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"A Test of Darkness"

It was late in the dark citadel that Mac had been brought to face Piedmon and Myotismon, and his heart was not strong enough to protect him from their influence. The wolf stared at the ceiling of his bed chamber, his eyes tracing the long, deep gouges that had long ago been etched into the stone from centuries of the building settling. A cold wind rushed across his fur, but he didn't have the sense to feel it. He was a puppet, some part of his dark heart took the cold rush of air and he imagined using it to destroy people, freezing them to death, causing pain and misery; and he smiled at the very concept of it.

"So, you are supposedly on our side now." Frost said as he entered the room and cast a cold glare at Mac before crossing his massive arms.

In their downtime, Frost wore less of his armor, his shoulder plates and gauntlets likely had been discarded in some other chamber. Mac briefly considered the blue Wargreymon's size and scoffed a bit. "As are you." He said coldly.

Frost growled, but the sound of his brother's voice kept him from saying anything. "He has a point." Shadow had been resting in a cot adjacent to Mac's own. He sat up on his elbow and glared at his brother. "My masters have secured this one in their power." He gestured to Mac who didn't look up from his staring at the ceiling this time. "What guarantees do we have that you aren't the one to not be trusted?"

"I came to you voluntarily." Frost glared. "I have no reason to betray you!"

"Then I would consider laying low, brother. Until the masters have decided whose side you truly find yourself on."

"Silence. All of you." Bladelomon said, shoving Frost to the side as he stepped into the chamber. "The power that Myotismon and Piedmon have given us should be substantial. We must rest now. Put aside your petty bickering and prove yourself true warriors. Do you understand?"

Shadow and Frost glared at one another, then they looked at Mac, who had turned over on his cot, facing his back toward the group. "What is this? Too good to sleep with your partner?" Frost scoffed. His voice was immediately cut off by the clutch of the Bladeleomon grabbing him around the throat and lifting him into the air, showing off an impressive feat of strength. Frost gagged and grabbed at Leomon's hand, trying to pry him away with no avail.

"Watch your tongue, fool." He growled. "You may have the masters' patience for now, but that will run out, and as soon as it does, I'd sooner have my blade at your throat than my hand." He released the wargreymon who caught himself on his feet, only to start coughing from the release of his throat. "Mac is the only one who has a command of me and my blade, know that before you judge him your enemy."

"Yes, sir." Shadow said with a bowing of his head. "I would not risk crossing you, Bladeleomon..."

"Hmmph." Bladeleomon's finger, which had been pressing at the hilt of his blade to pull it from its sheath finally released, letting it slip back into its hiding place. He stepped over toward the cot where Mac was lying and slid down the wall beside it, resting his forearms on his knees as they slid up to about his eye level and he rested against the wall behind him.

Frost, who had no accommodations in this room simply turned and silently left. His footsteps could be heard walking down the dark corridor until they eventually faded completely from their hearing.

"Don't mind him." Shadow snickered a bit as he turned over and eyed the Leomon and the wolf on his cot.. "He does not understand the big picture. The masters wanted you for some reason, and he will need to accept that. The faster he does, the better off he will be when the final battles come."

"Final battles?" Mac asked, looking at the wargreymon.

Shadow nodded. "Yes, the final battle between the champions of the digital world, and us; the destroyers."

"Huh... I see." Mac said, putting his head back down. "Something... feels off about this, I cannot put my paw on it but--"

"Are you truly one of us?" Shadow asked, glaring at the wolf. "Your resolve still does not seem quite strong enough and--"

"I have accepted who I am, who my masters are." Mac said defensively. He put his hand against his chest. "Something just... makes me feel ill when I think of the glory of our masters. It's like a chain wound tightly around my neck. I want them to be victorious, but something... something tells me that they may fail."

"Put that concept out of your mind." Shadow snapped angrily. "Nothing will fail for our masters... not so long as we are in command of their armies. Do you understand?"

Mac said nothing for a moment, and returned to lying flat, putting his hands behind his head he sighed softly. "Yes. Completely, sir."

It had been hours since Mac and Bladeleomon had fallen asleep. The leonine warrior was resting in an upright position, his swords crossed, perfectly balanced on his knees as he sat with his feet firmly pressed to the ground, Mac had turned over onto his stomach and was sleeping soundly, his mouth hanging open and his fur a bristly mess. Shadow lay there in the low light of the room, staring at the wolf that was until recently, his sworn enemy. But there was something off about him, something not so sturdy about Mac's resolve that had Shadow growing more and more restless. He sat up and slid silently off of his cot.

Making his way to the corridor out, he took a glance back at Mac and Bladeleomon, realizing there's not much more that he could do at this point, but find his masters and seek out their guidance. The corridor was only lined with a sleeping golem of Frost, who had stationed himself standing upright only a few feet away from the room. He was snoring too, standing upright against the wall with his eyes closed, his head bowed forward. Shadow couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle as he gently tapped the blue wargreymon's helmet as he walked past.

