Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ The Anime Margin: 108 Stars of Destiny ❯ Magic Story, part 1: Those who Stand Against the Darkness ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]


Disclaimer:
This fic uses characters, places, themes from franchises that are the property of others. I do not own these franchises.

Special Thanks to:
Charles Xavier, Fanfiction.net author: For writing an awesome crossover with anime and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Suikosource website: for providing great information that made this fic possible.

The Anime Margin: 108 Stars of Destiny
By: RB3

Magic Story part 1: Those who Stand Against the Darkness

It was a beautiful day in the Digital World, the home of the mystical creatures known as Digimon. The sun shone brightly on verdant, grassy lands and great forests. The skies were clear and birds were chirping joyfully as they fluttered about. Down a dirt pathway came a group of children with their Digimon companions. They were a motley crew from all walks of life. The children were known as the Digidestined, guardians of the Digital World.

Just metres away from the kids were several men and women in headsets. A camera slided across the ground to follow the movement of the children. "...And cut. That was a good take," complimented the director. "We're going to do the Black War Greymon confrontation scene with Cody next. Until then, you're on break."

One of the Digidestined group, a twelve-year-old Japanese girl, sat down near a cliff overlooking the ocean. The view of the Digital World's deep blue sea was a beautiful sight that reflected the light of a golden sun. The wind picked up and rippled her locks of violet hair. Her name was Yolei and she was an intellectual girl, as evidenced by the glasses she wore. Beside her was her friend and Digimon partner Hawkmon, a small hawk-like creature with a feather stuck in its leather head band. Yolei unpacked her lunch and shared it with partner.

On the beach below, several work crews were hauling a large stone that was encircled by a ring of gold. The workers, humans and Digimon of varying types, were moving a sacred Digital World artefact out of the sea and replacing it with an imitation prop. This artefact was known as a Destiny Stone, a magical "weight" or nexus which the gods used to maintain balance in the world. So far in the Digimon 02 series, a powerful Digimon named Black War Greymon was destroying these artefacts in his quest to lure out and battle a worthy opponent. The Digidestined made valiant attempts to defend the stones, but were unable to repel the attacks of this monstrous foe. For the next scene, a Digidestined named Cody Hida was to make a stand at this stone.

A second boy came up to the young Digidestined girl and struck up a conversation. The boy was a brooding child of twelve years of age. His name was Koichi Kimura. Sporting a green overshirt and dark hair, Koichi was a mysterious kid. He was a stagehand as well as an actor for the Digimon series, but starred in its fourth season, Digimon Frontier. In this season, he was a villain for more than half of the series, but turned over to the side of good eventually. He was a Legendary Warrior, a child who possessed Spirits from ancient Digimon which granted great elemental power. His Spirits granted power over the element of darkness.

"Oh hi Koichi! Are you here to watch the filming?" asked Yolei.

"Oh yeah," replied Koichi. "I've done my work so I'm taking a break."

The land suddenly grew dark, as though something was obstructing the sunlight. Koichi and Yolei looked up to see that a cloud had blanketed the sky. It seemed normal enough until, suddenly, several unknown objects descended from the cloud. They were demonic, bird-like creatures which the two kids had never seen before. They were birds with massive, inhuman heads with feathery wings. They had maws filled with sharp teeth and seemed to have a taste for flesh. From the head jutted the torso of a humanoid demon with bird talons for hands. These torsos also served as a clear indication of the gender of each individual demon.

The two children knew these creatures were hostile. "Watch out!" cried Yolei, as she dove for cover.

Seeing the threat, the Digimon workers dropped what they were doing and opened fire. Elemental blasts of all types filled the air, from fireballs to bolts of negative energy. A bolt of flame seared a bird demon's wing, knocking the monster straight into the water to drown. A ghost Digimon blasted another with negative energy that caused its body to bleed and lesion. Koichi took this moment to call upon his Spirits of Darkness to transform into a suitable fighting form.

