A few hours had passed since the battle with Cybelemon had drawn to a close. Izumi and Junpei were walking along the river that had been revealed to lurk beneath the mountain. Bokomon and Neemon walked a few feet behind them. None of the four dared to speak a word. 

The rain had cleared up, but the area was still soaked. Junpei was inwardly thankful that the area next to the river wasn't grassy, instead being covered in rocks. He didn't think he could deal with mud on top of everything else the day had thrown at him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and focused on taking steps toward their destination.

The sun had started by slowly creeping its way over the horizon, and even though it was now shining brightly overhead, there was something about it that seemed ominous. Junpei watched as jagged shadows passed him by, and a sigh escaped his lips. 

He looked upwards to where Izumi was a few paces ahead of him. She hadn't spoken a word since the group set off hours prior. Junpei had pointed out that if they remained in the city, danger could find them again. What if Cybelemon returned? The risk was too great. Luckily, she seemed more than happy to start walking in the direction that Takuya, Tomoki, and Koji had been swept away. 

However, she was oddly silent. Junpei still didn't know the other members of his group all that well, but he was positive that it was strange to see Izumi so quiet. She was talented when it came to putting on a mask and seeming as if everything was fine despite her true feelings on the matter. Getting through to the real her that rested beneath that was a difficult task though, and Junpei wasn't sure how he was supposed to probe any deeper when she was so resistant to it. 

Izumi's first action in ages aside from simply walking was to swing her hair over one shoulder. She squeezed it out, letting a cascade of raindrops fall to the ground beneath her. The rocks below were splattered instantly with the liquid, and Junpei watched the spot where her hair dropped the water until he could no longer stare at it. 

Junpei let out another sigh and tore his eyes away from the ground and up to Izumi once again. "What's wrong?" he questioned. "You haven't said anything since we left the city."

"I'm starting to get a bit worried myself," Bokomon declared. When Junpei looked over his shoulder at the short Digimon, he saw that Bokomon was flicking through the pages of his book as he walked. Even if he was worried about Izumi as Junpei was, his first priority was to figure out more about Cybelemon, it seemed. 

"I'm just worried about them," Izumi finally answered. Junpei halfway expected her to continue, to explain herself further, but her lips remained firmly sealed. She tossed her blonde hair, which was still darkened by the rainwater, back over her shoulder. The action caused another splash of droplets which Junpei only narrowly missed being hit by thanks to being a few feet behind her. 

"We all are, but you're clearly hiding more than that. Why don't you talk to us about it?" Junpei questioned. He hadn't ever been the best when it came to coaxing emotional information out of people. Junpei in general wasn't amazing when it came to navigating the minefield that seemed to be human feelings, and this situation was only proving to him once again why he tended to avoid subjects of this nature. 

Izumi let out a sigh and stopped walking for a moment. When she did, Junpei could see that she was shaking lightly. He couldn't tell if it was because of the rain or her concern for the rest of the group, and in the end, he settled on it being both. After a few seconds, she shook her head and started walking forward once again. 

"It's nothing," Izumi told him firmly after a few more steps. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?" As if to assert that she was finished having the conversation, she sped up in her walking, causing the distance between herself and Junpei to only grow larger. 

Junpei frowned as she walked further away, and he stared down at the rocky ground beneath him. What was he supposed to do now? He could barely manage his own feelings, so what was he meant to do when he wanted to reach out to Izumi and make her feel better too? It wasn't as if he was in the best emotional state as it was. The previous battle had left him feeling worn-down and aggravated, and he didn't know he was supposed to put on a positive expression when he was already feeling like crap. 

Izumi's next words were so quiet that Junpei wasn't sure if he actually heard her say them or not. "I don't want to lose them," she whispered. He could have sworn that he saw another drop of water hit the rocks below, but he didn't think it had come from her soaking hair that time. 

Junpei bit his lip and pulled his D-Tector from his pocket. He was glad that the devices seemed to be waterproof, because if they weren't, they would be in serious trouble given how heavy the downpour after the previous fight had been. It had been raining all night, and the devices surely would have been ruined had they not come with a built-in defense against the water. 

The symbol of Thunder looked back at Junpei on the screen, and he frowned at it. In a way, it was somewhat ironic. He had been selected by some higher power to save the Digital World from Cherubimon's reign of terror, but he still didn't know how to handle talking to someone his age. 

It wasn't as if this was a new revelation to him. In fact, Junpei had been fully aware of it for quite some time. Back on Earth, he had been as lonely as it got, only ever finding solace when talking to people online. Nobody ever bothered to make friends with him for some reason or another, and while he tried to be as kind as possible to those who did speak to him, he still struggled. It was beyond frustrating when he didn't understand what he was doing wrong. 

Then there was Izumi. She seemed to be the complete opposite of him in that respect. She was a gymnastics star and one of the most popular girls around. Anyone would be lucky to be friends with her. The fact of the matter was that she and Junpei led completely different lives, and it was only because of the Digital World that their paths were crossing in the first place. 

Part of Junpei wished that Blitzmon would have the answers he needed, but he knew that wasn't going to be the case. The Spirit of Thunder was an extension of himself now, and Blitzmon had every shortcoming that Junpei did where personality was concerned. Even if the Spirit had saved him before, it wouldn't be able to fix everything, and it certainly couldn't patch this issue back together. With a frustrated frown, Junpei shoved his D-Tector back into his pocket and kept walking. Knowing what had to be done but not knowing how to do it was really starting to piss him off, and it hadn't even been a day yet. 

"I wish I could be more like you."

Junpei looked up when he heard Izumi's voice, and a frown formed on his features. "What are you talking about?" he asked. His eyes were wide as saucers. Nobody had ever said something like that to him before. If anything, he was used as a comparison at the other end of the spectrum. Others often looked at him and thought that at least they weren't as bad as he was. 