The corridor then wound upward, a lush, velvet lavender carpet climbing up the ramp as Shadow made his way up. He could smell the evil emanating from his masters' souls. Their strength seemed to feed off one another, Myotismon's hunger for innocence and darkness, Piedmon's hunger to find one desperate enough to become a new "Dark Master" after his former colleagues had been destroyed. Both of them were completely, irreverently evil when it came to their own concepts. but together it didn't seem to be enough.

He could hear a strange humming up ahead, the subtle purple glow of black magic surrounded Myotismon as he stood at a strange podium that overlooked a large rock cliff down into some lava residue; likely this was the true extent of his power that he'd grown accustomed to. The vampirous Digimon curled his long, narrow fingers over a book in front of him, before turning the page, then bringing his hands to a whole new position. Red flickering letters began to swirl from the pages, becoming darker purple, and darker and darker until they vanished like smoke over Myotismon's head. It took a moment before he realized that Shadow was standing there watching him. Quickly he closed the book, which cracked like thunder, resulting in a flash of lightning illuminating the skies outside at the exact same moment.

"What is it you want, fool?" He asked angrily.

"I have come to you with concern, master." Shadow bowed and fell to one knee, making himself shorter than Myotismon's standing height. "It seems that Mac is not completely under your power. He still feels empathy for those who were once his friends." He said. "I-I don't think that is what any of us want."

"Of course it isn't, you dolt." Myotismon's voice didn't raise, but he didn't really deny the obvious statement that Shadow had made to him. "Mac holds great power, especially when it comes to rallying the forces of champion Digimon throughout the realm. It cannot be squelched by mine or Piedmon's power here." He said. "But it can be weakened, his resolve is nothing as it was, he only needs but one relic to complete our hold over him."

"What is it?" Shadow asked. "I will search the Digital world from one end to the other in order to find it."

Myotismon smiled a bit. "Your dedication to a man who was not your ally no more than a day ago is quite admirable. Though you should perhaps pay more attention and bring your brother under your wing, Shadow. This power is here, a strong force that can be summoned with a willing heart, twisted by our power." He chuckled as he returned to his book, strumming his finger across the lines of text written. "A power that will send him over the edge and make him ours completely..."

The stars over the forest seemed much dimmer that night as Trey and Matt sat beside the lake. A gentle wind falling over the pair of them didn't do much more than remind them of what they'd lost, and what they may soon face.

"I miss him." Trey admitted, dipping his feet into the cool waters.

"Me too." Matt frowned. "We'll get him back though, I promise."

Trey sighed. "It's all my fault, if only I'd been able to keep a closer eye on him..."

"We were outnumbered and had to protect the village." Matt explained with a frown. "Our priority was to the innocent and Mac knew that."

Trey shrugged. "I suppose... but he should know how worried I am about him right now." He frowned, his eyes looked like they were on the verge of tearing up again. Matt intervened quickly.

"Listen. If he were in trouble he'd make a break out of there." He said with a smile. "You know that he doesn't take getting captured lightly. He'll be fine!"

"Heh." Trey chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Trust me. We'll see him again and soon."

"You're right about that." A voice turned their attention back to another Digimon who had appeared behind them. Bancholeomon stood, the wind suddenly giving an upturn, tossing his mane and coat into its throes.

"Bancholeomon." Trey said, trying to compose himself as he and Matt stood to greet him. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come with a few friends; namely Sci and Magnamon who have come to help." He said. "Others are due to arrive any time now as well to help defend the village."

"You think that Frost and Shadow would risk attacking the village again?" Matt asked.

Bancholeomon nodded. "The village is the last and the strongest point of good digital data on the island." He said. "In order to complete their mission, the twins must destroy this town. And that's not the worst of it."

"What could be worse than that?" Matt asked, suddenly afraid of what he asked when Banch gave him a glance that chilled his spine.

"According to my resources, Myotismon and Piedmon are the ones gathering the dark data, trying to corrupt the entire Digital World, starting with this village. They are holding Mac and are likely trying to infuse him with a powerful dose of raw dark data."

"But he's not a Digimon, how would they...?" Trey asked.

The wolf in him seems to be more prone to corruption, perhaps because he's not made of data like everything else here he can be more easily reprogrammed than my of the monsters in our world, Trey." Trey frowned at this. "Fortunately, it does not appear to have succeeded completely. The last we heard, his mind is still fighting the hold. As Mac hangs onto his memories, then he will never be completely overwhelmed by the dark data. With his new partner--"

"He's got a new partner?" Trey asked. He silenced himself on the silent glare Banch gave him.

"Bladeleomon is the partner that was chosen for him. He is already corrupted by the dark data, and is using his bond with Mac to try and completely sever his outside connections, to try and get him to forget who he is. It would make him more easily susceptible to the dark data's influence if he doesn't know..."

"Bladeleomon... I've never heard of him." Matt said.

"A relatively new coalition of types. Supposedly another step in my own evolution. Should a fight arise in the village, I will take him out." He said. "The trick would be to get Mac and him to separate."

"Leave that to me." Trey said. "I need to have him back." He sounded a bit more gravelly, a bit more determined. "Mac is mine."

"Be that as it may." Banch said. "I think we should head back to the village and wait for the rest of our party to come, we may have only until sunrise to prepare for this battle."