The young boy was replaced by a being almost as demonic as the birds. The monstrous humanoid had a suit of black armour with the design of bones and demonic beasts on its limbs. The armour had secondary eyes on its joints and on the chest that seemed to move of their own volition. This evil-looking creature was Duskmon, a Digimon created by the power of the Human Spirit of Darkness. Duskmon unsheathed crimson kris blades from his gauntlets and sliced a bird in half.

To retaliate, Yolei invoked the power of a helmet-like artefact known as the Digiegg of Love. This helmet was actually an egg that was marked the symbol for that emotion, a heart. Using its power, Hawkmon Digivolved, or transformed, into a creature of greater power, Halsemon. As Halsemon, Hawkmon now bore a helmet similar to the one depicted by the Digiegg. With four sharp claws for legs, a sharp beak, and a sleek body covered by brown feathers, he was a agile beast that rushed to defend the artefact with preternatural speed.

The power of Love flowed through Yolei's body, lighting up its emblem on her forehead in strawberry red light. It granted her power over the element of air, allowing her to grow similarly coloured wings on her back. At the same time, the emblem of Sincerity appeared beside that of Love. Her body became encased in petrified wood that functioned as a protective suit of armour. Yolei followed Halsemon and Duskmon in as they raced to reach the artefact. They cut through waves of birds in an attempt to stop the attack on the Destiny Stone.

"They're going for the Destiny Stone! Stop them!" cried Duskmon desperately.

A Greymon, an orange tyrannosaur Digimon, stepped forward to defend this precious mystical artefact. Greymon blew out a fireball, blowing one of the attackers to pieces. A second came at the stone, which Greymon tore into with his toothy maw. Though the Digimon were far greater in power than any of the bird demons, the sheer number of the enemy made up for their weaknesses. More birds came at the Destiny Stone, forcing the Digimon guards to give ground in order to manage the deluge. However, the thieves soon overwhelmed these valiant Digimon and swarmed around the stone like flies to garbage.

Halsemon's eyes emitted rings of energy which overwhelmed several of the birds. Yolei supported her comrade by generating a fierce, miniature tornado repel the birds and made it difficult to approach the stone. Other birds swarmed Halsemon, who fought back desparately with rings of energy and crushing wind. Yolei amplified Halsemon's winds with her power, making them batter the birds more severely than ever. The birds latched onto the Destiny Stone and proceeded to tow it into the air.

"NO!" cried Yolei, but she pinned down by birds and unable to do anything about the theft.

"Oh no you don't!" cried Duskmon, who dove into the birds as a last ditch attempt to stop them. They snatched him by the shoulders and dragged him away. Eventually, he sliced his kidnapper in half, effectively freeing himself. The last thing he saw before landing on the ground were the birds passing into a disk of light in the sky. "Dammit!" cursed Duskmon, as he slammed his blade into the ground.

Yolei, Halsemon, and the Digimon mopped up the surviving birds. Moments later, the rest of the cast and crew of Digimon entered the scene, only to find the beach a total wreck. There were bodies everywhere, a few from injured Digimon and workers, but most from fallen birds. "If I find out who did this, I'm gonna kill them!" screamed Yolei.

Davis, the goggles-wearing Digidestined leader, looked over the mess. "Guess this means our show is on hiatus."

"I've always wanted a vacation anyways," commented Davis' partner Digimon, Veemon, a small blue dragon.

A blond boy in a fisherman's hat, TK, picked his way through the dead birds. "We can't let them get away with this!"

"You're right, that's why I want you to let me go get them," stated Yolei, still sore from her experience with the birds. "We can't all just pick up and leave here. The show must go on. I'll have my understudy fill in for me."

"You're going by yourself, Yolei?" asked the angelic girl, Kari.

"No, because I'm going with her," stated Koichi.

"You too, Koichi?" asked Davis.

