“FLESH!”

Flecks of crimson data spun away from Baskervimon’s jaws as he ran through the mud towards the tamers, gaining speed with every step. With a panicked snarl, Tupilamon pushed herself to her feet and ran forwards, intercepting the feral hound’s charge as he sped up.

“Grave Glacier!”

Her arms shot up, and she locked onto Baskervimon’s body, his great bulk forcing her backwards into the silt. She grabbed his shoulders, her claws digging in as he reared back and forth, snapping at her head. A swipe from him caused the first wave of ice to shatter in front of her, but she slammed a palm forwards, holding his entire upper body in place. With a growl she turned around, her eyes bearing down on Nicholas.

“Run! Now!”

“But...he’s my partner-“

Nicholas felt Grace’s hand tighten around his wrist, and she pulled him towards her, her gaze stern.

“We need to go. Trust me.”

She turned, pulling him with her as he stared back towards the hound’s baleful gaze. Baskervimon howled, and thrust his entire body sideways, breaking through the ice again. He ducked down, and brought his head up into Tupilamon’s sternum, his spines digging into her as he drove her backwards. She went crashing back, but the hound still found himself caught in place as a lance pulled against his neck. Kampoimon reared up behind him, grabbing hold of him tightly.

“You need to calm down!”

“More...POWER!”

Baskervimon’s head twisted back and he clamped his jaws over Kampoimon’s tail, causing blood to spurt out. The seahorse howled, and he fell backwards as Baskervimon dragged at his serpentine form with his claws, grabbing him by the flank and throwing him to one side. He crashed into the mud, his form glistening as he writhed in pain.

Quick as a flash, the hound turned around, running forwards just as Tupilamon reared up again, the yellow glow in her eyes flashing brightly.

“Screaming Storm!”

She didn’t hold back, releasing the biting blizzard directly into Baskervimon’s face. But he just rode right through it; ignoring the lacerations over his body as he emerged the other side with a hideous grimace. He crashed into her, leaping off her shoulder and kicking her to one side.

But he didn’t turn round to finish the job, instead carrying on as fast as his legs could carry him, past the tamers and aiming towards the distant speck of Nicholas and Grace, far away down the dirt track.

“Stop him!”

Tupilamon rolled over with a flash, her body disintegrating into that of Alopemon. She ran after the hound, with trails of frost already whipping behind her as she prepared to fight once again.

Jack ran forwards, but the dogs were too fast, already far away before he could even get a word in. He pulled a hand up, biting his knuckle as he squeaked, “Oh man, this is bad bad BAD!”

There was a slight splashing behind him as Inez ran towards her own partner, gently reaching out towards the tooth marks on his tail. He wheezed. “I’m fine. Really.”

“That was not ‘fine’! That was horrific!” The girl turned around, her eyes wide. “That’s Nicholas’s partner!? What the hell’s he trying to pull?”

Her partner coiled up again, and his Champion form popped, leaving a bedraggled-looking Syngnamon crouched in the silt. “There’s no way Alopemon can handle him all on her own. We need to intercept him.”

Jack looked hopefully at Perimon, but the bird could only coo apologetically. “Give me a break; I’ve been flying all afternoon and had the shit kicked out of me twice for that.”

“Allow me.”

With a grunt, Luminemon pushed herself to her feet, spreading her wings out and rustling her feathers. “MarineDevimon’s gone now; his attack’s worn off for the most part.”

Kai looked over his shoulder at the large lump of ripped flesh in the middle of the lake, and winced through his teeth. “Sssh...yeah...that’s gonna be a can of worms later.”

“Keyword being ‘later’. Clifford the Blood-Red Puppy comes first.”

Eloise rushed up to Luminemon as she folded her wing into a helpful ramp. The young woman nodded at Jack. “You coming? She’s not as fast as Mistramon but it’s better than running.”

“For me? Anything’s better than running.”

The boy hurried forwards, hopping up the dragon’s wing as Perimon flapped behind him. The girl hoisted one leg up, before turning as Kai rushed up to her. She smiled. “I know Azdajamon’s taken a battering as well. Sort Inez and yourself out and catch us up when you can.”

“Will do. Take care, honey.”

Kai leant in, giving Eloise a quick kiss on the lips, before she pulled herself up and sat just behind Luminemon’s neck. She checked Jack behind her, who was pulling a face.

“What?”

“Yeuch...love on the battlefield...”

“Hey, my dragon, my rules.” She nudged Luminemon on the neck. “Whenever you’re ready.”

With a great sweeping flap, the wyvern rose up into the sky, with the little red form of Perimon keeping pace just above her shoulder.

“Head over the trees; it’s faster that way.”

“Listen, dear Perimon, if you start backseat flying I will happily pluck your mullet out.”

Kai let out a sigh as the great white wyvern flew off over the treeline. He placed a hand in his pocket, looking over at the deeply bruised form of Azdajamon. “Why do we always have to do things the hard way?”

“At least you’re doing things,” said a dejected Inez, walking up next to him as she held a limp Syngnamon in her arms. “We’re having trouble even getting started at the moment.”

The seahorse popped his cheeks out, his ears limp.

“I’m sorry to keep letting you down.”

Inez looked down at her partner, and held him tightly, feeling his rushing heartbeat and panicked breathing. She looked aside, trying to think of something to reassure him.

But no words came to mind.

“Turn here!”

The howl sounded from behind the two tamers, worrying closer than before, as they darted down another winding path, trying desperately not to trip over roots or run into trees. Nicholas was just about keeping pace behind her, breathing heavily as he struggled to get the words out.

“I...don’t...understand...what went wrong...”

“Short answer?” Grace turned again, pulling him closer as she looked over her shoulder. “Evolution’s a weird thing, bad things happen if you force it, or get angry, or have unaddressed trauma, or...well...you get the picture...”

“Shit...” Nicholas glanced back, shivering as he saw the brief flashes of the hound’s gaze through the trees. “Please tell me I can get him back to the way he was...”

“You will. Probably. The trick is to avoid getting torn apart in the meantime; they don’t always know what they’re doing at this point.”

“That’s not good.”

“No. It isn’t.”

The two ran to one side again, slowing a little as they both tried to nurse their aching sides. There was the sound of another howl from behind them, the dull crackle of Alopemon’s ice shards, followed by a tearing sound and a distressing wail. Grace closed her fist, but didn’t allow herself to look, instead grabbing Nicholas again and carrying on. “See, this is exactly why I didn’t want you getting involved.”

“Seriously? This again?” retorted Nicholas in a huffy manner. “Maybe if you’d shared this with me before and explained it all then this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

“Stuff like this always happens, Nicholas. There’s...literally nothing I’ve been able to do to stop it.”

“You sure that’s not just the way you handle things?”