"Wait. What do you mean, "battle"?" Matt asked. "You don't think Mac would be capable of attacking us, do you?"

Bancholeomon frowned a bit, awkwardly sliding the hilt of his sword into and out of the hilt on his hip. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly what to expect." He admitted. "But we'll need to be ready for anything, including the thought that Mac could be turned against us."

The two followed the lion back toward the village in silence. Matt looked at Trey, who said nothing for a long time. His crestfallen face telling him all the expression he needed to know, his worry radiated through them both.

As they approached the village, they could hear the sounds of battle raging from within. All three of the warriors broke into a run to try to get to the noise as quickly as possible.

"Rapid Fire!" The familiar voice or Rapidmon cried out as the green-armored rabbit-like Digimon unleashed a wave of missiles at his target; down below, Magnamon crossed his golden armored arms over his chest as the shells struck, then flung them outward, spreading the missiles off in different directions, causing them to pop and explode only a few feet from him.

"C'mon, Rapidmon, you'll need to do better than that! Magna Punch!" He cried out, suddenly launching himself off the ground with his fist thrown out in front of him. Rapidmon spun and jumped in the other direction away from him.

"Wait... what is... this?" Trey asked.

"Oh, good evening, Trey." The Taomon said walking up behind the group and bowing before them. "We are just practicing our fighting skills for the coming battle."

"Don't you think you'd be putting the villagers at risk?" Matt asked. "Those attacks aren't exactly safe. Otherwise they wouldn't be called "attacks" you know?"

"They know what we're doing." Sci said softly. "The ones that fear for their safety are tucked safely in their homes. That is why we're confined to this area of the courtyard. Do not worry."

"Head's up!" Magnamon's voice shouted as a missile came flopping into their midst. The five of them jumped back a good foot, watching the missile explode like a firework before their eyes and filling the area with smoke. As the cloud cleared up and the coughing stopped, Magnamon and Rapidmon approached humbly. "Sorry." The dragon-type Digimon apologized with a frown.

"It kind of got away from us." Rapidmon admitted.

Sci's expression remained deadpan as he casually waved the smoke from his face. "Perhaps it would be best if you didn't use live ammunition for your fighting?" He suggested.

Magnamon frowned a bit. "Sorry."

"This is no time to make mistakes." Bancholeomon said cautiously. "If Myotismon or the Wargreymon brothers attacked, we would be defenseless. And if they have Mac fighting on their side, we may very well be out gunned. You both need to focus on strategy and maneuverability than physical confrontation."

Magnamon nodded in agreement. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Sci, take the first watch at the village's edge." Banch said solemnly. "If they attack, we need a swift response to the fight. When sunrise comes, if the battle does not begin, then Rapidmon can take the second shift, and Magnamon the third. We will keep rotating as we need to though I don't expect we will be waiting long before their strike."

Trey frowned as he watched Sci disappear into the woods where they had just come from. "Bancholeomon... what are we going to do if Mac is on their side when they come?"

"I'd hate to say it, but we would have to treat him as our enemy." He admitted. "At least until we can get him to recover. The village and its occupants have got to be the highest priority."

"Don't worry, Trey." Matt said with a smile, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Mac isn't evil. He won't turn against us."

It sounded like some sort of a chime that rang through Mac's mind, causing his eyes to suddenly open. He found himself staring at the ceiling of his bed chamber again, lying in the middle of his cot. His eyes narrowed in confusion; he could barely remember what he was doing there, or in fact the memory of where he was felt fuzzy. Sitting up, he could feel the fuzz draining down his head, trickling past his ears which made him scratch at the skin underneath. He put his hand down and nearly tugged it back at the sight of Bladelomon sitting there, snoozing lightly against the edge of the cot. He looked up to see Shadow, also sleeping on his cot, though he too was sitting upright. His arms were crossed over his massive chest and his head was tilted down. He breathed slowly, his chest slowly filling, then rapidly deflating as he took another breath.

The ringing continued to beg for Mac's attention. He turned to look into the dark hallway just past the room. A cool breeze came from the door, and Mac felt the uncontrollable urge to leave his bed. As his feet touched the floor, the tingling sensation in his mind felt all the stronger as he almost stumbled forward from the pull that he felt trying to drag him toward it. He stumbled and returned to his feet before continuing his way out the door.

The stairs beyond the door were unexpected and cold as he nearly slipped on them. He was compelled to start up the stairs; his hand dragging along the wall as he made his way upward. He could hear a soft melody playing in his mind as he started up. The leadway of the stairs only made him more desperate to make his way to the top of them as the song grew louder and louder. It was only in his mind, Mac knew this, but something was moving him along much faster than he was used to. He winced as he saw a single door far above him, if he followed the corkscrew that made up this tower's stairwell, he would reach it in a matter of minutes. Not taking his eyes off the goal, Mac's pace broke into a light run and he continually stumbled and slipped as he jogged up the stairs. Soon he could feel the cold night air rushing in through the door and he found himself suddenly outside in the lightly falling snow.