"You're so... Open," Izumi eventually replied. She started to slow down, allowing Junpei to fall into step beside her. "I don't know how you can be so free and confident with who you are. I mean, you've been so loyal to your true personality ever since we got here."

Junpei's mind was cast back to the various smiles Izumi had plastered on her face with that regal elegance she seemed to embody. It was clear that there was something falsified about those grins, but he hadn't been able to find the words to say anything on the matter. Now, it seemed he didn't have to. Izumi was bringing it up of her own volition. 

"I mean... I guess so," Junpei eventually said. He looked over to her, but when he realized that she wasn't in the mood for making eye contact, he pulled his gaze away to concentrate on the road ahead. 

"It's amazing. It's like you don't care in the slightest what others have to say about you, and... I think that's pretty cool," Izumi went on. "Seriously. I mean, just look at yourself. You've been nothing but nice, and given the circumstances, I would say that's pretty impressive."

Junpei hesitated at her words. He wasn't sure what he was meant to say in response. A million thoughts were swirling rapidly in his head, but he couldn't figure out how to voice his thoughts, leaving him able to only choke out a select phrase. "Thanks," he finally managed to tell her after what felt like a decade-long pause. 

"You're analytical and kind. You're giving it your all to talk to us even though, in all technicality, we're complete strangers to each other. It's refreshing to see someone care so much about reaching out to others rather than sticking to cliques," Izumi explained. 

Junpei bit back a comment about how he was being open since he didn't have a clique. In this world, nobody knew him the way they did back home. He was only acquainted with the name of Izumi from rumors around school rather than her personality, and if he was able to walk around free of gossip or other burdens, he was going to take advantage of it and try to make friends. It was the perfect natural step for him to make. 

"Honestly, I didn't expect you to say something like that," Junpei admitted. "I mean, look at you. You're talking about how cool I am, but you're incredible. You're the star of the school's gymnastics team. I've heard rumors going around about how you would be able to make a career out of it, and that's certainly something impressive. With how much people talk about you, there's no doubt in my mind that you're one of the most popular people I've ever come into contact with."

"It's all fake," Izumi said quickly when he was done speaking. She stopped walking for a moment, and Junpei followed suit. Behind them, Neemon slowed down, but Bokomon was too focused on his book to observe that the rest of the group had come to a halt, causing him to barrel into Izumi's calves. She gasped and looked back at him. Bokomon shot her an apologetic glance before shoving his face back into the tome as Izumi kept walking. Neemon had to drag him along in order to make sure he caught up. 

"Fake?" Junpei echoed once he was able to remove his gaze from the two small Digimon behind him. "What are you talking about?" The image of her perfectly-crafted smiles came to mind, and he realized that she was about to talk about how she had come to be such an amazing performer. 

"People like the idea of me, but they don't ever want to get to know me," Izumi explained. When Junpei frowned in confusion, she continued. "Think about it this way. Everyone knows of Izumi Orimoto, the gymnastics star who will go on to change the world, but when it comes down to just me... Izumi Orimoto, ordinary girl... They've got nothing to say. It's like I'm a faceless, emotionless figure who they only want to use for their own gains."

Junpei opened his mouth, trying to figure out something to say in response, but he wound up realizing halfway through that there really was no way to reply to that. He clamped his lips shut once again before nodding to show that he had heard her, prompting her to continue. 

"The concept of being friends with someone so successful is amazing to them. They feel like being friends with me is a fast track to popularity, but that's not the case at all. When people realize that I'm not the perfect idol that they've come to look up to, they wind up retreating out of disgust. They realize that I'm not flawless, and they stop trying to reach out. They want to be around me for the sake of boosting their own egos, not because they have an actual interest in who I am as a person," Izumi continued. 

Junpei nodded, starting to understand what she was talking about. "Yeah... That's awful," he murmured. "I'm sorry about that." He was able to fully see what she meant, but that still didn't equate to him knowing how to talk about it. Besides, he didn't want to interrupt when she clearly still had more to say. 

"That's why it's been so refreshing coming here," Izumi admitted, a smile appearing on her face. For once, it was genuine, and Junpei thought he saw the sun itself shining in her emerald eyes. "Nobody has those expectations of me. Even if they've heard about me, they haven't tried to become my friend, so they can't be let down. It's amazing... And it's why I've already become so attached to you all. You're the first people to actually treat me as a person rather than a trophy."

Junpei felt a smile creep across his face. "I'm glad I was able to help you out then," he told her. "It's been oddly refreshing for me too. I mean, so many people back home already have it in their heads that I'm not someone to be associated with... It's nice to be around others who just don't know me that way," he told her. 

"Even if we don't know each other that well yet, I think that we're all good for each other. Even Koji," Izumi told him, adding on the last two words belatedly as an awkward dimension was added to her grin. She reached up to brush some of her blonde hair away from her face before letting her fingers wrap around Junpei's in a small display of solidarity. "Thanks for talking to me, Junpei."

If there was any tension left in his body, it melted away right away. "No problem," he said breathlessly. For one of the first times in his life, it didn't feel like companionship was a faraway prize that he would never come to know. It had only been a few days, but Junpei already knew that he was going to like getting to know the rest of the Legendary Warriors. 

"Maybe all of that is why I was so much of a mess when the mountain fell apart," Izumi went on. Her tone was hushed all of a sudden, and the smile on her face began to melt away. "I mean, for once, I thought maybe I had found a group of people who cared about me for who I was rather than who I could be to them. Seeing all of that fall away so suddenly... It scared me."

Junpei's thoughts went back to her breakdown from the night before, and he had to admit that the description sounded rather accurate. The shift in Izumi's personality had been nearly instantaneous, and its aftermath was felt up until the conversation the two were having had started. His stomach twisted inside him, and he felt awful thinking back on it. Izumi was already showing herself to be too great to deserve dealing with something like that. 

