Author's Note: Hiya, it's Fuyu, formerly known as winterfell. Legendarian Mistress and I have been working on this Digimon fic for a while. It takes the Alternate Universe point right after the Malomyotismon battle. We've got a fair bit started and we'll do our best to keep it going. Now then, let's get moving into Justified Lunacy.
Rating: M for violence, death, and swearing.
Disclaimer: Neither of us own Digimon and I don't intend to make a disclaimer after this. I don't think LM will either.
Constructive criticism will be appreciated and plot-related questions can be PMed. Enjoy.
***
Chapter 1: Glittering Destruction
A massive golden dragon circled the blackened space, its twelve crimson cores on its back. What it appeared to be surrounding could not be seen but for a faint outline. A white light flashed briefly and formed a young man. The man knelt, eyes to the nonexistent ground. For a moment there was silence. Then the digimon paused in its flight, looking all over the man with a vaguely worried stare. To his credit, the man did not move. Then the dragon resumed its flight.
"Rise, servant of the Digital World." The dragon's voice rang with power and a sad wisdom. He obeyed, removing the hood. "What brings you here Gennai?"
"I have been sent to activate the Digivices Fanglongmon. The Higher Beings have deemed it time. They are getting out of control and are spreading their influences."
"So, those children will be called by our power." A hopeful inflection entered the dragon's rumbling tone. "The seal shall be broken then?"
"We can only hope," replied Gennai quietly. Fanglongmon almost laughed.
"You can do more than hope Gennai. You have chosen before and will choose again. Each group has saved the Digital World. I believe you are quite certain of the outcome, even if no one else is."
Gennai smiled, his blue eyes alight. "You've seen through me again."
"You are easy to read, my friend. Now, shall we begin?"
"Yes sir."
……………..
The sky is grey. Why is it grey? There were no storms today. Oh, it hurts. My soul aches, like someone is clenching it tightly, walking on my unmade grave. I look around and flinch at the dust in my eyes. There were once buildings here, but they have been knocked down until there were only bricks and ruins and ghosts left. It is worse than a ghost town, because I know life should be here. Instead it's cold and there's no blood or corpses or even signs if things ever growing. I want to scream, but that would take away the silence, the silence that protects me, at least for the moment.
I don't want to die.
The thought chills me, turning my skin to gooseflesh and my blood to ice. Just as I think about the silence fading, it does. There is roaring, of beasts and dragons and all manners of creatures. Loud footsteps and great shadows hidden by fog are approaching me. And beneath all that noise, a quiet voice is whispering in my ears, calling for help.
…………………
Kiri bolted up in her bed, reflexively grabbing the wooden blade lying on the dresser. She gasped for breath, clutching her chest with her free hand. After a few moments she calmed, sweat glistening like teardrops on her face. The dark-haired girl glanced around in the dark. She sighed. I should go check on Luca. He's been sleeping pretty badly lately. So had she but the girl worried more for his health than hers. It was bad reflex by now. Slipping out of bed, she reluctantly returned the makeshift weapon to its place, feeling slightly naked without it, even with her nightgown. Tiptoeing across the hall so as not to wake her friend, who was staying for the night, she gently turned the knob on the smaller boy's bedroom door and opened it.
Immediately she could see him in the faint artificial light of his star nightlight. He was pale and trembling in his sleep, curled up in a ball. His face was screwed up in concentration and fear, locks of his blond hair sticking to his face. Kiri moved to sit behind his head. She knew she had to wait, no matter how much it hurt. Not long now.
She was right. A few seconds later his blue eyes opened and he shook, crying softly. Kiri waited a moment for him to pull himself from the dreams and stroked his hair warmly. "Really bad tonight?"
He shuddered. "They were all dead Kiri. All gone and they weren't supposed to be. Everything felt wrong. I- I could feel them, those bad things. They were coming. And… I heard him again." He reached for the hem of her sleeve and clutched it almost obsessively. Kiri simply nodded. She too had dreamed this, had just finished dreaming this. So many times the three of them had dreamed this now, as though they were on the same psychic radio frequency. But this sort of thing could affect nobody more than Luca. Sweeter than sugar and softer than gossamer described her little cousin well, while she was called nothing less than steel in human form. Kiri liked that description.
"Little guy have a nightmare?" a sleepy voice questioned from the doorway. Sean blinked drowsily at them all as he rubbed his green eyes, brown hair sticking up messily. If it were anyone else, even their own parents, Kiri would have told them to leave, that they couldn't do anything. But this was Sean, he couldn't be told to leave. So he joined her in her place, resting a hand on Luca's shoulder and his head on Kiri's arm. People sometimes wondered if they were actually a family instead. To them it might as well have been that way.
"So did you or you wouldn't be awake," the female pointed out. Sean chuckled lightly. She knew him well.
"Sorry." Luca's heartfelt apology was very soft. He had calmed down, at least a little. His bright eyes were glowing with guilt and Sean grinned again, like a clown's mask.
"Don't be. We were already up. Besides nightmares are scary." He remembered his vividly and shivered a bit. Kiri agreed silently. This brought a little peace to his eyes.
"Want us to stay?" Luca nodded, embarrassed. "Alright then. We'll be right back. Come on Sean." She stood up and left, Sean only steps behind her. He turned to her as she grabbed her pillow and blanket from her bed.
"Was it the same dream?" Sean crossed his arms, expression serious. The young woman nodded exhaustedly, rubbing at her slightly smudged grey eyes. He frowned. "Kiriko."
She had the decency to look ashamed. "Yeah I know. I've been trying." I can't control those dreams.
Sean kept his accusatory glare. "You won't do Akira any good by exhausting yourself."
"Sean if you don't stop parroting the obvious I'm going to hit you." The boy rolled his eyes but shied away slightly. She did hit hard.
Kiri sighed and pinched her nose. "I heard Akira in my dreams. The Digital World, it wants something."
Sean gave a quiet nod. "Don't we all?"
Kiri smiled wanly. "Wisdom at midnight suits you. Now let's not leave Luca be."
"Tch, are you always this much of a klutz Jonathan?" Stepping back he managed a smile to his neighbor. He had practically grown up beside her, watching the changes as a artist paints: detached yet close. Blair moved her black ponytail from behind her shoulder, cape billowing as she moved. The scar mostly hidden by the eye patch on her face never drew his eyes. He'd learned to get used to it.
"Good morning to you too Blair." Blair rolled her eyes.
