"Okay. Let's try this again."

The Legendary Warriors stood at the center of the living room in their home on Inaie, and a series of runes dotted the edge of the floor. The magical symbols had been written out in chalk, and according to Kana, it would all wash away as soon as they were finished with their ritual. Koji found himself hoping she was right. He didn't know what he was going to do if it wound up being more complicated than that. He didn't want to have to deal with any other stressors than he absolutely had to at the moment, and trying to clean up the floor felt like it was wrong move away from making him want to tear his hair out. 

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Junpei asked with a frown, and Koji found himself wondering much the same question. "We don't have the other six members of the team with us, and on top of that, we're all much weaker right now than we're used to. Whatever happened on Earth has had us drained, and not even a full night of sleep could fully fix it. We're going to be at a huge disadvantage if we're going to try and reach the Grand Spirit."

Kana sighed, and Koji could tell by the look on her face that she had been thinking much the same thing. She was trying to fend off the negativity and seem as positive as possible though to varying degrees of success, and Koji could only hope it began to work soon. All of them could use the boost in their moods and morale. "We have to try and find the Grand Spirit. I know there's no guarantee that this is going to work the way we were hoping, but... I think we're just going to have to put in the effort. We can see if this is enough for us to make it to the Grand Spirit. I don't know if it will be, but if there's even the slightest chance that it is, then we need to try."

"The Grand Spirit really does feel like our best chance of being able to gain the power we need to pull the barrier between worlds open again," Izumi agreed. "I don't know how I feel about that, but... If it's the best choice we have right now, then we're going to have to try and figure something out to make it work. Our only other option at the moment is trying to figure out how as many of us as possible can reach the Ancient level, and we really don't know enough about it in order to make it work consistently."

"If you ask me, the process is probably going to have quite a bit in common with us reaching our Resplendent Evolutions," Yumiko suggested. "We couldn't really try to make it to the next level. It just wound up happening in the moment when we needed that outside aid the most. I think that's going to apply here too. We just have to be patient until we are able to prove ourselves to the world. That will be when everything changes."

"So if we can't take direct action to reach the Ancient level, then we can at least try to take direct action to make it to the Grand Spirit," Chihiro concluded, and the rest of the group nodded. "Do you really think these runes are going to be enough for us to make contact? You said they would strengthen our power when it came to reaching out to the Grand Spirit, and I'm really hoping you're right."

Bokomon nodded from where he was sitting on the floor nearby and flipping through Seraphimon's book about the Legendary Warriors. "There are many symbols that can amplify the power of magic, and if Kana believes that this specific set will help us to find the Grand Spirit, then I trust her completely," he explained. "There are no examples of these exact runes in the books, but I believe that Kana is a more reliable source right now. She has had centuries to study magic in this way, and if it will work like this, then we should trust it."

"I know it probably seems like a long shot and like it isn't going to work at all. I can't blame you all for being skeptical, but... I don't think I can stomach just standing around here and thinking about everything we can't do to help the others right now," Kana sighed. "I want to be able to reach them just as much as all of you do, and I think this is the best way for us to do that. If we can even come close to figuring out where the Grand Spirit is, then we can direct Inaie over there so we can look around for it."

"What happened the last time you tried to look for the Grand Spirit again?" Katsuharu asked. "You didn't ever give us many details. You just said that it didn't end up working out the way you were hoping for, and that put you at a massive disadvantage when it came to figuring out how you were going to track it down and set all of this right."

"We all circled up like this and tried to see if we could identify its magical signature, but we found a whole lot of nothing," Chihiro replied. "Well, that's not true. We found something, and it was that the Grand Spirit was being intentionally obscured by something or someone. There's some kind of power out there that wants us to have to look for it with no success, and that's the reason we still don't know where it could be. We're doing our best to figure out where it could be, but that's much easier said than done when we barely know where we're supposed to start."

"There's no point in standing around and talking about it," Koji cut in. "If we're going to search for the Grand Spirit, then we might as well get it over with. There's only so much searching we can do at any given moment because of the energy it takes, so we've got to get it over with now and then get ready to build up our strength for next time."

Koji could tell by the heaviness in the air around him that his bluntness was not what the rest of the group wanted to hear right now. He knew that he was growing far more irritable than he normally would have liked to be because of the unfortunate circumstances, but Koji couldn't bring himself to calm down either. It felt like too much to ask when the world was falling apart all around him. How could he ever think of functioning normally when there was so much out of his control? It made him want to rip his skin and then the rest of the universe apart, but if he couldn't do that, then he would just have to crack down on being as helpful as he could stand. 

Junpei sighed, the first to recover from Koji's harshness. "Alright then. Let's get started. I wonder where this is going to end up leading us."

The Legendary Warriors wasted no time in grabbing each other's hands, and they all bowed their heads in an attempt at meditation. The instant Koji's eyes were shut though, he already knew this wasn't going to work. He could feel it deep in the pit of his stomach, and that feeling only grew stronger as he started to push his energy out of his body and in the direction of Kana. He knew there was no way in hell he or the rest of the Legendary Warriors would ever figure out where the Grand Spirit was like this. There was just too much working against them. If the Grand Spirit was being intentionally hidden, then they weren't going to find it easily, much less when their strength had been drained so greatly by the fights that had taken place the day before. 

