Episode Five: The Call

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Their flight over the Net Ocean continues as Server gets nearer.

Taiyo: "Eve disappeared to..."

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Eve and Terriermon find themselves on top of a cliff overlooking a beach of grey sand and black water a dilapidated town nearby. Atop the cliff is a black obelisk, another one not too far out from their current position and another beyond that, a blanket of fog preventing them from seeing out further.

Behind them comes a voice Eve recognizes as her own, the thing it belong to vaugley resembles her (the Crest is absent) as well. Its skin is ghostly pale and except for wisps of black fire covering its left arm, chest and pelvic region it is entirely nude. Protruding from its left shoulder is a large wing with many red eyes and a large lone yellow one in the center as well as a tail all made from the same substance. Eve's D-Terminal vibrates.

???: "You are like the Child of Hope."

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Hitomi finds herself in the cave she had first met the dark rendition of herself, Nefertimon nowhere in sight.

Wake up.

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Azuma finds himself on an island like the one he had dreamt of being on so long ago. His D-Terminal vibrates as a creature similar to the one Eve sees (taking on his form and therefore lacking chest covering) emerges from the shadow of the obelisk.

???: "Feel free to look. I have no intention of harming you or Patamon."

Azuma: "Shademon. Darkness-elemental. No further information available."

*Roatha looks back.*

R"What the Hell?"

E"This is ridiculous, we have to do something, we can't just keep vanishing into thin air!"

*At some point, Sunflowmon has transferred to cradling Aroma in her arms.*

*Eve stumbles, looking very disoriented. She checks her D-Terminal. Terriermon clings to her shoulder*

Eve:<Who are you and what are you talking about?>
---
Kylie:<Not again...>

*Saberdramon roars in angry*

Taiyo: "They'll be back. They always come back."

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The D-Terminal says the same thing Azuma's said.

Eve!Shademon: "Much like the Child of Hope, you are an interloper. Although an outside force brought you here and you have no connection to the Child of Hope or Light, the Priest's wrath will be swift."

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Hitomi goes to the exit although upon stepping out the mouth of the cave she finds herself back where she started inside the cave. This happens two more times before she comes face to face with the dark rendition of herself.

Dark!Hitomi: "I've explained light. I've explained darkness. But do you know what insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. You come and you go, day in and day out to the point of exhaustion. That is why you dream every night."

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Azuma: "What is this place?"

Azuma!Shademon: "A prison beneath the world where the soulless dwell. A place where the damned call home. A place where the virtuous hide in fear. A place we see only in our nightmares. A place where the sun is silent."

Azuma: "A digital Hell."

Azuma!Shademon: "The Child of Light said something similar. But she was conversing with something else entirely."

Azuma: "Where is she?"

Azuma!Shademon: "She is on the mainland. As is the other interloper, the Child of Knowledge."

Azuma: "Eve's here? Interloper? What's going on here?"

*Eve crosses her arms*

<I'm sorry if I'm not special enough to be here.>
---
Cameron:<They better be.>

R"But what if they don't?"

Taiyo: "They always have before. This shouldn't be any different."

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Eve!Shademon: "Did you wish to come here? To come to this Hell?"

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Dark!Hitomi: "Every night you dream and the result is the same. You're nowhere near knowing why you dream the dreams you do and you're closer to your breaking point."

Hitomi: "He's here. He'll protect me."

Dark!Hitomi: "The Child of Hope whose only purpose is to protect the Light. He's nothing without you. And the same is true for you."

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Azuma!Shademon: "The Priest has called the Child of Light. You and the Child of Knowledge are interfering."

<I just wanted to find out what was going on!>

R"We don't even know what happens when they disappear. For all we know, they could be being eaten by a giant...thing."

The shores of Server come into view, Renamon sees something sitting on a rock which the others see as they get closer appears to be a lion in cargo pants.

Renamon: "It's Leomon."

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Eve!Shademon: "And it has brought you to the World of Darkness."

From the mist emerges a black creature whose only distinguishable feature is its yellow eyes. Shademon flicks its tail and cuts the creature in half which dissolves into black mist.

Eve!Shademon: "Your desire for knowledge has brought you to a place where you will only find suffering."