"Idiot. What are you in such a rush for?" The female fell into step beside him.
"My school midterm project is due soon and I'd like to turn mine in early."
She scoffed. "Overachieve much?"
"I don't comprehend the meaning of the word."
Blair let out an unladylike snort. "That's surprising, genius boy." A smile played across his lips.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
This got her fuming. "You weren't meant to dumbass!" He chuckled and turned a different direction.
"If I recall, your school is in the opposite direction of mine."
She rolled her eyes again. "Recall? You should know. You went there." He saw the exhaustion in her face and wondered. For a moment, he considered asking her about the dreams. But before he could, someone went speeding past her, nearly knocking her to the concrete. She turned and shouted. "Watch where you're running you idiot!" The male grinned and called something inaudible. Both glanced in the direction he had come. Two others, one the same age as Blair and one younger, were walking up. The boy was smiling sheepishly while the girl shook her head and sighed.
"Sean needs a better clock," she muttered. Glancing at the other two, she gave them a small bow of the head. "Sorry about him." Without waiting for an answer, she gripped the younger boy's wrist. "Come on. Let's go see if he hit a pole."
"Do you really think he hit a pole?" the boy asked as they jogged off. He sounded upset about the prospect. Jonathan blinked for a moment before glancing over at her.
"Care to tell me who they are Blair?"
Blair shrugged. "As if I know. The older two are in the class next door. Supposedly, the two who walked past are cousins." I think they got in the news once… or maybe that wasn't them."
"Ah. Until later then." They parted, Jonathan back in his rush.
…………………
The shadows spun and licked like tongues of flame. He stared out into the Ocean from his place, watching its grey and black depths swirl and bubble. The demon wondered how long his imprisonment had been, how much longer it would be. Before he had been taken into this dark hell, his fellows had begun their plans. Thankfully, the Higher Beings had not sensed them, or they would have alerted the Harmonious Ones at once. Distractions, admittedly powerful ones, were quite welcome to stopping those Digidestined from seeing the true darkness.
We have our master to thank for that, he reflected. Suddenly, the sea began to part. A shadowy creature was rising from its depths, the darkness wrapping it in a veil. The digimon snorted. He knew who it was. Dragomon ruled by fear and yet once you met him, the mere ultimate wasn't nearly so terrifying. If I killed him, I wonder how the Dark World would change. But how strange for him to be out, unless others were here. Suddenly, a sweetly seductive voice pierced his ears.
"Look at you Daemon! Left to rot in this beautiful place by children. My, how you've fallen!" A Digimon sauntered out of the trees, moving in a way that showed off every angle of her body easily. At first glance, she simply appeared to be a beautiful black-haired human with a purple and black kimono. But the two pairs of bat wings ruined the image, as did the demonic claw on her hand.
Beneath his hood, Daemon rolled his eyes. "Spare me your tirade Lilithmon. How are things proceeding?"
"Beautifully," she purred. "That fool Gennai completely overlooked us, preferring to destroy MaloMyotismon. Not that I blame him, I would have destroyed the fool myself. He brought shame to the name "Demon Lord". Also, that boy who sealed you here, Ichijouji, was it? The Spore has finally started to take hold. He'll be useless soon."
Daemon's lips curled into a fanged smile. That was sweet vengeance, but it was a shame he would lose such a precious artifact. No matter, there was likely a way to retrieve it.
"Well then, my dear, shall we depart?" He offered a purple, clawed hand to the Demon of Lust, which she accepted. She waved a hand dismissively, opening a gate. The pair stepped forward out of this temporarily grounded world. Not into light, no, but into a much deeper darkness.
I warned the Digidestined I would be back. I meant it. Now then, their destruction will be the end of the Balance, a thing I will destroy myself.
………………
Time passed and school let out. The bell rang loudly in Sean's class, causing him to start awake. Rubbing his eyes, he managed to stand and bow with the rest of the class. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Kiri grinning at him. He stuck his tongue out at her playfully when the teacher wasn't looking. As the class filed out, he stayed behind a moment, making sure he hadn't missed getting his work turned in before passing out. Kiri watched him from her seat, still grinning that mischievous smile that she sometimes wore.
"Someone was paying attention today," she teased as they walked out of the room to their lockers. He pouted at her.
"It's not my fault Mrs. Haniko's so boring. How do you stay awake? Tape your eyelids up?"
The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes. "No you idiot. It's called having a wider attention span than a gnat."
"Why do I have to deal with your insults?" he whined as he came up to his locker. She passed him to head to hers, but as she passed Kiri replied,
"Because you're the only one close enough to get them." He smiled warmly to himself.
"Fair enough." He quickly finished up at his locker and ran after her, bookbag slung lazily over one arm.
Luca was already at her locker, tossing a small hacky sack between his hands. He saw them and pocketed it, running to hug his cousin tightly. Kiri stopped and braced herself as he latched unashamedly onto her, grunting at his added weight. The passing girls cooed like always, making Sean wonder if they were part-bird. The concept was funny. Sean walked over and gently started to pry the younger boy off.
"Come on little guy, let your cousin move. You really don't have to knock her over to say hi, do you?" Luca obeyed, looking embarrassed. Kiri flashed him a grateful smile and mussed the ten-year old's hair, opening her locker with her other hand. Retrieving her bookbag and bokuto, she quickly slammed it shut. Sean gestured and the two marched after him.
An older boy catcalled, "Why are you dragging a little kid on your date?" Luca blinked at the older boy and lowered his eyes shyly, looking slightly upset. Kiri activated one of her fiercer death glares, which Sean couldn't help but smirk at as he patted his buddy on the shoulder. As they switched shoes and walked outside, Sean glimpsed the grey-eyed girl's grip on her wooden blade in its holder relax only slightly. Mother hen much, Kiriko?
"Anybody up to doing their homework in the park?" he asked nonchalantly, ignoring everybody else's stares as they passed, heading toward their apartment complex. Immediately Luca's eyes lit up and he nodded.
Kiri teased, "What, you actually have the homework?" Sean grinned.
"Of course! I'm not stupid you know?"
"So says the guy who hit a tree this morning," a voice muttered derisively. Kiri glanced over, amusement flickering on her face. It was that girl from earlier. She looked vaguely familiar aside from that, but Kiri couldn't place why. Glimpsing the gash mostly hidden by the eye patch, Kiri felt a vague twinge of curiosity, but nothing more. Luca looked a little frightened, to him the scar and her intimidating attitude must have been warning signs.