The balcony that he found himself on was more of a battlement to the citadel, than an actual balcony. It followed around the tower in a long ring that went completely around the outside of the tower. The snow was five or six inches out here, his feet were dragging through the wet solid liquid. He was breathing heavily, his lungs filling and expelling the chilled air in long puffs of misty smoke that poured from his mouth and nostrils as though he had been smoking. He even coughed a moment after thinking that.

"Mac."

The voice the wolf heard caused him to turn around suddenly, scanning the tower's surface, then looking into the sky just above it to find out who had spoken. "Who's there?" He asked, trying to fight back his confusion, trying to rationalize his compulsion to listen to the voice.

"I am..." The voice sounded and vanished before Mac could turn to see whoever it was.

He spun around in confusion, looking around him as he tried to back away from the open door of the tower. He bumped into stone ledge, kicking off the snow and revealing a bright purple glow that suddenly exploded over Mac's head, making him fall to the ground as a sudden shock of power shot through his body. The power was cold, dark and it left Mac wanting to feel it even more. He scrambled onto his back and stared as a pillar of black energy shot into the sky overhead. It was about a foot in width and didn't seem to have any depth to it. To Mac though, it felt like it was more of a veil, or a blanket of darkness. He got back to his feet and approached it. He could feel the snow blowing off him, his fur and flesh fluttering from the pure wind funnel that was pushing itself out at him. He stepped forward and extended his arm out, his hand piercing the veil, he could feel an ice cold shock of air from within. Mac winced as he felt the sub zero temperature within suddenly trying to freeze his fingers solid. Reaching further now, he was now buried into the black streak to his elbow. He couldn't see his hand on the other side, his arm had gone off to some strange realm, he couldn't imagine where it was. But he knew if he moved a little further...

There; a solid bite of cold metal touched the tips of his fingers. He reached as far as he could go, his shoulder dipped into the black now as he grabbed the hilt of some weapon within. Tugging hard he could feel it give but it wouldn't release from its spot.

Grunting, Mac reached his other arm in; he dare not put his head through the portal. He could barely breathe even with the cold air rushing through. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to try and breathe in this icy air. He yanked with both of his hands now, feeling the hilt settle into his right hand. He put his foot against the tower gap underneath the portal and he pulled, pushing his entire body into the lean back. He felt the weapon yank, then pull free, sending Mac falling back and out of the portal which immediately vanished as the object came flying out in his hands. He gasped and grunted, staring down at the sword he now held. It was a sheen silver color with a black stripe that went up the middle. A flicker of golden light from the two orbs on each side of the hilt caused his entire body to feel numb all of a sudden.

"Congratulations." A dark laugh echoed as Myotismon appeared before him amidst the flutter of a cloud of bats. "You have found the Sword of Darkness!" He laughed again. "How does it feel in your hands, Mac?"

"It... it feels... good." He said, turning the blade over, then clutching it firmly into his grasp. "Powerful."

"That is how it should feel." He said. "Darkness overwhelming, power infinite. You are the grand warrior of my army, Mac! Stand by my side, and feel that strength for an eternity!"

"Yes... yes I feel it... I feel the power, the energy coursing through me!" Mac exclaimed as streaks of darkness flowed over his hands and curled along his body. As he raised his sword he could feel a surge of power shoot down his spine and he felt another tail suddenly flash into view behind him, making a fourth one appear in the center of the other three. He let out an exuberant howl as he clutched the sword over his head, now in one hand as his howl began to spin the cold wind in front of him, sending a tornado off into the valley down below the citadel. "YEEEEEEEES!" He cried aloud.

From the door, Frost stared as the wolf expressed his moment of finding true power. The wind rushing into his face caused his hair to whip back wildly behind him, and for the moment, he became lost to what Mac was becoming. "Brother." The sound of Shadow's voice made him jump as the Black colored Wargreymon approached him. "What is it?"

"The sword of darkness." Frost pointed at the wolf wielding the weapon. "I thought it was merely a legend."

"Many legends are based in fact." Shadow said. "Why do you fear it?"

Frost shook his head. "I do not fear it. But I fear its hold on Mac. Having him within our power is one thing but--"

"But... what?" Mac asked, pressing the tip of his sword to Frost's neck and making him freeze. "Do you fear my power over you, Frost?"

"N-no..." Frost said softly. "I just feel that--"

"You... 'feel'." Mac scoffed. "And this is why you are weaker. Put your emotions behind you and you will become stronger. My sword has shown me how to do this." He pressed the weapon harder against Frost's neck. "Do you want to know its true power?"

Frost's expressing fell stagnant. "No. I know better. I fear nothing."

Sliding the blade from Frost's neck, Mac leaned it against his shoulder and he smiled. "Good. I will expect better from you in the future." He said darkly as he stepped away. "Let us prepare... the battle lies ahead, and I must get some rest."

Frost's hand found the lower part of his neck that the blade had touched. He could feel the slight sting of a cut in it as he tightened his grip for a moment and released it. Mac was proving to be more violent than he even had expected. He almost jumped as Shadow placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter, brother?" He asked snidely. "A bit out of your league?"

"I'm fine." Frost glared. "If I wanted a close shade though, I would have gotten a razor and done it myself."

