Masters of Oblivion 

V

Shadows and Lights

Digidentity:

Arianmon: A bright gold glowing Digimon with the power of Spark Rain and extremely evil tendencies.

Shadowmon: Almost transparent this Digimon hides easily in the night and uses Nocturnal Blaze to attack his enemies.

Most of the children and their Digimon had gathered at Aka’s apartment giving him their Digivices so they could be studied. Luke had also brought the black Digivice along, the one that belonged to a person named Kai.

‘What are you doing now?’ Abby asked of Aka.

‘I’m working on Luke’s Digivice, it seems all of their programming is different to suit the Digimon, Yours is by far the most complex, the other upgrades I’ll be able to do in a few days but I don’t know how long yours will take.’

‘Okay,’ Abby said with a disappointed sigh, ‘just get to it.’

Pat and Luke were sitting outside on the rather less clean and pleasurable street than those that they were used to. Behind them was the building where that weird Aka was working on their Digivices. Despite the fact that they had had them for only a day or so they still felt it to belong to them, as if it had been gifts for them. This sparked other memories of recent times, one’s they would rather want to forget.

‘Pat,’ Luke said with his hands on his arms on his lifted knees, ‘do you think about that man?’

‘Oh, that one.’ Pat said knowing he meant the dead man. ‘Yeah, sure.’

‘A lot?’

‘Yeah, but I wasn’t there when he died, I was just there when they took him away in that ambulance, we had to watch from far away…’ Pat trailed off, Luke knew he felt as bad about that part as he did.

‘I couldn’t sleep last night.’ Luke confessed with some difficulty. ‘Every time I closed my eyes I just saw blood, I threw up.’

Pat put his strong hand on Luke’s shoulder comfortingly but only for a short time, Pat wasn’t the type to show a lot of affection. Luke wondered why he was telling this to Pat at all but he was just glad there was someone to listen.

‘When I fell asleep I had a nightmare.’ Luke went on. ‘I can’t remember it, a lot of blood and monsters with sharp teeth.’

Pat swallowed, he didn’t want to admit that they had possibly shared the same dream.

Aviemon was up high scouting the area for food as Shieldmon stood bellow waiting with much anticipation. Felamon and Lee had gone off somewhere, they hadn’t said where.

‘He recognised me.’ Luke said then and Pat looked up. ‘I didn’t know him but he knew me, he recognise my face. I feel like I’ve been chosen, that we all have been chosen, but I don’t know for what. I don’t know if its something good or bad.’

‘Well, so far it’s been quite exciting.’ Pat said and almost regretted his words immediately, it wasn’t quite the right thing to say when speaking of someone’s death.

Luke knew that he didn’t mean it and didn’t comment on his bad choice of words.

‘You think that man died for us?’ Luke asked then.

‘I don’t know.’ Pat said a little disgruntled that he was expected to know.

‘Me neither,’ Luke said, ‘I’m hoping he didn’t, that would be bad. But maybe it’s better to die for something.’

‘I don’t know!’ Pat said more urgently.

‘I wonder if he’s in heaven or hell.’

Pat was just about to cry out when Shieldmon came to sit next to him with a loud thump. He was glad for the interruption until he saw large blue tear drops swelling at his eyes and falling from the slit in his helm.

‘What’s it with you?’ Pat shouted feeling trapped and surrounded by tragedy and emotion that he wasn’t use to handling.

‘I’m sorry!’ Shieldmon sobbed. ‘I’m just a little emotional right now.’ He sniffed. ‘You know,’ he turned towards them sadly, ‘I haven’t smashed a single living thing ever since I can remember, never! Sure I’ve smashed a few walls and things like that but that’s not the same! All I want is to smash someone, is that too much to ask?’

‘No it isn’t!’ Pat said patting him quickly on the shoulder hoping he would stop crying as soon as possible. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed, he just didn’t like all this emotion stuff.

‘And I’m so hungry!’ Shieldmon wept loudly crying more now with the attention. ‘I haven’t eaten in… in two hours! I don’t think I can take it anymore!’