Sean's grin widened. He ignored the disfigurement, but then again he didn't really care much about that sort of thing. "Hey you're that chick from this morning! Sorry about that, I was in a rush you know?" Her eyes flared but Sean just kept grinning like a madman.
Luca, noticing her staring at the other girl, leaned up and whispered. "Kiri, do you know her?" Kiri thought about it for another minute then nodded.
She spoke up. "You're Blair Morgan, aren't you? You're in the class next to us right?"
Blair nodded warily. "Yeah what about it?" Kiri shrugged.
"I'm just surprised we've never talked. Our classes have had group activities together."
Sean snorted. "Of course you two haven't talked Kiri. You're as social as a porcupine!" Luca giggled at the idea of his cousin being a porcupine while Kiri just shrugged it off. Sean suddenly looked thoughtful. "Then again, I haven't noticed you either. That's weird, considering I make an effort to at least know everyone by name." Kiri glanced around, feeling vaguely unsettled. Where did everyone go?
Blair frowned. "I barely recognize you two, and you'd think I'd recall talking to someone as annoying as this guy." Sean pouted at her. Unsurprisingly, it ticked her off more.
Jonathan was walking past, eager to get home before his mother woke up. As he strolled by, he saw the four of them. Strange, Blair isn't exactly the social type. He went over, calling toward her. She turned and her scowl deepened slightly. He recognized them at once from this morning. The brown-haired male looked at him and smiled widely, reminding Jonathan of a jester.
"Hey I know you!" The younger said this with pure delight and satisfaction. "I've seen you at the library sometimes!"
The black-haired girl looked up at him before smirking lightly at her friend. "You actually go to the library of your own free will?"
He turned and pretended to look offended. "Hey, my sister's a bookworm remember? Whenever I come home, she drags me there!" Jonathan paused for a moment. So he was the one playing those games on the computer….
"That's right. If I recall, you tried breaking the parental controls on one of the computers."
The dark-haired girl groaned at this, giving him a disapproving look while Blair snorted derisively. He was surprised she hadn't left yet. The boy just gave him a mischievous smile.
"Yep that's me! The name's Sean Ladon and don't you forget it!" Blair resisted the urge to hit the other male while Jonathan held back a smile. The kid certainly was eager. Sean pointed to his friends. "That's Kiriko Ryutori. Just call her Kiri though. Most people who use her full name end up with bamboo up their butt. And the little guy's her cousin Luca Hanima. He's shy, so don't expect much out of his mouth."
"Pleased to meet you all," he replied. "My name is Jonathan Lucas."
Sean flashed him a thumbs up. "Cool. Hey Kiri-" He turned around to see Kiri crouched in front of the younger. Immediately, his cheer vanished, making Jonathan curious as he hurried over. Was he actually happy just now?
"What's up Luca?" His voice was quieter, duller. Jonathan, sensing something was wrong, went to join them. Luca was staring blankly ahead, blue eyes unfocused.
"Something feel off?" The question from Kiri made Blair turn: now suspicious.
"What do you mean, off?" Kiri ignored her.
"We're all here now," Luca mumbled suddenly. His tone was vacant, more than his eyes.
"What do you mean, we?" Jonathan asked. Luca didn't answer.
"We're all here now. It can start." He turned to look at Kiri. "We're going. I can feel it." Kiri's eyes narrowed and her hand gripped her bokuto defensively.
Sean frowned and looked around, also catching the hidden meaning. He saw the other two looking confused, and immediately tugged on Kiri's shirt. She glanced at him as he mouthed a question to her. Them too? She shrugged.
"What the hell is going on here?" snapped Blair, starved for answers.
Jonathan shivered. The weather report didn't mention this cold front. He glanced up, expecting to see grey clouds. His eyes widened, as his vision caught green and red light. "Why are the aurorae here?"
Blair heard footsteps behind her and whirled around to glare. Then she visibly relaxed. "Wizardmon!" Jonathan winced as he turned to see, having cracked his neck. What stood there was a man in red and yellow torn clothes and his face hidden. He wore brown boots with crescent moons on them. The man wore a purple cape and hat with a skull over his straw-yellow hair. In one of his gloved hands was a staff with a broken sun.
"Blair, why do you have a digimon?" Jonathan asked, deep in thought. A digimon's here, so this does have to do with the Digital World after all. Blair shrugged, observing impassively as he came to her side.
"He's just here. He reconfigured after the fight with Myotismon four years ago. He said he was my partner and had to stay by my side." Kiri was staring at her, eyes wide. She has a digimon so that means…
"Um guys, there are bright stars in the light!" Luca cried. He seemed to be back to normal and was pointing at the sky. They all looked up. Five twinkling white lights stood out among the mixture of red and green.
"Should we run?" Sean asked, a quavering tone in his voice. Jonathan secretly agreed.
"No point," Kiri replied quietly. "They're coming for us. There's no way to avoid it." She smirked faintly and muttered, almost to her self, "I was right. This was fate after all." Blair's earlier suspicion infected Jonathan now and he watched her. She knows an awful lot about this.
Abruptly, the aforementioned lights shot towards them, landing in each of their hands. As they touched, the world vanished into light. Using his other arm, Jonathan covered his eyes. The next thing he knew, he was plummeting downward, or at least what he thought was down. What in the world is happening? The blonde teen felt fear wash over him. I'm falling. I'm falling so quickly. Am I going to hit the ground and die?
No, a calm voice said in his head. You're much too necessary to just end up a mess on the ground.
The voice sounded familiar. Who are you?
For a moment, he swore he felt a smile in the statement. A contradiction. Now go, finish what my friends and I could not. Lead your comrades to victory.
The whiteness faded and he could see green. Inhaling, he smelled grass. They were in a meadow. Jonathan rolled over, surprised to feel his left hand still clenched around something. Moving his head to see, he unclenched his fist. The light from before was still bright in his hand. I shouldn't be able to hold this. The glow began to shift between his fingers, changing into a strange mechanical device. Sitting up, Jonathan turned it over in his hands. It looked like an advanced version of those digital pets you got at the store, black antenna sticking out at the top. Everything about it was white except for the grips, which in his case were black. On the side was a slit, about the size of where you would fit a camera memory card.
He looked around, seeing the other four collapsed as he had been. "Everybody okay?"
