm talking about... Surely you had to know that this could happen!" she said, her words fiery.

"I don't understand!" he said in frustration.

"All I ever wanted was for Max to be safe and for you to be proud of me!" Pyra said, her eyes brimming with rage and emotion.

The Imperialdramon looked at her, before turning to face her fully. "Pyra..." Terraneus said, his voice low and tempering. He stared deep into her eyes, unwaveringly. "I have always been proud of you."

Pyra went silent, feeling her emotions begin to surface further. She shook her head slowly and continued glaring at him. "No... You're lying to me."

Terraneus took a step forwards and lowered his head to level it with hers. "No, Pyra... You've been lying to yourself."

A tear trickled down Pyra's face and she angrily clenched her fists. "Quiet!" she roared, a fire burning behind her eyes.

Before she could act further, a voice called out from the side. "...Sis!" the voice of an older male teenager called out.

Pyra froze completely as that single word entered her ears. Her entire argument with her father completely left her mind as she slowly turned in the direction of the voice. Her eyes widened and her insides chilled over at what she saw.

A young ExVeemon standing on the other side of the rubble-littered living room.

"Pyra!" he called over, grinning ear-to-ear.

The Paildramon's legs trembled and she took a step backwards. "It... It can't be... Max... Max?!" she shouted, shock and confusion overpowering her rage without any trouble.

The ExVeemon flew towards them and landed in front of her before bowing. "The one and only! You were awesome, Pyr--"

"You..." she interrupted. "It can't be! You're dead!" she yelled.

Maximus was taken aback. "What? What did I do? That's not a very cool way to greet your brother after all this time..."

Pyra continued staring at him, her arms and legs quivering and heart racing. "But you... You..."

"I what?" Maximus asked, looking at her with curiousity.

The Paildramon let out a sob and wrapped her arms tightly around his body. "Maximus! I thought you were dead!" she said, holding him gently as unadulterated joy began to course through her body.

The ExVeemon smiled and hugged her in response. "Me? Nah..." He looked up at her and was surprised. "Pyra, are you crying? I've never seen you cry before..."

Pyra smiled softly and raised one of her hands to wipe a tear away. "I'm just... so relieved."

"This was why you were acting so strangely?" Terraneus asked, looking at her.

The Paildramon released Maximus and nodded. "But I don't understand... I was told you died in the Siege..."

"What?" Maximus said in surprise. "Dead? Who told you that?!"

"A WarGreymon I know... He told me an ExVeemon named 'Max' was killed by a MetalSeadramon while saving him from the blast... I assumed..." Pyra trailed off.

"...Nope. I don't know any WarGreymons... And I made sure to stay away from any MetalSeadramons during the Siege," the ExVeemon explained.

"What? So you did fight in it?!" she asked, shooting a look to her father.

"Of couse I did!" Maximus said. "I volunteered!" he explained.

Pyra's gaze darted back to him in surprise. "...But you hated the idea of joining the military."

"That was our city being attacked, Pyra! I had to help protect it. It was just a temporary militia squadron anyways, so it's nothing permanent. I knew the Chaos Lords were too much for me though, so I evacuated with Dad and the other civilians... good thing too."

The Paildramon felt an emotional rollercoaster going on inside of her. She wasn't sure what to think... but her mind always came back to one thing. Pyra looked at Maximus with a look of joy, but inside her mind, she felt guilt reaching out.

"Maximus is alive... and Father did nothing wrong..." she mused. "...So, that means all that I felt... All that I became... All that I did... It was all... for nothing..."

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

Pyra walked down one of the many ravaged streets of Avalon, cluttered with debris, impact craters and rubble. Beside her walked a WarGreymon. Their forms where highlighted by the orange glow of the nearby setting sun. Both had a solemn expressions on their faces.

"...You didn't have to do that, you know: ...come with me to explain to Max's family what he did for me, that is," Sigurd said, glancing over to her.

"Yes, I did," she responded. "It was him, after all, who's death I felt so strongly over... Just because his name was 'Maximilian' and not 'Maximus' doesn't mean that I should distance myself from his noble sacrifice. I know what it feels like to lose someone close to me... it would be selfish to only feel remorse if it's a personal loss to me."

Sigurd gave her a soft smile. "Well... Thanks. It would have been harder for me if you weren't there," he told her. Pyra nodded warmly in response. The WarGreymon looked down slightly and clenched his fists. "I'm... sorry," he said. "...For putting you through all that."

The Paildramon shook her head. "It's more my fault than it is yours. Miscommunications happen... And it helped me learn more about myself..."

Sigurd grimaced. "Still..."

"I should be thanking you, Sigurd, for what you did for me after the siege."

"It was nothing," he said with a nod.

The two walked in silence for a short time. Sigurd finally spoke up. "...Have you heard from Tyr?" he asked.

Pyra looked downwards, glancing at her shadow cast over the ground.

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

Tyr stood in a small village, comprised of no more than thirty buildings. A beaten pathway cut the currently quiet village down the middle. He stood before the giant stone sculpture of a sword stabbing into a large rock before him. which was placed in the dead center of the village. It was a tribute to the Royal Knights who had fallen in battle.

The orange rays of sunlight highlighted the right sides of the buildings and memorial before him as the solar orb descended over the horizon. Overhead, the dark blue, enveloping hue of the night was overtaking the light of the sun.

Tyr's bowed head slowly raised to stare that the memorial.

"No... I haven't seen him since when the Peacemakers were gathered after Amatsu-Mikaboshi's defeat," Pyra said to Sigurd. "...And I don't expect I will anytime soon."