"Yeah, I get that," Junpei murmured. "I guess the reason I was able to hold myself together is because I'm used to people getting close and then leaving. Before coming here, I didn't know what companionship was like either. No matter what happened, I always managed to find a way to mess it up in somebody's eyes."

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you're doing a pretty good job so far," Izumi told him, another smile appearing on her face. There was an undertone of sadness this time around, but Junpei still appreciated the sight. 

Pink blossomed in his cheeks, and Junpei looked down, trying to hide his embarrassment. He knew it wouldn't do much of anything to help given that Izumi was close enough to see it plain as day, but he still made the attempt. "Thanks," he murmured. "You too."

"We're going to find the others and make sure that none of us are alone again," Izumi declared. Determination glinted in her gaze, and she clasped her free hand into a tight fist as she looked to Junpei with a smile. "That's a promise."

Her words brought a smile to Junpei's face, and he looked back up to her. His face was still slightly red, but he didn't bother hiding it any further. "You're right," he agreed. For once, his pessimistic attitude didn't get in the way of his hope for the events to come. Perhaps Izumi was already having a positive influence on him. 

As the two continued to walk, they fell silent, but Junpei could feel his heart swelling in his chest. The running of the nearby river filled his ears, but a smile remained plastered on his face. His mind couldn't help but fixate on Izumi's fingers within his grasp, and the same thought repeated over and over in his brain like a broken record. Even so, it was a melody that he would gladly listen to again every moment for the rest of his life. 

I finally have a friend. 

~~~~~

Far from the rocky riverside where Izumi and Junpei found themselves, a castle stood tall and proud. It looked as if it was made of pure glass, and the sunlight that reflected off its surface made it appear almost ethereal. From an outsider's perspective, it seemed that such a home was only fit for a god. 

And yet, there was no god inside. In fact, there was barely any life to be found. Dust was starting to gather along many of the surfaces with the castle, countless hallways left unexplored for far too long. It seemed as if nobody had stepped within its walls for at least a few months. 

However, there were a few exceptions to this rule, and the first waited within the library. A short boy was curled up on a bench within the large room, a book of purple within his hands. He was flicking through the pages absentmindedly, his dull green eyes scanning the words that stretched out before him. His muted brown hair covered his forehead in a sweeping motion that threatened to swallow his emerald irises if it hung too low. It appeared that he wasn't paying a lick of attention to the world around him. 

The boy wore a green jacket over a purple shirt, both of which seemed able to swallow his small, lanky frame completely. He wore jeans that fit much better and dark shoes that seemed as if they had never seen the outside ground. A silver bracelet dangled from his right wrist, and it contained markings of a planet and a lightning bolt on its charm. A silver and black necklace hung from his neck as well. 

None of these facts even came close to explaining the most interesting tidbit about the boy though. On the table beside him was a device of a golden color with a green grip. A few buttons dotted its surface, showing the human boy for what he truly was. 

It was a D-Tector, and he was a Legendary Warrior. 

"Hey there, Haroi! I come with lunch!"

Haroi Tsurumaki rose up to his full height, brushing a few loose strands of hair away from his eyes. He closed the book once he had made note of the page that he was on and set it on the table beside his D-Tector. He watched the door, waiting for the owner of the cheery, singing voice to come into his line of sight. 

A few seconds later, a girl rounded the corner, a smile on her face. She was a bit taller than Haroi, and she most certainly had more energy than him. Her hair was a similar muted brown color, though hers was slightly brighter than his. Her tresses were straight and regularly reached the bottom of her shoulder blades, but since she had her hair tied into a ponytail atop her head, it appeared shorter than it truly was. Her green eyes were filled with hope and glimmered with excitement as she entered the library with a tray in hand. Countless food items, all of which seemed to be fancier than the last, littered the silvery tray. 

Mayumi Reiku walked closer to Haroi and set down the tray on the bench that he was sitting on before taking a seat on the other side of the food. She wore a blue tank top that was cut short to show off her midriff under a loose purple shirt that was cut even shorter. Mayumi's shorts were a dark blue color, and she had black wristlets sitting on top of the skin on her lower arms. Black boots reached her knees, and golden laces wove in and out of the front before coming together in dramatic bows at the top. She had a silver necklace to match Haroi's bracelet of a planet and lightning bolt, and it shone in the gentle light of the castle's library. A white sweater was tied around her waist loosely. 

Most importantly, there was a device strapped onto the waistband of her shorts. It was a D-Tector with a silver body and purple grips. Just like Haroi, she was a Legendary Warrior. 

"Thanks," Haroi told her with a grateful smile. He reached out and picked up a biscuit before taking a bite out of the side. Just like the rest of the food he had indulged in since their arrival in the palace, it was delicious. 

Mayumi grabbed an apple and took a mighty bite out of it before leaning forward, pressing her elbow against her knee. Her leg started to bounce rapidly, though she didn't acknowledge it in the slightest. "You know, it's been a lot more fun staying here than I thought," she commented with a smile of her own. 

It had been a few days since Mayumi and Haroi first arrived in the Digital World. After catching a Trailmon beneath the train station of Shibuya, they wound up near the palace they were in now. It hadn't taken them long to make the journey that closed the distance between the Trailmon terminal and the castle itself, and when they arrived, it had been abandoned, leaving them the only occupants of the prism palace. 

Further research since their arrival had told them that the castle was called Abraxas. It seemed to be fit only for the highest-ranking and most powerful of people, and yet, there was no one there. Still, who were they to pass up on free lodging and all the food they could need? It was for the best if they remained within the walls of Abraxas until they had a plan of what would be best for them to do next, so they wandered the halls of the castle each day while they waited for a clear path to open up before them. 

Haroi took another bite of the biscuit he had grabbed before. "I agree," he admitted. "It's so strange, being here... But at least we're gathering all the information we could possibly want before we head out to see what the rest of this world has waiting for us."

"Yeah. We're safer in here than anywhere else," Mayumi agreed, looking to him with a smile before chomping another segment off her apple. "And it's not like we've had any reason to run away from this place. Look around! It's perfect! There's more than enough room for me to explore, and you can read everything you could possibly want to know from that book you found."

Haroi cast a brief glance over to where the book was sitting on the table beside him, and a sigh left his lips. Ever since he and Mayumi had arrived in this strange new world, he had been trying to learn more about it. That book had stuck out to him in particular, as it was the only one left sitting on the table when he and Mayumi stumbled upon Abraxas days before. After opening it and starting to conduct some research, Haroi found it to be rather useful and interesting. 

Plus, it had been able to provide Haroi with the truth regarding the strange devices that he and Mayumi had. The D-Tectors were still a mystery to them both, but the book was able to fill in at least a few of the gaps in their knowledge. It was a start, and he was happy to accept it for the time being. 

"You're planning on trying to find out more from it, aren't you?" Mayumi questioned with a small smile. She knew Haroi rather well after years of their friendship, and she was positive that his curiosity was going to get the best of him before they left Abraxas. 

Haroi smiled to Mayumi before nodding. "Yes... I am. And if we ever have to leave Abraxas behind, then I'm going to bring it with us. After all, it has more than enough information for us about these 'Legendary Warrior' figures, and I believe we'll find that to be important when we explore the rest of this world," he confirmed. 

Mayumi shrugged and leaned back against the bench, tucking her free hand behind her head. "Yeah, that's true. However, who's to say that we have to leave anytime soon? We don't know what's waiting for us, and while I'm always up for a bit of exploring, I'm not stupid," she pointed out. "We'll just have to see what comes next, I suppose. I mean, that might as well be our motto at this point."

"What do you do when you wind up in a strange new world?" Haroi questioned, grinning as he repeated the familiar phrase he and Mayumi had been parroting to each other ever since they arrived in the Digital World. 

"You take things one step at a time and try not to die!" Mayumi exclaimed with a jubilant laugh before taking yet another bite of her apple. To an outside viewer, the final segment of the phrase seemed out of place, but for Mayumi and Haroi, it was more than accurate. 

Haroi giggled to himself at Mayumi's happiness before focusing on taking a few more bites out of his biscuit. When it disappeared, he reached for a bottle containing water that rested on the tray, and he took a quick drink of it, careful not to spill anything. After all, he would hate to ruin the pristine appearance of Abraxas with his clumsiness. 

Mayumi, on the other hand, was not tethered by such cares. She took a huge swig of her own bottle before rubbing at her mouth with the back of her arm and setting the container back down. The difference between the two from that action alone seemed clear as day, and it was enough to make many question how they had even come to be friends in the first place. However, that was something neither of them had ever come to question. Differences meant little to them, and the same rang true when they were left in a palace made of glass within an alternate universe. 

Haroi reached for the book once he was sure that he was finished eating. He didn't want to leave the book littered with crumbs for its owner to find later, after all. He slowly opened the tome and began to flick through until he found the page that he had been on before Mayumi barged in with lunch. 

It took a moment for Haroi to find his place once again, but once he did, he seemed to block out all distractions in favor of concentrating on the page before him. His attention was drawn to the ornate text at the top of the page, and he couldn't help but mutter it to himself. "'Warriors of Energy and Cosmos'..." he said softly. 

Mayumi lifted the tray off the bench and moved it to the table that stood unused on the other side of the bench. After the space at the center of the bench was freed, she slid sideways across it, closing the distance between herself and Haroi. She peered her head over his shoulder, trying to have a peek at the small text printed out on the pages. 

In response to Mayumi's curiosity, Haroi adjusted his grip on the book to give her a better view. The two looked to each other afterwards, and Mayumi grinned before letting her gaze drop back to the book. Haroi smiled to himself and followed suit, allowing his eyes to scan the page and all the information it contained. 

It was hard to say how long they sat like that, but time mattered little to either of them as they focused on the book. The glass castle of Abraxas fell silent as its only occupants concentrated on the tome, curious to learn about the legends contained within its pages. Legends of Energy and Cosmos unfolded before them, and they took it all in without objection, excitement flourishing within them as ancient tales played out within their silent minds... 