There were general groans of consensus. One after the other, they all sat up and looked at the device in their hands. That digimon's not here, he noted.
"What are these, do you think?" Sean muttered, green eyes curious.
"Those are Digivices, specifically called D-Cores. You need them to travel in and out of the Digital World." Blair turned toward the voice, recognizing Wizardmon as he strolled back over to her.
"Wizardmon, where'd you go?" She sounded angry, not worried. Wizardmon gave her an apologetic smile from behind his collar.
"I'm sorry Blair but I had to go find these four." He gestured behind him. Four other digimon (for that was only what they could be) were following him. One, a purple dragon with a red interface on its forehead with white on its paws, tail tip, and belly launched itself onto Sean, grinning maniacally.
"I knew you'd come," cheered the digimon. "I just knew you would make it here! My name is Dorumon, and I'm a Rookie Beast Digimon. I can beat anybody with my Dash Metal and Metal Cannon attacks. Glad to meet ya!"
For the first time since they had met him, Sean looked utterly speechless. "Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too. I'm Sean. How did you know I would make it here?"
"Cause of your Digivice!" Dorumon replied promptly. "Whoever's got purple is my partner and that's you Sean! We're gonna be the best team in the world I'm sure!" Sean continued to stare before grinning and nodding.
"Hey kid, you okay?" This question was directed to Luca, who jumped and turned. Peering at him with blue eyes eerily similar to his was a muscular lion cub with a golden ring around its neck. Luca nodded shakily. It gave him a sniff and then sat on its haunches, fixing him with a fierce stare. "You carry the orange D-Core, so you're my partner then. I'm Liollmon and I'm a Holy Beast Rookie Digimon. I'll protect you with my Lio Claw and Critical Bite, which can take down a Champion if aimed right."
The ten year old smiled. For some reason, hearing that made him happy. "I'm Luca! I'll help you the best I can."
Kiri was watching them both approvingly before turning to see the digimon at her side. It was a yellow fox that stood on its hind legs. Over its arms were purple gloves with the yin-yang symbol on its thighs. The stare that observed her was piercing blue but she could tell the digimon was not as fierce as she looked. "I'm Kiri," she introduced. "Who are you?"
The fox bowed slightly. "I am Renamon, a Rookie Animal Digimon. I tear through my enemies with my Diamond Storm and Power Paw. I have been ordered to follow the one who carries the blue D-Core. Shall we fight together then?"
"I suppose so."
Blair glanced at Wizardmon. "You too?" she asked quietly, different from usual.
Wizardmon nodded. "I am partnered to the one with the yellow D-Core. I am a Champion Level whose attacks are Magical Game and Electro Squall. So nothing changes." Jonathan peered past him. He couldn't find the last Digimon. He felt a tug at his pants leg and looked down to see a green worm with purple pods and "mouth". On the last segment there was a bright blue ring.
"Um," the larva began softly. "Is your Digivice black by any chance?"
Jonathan nodded. "It is. My name is Jonathan. You are…"
"Wormmon. I'm a Rookie level Insect Digimon," it squeaked quickly. "My attacks are Silk Thread and Sticky Net. Nice to meet you." Jonathan felt a smile touch his lips. Well he did love insects.
Their cheerful bonding time was cut short by a plantlike creature wearing a yellow and red kimono running into the clearing. It was a digimon with pink flowers for a head and hands. The face was a heavily made-up mask. It saw them and growled out, "Cherry Blossom Storm!" Razor sharp petals whirled toward them. Everyone rolled out of the way quickly.
"What the hell is that?" snapped Blair as she got to her feet, looking incensed.
"Kabukimon," growled Liollmon, fangs bared. "A Champion Level. Mutant Digimon. Its attacks are Cherry Blossom Storm and Lion Dance."
"This is strange though," muttered Renamon. "Kabukimon are usually very kind. What could have riled up this one?"
"I'm not standing still enough to find out," replied Kiri as she stood. She gripped her bokuto in both hands. "Sean, take care of Luca!"
"Are you really being reckless enough to fight that thing?" Sean groaned, reflexively dragging the youngest back.
"Not alone," she replied confidently. "Ready Renamon?"
The fox nodded. I like her already. "Of course." She leapt into action, paws blazing. "Power Paw!" She sliced down, striking with her claws on the opponent's arm. Kabukimon gave an unelegant snort as she lashed out with the other, barely being blocked by Kiri. The girl grunted and forced it off, slamming her weapon over the Digimon's head.
Jonathan couldn't help but roll his eyes. Think I've just met the craziest girl on the planet. "Wormmon, could you…?"
The insect nodded, eyes gaining a determined stare. "Leave it to me!" He hopped over to Kabukimon. "Silk Thread!" The sharp silk stabbed through Kabukimon's other hand.
"Cherry Blossom Storm!" The whole group was knocked back by the whirlwind, each sustaining numerous cuts. Kiri was bleeding from various scratches. This upset Luca, who proceeded to glare rather ferociously at the Champion digimon.
Dorumon took advantage of the moment. He charged with a wild shout, claws shining silver. He leapt. "Dino Metal!" The claws left three long gashes down his face.
Liollmon glanced between his new partner and his opponent. Then he looked over at the Champion on their side, the only other not to attack. "Hey, think if I left an opening you could take this guy out?" Wizardmon nodded. The lion cub smirked. "Well then, here we go!" He charged headlong into the fight. Kabukimon noticed and fired at him. He growled and defied it. Letting out a roar, he jumped toward her neck. "Critical Bite!" Sinking his jaws into the weak point, he growled through the plant. "Hurry it up stupid!"
Wizardmon raised his staff. The hole in the middle of the broken sun began to glow. Fire burned around the head. Pointing it toward the enemy, he cried, "Magical Game!" Liollmon jumped away at the last second, watching as Kabukimon screamed and died, turning into a mixture of ash and data. Jonathan winced but forced himself to keep watching. Blair looked forcibly impassive. Luca hid his face, trembling. Sean and Kiri glanced at each other and Kiri frowned quietly, nodding.
As the screams died away, Jonathan caught Luca's whisper.
"This is just the beginning, isn't it?"
Kiri replied cryptically. "Yeah Luca. It's the beginning of our path to madness."
Rating: M for violence, death, and swearing.
Disclaimer: Neither of us own Digimon and I don't intend to make a disclaimer after this. I don't think LM will either.
Constructive criticism will be appreciated and plot-related questions can be PMed. Enjoy.