The VictoryGreymon silently stepped back from the stone sword and looked past the blade. On the other side stood a pub that read 'Hymir's Tavern - the only bar endorsed by the Royal Knights!' Tyr sighed and gazed at the building sadly.

"Why's that?" Sigurd asked her.

His tattered, green cape flowing in the breeze, Tyr turned and began to walk away from the memorial, off to the side down the beaten path. "Wait, please!" an eager young voice called to him.

Pyra looked up at Sigurd. "Tyr has suffered a lot during our battles... He had to fight his heroes..."

Tyr turned around and saw a young Veemon run up to him, starry-eyed. "I can't believe it! It's actually you!" he said, beside himself if extreme happiness.

The VictoryGreymon looked behind himself to see if the young boy was talking to somebody else. He saw nobody and looked back at him in confusion. "Err...?"

"The Royal Knights did things that Tyr never thought was possible from them... and then most of them were killed in battle," Pyra continued.

"You're... You're Tyr Koenig!" the Veemon said, hopping up and down with joy. "One of the Peacemakers! The Brick Wall of Fire!"

"Uhh... that's right..." Tyr said lowly, slightly surprised.

"My dad says he knows you!" he said proudly. "He said you helped him during the Siege! His name's 'Gaheris'! D'you remember?!" the Veemon asked eagerly.

"Tyr said his dad was mortally wounded during the siege," Pyra said.

"I'm on my way to check on his status, to be honest," replied Sigurd with some worry.

"...Yeah. I remember Gaheris," Tyr said, looking down at him.

The Veemon's smile widened. "That's so cool! And so are you! You're my favourite of the Peacemakers! You're my biggest hero!" he gushed.

"He lost his friend Dunk too... And he was the one who killed Typhon," Pyra explained.

"Something that he swore he'd never do..." Sigurd said sympathetically.

Tyr turned his back to the young Veemon, allowing the orange light from the disappearing sun to fall upon his caped back.

"...Find a new hero, kid," he said, his words dark and heavy.

"Wha?" the rookie digimon asked, confused.

"I'm not what you think I am... I'm just a foot soldier of the Greymon Alliance who was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the Peacemakers... I’m just a lowly VictoryGreymon who wants to do what’s right. Nothing more... So don't try to be like me... Ever." He then ripped off his cape and nonchalantly tossed it to the young dragon. "...Tell Gaheris he can keep that."

Tyr then began to walk away from the Veemon, who watched as his hero stormed out of the village.

Pyra sighed and looked to her left, looking towards the horizon at the orange sun which was disappearing over the last bit of land. "... As for Tyr... I'm not sure he'll ever be the same."

Tyr looked over his shoulder at the same sun as it vanished completely. He turned back forwards and continued trudging through the desert. His determined gaze was fixed ahead of him and he walked towards the oncoming darkness of the swallowing night.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

The sun had begun to set, painting the sky beautiful and soft shades of yellow, pink and purple. Its goodnight glow dyed the one of the renewed walls of Avalon a marvellous mixture of gold and red, almost shining. The marshmallow clouds, reflecting the last colours of daylight, billowed by at their slow pace, simply letting the breeze so high up in the air to waft them away to far away lands. After days of darkness, death and destruction, peace had finally settled once more.

Azur sighed, leaning against the warm wall that separated him from the bustling city and celebrating Avalonians. His fur rose and fell with the caress of the wind, treating his nose with the sweet scent of flowers and nature, calming his mind. His ears, however, were constantly assaulted by the noise from behind the wall.

Despite the new barrier being many meters tall, he could still hear the grunts of passing builders, the songs of partygoers and the rambunctious laughter of merrymaking children. So long ago, the latter might have incited a small smile from his usually scowling maw. Now, well, he could barely move it from the straight line that it had adopted since the short celebration that honoured the fallen.

During then, Dunkelheit’s smiling face plagued him the whole time. Without the imminent threat of world destruction and infinite chaos happening, there was a little next to nothing from keeping his mind from wandering to the time that he failed he failed to save his older twin’s life…the time when his anger blinded him so much that Dunk had to offer his life so that he didn’t have to offer his own. He was able to hide the agony that gripped his aching heart with a well-made blank expression, or so he hoped he was able to. He vaguely remembered wondering if Pyra squeezing his paw that time was meant to comfort him, to comfort herself for Max’s death, or to signal her relief that everything was over. For all he knew, maybe it was all of the above.

And then another thought intruded his mind. It was a thought containing many questions, and the one Digimon that was the first ever to hold his heart the way she did.

He closed his eyes, remembering what he had decided to tell her, to ask of her, after the honouring ceremony. The images were so clear in his head, his own words repeating themselves so much that he could have repeated them to himself right there and then.

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

A week ago…

Azur looked around him nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, unable to chase away the slight feeling of apprehension. In front of him was a curious looking Pyra, whom he had pulled to a more private place where they could talk without worrying that someone would overhear them.

There was something the WereGarurumon had to do, and he didn’t really know of Pyra would like it. He would tell her nonetheless; she had that right. He didn’t want her to feel that he would just up and leave her without a reason. If things went the way that he would want them to, they wouldn’t even have to be apart from each other, but that might or might not come true. He had learned too long ago that things didn’t always go the way he wanted it to.

He looked at her, and his eyes met hers. For a few seconds, he was mesmerized by them. They were beautiful, shining like bright red rubies. They drew him in, weakening his resolve of what he needed to do. He didn’t have to do what he planned; he could just stay here.