The girl skidded to a halt, and whirled around, jabbing a finger towards her boyfriend’s face. “I’ve been doing this for too goddamn long. If I haven’t figured out how best to handle these things yet then we’re fucked, understand?”

The boy smiled sheepishly. “There’s always time to learn new things, right?”

“How are you not freaking out right now?”

“Look out!”

Baskervimon exploded from the bushes with a harrowed roar, limping slightly from the ice encasing his shoulder. The two turned and ran, but the hound leapt over their heads, crashing further down the track and rolling from the impact. Grace changed direction, pulling Nicholas towards the suburbs as Alopemon shot out behind them, tackling Baskervimon and pushing him backwards.

“I’ve got hiIIIIM!”

The growl and a sudden whimper as Alopemon was tossed sideways, landing in a pile of bracken, indicated that she did not, in fact have him. Nicholas shivered, feeling hot breath hit his back as he was yanked forwards yet again by Grace, powering through the undergrowth at full pelt.

“Okay, perhaps I do owe you a little apolo-“

“SHUDDUP AND RUN!”

He didn’t need any encouragement, as the snapping foliage and horrific growls from behind him indicated that Baskervimon was mere metres away. Nicholas looked sideways, trying to see a way out.

He found one, and stepped backwards, pulling Grace at a right angle with a yelp.

“Follow me!”

Grace opened her mouth, but closed it again as Baskervimon overshot behind them, taking a mouthful of tree trunk for his troubles. She gulped air as the two tamers broke through the treeline, looking around at the buildings. “Wait, we can’t go this way! We need to keep him away from people!”

“This part of town was evacuated.” Nicholas looked behind him, hearing the rushed footsteps. “And we don’t have a choice-“

He leapt forwards, his body jerking sideways as Baskervimon leapt behind him. The two ran down the nearest cul-de-sac, aiming for an alleyway as Baskverimon closed in behind them. Five metres...four...Nicholas could hear the hound’s slathering maw and stinging breath, and he turned, venom in his eyes.

“Yethmon, you have to STOP!”

His foot caught the curb, and he went down, dragging Grace with him as they crashed down. The girl rolled sideways, pushing herself up as she watched Baskervimon rear, his claws bared as he lurched over his partner.

“GIVE ME YOUR FLESH!”

“Photon Cannon!”

The blast of light shot downwards as Luminemon swooped overhead, digging into the hound’s flank, and catching him off guard. There came a crash as the wyvern swooped forwards, slamming Baskervimon into the wall.

“You...need to stop...”

Nicholas scrambled back, clutching his shoulder as blood flowed from a new deep cut. Grace knelt up, looking around for their escape, and looking down her alley as she made to call out-

...and her words caught in her throat, as she saw another Digimon run across the other end of the alley, the noise having got his attention.

A very familiar crimson beast.

Martyaxmon’s eyes met hers, and he stared. She stared back, aghast.

“...guys-“

Before she could say another word, Martyaxmon ran forwards. He galloped across the concrete as two beads swung around him. The girl held up her arms, waiting for the blow.

But she only felt the rush of wind as the manticore barrelled past her, leaping forwards and tackling the hound from behind. Baskervimon twisted, swinging outwards with a ragged paw, but the manticore reared up and batted it away. The two leapt at one another like fighting lions, staggering back and forth and swiping at their opponents’ heads, necks and bellies. Martyaxmon missed with a right hook and went down, causing Baskervimon to take his opportunity and lunge forwards, planting his teeth in the manticore’s shoulder.

“Flesh.”

“Crimson Wrath!”

The red beast shot a paw out into the hound’s chest, and he was blown backwards by the flaming energy. Baskervimon howled, rolling over as he tried to extinguish the draining flames over his body, dripping drool all over the place as he did so. But as he rose up, he didn’t have time to move before Martyaxmon ran into him, slamming his head into the hound’s with an immense force. There was a crack, and Baskervimon staggered back, his head juddering back and forth. Martyaxmon growled, his beads spinning faster and being joined by the smaller ones from round his body.

“You’ve been told to stop! Royal Flint!”

He swung his head with a roar, and the bead chain followed his movements, crashing into the side of Baskervimon’s body with a clang. The hound gave out a harsh, hoarse woof as he was thrown off his feet, before crashing directly into the brick wall. He crumpled, and the wall did the same, folding over on top of him and half burying him. He struggled for a moment, giving small, instinctive snaps. Then his head fell down, and he lay still.

Martyaxmon retracted his beads, walking over to the hound as he watched Baskervimon’s chest rise up and down. He raised a paw, but there was a sudden clatter of feet and Nicholas rushed forwards, holding up his hands.

“Woah, that’s it, okay? He’s down.” The boy let out a breath, straightening his glasses. “He...he has to be down...”

Martyaxmon raised an eyebrow. “Is this your fault?”

“I...uh...maybe. Yes, I think.”

“I figured as much. You humans do very nasty things to us at times.” The manticore grunted. “If I wanted him dead, he already would be.”

Nicholas bit his lip. “He’s still not devolved yet. Guys, how can I get Yethmon back?”

There was no answer. The boy looked up, his voice faltering. “Guys...”

He looked between them all, but none of them were moving. From Jack and Eloise to Alopemon and Luminemon, everybody was staring, eyes wide, brows darkened, muscles locked in a fight-or-flight tension. Nicholas stepped back, nestling by his partner as he looked up at Martyaxmon. But the manticore’s expression was much the same as those surrounding him; twisted in a hard, troubled stare. There was a scraping sound as the red beast pulled his claws in against the concrete.

“I thought it was you...”

Ever so slowly, he turned around, facing the others as his tail was raised, high and poised.

“Hello again.”

His voice was deep and rasping, and it went around the onlookers in waves. Alopemon’s hackles rose, and Luminemon’s mane ruffled into dangerous spikes. Perimon fluttered up away from her, perching on the opposite wall as he glared down at the manticore.

“What...the fuck...are you doing here?”

The red beast’s tail swung sideways, and he narrowed his eyes. “Living. Surviving. Staying out of everybody’s way. Why; what’s it to you?”

“No, he means here.” Eloise slid down from her partner’s back, her hair bristling and her eyes piercing. “What the hell are you doing here? In our world.”

Perimon clicked his beak. “More to the point, why the hell are you still alive?”

Martyaxmon’s nostrils flared. “What, are you upset that the war didn’t kill every last one of us? Do you feel I’ve cheated you somehow?”

“Woah, woah, wait...”

Nicholas knelt upright, placing his hands in a T-shape which shuddered just a little. “What’s going on here? You realise he has just saved my life-“

“Shut up, Nicholas.”

“I just-“

“No, shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Grace’s voice came out venomously, although her gaze never left the manticore. “You don’t know who he is.”

