Deon yawned and rubbed his eyes, expecting to be in his bedroom at home. He saw sunlight through his closed lids, and wondered why his mom hadn't woken him up for school yet. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a low, wooden ceiling, almost as though he were sleeping on the bottom of a bunk bed. Deon paused, the events of the previous day rushing back to him.
Slowly, he turned his head and saw a wooden curved wall and two more bunk beds, each with a human occupant and a Digimon. Deon closed his eyes, not knowing how he felt about realizing it hadn't been a dream. Just to check, he pinched his own cheek and winced. Nope, wide awake.
Getting up, he stretched and walked to the window, gazing upon the giant trees that bordered the Digimon village. After the argument Tavaras and Edward had last night, they hadn't left the room - Leomon had brought some food: grilled and roasted meats of some kind - nobody asked what - and some fruits and vegetables. It was simple, but delicious and much needed after their battles.
"You seem a little wistful." Deon heard a small voice from behind. His partner jumped off the top bunk and walked over.
"Have you been here before, Veemon?" Deon asked. Veemon shook his head.
"I don't remember anything before waking up in the desert next to you. Sorry, but we really don't have any knowledge."
"You don't have a home? A family?" Deon asked, a little surprised at how their partners came to be. Veemon looked quizzically at him.
"I have both." He ran up and hugged Deon's leg, surprising the mopey teenager and cheering him up a bit. "For us... I can't describe it, but I feel everything you do. Every instinct. Every emotion. Which is how I know you're down." The young boy looked down and closed his eyes. Mom .
"Hmm. That explains quite a bit, actually." Deon heard a deep voice from the door, and he turned to see Leomon standing there.
"Were you just standing there waiting for a convenient time to say something?" Deon asked incredulously. Leomon nodded and walked in.
"Wake up." He said loudly, and Deon saw Tavaras and Edward spring up, the latter scooting backwards into his bed. "Jijimon would like to talk with you."
Tavaras stretched as he walked up. "Is that the... mayor? Leader? Of this village?"
"I guess so. He and Babamon are the eldest and though we officially don't have a leader , there's a small committee of Digimon who represent the residents of Sanctuary village." Leomon turned and left, not waiting for them. Deon and Tavaras followed with their partners, with Edward and Wormmon close behind.
As they walked towards the center of the village, they met up with Senna and Imogen who walked with two plant-like Digimon. Deon did a double take; in place of the hospital gown Senna wore a light green sleeveless shirt and a dark-tan pair of pants. "You like?" Senna giggled and did a little twirl when she saw him look - he noticed she wore the same kind of necklace as him and Tavaras. He blushed at her question.
"Um, yeah I guess. It's nice." Senna giggled at his nervousness.
"Palmon and Floramon made these for us. It's soooo smooth, like silk!" She grabbed her shirt and waved it a little. Deon then noticed beneath her brown jacket, Imogen also had a new set of clothes. She wore a pure white shirt more fitted to her slender frame, and her jeans were no longer torn. She waved at him and gave a little smile; it seemed as though the rest did wonders, though even he could see she still seemed troubled.
—
A short while later, the group reached what looked to be the center of the village, and went inside a building that was significantly larger than the one they stayed in. At least double the height, and seemingly larger in diameter. The door itself was almost the entire height of the building, and inside it was just one giant room with windows all around, apart from the back. Deon's eyes met Tavaras's and Senna's, as they noticed there was a giant statue, twice their own height. It was two silver rings, overlapping as though forming an eclipse.
"Welcome, humans." Deon was brought out of his gaze by the voice of a kindly old man. He looked around and saw a number of Digimon around him. One, an orange armoured Dinosaur, was the largest one he'd ever seen by a significant amount. There was a werewolf wearing leather and spiked knuckles, a blue serpentine dragon with red tattered wings, and a brown... was that a washing machine?
