Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Ethereal ❯ Sword Wielder ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter XIII

Wood was the main foundation of the house. Inside there were rooms the size of gymnasiums and small gardens that appeared and disappeared depending on the time of day. Usually there was a lone fountain in front of the entrance, however, during the night when the moon was full, it would spurt water suddenly and continue doing this until daybreak.

The most bizarre thing had to be the rooms, though. Each one had its own unique feature. For instance, no matter how many times a person went through the house, Piximon's quarters were never discovered. There was also one room that once when you went into, it completely engulfed you, leaving you standing in an endless abyss of blue. The only way out was for someone on the outside to open the door. In that same room time seemed to slow down dramatically and if one stayed their long enough, images and memories that were long abhorred would surface. It was enough to drive someone insane let alone lose themselves completely to the tormenting images.

Piximon's house was a complete funhouse.

Takeru had arrived there half conscious being supported by none other than Aero. Then there was nothing for quite a while. When he had awoken, he found himself in a white room floating in midair with nothing else around him. His arm was still bleeding and drops of blood would occasionally obscure the whiteness below him only to dissolve into the abyss after a few seconds. Takeru also found himself immobilized in that lying position and it greatly annoyed him until, with a sudden bang, a hole was opened up in the room-a hole that largely resembled a door. It was like a catalyst and the whiteness in the room disappeared altogether immediately, leaving Takeru floating now in darkness until a figure at the door came over to him.

Naturally, it was Piximon and he greeted Takeru with a wide grin. With a wave of his staff, Takeru soon found himself sprawled out painfully on the ground.

"Well, I think you've had enough time to recuperate in here. It's time for you to come on out now!" he exclaimed cheerfully before the entire room disappeared from around them. They now stood in a room that looked almost like a ballroom with an ornate chandelier in the center of the ceiling and the great vastness of floor space. A few chairs were placed around the middle of the room and there was a merry fireplace towards the back of the room.

Takeru still found himself unable to stand up and looked up at Piximon inquisitively. The red digimon stared back at him blankly before laughing suddenly. "Oh! Yes, I forgot! You still can't move," he remarked, snapping his fingers. Takeru felt a warm tingly feeling run through his body and soon was able to stand up stiffly. He looked down at his arm and noticed that it had stopped bleeding, though now the codes that ran up from his wrist to his elbow was a bright and fury crimson color; it also now covered half his forearm. Takeru could barely move his fingers without feeling a sharp pain.

"That room you were in was used only to help prevent the poison from spreading throughout the rest of your body. Don't worry. The poison's dormant now but that arm will not be very useful anymore," came Piximon's voice.

Takeru looked down at his arm and raised it to his face, examining the codes carefully. He was grateful the intense pain he felt earlier was now gone but Piximon's words rang through his ears like a dragging reminder. That arm will not be very useful anymore… Takeru looked at Piximon and narrowed his eyes.

"You said it could be overcome."

Piximon blinked in slight surprise and hid a smile. "Did I?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Your eyes said it," replied Takeru calmly as he watched the small digimon before him warily. Piximon was known for his puzzling games and riddles yet Takeru was always able to see straight through his antics and find the truth. If there was anything he could do to regain the strength in his arm, he would do it.

"It's really quite simple. All you have to do is try to ignore the pain whenever you use your arm. Mind you, the pain is quite intense but with the right mind and attitude, you could overcome it. The codes that circle your arm are evidence of the ghost's poison, though now it is inactive. It still is enough to paralyze it completely, however, if you don't learn to deal with it."

Takeru frowned and looked down at his arm. "So I just have to use my arm as I normally would?"

"Oh, it's going to take much more than that, Takeru. You're going to have to do some extensive training with that arm. Something like wielding a sword would do well and if you keep doing it, you could overrun the poison's effects," continued Piximon.

"Wielding a sword…?"

This time Piximon laughed and did a flip in the air. "Yes, of course! It is an excellent weapon to learn and it will be very effective in the healing of your arm. However, there is a time limit. The poison that did manage to affect you will eventually take complete hold of your arm in probably two months at most. Then it will be impossible to ever use your arm again," he replied. "Besides, I was planning on teaching all of you how to fight anyhow. It's a very reliable skill to have. After all, you can't always depend on your powers."

"Where are the others?"

"They're probably trying to find their way over here. I would have left you with them but with your condition, you probably wouldn't have made it," Piximon answered brightly before floating off. Takeru followed him warily.

"I assume that getting here will be more of a task than you make it seem."

Piximon winked at Takeru. "You're quick at intake, Takeru. A very good skill to have!" he exclaimed with a grin. He sighed and then flew towards the door. "You can help yourself and wander around as freely as want. When the others come, though, that's when the real training begins. Oh, and be cautious around some of the rooms here. They can be quite gravitating."