But the thought of doing so unnerved him. He had lived moving from place to place since childhood, long before he even met Galic. He…he couldn’t even dream of a life that anchored him to one place for such long periods of time.

Well, that, and he owed Fenrir his request that much.

“Pyra,” he started, feeling his mouth begin to dry up. “I…I’m leaving…and Galic’s not coming with me,” he said in a soft voice. He saw her eyes widening in surprise.

“Azur, what-“

“Let me finish, please,” Azur interrupted her. Pyra had a curious, and maybe worried, look on her face, but she kept her silence, which the blue canid meant for him to continue. He took a deep breath, trying to gather all his nerves in that one long exhale.

“Fenrir, he…I’m going to look for his resting place,” Azur started, looking down to his feet. “There are many things he abruptly left there when he died. You know.” He raised his head back up to meet her gaze one more. The possibility of that long illness that had taken the AncientGarurumon’s life still hung faintly over the WereGarurumon’s head.

“I…I want to help him put his worries to rest. I know the general direction, or at least, Fenrir does. He’s sure that I can make the journey on land. But…” Azur looked away. “The land might have changed over the years. He’s not sure how long it might take. Maybe a few months. Maybe a year,” he said, his eyes filled with reluctance at the idea.

Sometime during his speaking, his paws had somehow found Pyra’s hands. The warmth spreading between them was comforting to Azur, and it both gave him and weakened his will to follow through. He looked at their clasped fingers. “I…I don’t want to leave you,” he admitted. “Not now, when we can do more than be allies in a war…I don’t want to leave your side.”

‘I don’t want to be alone.’ The words went through his head, but he left them unsaid. He turned back to Pyra.

With an emotion-filled voice, he told her, “I want you to come with me.” Before she could reply, possibly one with surprise, he continued. “I know…I’m…selfish, but if I have a choice, I want you close,” he told her, stepping closer to her. His eyes ducked, looking back to their hands, which he had yet to let go.

“You don’t have to decide now, Pyra,” he told her. “And I don’t want you to go only because I want you to. I’m not going to force you to come with me, and you don’t have to force yourself to please me.”

‘Because between my happiness and yours,’ he thought to himself. ‘Yours will come first.’ He stepped closer to her, letting go of her hands and then putting his paws on the sides her arms. He was close enough that neither of their bodies touched each other but that his maw was right beside her ear.

“A week from now, Pyra, outside the eastern walls. When the sun begins to set. That’s when and where I want to hear your answer,” he told her, squeezing her arms lightly. “Take that time and decide what you want, and whatever you choose, I’ll accept it,” he told her with as much sincerity he could muster. He let go of her arms…and then enveloped her into a short but tender hug. Before he let go, he said one last thing. “Because no matter what, I’ll still love you.”

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

Azur shook his head, erasing the lasting images he had of Pyra since the week before. The supposed deadline for her answer was that exact day, and the sun had already begun to set. It wouldn’t last much longer, Azur assumed. The oranges and yellows were beginning to turn into light pink and dark violets, and the night was getting ready for its turn to govern the sky.

‘Azur,’ Fenrir’s voice called from his mind. ‘It’s almost-’

“I know!” the WereGarurumon growled loudly, and then winced. He shouldn’t have shouted. “I know,” he repeated in a softer tone. “Just…just until the first star becomes visible,” he pleaded, not quite used to it but somehow finding it was easier than he thought. His mind was full of silence, which he assumed, hoped, meant that his ancient ancestor would give him that much.

Azur pushed himself away from the wall, shaking away the heat that it gave him in exchange for the cold wind that had begun to set in for the night. It ruffled through his fur and began to cool down his body, although he did nothing to reheat himself up. His ears told him that builders were leaving and children were already going back home for bed. He stayed, nonetheless, patiently looking at the sky for the first sight of that single bright star.

His eyes glanced to the left, and then there it was. It blinked, as if winking at him. The first star of the night shimmered as its brothers and sisters followed. At the same time, he began to hear footsteps coming from behind him.

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

At the same time…

Galic waved good bye to the group builders that he supervised. He then turned, nodding to the nomads behind him. “Shall we?” he asked them, although he knew he didn’t really have to. Their tired faces told him well enough that they would really like a good night’s rest after a long day’s work. They still have much to rebuild, after all.

He led the way out of Avalon, towards the forest that had survived all the destruction and fire that the battles that had caused. There, a small encampment was situated for all the nomads who decided to stay and help build Avalon occupied. It would also become the new home for those that wished to finally settle down. Galic himself was going to be one of those. After travelling for so long and after such harsh battles, the idea of situating himself in one place to live in peace was a charming prospect. He supposed he wasn’t the only one, though there were still a large amount of nomads that would still go on travelling.

Since the war had caused the nomadic group to gather up so many new members, they had long ago decided that they would separate into small groups led by the nomads that led small squads in the siege since they were the most trustworthy. His father was one of them, although his mother decided to stay with him in the outskirts of Avalon. He was, at least, glad that they would meet every once in a while, seeing as the high council decided that it would be their home for anyone who wished for one, as well as their only connection to the more modern world.

As such thoughts came into his mind, he noticed that he and his nomads had passed the tavern that Tyr’s father used to own. It made him wonder how Tyr was. He hoped that the dragonman was doing well. He knew that he had left, but he also knew that Azur would be leaving as well. There were a lot of issues to be dealt with those two, but Galic knew well enough to keep his peace. He could only do so much. The two young Digimon would deal with it in their own time, or so he hoped they would.