"Yeah," replied Koichi simply. "You guys have an anime to film. I'm just a plain old worker. I'm easily replaced. You can spare me to go look for the Destiny Stone."

"Okay," agreed Davis. "Good luck you two and stay in touch. We want to know how you're doing."

"Bring us lots of gifts!" demanded Patamon, a flying brown guinea pig with bat wings, TK's partner Digimon.

"Bye guys! Wish us good luck!" Yolei waved to her friends.

Thus, Koichi, Yolei, and Hawkmon began their journey in earnest. The three returned home and packed their things in preparation for the big trip. The three reunited at the door to Yolei's apartment. They had no idea what lay ahead of them, but the road was sure to be rough and even dangerous. Little did they know that the theft of the Destiny Stone would lead to something much greater.




The heroes' investigation took them to a quaint Japanese styled village somewhere in the Digital World. All around was the chatter of Digimon working and Digimon children playing. Most of the Digimon in the city were one of two types. The first were the little green frogs with brass horns around their necks. These Digimon, the Gekomon, were the adults of the village and worked much like the peasants of feudal Japan. The others were Otamamon, little violet tadpoles and the children of the village. Their homes were dimunitive compared to the large height of Yolei and Koichi. They were far too small for any of them with the sole exception of Hawkmon.

"Is this the place?" asked Yolei.

"Yeah, the Digimon told us that the birds were nesting in this area. I heard they had chased away several Digimon from their home in the mountains. The survivors fled to this town," replied Koichi.

"Looks like we'll be evicting a few squatters today," remarked Hawkmon, in his normal, high-class British accent.

"Yep," agreed Yolei. "Let's ask around the village just to be certain."

The heroes located an injured baby dinosaur being tended to by one of the older Digidestined, Joe Kido. Joe was a blue-haired, intellectual boy that looked fairly mature for his age, despite only being in the mid-teens. His partner, Gomamon, was a cute seal with snow white fur and violet markings. The boy was tending to the wounds of an Agumon who had been injured during an escape. That Agumon was their lead to the birds' hiding spot.

"Joe!" cried Yolei to gain his attention.

"Oh hi Yolei! You're here about the birds aren't you?" asked Joe.

"Yeah," said Yolei. "I was hoping that the Agumon could tell us something."

"I'll tell you everything if you can get rid of the birds," offered the Agumon.

"Sure, tell us what you know," requested Hawkmon.

"We were living peacefully up in the mountains until three days ago. There was this big flash of light and the birds showed up. They attacked our homes in the northern mountains mercilessly. We tried to fight back but there were just too many of them. We ran and until we ended up here in the Gekomon village."

"I see, thank you very much, Agumon," said Yolei.

"After their last attack, I'm sure we've thinned out their numbers greatly," observed Koichi. "Their nest should be lightly guarded, so it should be easy to get the Destiny Stone and go home."

"Let's go! Destiny Stone, here we come!" cheered Yolei.

Yolei called upon the Digiegg of Love to Digivolve Hawkmon into Halsemon. The sleek, four-legged gryphon lifted her into the air and carried her northward to the mountains. Just split seconds later, Koichi invoked the power of his Beast Spirit of Darkness. The Spirit transformed him a massive demonic vulture. This three-eyed, violet vulture, Velgamon, was a terrifying creature to behold. Despite his fearsome, unholy appearance, he was actually on the side of good. The heroes flew their way northward until they spotted the birds hovering in the distance.

The heroes made their landing in the ruins of a Digimon village just at south of the foot of the mountains. The village was just like Agumon described. The houses had been torn to pieces and smashed up. There were chucks of wood, stone, and shards of shattered glass scattered everywhere. Some had been burned and scorched by the Digimon's counter attack in defence of their homes. It was a sad sight, but the heroes had to persevere or else they would encounter more examples of the scene before them.