~~~~~

The rocky ground beneath the group had transitioned into grass, and Junpei thanked his lucky stars that the rainwater had dried up by now. He didn't need to add mud to the list of his enemies when he was already dealing with so much that day. Thanks to his conversation from earlier with Izumi, he was feeling much better than before though, so he could count that among his admittedly short list of victories. 

They had separated since their moments of holding one another's hands, but Junpei swore that he could still feel the imprint of her fingers in his palm when he looked at his skin for long enough. It wasn't as if he was thinking romantically of Izumi so soon after they had met. Instead, he was merely in shock that someone had willingly come into his life with the intention of being friends. So much time had passed since the last time such an attempt was made, and it was still strange to think of despite the reality of the situation staring him directly in the face. 

Despite his giddiness, Junpei was starting to grow tired. At Izumi's insistence the night before, the group had pressed on without stopping to sleep or eat after the fight with Cybelemon. Adrenaline had been fueling him for a while, but his feet were starting to feel heavy, and he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to press on. 

If what everyone suspected was true, being partially a Digimon was having an effect on the group already. Junpei had taken much longer than expected to tire, and he had the feeling that was thanks to Blitzmon's passive influence on his body and mind. Still, they had been walking for hours, and while he was sure that they were getting closer to where the other three were located, Junpei was starting to lose his drive. 

The quartet had been silent for quite some time, but the veil of quiet was broken by a sudden sharp gasp from Bokomon. Junpei stopped walking and immediately whirled around to see what had caused the small Digimon to make such a strangled sound. Part of him expected to see the terrifying silhouette of Cybelemon standing over Bokomon, and his heart skipped a beat. 