Just as Koji had thought, the spell to reach the Grand Spirit was weaker now than it had ever been in the past, and he didn't even feel the hidden nature of his target when he reached out. Whatever wall was keeping the Grand Spirit out of reach was damn near impossible to break through now, and it had been hard enough to comprehend before all of this. How the hell were the Legendary Warriors supposed to figure out where the Grand Spirit was when so much was working against them? 

The others came to a similar conclusion, and they all released each other's hands when Kana let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion. She rubbed at her forehead as the other members of the group opened their eyes. "I don't feel it. I was trying to figure out where it could be, but... I just don't know where to start," she confessed softly. "I thought we would be able to get even the slightest of clues where it was, but..."

"The runes around your feet glowed a little bit when you were doing that, but it wasn't much," Masae frowned, pointing down at the ground. "I assume you probably thought they would do more for you than that, but... They really weren't all that helpful at all."

"I can only assume this has something to do with the Grand Spirit being deliberately blocked," Bokomon declared. "You said before that you felt like something was keeping the Grand Spirit out of your reach, and I believe that entirely. If there really is something hiding it, then we likely won't be able to break through it until the entire team is back together... And until more members of the group have managed to reach the Ancient level."

"Then... That's it," Yumiko murmured. "We can't make it to the Grand Spirit until we can reach the others, but we can't reach the others until we can find the Grand Spirit. We're going to have to rely on Ancient Evolution instead, and we barely know how that works. If one of us isn't enough to open the gate to Earth, then how many of us are going to have to evolve before we can get back home?"

"I wish I knew," Haroi sighed. "I was really hoping that getting a night of rest would help the rest of you to recover, but... I can tell just by looking at you that you're nowhere near as strong as you want to be. If I can't get through the portal, then the rest of you probably won't be able to do it either."

"I feel like it must have something to do with those weapons the military was using to come after us," Koji declared with a frown. "All of us were hit with blasts that were charged with the magic of Lucemon. We started feeling weaker after we took those hits, and we haven't been able to open any portals since then. Haroi lost a lot of his power after he was kicked out of the rift between worlds, but the rest of us have been struggling ever since the army turned those weapons on us."

"I don't understand how a single attack could do so much damage," Junpei muttered. "I mean, I already knew that Lucemon had a lot of power at his disposal, and we all remember the raw magic he could use when we fought him ages ago. Still, I didn't think it would hurt that much to be hit with something that was created from his magic. I thought we would have recovered by now, but..."

"We haven't," Izumi finished for him. "I have to wonder if it was just a matter of the army using Lucemon's power against us. It feels to me like there was a bit more to it than met the eye, but I don't know how to put a finger on it. I just... Feel like we're missing something important here."

"Either way, we're going to have to wait until a few members of our team have managed to reach the Ancient level before we can try to open the portal again," Haroi said. "I can't do it by myself with how firmly it has been pressed shut. If I had to guess, I would say the mastermind had been planning this for a long time before it happened. They did a lot of research before making sure that we wouldn't be able to make it through the rift to talk to the others."

"I'm really hoping they're all okay, whatever they're doing now," Koji said. "I can't stop worrying about them. I know we have a connection to them all from our time as Susanoomon and the Resplendent One, but it doesn't feel like enough. It feels like nothing is enough to truly make me feel better when I know there's a chance all of them could be in trouble right now. Koichi reaching the Ancient level is good since we want to find a way to get back to each other, but it also means that the other half of our team was put in danger without us being there to help them."

"We're just going to have to trust that they have everything under control right now," Junpei declared even though Koji knew that was much easier said than done. It wasn't a matter of trusting their friends or not; it was all about being able to know for certain that they were safe. The other members of the team were very capable, and no one would dare to dispute that... But they weren't up against any ordinary foes. They were working against a mastermind that had already managed to lock them out of the Digital World while draining their strength to a fraction of what it normally was. That was too much for any person to handle on their own, much less when the team was cut in half. 

"Junpei is right. If we want to get back to them, then we're going to have to concentrate on doing what we can here in the Digital World. There's a lot of danger waiting for us around the corner, and we have to do what we can to get rid of all the monsters before they can cause more damage," Yumiko nodded. "We don't know if this is the case or not, but... The mastermind could still be able to send monsters through the rift. We already saw a lot of them pass through, but we haven't run into any of them yet. That means we're at a massive disadvantage, and... I'm really hoping that we'll be able to find a way to get through to eliminate them before they can cause other problems."

Koji bit back a sigh, and while it still escaped his lips, it was much smaller than it otherwise would have been. Somehow, the situation still found ways to get worse even when he thought he understood the full gravity of it. Everything was simply too much for them to bear, and there were even more factors waiting to make it worse around each corner Koji turned. He couldn't take even a moment to breathe. There would be another threat coming for him, and he had to find a way to be ready for it. The thought was nauseating, and yet, Koji knew that it was his only option. They all had to keep fighting for as long as they could stand if they wanted to get through this, and there was no way of knowing just how long that was going to end up being. 