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Hitomi: "He wouldn't be here if he didn't have that Crest? He's only here because of me. I brought this upon him."

Dark!Hitomi: "Correct. His dilemma is a result of your own existance. Because of you, whomever possessed the Crest of Hope would be caught up in your predicament."

Hitomi: "Why? Why is the Crest of Hope bound to the Crest of Light?"

Dark!Hitomi: "Because God lacks the ability to prevent the suffering of others. But the Ocean's dark god will put an end to the Child of Hopes suffering. He and the Child of Knowledge are interfering with its plans. For that their suffering will be put to an end."

Hitomi: "Eve is here?"

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Azuma: "Where are they? How can I get to the mainland?"

Azuma produces his Digivice, but Patamon doesn't Digivolve. Runes on the obelisk light up and the words Signal Jammed scroll across the screen.

Azuma: "What is this? What's happening?"

Azuma!Shademon: "The Priest has erected these throughout its domain to oppress its enemies and disarm them of their only weapon. The Light of Evolution."

Lunamon:<I hope he's friendly.>

*Saberdramon prepares to land on the beach*
---
<I didn't know this would happen!>

E"Of course he isn't friendly, he's a lion."

R"Why is he wearing cargo pants?"

Taiyo: "Ogremon talked about Leomon often enough."

Renamon: "The Leomon species are reknown heroes of the Digital World."

As they land, Leomon stands up to greet them, less than excited having noticed the three missing.

Leomon: "Greeting, Chosen Children."

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Eve!Shademon: "Why do you desire knowledge if you'll only regret it later?"

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Dark!Hitomi: "The one you know as Eve has also been brought here."

The dark rendition moves closer to Hitomi, the smell of sea water overpowering her nostrils.

Dark!Hitomi: "But between you and me, her being here is by the design of an external force. Her heart is drenched in fear."

Hitomi backs away from the dark vision of herself and tries to leave the cave. She winds up back at the beginning except for the dark version of herself no longer being present. This continued until she stumbled.

Instinctively she put her hands out to brace herself, the rocks and sand of the cave floor scraping her hands.

For the first time since coming to this world she saw color. The color red. The color of blood, vitality and life. The color she hated.

Recieving the wound dispelled the illusion and she found herself outside the cave with Nefertimon, as if they had always been there.

Hitomi: "Eve is here too."

Nefertimon: "What? Why?"

Hitomi: "Something else brought her here."

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Azuma: "How do we defeat the 'Priest' if we can't evolve?"

Azuma!Shademon: "By a different means of evolution. What set the Magna of Miracles apart from the rest of the Knights?"

Azuma: "It was the youngest and...only Armor-level Digimon."

OOC: Renown.

*Euryale, Roatha, & Aroma maintain a healthy distance from the lion, Guilmon & Dorugamon out front, Lalamon in Aroma's arms.*

G<Hi!>

D<Hey.>

E"Yeah...hi."

R"Lovely weather we've been having, huh?"

*Aroma tries to stutter something that comes out incomprehensible, & then just hides behind Euryale.*

<It's in my nature to desire knowledge.>

*Terriermon pats Eve on the head*

Terriermon:<Don't worry, we're in this together.>
---
*Lunamon runs over to Leomon, followed by Kylie*

Lunamon:<HI!>

Leomon looks over the group, noting the missing three.

Leomon: "Sanzomon had said two members of your group were being targetted by the Priest. What of the Child of Knowledge?"

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Eve!Shademon: "Even when you resent others? What good is knowledge if you can't use it to help others?"

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The two traverse the woods, the yellow eyes of the things lurking in the woods following them, but making no indication of moving towards them.

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With a flick of Shademon's tail, a creature is destroyed evaporating in black mist.

Azuma: "What are those creatures?"

Azuma!Shademon: "Creatures? You rate those blasphemous things too highly. The know nothing except to crawl towards the black depths from which their god resides and to purge its domain of intruders. They do not think for themselves, they do not feel, they merely exist. If not for the Priest they wouldn't do what they do now."

Azuma: "Then what are they?"

