Edward stared at Imogen, who sat cross legged along the wall of blue orbs with its warm glow washing over her. The young man struggled to swallow, the realization setting in.

His sister would never get home.

She looked up and gave him a small smile, one of solemn surrender. Edward shook his head, the image of their father doing the same for their mother in his mind. The rest of the group sat around in silence, each of them avoiding eye contact with the siblings. They would all get what they wanted, and they knew it. Edward stood and walked over to ROOT, the Keeper of the Chronicles stroking one of the blue orbs.

"There has to be another way." He pleaded. ROOT stopped and looked at him, pity in her red eyes.

"There is none." Edward grabbed his head and squeezed.

"Come on!" He stomped over to Deon, the young boy with messy brown hair sitting quietly. "Deon, we gotta think of something! Surely you figured something out from this vision."

Deon avoided Edward's gaze. "I don't know, I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"C-can we just, not use it then?" Edward caught himself as he finished the sentence. Was that an option? Could he stay here for the rest of his life if it meant his sister wouldn't have to give her own? He looked around the room; Imogen looked at him, a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes. Tavaras, leaning against the wall, perked his head up.

"What do you mean?" The black haired young man asked. His voice was strained, as if conflicted in the same way as Edward.

"Let's just live here, the five of us and our partners. And all the Digimon in this world."

"Whether you go home or not is up to you." ROOT said gently. "But I fear without the power of the God Link, you will perish alongside the Digital World."

Edward opened his dry mouth to argue, but nothing came out. She was right.

"How can we recreate the power of Susanoomon?" Deon asked. "It was created by the merging of all 10 Legendary Warriors, right? And as far as we've been told, no Digimon exists right now that comes close to the power of even one of them."

ROOT shook her head. "That's incorrect, Deon. It's more apt to say the 10 Legendary Warriors were created from Susanoomon splitting its power from Elizabeth. That power exists, only not in material form." She looked at Chrysalimon, hovering close by Imogen.

"Why don't we get some sleep." Tavaras said, rolling out his sleeping back. Edward looked at him incredulously.

"Now? We need to find a way to save my sister! All I've heard is she has to do it, nothing about how she can not!"

Tavaras looked down and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're all tired, Edward. Maybe some rest will help us think better." Edward took a deep breath and nodded. Yes, they still had some time.

He wouldn't let his sister make the same sacrifice their mother had to.

—

Tavaras lay awake staring at the ceiling. Guilt gnawed at his conscience; if going home meant Iggy would need to sacrifice her life, he would choose to stay here in a heartbeat, but as it stood she needed to use that damned pendant anyway. If they found a way around that, he really would be stuck here. What she had to go through wasn't fair, and what her family had to go through wasn't fair.

The echoes of the past replayed in his mind; the sheer power of all those Digimon scared him to death. If Demon got free, they wouldn't need to worry about the destruction of the world.

Or would they?

Tavaras fidgeted with the Soul Link around his neck. The Soul Link's true purpose was to combine souls that were once one, bringing forth power and potential once divided. Past Wisemon's words rang in his head, and he looked over at Dorumon curled up beside him, remembering Deon's description of Megadramon.

He took a deep breath. Why did this world ask so much of them? Everyone had an agenda. Wisemon and Cherrymon. ROOT and Jijimon. The Nightmare Soldiers. Everyone wanted something, but when they wanted something? The world demands such a sacrifice.

"Hey, you up, Tav?" Deon whispered from the other side.

"Mmmhmm."

"I'm worried... about that Apocalymon."

"It's fine, he got sealed up, remember?"

"And if that seal breaks? The Church is trying to get us home; from what we figured out, they're working for Apocalymon."

Tavaras gritted his teeth; another thing to worry about. The obliteration of all existence. "Then... we'll just get rid of him again."

"Yeah, you're right." Deon said. Tavaras closed his eyes. Yeah, they'll deal with Apocalymon, and whatever else stands in their way.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

As he drifted away he heard a small cry from the back of the room.

Fuck whatever this world thinks his fate should be.

—

Tavaras's head shot up as a strong rumbling outside shattered the silence. ROOT, having been sleeping with her back against the wall, gritted her teeth and sprang up. "Hey! Where are you going?" Tavaras yelled, and the Keeper of the Chronicles ran across the large room and through the door. Shaking himself awake, Tavaras followed close behind.

"Look." She said simply as his eyes adjusted to night beyond the door of the Chamber of the Archives. Stars still shone bright among the large, purple gash in the sky as the sun started to rise. Through all that, countless meteors rained down upon the world like a shower of angry flames. The forest burned in front of his eyes, and he became acutely aware of the rest of the group gathering at his side. Tavaras looked on in trepidation; he had never seen the destruction caused by the storms from this perspective.

He remembered getting caught in them and the panic the residents of this world felt. The injuries and broken homes.

He remembered what the storm entailed; the weakening of the seals Susanoomon placed on the Demon Lord's prisons.

"It's getting worse." ROOT mumbled. Tavaras's eyes widened and mouth hung open as in the distance a single meteor broke through. It was far larger than anything they had seen before, big enough to cover the entirety of Sanctuary Village.

"No, Senna." Deon whispered. Tavaras's mouth went dry as he heard his friend's voice.

The village was around there.