‘For the sake of humanity!’ Pat said putting his face in his hands on the verge of crying himself.

Aviemon came down then and Luke stood up to allow him to land on his shoulder.

‘Ow!’ Luke said. ‘You’re too heavy, I’m going grow skew after a while.’

‘Well if you want me to leave just say so.’ Aviemon said.

‘No, that’s alright.’ Both were just kidding of course.

Aviemon was about to say something intelligent and funny back when he stopped and turned his head to look down the street, there was nothing there.

‘What is it?’ Luke asked not concerned.

‘I don’t know with this brute sobbing so loudly!’ Aviemon said and launched off Luke’s shoulders.

‘Don’t kick a guy while he’s down!’ Shieldmon scried shacking a fist at Aviemon.

Aviemon was circling around and around but didn’t seem to see anything.

Suddenly he swerved. A moment later a shining gold ball shot past him into the sky. Aviemon came diving back down and almost stumbled as he came to a running stop on the ground.

‘What is it?’ Luke asked.

Shieldmon and Pat stood up.

‘Venomon…’ Aviemon said breathless for a second.

‘Venomon did that?’

‘No, Venomon’s got a friend now!’

‘Who?’

‘That!’

The presence there, down the street, was suddenly all they felt and ominous. Their heads turned to it and its body seemed not to match what they were feeling/

They couldn’t figure out how they hadn’t noticed it before but standing now down the street was something that could only be a Digimon. It looked a lot like a man except for a few irrefutable attributes. Long hair hung out of a solid helmet that covered its head and eyes. He had a cape that hung down to the ground from his shoulders and wore something resembling a cross between medieval armour and modern day body armour. He had thick boots on and large metal gloves that stuck out wide along his arms. And he glowed gold, there was no colour on him but a steady glowing of golden light.

The head looked up and for a moment there was the flaring of two eyes through the metal.

Venomon lying with his front paws cross on a trash can looking from his new friend to the kids and their Digimon with a sly smile was hardly noticed.

The unknown golden Digimon started walking forward.

‘I think before this proceeding goes any further some introductions are needed.’ Aviemon said trying to play the peace maker nervously.

‘You are right, bird.’ The Digimon said in a cold voice full of an untold evil emotion. He continued to walk towards them. ‘I am Arianmon. My purpose in this short time that I know of is simply to destroy.’

‘Well, I think you’ve missed the point somewhere.’ Aviemon said.

‘Unfortunately not, I don’t want to bore you with my short life’s story so I will simply say that I think it would be quite pleasurable to destroy you all.’

‘Wait! That doesn’t need to be that way.’ Aviemon said.

‘It does.’

‘We can be allies.’

‘We can’t.’

‘Enough talk!’ Shieldmon said striding forward feeling his fists. ‘Finally, someone who is willing to be smashed. Power Punch!’

The great Shieldmon pulled back his fist and then brought it plummeting down on the new Digimon. It hit! The fist smashed down.

All held their breath.

Arianmon stood there unmoved with both hands holding onto the fist. Shieldmon stood bent slightly and surprised with wide eyes. His attack hadn’t even moved Arianmon, he had stopped it as easy as one catches a ball.

‘Spark Rain.’

For a moment the light seemed to grow around Arianmon, then it all pulled into his body. A moment later many glowing balls shot from him and hit Shieldmon. Shieldmon stumbled back as he was driven back by the attack and finally lost his balance. He fell and the ground shook at his impact.

‘Razor Wing!’ Aviemon cried, he had already flown into the air and came diving down now.

Arianmon hit the blades away from him disintegrating them in the air, there was no effort involved.

‘This is good.’ Venomon said to himself with an even wider smile.

Pat came to crouch next to Shieldmon who lifted himself up on his elbows feeling dizzy and sore.

‘Arianmon!’

It was Elfmon standing on a windowsill with perfect balance and her arrow fitted. On the opposite roof stood Felamon and below emerging out of a side street was Lee.

Both Digimon leapt at the same time. The words were spoken and the attacks flared. Arianmon crouched in preparation as the shining arrow and small flying blades came at him.