MetalGreymon [https://wikimon.net/images/9/9b/Metalgreymon.gif] WereGarurumon [https://wikimon.net/images/thumb/8/8f/Weregarurumon.jpg/320px-Weregarurumon.jpg]
Airdramon [https://wikimon.net/images/thumb/6/63/Airdramon.jpg/320px-Airdramon.jpg] Guardromon [https://wikimon.net/images/2/21/Guardromon.jpg]
He then saw a brown bird without wings sitting on a tree almost as large as the dinosaur. The tree-type Digimon’s bark was coarse and bright red cherries hung from its branches. Supporting itself on a wooden cane, it gave him a kindly smile as Deon analyzed it, almost reminding him of his grandfather.
Kiwimon [https://wikimon.net/images/e/e1/Kiwimon.jpg] Cherrymon [https://wikimon.net/images/e/ec/Jyureimon.jpg]
In the middle of the room stood two short, old Digimon. One was Babamon, and the other a tiny old homeless looking man with a long beard holding a staff with a paw.
Jijimon [https://wikimon.net/images/5/52/Jijimon.jpg]
"I am Jijimon. I know this must be incredibly jarring for all of you, your Digimon partners included. Let me first say I sympathize with you; I know it’s not easy getting ripped away from everything you know and thrown into the unknown.” Deon saw Senna avert her gaze from the corner of his eyes. Another curiosity - what made her different from the rest of them?
“You must have a lot of questions." Jijimon continued. “Please, take this opportunity to ask them.” Deon’s eyes widened at the chance being offered. There was so much he wanted to ask the Digimon, but Tavaras had other plans. The older boy nodded and stepped forward, getting straight to business.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Why are we here?" He asked pointedly. "Thank you for your hospitality, but we'd all like to get home." Jijimon nodded, and Deon groaned internally. Why did nobody seem to share his sense of curiosity about this place? It seemed everyone else was scared, aloof, or rushed.
"Yes, I'd imagine so. As for why you're here? Tell me, what do you know of Digimon and the Digital World?" They all shook their heads, and Tavaras made a "0" sign with his hand. Jijimon chuckled and turned to the rest of the Digimon in the room. "Although you've all heard this before, I implore you to listen. For everything that the world was has led up to this day. And from this day, everything that the world will be shall be determined." He turned back to the humans and their partners.
"Digimon, Digital Monsters. We are lifeforms created from the data on the net. Yes, indeed, we are the product of human innovation. We are data given form. Data given thought, given sentience and life. And as you've witnessed, we evolve and we adapt. The Digital World is just that. A world in cyberspace on the network, where all us data resides." Deon looked around - everything was created by them? To him, the internet was just a place he could look up game guides and send messages. But giant dinosaurs and entire worlds ?
"The Digital World is flexible, but as we go deeper into the structure, to the very foundations itself, it becomes more and more rigid. As the real world provides exponentially more and more data, the walls within are breaking. The past few years have seen phenomena like the merging of our continent, Gigabyte, with other partitions of the Digital World."
"The desert you arrived in is one of many such phenomena," Leomon added. "Not even a year ago was it the same forest we are in now." Jijimon nodded.
"Desert, Ice, magic, the Dark Area, all colliding together. We've been witnessing meteors too; errant data unable to find structure crashing down." He shook his head, as every occupant of the room hung onto his every word. "Believe it or not, that's not the worst part. The seal on the Dark Area is weakening." There were hushed whispers among the Digimon. Deon raised his hand.
"So I think I get all of that." Senna looked at him in shock. "Except for this Dark Area. If it is what I think it is, why would there be an area partitioned with nothing ?"
"Ohohoho, we have a computer expert amongst us," Jijimon laughed. Then he got serious. "Thousands of years ago, there was only one world, rife with conflict. Us Digimon, having just gained life and sentience, sought to create something out of it. A place we could live as free beings. However there were powerful demons born of sin, who aimed to inflict terror among us. Although we had the might of the ten Legendary Warriors, mightiest of the Digimon seen up until then and since, we were fighting a losing battle. Until a hero appeared." He pointed at the statue behind him.
"This is a soul link. Alone, we did not have the power to quell the creatures of darkness. As it always does though, the Digital World adapted and created something to help fight the cancer that plagued it. A soul link is a tool that merges multiple souls, bound together in harmony. The wills of many become one, and that one Digimon wields power greater than anything anyone can imagine." He looked down, as if reliving a painful memory.