The heroes moved to mountains as quietly and as stealthily as they could. They darted from bush to bush and from cover to cover to elude their demonic foes. Though Koichi was right in that the birds lost much of their number, there were still more than enough still present to guard their nest. They came across a valley where the birds seemed to gather in particularly greater numbers. From their cover behind thick brush, the heroes could see what looked like the opening of a portal shimmering in the distance. The portal was a technological contruct, an rounded arch crafted from steel and plastic wires. With their discovery of such an out of place object, they had hit paydirt in their investigation.

"That thing looks really strange," remarked Hawkmon on the portal. "Do think that these birds were sent by someone else out of the Digital World?"

"Yeah, they have to be," replied Yolei. "I've never seen anything like these creatures before."

"Same here. Just look at all those birds. There must be at least two dozen of them up there!" remarked Koichi.

"They must be guarding that portal for their leader," remarked Hawkmon. "They must have taken the Destiny Stone to the other side."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," observed Koichi. "I'm turning into Duskmon and sneaking around their back. When I give the signal, you and Hawkmon attack."

Koichi transformed into Duskmon and secretly made his way to the rear of the ranks of the birds. As the Warrior of Darkness, Duskmon had great powers over the element of darkness. He could create darkness whenever he wanted as well as control it to a great degree. He used these powers to great effect, melting into the shadows and later reforming from a new shadow elsewhere. He eventually wheeled around to the rear of the enemy group and emerged from the darkness. His secondary eyes light up with crimson energy for a Deadly Gaze attack.

In an instant, several beams of crimson negative energy burst forward, zapping many of the birds in the back. The survivors turned to face the dark warrior who pressed his attack to further aggravate them. The birds swarmed over him, but he fought ferociously in response. His kris blades leapt from bird to bird in a crimson dance of death. Yolei and Hawkmon took this time to begin their attack. The little hawk Digimon transformed into Halsemon again, ready to teach the bird brains not to mess with the Digidestined. He fired salvo after salvo of energy rings which knocked countless birds out of the sky. The bodies of the birds piled and piled up until not a single one remained.

The heroes operated the portal and stepped in. They found themselves in what looked like a field of grass in parts unknown. There were tents strewn around the portal site, but they had been long abandoned. A series of tire tracks led away from the camp and towards a city in the distance. At the centre of this city was a looming metal mesh radio tower. From this prominent landmark, this city was one of the many anime depictions of Tokyo City, Japan. The heroes looked around the camp, but found nothing that could give them any clues as to the identity of the thieves. Their only lead were the tire tracks on the ground.




Somewhere in this anime version of Tokyo, a young girl emerged from Reedington Elementary School, a typical school for pre-teen children. Classes were out for the day and the girl waved goodbye to her friends. She donned rollerblades, pads and skated her way back home. The Reedington area was a quiet section of Tokyo, named after a famous foreign wizard and luminary who lived in the area. The girl skated down moderately busy streets with shops and kids returning home.

This girl, Sakura Avalon, was only ten years of age. This brunette had red, beaded clips that held down locks of hair at her side. These beads looked almost like cherries in her hair. She wore the typical uniform of a girl of her school, a cute, sailor-like uniform. It consisted of a black top, a white mini-skirt, and a matching white hat. Despite being a seemingly ordinary girl, Sakura was actually a very powerful magician in her own right.

Her magic came from a set of magical, tarot-like cards called the Clow Cards. An invention of the famous Clow Reed, each card represented a force of nature or specific concept which could be called upon for aid. The Clow Cards granted varying powers from the summoning of elemental spirits to shaping magical energy into useful constructs. Through the Clow Cards, one gained a flexibility that was almost unmatched.

A small creature popped out of an opening in Sakura's backpack. He resembled a small, stuffed animal like a teddy bear. This creature had yellow fur and a pair of white, angelic wings. Going by the name of "Kero," this creature was Sakura's longtime friend and could also be considered her familiar. Appearance-wise, Kero may not be the most intimidating of creatures, but he had a vital role. He was also the guardian beast of the cards.