"If this is going to be your attitude on this, Frost then I was right and you are nothing more than a traitor."

Frost glared at Shadow. "I am here for you, brother. My past has no pull on my place here."

"Good." Shadow said as he walked past him and started toward the stairs. "If I were to suspect you to betray us, I would be the one to cleave your head from your neck."

Myotismon glared at Shadow and Frost as they moved on. "The pieces to our game are becoming quite unstable." He said as Piedmon appeared behind him.

The clown mega chuckled. "Oh, dear. That is perhaps the best news I've heard all day." He said. "I like a little chance in our plans. Don't you? A little sport?"

"I don't like playing games with these odds." He answered coldly. "Especially when coming against forces like those that are going to be protecting that village now."

"Imagine their shock though, when Mac comes after them on our front lines. The thought is just so excited I am practically giddy!"

"There are too many unstable elements though." Myotismon glared. "Mac's darkness is only secured by the sword." He said. "Without it, he could be convinced to switch sides again. Frost has been fighting against us for so long, I find it difficult to believe that he would simply change sides, just for his brother. And Shadow's stability is only limited to his patience with us and his own brother. The only ones that I have trust in is ourselves, and even then, your lightheartedness of this fight concerns me, Piedmon. I begin to wonder if I'd stand a better chance on my own than with you."

"I like a little sense of chaos." Piedmon admitted. "But I will stay with you until the end, Myotismon... assuming you can wrest control of the continent with the loss of this one... teeny-tiiiiiiny village."

Myotismon grinned a bit. His red lips parting to reveal his sharp teeth. "Oh, yes. This village is the small port that will tear the control away for the entire continent. Once it is ours, so is everything here."

Piedmon's stare fell stern. "You best deliver on your part of the bargain then." He said as he vanished, leaving Myotismon again standing alone as a gust of wind caused his hair to flutter briefly over his eyes. He chuckled darkly.

The fire cast a glow over the town's square as the group sat around it. Sci was guarding the border, but none of the rest could sleep. It was only a few hours until sunrise and their nerves were all on edge. Matt had dozed off though, and was leaning against Trey who sat somewhat rigid with his hands resting on his knees as he stared into the fire.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Bancholeomon asked, making Trey look up at him.

"I'm... just wondering what they're doing with him." He said after a moment. "It's my fault Mac was taken, I should have been faster."

"You did what you had to do to save the village."

Trey shrugged. "Look at me, Leo. I'm a Digimon and I didn't even have the power to save my mate from being capptured by those... tyrants. And Frost, that damn traitor."

"You cannot blame yourself for everything." Magnamon said. "How were you supposed to know that? You need to learn to trust your friends to do what they need to do."

"Yeah. Mac's not the only victim in here." Rapidmon said. "We'll get him back, just like we'll stop Frost and Shadow from taking our village." He raised his weapon up confidently. "We'll win. I guarantee it."

Trey smiled a bit. "Yeah... you're probably right." He said.

"Don't worry, we will help defend this village." A voice came from the darkness as another group of powerful heroes emerged from the forest.

Omnimon had spoken, he was the first into the faded campfire light. Gallantmon came up behind him followed by two canids, that Trey had recognized. "Jax. Mark. What are you two doing here?" He asked.

Matt, who was slowly coming around recognized his older brothers and got up quickly. "Hey. You guys got my message." He assumed.

"Yeah. We got here as quickly as we could." Jax said. "It took forever to find these two."

"They were off doing things that shouldn't be talked about in polite company." Mark teased. The way the other two shuffled seemed to confirm that tease. "So, what's going on with Mac?"

"He was kidnapped by Frost and Shadow." Trey explained, trying to keep from breaking into a fit of screaming. He trembled. "We're not sure what they're doing to him. But it can't be good."

"We're expecting a fight, perhaps sometime after dawn." Bancholeomon explained. "The last information we'd gotten was that Mac might be corrupted by the powers of darkness and may end up facing us."

"That's a worst-case scenario." Trey snapped. "Mac would never do that."

"I'm afraid it's worse than that." Omnimon said, tapping his fingers onto his chin.

"What do you mean?" Magnamon asked.

"It seems that Myotismon and Piedmon are orchestrating the attacks on the village." He said. "If there is a way of turning Mac against you... they would have found it."

Trey frowned and his head sunk. "Great. Thanks for the information."

"Why would they be so interested in this village then?" Jax asked. "What's this place have that they can't get elsewhere?" "It's a keystone village." Bancholeomon explained. "Good data is reconstructed here and it is sent across the continent from this point. A network of data that is basically incorruptable. If they wrest control of it from us and use it as a portal for evil data, then it will infect the continent, giving them immediate control over everything."

"We cannot let that happen." Magnamon added.

"Then we will help you to defend it until our very last data bites the dust."

"Thank you, my friends." Trey said. "But if worse comes to worse, I want to face Mac alone. My data and my power as his partner might be enough to stop him."

"Beware." Gallantmon said. "There is a great dark power emanating from this world. A relic has been uncovered which may give Mac a power greater than his will... he may not be able to come back if he's gotten this source of darkness."

"I don't care what he's got." Trey said sternly. "I will free him."