The boy scratched his cheek. “I did meet him before. On Boxing day, y’know.”

The girl’s face scrunched up, before she placed a palm over her face, giving something halfway between a laugh and a scream. “Of course you have. Of course you have contact with the monster who tried to kill us on multiple occasions when I was twelve fucking years old. ”

She uncovered her face, glaring at Nicholas in an accusatory fashion. “Any more things that you’ve already done that you haven’t told me yet? I expect you’ve also had tea with a grimy snake man who gave you a chemistry set and a lap dance.”

Martyaxmon grimaced. “Lovely. Thanks for reminding me of him.”

Luminemon hissed. “Why the disgust? He was your friend, wasn’t he?”

“We had a falling out. Not that you knew, since you never bothered to ask.” The manticore hummed. “So what happened? Did you kill him as well?”

“No. I don’t think so, anyway. He escaped.”

“Where?”

“Heck knows. He fell through a hole in space-time.”

Eloise held a hand against her partner’s flank, her eyes looking down the road. “I guess you wouldn’t know. You’d already run away by that point. Though I didn’t realise this is where you were running to.”

She glared at the manticore, who paced back and forth, his movements slow and deliberate. When he spoke again, his voice was tired, weighed down by years of unwanted memories.

“Yes. I ran away. I didn’t see any of what you people did, but believe me, I felt it. And I had to keep running because my world was dying around me. The entire world, just fading away. Everything I’d fought for. All because of you.”

He smiled, humourlessly. “I mean...I guess things worked out, didn’t they? A brand new world, a brand new life. Lucky humans. Lucky, lucky children. I wonder how many more you had to kill to bring that about-“

“Shut UP!”

Luminemon’s eyes flared with white light, and her voice echoed across the street. “You’re the ones who corrupted the world; who tried to burn it to the ground! None of us...none of this...we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. You and your wretched kingdom...”

Martyaxmon bowed his head, snarling slightly. “Be very, very careful, dragon.”

“Why?”

Jack heard the croaking sound in his partner’s voice, and looked up to see Perimon standing atop the wall, tears dropping down his beak as he glared hatefully. “I...I’ve seen so many Digimon die. I lost good friends, all the way through. I watched my own family die by your hand; why the hell are you still alive, even now? What the hell kind of justice is that?”

“Why did you come here, Martyaxmon? How did you think this was going to go?”

The manticore sat down, grinding his teeth together as he looked away. He heard footsteps, and looked up as Eloise walked a little closer.

“I don’t know what you’re doing here, or what kind of life you’re trying to lead. Whatever. It doesn’t changed one single thing you’ve done. To us. To your world. To anything. None of us are ever gonna be the same after the shit you put us through.”

Grace looked up at the young woman, listening as she took in a shuddering breath, her composure hanging by a thread. “I...I want you to know that. I want you to remember that. The damage you’ve done to all of us is never going away.”

Martyaxmon stared at the ground, his gaze hard and piercing.

“That’s...just war.”

“That was your war. And you lost.”

Jack looked up at Eloise with a worried expression, as she raised a shaking finger.

“Get out.”

“Where to?”

“I don’t care. Out of my sight. Out of my home. Just...fuck off.”

She stood, her shoulders heaving as she stared hatefully into the manticore’s face. Martyaxmon bit his lower lip, before he spoke.

“Does it make you feel good? Acting so just?”

Eloise flinched, her face twitching. “What...”

“The war’s over now. How far we’ve come, that you can stand in front of me and tell me to my face how evil I am.” The lion tapped the concrete with his claws. “I’ve done terrible things, and allowed terrible things to happen. Congratulations. You must feel so good about yourself. About your work. About the world that you people saved.”

“This isn’t about us, this is about you-“

“You want to judge me for that? Go right ahead.” Martyaxmon snarled. “But I will be judging you back for the death of my soldiers, my friend and my world. You caused more damage and destruction than I could ever have managed.”

“What are you talking about!? You fired the first shot!”

“I’m not absolving myself of anything. Not like you are!” The manticore’s eyes flashed. “How many more was it? Did you look my general in the eye as he died? Which one of you killed him? I know you did; I felt the cold wind as fire itself disappeared from the world!”

“That’s...that’s not...”

“And the world itself. The world you were trying to save. How did that go? Which one of you allowed that...that thing to escape?”

Eloise’s arm turned sideways, holding her elbow and gripping into the flesh. Martyaxmon took a step forwards.

“I remember...you were always a strong one. Wielder of light. Angel of destruction. Were you there when it happened? Or...or was it you who did it?”

“I didn’t-“

“You didn’t what? You didn’t mean to? Nobody ever does. I didn’t mean to travel down my own sick path either, but that’s what I have to live with.”

A low rumble emanated from the manticore’s throat. “Go on then. Tell me. How many people died because of that hand right there?”

Eloise’s body jerked involuntarily, and there was a rush of white, and the manticore leapt backwards with a growl as Luminemon lunged towards him, her tail going for his neck. He leapt to one side as she reared up, her eyes glowing a brilliant white.

“Photon CANNON!”

The blast was intense, blinding everyone in the vicinity as it burst forwards like a gunshot. But the manticore was still quicker, his tail sweeping forwards and cleaving the blast in two, leaving his tail blade just slightly singed. Luminemon towered over him, her wings spread wide.

“We’ve fought with our own demons for long enough. We know our sins better than you ever could. But you’d rather shift the blame than look your own demons in the eye. Monsters never change.”

“Don’t talk to me about monsters!”

Martyaxmon roared, rearing up and sending a wave of red fire towards the dragon. It caught her lower legs and she winced, but managed to get airborne, glaring down at him. “What’s wrong? You look weaker than you were. Has the lack of battle drained you?”

“Are you challenging me?” The manticore braced himself, his tail whipping back and forth. “Is this what we’re doing? Continuing where we left off?”

The dragon’s hackles rose. “If it means this world is safe from you I’ll do whatever I need to.”

The flames and white lights increased in brightness and intensity, the two beings circling each other. Grace stepped back, her hand going to her D-SEND. Alopemon was watching her expectantly, but the girl couldn’t feel anything but the growing dread in her chest.

“Why are you doing this? This isn’t right.”

The girl’s gaze flicked across to Nicholas, as he got up off his knees, reaching out towards the two. “You don’t...you don’t have to...”

He frowned, looking at his hand in front of him. It was shuddering even more, the fingers unable to even clench. He looked down at his other hand in puzzlement, seeing it was doing the same.

“Why...why am I...shaking-“

His legs buckled beneath him, and he crashed to the ground, his arms clutching inwards as Grace watched.

“Nicholas?”

“I won’t let you kill this world as well!”