"Maybe we should take some time away from this," Masae suggested. "I think everyone is starting to get a bit stressed by what's going on, and I think it would be better if we went to do something else. I know we can't exactly stop ourselves from thinking about all of this, but... We can at least try to get out of our own heads for a while."

There was something Koji could certainly agree with. He was tired just thinking about the situation, and he knew it was only going to get worse the longer he was left to sit in his thoughts. "Maybe we can go and talk to Darcmon and Hippogriffomon," he suggested. "Maybe either one of them will have information that can help us out." Koji was hoping with everything he had that at least someone on Inaie had heard rumors about the dark beasts launching attacks on certain areas of the Digital World. That would give the Legendary Warriors a bit of direction to follow. While Koji was tempted to not think about everything that was happening wherever possible, he knew he couldn't do that forever. The fact of the matter remained that there were dark beasts elsewhere in the Digital World, and he was going to have to prepare to fight them off if he wanted to bring peace to both worlds. 

Koji wished he had even the slightest of ideas as to how many of them there were though. He knew it was an impossible request since there was so much at play out of his reach, but he wanted to know what the plan was going to have to entail. He wanted to know what he was going to have to plan for. He wanted to know how much energy he was going to have to ration in case there were more monsters than he ever could have expected. The thought was nauseating at best and downright sickening at worst, but Koji knew that he had to find a way to push through it. All of them did. They hadn't been given much of a choice in the matter, and Koji was determined to do his part to set it all right. 

"I agree," Haroi nodded. He gestured for the rest of the Legendary Warriors to follow him toward the door, and they did so gladly and quietly. They were all tired after their attempt to find the Grand Spirit, but it was nowhere near as draining as their past efforts had proven to be. They had been forced to give more in the past, but they didn't have anywhere near as much energy to pull from today, and that meant their circumstances were vastly different. Kana was even fine after this attempt to reach the Grand Spirit, and while she was far from full of energy, she wasn't actively collapsing, and Koji was willing to take that as a victory. 

It didn't take long for the Legendary Warriors to find Darcmon and Hippogriffomon after they left the house. Darcmon had something small cupped in her hands, and Koji already knew it was going to be Wanyamon. The three Digimon were speaking with one another quietly, no doubt trying to keep their voices down so they didn't frighten any of the other residents of Inaie. They were in charge of the entire island, after all, and everyone was looking to them for support. If they could stay strong, then the others around them would too, and that was all they could ask for. 

"Hey, guys," Junpei greeted, and the conversation fell silent in an instant. Darcmon stopped speaking and turned to face the Legendary Warriors with a nod of acknowledgement. "I hope you don't mind us dropping in. We had a few questions for you... Assuming you're able to answer them."

"That depends on what the questions are," Hippogriffomon said, and Koji knew that she was trying to keep any of the Legendary Warriors from getting their hopes too high. If she was unable to help them, then the last thing she wanted was for them to be left realizing the weight of it after she had already made a promise she would not be able to keep. "What is it that you need?"

"We were wondering if you had heard any reports of Digimon being attacked by the dark beasts over the last day," Izumi replied. "We know that a few of the monsters managed to make it through the barrier, and that's the reason we were all going to come to this side of the barrier in the first place... But we haven't heard anything about where they are now or who even could be behind this. If you have any information that could point us in the right direction to stop an attack, then we would greatly appreciate it."

"I'm afraid we haven't heard anything about dark beast attacks just yet," Darcmon told her with a shake of her head. "That isn't for a lack of trying either. We've been doing what we can to learn what the monsters could be up to or what it is they want, but we haven't found any luck yet, and I'm afraid that's going to make this much harder than it otherwise would be. We can do what we can to see if we can figure out where the monsters are, but..."

"The mastermind probably directed them away from the island on purpose," Hippogriffomon finished for her. "I hate having to admit it, but the mastermind knows a lot about us and all of our tactics. If they thought they would be able to get away with dealing more damage by directing the monsters away from the island, then they would no doubt want to do that. Right now, we have no reason to believe the mastermind's motive is anything other than the reckless destruction of the Digital World, and that means we'll have to be careful about what they do next."

"It drives me up the wall that we can't figure out what it is they're trying to accomplish here," Chihiro muttered. "I mean, assuming that they want to destroy the Digital World is certainly a fair assumption, but... I don't know. I just feel like there's a little bit more to it than that. If they wanted to destroy the Digital World, then I'm sure there would be easier ways to go about it than all of this, but... Instead, here we are. We barely know what the mastermind wants, and they haven't revealed anything about it either."

"We'll figure it out soon enough," Yumiko assured Chihiro with a smile, but Koji could tell that she was trying to seem more confident in her beliefs than she actually felt. "I know we're going to be fine. We just have to keep our eyes on the future. We've made it this far, and we're going to find a way to end it soon. I'm sure the other half of the team is trying to get to the bottom of the mysteries around the mastermind too. They're bound to get closer to something soon. I'm sure of it."