***
Chapter 1: Glittering Destruction
A massive golden dragon circled the blackened space, its twelve crimson cores on its back. What it appeared to be surrounding could not be seen but for a faint outline. A white light flashed briefly and formed a young man. The man knelt, eyes to the nonexistent ground. For a moment there was silence. Then the digimon paused in its flight, looking all over the man with a vaguely worried stare. To his credit, the man did not move. Then the dragon resumed its flight.
"Rise, servant of the Digital World." The dragon's voice rang with power and a sad wisdom. He obeyed, removing the hood. "What brings you here Gennai?"
"I have been sent to activate the Digivices Fanglongmon. The Higher Beings have deemed it time. They are getting out of control and are spreading their influences."
"So, those children will be called by our power." A hopeful inflection entered the dragon's rumbling tone. "The seal shall be broken then?"
"We can only hope," replied Gennai quietly. Fanglongmon almost laughed.
"You can do more than hope Gennai. You have chosen before and will choose again. Each group has saved the Digital World. I believe you are quite certain of the outcome, even if no one else is."
Gennai smiled, his blue eyes alight. "You've seen through me again."
"You are easy to read, my friend. Now, shall we begin?"
"Yes sir."
……………..
The sky is grey. Why is it grey? There were no storms today. Oh, it hurts. My soul aches, like someone is clenching it tightly, walking on my unmade grave. I look around and flinch at the dust in my eyes. There were once buildings here, but they have been knocked down until there were only bricks and ruins and ghosts left. It is worse than a ghost town, because I know life should be here. Instead it's cold and there's no blood or corpses or even signs if things ever growing. I want to scream, but that would take away the silence, the silence that protects me, at least for the moment.
I don't want to die.
The thought chills me, turning my skin to gooseflesh and my blood to ice. Just as I think about the silence fading, it does. There is roaring, of beasts and dragons and all manners of creatures. Loud footsteps and great shadows hidden by fog are approaching me. And beneath all that noise, a quiet voice is whispering in my ears, calling for help.
…………………
Kiri bolted up in her bed, reflexively grabbing the wooden blade lying on the dresser. She gasped for breath, clutching her chest with her free hand. After a few moments she calmed, sweat glistening like teardrops on her face. The dark-haired girl glanced around in the dark. She sighed. I should go check on Luca. He's been sleeping pretty badly lately. So had she but the girl worried more for his health than hers. It was bad reflex by now. Slipping out of bed, she reluctantly returned the makeshift weapon to its place, feeling slightly naked without it, even with her nightgown. Tiptoeing across the hall so as not to wake her friend, who was staying for the night, she gently turned the knob on the smaller boy's bedroom door and opened it.
Immediately she could see him in the faint artificial light of his star nightlight. He was pale and trembling in his sleep, curled up in a ball. His face was screwed up in concentration and fear, locks of his blond hair sticking to his face. Kiri moved to sit behind his head. She knew she had to wait, no matter how much it hurt. Not long now.
She was right. A few seconds later his blue eyes opened and he shook, crying softly. Kiri waited a moment for him to pull himself from the dreams and stroked his hair warmly. "Really bad tonight?"
He shuddered. "They were all dead Kiri. All gone and they weren't supposed to be. Everything felt wrong. I- I could feel them, those bad things. They were coming. And… I heard him again." He reached for the hem of her sleeve and clutched it almost obsessively. Kiri simply nodded. She too had dreamed this, had just finished dreaming this. So many times the three of them had dreamed this now, as though they were on the same psychic radio frequency. But this sort of thing could affect nobody more than Luca. Sweeter than sugar and softer than gossamer described her little cousin well, while she was called nothing less than steel in human form. Kiri liked that description.
"Little guy have a nightmare?" a sleepy voice questioned from the doorway. Sean blinked drowsily at them all as he rubbed his green eyes, brown hair sticking up messily. If it were anyone else, even their own parents, Kiri would have told them to leave, that they couldn't do anything. But this was Sean, he couldn't be told to leave. So he joined her in her place, resting a hand on Luca's shoulder and his head on Kiri's arm. People sometimes wondered if they were actually a family instead. To them it might as well have been that way.
"So did you or you wouldn't be awake," the female pointed out. Sean chuckled lightly. She knew him well.
"Sorry." Luca's heartfelt apology was very soft. He had calmed down, at least a little. His bright eyes were glowing with guilt and Sean grinned again, like a clown's mask.
"Don't be. We were already up. Besides nightmares are scary." He remembered his vividly and shivered a bit. Kiri agreed silently. This brought a little peace to his eyes.
"Want us to stay?" Luca nodded, embarrassed. "Alright then. We'll be right back. Come on Sean." She stood up and left, Sean only steps behind her. He turned to her as she grabbed her pillow and blanket from her bed.
"Was it the same dream?" Sean crossed his arms, expression serious. The young woman nodded exhaustedly, rubbing at her slightly smudged grey eyes. He frowned. "Kiriko."
She had the decency to look ashamed. "Yeah I know. I've been trying." I can't control those dreams.
Sean kept his accusatory glare. "You won't do Akira any good by exhausting yourself."
"Sean if you don't stop parroting the obvious I'm going to hit you." The boy rolled his eyes but shied away slightly. She did hit hard.
Kiri sighed and pinched her nose. "I heard Akira in my dreams. The Digital World, it wants something."
Sean gave a quiet nod. "Don't we all?"
Kiri smiled wanly. "Wisdom at midnight suits you. Now let's not leave Luca be."
……………
It was morning. A teen with dirty-blonde hair quietly shut the door behind him, trying not to disturb his father. Mother would wake him up when she got back. He was grateful he had chosen his sleeveless blue shirt with his light green pants. The forecast had gotten it wrong after all, judging by the heat. Once the entrance was locked behind him, the male ran off, heading down the pathway as quick as he could. He did not want to be late after all. His thoughts traveled toward his earlier dreams. It had been so dark and depressing, almost reminiscent of the apocalyptic world stories presented. That would have been the Digital World, if I recall. He remembered those two creatures clashing eight years ago in Highton View Terrace, not to mention the world appearing in the sky four years after that. However, there have been no sightings of those ruins anywhere. As he turned the corner, he accidently bumped into someone walking outside.