Azuma!Shademon: "Unlike in the Material World, life does not come to a halt at death. A Digimon dies and it is judged. Those who are judged guilty are sent here to the World of Darkness. Life does not end there. It is a never ending cycle. Even in the World of Darkness, rebirth is possible. These things...these Failures of Infinity are the result of a Digimon that has failed to reformat in this world."

Azuma: "So that 'Failure of Infinity' will be reborn?"

Azuma!Shademon: "Life and death is a never ending cycle for Digimon. Those things are not Digimon. They are merely smoke and void."

Kylie:<She...disappeared with Hitomi and Azuma.>
---
<I don't resent others. Not really...I don't think.>

*Eve looks away from Shademon*

R"How the fuck should we know?"

*Euryale looks at him. Aroma looks at Taiyo like "He said a swear!"*

Leomon: "I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for them except hope they pull through."

Sometimes that's all anyone can do.

Leomon: "Now then, we must go. LadyDevimon surely knows you've arrived on the continent."

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Eve!Shademon: "What of the Children of Hope & Light? You've demomstrated a strong dislike of them believing them to be privileged to be apart of this."

A black light cuts through the fog as a distant lighthouse comes on.

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A clearing in the trees comes up, a dark obelisk having been erected in the forest at some point presumably after their battle with Grimmon.

Nefertimon: "What is this?"

Hitomi: "I don't know."

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Azuma!Shademon: "The Child of Light is on the move. Go to her and fulfill your purpose."

Shademon slays another Failure as more rise from the oceans black depths. Azuma produces his D-Terminal.

The light momentarily repels the things as Patamon takes on the form of an armored flying horse.

???: "Flying Hope, Pegasusmon!"

Azuma boards Pegasusmon and takes flight. He looks over his shoulder as Shademon sinks into the obelisks shadow while the Failures of Infinity overtake the island.

Lunamon:<Is she next on the butt-kicking list?>
---
<No, I disliked the fact that they didn't tell the rest of us what was going on.>

R"Of course you can't."

E"So, let's go to her castle--villains always have castles--& kick her ass."

Leomon: "LadyDevimon is the one who controls the Continent, yes. Experience has told us that she may be the least of our worries. She has allied herself with a powerful Digimon whose abilities have yet to be fully realized."

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Eve!Shademon: "Would you divulge your dilemma with those knowing there is nothing they can do to help you?"

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Hitomi and Nefertimon enter the delapidated town, passing a familiar sign, the language it is in still alien to her.

Upon closer look at the houses, she notes they resemble nothing like any normal house, the entire structure shaped in a manner that defies all geometric laws. One building stands out in particular. Its shape is as alien as the others except for one part which is very much a steeple bearing a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] unseen for quite awhile.

Nefertimon stops as they pass the church and approach a ring of statues.

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As the mist swallows up the island behind him a black light cuts through the mist ahead of him. The logical conclusion being they must be near land, but this world defied logic. The light could just as easily be in the middle of the ocean for all her knew.

*Eve crosses her arms*

<You know, I probably would so I wouldn't leave everyone else in the dark.>
---
Cameron:<So...what's the plan then? Take out LadyDevimon first, then her stronger allies?>

Leomon: "That would be easier said than done. Myself and others have already tried to engage her, but we could never breach the castles outer walls. LadyDevimon may be the least of your concerns."

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Eve!Shademon: "And now you are apart of the dark while the others are still ignorant to it. Informing anyone else of it would not change that."

Shademon looks out towards the ocean then the town.

Eve!Shademon: "The Children of Hope & Light draw near."

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Hitomi: "What's wrong?"

Despite both having stopped, they find themselves within the ring of statues, Nefertimon backing away from the rabbit, growling from beneath her mask.

Nefertimon: "I don't like this place. I don't like the feeling that statue is giving off."

Hitomi looks at the rabbit, not noticing anything about it other than being a creepy black statue of a giant rabbit.

Hitomi: "What feeling?"

Nefertimon: "Anger."

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The black waters end and the grey sand of the beach of the beach, Pegasusmon lands and Azuma dismounts, surveying the scene.

Azuma: "The obelisks even appear on the mainland."

Lunamon:<Well, we'll never no till we try!>
---
<I wish they would just stay away.>