‘Hopefully, Azur’s journey will not be for nought,’ he thought to himself with a smile and mentally wishing his former apprentice – Galic had realized that Azur no longer needed the MachGaogamon to guide him - all the good luck he could offer, as well as a few last tips about living off the land.

And then the images came. He began to remember the moments of his past of him travelling the world with two young Digimon at his side. He smiled melancholy at the nostalgia as well as seeing Dunkelheit’s ever-jubilant face. He mourned his death, but he cherished his memory. There were so many things about the Cerberumon that had filled his life with so much joy; it was, in fact, due to Dunk’s insistent pleading, if you could have called it that by the way he did it, that he even agreed to let them go with him, and it was definitely not something he regretted.

He was snapped out of his reverie when one of the nomads big him goodbye with a palm on his left shoulder, surprising him. It didn’t quite make him jump, but enough to make him jerk his head straight a little.

“I’ll see you, Galic,” the nomad said, waving goodbye. “And take care of that arm!”

The MirageGaogamon waved back with his right hand, smiling and nodding. As soon as the nomad disappeared, he sighed and shook his head. It had been…such a long time since he had been surprised by someone.

“Then again, losing half of one’s hearing tends to affect one in great ways,” he told himself, though only hearing the words from his right ear. After the battle with Amatsu-Mikaboshi, he lost all sense of hearing in his left ear…but that wasn’t the only thing he lost.

Galic looked to his limp left arm. From elbow below, he couldn’t feel or move anything, not even a single twitch of the finger. It was as if it had become paralyzed. Well, in a way, it had.

The MachGaogamon shook his head, snapping away the thoughts and regrets that entered his mind. He knew what he was risking when he fought both Ophion and Amatsu-Mikaboshi at such power levels in Burst Mode. In fact, he had come off easy; the way he had calculated it, he should have lost more than his sense of hearing in his left ear and feeling in his left arm. Much much more.

Though he didn’t know if he would ever be able to hold something with his left hand ever again, still, in a few years, his hearing would come back, although it would never be the same as it had before. His father experienced the same thing, after all.

Galic then blinked, looking around and then finding himself in front of a small, familiar hut. He then smiled. It had been a while since he last visited, and it would do him good to do so. The ones inside always reminded him of happier days.

He walked through the curtain entrance, which would be replaced with a door as soon as Avalon was fully rebuilt. He let his voice ring loud, knowing that the occupants would still be up early that night, “Good evening!”

A smiling Garurumon appeared from the one of the other openings in the room, which mostly consisted of just a few things here and there, as well as a large bed. “Galic! It is good to see you,” Saphire told the MachGaogamon, who nodded in reply.

“As it is to see you, my friend,” Galic said, approaching.

“I do hope so,” the wolf Digimon replied. “You can go in. You can look after it. I was just about to go look for Grau. He always seems to come home late these days.”

“It’d be my pleasure,” Galic told her as Saphire left her hut to look for her mate.

The MachGaogamen then entered the room that Saphire just left, and he couldn’t help but let out tender smile. He walked right across the room, and then he knelt down on a knee. He raised the arm that he could still move.

“May you live days of happiness, little one,” Galic said, placing a hand on the egg in the makeshift nest in front of him. “May you become as great as the one that came before you.”

From a window, the light of the moon shone brightly on him and the object beneath his palm, chasing away the shadows that hid the bright red cloth that was lovingly put around the egg.

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

Somewhere out of Avalon…

Sitting on a grassy field, Azur looked up to the night sky, revelling in the beauty of the stars. The moon bathed him in yellow light, granting him a visage that made him look a little less mortal and little more celestial. The wind blew past his face and his chest, no longer clad in the red vest that he had worn for so long.

“Are you watching…Dunk?” he asked softly. And the wind blew strong, spinning around his whole body, imitating the feeling of a familiar warm body rubbing against him.

Then he felt the hand that held his own tighten slightly, as if in reassurance. And he returned it, finding comfort in the small gesture.

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

Meanwhile…

A silhouette stood a tree branch, looking inside the window of a small hut at a distance. His eyesight was well enough suited to the dark that he was able to see clearly inside. He let out a grin.

“Now, now,” the figure started, jumping down from the tree branch. “You know what I think?” he asked, although he knew that no one would hear him, let alone give him a reply.

“I think…this is only the beginning.”

 

[TheSequelReturns]

The setting sun painted the sky with colors, from blood red at the edges of the sky to the wispy purples and golds of the fading clouds to the bright orange of the sun itself as it bid farewell to the day that almost never came. Three shadows stood near one of the gates of Avalon, sitting still, just enjoying the last few minutes of the fading day.

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?" Duo asked.

From his spot against the wall, Trowa responded without even looking up. "Yeah, I'm sure. I figure its time for me to go out there and see what I can do for myself. I mean, you've got that lady of yours, but what do I have? Yeah, its time for me to go find my own way."

"It won't be the same without you, you know." Duo said. Though they had only known each other for about a year or so, he felt like he had known him longer, and Duo would gladly call Trowa his brother in arms.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Trowa said before finally looking up. "But you know, you're right. It just wont be the same without you two, or any of the gang for that matter."

"Well then, if there's nothing I can do to change your mind, just stay safe will you? I want to meet your lady once you've gotten around to finding her." Duo said with a grin.

"Thanks, I... Wait, you meant something by that didn't you?"

Duo laughed, and the third member of their group stepped forward.

"I wouldn't worry too much Trowa." Saria said, "I'm sure there's someone out there who can put up with you."