"Oh, is that so?" The voice from overhead was followed by a shattering blast of shadowy energy and then a frigid explosion that threw everyone present apart. "I do hope you'll give me your best shot then!"

Trey scrambled to his feet, looking around to see that everyone had been thrown clear of the fire, which was now frozen in place. Frost and Shadow moved quickly to attack the others around them as Mac flew in and tackled him. Both of them took off the ground as Trey tried to grapple with his mate, but the screaming velocity of the air around his ears made it very difficult for him to fight him. Finally, Mac released Trey and he fell several feet into the cold waters of the lake down below. He barely had a moment to resurface before he was struck again and thrown onto the bank.

Trey coughed the water from his lungs as the wolf came flying in toward him, a long black blade on a ramming course toward him.

"Digivolve to..." Trey flicked his wrists, his body enveloping in the light of his transformation. His body increased in size, his armor flashed across him as the horned wolf now stepped into a defensive posture. "Jagerdorulumon!"

"Blade of Darkness, Digivolve!" Mac roared as he came flying at Jager, suddenly vanishing in a wave of black, and then emerging, larger in size with a fourth tail.

*P-TANG!* The sound nearly caught Jager off guard as he instinctively caught a blade coming at him from behind. Bladeleomon had appeared and was now swinging a second sword at the Digimon. "You will not win!" The Leomon growled.

"Bladeleomon! I will face him!" Mac roared in upset as he landed on the bank and threw himself at Jager.

"And I will stab him in the back when you are done!" Bladeleomon roared as he stormed forward, but was caught by the arm by something else. Turning, he barely saw the fist of Bancheleomon as it struck him and sent him flying backwards.

"Sorry, brother. But you will be facing me this evening." He said with a snarl, bringing his blade up defensively as Bladeleomon leapt to his feet.

"Brother? Pah!" The other Leomon raised his blades. "I've never seen you before in my life..."

"Terra Destroyer!"

Shadow's voice echoed out as the gathered Digimon and the three wolves remaining quickly scattered from the explosion.

"Digivolve to Weregarurumon!" Matt roared, suddenly vanishing in a column of white lights and emerging as the gray werewolf before leaping up into the sky toward the flying Wargreymon brothers. They split apart, Frost flew down toward the village as Shadow raised his arms over his head.

"Great Tornado!" He roared, suddenly spinning into a black vortex that almost completely vanished into the dark night sky. The tornado curled itself around Weregarurumon and he felt the oxygen suddenly escape from his lungs. He couldn't call out his attack as he spun helplessly into the funnel as it whirled around and around. Weregarurumon grabbed his throat and couldn't cry out. Stretching his claws out, he couldn't find anything to grab ahold of.

Frost flew down toward the warriors below, rushing past them once, twice, three times as he extended his massive clawed arms out and he managed to sweep them off their feet several times. "Frozen Force!" He roared as he launched a massive blue ball at them, causing the ground to freeze instantly. The ice shards shot out from the impact and Gallantmon was struck by the debris while protecting Jax and Mark. Kicking back off the ground he spun like a barrel and exploded back in at an incredible speed. He let out a fierce roar as he came in on the fallen warrior who was just now getting up, but was surprised to see a tiny Digimon hop up into his line of attack.

"Bubble blaster!" It squeaked, shooting a stream of bubbles at Frost.

Frost hesitated and veered to the side, leaving it and Gallantmon alone as he swooped back up into the air. The bubbles were harmless, but for a moment, Frost pretended that they had irritated his eyes. "You fool! Get out of the way! This is not your fight!" He roared.

The tiny digimon was then accompanied by more. Rookie and In-Training type Digimon poured from the village and began to surround those protecting it.

"Pepper Breath!" An Agumon in the crowd shouted before coughing out a small spit of flame that was easily half the size of Frost's palm, it bounced off his armor as the smaller creatures swarmed in.

"No, no you fools! Get away from there! This is not your fight!"

"This is our village, which makes it our fight, ya big meanie!" One of the Digimon shrieked angrily. "We'll defend it just like our friends!"

"Yeah!"

"YEAH!"

The voices were chorusing their support as they gathered, more and more. Frost gasped and climbed a bit higher into the air. There was no agreeing to this, he didn't agree to attack a village of children; of young Digimon. Even if they were to only be reformatted, destroying those that were protecting his enemies weren't part of this arrangement.

"Frost! You fool, destroy them!" Myotismon's voice echoed as the master appeared. Frost, along with half of the villagers down below cringed in horror as Myotismon glared down at the village. "Destroy them now! Or you will not see the light of day again!"

"I--I can't!" Frost exclaimed. "They are children! Innocent creatures who have done nothing to us!"

"Then you are weaker than I thought." Myotismon said. "When we return to the citadel, I will find a warrior more suitable to fit your station!" He threw his arms out. "Dark Wing!" He cried, unleashing a black cloud of what looked like bats into the air. They came down toward the village in a massive, spiraling attack. Frost frowned as he watched the creatures cringe, and then blanket Gallantmon, Omnimon, Magnamon, and Rapidmon trying to shield them from the attack.