He jumped. The attacks hit. A small explosion left a crater in the ground.

Felamon landed perfectly like a cat and was met by an attack immediately. She jumped back as Arianmon’s sharp metal fingers slashed at her like a ripper machine. Amazingly Arianmon was too fast for her. A moment later he slashed her across the side and sent her falling away.

‘Razor Wing!’

‘Starlight Arrow!’

Arianmon jumped aside again his feet flipping above his body. His hands were spread out with his palms flat to the side as if he were an athlete. The glowing balls shot from his hands as he flew. Several went straight for Aviemon who dodged all but the last one who hit him dead on and sent him into a tail spin.

Elfmon jumped and dodged the balls hitting around her. Then, drawing out an arrow she slashed the last balls away into nothingness.

Luke ran to the spot and caught Aviemon in his arms and stumbled falling on his back.

‘Good catch.’ Aviemon said.

‘No problem.’

Lee was already at Felamon.

‘Show him who’s boss Elfmon!’ Shouted Abby from the upper window.

Elfmon smiled at Abby, the disturbing thing was Arianmon  smiled too.

‘Spark Rain!’

Abby’s eyes opened wide as the hundreds balls came flying at her. Elfmon reacted immediately. She jumped onto a car and then into the sky turned as she did. Almost all the balls hit her, the others exploded around Abby breaking bricks from the walls. Elfmon was flung into the window and smashed into a table covered with spare parts and filth.

‘Good thing she didn’t hit the computer.’ Aka said working on as if nothing of significance was happening.

‘Elfmon no! Oh please Elfmon!’ Abby shrieked desperately trying to get all the wires and pieces off her friend and herself.

Outside Shieldmon shouted his attack.

Arianmon jumped away and the great fist left a hole in the ground. Felamon stood up under Lee’s hands with some effort and then also came running towards the battle. Arianmon was jumping away from every powerful punch. Felamon came leaping at him her claws glinting in the light. Arianmon moved the precise moment that it would be the most disastrous. The metal fist hit Felamon in the side and Shieldmon stood up straight with wide eyes as the cat went rolling over the street.

Lee was crying as she ran towards Felamon once more.

In a fit of rage Aviemon came diving down headlong and the blades jumped from his wings. Arianmon smiled and dodged aside. The blades hit Shieldmon causing him to groan and stumble.

‘We have no teamwork!’ Luke was shouting but it no one really heard.

‘Ha ha!’ Arianmon was laughing with untold enjoyment.

‘This is not very good.’ Aviemon said flying and turning back towards the fight.

The first attack to hit its mark came from a place Arianmon least expected. He stood there laughing when something hard hit him over the head and he stumbled forward. Spinning around snarling he found Luke there standing with a poll in his hands. He showed no fear, he was smiling in fact.

‘Stupid human.’ Arianmon said lifting one of his hands palm towards Luke.

‘Razor Wing!’

Arianmon wasn’t fast enough. The blades hit and cut him and he fell rolling a few paces and ended up on one knee. With a sudden recovery and a leap he blasted his Spark Rain at Aviemon. Aviemon dodged this way and that fluttering away from the balls but one hit him still.

This time Luke had apsolutely no chance to save his partner. With only luck the spark sent at him hit the poll he held in his hands. He went flying back with flames and breaking metal and crashed into a few trashcans.

Arianmon was filled with glee once more seeing all who had contested against him lying in so much pain now at his feet. He was in his element, in victory, in annihilation of his enemies, that is until a shadow passed over the sun.

Turning he barely had time to see what it was. And in fact, to all who saw, it seemed to be nothing more than a shadow.

Arianmon was thrown and fell on the road. He spun around onto his stomach and saw the shadow gather itself together to form something like a figure. It was such a sinister image it was hard to believe it had just saved them. A thing covered in a dark cloak with only two pin points of red being its eyes shining through. It was almost imaginable that this was the enemy and the bright glowing Arianmon had been on their side all along.

Luke, pushing himself with effort out of the trash, was the first to see a dark haired boy of his age standing behind the shadow.