"Oh come on guys, really." Trowa said with a wave of his hands. "But seriously, where did Lucia run off to anyway. I swear, you've picked yourself an airhead, you just don't realize it yet."

"If you're so concerned, why don't you take a look for yourself, she's been over there for hours." Saria pointed over towards a small square not too far from the gate.

In the square was gathered a small group of rookie Digimon, all listening intently to the story that was being told by none other than Lucia. She was standing on a box, perhaps due to her short stature, and acting out the roles excitedly as she told some epic tale to the young Digimon who had gathered around. She looked up, and caught Duo's eyes with her own, a smile forming on her face. But, she settled for a small wave before jumping back into the story.

Trowa's face took on a look of surprise. "Seriously, she's been telling stories this whole time? And to think, I just thought that she had gotten lost again."

After a moment though, Lucia seemed to have finished her story. With applause and a few sad calls from those who wanted more, Lucia dismounted her makeshift stage and dismissed the group of kids before heading over the where the others were waiting for her.

"Sorry, once I started I didn't realize how long I had been going on." she said as she wrapped one arm around Duo's, "I hope you didn't miss me too much."

"Me? You know I can take care of myself." Duo said with a smile.

"Really? We both know you would be lost without me." Lucia said. "Admit it, you know you need me."

Duo returned her embrace for a moment. "You're right, I do need you, and I was lost without you."

Trowa coughed, "Ahem, we're still here you know. And one of us happens to be leaving soon."

The dragon man and the goddess in training broke their embrace with a slight bit of embarrassment. Lucia turned to Trowa. "I'm sorry Trowa, you want me to hug you too?"

Trowa waved his hands in front of him, "No thanks, I'll pass on that one."

Saria came up from behind him and leaned up on Trowa's shoulder, one hand around his neck. "You know, now that I think about it, you're pretty handsome yourself fly-boy."

For the first time he could remember, Trowa actually blushed. He stuttered for a moment before taking a step back as the other three burst into laughter. "Alright, you guys are trying to get rid of me now aren't you?"

"Us? Never." Lucia said with a smile.

"Yeah, you're far to good looking to chase off." Saria said with a wink, causing Lucia to practically lose it as she burst into a heavy fit of laugher.

Duo just sighed. "Alright guys, that's enough messing around. This is supposed to be a serious occasion."

Lucia playfully punched him in the arm. "Come on, its all in good fun." But she turned to Trowa, her expression becoming more serious. "But really, I'm gonna miss you. Take care of yourself alright?"

"Relax you guys, I survived freaking Chaos incarnate, I think I'll be fine on my own for a little while."

"So, I guess this is goodbye for now." Duo said as he offered his hand.

Trowa gladly took it, "Yeah, see you later buddy. Let me know when I become a Godfather, I'll be sure to come visit."

Lucia and Duo blushed and nearly looked away from each other.

Trowa laughed and ignited his jetpack. He flew a bit into the air, just hovering for the moment. "See ya around." And with a wave of his hand, he was gone, jetting off into the night sky, away from the sunset.

"Isn't the hero supposed to fly off into the sunset?" Saria said.

"You obviously don't know him very well." Duo said. "He always does his own thing."

The group sat in silence for a moment.

"So, what are you two going to do now that this whole mess is over?" Saria asked.

"I don't know, but I do have this nice place up in the mountains. Its got a great view, and I hear the sunset from up there is spectacular." Duo said before turning to Lucia, "That is, if you're up for it."

Lucia grabbed his hand firmly in hers. "If you're there with me, then I'm up for it."

Duo smiled and took her hand, taking comfort in her touch. He had been alone for too long, and now, he had someone to share his life with. The thought was almost alien to him now, but he was sure that this was where he was supposed to be. Rayne wouldn't have wanted him to be trapped in depression over her, she would have wanted him to find happiness again, to be able to smile again.

"What about you?" Duo asked. "You know you're like a sister to me."

Saria shook her head. "I'd love to tag along, but I'm needed here. I've got my shop to run after all, and I've got a few other things to attend to. Besides, when Trowa comes back looking for you, and I know he will, then I'll be here to point him in the right direction."

Duo nodded. "I appreciate it, and everything else you've done for me."

"Rayne would have wanted it this way." she said. "To think, that not too long ago I would have never dreamed of helping you. But now, I see things for how they should be. Take care of yourself you two." Saria said as she turned to head off into the city. "If you ever need anything, you know where to find me."

"The same goes for us as well!" Lucia called as she waved.

The couple watched another friend go their own way, as so many of the others already had that day. But, they knew that this wasn't the end. They had so many good times ahead of them, and they weren't going to let anything ruin it.

 

[Hotshot]

As the sun set over Avalon, three figures could be seen at the edge of the once-great city. They had stayed for several weeks overseeing much of Avalon's rebuilding, but the trio just couldn't sit still any longer. Their lives as heroes had stirred the adventurous souls within them. And their next adventure was about to begin.

"So, guys," Sha piped up, facing his comrades with his back to the setting sun, "where to now?"

"Anywhere but here," Nocchi muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the city. "I don't get any peace an' quiet here. It's always, 'Oh, you're Pinocchio Marion!' or 'Mr. Marion, you're the greatest!' or 'Will you show me your strings, Mr. Marion sir?" Jeez, I thought it'd be great for people to know my name...but not when they don't leave me alone!"

The Puppetmon threw his arms up in the air. "I've had it! Let's get outta here!"

Gigas smiled solemnly at his friends. He hadn't seen Ivy since the battle with the Mikaboshi. He had wanted to say goodbye to her...or just to see her one last time...but alas, that was not to be.