"You don't need to worry." ROOT said. Just as she spoke, a bright light flashed from under the meteor, and the large descending rock cracked. They all covered their eyes as the light of a massive explosion eradicated the meteor, shattering it into thousands of smaller chunks that fell upon the Digital World like shards of broken glass.

"The village is still well protected, for now." She continued, but her eyes quivered. The Keeper was scared.

Opening his eyes, Tavaras looked to the plumes of smoke billowing from that area of the forest. Although Sanctuary Village was able to prevent the worst of it, the damage was substantial.

"What's wrong?" Deon asked, evident relief in his voice contrasted by worry at the Keeper's tone.

"We're out of time. Demon will be free soon."

Tavaras grunted while Imogen stepped up beside him, looking to the Village.

"Palmon, Floramon, Jijimon, Senna." She said quietly, eyes wide. "It's all burning. Everything is burning."

"Iggy..." Tavaras said, heart falling. He turned to see her lips quivering and tears falling down her eyes.

“It’s not fair.” She whispered. “Why does it have to end like this? Why, after ALL THIS SHIT!” She started screaming, and Tavaras found his own eyes wet. “AFTER ALL THE SHIT I PUT UP WITH WHY DOES IT END LIKE THIS! IT’S. NOT. FAIR!”

Suddenly Tavaras stumbled back as Imogen threw herself at him. He felt stinging in his back as her nails dug into him as she squeezed. He felt her body shake as all the trauma of her short, miserable life set itself free in his arms.

Tavaras didn’t know what to do, except just hold her. Hold the girl he started to see as a little sister.

As he stroked her hair, he looked over into the devastation of the forest, acutely aware of Edward staring at them. He felt shame emanating from the older man as Tavaras stood there as the brother and comforting presence he could not be.

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” As the sun got higher, Imogen let go of Tavaras. She stood there, letting the sun’s rays wash over her. “There’s nothing for me. If I do this, I die, just like mum. If I don’t, I die a coward, able but unwilling to save everyone else. Either way, I’m dead.”

“Iggy…” Edward took a step forward. “We’ll find another way. Please.”

“You know, this world is just like another one of our siblings, isn’t it?” Imogen smiled a smile that didn’t touch her lips. “Something our parents put their heart and souls and dreams into. People with love and compassion. People who deserve so much better. So maybe this was all meant to be. Everything I sacrificed these past ten years for my brothers and sisters leading up to the ultimate sacrifice for the sibling I’ve never known.”

“No, this won’t end this way. You won’t have to die!” Edward reached out for his sister, the plea straining his voice as he held desperately onto the hope that a way out would present itself.

"Eddie, you'll take care of John, Sally, Wayne, and Amelia, won't you?" Imogen's voice was soft but tense as she ignored his plea. Edward recoiled at the sound of their sibling's names and ran up to his sister.

"Iggy, no! You can't!" He turned her around and grasped her hands. More tears sprung to her eyes and she shook her head.

"There's no other choice, we all know that."

"We don't even know how you can use it! No! I-I won't allow this." Edward dug his heels in.

"But we do." She whispered, smiling as she looked at Chrysalimon. "Our partners are part of us, just as the 10 Legendary Warriors were part of mum. I feel it now. I feel Chrysalimon."

"Iggy, please." Edward stared at her with tears streaming down his face. "Not now. Not after we found each other again."

Tavaras's heart beat fast as Imogen stepped forward to grab Edward in a tight hug, blond hair blowing in the wind. As she pulled away, the young girl smiled at them all and held the God Link in front of her, just as they had seen her mother do. Was this it? Was he finally going to get home? Tears sprung to his eyes. Why? Why did this poor girl have to sacrifice herself for that?

Just then the desperate older brother gritted his teeth and reached towards his sister, and to Tavaras's shock made a move to grab the pendant.

In a flash, Chrysalimon appeared beside the siblings, grabbing Edward's hand with its tendril.

"No!" Edward struggled with the cocoon. "Let me do it. I'll use the God Link. Wormmon and I!" The green insect jumped on his partner's head and nodded.

"We both mean it, Imogen. You have to live! You must get back." Wormmon pressed.

"Thank you Edward, for giving me the closure and piece of mind I needed. Thank you Wormmon. Thank you Deon and Veemon, Dorumon, ROOT. And thank you, Tav. This... despite all the danger, this has been some of the best days of my life."

Edward fell to his knees, tears falling freely down his face. "I'm sorry Mummy, Iggy. I failed you all."

Imogen closed her eyes, and the God Link shone with a dim gold light.

And then vanished.

The young girl opened her eyes and looked at it, confused.

"W-what happened?" She stammered. Visible relief washed over Edward's face and he let himself smile as ROOT shook her head.

"The damage to the Digital World may be too great for a being such as this to form here." She said sadly, biting her lips.

"Does this mean we're too late?" Tavaras asked. He felt relief mixed with dread. Imogen was spared for now, but without her power would they all die here? Would they have to find another way? A way for all of them to make it out?

A brief breath of hope fluttered in his heart.

ROOT closed her eyes tight and shook her head. The hope vanished, and anger took over. The girl who had made peace with her end would have to endure all that again.

"Perhaps not. If you're going to use it, you may need to ascend to the Peak of Ech-Divinity Mountain. There, Susanoomon's final stand may provide the necessary foundations for this to work."

Imogen nodded her head and looked at the Keeper with stern eyes. "OK, lead the way." Through all her bravado, Tavaras noticed her hands shaking.