"No!" Frost roared, suddenly plummeting toward the villagers. The shield on his back snapped open and he placed himself immediately between the attack and the village, taking the attack completely before spinning and throwing the bats back in the other direction.

There was a loud crashing noise as Frost hit the ground. Myotismon had teleported from one point to another to avoid being hit by the attack and he glared angrily down at Frost. "You fool! You traitor! I will not stand to be made a fool of! Darkness Wave!" He called out a second attack, which appeared even more powerful than the first. Frost struggled to get back up, but couldn't move, he simply trembled and collapsed back to the ground.

Just as before, Frost could feel the smaller Digimon covering his body, readying to protect him from the attack. Omnimon managed to get up in the confusion, raising his sword he howled out "Transcendent Sword!" He swung his weapon and the dark magic rebounded. "No!" Myotismon cried out before vanishing for the attack to pass through him. "You hear me, warriors! My followers will destroy you! By dawn, all of what you defend shall belong to me!"

"Weregarurumon di-Digivolve to..." Matt's voice was completely drained from his body, the suffocating effects of Shadow's tornado form were trying their hardest to kill him. There was a radiant flash of light as the tornado broke. Blinded, Shadow ascended some, while Metalgarurumon descended fast toward the ground. "Ice Wolf Bite!" He cried out, regaining his strength to launch a volley of missiles at the Wargreymon.

Shadow punched one of the missiles, causing his claw to freeze instantly. He shook it off and swooped past another missile that had been coming straight for his face. "Damn!" He exclaimed and swooped around to try and outrun it for a moment. It hit him in the back, causing his back armor to lock in ice, which made him drop from the sky. He descended to the ground and struck it hard. He slammed his fists into the ground and launched himself into the air again, his massive claw swiped past Metalgarurumon's face and they both broke away from each other, flying in opposite directions.

"Let's test your metal, mutt." Shadow growled as he suddenly halted his flight and shot back hard in the other direction.

Matt glanced over his shoulder and saw the black Wargreymon flying at him. He swooped into a circle and started coming back the other way, his metallic wings snapped outward and he began to increase in speed. He put his forearms out, extending his claws as Shadow crossed his arms over his face, shielding himself from the impact.

The flash of power in the sky illuminated it brilliantly overhead, almost distracting Trey from a blow delivered by Mac. The four-tailed wolf growled and readied his sword. He spun around in a circle, gaining a hard momentum to strike with. Jager raised an arm and successfully blocked the attack, bringing out the massive weapon of his own and clashing the sword away from his face.

"AHH!" Mac lumbered back for a moment, almost as if stunned in pain or shock. He stood upright again and came in hard, bringing his sword up over his head as he went full force into his attack. Again, Jager's sword collided with the metal, making Mac grunt and step back, his palm pressed against his foreheaead. "You fool! You will never stop us!" He cried out as he came in and swung his sword a third time. This time, the metal missed the sword and Jager felt the indistinguishable sting of the weapon penetrating his fur. A sudden wash of cold numbness shocked through his body for a moment, and for a moment his eyes' vision blurred.

"Hnngh!" Jager grunted as he pulled away, clasping at his warm wound.

"Beware, the sword of Darkness is a powerful relic. If it penetrates your heart, it will drive you evil!" Bancholeomon said in between clashes with Bladeleomon. The pair danced around in a semi-circle, their swords locked together in combat. "But strike true..." He said as he swung his weapon, hitting the middle of Bladeleomon's sword. He grinned a bit as Bladeleomon cried out and his arm fell over his eyes. "And you may stir up their memory."

"You fool!" Bladeleomon exclaimed. "You will not trick me! You are my sworn enemy!"

"Why? Because Myotismon says so?" Bancholeomon asked. "Thank, brother. You must think for yourself! Why would I want to harm you?"

"I do not know..." He stammered, then brought his sword back into play, adding his second blade. "But I am not your brother!"

Bancholeomon drew his second sword out and brought them up, crossing them like a V over his head to stop the other Leomon's blades. The scratching noise brought forth a powerful flash of light and Bladeleomon felt himself suddenly falling into it...

"Mother? Father?"

Bladeleomon found himself in the forest, alone and much younger than he was. He wasn't even Leomon; he was Elecmon. He was small, colored in black with white markings, but he was himself. Glancing around the forest he recognized it as the one he'd grown up in; the glowing data streams coming from the trees were unmistakable. "Wh-what... what is this?" He asked. His eyes had grown weary and began to fill with tears as he sniffled. "Mother? F-Father?"

"RAAAAR!" A red skinned Elecmon emerged from the bushes, tackling him to the ground. After several feet of rolling over, the red one ended up on top. A big grin on his face told Bladeleomon he should recognize him. "Gotcha brother!" He let out a high pitched giggle before bounding off of him and letting him get up.

"Br-brother?" He asked in confusion. He put his hand on his head and tried to remember. "Yes... yes of course, I remember this... it was the day that mother and father had told us to go to the woods and to wait for them."

"Hey, you okay?" The other Elecmon asked, cocking his head.

"Bancholeomon?" He asked, garnering a strange look of confusion from the other Digimon.