Sha shouldered his pack, their food-supply for the journey to nowhere-in-particular (they never were the kind to actually plan where they were going, despite Nocchi's tactical expertise). Gigas had offered to carry the big sack of food, but Sha insisted. Nocchi thought it was because the tall, lanky oaf wanted access to the snacks at all times.

He was correct, of course.

Turning swiftly on his heels, Sha waved goodbye to Avalon, shouting, "So long, Avalonians! It's been fun, but the Troublesome Trio has to go!"

Why the heck did I let him come up with our title? Nocchi mentally snapped. With a half-jog, the Puppetmon caught up to Sha, with Gigas following close behind.

"Hey, Wujing!" Nocchi said, taking his place next to Sha. "Hand me one o' the banana-nut-muffins, would ya?"

"Sure thing, Marion," Sha replied, grinning and opening up the sack of food. "But it'll cost ya."

Nocchi's jaw dropped. "What the crud?! I ain't payin' you squat!"

"You hafta give me a hug," Sha said, matter-of-factly.

Nocchi's entire face contorted into a twisted scowl. "Whut."

"You heard me," the Shawjamon said, looking over at Gigas, who remained silent. Sha withdrew a single food item from the bag and held it close to Nocchi's face. "This delicious banana-nut-muffin can be yours for only one hug! Is that a great deal or what?"

"Or what!" Nocchi exclaimed, swiping at the muffin but missing due to Sha's cunning reflexes. "I wouldn't give you a hug if yer life depended on it! Much less for a muffin!"

Sha shrugged and took a bite out of the muffin. "Well, I guess you're outta luck then, huh?"

"GIVE ME THE FREAKIN' MUFFIN!"

"Give me the freakin' hug."

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

Gigas, with clenched fists, thundered, "Oh, give him a hug, Nocchi! Nobody's gonna see nothin'!"

"Guys?" called a voice several yards behind the trio. All three turned around to find Ivy Tifaret, their Lilymon friend, standing not far off.

Surprised, Gigas fumbled for words: "U-uh...Ivy...I-I wanted to say goodbye...to you...but I didn't see you...so I--"

"That's okay, Gigas," Ivy interrupted cheerily. Gracefully approaching them, she continued, "You don't need to say goodbye. I want to come with you."

Gigas was taken aback. "I-I...w-what...uh-h..."

"What ol' Gig here is trying to say is," Sha butted in, patting Gigas on the arm, "that he would love for you to travel with us, Daisy."

"It's 'Ivy'," Gigas and Ivy corrected him.

"Right. Ivy, of course. He...we...would love for you to come with us!"

Nocchi rolled his eyes. "I wouldn--" He was promptly interrupted by a certain Shawjamon shoving him to the ground.

=================================

The last rays of sunlight were slowly retreating back behind a range of mountains. Only four figures, their shadows stretching across the sand, could be seen, walking side-by-side. The first in the row from the left was a tall, lanky figure, carrying a sack of something. The next in the line was short, and shouldered a hammer. The third form was petite and graceful. And finally, the fourth was massive, towering over the other three.

All was silent as the darkness of night cast its veil over the land. Finally, the figure on the far left spoke up, "So...about that hug?"

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

 

[storymasterb]

(And here it finally is)

The dawn exploded into being, arrows of light racing forth to light the land in shining, fiery gold, casting that radiance upon the dark draconic knight who walked the lands, the blade in his hand catching the light and distorting it with Chaos.

Bedivere wandered the grasslands, wings folded tight to his back, the Black Sword ready in his grip in case of a threat. None existed, nothing stirred nearby. He was truly alone, peaceful. And he relished that simple sensation, that of peace and calm, something he lacked since taking on the responsibility of the Lord of the Empty Seat, protector of the Digital World. There were monarchs and diplomats to meet with, grand functions to attend, many other tasks and people bellowing for his attention.

He had weathered the storm, faithful to the Council and to the world that needed a guiding hand in the wake of the Mikaboshi’s devastation, until that night, when in his dreams, the voice had called to him, soft, gentle, but irresistible, commanding. It whispered from that hazy realm beyond sleep, and it called him to its source, a siren song he couldn’t resist to answer.

So he came here, to this emptiness of the grasslands, and he let himself stand and listen now, listening for the voice that called to him. He heard it, the voice of an angel, a goddess, something ethereal, something beyond the veil of mere mortality.

Turning, he beheld a mist that sprang up from nowhere, catching the sun’s rays and breaking them into a rainbow aurora which stained the white moisture with the vibrant rainbow shades. Understanding this was a guide; the Slayerdramon strode into the embrace of the chill mist, his sight vanishing into a world of white and rainbow light.

When the veil of white and rainbow ripped away, he found himself upon the shores of a great expanse of water, a lake like a mirror reflecting all around it. Mist skimmed across the surface of the lake, its tendrils gathering to one point as a shadowed figure rose, swathed in mist which parted to reveal a stunningly beautiful female Digimon, clad in scale-like mail of a pale blue, wielding a golden trident in one hand. Dark blue fins shivered in the gentle breeze as the AncientMermaimon glided forth across the lake towards Bedivere, her silver hair guided to the same path as the fins by the wind.

“Greetings, Bedivere Stormheart,” she spoke softly. “I am Nimue, the Lady of the Lake.” By this point, Bedivere had knelt before her, clearly recognizing her authority. The beautiful Digimon gave a gentle smile. “Rise, Lord of the Empty Seat.” He obeyed, standing with wings folded close to his back.