‘Get him Shadowmon!’ The boy shouted with a wicked smile and pointing.

‘My pleasure.’ Said the shadow with a snake like whispering voice and the shadow seemed to grow greater from all the shadows around. ‘Nocturnal Blaze!’

Like fire blown by a strong wind tongues of shadow shot from the main shadow. Arianmon stood up just in time to meet them in his chest. He was picked up and carried across the street until he hit a wall and smashed through.

Shadowmon hissed and like water he surged forward after the other Digimon. The boy came running after him.

‘Oh no! This isn’t the way its supposed to be!’ Venomon said jumping up and down on one spot.

‘Take this you vegetable with feet!’ Luke cried and with the same broken poll hit Venomon flying from behind. He then ran towards Aviemon. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Of course, only a scratch.’ Aviemon said unable to stand up straight without Luke’s help.

‘Let’s go help that other boy.’ Luke said.

‘Are you sure, he doesn’t seem like the pleasant type.’

‘C’mon! Hey, are you guys going to be alright?’ The last sentence was directed at the others.

‘We’re coming along.’ Pat said.

‘Yeah!’ Shieldmon said not walking quite as smoothly as before.

‘Are you guys okay Lee?’ Luke called.

‘We’re fine.’ Said Felamon trying to stand up.

‘No! Ly down! Don’t stand!’ Lee was shouting.

Aviemon jumped onto Luke’s shoulder and Luke ran towards the hole where the boy and the fighting Digimon had disappeared. They found a path of destruction leading through the building, a path where none had been before. They ran through almost afraid the whole structure would come tumbling down.

As soon as they emerged into the light they stepped back again. The shadow crashed into another wall and it started crumbling under the impact.

They found Arianmon and Shadowmon fighting in a dirty plaza between old buildings where the pigeons scattered and the trash lay discarded. The other boy stood to one side watching the battle with intense interest.

Shadowmon lifted himself from the wall and stood up to his full height again his red eyes alight.

‘Give it to me shadow!’ Arianmon said standing ready and beckoning to him with one hand.

The shadow lurched forward and came diving down. Arianmon threw open his arms and the bombardment of sparks erupted from him. Shadowmon was just fast enough to dodge aside but still a few sparks hit and he stumbled. Arianmon shot a single spark at Shadowmon, one from his hand and larger than usual. Shadowmon was flung back once more.

‘C’mon Shadowmon, you’re better than he is!’ The boy cried from the side.

‘Yeah!’ Luke said standing a little before Shieldmon and Pat with Aviemon on his shoulder. ‘Time to pay Arianmon!’

‘More humans and their pets.’ Arianmon said slowly turning towards them.

‘Stay out of this!’ The boy shouted at them pointing.

‘It was our fight to start with!’ Luke shouted back. ‘This is yours Kai!’

From his pocket Luke took the black Digivice and threw it. The boy, who was obviously Kai, caught it and looked at it and Luke with confusion.

‘Let’s get him!’ Luke cried.

Aviemon launched into the air and Shieldmon came trampling forward and with every step of his great feet the ground shook.

Both attacks flared at the same time. Arianmon jumped and flipped over the fist. The blades passed inches from his upside-down head. He landed on his feet and flipped back again as Shieldmon hit at him once more.

‘Nocturnal Blaze!’

‘Spark Rain!’

The two attacks met midway, two bombardments clashing, and the explosion was great. The cement they had been fighting on ripped like paper. Shieldmon stumbled back in the face of the sudden flames. Aviemon almost fell from the sky as the shockwave hit him. Both the dark haired boy and Luke were flung back.

Shadowmon flew across the plaza but Arianmon was sent through the wall behind him. People screamed and scattered as the glowing Digimon fell in with a mass of rocks.

Arianmon stood up seeing the fleeing around him. He had fallen right into the midst of a homeless community that had finally found a home in each other and this tattered building. Old and ripped objects that tried to resemble a normal middle class life were everywhere around him where they had not been crushed by the bricks. There were blankets and beds and cupboards and gas lights. There were woman and babies now running aside and the men seemed to have some compulsion to try and protect them.