"Hey Sakura, you think Tory will make some chocolate cake for desert," asked Kero.

"I don't know," replied Sakura. "I'm sure whatever he makes will be great."

Suddenly, the skies darkened as several objects blotted out the sunlight. A frenzy of buzzing filled the air that seemed to draw closer to Sakura's location. The Clow mistress turned around to see a massive horde of what looked like wasps. However, they were not like any wasps she and Kero had ever seen. These demonic creatures were much larger than normal wasps by far. They were about the size of a rabbit. They had large crimson eyes indicating an intent to harm. Their stingers were massive and likely filled with a poison far more potent than their regular cousins.

"Run Sakura!" screamed Kero.

Sakura skated down the street as fast as she could. The demonic insects sped up in pursuit, intent on entrapping their quarry. Sakura skated harder than she had ever done in her life. Her adrenaline was pumping and her heart was pounding relentlessly from the sheer terror these horrid creatures instilled in her. The insects gained inch after inch on their prey before Sakura realized that escape was impossible. She turned around and activated the Key of the Clow, a small key chain like a bird's head. It grew large into magical staff which Sakura used to summon the Shield Card.

A globe of lucid light surrounded her body, protecting her from the stings of the hellish wasps. The Shield Card held out but Sakura didn't know how long that would be with these insects constantly hammering the barrier. She summoned the Firey Card, bringing a flaming female angel into being. The Firey Card incinerated several of the bugs, leaving ash and charred corpses behind. However, the insects turned their attention to the Firey Card and stung the angel in what could only be considered suicidal attacks. Each time they did so, the wasp was incinerated by the immense heat and flames of the angel. They managed to dissipate the offending spirit after sacrificing untold numbers of their swarm to the flames.

"Sakura, it's been nice knowing you..." commented Kero, fearing his death.

Sakura's power started to wane and she closed her eyes to brace herself for the inevitable. Instead of death, fortune smiled on her when a blur whizzed by, slicing a massive swath through the ranks of the insects. This surprise attack demolished much of the insects' numbers, though many still remained. Realizing she still lived, Sakura opened her eyes. Through the cloud of hellish wasps, she could see a black knight cutting through the ranks of the enemy. This demonic man fought with a fury and ferocity that Sakura viewed as being inhuman.

Several high pitched squeeks rang out nearby as rings of energy flew into the ranks of the bugs. The power of the rings sliced each insect it struck into pieces. The shooter, Halsemon, pelted the insects, eventually breaking the cloud that had surrounded Sakura. She breathed a sigh of relief to find that there were still some good Samaritans in the world. A miniature tornado suddenly formed down the street, scooping up hundreds of insects and battered them around like an eggbeater. The wasp population dwindled and dwindled with each kill scored by Sakura's saviours.

As the coup de grace, the dark warrior drew a circle in the air with his blades. The blades left a circle of red light which turned into a crimson moon. A burst of crimson energy erupted from the moon image and soared through the last remaining wasps, reducing them to ash. It stopped to reveal the dark warrior, who turned into a brooding, but handsome human boy. A girl in glasses rushed to join him, followed by a small hawk-like creature.

"Are you okay?" asked Yolei.

"I'm fine, thanks," replied Sakura. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Koichi. She is Yolei and he's Hawkmon," replied Koichi, indicating each member of his group.

"Hawkmon?" asked Sakura, as she took a good look at the little creature. She remembered her lessons on magical creatures as watching Digimon anime on TV. "You mean Hawkmon as in a Digimon?"

"Why yes," replied Hawkmon. "You seem to know about Digimon."

"Wow, a real live Digimon! You look cuter in person than on TV. I'm Sakura, and my friend here is Kero," greeted Sakura, showing Kero off.

"Yep, that's me!" replied Kero. "So you're Digidestined... What brings you to Reedington?"