However, when he did turn, Junpei was shocked to see that there was nothing there. Bokomon was just as engrossed in reading his book as he had been when the group first set off from the mountain where the KaratsukiNumemon resided. Even so, there was something different about him now, as if he had realized something he had never seen before. 

"What did you see?" Neemon asked, seemingly just as confused as the rest of the group. Still, he hid it behind a passive expression, and Junpei wondered sarcastically if Neemon knew how to show his emotions outwardly or not. 

"I think I might have found an explanation for Cybelemon!" Bokomon cried out. He turned around the book to show Junpei, Izumi, and Neemon the page that he had just flicked to. There was a heading at the top of the page that read two simple words in ornate text. 

"'Beast Spirits'..." Izumi read softly, her eyes wide. "You think that there are other Spirits?" She took a small step towards Bokomon, seeming halfway tempted to scoop the book out of his arms and start to flick through it for herself. 

Bokomon nodded. "It wouldn't be too farfetched. Think about it. The Legendary Warriors were said to be the dividing line between Human and Beast Digimon. All of the Spirits that we've seen so far aside from Cybelemon have been rather human-like, I must say... Perhaps we've seen Human Spirits, and Cybelemon was our first taste of a Beast Spirit in action," he suggested. 

"That would make sense..." Izumi murmured. "But that means we're going to have to go and search for Spirits all over again. If we weren't even able to defeat Cybelemon, then we're not going to be able to face Cherubimon as we are right now. We're going to have to find a way to gather more power and perhaps find these Beast Spirits before we charge his palace."

"I'm hoping that we won't have to," Neemon piped in. "Maybe Seraphimon will be able to take care of everything for himself. He's a very powerful Digimon, you know. It wouldn't be too shocking to see him defeat Cherubimon himself."

Junpei sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. "If he was really so strong, then he wouldn't have sent you two away from Evergreen Dawn as soon as Cherubimon showed up... And if Seraphimon could do something, then he would have done it by now. It makes no sense to call for us if he was just going to turn around and take care of everything on his own anyways," he pointed out. 

Once again, the group fell silent. Even if Junpei's words were accurate, it was hard to admit that Seraphimon may have fallen. After all, if one of the most powerful creatures in the Digital World had fallen to Cherubimon's tyranny, who was to say that they could find victory at all? 

Bokomon shook his head. "I suppose we'll just have to figure everything out when we arrive at Evergreen Dawn. Speaking of, we should keep walking. We aren't making any progress just standing around here," he pointed out. 

Junpei resisted the urge to point out that Bokomon had been the one to stop them in the first place before turning around and continuing to walk. He was reminded once again of how heavy his feet felt, and taking each step made him want to sit down in the grass and just go to sleep. Blitzmon's energy could only take him so far, and it appeared the reservoir of power the Warrior of Thunder possessed was starting to run thin. 

Junpei figured that the group had only been walking for a few minutes when he heard Izumi make an odd noise off to his left. He turned to see what was going on, though he didn't stop walking. She held her hand up to her mouth, as if pondering something, before focusing her gaze back on the road ahead. "Did you hear that?" Izumi questioned of the other three. 

"Hear what?" Neemon asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. "I didn't hear anything aside from you talking and the river." The Digimon raised his hand to point at the nearby source of water as if that would explain what was bothering Izumi. 

The blonde girl shook her head. "No, that's not it... I thought I heard someone yelling," she told them. "I mean, it seemed pretty distant, but... It seemed as if someone was in the middle of a fight."

Junpei frowned and tried to listen for himself. He didn't hear anything after roughly thirty seconds of concentration, but judging by the way Izumi's eyes were going wide, she was most certainly recognizing more distant noises. Neither Bokomon nor Neemon seemed to pick up on what she seemed to be hearing. 

"It sounds like a battle," Izumi reaffirmed, determination crossing over her eyes. She reached for her D-Tector at her hip and pulled it away from her waistband. Her finger levitated over the activation button at the center of the device. "I have to go and check it out."

It only took a few seconds for Izumi to be cloaked in data after she scanned a ring of Fractal Code along the top of her D-Tector. When the light faded, Kazemon looked to Junpei with a frown. "Well? Are you coming with me?" she asked as she walked over to Bokomon and Neemon. She scooped Bokomon up into her arms, prompting the white creature to tuck his book away into his waistband. 

Junpei hesitated for a moment. He didn't hear whatever Izumi was talking about, but he trusted her judgement. After all, why would she lie to him? He nodded to himself before pulling out his D-Tector from his pocket and pressing the activation button for himself. Data exploded forth from the device, and when it faded, Blitzmon was standing in his place. 

Blitzmon approached Neemon and picked him up off the ground. He looked to Kazemon briefly before the two kicked off the ground and started flying, immediately making much more progress than they ever had walking. Still, he didn't comment on why they hadn't transformed before then. It took ages for them to feel motivated again after the fight with Cybelemon, and even as they flew through the air, Blitzmon felt exhausted. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to keep this up, but he wasn't going to be left behind if Kazemon was really determined that she had heard something in the distance. 

The quartet mostly flew in silence, and the wind whipped in Blitzmon's ears, though he paid it no mind. He concentrated only on the space in front of him. If his head wasn't made of armor, he would have frowned. 

Kazemon suddenly let out a gasp and started flying faster. Her purple hair beat at the air behind her, and Blitzmon watched it from afar, almost as if the lavender tresses were hypnotic. After a few seconds, he tore his gaze away and started to concentrate once again on the task at hand. He still had to figure out what Kazemon had heard. 

Suddenly, the fairy came to a halt, and he followed suit. There was most certainly a fight taking place nearby. His eyes went wide. Agunimon, Lobomon, and Kumamon were locked in a fierce fight alongside a horse Digimon against a woman with flower petals cascading off her hair. 