Luminemon arched upwards, but Martyaxmon moved first, launching himself from the ground and planting his head straight into the wyvern’s belly. They both went tumbling backwards, the dragon landing with an almighty crash and rolling to her feet. She opened her eyes, seeing the manticore land beside her, and swiped at his legs with her bladed tail.

“Bastard!”

“Royal Flint!”

The manticore reared up, his bead chain rolling with him and striking the dragon in the chin. He leapt again, swiping with his front paws, but she held her wings together as a shield, softening the blow as she built up a charge behind them.

“Photon Cannon!”

She thrust them wide, blasting with all her strength, but the blaze only struck concrete, blowing the road apart. She felt a wind by her head, and ducked down, but she wasn’t fast enough to stop the flat of the hefty tail blade striking her in the neck. She descended, and Martyaxmon reared up, his paws aflame as he aimed for her back.

“Crimson Wrath!”

The flames arced wide, mingling with Luminemon’s scream of pain. The manticore leapt forwards, his shoulders heaving as he caught his breath.

“You may still have your power. But I don’t go down easily.”

Jack hopped down, grasping Eloise’s hand.

“Eloise, you have to call her back, this isn’t-“

The woman didn’t listen to him; she pulled her hand away and strode forwards, holding her D-Nexus in a white hand. Martyaxmon saw her as she raised the device up, white lights cascading from her arm and her face darkened in rage.

“Luminemon, Primal Fury!”

There was a rumbling sound as the wyvern pushed herself up, her eyes glowing bright white and lights dancing around her form. Martyaxmon snarled as the road became enveloped in a glistening mist, and he backed away, squinting at the brilliance of the two figures.

“Evolution ACTIVATE!”

The dragon shone brightly, her body intermingling with the air around her and glistening with new shapes and colours. She swayed, shrinking downwards as the colours began to focus on her, forming new armaments and armour; a kaleidoscopic display of furious brilliance.

As quickly as it had arrived, the storm dissipated, swept away by one movement of the new Digimon’s head. She pierced the concrete with her new bejewelled hooves, snorting as she did so. Her form was slender, more equine than draconic, although she still had a long whip-like tail and two grand jade wings floating above her back. Her entire body was laden with red, green and blue jewels, and encased in bands of gold and bronze. Her turquoise hair whipped behind her like flowing water, and her face was long and majestic, her eyes piercing into Martyaxmon’s.

“Lyublanamon.”

The manticore growled, pulling his jewels in further as Eloise lowered her arm in front of him.

“Now it’s a bit fairer.” Her eyes flicked towards her new partner. “Finish him right now, got it?”

“Chroma Celeste!”

“Crimson Wrath!”

Back in the ruined cul-de-sac, Grace clutched her chest as she felt the blows intensify. Alopemon rushed up to her, nudging her to pull her back into focus.

“What are we gonna do?”

“I...I don’t...I didn’t...” The girl swallowed, and she reached for her phone. “I have to contact the others-“

“No you don’t. I’ll do that.”

“Jack?”

The boy walked forwards, phone already in hand as he looked up at her seriously. “I’ve got this. There’s someone else you need to look after right now.”

He looked sideways, down to where Nicholas was still crouched down, his arms moving awkwardly. Grace’s eyes widened, and she rushed forwards, kneeling next to him as Jack punched numbers into his phone. Perimon hopped next to him, his face grim. “This took a nasty turn.”

“Doesn’t it always?” The boy grimaced, and held the phone up to his ear as he rushed back towards the brutal skirmish. “Do me a favour; stay out of their way but try and stop them killing each other, okay?”

Perimon blinked. “Wait...both of them?”

“Yes.”

Jack snapped his head sideways, his gaze firm as he stared at his partner. “I don’t like it either but the war’s over. I’m not letting them start it up again.”

Perimon bristled, a flurry of emotion flashing over his face. But he nodded grimly, and took to the sky, hovering gently over the two brawling Digimon.

Blind to the fight, Grace skidded back towards Nicholas, looking over her boyfriend as he still trembled in front of her. She swallowed, feeling the dread grow in her chest. “Are you...can you hear me?”

“Y...yes...I can...”

The boy forced himself to roll over, staring upwards as he smiled weakly at her. “I don’t know what happened...I just...my body just...”

“Panic, maybe?” came Alopemon’s voice as she walked forwards. “ This has been a bit of a day of it.”

Nicholas laughed, holding his hands together and clasping them as hard as he could. “I guess it has. I got discovered, thrown against a tree by my girlfriend, saw two eldritch monsters die horribly, been nearly eviscerated by my own partner and am now watching those two duelling to the death.”

Grace shook her head. “I always thought you were way too calm about everything.”

The boy looked up at her, his expression oddly serene as he slowly regained control of his breathing. “How the hell do you do it?”

“Badly.” Grace let out a breath. “But I’m here. Vulpimon’s here as well. And Yethmon.”

Nicholas turned over, feeling the slight tingle in his chest as he watched his partner revert, shrinking all the way down to a tiny, fluffy puppy, still with the same wide eyes, and a small metal box tied around his collar. His eyes met Nicholas’s who smiled reassuringly.

“Back with us?”

The puppy’s head nodded downwards, and he gave a low mumble. Nicholas lay back, staring at the sky and listening to the sounds of the brawl moving on into the next road.

“Are they gonna be okay?”

He reached out with a hand, and Grace held it gently as she looked over her shoulder.

“Eventually.”

Simeamon felt a chill up her spine as she rushed forwards, peering around every corner she could.

“Damnit Marty, I head off for five minutes...”

She frowned, adjusting a setting on her helmet as she clambered up a drainpipe and onto a nearby rooftop. She peered around, looking for any sign of the manticore’s presence. “Why are you always buggering off into the ether like this? I’m important too, damn it.”

She hopped over to the next rooftop, scrambling a little on the landing. The monkey crouched down, peering through the air, before spying a few flashes of light several roads over. She hissed, and made to leap to the next rooftop again. However her feet caught the loose guttering and she flailed wildly, missing the next roof entirely and crashing into the upstairs window. Before she could stop herself she’d fallen back, landing first on the porch roof, and then on the front lawn with a thud.

“Yowch...mother...duck.”

She rubbed the small of her back as she got up tentatively, hissing through her teeth. All these high acrobatics had been an awful lot easier back when she was able to become Sapiamon. Nimble, she was, but she was also finding out more and more that her strength and stamina needed practise to stay at a decent level. Life in the outdoors was suffering after all.

“You’re not injured, are you?”

The monkey’s eyes flashed, and her hand instinctively went for her pistol as she charged it up. She whirled around towards the source of the voice, swallowing.

“Who’s askin’?”

“A friend.”

There was a flash of blue and red, and Simurghmon walked gently forwards on her soft claws, holding her palms up in a peace offering. “I’m not here to hurt anybody. You can trust me on that.”