"Regardless of what happens, I can vow to you all that I intend to protect Inaie from any and all danger that may come in our direction," Darcmon declared, taking one hand away from where she was holding Wanyamon to press a fist against her chest. "That is the oath I swore when I took up my position as the leader of this island, and I intend to hold true to it from here on out. I won't let anyone get in the way of that work. I will protect everyone, and you can rely on that no matter what."

"I'll do my part too," Wanyamon added. "I know I can't fight the way I used to be able to when I was Biastamon, but I still want to do what I can to help out those who need it most. I promise I'll do my best. If that means helping the Digimon to get to safety when an attack breaks out, then so be it. All you have to do is give me the word, and I'll do everything I can."

"Maybe we should split up to make sure the rest of the city is secure before another fight can take place," Junpei suggested. "I know that Inaie has sustained major attacks in the past, but I would feel better about it if we knew for sure that everyone would be safe when something happened. We've got another long road of searching ahead of us, and it would be better if we made sure everyone was ready before it could get too bad."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Chihiro nodded. "We can reinforce any security systems on the island, and... Who knows? Maybe we'll even be able to figure out where the other monsters that were sent through the barrier are too. I mean, we've fought against a bunch of them in the past. It seems pretty feasible for us to be able to sense where they are after we've gotten used to dealing with their rancid energy."

"Saki and Mayumi would probably have a much easier time of tracking the monsters down, but I suppose we're just going to have to figure something out on our own," Kana said quietly, her eyes growing sad as she stared at the ground. Haroi bit down on his bottom lip too, and the Arbiter of Souls cut herself off with a shake of her head. "No, we can't get distracted now. Let's get to work. There's a lot that we have to do before we can be sure everyone on Inaie is safe. Let's handle that and then figure out the rest another time."

"I think we should investigate the monster we've got locked up in the underside of the island," Junpei declared. "We still have an example to pull from, and I think we should be able to use it to learn more about what's going on. Some of us can go down to run a few tests on it while the others make sure the security of the island is intact here on ground level."

"Yumiko and I can come with you," Chihiro nodded. "I think we'll probably be the best ones to restrain a monster like that if it decides it wants to try and break out anyway. I mean, my rock magic will be strong down there, and Yumiko should be able to make a cage of some kind using her vines."

"Be careful when you're with the monster, okay?" Izumi pressed, her eyes overflowing with worry. "I know you have to look at it if you want to get to the bottom of everything going on, but... The last thing I want is for any of you to end up getting hurt when it could have prevented."

"We'll be safe, Izumi," Junpei assured her. "But I appreciate the concern. For now... Let's go, you two." Beside him, Chihiro and Yumiko wasted no time in nodding and then trailing off after Junpei toward the path that would take them to the prison beneath the island's main level. 

Koji sighed once the trio was out of view. He had admittedly forgotten there was a monster being held there beneath ground level at all. With everything else that had been going on recently, Koji had been given far too much to think about to so much as acknowledge the dark beast they had managed to capture. Just looking at it felt like it was going to give Koji a headache, so he was silently glad that he had not been chosen for the group to go underground and examine the beast. 

"We should go with them," Bokomon told the rest of the Digimon guides. "I would like to learn as much as I can about the dark beasts as well, and I'm certain that we will only be able to gather more information when we are by their sides. The rest of you can stay up here and do your part to check the security systems. If we find anything strange, then we'll be sure to let you know."

"Tell them to contact us through their D-Tectors if they need our help," Haroi called after Bokomon as he led the Digimon guides after Junpei, Yumiko, and Chihiro. The D-Tectors hadn't been offering much in the way of communication that went through the barrier between worlds, but that hopefully wouldn't get in the way of those who wanted to speak from the same side of the portal. That was certainly much easier than having someone run around and potentially run errands to deliver information between the two teams, especially when they were dealing with something as dangerous as the captive dark beast. 

Koji sighed once the Digimon guides were out of view, and he tilted his head up toward the sky. Normally, he felt his strongest when he was beneath the light of the sun. He felt like he could do anything when he let his element's power flow through him... But today, all he felt was exhausted. No amount of light seemed to be enough to fully replenish his energy after it had chosen to abandon him from the previous battle. Koji wanted to do what he could to recover, but he felt like it was simply impossible. If it was meant to be easy, then it would have happened already. Instead, Koji felt like he was going to rot from the inside out, and that didn't even begin to address all of the emotional turmoil that had been tearing him apart for the last twenty-four hours. 

"Koji?"

Izumi's voice cut through Koji's thoughts, and the Warrior of Light slowly tilted his head down to meet her gaze. Haroi was watching him anxiously too, though Koji at least wound up spared from having to look at them both at the same time since Haroi was on his other side. Izumi looked like she wanted to reach out and put a hand on Koji's shoulder, but he was glad she didn't do it. He didn't know if he would have known how to respond if she had closed the distance between them. "How have you been feeling?" Izumi asked. "It seems like you've had a lot on your mind all day."