"Tch, are you always this much of a klutz Jonathan?" Stepping back he managed a smile to his neighbor. He had practically grown up beside her, watching the changes as a artist paints: detached yet close. Blair moved her black ponytail from behind her shoulder, cape billowing as she moved. The scar mostly hidden by the eye patch on her face never drew his eyes. He'd learned to get used to it.
"Good morning to you too Blair." Blair rolled her eyes.
"Idiot. What are you in such a rush for?" The female fell into step beside him.
"My school midterm project is due soon and I'd like to turn mine in early."
She scoffed. "Overachieve much?"
"I don't comprehend the meaning of the word."
Blair let out an unladylike snort. "That's surprising, genius boy." A smile played across his lips.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
This got her fuming. "You weren't meant to dumbass!" He chuckled and turned a different direction.
"If I recall, your school is in the opposite direction of mine."
She rolled her eyes again. "Recall? You should know. You went there." He saw the exhaustion in her face and wondered. For a moment, he considered asking her about the dreams. But before he could, someone went speeding past her, nearly knocking her to the concrete. She turned and shouted. "Watch where you're running you idiot!" The male grinned and called something inaudible. Both glanced in the direction he had come. Two others, one the same age as Blair and one younger, were walking up. The boy was smiling sheepishly while the girl shook her head and sighed.
"Sean needs a better clock," she muttered. Glancing at the other two, she gave them a small bow of the head. "Sorry about him." Without waiting for an answer, she gripped the younger boy's wrist. "Come on. Let's go see if he hit a pole."
"Do you really think he hit a pole?" the boy asked as they jogged off. He sounded upset about the prospect. Jonathan blinked for a moment before glancing over at her.
"Care to tell me who they are Blair?"
Blair shrugged. "As if I know. The older two are in the class next door. Supposedly, the two who walked past are cousins." I think they got in the news once… or maybe that wasn't them."
"Ah. Until later then." They parted, Jonathan back in his rush.
…………………
The shadows spun and licked like tongues of flame. He stared out into the Ocean from his place, watching its grey and black depths swirl and bubble. The demon wondered how long his imprisonment had been, how much longer it would be. Before he had been taken into this dark hell, his fellows had begun their plans. Thankfully, the Higher Beings had not sensed them, or they would have alerted the Harmonious Ones at once. Distractions, admittedly powerful ones, were quite welcome to stopping those Digidestined from seeing the true darkness.
We have our master to thank for that, he reflected. Suddenly, the sea began to part. A shadowy creature was rising from its depths, the darkness wrapping it in a veil. The digimon snorted. He knew who it was. Dragomon ruled by fear and yet once you met him, the mere ultimate wasn't nearly so terrifying. If I killed him, I wonder how the Dark World would change. But how strange for him to be out, unless others were here. Suddenly, a sweetly seductive voice pierced his ears.
"Look at you Daemon! Left to rot in this beautiful place by children. My, how you've fallen!" A Digimon sauntered out of the trees, moving in a way that showed off every angle of her body easily. At first glance, she simply appeared to be a beautiful black-haired human with a purple and black kimono. But the two pairs of bat wings ruined the image, as did the demonic claw on her hand.
Beneath his hood, Daemon rolled his eyes. "Spare me your tirade Lilithmon. How are things proceeding?"
"Beautifully," she purred. "That fool Gennai completely overlooked us, preferring to destroy MaloMyotismon. Not that I blame him, I would have destroyed the fool myself. He brought shame to the name "Demon Lord". Also, that boy who sealed you here, Ichijouji, was it? The Spore has finally started to take hold. He'll be useless soon."
Daemon's lips curled into a fanged smile. That was sweet vengeance, but it was a shame he would lose such a precious artifact. No matter, there was likely a way to retrieve it.
"Well then, my dear, shall we depart?" He offered a purple, clawed hand to the Demon of Lust, which she accepted. She waved a hand dismissively, opening a gate. The pair stepped forward out of this temporarily grounded world. Not into light, no, but into a much deeper darkness.
I warned the Digidestined I would be back. I meant it. Now then, their destruction will be the end of the Balance, a thing I will destroy myself.
………………
Time passed and school let out. The bell rang loudly in Sean's class, causing him to start awake. Rubbing his eyes, he managed to stand and bow with the rest of the class. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Kiri grinning at him. He stuck his tongue out at her playfully when the teacher wasn't looking. As the class filed out, he stayed behind a moment, making sure he hadn't missed getting his work turned in before passing out. Kiri watched him from her seat, still grinning that mischievous smile that she sometimes wore.
"Someone was paying attention today," she teased as they walked out of the room to their lockers. He pouted at her.
"It's not my fault Mrs. Haniko's so boring. How do you stay awake? Tape your eyelids up?"
The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes. "No you idiot. It's called having a wider attention span than a gnat."
"Why do I have to deal with your insults?" he whined as he came up to his locker. She passed him to head to hers, but as she passed Kiri replied,
"Because you're the only one close enough to get them." He smiled warmly to himself.
"Fair enough." He quickly finished up at his locker and ran after her, bookbag slung lazily over one arm.
Luca was already at her locker, tossing a small hacky sack between his hands. He saw them and pocketed it, running to hug his cousin tightly. Kiri stopped and braced herself as he latched unashamedly onto her, grunting at his added weight. The passing girls cooed like always, making Sean wonder if they were part-bird. The concept was funny. Sean walked over and gently started to pry the younger boy off.
"Come on little guy, let your cousin move. You really don't have to knock her over to say hi, do you?" Luca obeyed, looking embarrassed. Kiri flashed him a grateful smile and mussed the ten-year old's hair, opening her locker with her other hand. Retrieving her bookbag and bokuto, she quickly slammed it shut. Sean gestured and the two marched after him.
An older boy catcalled, "Why are you dragging a little kid on your date?" Luca blinked at the older boy and lowered his eyes shyly, looking slightly upset. Kiri activated one of her fiercer death glares, which Sean couldn't help but smirk at as he patted his buddy on the shoulder. As they switched shoes and walked outside, Sean glimpsed the grey-eyed girl's grip on her wooden blade in its holder relax only slightly. Mother hen much, Kiriko?
"Anybody up to doing their homework in the park?" he asked nonchalantly, ignoring everybody else's stares as they passed, heading toward their apartment complex. Immediately Luca's eyes lit up and he nodded.
Kiri teased, "What, you actually have the homework?" Sean grinned.
"Of course! I'm not stupid you know?"