Blitzmon wondered how the hell Izumi had been able to hear the fight from so far as he watched the battle unfold blankly. They had been rather far away, and yet, she was able to pick up on it without any issues. Unless she had hearing so strong it couldn't be considered human--

Couldn't be considered human.

Perhaps this was another side effect of her transforming into a Digimon. After all, hearing things had to fall into the category of her element of wind. It wouldn't be ridiculous in the slightest to believe that she had gained incredible hearing skills when Kazemon merged with her for the first time back in Breezy Village. 

"Fioremon," Bokomon declared, snapping Blitzmon out of his trance. He looked over to where the smaller white Digimon was resting in Kazemon's grasp. "She's the Legendary Warrior of Wood. If I had to guess, I would say that she's a human just like you all are, so perhaps you'll fare better against her than Cybelemon."

Kazemon nodded and set Bokomon down on the ground. Blitzmon mirrored her actions with Neemon before following her off into the battle. He wasn't sure how this was going to end, but he was going to do his best to sway things in favor of his team. 

Fioremon dodged another blast from Lobomon effortlessly, spinning in a delicate motion. Her hair whirled around her before finally settling to a stop. Petals dropped behind her when she finished moving. She didn't say anything mocking, but the quiet pride and smugness could be sensed from even a large distance away. 

Agunimon growled under his breath and fired a barrage of fiery darts in her direction. Once again, Fioremon didn't have any issues with jumping away, sending the flames to spiral off into the horizon before burning out ineffectively. Agunimon's hands clenched into angry fists. "She's just too damn fast for us!" he muttered angrily under his breath. "How are we supposed to hit someone who's that agile?"

Kazemon, on the other hand, didn't have any issues with landing a blow on Fioremon. With a quick motion, she launched herself through the air at the Warrior of Wood, her right leg outstretched. Kazemon's boot made rough contact with Fioremon's stomach, sending a gasp of shock from Fioremon's lips as she crumpled to the ground in a heap upon the grass. 

"Look!" Kumamon cried out, pointing at the new arrivals with a smile. "I don't know how they found us, but we've got backup!"

"What's going on here?" Blitzmon questioned, pounding his fists together. Electricity danced along the surface of his dark armor, and he shot a glance over to where Agunimon and Lobomon were standing nearby. 

"We can explain later. For now, just help us get rid of her," Lobomon told him. He grabbed his sword and charged at Fioremon, jumping into the air with hopes of striking her from above. 

Fioremon let out a gasp and rolled out of the way, though she only barely managed to escape the sharp white light that emanated from the handle of the blade. She was close enough to feel the shockwave, and she cringed as she tried to get to her feet. It was clear as day that she had been caught by surprise, and if one looked close enough, it was obvious that she was shaking. 

Blitzmon took advantage of her nerves and charged through the air, letting lightning crackle along his hand. With a powerful punch, he created a shockwave riddled with electricity. He didn't hit Fioremon directly, but he didn't exactly need to. She stumbled backwards and only managed to correct herself after her defenses were left wide open. 

Kumamon followed up on the momentum from Blitzmon's attack by propping up his cannon atop his shoulder and starting to fire snowballs. The various spheres struck her all over, leaving smears of white ice along her once-pristine dress. Once again, the force sent her backwards, and she threatened to fall over under the consistent attacks. 

Fioremon managed to right herself before she could fully collapse, and she threw her arms up in front of herself. The grass below began to grow rapidly, creating thrashing tendrils that forged a powerful shield in between the Warrior of Wood and the rest of the group. It was thick enough to block any potential attacks from the front, and it was wide enough to merit a lot of running in order to have another shot at her. 

Luckily, such a problem was not an issue in the slightest for Pegasusmon, who simply glided over the shield with a delicate type of grace. He continued flying behind the shield, unnoticed by Fioremon as his helmet began to glow with bright yellow light. A beam of stars shot out of his forehead, flying through the air towards Fioremon's back. The Warrior of Wood didn't notice that the attack was coming until too late, and it hit her in between the shoulder blades. She slammed into the shield of grass she had created, knocking the breath from her lungs before she slumped down into the greenery below. 

Fioremon quickly dismantled the shield and was quick to recover, pushing herself into an upright position before using the grass below to spring herself high into the air. She jumped over Agunimon, Lobomon, and Kumamon, forging an arrow along her bow in the process. Just when she landed, she sent the attack flying in Kumamon's direction. 

The ice bear threw up an arm haphazardly at the last second to defend himself, creating a shield of ice to block out the attack. However, due to how hastily he had acted, the ice was far from stable, and Kumamon's eyes went wide as the arrow's head nearly completely pierced the shield, leaving a solid dent in the crystal. Kumamon shook it off to the best of his ability and threw the shield aside where the arrow disappeared. 

Lobomon was sprinting towards Fioremon next, swinging his sword of light broadly through the air to catch her off-guard. Fioremon dodged his first strike, but she realized too late that it was a feint. She was hit in the chest by the hilt of the blade in a powerful blow, causing her to stumble backwards. She breathed heavily, longing to recover the momentum that she had lost from the hit. 

Blitzmon didn't give her that luxury though. He flew straight towards her, arms outstretched as electricity sparked across his armor. He punched at the air beside her before following up with a kick, forcing the Warrior of Wood backwards. She sprawled for a moment before hitting the grass with a rough, breathless groan. 

Unfortunately, this was far from being the end of Fioremon's struggles. Before she could prepare a counterattack, Kazemon came flying through the air at her. Kazemon's leg was extended, and she dealt a mighty kick to Fioremon's side, and the Warrior of Wood yelped. Kazemon followed up the attack with a small flurry of thin twisters that tore at the air nearby, snatching any words from Fioremon's lips before she had the chance to speak them. 