"No? Elecmon... like you." He pointed out before giving a goofy grin, at which Bladeleomon could not resist laughing at. "What's on your mind?"

"I..." Blademon said. "I'm not sure. What has happened here? It seems like so long ago."

"Well, that's because it was, silly." Elecmon said with a bounce. "It was the day we were separated..." Elecmon's visage faded somewhat, leaving Leomon, and then Bancholeomon speaking to him in turn. "The day you turned against me, against all good Digimon everywhere..."

"But... how can I...?" There was an eruption of energy under his feet all of a sudden, Bladeleomon was himself, suddenly falling into an open purple colored fissure. "Bancholeomon!" He cried out, suddenly getting the grip of the other Digimon, now fully grown on the top of the cliff.

"Don't forget who you are!" Bancholeomon said with a concerned frown on his face. "Find your way back to me, brother!"

His voice faded, then the surroundings changed. All of a sudden, Bladeleomon found himself sitting reclined on his knees on the ground. Bancholeomon stood over him, holding his hand still, as if to keep him from falling. He was panting, sweat dripping through his thin fur. "B-Bancho?" He asked, getting a grin of recognition from the other Leomon.

"Brother." Bancholeomon pulled Bladeleomon back to his feet and embraced him.

"You will not stop me!" Mac roared angrily as he swung his blade, forcing Jagerdorulumon to duck under it and counter with a fierce tackle against the trunk of the tree behind them. "I will have your head!" He roared. He came down hard with his sword, but Jager was just a bit quicker, blocking the blade with his own sword. The ringing noise made Mac gasp in shock.

"My love..."

Jagerdorulumon's voice sounded loud and clear in Mac's mind, something was nagging at him to lower his weapon. Something that he couldn't explain. Several memories, several thoughts were invading him and it didn't look like Jager was responsible for it. The feeling of Jager's body coming up against him, the warmth of their kiss... everything felt sorely missed all of a sudden. He put his hand on his face and staggered back for a moment, trying to think about what it was he was trying to focus on.

"Destroy him!" Piedmon's voice echoed through his mind.

"He is your enemy! He is the epitome of what you hate the most!" Myotismon exclaimed. "You must strike him down!"

"I--I don't..." Mac hesitated for a moment, just long enough for Jagerdorulumon to recover and come in with a powerful strike of his sword. "RAAAAAAAAWWWWWR!" He roared loudly bringing his sword up, then coming down hard and fast. Jager raised the shield on his arm just in time, and the sound of the sword ringing through his ears was followed immediately by the sound of metal breaking and falling apart. The shards of the weapon fell to the ground and sounded like rain striking the earth under his feet. Quickly, Jager pushed Mac back against a tree and their lips made contact.

Instantly, Mac's body went rigid. The warmth of the kiss radiated through his entire body and he couldn't push Jager away. Their tongues slipped across one another and his heart began to race as the memories came flooding in. There was a flicker a black aura surrounding him that evaporated like a puff of smoke and he slid down the tree, Jager rather eagerly following him until they were both seated on the ground. "W-wow..." He panted as he leaned his head back. "That... that was..."

Jager smirked a bit. "Like old times." He said with a chuckle. "Do you remember me now, Mac?"

"I-I think so..." Mac said, rubbing his head with his hand. His three tails now flicking in an almost distinguishing order. "Maybe another kiss will help me remember it even more...?"

"FOOLS!" Myotismon roared angrily. "All of you are fools! We will not be bested by the likes of you!"

"Well, you better start thinking outside that box, vampire boy." Trey said, now back to his form of Weregaruurmon as he dragged Shadow's unconscious form into view before dropping him completely to the ground. "Because last I counted, you're outnumbered."

"No... NO!" Myotismon roared in his frustration.

"Myotismon, return to the citadel at once!" A voice echoed from all around the group, Mac could easily hear Piedmon's distinguished voice in the echo.

"But... but I..." Myotismon stammered, but he was obviously outranked and outnumbered here. Instead he frowned and wrapped his cloak around his torso. "So, you've managed to get lucky today." He said. "But know this; this village will soon be destroyed, and as soon as it is, I will be here, laughing at your misfortune as I take over your world..." He paused as if listening to something in the back of his mind. "...we... as we take over your world!"

"Well, until you are able to take us all on, I don't think we have much to worry about!" Mac said, standing up beside his partner." Myotismon hovered there with a grimace that could kill. Finally after what seemed like an eternity he vanished into a puff of smoke, followed by a swarm of bats that disappeared into the night. Mac sighed and saw Shadow vanish from sight as well. "I'm.. sorry for all the trouble I've caused." He said. "I shouldn't have let him take me like that."

"Trust me." Sci said stepping forward. "I don't think there would have been anything any of us could have done to fight that." He explained.

Three days had passed, and aside from fixing the last of the damage he'd caused by dragging an army of darkness in to destroy the village and all those in it, Mac seemed to be coming around. It looked like Frost had also earned a better respect for himself too, as he played with school children, creating minor ice slides and causing those off-again snow days from school.. This all seemed to be a perfect ending to a rather painful battle, and they were lucky to survive.

THE END