"So says the guy who hit a tree this morning," a voice muttered derisively. Kiri glanced over, amusement flickering on her face. It was that girl from earlier. She looked vaguely familiar aside from that, but Kiri couldn't place why. Glimpsing the gash mostly hidden by the eye patch, Kiri felt a vague twinge of curiosity, but nothing more. Luca looked a little frightened, to him the scar and her intimidating attitude must have been warning signs.
Sean's grin widened. He ignored the disfigurement, but then again he didn't really care much about that sort of thing. "Hey you're that chick from this morning! Sorry about that, I was in a rush you know?" Her eyes flared but Sean just kept grinning like a madman.
Luca, noticing her staring at the other girl, leaned up and whispered. "Kiri, do you know her?" Kiri thought about it for another minute then nodded.
She spoke up. "You're Blair Morgan, aren't you? You're in the class next to us right?"
Blair nodded warily. "Yeah what about it?" Kiri shrugged.
"I'm just surprised we've never talked. Our classes have had group activities together."
Sean snorted. "Of course you two haven't talked Kiri. You're as social as a porcupine!" Luca giggled at the idea of his cousin being a porcupine while Kiri just shrugged it off. Sean suddenly looked thoughtful. "Then again, I haven't noticed you either. That's weird, considering I make an effort to at least know everyone by name." Kiri glanced around, feeling vaguely unsettled. Where did everyone go?
Blair frowned. "I barely recognize you two, and you'd think I'd recall talking to someone as annoying as this guy." Sean pouted at her. Unsurprisingly, it ticked her off more.
Jonathan was walking past, eager to get home before his mother woke up. As he strolled by, he saw the four of them. Strange, Blair isn't exactly the social type. He went over, calling toward her. She turned and her scowl deepened slightly. He recognized them at once from this morning. The brown-haired male looked at him and smiled widely, reminding Jonathan of a jester.
"Hey I know you!" The younger said this with pure delight and satisfaction. "I've seen you at the library sometimes!"
The black-haired girl looked up at him before smirking lightly at her friend. "You actually go to the library of your own free will?"
He turned and pretended to look offended. "Hey, my sister's a bookworm remember? Whenever I come home, she drags me there!" Jonathan paused for a moment. So he was the one playing those games on the computer….
"That's right. If I recall, you tried breaking the parental controls on one of the computers."
The dark-haired girl groaned at this, giving him a disapproving look while Blair snorted derisively. He was surprised she hadn't left yet. The boy just gave him a mischievous smile.
"Yep that's me! The name's Sean Ladon and don't you forget it!" Blair resisted the urge to hit the other male while Jonathan held back a smile. The kid certainly was eager. Sean pointed to his friends. "That's Kiriko Ryutori. Just call her Kiri though. Most people who use her full name end up with bamboo up their butt. And the little guy's her cousin Luca Hanima. He's shy, so don't expect much out of his mouth."
"Pleased to meet you all," he replied. "My name is Jonathan Lucas."
Sean flashed him a thumbs up. "Cool. Hey Kiri-" He turned around to see Kiri crouched in front of the younger. Immediately, his cheer vanished, making Jonathan curious as he hurried over. Was he actually happy just now?
"What's up Luca?" His voice was quieter, duller. Jonathan, sensing something was wrong, went to join them. Luca was staring blankly ahead, blue eyes unfocused.
"Something feel off?" The question from Kiri made Blair turn: now suspicious.
"What do you mean, off?" Kiri ignored her.
"We're all here now," Luca mumbled suddenly. His tone was vacant, more than his eyes.
"What do you mean, we?" Jonathan asked. Luca didn't answer.
"We're all here now. It can start." He turned to look at Kiri. "We're going. I can feel it." Kiri's eyes narrowed and her hand gripped her bokuto defensively.
Sean frowned and looked around, also catching the hidden meaning. He saw the other two looking confused, and immediately tugged on Kiri's shirt. She glanced at him as he mouthed a question to her. Them too? She shrugged.
"What the hell is going on here?" snapped Blair, starved for answers.
Jonathan shivered. The weather report didn't mention this cold front. He glanced up, expecting to see grey clouds. His eyes widened, as his vision caught green and red light. "Why are the aurorae here?"
Blair heard footsteps behind her and whirled around to glare. Then she visibly relaxed. "Wizardmon!" Jonathan winced as he turned to see, having cracked his neck. What stood there was a man in red and yellow torn clothes and his face hidden. He wore brown boots with crescent moons on them. The man wore a purple cape and hat with a skull over his straw-yellow hair. In one of his gloved hands was a staff with a broken sun.
"Blair, why do you have a digimon?" Jonathan asked, deep in thought. A digimon's here, so this does have to do with the Digital World after all. Blair shrugged, observing impassively as he came to her side.
"He's just here. He reconfigured after the fight with Myotismon four years ago. He said he was my partner and had to stay by my side." Kiri was staring at her, eyes wide. She has a digimon so that means…
"Um guys, there are bright stars in the light!" Luca cried. He seemed to be back to normal and was pointing at the sky. They all looked up. Five twinkling white lights stood out among the mixture of red and green.
"Should we run?" Sean asked, a quavering tone in his voice. Jonathan secretly agreed.
"No point," Kiri replied quietly. "They're coming for us. There's no way to avoid it." She smirked faintly and muttered, almost to her self, "I was right. This was fate after all." Blair's earlier suspicion infected Jonathan now and he watched her. She knows an awful lot about this.
Abruptly, the aforementioned lights shot towards them, landing in each of their hands. As they touched, the world vanished into light. Using his other arm, Jonathan covered his eyes. The next thing he knew, he was plummeting downward, or at least what he thought was down. What in the world is happening? The blonde teen felt fear wash over him. I'm falling. I'm falling so quickly. Am I going to hit the ground and die?
No, a calm voice said in his head. You're much too necessary to just end up a mess on the ground.
The voice sounded familiar. Who are you?
For a moment, he swore he felt a smile in the statement. A contradiction. Now go, finish what my friends and I could not. Lead your comrades to victory.
The whiteness faded and he could see green. Inhaling, he smelled grass. They were in a meadow. Jonathan rolled over, surprised to feel his left hand still clenched around something. Moving his head to see, he unclenched his fist. The light from before was still bright in his hand. I shouldn't be able to hold this. The glow began to shift between his fingers, changing into a strange mechanical device. Sitting up, Jonathan turned it over in his hands. It looked like an advanced version of those digital pets you got at the store, black antenna sticking out at the top. Everything about it was white except for the grips, which in his case were black. On the side was a slit, about the size of where you would fit a camera memory card.