There was something Koji couldn't deny. He sighed after only a moment of thought, letting one hand come up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. "Yeah... I have," he admitted. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about what the others are up to. I don't want to think that they could be in life-threatening danger or anything, but... I also know what I felt earlier. Koichi managed to reach the Ancient level, and that means something must have come up for him to be put in danger. That probably means the rest of the team is at risk too, and there's nothing we can do about it but sit here and think about it. We can't get through the barrier no matter how hard we try, and... I don't know. It's frustrating."

"I understand," Izumi nodded. "It really is an awful situation to be in. I wish there was something we could do to make all of this easier, but... I just don't know where to start. It feels like it's too much, and..." Her gaze shifted in another direction before settling on Masae where she was speaking with Katsuharu and Teppei. All three of them were lost in their conversation of trying to figure out what they could do to best help everyone out with what was to come, and Izumi's chest tightened. "I'm worried about the fact that those three are here with us too. They're safer on Inaie than on their own in the Digital World, but... I really wish we hadn't let them talk us into letting them come along."

"At the time, we thought it would be fine. We didn't realize we were going to end up stranded on two sides of the barrier," Haroi pointed out. "We couldn't have ever thought this was how it was going to end. We shouldn't hold it against ourselves when we didn't know this was going to happen. We had no way of knowing the mastermind was going to try something like this, much less that they were going to succeed in it."

Koji nodded, and his arms began to cross in front of his chest so he had something else to do with them other than look like he was chasing away a headache. "I'm honestly worried about the ways in which our teams were split up too... I wish Koichi was here in the Digital World instead of on Earth. It bothers me a lot that he's on the other side of the barrier."

"Why are you worried about that?" Izumi questioned with a tilt of her head. "I mean, aside from the obvious because we're in a horrible situation that none of us ever asked for... Why are you so worried about the fact that he's on the other side of the barrier while you're here?"

"It's because he... He recently had a run-in of sorts with our father," Koji explained. "I didn't think it was going to happen, and if I had known about it, I would have done more to try and stop it from happening. We were fighting off some of the dark beasts when we wound up heading back in the direction of my neighborhood. My father and stepmother were there when we arrived, and they... They talked to Koichi a little bit after the fight. Koichi got really upset about it and ran in the other direction, but I still wish it hadn't happened in the first place. I wish there was something I could have done to keep him from being put in a position as horrible as that."

"That's why you're so anxious then," Haroi realized. "It's not just that you're worried about the rest of the team and what could be going on with them. You're afraid that something could end up happening to Koichi while you're unable to do anything to help him, especially if it has something to do with your father."

"I can't say for sure what happened for my brother to end up at the Ancient level. That's part of the problem behind why I'm so worried about all of this. Still... I'm considerably more worried about the fact that my brother could have wound up in trouble because of something to do with our father," Koji sighed. "I hate thinking about anything that could have happened between the two of them since they weren't ever supposed to see each other under circumstances like that."

"What happened exactly when you two saw your father after that fight?" Izumi asked. "If I had known it was this serious, then I would have tried to ask you about it sooner, but... I didn't know this was something you were worried about to such a great extent."

"We were able to fight off the dark beasts, and my father and stepmother came out after the fight ended because they realized what was happening. They wanted to help us however they could, but there really wasn't all that much they were able to do," Koji explained. "Koichi got really overwhelmed by everything as it was happening though, and he didn't know how he was supposed to react. In the end, he kind of snapped and then ran off. I know there's really not much of a reason for my brother to go to my house and see our father in the first place, but it worries me that they're on the same side of the barrier while I'm over here. I don't know what could be going on with either one of them, and I have no way of finding out either as long as we're being kept so far away from them."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Haroi assured him. "You don't know for sure that they're even going to run into each other, much less that something bad is going to come of it. I think it would be much better if you tried to focus on everything going on over here on this side of the barrier. I know that's much easier said than done, but... You shouldn't try to push yourself too hard when there's nothing you can do to help them at the moment."

"I know you're right realistically. I can't do anything to fix this as long as I'm being kept away from them. Still, it's hard for me to really believe that I'm not able to help when there's so much going on," Koji sighed. "I hate feeling out of control like this. I hate feeling like there's so much that I can't do a thing about, and it's only getting worse the longer we're stuck on this side of the barrier."

"What do you think of your father right now?" Izumi asked after a few seconds passed in silence. "I know this is mostly about Koichi's relationship with him, but I don't think it would hurt if you said how you were feeling about him. It might help you to get all of that off your chest for a little while."

Koji took a long moment to think through his words before he sighed once again. "I've been trying to work things out with him. I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to forgive or forget the way he treated me when I was grieving over what I thought was my mother's death, but... We're doing what we can to improve for each other," he said. "I told Koichi about all of this, but I don't know if he really agrees with my choice... Or at the very least, I don't think he likes it. He hates our father a hell of a lot more than I do, and I didn't even think something like that was possible. If the two of them see each other, then something explosive could happen, and I wouldn't be able to help them. That's what really worries me."

"Well... I know we can't do anything about it from here, but you're going to be able to see both of them again one day," Haroi reminded him. "We're going to find a way to break through the barrier, and when we make it back to the other side, you can talk to them about everything going on. You can explore what might have happened when you weren't there to help them, and you can help both of them to come to terms with it if you have to too. If you really want to do what you can to set things right with them both, then I know that you'll be able to do it."