Fioremon allowed herself to be thrown about for a moment before landing on the grass once again. Upon closer examination, it could be seen that the hand that held her bow was trembling gently. She prepared yet another arrow and fired it at the ground, seemingly not aiming for any of the other Warriors. 

Immediately after the arrow hit, it began to expand. Vines started to climb skywards, and Agunimon let out a gasp as he and Kumamon were suddenly trapped within a cage made of greenery. Agunimon slammed his elbow into the side of the prison, though it was clear that his attempts to escape were doing little to aid the situation. 

Luckily for him, Pegasusmon was there to bail the pair out of the trying situation. He flapped his wings as another barrage of stars fell upon the battlefield from above. The vines were surrounded by yellow light, and it was clear that their hold was not going to be keeping for long. A few seconds later, the vines cracked open, and a hole just large enough for Agunimon to squeeze through was formed. The stars had provided enough of a distraction to Fioremon to allow things to start falling apart, it seemed. 

After ushering Kumamon through the gap, Agunimon jumped through the hole, and once he was through, he started throwing punches at the air in front of himself. Flames crackled along his knuckles, sending constant barrages of fire in Fioremon's direction. 

The Warrior of Wood jumped nimbly to the side after the first two, but the third clipped her in the shoulder. She retreated with a cry of pain, sending her free hand to her upper arm to nurse the wound. When she pulled her fingers away, the wound was still present and glaringly obvious, making her whimper in surprise before looking up to the group. 

"What are you doing here?" came the voice of Lobomon from nearby. His tone was harsh, and he looked ready to jump on Fioremon the second she tried anything. 

Fioremon didn't offer an answer. Instead, she slid her foot along the ground in front of herself in a half circle, creating a line in the grass. Immediately after she was finished, plants spawned seemingly from nowhere and started crawling towards the group. Lobomon, who had been the closest, was grabbed around the center nearly right after, and he found that the vines were placed too awkwardly for him to be able to wriggle his way out. Despite his attempts to free himself by slashing his sword, he could never reach the proper angle. 

However, he wasn't trying to deal with things alone. Kazemon dove at the plants, practically tackling them with a powerful punch that echoed throughout the area. The vine released its hold on Lobomon, and he was allowed to fall back to solid ground in a crouching position. He briefly looked up to Kazemon, as if thinking to thank her for what she had done, but she didn't seem to notice it, and if she did, she chose not to acknowledge it. 

Instead, Kazemon raised her hands, creating ten small twisters atop her fingers. When she flicked her arms downwards, the set of tornadoes moved towards Fioremon, ripping her bow from her hands and sending it flying. As the weapon clattered to the ground helplessly, Kumamon smirked to himself. The ice bear dove after it and picked up the bow, holding it near his face tauntingly. 

Fioremon threw up her arms to create a shield that blocked the final few tornadoes, preventing her from fully losing her balance. Afterwards, she let the wall drop, and a sigh escaped her lips. Even if her eyes were hidden, it was clear to see that hopelessness was starting to seep into her features. 

"You should answer our questions," Blitzmon suggested, flying slowly towards Fioremon. He stopped a few feet away, giving her space to speak before he launched another attack. "What are you doing here?"

Fioremon glanced around at the group before sighing and holding up her delicately gloved hands in mock surrender. "Cherubimon sent me," she replied airily. "But I can't stay long enough to talk any further." She held out her right hand, fingers outstretched in a rather odd display. She had seemingly been thinking of surrender a few short moments ago, but all ideas of such seemed to have been tossed out the window. 

The bow started to shake from its place in Kumamon's hands, and a few seconds later, the thorns that stuck out from it grew sharper and larger. Kumamon's ungloved palm received the jabs of the thorns, causing him to cry out in pain. He dropped the bow into the grass once again, shaking his hand rapidly through the air in an attempt to dispel the ache that had suddenly appeared. 

The bow hit the grass, but it only stayed there for a moment or so. Afterwards, it started flying towards Fioremon's open hand, resting gently in between her fingers as she cradled it to her chest. She was paler than she had been when the fight started, showing that she had been rattled by the events of the past few minutes. "I'm sure that we'll meet again," she announced. She let out a small sigh, and something about it felt oddly final. After the sound had fully made its way from her lips, purple energy appeared seemingly from nowhere. It swallowed her, and in a shower of gentle light, she disappeared. 

The field was deadly quiet in the moments that followed. The air was thick with tension, and the only sounds that could be heard were the wind and the gentle swaying of the grass below. Neither were enough to calm the nerves of the eight figures standing or flying in the area. 

The longer the spell of silence dragged on, the clearer it became that Fioremon wasn't going to be coming back. The first person to transform back was Kazemon, who gracefully flew to the ground before being bathed in the familiar light of Fractal Code. After she was back to normal, Izumi fell to her knees, a sigh leaving her lips as she held one hand to her chest. Her eyes were sunken, and she looked exhausted, indicating that perhaps her hasty Spirit Evolution had not been the best idea after all. 

Blitzmon flew down to the space beside her before reverting back to Junpei. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders as Bokomon and Neemon ran to their sides. Neither he nor Izumi spoke, but the sentiment of camaraderie was clearly felt between the two of them. 

Agunimon, Kumamon, and Lobomon were all bathed in showers of light soon afterwards. A few seconds passed, and the three Legendary Warriors were replaced by Takuya, Tomoki, and Koji respectively. The trio of boys walked over to where the rest of their companions were waiting as Pegasusmon gently flew himself down to the ground before landing cautiously a few feet away. The horse let out a huff of frustration and finality. 

"That was... Frustrating," Takuya declared, rubbing at the base of his neck with a cringe. "I certainly didn't expect to be ambushed by another one of Cherubimon's minions so soon after that last fight..."