He looked around, seeing the other four collapsed as he had been. "Everybody okay?"
There were general groans of consensus. One after the other, they all sat up and looked at the device in their hands. That digimon's not here, he noted.
"What are these, do you think?" Sean muttered, green eyes curious.
"Those are Digivices, specifically called D-Cores. You need them to travel in and out of the Digital World." Blair turned toward the voice, recognizing Wizardmon as he strolled back over to her.
"Wizardmon, where'd you go?" She sounded angry, not worried. Wizardmon gave her an apologetic smile from behind his collar.
"I'm sorry Blair but I had to go find these four." He gestured behind him. Four other digimon (for that was only what they could be) were following him. One, a purple dragon with a red interface on its forehead with white on its paws, tail tip, and belly launched itself onto Sean, grinning maniacally.
"I knew you'd come," cheered the digimon. "I just knew you would make it here! My name is Dorumon, and I'm a Rookie Beast Digimon. I can beat anybody with my Dash Metal and Metal Cannon attacks. Glad to meet ya!"
For the first time since they had met him, Sean looked utterly speechless. "Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too. I'm Sean. How did you know I would make it here?"
"Cause of your Digivice!" Dorumon replied promptly. "Whoever's got purple is my partner and that's you Sean! We're gonna be the best team in the world I'm sure!" Sean continued to stare before grinning and nodding.
"Hey kid, you okay?" This question was directed to Luca, who jumped and turned. Peering at him with blue eyes eerily similar to his was a muscular lion cub with a golden ring around its neck. Luca nodded shakily. It gave him a sniff and then sat on its haunches, fixing him with a fierce stare. "You carry the orange D-Core, so you're my partner then. I'm Liollmon and I'm a Holy Beast Rookie Digimon. I'll protect you with my Lio Claw and Critical Bite, which can take down a Champion if aimed right."
The ten year old smiled. For some reason, hearing that made him happy. "I'm Luca! I'll help you the best I can."
Kiri was watching them both approvingly before turning to see the digimon at her side. It was a yellow fox that stood on its hind legs. Over its arms were purple gloves with the yin-yang symbol on its thighs. The stare that observed her was piercing blue but she could tell the digimon was not as fierce as she looked. "I'm Kiri," she introduced. "Who are you?"
The fox bowed slightly. "I am Renamon, a Rookie Animal Digimon. I tear through my enemies with my Diamond Storm and Power Paw. I have been ordered to follow the one who carries the blue D-Core. Shall we fight together then?"
"I suppose so."
Blair glanced at Wizardmon. "You too?" she asked quietly, different from usual.
Wizardmon nodded. "I am partnered to the one with the yellow D-Core. I am a Champion Level whose attacks are Magical Game and Electro Squall. So nothing changes." Jonathan peered past him. He couldn't find the last Digimon. He felt a tug at his pants leg and looked down to see a green worm with purple pods and "mouth". On the last segment there was a bright blue ring.
"Um," the larva began softly. "Is your Digivice black by any chance?"
Jonathan nodded. "It is. My name is Jonathan. You are…"
"Wormmon. I'm a Rookie level Insect Digimon," it squeaked quickly. "My attacks are Silk Thread and Sticky Net. Nice to meet you." Jonathan felt a smile touch his lips. Well he did love insects.
Their cheerful bonding time was cut short by a plantlike creature wearing a yellow and red kimono running into the clearing. It was a digimon with pink flowers for a head and hands. The face was a heavily made-up mask. It saw them and growled out, "Cherry Blossom Storm!" Razor sharp petals whirled toward them. Everyone rolled out of the way quickly.
"What the hell is that?" snapped Blair as she got to her feet, looking incensed.
"Kabukimon," growled Liollmon, fangs bared. "A Champion Level. Mutant Digimon. Its attacks are Cherry Blossom Storm and Lion Dance."
"This is strange though," muttered Renamon. "Kabukimon are usually very kind. What could have riled up this one?"
"I'm not standing still enough to find out," replied Kiri as she stood. She gripped her bokuto in both hands. "Sean, take care of Luca!"
"Are you really being reckless enough to fight that thing?" Sean groaned, reflexively dragging the youngest back.
"Not alone," she replied confidently. "Ready Renamon?"
The fox nodded. I like her already. "Of course." She leapt into action, paws blazing. "Power Paw!" She sliced down, striking with her claws on the opponent's arm. Kabukimon gave an unelegant snort as she lashed out with the other, barely being blocked by Kiri. The girl grunted and forced it off, slamming her weapon over the Digimon's head.
Jonathan couldn't help but roll his eyes. Think I've just met the craziest girl on the planet. "Wormmon, could you…?"
The insect nodded, eyes gaining a determined stare. "Leave it to me!" He hopped over to Kabukimon. "Silk Thread!" The sharp silk stabbed through Kabukimon's other hand.
"Cherry Blossom Storm!" The whole group was knocked back by the whirlwind, each sustaining numerous cuts. Kiri was bleeding from various scratches. This upset Luca, who proceeded to glare rather ferociously at the Champion digimon.
Dorumon took advantage of the moment. He charged with a wild shout, claws shining silver. He leapt. "Dino Metal!" The claws left three long gashes down his face.
Liollmon glanced between his new partner and his opponent. Then he looked over at the Champion on their side, the only other not to attack. "Hey, think if I left an opening you could take this guy out?" Wizardmon nodded. The lion cub smirked. "Well then, here we go!" He charged headlong into the fight. Kabukimon noticed and fired at him. He growled and defied it. Letting out a roar, he jumped toward her neck. "Critical Bite!" Sinking his jaws into the weak point, he growled through the plant. "Hurry it up stupid!"
Wizardmon raised his staff. The hole in the middle of the broken sun began to glow. Fire burned around the head. Pointing it toward the enemy, he cried, "Magical Game!" Liollmon jumped away at the last second, watching as Kabukimon screamed and died, turning into a mixture of ash and data. Jonathan winced but forced himself to keep watching. Blair looked forcibly impassive. Luca hid his face, trembling. Sean and Kiri glanced at each other and Kiri frowned quietly, nodding.
As the screams died away, Jonathan caught Luca's whisper.
"This is just the beginning, isn't it?"
Kiri replied cryptically. "Yeah Luca. It's the beginning of our path to madness."