“Y’all have been saying that a lot recently,” huffed Simeamon, and she pocketed her pistol again. “Pardon me. Ever since I went out on my own things haven’t always gone smoothly.”

“Understandable, if unfortunate.”

The monkey pulled a face, before leaning back against a wall. “You here for me? I’m behaving myself. Promise m’lady.”

Simurghmon sighed gravely. “Actually I’m looking for whoever just eviscerated a couple of Nightmare Soldiers before leaving us three to clear up. I have a horrible feeling the tamers might have been involved.”

“Nightmare Soldiers, huh? Were they some of the guys you let through? ‘Cause Marty and I had a run in with one of them a couple days ago.”

“We did know about them. We just hadn’t been able to find them until now. And yes, sadly these ones were of the difficult kind. I think we’d have struggled to subdue them peacefully ourselves.” Simurghmon clicked her talons. “Again, understandable but unfortunate.”

“We make these decisions in haste.” Simeamon twirled her pistol, before waving it towards one exit of the alleyway. “If you’re looking for them, you might want to follow the pretty light show. It’s somewhere thataway.”

“I appreciate it. Thanks.”

Simeamon looked away, but she became more aware that the ambassador wasn’t moving. She glanced back, looking up uncertainly. Simurghmon clasped her hands together.

“Pardon me, but...Owen. Owen Ashbourne. You wouldn’t happen to be his partner, would you?”

The monkey tensed, hesitant to answer for a moment. But looking into the mystical bird’s kindly gaze helped to ease off her inhibitions, ever so slightly.

“Yeah. I would. Or I was. Or...well, I dunno really. How does it work when you have a falling out?” She swallowed. “How’d you know, anyway? Did he ask you to get me?”

“No, but he talks about you.” The bird crouched down, resting her arms on her knees. “He’s staying with us at the moment. Figuring a few things out.”

“That makes two of us...” Simeamon pressed her lips together. “Are you being kind to him? He needs someone like that right now.”

“Of course. That’s what we’re here for.” Simurghmon scratched her cheek. “If you want we could even bring you to see him. See if you can start to heal.”

“I...I don’t think I can. Sorry.” Simeamon held her elbow, looking down. “I don’t know what to do, really.”

“Do you want to see him?”

“Yes, of course, but...no. I mean I miss him. Even when I’m with Marty I miss him, but...he hurt me. And I hurt him back. I...I tried, but I don’t think it’ll work anymore.”

The monkey tightened her grip on her own arm, looking up almost pleadingly into the ambassador’s eyes. “Am I a bad partner?”

“Nobody deserves to get hurt, no matter the circumstances. I know he’d agree with me there.” Simurghmon sighed. “But circumstances change us. We’ve all hurt people we didn’t really mean to. Or failed to be there to protect someone.”

A sad look passed through her gaze, and she sat back, running her front paw around the concrete. Simeamon tapped her foot, an almost annoyed expression on her face. “I thought you guys were supposed to be giving the answers now.”

“Do you really think it’s that easy?”

“Nope. But it was worth a shot.” Simeamon holstered her pistol with a gruff sigh. “Alright, I dunno then. Let me think about it. I might knock on your door and come slap him one someday, if that’s alright.”

“You know each other better than we do. You tell me if it’s alright.”

“Cryptic bastards...”

“Good. That means we’re doing our job.” Simurghmon straightened up, brushing off her robe-like wings as she prepared to take off. Simeamon clenched her fists, before turning round, “Wait-“

Simurghmon paused, peering over her shoulder as he wings fluttered delicately. Simeamon raised a mitten to her chest.

“I mean it. Please...please do look after Owen, alright? I still care about him. Be...be better to him than I was, okay? Promise?”

Simurghmon gave a warm smile. “I can’t promise we’ll ever be as good as you were.” She nodded. “But alright. We’ll do our best. You have my word.”

Simeamon grinned sheepishly, and she squinted as Simurghmon leapt skywards, leaving a shockwave behind her. The monkey felt the wind buffet her, and she sat back, leaning against the wall and looking up at the clouded sky. She held a palm to her chest, feeling an odd warmth inside, pulsing just under her skin.

“He’s safe...”

The cul-de-sac was a blur of fire and light as the two powerful Digimon clashed, their movements quick and brutal. Lyublanamon galloped forwards, her hooves making sparks on the concrete as she slashed at Martyaxmon’s legs with her bladed tail. He leapt clear, turning it into a glancing blow, and spun around on landing as his paws made mini-explosions on the road surface.

“Royal Flint!”

The beads whipped forwards, crashing into the pegasus’ side and leaving black marks. Martyaxmon didn’t let up; he ran forwards and reared up, slamming a heavy front paw into her snout. She gasped, but remained standing, rearing up to counter and locking her legs with his. They tussled for a few crucial seconds, giving Lyublanamon enough time to summon rings of light behind her. She called up her strength and gave a two-footed kick forwards into the manticore’s neck, before spreading her wings.

“Spectrum Shift!”

The multicoloured rings shot forwards, causing Martyaxmon to dart back and forth. He wasn’t quite fast enough though, as two of them caught his hind legs, wrapping around them and locking together in a burning embrace. He went tumbling down, allowing more of the rings to lock onto him, binding him in place. He growled, looking up to see Lyublanamon rushing forwards, her hooves rearing to strike him again.

“I don’t think so!”

Martyaxmon twisted, pulling his tail free and slamming it into the dragon’s hooves. The blade pierced the armour and drew blood, knocking her off her balance as Martyaxmon rolled onto his front. He leapt forwards, the last of the rings dissolving as he thrust his horns into her chest, throwing her onto her back. He forced her down, planting his paws on her wings to hold her in place, but she just bowed her head, her eye glowing with a myriad of colours.

“Chroma Celeste!”

The bright laser caught the manticore at point blank range, blasting him away and sending him crashing to the ground. Lyublanamon flew upwards, righting herself with only a few cracked feathers.

“You’re slow, commander. You’re out of practise.”

“You know I’m no commander anymore,” sneered Martyaxmon, releasing steam from his jaws as he stalked forwards. “But whatever I am, I still have my pride!”

He leapt at her without warning, swiping at her neck and only just missing. She cantered back, spreading her wings and summoning more lights, but Martyaxmon was poised and he leapt up, his paws glowing.

“Crimson Wrath!”

Lyublanamon’s wings changed direction and she shielded herself, but the heat blast still forced her backwards, obscuring her vision temporarily. She hissed, and yelled out into the onslaught.

“Your pride? The pride which you hold as a murderer?”

“I told you, you don’t have the right to call me that!”

Martyaxmon ran forwards, and collided with Lyublanamon as well, misjudging it slightly. She bore down on him, driving him back with great flaps of her wings. “I have the right for justice! Why is it so wrong that we ask you to pay for what you’ve done?”