Arianmon saw all this as he stood there in the middle of the depressing hall and he smiled. He looked straight ahead of him as he lifted both his hands and his evil smile intensified. The light dimmed around him.

The sparks erupted in every direction. Men fell and the walls exploded. Beddings were thrown and shredded. Blood fell onto the ground. Dust erupted around hiding the true chaos and tragedy.

‘No! You monster! No! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!’

From the dust Luke came running like a mad thing. His eyes were ablaze with fire and water as he ran for Arianmon standing there so powerfully and wickedly.

Arianmon grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. He cast him aside as if he was nothing to be bothered with and into someone’s makeshift bed he crashed.

He laughed, the terrible monster laughed once again more happy than he had ever been before. He spotted the forms of his enemies in the dust from where Luke had come and still laughing he aimed his attack at him. The sparks blasted into the dust and there were more explosions of fire and dirt. But instead of defeated souls stumbling from the destruction something else shot out. It gave a new light to the area for a second and then it hit its mark.

Still laughing Arianmon jerked and stood for a few more moments. He then looked down at his chest and found an arrow pierced straight through it and sticking out of his back. He laughed some more.

‘Your evil stops here Arianmon!’ Elfmon said emerging before him wounded but with a face fill of strength.

‘It doesn’t Elf!’ Arianmon said hardly seeming to notice the arrow now. ‘You have no idea what you’re facing in me, this was just a taste of the horror I’m going to bring on this pathetic world. No one will bow at my feet, this I know, because they’ll all be dead!’

Abby came to stand next to Elfmon.

‘That’s right,’ Arianmon said, ‘her too.’

Luke lay motionless where he had been thrown staring at the thing he now found before him. From horror he could not move or even close his eyes or blink. He lay in some blood, he knew, but he couldn’t move from it now. Looking straight at him also were eyes unfocused behind messy dirty hair.

Luke had sudden flash backs from the night they had found the dying man on the street. It was so real he couldn’t tell where he actually was at that moment. He couldn’t decide if he was lying in that building or was on that dark street. Both of them had blood, both of them had someone dead.

Putting out his hands he touched the face of the boy lying before him and found it was warm. His hands then found his eyes and they closed them and his hair and the goggles he wore on his head.

Before Elfmon could do anymore Arianmon jumped and disappeared in a moment in the dust. Then some stones and metal fell from the sealing.

‘Aren’t you going after him?’ Abby asked.

‘There would be no use, I could never catch him.’ Elfmon said relaxing her shoulders and the hand with an arrow in her bow.

‘But you wounded him.’ Abby insisted.

‘As he said, we have no idea of his power yet.’

‘If I find that little weasel of a Digimon…!’ Lee was shouting jumping around outside with Felamon, she meant Venomon of course.

‘Where’s Luke?’ Aviemon asked flying in.

Everyone who had come walking into the room fell into a deep terrible silence. Around them there were moans and groans and as the dust cleared they saw from where they came.

‘My God…’ Abby said.

Elfmon was silent.

‘Oh no…’ Aviemon said.

Blood, there was blood every place around them. There were places were the walls had collapsed and everywhere there were wounded and dying. They lay around them as if the whole building had just exploded. Those not so hurt stood in dismay some with babies not knowing what to do, not knowing what had just happened. It had been an interruption into their daily lives, a deadly one. And it had been done by only one being, one evil monster. A war had suddenly broke out between them and they hadn’t expected it.

‘We have to help them.’ Felamon said.

‘We have to help them!’ Lee cried as if she was self in pain.

They both ran off to see what they could do but neither knew what to do, Felamon was solemnly calm but Lee was hysterical.

Stepping in followed by a large shadow was the boy, he looked from side to side as did the shadow but none of them betrayed any emotion, they simply just stood there.

‘Luke?’ Aviemon asked as he landed next to Luke who lay as he was.

Luke now held the goggles in his hands, red ones they were, and he stared at the shut eyes of the boy.

‘Luke, you shouldn’t see this.’ Aviemon said.

‘I have no choice.’ Luke said softly, only a hoarse whisper.