"We were looking for some thieves who stole something very valuable to the Digital World; a Destiny Stone," informed Koichi. "We followed them here, but the trail seems to have gone cold."

"We saw you being attacked so we came to help," admitted Yolei. "Why would those bugs want to attack you?"

"I'm not sure myself," admitted Sakura.

"Why don't we invite them over for dinner?" suggested Kero. "It's not everyday you get to have celebreties over at your house. I'd like to talk with them more over dinner."

"If it's okay with you guys then, sure, that would be wonderful," replied Koichi.

Thus, Sakura and Kero ended up inviting the two Digimon heroes over for dinner. Upon reaching the home, Sakura's brother, Tory, invited them in. "Well hello cutey, I'm Yolei, nice to meet you!" greeted Yolei with a playful flirtatiousness.

"That's my brother Tory," said Sakura with a hint of ennui.

A second man in glasses came up to greet the guests. He looked very much like Sakura. "Hi Sakura, are these friends of yours?" asked the man, Sakura's dad, Aiden.

"Yeah, sort of..." replied Sakura. "I invited them over for dinner if that's okay. Kero and I wanted to talk to them."

"Sure, come in," said Aiden.

While seated around the table, the group began discussing the events that brought them together. Koichi, Yolei, and Hawkmon introduced themselves once again, and narrated their journey starting from the theft of the Destiny Stone at the hands of bird demons. After locating the lair of these creatures in some mountains, they used their portal and found an abandoned camp with tire tracks leading to Tokyo City. At that point the trail went cold. They were walking in the Reedington area when they found Sakura under attack and moved in to save her.

"You weren't hurt were you?" asked Aiden.

"Oh no, they saved me from the bees," said Sakura.

"It's a good thing you three were around to save the little squirt," said Sakura's brother, Tory.

"I noticed some kind of magic shield protecting you while we were fighting," remarked Hawkmon. "You have some special powers, don't you Sakura?"

"Sakura is a powerful magician," replied Kero. "Around here, certain people can use the magic of the Clow cards to do all sorts of wonderful things."

Kero gave a description of the Clow cards and how they were used. To use magic, Sakura activated the Key of the Clow, which enlarged itself into a rod. She then called the name of the card she wanted to use and the effect happened. Most Clow cards summoned a spirit of some kind which created the effects that Sakura desired. What happened depended on the actual card used. Against the bees, Sakura used the Shield card, which creates defensive barriers, and the Firey card, which summons a flaming angel.

"Cool!" remarked Yolei.

"I could see some people wanting to get the magic of these 'Clow cards' at any cost..." remarked Koichi.

"Yep, that's why Sakura has to keep a close guard on them in case of thieves," said Kero. "You said that your trail went cold?"

"That's right, we were hoping that someone could give us a lead," said Koichi.

"Hmm, sorry, I haven't seen anything like those birds or the Destiny Stone. However, I do know someone who might be able to help," said Kero. "His name is Clow Reed. He's a powerful magician. I'm sure he could point you in the right direction."

"Where can we find him?" asked Yolei.

"You can't find him. We'll have to take you to him," replied Kero.

"It's too late for you guys to bother Reed. You should visit tomorrow. For now, why don't you stay over for the night?" offered Sakura's father, Aiden.

"Thank you Mr. Avalon. We really appreciate all that you've done for us," said Yolei.

The father showed Koichi, Yolei, and to their rooms. Since the Avalon home was so small, the heroes had to share rooms with Tory and Sakura. Koichi shared Tory's room which was typical fare for a high school or college age man. Yolei was to share a room with Sakura, who fetched a set of futons from her dad's closet. Sakura's room was typical for a girl her age, with a desk for studies and stuffed dolls on the shelf that served as the bed's headboard. In her drawer, there was even a cute little bedroom for Kero to stay in during the night.