“I’ve been atoning since that day-“

“You’ve done nothing!” Lyublanamon screamed, rearing up and stabbing forwards with her hooves. “You ran away that day and you’ve done nothing to pay for your sins. You’re the ones who nearly destroyed the goddamn world!”

“And you’re the ones who ended it for good!”

Martyaxmon twisted, clamping the dragon’s hoof in his jaws and thrusting her sideways. She went down hard, yelling as she twisted her wing awkwardly. Martyaxmon stayed reared up, the beads spiralling around him as he built up their momentum. Lyublanamon bent herself around, forcing the lights to congregate in front of her.

“Royal Flint!”

“Chroma Celeste!”

The blasts rang out, sending debris careering through the back streets. Eloise held her arm up against the shockwaves as she held her D-Nexus firmly, feeling the pulsing power from her partner emanating back into her body. She gritted her teeth, clenching her free fist.

“Come on, that’s it...end this...”

“Eloise!”

The young woman turned as Jack rushed towards her, Perimon hovering just above him. His expression was grave as he stared up. “You have to stop her. This isn’t right.”

“What do you mean? You remember what he did!”

“I know that! I know exactly, but...”

“Jack, he tried to kill us. Several times. And now he’s loose in our world; we can’t just let him go. We owe people. We owe it to the...to the people we lost-“

“Look, Eloise!”

The boy peered behind him, gesturing at Grace as she limped forwards, holding an exhausted Nicholas over her back. Jack swallowed.

“The demons are gone. Baskervimon’s gone. Martyaxmon helped us. So...so what are we still doing this for?” The boy looked back, his eyes wide and pleading. “What’s the point in making this go on for any longer?”

Eloise opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. She looked back, still holding her device tightly as she stared at the flashes and strikes not twenty metres away.

“He...needs to be stopped-”

“Crimson Wrath!”

“Spectrum Shift!”

Rings of light danced through the flames, licking out at both fighters as they collided again, the sheer force cracking the road beneath them. They drew apart once again, their tails clashing with a horrific scraping sound. Martyaxmon turned first, drawing beads behind him, but Lyublanamon leapt over them and slashed downwards with the circular blade, severing the chain. She thrust her wings out, releasing another barrage of rings that circled the manticore, flying inwards one by one.

“Royal Flint!”

Martyaxmon dived forwards, carrying the momentum of the rings with him and retaliating with a brutal chain to the side of the head. Lyublanamon struggled, blood falling from above her eye as she glared at the red beast.

“You are a scourge upon this world. And every world upon which you step.”

“Does my life offend you so? Then come on!” Martyaxmon planted his paw down, fire bursting from his eyes. “Finish me! Send me to the hell you have planned for me! I’ll willingly continue this with you there, false judge!”

Lyublanamon whinnied, leaping forwards and piercing the manticore’s shoulder with her front hoof. He ducked down, grazing her elbow with his blazing horn, before rushing forwards and dragging her feet from beneath her. She stumbled, barely staying upright as he swung round with his bead chain again, batting away another volley of rings.

“Chroma Celeste!”

Lyublanamon flew upwards, her wings wide as she rained bright lights upon the red beast. He snarled, running free from the torrent as they pockmarked his fur and skin, before skidding around and preparing to charge again. Lyublanamon landed, sparks dancing from her hooves as she rushed to meet him.

“Why don’t you just die!?”

“Lyublanamon, stop!”

A cloud of darkness shot upwards from the road, barrelling into the white pegasus and knocking her off course. She clattered to the ground, and struggled upwards, feeling the muscular arm of Azdajamon over her back as he kept his eyes forwards.

Eloise heard footsteps, and she looked right to see Kai rushing towards her, with Inez bringing up the rear as she held Syngnamon in her arms, dangling like a bedraggled sack of potatoes. Eloise held her breath, holding up her hands as Kai approached.

“Kai, it’s...it’s Martyaxmon, he’s still-“

“I know, Jack told me. I came as fast as I could.”

“We have to stop him, we have to-“

“Stop him from what?”

The young man held her hand, turning towards the scorched battleground as the two dragons wrestled with one another, Lyublanamon trying to force herself to her feet.

“Let me go...I have to...do this...”

“”Lyublanamon, please stop. He’s not worth it.”

“Why are you defending him?”

“I’m not defending him. I’m protecting you.”

Martyaxmon pushed himself upwards, flames bursting from his front paws as he faced the twin dragons.

“I don’t care how many of you are left! If you’re so willing to end this then let’s damn well end it!”

He bounded forwards, and Azdajamon and Lyublanamon raised their wings as the heat grew more intense, the flickering fires reflecting from Martyaxmon’s maddened pupils.

“Crimson-“

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

A shadow fell across the scorched road, and the three looked up to see Simurghmon’s vast wings spread wide, blotting out the sun.

“Grand Gaokerena!”

The great ornate tree burst from the centre of the road, spreading outwards and forcing the two parties apart. Martyaxmon was sent flying backwards, rolling against the road and snarling as he did so, the beads scattering all around him.

Lyublanamon and Azdajamon merely held their ground, looking up as they watched Simurghmon hover down, clutching the edge of the nearside roots as she looked sternly between them.

“There’s been enough damage done today as it is. I don’t need any of your deaths on my conscience as well.”

Lyublanamon hissed between her teeth. “But he-“

“I know who he is.”

The great bird pressed her palms together, twisting as she looked down at the manticore, who was pushing himself to his feet, his jaw held tightly together.

“I know exactly who you are, and I know exactly what you’ve done.”

Martyaxmon gave a wry smile. “It seems everybody does, dear ambassador.”

“Yes, well...” Simurghmon’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped down. “It’s not my place to cast judgement. Not here, anyway. I have no say over the scars that have been inflicted, but this is neither the time nor the place to reopen them.”

She turned around, spreading her arms as she gestured at the broken cul-de-sac all around them, covered with debris and burnt stone and great snaking cracks.

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

For a moment Lyublanamon remained tensed, staring hatefully at the manticore as he gently stood up, rolling his neck. Then she relaxed, falling back into Azdajamon’s arms with a reserved expression.

“Just...go away. Please. Leave us alone. I’m tired of this.”

Martyaxmon’s gaze fell upon her, and he sighed. He turned back, and began to walk forwards, feeling the hard gaze of the tamers upon him.

Then he paused, stopping next to Eloise and glancing up at her face. Her face was still twisted into a hateful stare, but up close he could see the weariness in her expression.

“I know I’ve done terrible things to you. To all of you. Things I can’t expect forgiveness for.”

He looked down, his front paw clutching and scraping against the stone.