"Your father is trying, and I think that's a very important first step," Izumi said, though Koji could tell by the tension in her face that she had much more complicated feelings on the matter than she was willing to let slip with a single glance. "If he wants to do what he can to do right by you, then that's a great first step. I don't know what to expect from this in the future, and I know you don't know what to expect from this either, but... I think things are going to be okay. You might not be there with either one of them right now, but that doesn't mean you're doomed."

Koji nodded slowly, trying to process that everything they were saying was correct. He had no reason to not believe them. They were viewing the situation far more objectively than he was, and Koji deeply appreciated having an outside perspective to keep him from fully giving in and letting his despair control him. "I... I really do want to set things right with them once all of this is over," Koji murmured. "I'm not sure of where to start or how I can do it at all, but... I want to try. I think it's the least I can do for them both. They need my help, and... I'm going to do what I can to fix things."

"If they're both willing to patch things up, then I'm sure you'll be able to work wonders in helping them to understand where to go from here," Izumi promised softly. "You have a great heart, Koji, and I know they're going to see how much you're trying just by talking to you and hearing what you have to say. It might take a while before we're able to truly get to the bottom of why we're stuck here, but when we get back... Everything will be alright."

"And if you need the rest of us to help you at all with figuring out how to resolve the relationship between Koichi and your father, then we'll all be here," Haroi added. "I know it might seem impossible to push through when you're looking at it like it's something you have to do by yourself, but you're not in this alone. We're all by your side, and we'll be here for as long as you're willing to have us."

"Thank you... Both of you," Koji smiled gently. "I really don't know what to expect from this or how I'm going to handle it once it's all over, but I want to do what I can to set it right... If I end up needing your help, then I'll be sure to reach out and ask. I don't want to face this on my own."

"That's perfect then because you won't be dealing with it by yourself," Izumi assured him. "No matter what happens next, you can count on all of us to be right here to help you see it through. That's what it means to be a Legendary Warrior, and we would never dream of leaving you out to dry. You've got this, Koji, and if you need us, we'll all be in your corner."

Koji nodded, forcing himself through a deep breath that seemed to make his entire body tremble. "You're right... And right now, we have to do our part to make it back to the others. We should split up and do what we can to check the security systems of the island. The last thing we want is for anyone to end up in danger while we're going around and trying to figure out how we're going to stop the fighting from ruining the Digital World."

"I agree," Haroi confirmed. He turned to look at the other three humans standing nearby, and he cupped one hand around his mouth. "Hey, you guys. Could we ask for your help in figuring out how we're going to make sure the island is safe?"

Katsuharu stopped speaking immediately, and he perked up with a wide smile. "I thought you would never ask!"

Koji's smile grew slightly deeper at Katsuharu's enthusiasm, and for the first time all day, he felt like they were going to find a way to be alright. It wouldn't be easy, and he knew he was going to have to fight like hell in order to make it to the other side of this battle, but Koji was willing to do it. He had made it that far, and he was going to do what he could to resolve it. Nothing was going to stop him from taking care of the people who he knew needed him, and he would stand as tall as he could until the world realized the depth of his resolve. 