“Why have you called me here?” he asked as courteously as he could under the circumstances.

“The blade you hold before you even now,” Nimue whispered, gazing at the Black Sword with undisguised disdain, though whether for the weapon or Bedivere himself was unclear. “There was a moment, a single instant, where you required that blade, and thus it was granted to you. The moment has passed now, and you must relinquish it.” Bedivere’s eyes filled with confusion.

“Why so?”

“The Black Sword,” at the name, she gave a glare to the sword, “is a weapon, true, and a mighty blade, but it is the very stuff of Chaos made physical and granted form. Do you not feel it? The power of Chaos radiates from it like heat from a furnace, even now. Light and shadow bend, heat is chilled and cold is heated. And you, once chivalrous and noble, now you speak to me only in irritation and disdain.” He opened his mouth to protest. “Your words speak not; your eyes show me your true self, Lord of the Empty Seat.”

“I have made this world greater,” Bedivere replied. “I slew the Mikaboshi. There is so much I could achieve, by wielding the Black Sword…”

“No,” Nimue replied, and her voice was as ice and steel. “Your intentions, though noble, are all too willing to become perverse and ignoble by the will of the Black Sword. Where one may imagine themselves a messiah, a savior, they shall only become a tyrant by the Black Sword’s power. It must be given away, given to one who will hold it and resist it; not allowing it to seduce with its promises of power, until the day it is truly needed once again.” Bedivere stared into her eyes, seeing the determination there, the adamant will that he would give her the Black Sword, or suffer the consequences.

“Very… well,” he murmured reluctantly, holding out the blade to her, though it screamed into his mind, crying for him to hold onto it, to wield its power, and then it was silent as Nimue silently took the blade with a brief inclination of her head. The mist closed in like the folds of a curtain around her, veiling her form in its chill embrace.

“Live wisely and well, Sir Bedivere, Lord of the Empty Seat,” her voice whispered from the white emptiness the mist created even as the world parted open and Bedivere found himself back in the grasslands. His wings were gone, somehow they had withered and shattered to data without his notice, perhaps it was the Lady of the Lake’s power.

What now? What was he without the Black Sword? True, he would still be Lord of the Empty Seat, still have his title and his role, but without the Black Sword, was he worthy of those things?

"I'm just a mortal... not some god... not a messiah."

His own words echoed back through the veil of time, the words he had spoken to the Black Sword.

“I'm Bedivere Stormheart... the hero on the front-lines."

Then his words to Guinier followed, the words he had spoken to define his chosen place in the world. And he remembered, remembered the Diaboromon, remembered Lampmon and HiAndromon, all the demons and tyrants he had faced before holding that blade in his hand against the Mikaboshi. Before he held the Black Sword, he had been a knight, a soldier, a hero on the front-lines. He was still those things, even without it. He was still a protector of the Digital World; he could still protect those who needed protecting. Because consumed by the power of the Black Sword, he had forgotten the thing that had allowed him to perform those great feats… the Digimon he fought beside.

Thor, Svarog, Samael, Michael, Caradoc, Guinier, Tyr, Pyra, Kheprius, Nocchi, Gigas, Sha, Galic, Azur, Dunk, Kole, Lucia, Duo, Trowa and Kame, their faces showed in his mind, memories of fighting beside his fellow Peacemakers, both living and dead, coming back to him. He didn’t need divine power or an ancient artifact to protect those he wished to protect, all he needed were his comrades beside him. He didn’t have to take everything for them; they would stand beside him and take it with him, fighting to drive back the darkness and forge a better world for all, Digimon and humans alike.

He smiled into the sunrise, beholding the glory of the bright world forged from the ashes of the Unholy Crusade…

-
Avalon

The sunlight washed across the plains and lit the city of Avalon, illuminating the structures that were already rebuilt, and taking in those that were half-constructed. Through the efforts of all manner of Digimon, the city prospered and was reborn, rising from its own ashes like a phoenix.

But before the city was a realm forever consigned to sorrow, to blood and death and pain, the battlefield upon which hundreds had died in their futile struggle to stop the Mikaboshi. This place lay empty, walled off. All that stood within was a single obelisk of virgin white stone, a monument to those who had given their lives in battle against the Chaos and during the Unholy Crusade, their names made immortal upon the stone.

Like a dark ghost of war and death, Caradoc walked across the fields of battle towards the obelisk, gazing up at the monument. He stopped beside it, reading the names with a sorrowful gaze, the sorrow both his own and Sir Galahad’s.

So many had died, so much had been destroyed, and for what? Some disagreement? A misguided belief? How had the Royal Knights been willing to take things so far, to declare war upon the world while claiming their acts were in the best interests of all Digimon? Ultimately, all their Crusade had brought was sorrow, death and pain.

“We obeyed Artorius out of a belief that we truly were improving things and safeguarding our world from the destruction wrought upon the humans’ own world,” Galahad murmured from within him.

“Even so… all this destruction, all this death… was it really worth it?” the Valkyrimon replied softly. “Was it really worth the deaths of hundreds to create that world Artorius desired?” Galahad was silent, and Caradoc gave a soft sigh. Even though the Royal Knight had turned on the Alphamon, it had only been because of the Siege. Even now, Galahad could not denounce the Crusade, though neither did he try openly to justify it as a good deed.

Laying a hand against the monument, he closed his eyes, recalling the Royal Knights, all he had ever heard of them, all the words they had spoken to him. The circle was broken, only four truly remained, Hector, Percival, Pelleas and Constantine. The first remained now, serving under the Council as a soldier, unsure of his true path without the other Knights and without Artorius. Percival had departed Avalon, not stating a destination, and Pelleas had gone too, with the spoken aim of rediscovering himself, somehow. Constantine had left with no destination or aim mentioned, but Galahad had mentioned his own belief that the templar sought penance, as Michael had ordered him prior to that desperate final battle.

Then Caradoc’s thoughts turned to the Tamers, those noble humans who had sparked the whole thing. Their curiosity had revived the culture of the Digital World, through their bright spirits they had uplifted Digimon from the darkness of their stagnant lives and made the world shining and exciting once more. And for that, Caradoc was glad, and sorrowful that in the end, their courage and determination to fight the Mikaboshi beside the Digimon had cost them so many lives. They would not be forgotten. Across the world, the story of those brave humans who made their stand beside Digimon resonated, across the mountaintops and in the darkest depths of the oceans; their courage was relived over and over in the words.

“Caradoc…” He glanced back as Guinier stood slightly behind him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He let his hand fall away from the monument to take her free hand in his grip, staring at her with his deep blue eyes.

“I was thinking,” he murmured, “about the Tamers… their sacrifice… how they fought against the Mikaboshi. If Digimon and humans could fight side-by-side like that… perhaps we can share our world with them. Before now, there was a part of me that doubted… a part of me that wondered if it were really possible…”

“But now you think that humanity and Digimon can exist together,” she finished. “In a way… our two races are opposites as much as Order and Chaos. We exist in harmony with our world, never choosing to damage it, creating a balance that benefits both we Digimon and the world at large, while the humans exploited their world for its resources… Order and Chaos. ‘Chaos-ordered life… these things must exist alone’, the Mikaboshi said. But then... Biomerge Digivolution… doesn’t that show our potential when we work together?”

“We can work together, humans and Digimon, side-by-side as allies,” Caradoc agreed. “Even opposites can become equals, and even become one…” They stood in silence for a while, staring up at the monument.

“Uh…” The two Peacemakers looked back, surprised, and saw a human boy, wearing a white shirt with markings in various shades of blue upon it, and blue denim shorts, his hair blonde and his eyes blue-green. Stood beside him was his partner, a pale-cyan-scaled Dracomon. “Hey.” Caradoc nodded his head slightly, gazing at the Tamer, who fidgeted slightly.

“Are you here to mourn?” Guinier asked. “If you are… we’ll leave if you…” The boy shook his head urgently.

“No, I’m here for you guys…” he said. “You’re Peacemakers, right?”

“Yes,” they replied. He gave a slight smile.

“I just… wanted to thank you,” he said. “For what you did… beating that Mikaboshi thing. You saved my family… ‘cause it would’ve kept going, wouldn’t it? It would have got into my world, and ripped it apart... killed everyone…” He looked into Caradoc’s eyes with gratitude there in his gaze, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a slender white device of some sort.

“What’s that?” the Valkyrimon asked.

“Oh… it’s called an I-Pod,” the boy explained, pressing something on the device. The screen lit up and displayed a number of icons. “You can play music on it and stuff… I want you to have it.” He held the device out to Caradoc, who looked down at it in surprise. “My brother gave it to me… and I want to give you it, just so you remember everything you’ve saved.”

Guinier took the device in hand and examined the screen. “How do you use this?” The boy took it back, and pressed an icon with his finger, instantly changing the screen to display a set of different icons.

“It’s a touch-screen, you just press the icon for what you want to use,” he pressed another icon, transforming the screen again, this time showing a bar of sorts at the bottom, which began to fill as music softly played from the device.

“Interesting…” Caradoc murmured. “So it plays music…”

“I’ve got a couple of tracks on here, Owl City, a few Doctor Who themes… stuff I like, mostly.”

“Owl City? Doctor Who?” Caradoc echoed, already lost.

“Oh… yeah… forgot,” the Tamer said sheepishly, before suddenly falling quiet as words supplemented the music, startling Guinier and Caradoc.

“I can finally see,
That you’re right there beside me,
I am not my own,
For I have been made new,
Please don’t let me go,
I desperately need you,”

The Tamer smiled, before tapping an icon which instantly stopped the music and the lyrics. “Good song, that one. It’s by Owl City, so yeah… that guy is just amazing with songs.” He tapped something on the I-Pod’s side and the screen went blank, before he handed it to Caradoc. “Hold onto that, okay? And… guys… don’t forget us. Don’t forget that you’re heroes, no matter how dark things get, you’ll always be remembered for what you did.” He turned to walk away. “I won’t forget you… you saved everything, all of Creation. Surely people who could do that… have to be heroes.” He strode briskly away from the two Digimon, with his partner Dracomon following in his wake.

Caradoc stared down at the I-Pod, before his hand softly closed around it.

“What we protected,” he murmured. “He’s right… ultimately we are heroes… but it’s not us that truly matter. It’s them… they’re the ones who brought us together to be heroes…” He thumbed the control on the I-Pod and the screen returned, upon which he promptly tapped an icon, prompting the music and lyrics to continue from the cut-off point.

“I am not my own,
For I have been made new,
Please don’t let me go,
I desperately need you…”

“We saved all this,” he mused. “Humanity… they can create as much as they destroyed in the past. It’s not their power… it’s their potential. There’s so much there… ready to be tapped…” He pulled Guinier close into an embrace as they watched the human Tamer walk away, his Dracomon at his side, partners, the very image of what the Peacemakers had been brought together to protect in the beginning…