The next day, Sakura led the heroes down Reedington's streets to a mysterious shop. Its golden sign read "Reed's Mysticism" written in black ink. It as a building decorated by mystical symbols such as the pentagram. Reed's Mysticism had various occult items and equipment on display in its store window. They included exotic herbs, tonics, medallions, and scrolls. The store radiated an aura of magical power that everyone in her group could feel. Sakura led the heroes to the shopkeeper, who was waiting behind the payment counter. This shopkeeper was a young Japanese woman with long auburn hair, and a flirty, playful aura.

"Hi Ruby!" greeted Sakura.

"Oh hi Sakura!" greeted Ruby in return. "Are you here to see master Reed?"

"Yep," replied the young Clow card mistress. "I'm taking my friends to meet him."

"Sure, he's been expecting you. Go right on up to the portal," said Ruby.

"This way," said Sakura, gesturing to her entourage.

She led them to a silver mirror in one of the back rooms. This mirror had a silver frame with a series of runes engraved along its length. It cast out a strong magical aura that everyone could sense. Sakura attempted to walk into the mirror, which triggered the artefact's magical properties. A shimmering doorway appeared over the surface of the mirror, showing Clow Reed's abode on the other side. The heroes followed her in to find themselves in a home as strange as the store itself. They looked around and noticed strange art-like exhibits on display, one of which looked like a golden, gyroscopic representation of a solar system.

Sakura led them straight to her master, a middle-aged man reading some books in a chair. This intellectual man wore glasses, a set of long magician's robes, and had long black hair. He had a powerful, mysterious, and supernatural aura about him. This man was none other than Clow Reed, the great magician, and Sakura's mentor. A boy was waiting with Clow Reed in the room. This Chinese boy had brown hair and wore street clothes. He was clearly bored out of his mind sitting around in the room doing nothing.

"Shaoran, you're here too?" asked Sakura.

"That's right, Sakura, I called him here to meet you," announced Reed. "I take it that these people are Koichi, Yolei, and Hawkmon, am I right?"

"How do you know who we are?" asked Koichi.

"Simple, I foresaw your coming. You are here to find the Destiny Stone, correct?" asked Reed.

"Yeah," said Yolei. "We were wondering if you could give us any clues."

"I'm sorry, but no. The stone is somewhere beyond where my powers can reach. However, I'd rather we talk about an even greater matter, one that concerns everyone all of the anime worlds," suggested Reed mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" asked Yolei.

"There is a great darkness looming in the worlds of anime. This darkness, this evil, is like nothing anyone has ever seen. No Toon, no world, will be spared from its depredations," warned Reed. "Sakura, you've been attacked by its agents recently, haven't you?"

"Yeah, those bugs!" replied the mistress of the Clow with disgust.

"This evil is more powerful than anything that has ever set foot on the worlds," continued Reed. "However, there is hope. I have forseen that many, many people will band together to oppose this evil. Among them will be 108 very special individuals who stand above the rest. They will be the greatest leaders and most powerful heroes among those who oppose the darkness. They are known as the 108 Stars of Destiny."

Clow Reed gestured for a Clow card, making the Move Card appear in his hand. The tarot-like card depicted a table with a pair of large angelic wings. The card glowed momentarily and a rumbling approached the group. The sound came from a set of three granite tablets that radiated a light magical aura. These tablets had various words engraved on it that only Reed could understand. Under the strange words were the names of some people that the heroes weren't familiar with.

"These tablets mark the names of the 108 stars and the individual that holds the position of that star," continued Reed. "The leftmost tablet lists the 36 Stars of Heaven, or Heavenly Leaders, who will lead the armies against the darkness. The other two list the names of the 72 Stars of Earth, or Earthly Warriors, people of these armies who will distinguish themselves as well as those who play a more supportive, but important role in the war nonetheless."

Suddenly, a set of names appeared on the tablets. Koichi's named appeared under the slot for the "Tenyu" star on the Heavenly Leaders tablet. "Hey! That's my name!"

At the same time, Yolei and Hawkmon's name appeared under the "Tenmou" star designator on the same tablet. "We have the same star?" asked Yolei.

"Yes, you may be two different individuals, but you are not complete without the other," replied Reed.

More names appeared on the tablets, this time Sakura's under the Chiku star, Shaoran under the Chiyou star, and even Clow Reed under the Chizen star. All of them were on the Earthly Warriors' tablets. "Us too?" asked Shaoran.

"Yeah," replied Reed. "All of us are individuals who stand against the darkness. Koichi, Yolei, Hawkmon, by searching for the Destiny Stone, you have placed yourselves in direct conflict with this evil. Sakura, after you resisted its attack yesterday, you too have become another one of this evil's opponents. That is why I called you here today, Shaoran. I want you to travel with the others and help them."

"Of course, Master Reed," said Shaoran.

"You have a very important task to complete. At this moment, there is a place that is under siege by the darkness," informed Reed. "There, you can find others who will join you, as well as more information on the true nature of this evil."

"What is this place?" asked Hawkmon.

"It is a temple where dragon priests worship their god. It is in the fantasy world of 'Slayers,' which is much like the worlds in those role-playing games out there today. The Slayers world is a low-tech world where people practice magic different from the kind we use. I will open a gateway to this location with my power."

"We will, thank you very much master Reed," said Koichi.

"Oh, one more thing," interjected Reed. "Whatever you do there, do not attempt to use the Slayers world magic unless you are doing it from an artefact of some kind."

"Got it," replied Shaoran.

"Why not?" asked Sakura.

"Remember your lessons, Sakura, and you will understand," replied Reed.

Sakura tried to recollect the lesson her master, Clow Reed, taught her. She remembered sitting in front of Reed as he lectured about the nature of various powers in other worlds. He came onto the topic of the Law of Exponential Paradox. Simply put, it said that using the powers of a foreign world caused a clash with powers already present in an individual, resulting in harmful backlashes. The consequences were unpredictable, which made power duplication a real gamble where the house always wins in the end.

In this case, if she tried to cast the magic of the Slayers world, any of a number of things could happen. She could lose control of the spell, become mutated, or even forget how to use Clow magic entirely. There were only a few exceptions to this rule, mostly involving Science powers and the use of artefacts. If she used an artefact with a pre-programmed effect, like a magic wand, she could use the power safely. In his lesson, Reed recommended that one should always use an artefact created by the natives if Sakura wanted to use their magic.

"The Law of Exponential Paradox!" answered Sakura.

"Sheesh, I knew that one already!" mocked Shaoran.

"Now, now, Shaoran, it's a good thing she remembered. It could have been very dangerous for you all if she forgot and then tried to use Slayers magic after seeing someone else do it. The same goes for you too, Koichi, Yolei, and Hawkmon," warned Clow Reed sternly. "Don't use their powers and you'll be safe."

"Okay, we won't use their magic," replied Koichi.

"Good," said Clow Reed. "Take this pin. It will let you communitcate with me." Reed attached a golden pin to Sakura's collar. "I will now open the way to the temple Good luck to you all!" Reed called upon the Return, Time, and Move cards. Weaving the powerful magics of these Clow cards together, Reed created a shimmering portal of silver light. He waved as the heroes entered the portal to great adventures on the other side.

END OF CHAPTER

New Stars of Heaven/Heavenly Leaders:
#6 Tenyu, Star of Heroic Ferocity: Koichi Kimura (Digimon)
#7 Tenmou, Star of Swift Courage: Yolei & Hawkmon (Digimon)

New Stars of Earth/Earthly Warriors:
#61 Chizen, The Silent Star: Clow Reed (Cardcaptors)
#83 Chiyou, The Magic Star: Shaoran Li (Cardcaptors)
#87 Chiku, The Empty Star: Sakura Avalon/Kero (Cardcaptors)