The worlds would be saved. Koji would make sure of it no matter how hard he had to fight or how long it wound up taking. 

~~~~~

Beneath the surface of Inaie, Junpei walked over to the cage containing the captured dark beast. He sighed once it was in view, and his eyes hardened into a glare. He had almost forgotten about the monster he and the rest of the team had managed to trap beneath the ground on the island, but now, he was glad they had managed to get their hands on one of their enemies. That was going to make it considerably easier for them to push through the rest of this conflict. If they had one monster they could conduct tests and experiments on, then they would be able to learn much more about the rest of the beasts. Hopefully, it would speed up the process of defeating them too, and Junpei knew from experience that they could use all the advantages they could get when it came to knocking these monsters out of a specific fight. 

"I wonder how these things are even made," Chihiro muttered as they took another step toward the jail cell. "I mean, they're monsters that come from Lucemon's concentrated power, but it's hard to say much of anything else... It's even harder to figure out what they could be made of beyond that when we can't touch them without feeling repulsed by it."

"I always knew Lucemon was powerful, but I don't think I ever realized just how rancid and rotten his power was until we started to fight against these monsters," Yumiko agreed. "It was so much easier to manage when it was just in the form of the Void Fragments. This is far too much though, and I wish I knew how to handle it."

"It pisses me off honestly," Junpei sighed. "I want to be able to make progress in learning how these things work and how we can destroy them as easily as possible, but we don't know where to start. There's just so much about them that we have no way of unraveling, and all we can do is stand around here and deliberate about it. We can't touch them, but we can't figure out what they're made of aside from raw magic without touching them. It's a royal pain in the ass."

"I really wish we had even the slightest idea of what we should be doing here," Chihiro complained. "I mean, we have this monster right here with us, but that doesn't do a damn thing as long as we can't even touch it to see what it could be hiding beneath the surface. We also can't figure out what it is the mastermind is trying to accomplish as long as there's so much happening out of our reach. We don't know where any of the other monsters are even though we saw that a lot of them came through the barrier along with us... It drives me up the wall to think about. Why does it feel like there's always something fighting us?"

"It bothers me that it seems like we still don't really understand why it is the mastermind is acting in the ways they are," Yumiko confessed. "We've been at this for so long, and we still don't know much of anything. The mastermind has been trying to do something horrible to destroy the Digital World, or so we've come to assume, but we don't know for sure if that's the case... We don't know why they're doing this or what their goal is. We don't even know who could be up against it."

"But we're getting closer to figuring that part out," Chihiro pointed out. "It might not look like it right now, but I'm sure we're making progress in getting to the bottom of who the mastermind is. The fact that the military was able to use weapons that were charged with the power of Lucemon means that they're at least working together with the mastermind, assuming the one behind all of this isn't a member of the military outright. That means we're getting a little bit closer to getting to the bottom of all of this. If the mastermind is connected with the army, then we might be able to push someone into revealing to us who they really are."

"But that's not something we can do on this side of the barrier," Junpei countered. "We're going to have to leave it up to the other half of our team, and I hate the thought of it. I don't want to put anyone in a situation like that, especially when we don't know who could be our enemy. I mean, the army has been against us from the start, but... I just feel like there's some part of all of this that we're not seeing yet. It drives me up the wall to think about."

A few seconds passed in uncomfortable silence before Yumiko forced herself to smile. "Well... There's only one thing for us to do right now, and that's to try our best," she declared. "I know it might seem impossible for us to do much of anything to help anyone with everything going on, but... We've made it this far, and I'm not going to let us give up just because things are getting hard. We're going to keep fighting, and eventually, we're going to find a way to push through the enemy forces. We'll get to the bottom of who the mastermind is, and we'll figure out what kind of danger it is that we're in."

Junpei wanted to believe Yumiko's words more than anything. He would have loved to listen to everything she was saying and then etch it upon his heart until he had no choice but to believe that she was right when she said they were going to find a way to push through this... But he didn't know where to start. "I hope you're right," he finally forced himself to say when he couldn't find the heart to say outright that he didn't think it was going to be that easy. "I just... I don't know. I feel like I get really overwhelmed every time I try to think about this in detail. There's so much we still don't understand, and it only seems to get worse the longer we're left sitting here and thinking about it."

"I know that things aren't easy right now, but... We're going to keep fighting for as long as we have to in order to come out as the victors of this war," Yumiko assured him. "I'm not going to let this all go up in smoke as long as there's something I can do to help end it well. We're going to do what we can to stop this. It might not be easy, but we've come this far. I'm not going to let the mastermind get the better of us in a situation like this."

"Yeah. If we're going to have to fight like hell in order to get to the end of this fight, then that's just what we're going to have to do. I'm more than fine with it... Especially if that's what it's going to take for us to make it back to the rest of the team," Chihiro agreed. "I'm not going to let us be separated from the other people we care about forever. There's bound to be a way for us to pry the barrier open, and if that means outright killing the mastermind... Fine. I'm more than alright with that."

Junpei's fingers clenched into fists. Once again, he found himself struck by just how much he wanted to be reassured by their words. He wanted to believe they were going to find a way to push through this, but it all simply felt impossible. The weight of the world felt like it was going to kill him, and hearing Yumiko and Chihiro treat him with such kindness... For reasons he couldn't describe, that only made him feel worse. It only made him feel more helpless. They were going through this horrifying fight just like he was, but they were still finding the strength to try and look to the future with confidence and determination in their hearts. They were succeeding a hell of a lot more than Junpei was, and he hated that he was forcing them into a position where they had to take care of him. They were struggling too, so why was he acting in a way that would pressure them to set their fears aside to cater to him? What had he done to deserve such acts of care?

All of a sudden, the cave and the cage beneath Inaie felt far too tiny and suffocating to Junpei. He felt like he was the one on the other side of the bars being examined by people who did not know him and would never understand what he was truly like. He felt like he was going to fall apart if he thought about it for any longer than he already had. It was simply too much. He had to get out of there. So Junpei turned toward the door with a heavy sigh. "Let's stop for now. We're not getting anywhere here." He wasted no time in briskly walking up the steps back toward the main part of the island. 