"The soul link was used one time, and one time only. The hearts and might of the Legendary Warriors bound together with the hero, and thus born was Susanoomon. With power rivaling Gods, it created and banished the Demon Lords to the Dark Area so we may all live."
"W-wait a minute." Senna said. "You said thousands of years ago ? The Internet has only been a thing for like 10 years, right?" Jijimon nodded. Deon looked intrigued; Senna at least seemed curious enough to ask questions. Maybe he wasn’t so alone after all.
"More like 40, but until around a decade or so ago it was in such infancy we did not have the power to exist. But to your point, time flows much differently here. What is a day in your world may even be a year in ours."
"OK, so why are we here? What happened to this... Susanoomon?" Tavaras asked. "Just find him or make him again or something." Jijimon shook his head.
"If it were that easy you would not have been brought here. The Digital World does not like foreign bodies inside it. After the battle, Susanoomon went on a rampage and disappeared. We tried for centuries to find it, any of the ten Legendary Warriors, or the Hero." He looked at them, locking eyes with each in turn. “They are all gone.”
"The Digital World needs your help; there is simply too much data coming in that the foundations put in place at the beginning are no longer enough to properly allocate what it needs to."
"What? No way!" Edward exclaimed. "I'm sorry for your world, I really am, but there's no way I can do anything for you!"
"I agree!" The brown bird exclaimed. "The Digital World's run itself thus far. I refuse to have an outsider dictate us! If something has to be done you do it." There were murmurs from all over the room. Some Digimon agreed with the bird, where Imogen and Tavaras both agreed with Edward. Babamon banged her broom on the ground.
"ENOUGH. QUIET ALL OF YOU." She shouted, and everything died down. She turned to the Digimon of the committee. "This is the will of the Digital World. You will be silent on the matter; we have enough problems." She then turned to Deon and his group. "As for you, I know we ask a terrible thing. You must likely resign to be stuck here, or we will perish." She sighed and shook her head. "I cannot in good faith ask you to undertake such a sacrifice. However, we do not know how you will be able to get home either."
She walked to the statue in the back. "You were brought here against your will, for that I am sorry. Whatever you decide to do, we will help you." Jijimon turned to everyone.
"Thank you all for listening. Go now, talk amongst yourselves and decide your next step." The mood in the room was heavy as the humans and their partners took their leave, following Leomon.
—
"Well, shit." Tavaras moaned after Leomon had left them. The meeting had not gone how he had hoped. The group sat together a little ways away from the meeting hall, and Digimon walking by turned their heads to look at them in curiosity. "So, none of these guys know how to get us home, and on top of that they want us to save the world or something - do I have that right?" Deon was the only one who nodded at his rhetorical question. Brave kid, but a little green.
Imogen sat quietly, a little ways away from the group, and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Tavaras knew she was just as eager to get home as he was, if not a bit desperate. Senna on the other hand was harder to read. She had a blank look on her face, and looked to be in deep thought. Tavaras sighed; though most of them had a good heart, nobody here had any real life experience. Himself included, if he was to be honest with himself.
Imogen suddenly got up, wiping her eyes. "I'm going for a walk." She declared, and without another word left the group, her partner in tow. Edward glanced up, but made no move to follow, irritating Tavaras. He pushed that feeling down and tried to focus on their predicament. That family squabble itself was none of his concern - as long as Edward could shape up where it mattered.
"Where do we even begin?" Deon mumbled. "How did we get here in the first place?"
"Jijimon said the Digital World brought us." Senna piqued up. Deon shook his head.
"He told us the what, and the why. Not the how." Tavaras looked at him. Deon was quiet, but smart. If they could figure out how they were brought here, then maybe they could find a way back.
They all sat there, lost in their own thoughts trying to process everything Jijimon just dumped on them. Tavaras looked up and gazed out the back of the village. The dense forest seemed like a wall they had to somehow pass. Beyond the trees, a giant mountain loomed over them, almost in a taunting way, its peak reaching high above the clouds, unable to be seen.
Tavaras couldn’t help but feel uneasy with the thing just ominously there, especially after Jijimon’s story. It was almost as if in his heart he knew there was something about it that played a part in this whole mess they found themselves in.