"Fioremon, the Legendary Warrior of Wood..." Bokomon mused, still looking at the book even after approaching Izumi and Junpei. "If what she said is to be believed, she's working for Cherubimon just as Aeoelmon seemed to be. Perhaps we're going to find ourselves in deeper trouble than we expected before..."

"We can figure out more later," Junpei cut in, his voice seeming to overflow with protectiveness. He helped Izumi to her feet as the girl let out a sigh, adrenaline clearly running off. Junpei himself seemed to be trying not to collapse into the grass, using his attempts to help Izumi as a way of grounding himself. 

"Thank you for your help," Pegasusmon told the group, trotting closer carefully. "You must be other companions of these three brave fighters... If you require a place to rest, I would be happy to provide my humble home."

"That would be lovely," Izumi told him, her words slurring together slightly. She gave Pegasusmon a friendly yet weary smile before turning to the other members of the group. "Are you all okay? I hope she didn't hurt you too much before we arrived to help you out of that sticky situation..."

Tomoki shook his head, looking down at the palm of his hand. The traces left behind by Fioremon's bow were minimal, only small pinpricks in his top layer of skin. He seemed surprised by the lack of damage even with the knowledge that they healed faster thanks to their Digimon forms. 

"We handled ourselves fine," Koji responded bluntly. "Let's get inside already. We have other business to discuss." Left unspoken was the naming of the important matter at hand. They had been attacked by yet another Legendary Warrior with jurisdiction over one of the elements under Cherubimon's control. Chances were rising that the rest of the Legendary Warriors the group needed to ally themselves with were fighting on the opposite side of this war, and it was a far from ideal reality to face. 

The party followed Koji's wishes and started to shuffle into Pegasusmon's house. It was cramped inside, but it was certainly better than being out in the field where the afternoon sun was free to beat down on the backs of their necks without any qualms. There were only so many seats, and Takuya and Koji opted to stand to allow the other three to sit down. Now that they were inside, it became clear as day that Junpei was just as tired as Izumi, if not more so, and shadows clung to the space beneath his eyes freely. It appeared as if they hadn't slept since before the fight with Cybelemon, an assessment that would have been perfectly accurate to reality. 

Pegasusmon was happily able to supply the group with fruits to eat from his personal garden, something that had luckily gone undamaged thanks to lying on the opposite side of the house compared to the site of the fight. The five teenagers murmured their thanks to Pegasusmon as they settled inside. Pegasusmon wound up walking out of the house, seeming too tense to sit down for a regular conversation. If Junpei had to guess, he would have said that Pegasusmon was going to patrol the borders of his territory to ensure that no other creatures like Fioremon were going to wander in and cause trouble. 

Bokomon cleared his throat in between taking bites of his own fruit of choice, a peach, to be more specific. "I believe that we have found an explanation regarding where Cybelemon came from," he declared. "I was looking through the book while we were on our way here, and I think that we may have figured out what we needed to hear."

Takuya perked up at hearing that, and he leaned away from the wall he had previously been propped against to approach the table. "Are you serious?" he questioned, his gaze dropping to the floor where Bokomon had been sitting. Neemon was beside Bokomon as the latter flipped fervently through his book. 

Bokomon nodded, looking up for a moment with determination glinting in his obsidian eyes. "I am," he affirmed. "I would not have said something so serious in jest." He continued to flip through the book before settling on a page that made his face light up. "Alright. I've found it."

Takuya grabbed yet another fruit and took a bite out of it. He didn't realize until after his teeth had made contact with the fruit that it was an apple. He grinned after swallowing down the piece of apple he had in his mouth. "Okay! Don't leave us in the dark then!" he announced. "What happened for Cybelemon to show up?"

Izumi grabbed a pear from the basket of fruits and took a bite, only seeming halfway awake. Tomoki nudged her gently, snapping her out of her trance. It was odd how tired she was, Takuya had to admit. Bokomon, Neemon, and Junpei had slept the same amount as her last he checked, and yet, Izumi was the tired one. He thought back to the events in the Candlemon village from a few days prior and realized that Izumi had been the most exhausted member of the group back then as well. 

It was an odd observation to make, he had to admit. After all, judging by how defined Izumi's figure was in the muscle department, it appeared from the outside that she would be more than prepared to make a journey of this nature, and yet, this was far from the case. Takuya watched her with inquisitive eyes until she noticed he was staring. He forced himself to pull his gaze away, but luckily, there was a distraction to catch his attention. 

"Alright," Bokomon declared, continuing to examine the proper page of his book. "Let's get started."

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Another update in the bag!

I've had this one finished for a few days as of this chapter's posting, but since I'm trying to keep things on a weekly rotation, I made myself hold off on posting it from Thursday until Sunday. I'm trying to keep from getting too out of wack so early on in the story. 

This chapter was probably one of my favorites to write so far. There's something really fun about writing Izumi and Junpei together. Regardless of if you ship them or not, I feel like we can all agree pretty firmly that they have great conversational chemistry. Believe me when I say that will only become clearer as the story goes on. 

Also, we got to see two new faces this time around! Mayumi and Haroi weren't there for too long, but they'll show up more later on. I feel like their inclusion is bound to raise a few questions given that neither one of them is Koichi nor the Legendary Warrior of Water, but all will become clear shortly. Just give me three weeks, and I'll explain all. 

Before I cut off this author's note, I want to make a small thing clear: there have been a few questions regarding the pronouns of Chihiro, Aeoelmon/Cybelemon, and Lyramon, so I'm here to clear that up. All three of them are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. If that confused anyone, there's your explanation on the matter. I wanted to have a different gender ratio than canon with the Legendary Warriors (eight boys and two girls), so this time around, we have six boys, four girls, and two nonbinary characters. Yes, that adds up to twelve. Yes, that will be explained soon.

With all of that said, it's time for me to head off and work on next week's chapter. I'm trying to get a head start and all that. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed!

-Digital