“For both our sakes, I think it’s best if we stay out of each others’ way. But I can promise you, I will not hurt this world or the people here. No matter how much you all infuriate me.”

He looked up at the young woman, his burning eyes meeting her own glistening ones. Martyaxmon closed his eyes.

“Feel free not to believe me. But that’s the truth. I won’t bother you again.”

Eloise said nothing. She just stepped backwards allowing the manticore to pass. He broke into a run, leaping effortlessly back down the road he’d come from. He turned the corner at the end, and was gone.

Eloise slumped back, falling limp in Kai’s arms as he just about held her upright. She placed a palm to her head, and groaned.

“Today has royally sucked.”

“I did tell you to take care of yourself. That doesn’t generally mean getting into fights.”

The young woman scowled, nudging him away. “I got angry. Sue me.”

“Anger’s fine. Just try not to let it drive out everything else. It’s not a fun place to be in.” Kai gave a knowing expression. “Trust me on that.”

Eloise sighed wearily, and nodded. They held their heads against one another, before a sudden scraping sound drew their attention back forwards. Simurghmon’s vast tree was reverting, fixing the cracks behind it as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t able to do anything about the rubble from the walls everywhere, but it was something at least. As the last of the roots retracted, she straightened up, pulling the hem of her wings and looking around.

“That’s one broken road and two dead demon lords you owe me for.”

“Sorry about that,” said Grace, as she walked slowly forwards. “Things got out of hand. And to be fair, they really weren’t listening.”

Azdajamon nodded, holding his wounded shoulder. “We made a choice. It wasn’t ideal, but they were too dangerous-“

“To live?” Simurghmon straightened her arms, and sighed. “I know it was probably the right thing to do, but that doesn’t make it a good result.” She looked at each of the tamers in turn. “You need to be careful. There are many Digimon in this world banking on you to stand up for them. And there are even more who are waiting for you to make mistakes. Mistakes like this one.”

Jack swallowed. “What about you? And the other two? Are you on our side?”

“I have faith in your intentions, and I always will.” Simurghmon smiled sadly. “It would be wrong of me to judge you on mistakes. But when the time comes – and it will – we have to judge you on something.”

Kai held tightly to Eloise, his hair blowing in the breeze. “It’s a very damaged world, Simurghmon. We all want to see humans and Digimon get along peacefully, but it’s a long way away yet. Please...just give us that time.”

The mythical bird straightened up, her wings folding outwards and flickering a couple of times.

“That’s out of my hands,” she replied, gravely. “Because if the cataclysm comes for this world as well, we’ll need to make a choice.”

Her words hung heavily on the assembled throng, but before they could pry further, she flew skywards, her rainbow wings leaving little fragments of light hovering in the air behind her. The tamers and their Digimon were left standing in the broken square, looking as lost as ever. Jack let out a noise like a horse as he folded his arms.

“Well...brilliant. That’s not worrying at all.”

Inez pressed her forefingers together, her voice very quiet. “Is...is everything gonna be okay? With us, I mean?” She looked between the veteran tamers, all of whom were looking more worn out than ever.

Eloise gave a warm smile, and gently brushed against the younger girl’s hair.

“It was just a little disagreement. We’ve had much worse days. And we’ll get through much worse to come.”

“That being said,” remarked Grace, still holding her woozy boyfriend on her shoulder, “it’s probably best we head off. I’ve had enough sudden surprises for one day.”

Her boyfriend mumbled incoherently beside her, and she reached out and straightened his glasses for him. There was a huff from the cradle of his arms, as his tiny partner Talbomon rolled his oversized eyes.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Eloise and Kai walked back down the road, hand in hand, as the two dragons hovered through the air behind them. Eloise leant sideways, holding her boyfriend tightly as they passed beneath the dim streetlamps.

“So...”

Kai trailed off before he’d even began, prompting Eloise to look expectantly up at him. The young man rubbed his cheek.

“How was it seeing him again?”

Eloise stuck her lips out. “It’s weird, but...he seems shorter than I remember.” She frowned. “More stroppy, too, as opposed to...horrifying and monstrously cruel.”

“That figures.”

He slowed, allowing the young woman to hold even more tightly to him, searching for the comfort in his grasp.

“Things have changed way too much, Kai. Has it really been nearly five years?”

“It’ll have been longer in the digital world,” chimed in Colchimon, spiralling around them. “There’s always something new that comes around.”

“I don’t think I can cope with that.” Eloise’s eyelids half-fell, her eyes feeling moist. “I think...I think the thing that hit me was he just seemed...lost. But the same lost as the rest of us. I looked at him and I didn’t see a ruthless warlord trying to kill me anymore. It was just some jerk.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t have lost control like that, but...it just felt so wrong. Seeing him like that. Seeing him like...like me...”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Ladomon flew into view, fluttering backwards as she gazed forwards with sad eyes. “I’m the one who threw the first blow.”

“You were trying to protect me.”

“No. I was trying to save the world.” The white serpent spiralled around. “War changes us all. I’m as much of a relic of that war as he is now.” She laughed humourlessly. “Some saviour.”

Kai looked upwards, letting out a long breath that formed into clouds in front of him. “I suppose...when all is said and done, do we even have a purpose here anymore?”

Eloise looked uncertain. “Well, we were trying to take a step back, I seem to remember.”

“Ah yeah. And then all this human Digimon war stuff happened.”

“Old habits die hard, don’t they...”

Ladomon gained a little height, looking down at the two as they held tighter to one another. She could feel the pit in her heart, growing ever so slightly as she let the distance between her and the tamers increase.

“Eloise...am I holding you back, now?”

“Cheer up. It might never happen.”

Ladomon pouted, glancing aside at Colchimon as he circled around her. “Or it might happen tomorrow. You never can tell these days.”

Ladomon sighed, pulling further up and out of earshot as she whispered to her lifelong sibling. “Are we doing the right thing? Is...is it right for us to stay with them?”

Colchimon’s eyelids fell, and he found himself peering down at his own partner, seeming almost a world away. Ladomon nudged him again. “If there’s no more wars to fight, are we just going to be causing them pain?”

“Is it warm up there or something?”

The two dragons peered down to see Kai stopped beneath them, waving up at them with a friendly smile on his face. Colchimon laughed, and nudged Ladomon.

“There’s always enough room to care for each other, through the good times as well as the bad.”

He glanced sideways, and winked. “And whatever happens, we’ll always have one another, right?”

Ladomon flushed, and pulled her wings in, her feathers glittering. “Always.”

“Are you coming?”

The two dragons descended after their partners, coiling around each other as they floated after their partners, a twisting beacon of light and darkness heading off into the evening gloom.

“My head hurts...”

Vulpimon glanced back as she watched Talbomon shuffle around in Nicholas’s arms, holding a paw to one ear and grumbling in an oddly adorably fashion. The fox pouted mischievously, and slowed down a bit, making a big show of her stroll.