Yumiko and Chihiro exchanged anxious silent glances in Junpei's wake, but they didn't say anything to try and break through his shell. If Junpei wanted to go somewhere else to think all of this through, then they certainly weren't going to be the ones to get in the way of that. They were quiet for a few seconds more before trailing after him. 

The Digimon guides managed to arrive at the entrance of the tunnel just as Junpei was walking through, and they looked up at him and then past him at Yumiko and Chihiro. Patamon seemed tempted to ask what was going on, but Yumiko silenced him with a quiet shake of her head. That was enough to lay all of the concerns of the Digimon guides to silence at least for the time being, but it would be coming up again. They would have to discuss this in the near future, and there was nothing they could do to outrun such a fact. It wouldn't be easy to grapple with, but nothing seemed to be anymore. Their only choice was to find a way to grin and bear it in the face of impossible odds. 

Junpei only felt himself begin to breathe again once he was out in the open air on the surface of the island. He sighed from relief, pressing one hand to his chest just to feel the steady rise and fall of his lungs as they took in all the air he had thought he would never be able to enjoy again. Everything had felt so suffocating down in the prison, but it was much safer there on solid ground. Junpei forced himself through another few shaky breaths, hoping that he would be able to recover his composure as much as possible before he had to think about something else. He was tired of the lack of progress, and he knew that trying to examine the monster they had held captive was only going to make him feel worse. 

Darcmon and Hippogriffomon were both gathered near the entrance to the prison, seemingly having finished up their bulk of the preparations for any attacks being led on the island. Darcmon was the first to notice the trio of Legendary Warriors had emerged from the place beneath the earth, and she turned to face them. When she noticed just how upset they seemed to be, her expression slipped into a heavy frown. "Is everything alright?" she asked even though it was clear as could be that nothing was fine as long as they were under such intense and quiet distress. 

"We weren't able to learn anything," Junpei replied, fighting to keep the harshness out of his voice. It was not Darcmon's fault that he had not been able to uncover anything that could be considered valuable in the search for the truth. Taking his upset out on her was only going to make the situation worse, and Junpei wasn't about to let someone else end up caught in the crossfire of his quiet rage. "I think we're just going to have to wait until something else happens for the truth to come out... Not that I really know what truth it is that we're supposed to be looking for."

Hippogriffomon picked up on the heavy tension behind Junpei's words, and she led her way through a slow, steady nod so as to not accidentally push him in any wrong direction. "The others are all doing their part around the island to ensure that the people are safe should we be attacked. Our security systems have been strengthened since the attack led by the wave of Void Fragment Digimon during your first trip here, but we still need to be careful to ensure no one ends up severely injured during a potential fight."

Darcmon opened her mouth to agree, but she never got the chance. Instead, the ground began to tremble, and Junpei's eyes went wide. This went far beyond the regular rumbling of Inaie moving through the Digital World. It felt as if something was wrong with the island from the inside, and it was trying to rip the floor beneath him to pieces. Junpei stared down at the hole that led down to the prison beneath the ground where the monster was being kept, and he could have sworn he felt the vibrations grow more intense when he took a step toward it. "What the hell...?" Junpei muttered, and all of a sudden, he felt his head pound with a hatred and fear unlike anything he ever hoped he would ever experience. 

Darcmon shook her head, and she raised one hand into the sky. "I don't know what's going on, but the island probably just needs to be redirected," she announced, but Junpei could tell by the sudden paleness in her face that she did not entirely believe it. Junpei had never seen her directly take control over the island, but he figured that was what she was putting her hand up for. Junpei expected Inaie to change course and go in a new direction, one that would not lead to the ground feeling like it was going to tear itself apart, but that was not what happened. Instead, Inaie jolted unexpectedly in the opposite direction to the one Darcmon had been trying to direct it, throwing everyone in the area to the ground in an instant. 

"The island... It's not following my orders!" Darcmon cried out, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. "It should be listening to me! I told it to keep moving to the east, but it's not--" The island jerked once again, and Darcmon lost her grip of attempting to wrestle back control entirely. Inaie was far out of her reach, and there was nothing she could say or do now to change that. 

Junpei could hear the rumbling from the hole in the ground grow louder and louder, and he glared down the path that would take him to the dark beast. The two matters couldn't possibly be related... Right? Surely he was only hearing the noise louder now because he was close to a hole in the island, not because there was anything happening with the monster. It had no way of breaking free. Surely Junpei would have seen at least something that would imply it was on the verge of escaping from its prison when he was there just minutes prior. 

And yet, the ground continued to shake, and the rumbling was suddenly cut through by an echoing roar that Junpei knew had to belong to the monster. Seconds later, the beast burst through the surface of Inaie, screaming into the open air. Junpei could not say for certain how it had managed to escape, but he knew he had no time to try and get to the bottom of it. If the monster had found a way to get out, then it was a greater threat than he ever could have imagined. On top of that, it was on Inaie, and that meant it was going to try and attack anyone and everyone there. 

Junpei snarled and reached for his D-Tector. If this was how the monster wanted to play it, then Junpei would gladly rise to the challenge... And he would prove exactly why it was such a poor idea to mess with the Legendary Warriors. 

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Another week, another chapter!

I'm really loving the way act three is coming out so far. I was looking forward to this section of the story for a long time, and I'm absolutely loving writing it out. There's just something about it that puts a smile on my face. I love writing the party split sections in past stories too, so I guess it makes sense that I would like this too. I'm having a lot of fun even if the characters are suffering. 

I think it's a great chance for characters to talk to each other in somewhat unorthodox combinations too. I split the party up in a very specific way, and I like putting characters who don't normally spend all that much time together in the same area. The prime example of this chapter is Chihiro and Junpei. They're both going through it, but I like being able to explore their relationship together. It means a lot to me. Gah. I just love this entire cast. 

Next time, we'll pick up where we left off on that cliffhanger. There's another seed I planted ages ago, and I'm very much looking forward to showing you all where it goes. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital