“It’s like I’m all alone. I can’t hear Alphamon either.”
In spite of his sudden melancholy mood, Examon couldn’t help but flinch as Dorugoramon mentioned the other Digimon.
“Hold on.” Examon paused, blinking a few times as his eyes flashed back to his own yellow hue, “When was the last time you heard anything- and I mean anything at all- from Alphamon?”
“Hrmm…” A soft growl later, Dorugoramon, sounding as unsure as she had been until now, replied, “Pretty sure it’s just before we took a leap of faith back into the Human World. She pretty much just wished us luck.”
”She’s telling the truth, actually.”
There was no plausible way Examon could have missed that familiar, feminine voice within the sphere of consciousness shared by him and his human partner, one that definitely didn’t belong to any of the physically fused parties inside the form of the draconic Royal Knight.
“...” All Dorugoramon would be able to make out was Examon suddenly flinching again, and then going completely still. A slight twitch of his yellow eyes, perhaps, and maybe the sound of his teeth grinding against each-other.
Inside the sphere of consciousness, however-
“I swear to Yggdrasil, to the Sovereigns, to Shakamon- to whatever else fucking else claims it’s a God,” Examon started, the mindscape warping as his sheer indignation forced the form of Alphamon’s consciousness to phase into focus within it, “You are such a goddamned-”
----
“Yeah, I’m tuning out of this one,” MagnaGarurumon grumbled as Examon erupted into a inferno of colourful language at Alphamon over the other end of the Hazard link.
Hey, you wanted to know what happened to Alphamon too, didn’t you?
“Consider my curiosity satisfied,” The Knight grumbled at the Hazard, tuning him out too. Too much had gone off the deep end today for him to put up with that spectral creep for any longer than he had to.
At least with Millenniummon torn to shreds and sinking deep into the depths of Tokyo Bay, he could catch his breath for the moment. Having doubled back before the vicious triple assault of Parasimon, Dorugoramon and Dynasmon had blown the abomination away, he’d set down on one of the roads overlooking the bay, and was now watching as the other combatants made their way away from the field of battle.
Guilmon, meanwhile, cringed as his fellow draconic brother pretty much let his pent-up frustration loose with an array of words he deemed not befitting of a Royal Knight, but he could hardly blame him; even he felt that Alphamon’s actions could be very incredulous and brash at times, to put it lightly. This might just be the most incredulous stunt she had pulled as of now.
While he was trying to pick vital intel, or any intel for that matter, from the string of curses, Ranamon could do nothing but stare as the red Digimon suddenly started cringing, then clasping one ‘ear’ and rubbing his snout, almost as if he was shielding his ‘innocent’ hearing from something she couldn’t perceive. “Hey, hey! Don’t tell me you’re starting to hear things,” she said, giving the former Royal Knight a stare of disbelief.
“T-That’s not it, Ranamon. I merely received ‘words’ from our allies, is all.” Guilmon, not wanting to further worry the one Digimon he was in charge of, tried to assuage her, but before he could get a coherent explanation across, Hazard popped in in his spectral wholesome, offering some ‘juicy details’ to them both about how Alphamon came to be within Examon’s sphere of consciousness, certainly not a place where she belonged. This was a particular offer Ranamon felt too good to miss… even though she couldn’t exactly make heads or tails of whatever was happening to Guilmon.
“Well, duh! I would surely love to know why the former leader of the Royal Pain in The Ass is… well, not leading,” Ranamon replied, already eager to simply shift through whatever intel she could get in her boredom.
“At this point, I would very much love to know what is happening to her and Examon,” Guilmon grumbled under his breath, wanting to know as much as the other Digimon about his former leader.
----
“- after everything we went through, after everything we talked about, you still go and pull this bullshit without so much as a by-your-leave! What the hell?”
Throughout Examon’s frustrated tirade, of which she felt herself deserving, Alphamon didn’t utter a single word and simply let the dragon vent as much as he would. She was neither offended by his language at her nor bothered by everything he was saying about her. Having taken a deal behind closed doors with the Digital Hazard, she had guessed that she had it coming.
“And besides that, would it kill you to finally take some goddamned responsibility for yourself? I know I’m not innocent, but you really put me to shame here- first you run off, then you take control of Zei, and now THIS. You’re supposed to be the First Knight, how about you damn well act like it?”
Patiently waiting until Examon no longer felt the need to give her a piece, or pieces to be precise, of his mind, Alphamon quietly nodded and replied with calm, almost bemused tone, “I will admit, everything you say are very justifiable. Once again, I have done something without consulting you and I apologize. For the last time.”
“I somehow doubt that.” After the initial firestorm of pent-up frustration, Examon seemed to have reached a deadly calm in berating Alphamon. Perhaps he’d gotten everything off his chest, or perhaps he’d simply accepted that ranting at the Knight wasn’t going to get her to leave his body. “But for your sake and mine, out with it- the hell are you playing at jumping over here? Dorumon and Zei finally get tired of you?”
“Perhaps. I know for sure Dorumon doesn’t always like me,” Alphamon replied with a soft chuckle, the memories of the grumpy Digimon bringing some levity to her somber mood, but her tone soon became serious. “Dorumon has lived under my shadow long enough. As long as I'm around, she will always be a remnant of myself. She deserves to be her own Digimon and I sincerely believe that she is a far better partner for Zei than I could ever be.” Pausing for a moment, she then continued, “That said, this is just one way to resolve this quandary. If you prefer, there is another option.”
“Out with it, then.” Examon’s harsh glare had softened as Alphamon explained herself, but grew harsher still as she continued. “I’m done with all this cryptic bullshit from everyone. You had the Hazard bring you into my body because you wanted Dorumon to be free, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and guess the other option’s even worse than this one?”
“Given that the other option is to subsume Dorumon back into my being and be whole once more while erasing any and all traces of her existence, I will leave that to you to consider.” Alphamon’s voice was stone cold, making it very clear that she was perfectly capable of doing what she had just said regardless of how she and Examon felt about it. “Would you prefer that instead, Examon?”
“How about you go fuck yourself?” Examon was anything but stone cold. “The hell kind of choice is that? You jump over here uninvited and then tell me that’s your only other option?” Examon’s glare and voice weren’t all that grew harsh; the world of the mindscape began to shake on its axis, a low grumble filling the atmosphere as it grew oppressive and dark.
Perhaps most striking and shocking of all was the one green eye that glared at Alphamon alongside Examon’s yellow in the other.
“I’ve half a mind to throw you out and let you take your chances without a body,” he snarled, his voice becoming a synthesis of Siggy’s and his own.
If Alphamon was smiling, she certainly wasn't showing it, but the gleam in her eyes seemed to speak of the fact that she appeared to be pleased and, for some reason, very relieved to hear such harsh words from her own ally. “Thank you for confirming my decision to do this, Examon and Siggy. I owe you both a debt I can never repay,” she said to him, her voice now shifting to the previously gentle and calm tone she had when she first materialized in the mindscape. “I only ask that you look after and care for Dorumon and Zei as you have in the Digital World. Do that and you both are free to do to me as you will.”
For a few dreadful moments, the world around them continued to shake as if a giant hand was trying to crush it, and Examon only continued to glare. The sound of glass cracking could be heard, and then the shaking stopped.
“If this really is the only way, we’ll do it.” When Examon spoke again, it was still his and Siggy’s voices together, and the odd colours of his eyes remained. Anger was still clear in their voices, but now it was calmer, more subdued. “But let’s get something clear. We’re not doing it because we want to. We’re doing it for their sake. We’re doing it so that they have something less to worry about. And the moment you try anything like you pulled with them with as much warning, you can get out and tough it on your own.”
With a great, laboured sigh, the dark atmosphere quelled in the mindscape. The dark, oppressive aura faded slowly, leaving Alphamon and Examon to stare each-other down as their greatest and hopefully final confrontation came to an end.
With a quiet nod, Alphamon replied, “You have my word. Now then, I believe there is still one more person you need to speak to. Especially you, young Siggy. She needs you more than anyone else right now.”
----
If Dorumon wasn’t at a loss before, she certainly was now. Here she was all in her lonesome, mentally speaking, as she stared at the dragon in front of her, wondering if she had accidentally snapped something inside his head with her words. For a moment, she thought of ditching Examon and leaving to find out what was going on, but for one reason and another, she stayed with him without so much as a grumble, patiently waiting until he regained his bearings.
After a few moments, a quiet grumble announced Examon’s return to attention. He blinked a few times, his eyes flashing from yellow to chartreuse to finally green after a few turns.
“Right. Sorry, was a million miles away, there.” Appropriately enough, Siggy’s voice was clear and audible over Examon’s own; between that and the green eyes, it seemed that his partner had taken the back seat for the moment. “As it turns out, so was Alphamon.”
“... I don’t get it,” Dorumon replied, sounding more perplexed than shocked to hear that Examon, including Siggy, knew where Alphamon was. “Still, at least she’s around, but why did she ditch us?”
“Taking it straight from her own mouth, she wanted to stop being such a pain for you and Zei.” Examon sighed, rubbing his armoured temple. “If you wanna know exactly where she is, let me put it like this- apparently giving up being a pain for you two means doubling up on being a pain for us.”
It took Dorumon a moment to digest the new information and another to react to it in the form of a low, angry grumble. “If her idea is to let me do shit myself, I’ve certainly fucked up. I don’t even know what’s happening to me, let alone Zei.” The way she clenched her claws, gritted her fangs and flicked her tail suggested that she was more than agitated, but at the very least, she was trying to keep a calm head, or one as calm as she could muster. “Would be nice if she could tell me where Zei is before leaving.”
At that, Examon stalled.
If Alphamon was right, Zei wasn’t gone; just lost in the horror and darkness of all that had happened. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to pull her back, and perhaps Alphamon was two for two; with a push from behind by the two Digimon in the union of minds, he called up all the strength he could as he pressed on.
“I don’t think she’s gone anywhere, Dorumon.” Examon’s- no, Siggy’s voice was firm as he placed a hand on Dorugoramon’s shoulder. “Even if you can’t feel her right now, I’m sure she’s in there with you- and I’m sure there’s something we can do to bring her back.”
An anxious Dorumon wasn’t quite sure of what to make of Examon’s, or rather, his human partner’s, explanation to where her own human ally was, but she was quite sure of one thing: The suffocating torrent of chaotic emotions was still there, deep inside her head. She realized the implication of it, but felt powerless at the same time, unable to simply dispel the mental chaos.
“I just want Zei back,” Dorumon replied, her tough demeanor starting to crack and her voice took a more bestial turn reminiscent of the incoherent monster she once was. She was trying to stay strong, mainly because the last thing she wanted was pity from Examon, of all Digimon, but she was having a hard time keeping her composure intact. “I’m nothing but a big, sick joke. I couldn’t be my own Digimon for the longest time and, now, I can’t even do half a decent job to keep my human buddy safe.” In her fit of fury- or perhaps desperation, Dorumon slammed her tail hard against the road, leaving a gash in the asphalt. “I’m done being fucked up and fucking up! I’m tired of not knowing what’s going on! Just tell me what I have to do to bring her back!”
Dorumon’s desperate attempt to stay strong might have worked to fool another member of the group, but she wouldn’t have any such luck with Siggy; though he only nodded and patted her on the shoulder again as her furious desperation took hold. “I don’t think you’ve ever been the joke you say you are, and I’m sure Zei would let you know as much herself.” Perhaps Dorumon was stuck in the darkness, too; unsure of who she was and how to escape Alphamon’s shadow.
And perhaps that was the key.
“Look, idiot.” The next word from the great dragon knight’s mouth was his own, and his yellow eyes blinked back over Siggy’s. “You think you’re a joke? I spent years doing nothing to stop the other Knights just because I felt helpless without Alphamon and Ulforce around. Then when she comes back, turns out she’s just as much of a joke as I am. You’ve been there for Zei ever since you met, and you’ve done just fine protecting her- you’ve never been a joke, and anyone here would tell you that. But right now, everything that’s happened to you is feeding into her, and everything that’s happened to her is feeding into you; one of you has to break the chain.”
While Dorumon struggled to understand what Examon was trying to tell her, she gradually grasped the essence of his words, though only with a good deal of effort. Those words could have been spoken by her other allies without changing the core message, but Examon had a special way to speak directly to her in a way that resonated strongly with the otherwise desperate Digimon. She became silent as she tried to accept the fact that, for all her weakness and shortcoming, the fact that Zei hadn’t died until this day proved that she had done a decent job.
“”Break the chain”?” she muttered, having somewhat calmed down after Examon’s talk. “You made it sound so easy… but if that’s what it takes to bring Zei back, maybe I should start trying.”
With that intent alone, Dorumon began to feel more light-headed. She stumbled slightly as she struggled to keep herself upright.
“I guess I’m just scared. Between this whole shitstorm and what happened back in the Digital World, I’m just not sure where I stand amongst all of you,” the dragon growled. Suddenly, her voice began to split as if there was another person talking at the same time. “I don’t know what to do or where to go.” In a split second, Dorumon’s voice disappeared entirely and another fully took her place, one belonging to none other than Zei herself. Dorugoramon’s eyes, previously a shade of bright gold, now took a dull, brown hue.
“It’s dark… I... can’t see...”
Once again, Examon’s eyes changed colour. But you wouldn’t need to see them to realize the change had taken place- the way in which the dragon pulled the smaller digimon before him into a tight hug at the sound of her voice was all the indication anyone who knew them would need to know who was in control now.
“Just follow my voice. I’m here for you,” Siggy reassured Zei, his usually-calm voice almost cracking with the emotion dwelling beneath it.
“... Siggy…?” Zei’s voice sounded disoriented and disjointed, a glimpse into her rather fragile mental state. “Where… to go? I can’t see you. I… don’t want… to go… Scared...”
“Don’t be scared, just let go.” The embrace grew tighter for a moment, out of both worry and relief; but not even a moment later, it grew softer. “You can do it, I believe in you.”
To Zei, it felt as if she was listening to a faint echo, but there was a deep warmth in it. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, or everything around her for that matter, but that kind voice roused the weakened and battered spirit within her. She couldn’t see where it came from and she couldn’t tell how far it was due to the darkness that seemed to cover her entire vision, but she needed- no, she wanted to reach that voice.
“Let go…” A soft murmur as Dorugoramon’s eyes began to regain their gleam. “Siggy…” After what seemed like the longest time, Dorugoramon’s body relaxed as one shaky claw held onto Examon’s arm in an ultimately futile attempt to steady herself, the dragon eventually crumpling in the larger Digimon’s arms.
Scared and scarred as she was, Zei was back.
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