“Oh, I don’t know, it’s something that happens frequently. Just take a couple of painkillers and have a good long nap and you’ll be able to get the hang of your new evolution in now time-“

“Hey, pound puppy? Fuck off.”

Vulpimon sped up again in a mock huff, as Grace sighed wearily at the sight of her boyfriend and his hound, both looking more than a little bewildered and bedraggled by the ordeal.

“I’d say you’ll get used to it but that then implies that I want you to get used to it.”

Nicholas let go of the bridge of his nose, before looking up towards her. “Is this normal? Did you ever have a partner go berserk on you?”

“Oh yep. And gone cuckoo off my own back as well. Got mad, turned into a zombie snow queen and ended some cocky bitch’s whole career.”

“...how does that work-“

“In this world it doesn’t. The nature of the world isn’t compatible. Thank god.” Grace folded her arms. “You’re lucky, really. We were all there to keep you safe. I had to go through it all on my own the first time.”

“Hey,” said Jack, running up to join them with only a slight hobble,” I came and got you, didn’t I?”

“As far as I remember, you then got kidnapped by a crazy magnetic shark lady.”

“It’s the thought that counts, though, right?”

Nicholas planted a fist in his palm. “See, this? This kind of juicy tea is exactly why I wanna be a part of this. Why were you trying to keep me away again?”

Grace glowered at him, but Nicholas just continued looking remarkably chipper about the whole affair. Jack looked between them, and grinned. “It’ll be cool to have you on the team.”

“I know, right?”

“Don’t encourage him!”

Grace huffed, and pulled open a gate, gesturing at the bespectacled young man. “Your house, m’lud. Go inside, sleep, and think about what you’ve done.”

“Yes Miss Gallant.”

Nicholas shared a wink with Jack, before walking through the gate. The young man paused, swinging on the wooden frame as he looked back into Grace’s eyes.

“You know I’m hooked now, right? This is too exciting a life for me to give up now.”

Grace gave a weary look in reply. “I still don’t like it. But I know as well as anyone you’re not gonna stop. You’re too similar to me.”

Nicholas leant forwards, but the girl pulled back, holding her sleeve. “Look after yourself, alright? We’ll get the hang of this.”

For a moment Nicholas stared back, his eyes as unreadable as they always had been. Then he beamed.

“I’ll see you around. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

The girl watched, one hand on the wood as she saw the boy and the hound walk round the back of their house. She tapped the wood of the gate. “He hasn’t told his grandparents about any of this, has he...”

Jack tilted his head sideways. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“For god’s sake...”

She marched off in a huff, with Jack hurrying to keep pace beside her. “Honestly, I’m gonna have to look over his shoulder for the next six months.”

“Well, it’ll be neat to have him around.” Jack placed his hands behind his head, looking upwards at his partner twisting and wheeling in the sky. “You know he’s gonna be fine, right?”

“I’m sure.” Grace thrust her hands into her pockets, slowing down just a tad.

“He’s already handling it better than I ever managed to do.”

Her feet scuffed against the pavement, visions of past trauma passing through her mind, the same way they always did from time to time.

Then she felt Jack’s hand close around her wrist, and she looked up to see his reassuring smile.

“There’s a load of good people looking after him. He’ll manage just fine. And so will you.”

The memories dissipated, and Grace smiled in return as brother and sister set off down the road, back towards their own life, with the fox and the eagle keeping pace beside them.

The sun had almost set fully, leaving orange marks on the water’s surface, as Inez and Syngnamon trekked the long riverside walk back towards the seafront house. They’d both been quiet, with the seahorse padding along slowly and silently at the girl’s feet. That is, until he finally turned around, his glowing eyes looking up at hers.

“I’m sorry I keep failing you.”

Inez looked down at him, rubbing her hands together as she frowned. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“If I haven’t, then how come I haven’t been any stronger yet?”

The seahorse crouched up, stopping as he held his shoulder. “I can barely stand up with anybody anymore. They’re all reaching new levels of power and I’m just falling at the first hurdle. I’m a failure.”

Inez bit her lip, standing awkwardly on the promenade. “If you’re struggling then that’s down to me. I know that.”

“I’m the one who’s not doing enough.”

Inez sighed, and turned sideways, looking out at the dark waters of the river, like a black snake coiling up inland. “No, I’m the one who’s holding you back. Everybody else is able to face their problems and come out better. Even Nicholas.” She smiled humourlessly, looking down at her arms. “I haven’t been able to face mine at all. I’m painfully aware of that.”

Syngnamon sniffed, feeling a tear running down his muzzle. “Inez...”

“This is my battle.” The girl blinked, holding a hand to her scarf. “I...I just don’t know how to stop running yet.”

She saw the tiny seahorse waiting beside her, and beckoned him on. “You carry on. I...I need to think...”

Syngnamon turned around, running his webbed hands through his own mane as he spoke to himself.

“I’m a fool...thinking I was ever strong enough to fix this...”

Inez could barely hear him as she just stared out over the black waters, seeing the last rays of sun flickering off the surface, giving no indication of the swirling currents beneath. She felt the clutching feeling in her chest, and pulled out her D-SEND, looking at the dull screen. It had felt lifeless for so long now. A drain, rather than a source.

She turned around, watching as Syngnamon stood alone not a few metres away, his slight, hunched form betraying the hurt he was feeling. The girl closed her eyes, her own thoughts severely muddied.

Upset and distracted, she didn’t notice the black shape rear up behind her.

Until it reached forwards with long, sinuous arms, and clamped its hands over her mouth and body before she could even scream.

Found you.

Inez choked, her eyes wide as panic immobilised her limbs in an instant. She kicked stiffly against the ground, but felt herself being pulled upwards, the grip around her tightening and threatening to squeeze the life from her.

Syngnamon turned around just in time to see the girl tip backwards over the edge, the dark shape folding over after her.

“INEZ!”

The seahorse rushed forwards, travelling as fast as he could over the concrete as he aimed for the mysterious figure. But something flicked over, buckling the fence and lashing out towards him in a coordinated attack. He was struck in the head, the force knocking him down in an instant. He tried to stand up, but his arms wouldn’t listen. He could feel drops of liquid trickling down his snout, as well as the pulse of his heart echoing around his head as the pain and shock spread through his system.

“...In...ez...”

Only one vision clouded his head; Inez’s eyes, staring out from the deathly grip, tears welling, pupils shaking, fear and panic holding her like a vice as she fell backwards, again, and again, and again.

Round and round in Syngnamon’s vision as he reached out in vain for the girl who had already disappeared over the edge.

He could hear the distant splash.

And then everything went dark.

TO BE CONTINUED...