Takeru didn't know how to respond to this and just kept quiet as Piximon left the room. He stood still for a few more moments before picking up his pace and leaving the room. Once he was out Takeru took one last glance at the wide room and closed the doors silently. Sighing, he turned and began loitering down the hall, opening whichever door appeared most interesting to his eye. Oh, and be cautious around some of the rooms here. They can be quite gravitating. Piximon's words echoed in his mind like a constant reminder whenever he peered into one room or another. It created constant questions in Takeru's minds. How could a room be gravitating? And what would happen if he went into these types of rooms? Stopping at one door, Takeru looked it over carefully. The door was in a shape of an arch with vines and wooden figurines of butterflies and faeries decorating the handle and about the height of Takeru's shoulders. The color of the wood was a rich mahogany and there was small circular opening in the center to which Takeru bent down to peer through.

There he saw green. Green plants, green flowers, and even green light. Takeru narrowed his eyes a bit more and saw that there were other colors as well, though they were off in the distance. Suddenly something blocked his view and Takeru found himself greeted by another large yellow eye. Gasping, he leapt away from the door and fell to his knees in shock. The eye still stared at him from the hole and Takeru could distinctly hear a chuckle.

"What…?"

"It's been a while hasn't it, Takeru?"

Stunned, Takeru blinked a few times before standing up slowly. With a steady hand he turned the handle and the door swung open slowly, revealing the creature on the other side. Long and slim with silver scales glittering an odd pale green because of the light and sagacious yellow eyes regarding him like an old friend-Aerodramon.

Smiling immediately, Takeru greeted the dragon digimon with a hug. "Aero," he murmured into the mane of white hair. The dragon muzzled him back before pulling away, eyes glittering brightly. Then without a word, Aero took Takeru's sleeve in his mouth and pulled him deeper into the green wonderland. The blond followed after hastily closing the door, finding that once he did the door simply melted away into the background. For a second Takeru panicked but was reassured when Aero looked at him, eyes laughing at him. "I assume you know the way back," he muttered more to himself. Aero nodded and led Takeru to a small clearing.

It was a miraculous place really. The sky was a pale green mixed with yellow and blue and there was no sun but the sky itself seemed to be the one casting the mysterious glow on everything there. The plants were an abundance of different sorts, ranging from lime green to a dark emerald shade. As they journeyed over the ground, Takeru noticed that it was the only part that was not green whatsoever. It was the normal color of dirt-an earthy rich tone of brown. Takeru didn't know whether to find this amusing or not. A little farther off the scenery changed drastically and Takeru could make out more colors. It was like admiring a painting from a distance.

"This is Piximon's main garden," stated Aero simply. Takeru looked at him dubiously and stared up at the sky.

"Is it…?"

"It is enclosed if that was what you were going to ask. Piximon would never leave a place like this outside. There are too many digimon that would take advantage of it."

Takeru narrowed his eyes. "Take advantage of it?" he murmured.

"Yes, young Takeru. There are many useful herbs and plants here that can produce miraculous potions. But that's not the reason why you're here," interjected a new voice.

Takeru turned around and found himself face-to-face with a short digimon about the height of his waist with a pointed hat and a scarf that covered the lower part of its face. The blond blinked in surprise. The digimon was a friend of Gatomon, though his name was one that Takeru couldn't quite recall at that moment. All he could think about was why he had appeared before him and Aero, and he voiced that question aloud.

The digimon merely laughed. "I'm here on a request from Piximon. You could say I'm here to help train you and the rest of the Destined," he replied enigmatically. Takeru stared at him for a while before closing his eyes in thought. He had a sixth sense about people on whether or not they were telling the truth. This digimon, he decided, was being honest.

"What's your name?"

"Oi…you forgot?"

"It's been four years."

"Ah yes, true…"

The digimon looked at Takeru amusedly, but the latter failed to notice it and stared back at him dully. Finally the digimon bowed gracefully, politely taking off his hat with a flourish. "The name is Wizardmon," he announced. Takeru blinked and the name registered clearly in his mind. He often remembered how Gatomon spoke of him so fondly.

"I remember now," he murmured quietly. Wizardmon nodded and walked over to Takeru, waving his staff. Instantly the blond felt as if his right arm became a dead weight. He looked down at it in wonder and found that he couldn't lift it at all. "What did you do?" he inquired softly, his voice betraying the confusion he felt.

"Catch."

Takeru looked up just in time to see Wizardmon toss him what appeared to be a sword. Instinctively, Takeru raised his left arm and caught it with his hand before grimacing in pain and dropping it suddenly. He stared at the weapon for a while before glaring up at the digimon. He felt Aero curl up behind him in support. "Reason?" he demanded in a cold tone, one that surprised Wizardmon.

"Hm…whatever happened to that happy, polite boy I knew?" he asked himself before turning his focus on Takeru. "Well, I put that spell on your right arm because I wanted you to work only with your left-the one that's injured. If you want to recover completely, you're going to have to learn to deal heavily with the pain," he continued, eyeing Takeru severely.

The blond was no longer looking at Wizardmon. Instead, his gaze was now turned to the fallen sword before him. Wizardmon watched as he slowly took it into his hand, trembling slightly but still steady. The digimon could only imagine the agony this movement caused Takeru and sympathized the best he could. Finally Takeru held the handle of the sword tightly in his left hand and showed no signs of strain in his face, yet Wizardmon knew it was just a mask.

"What now?"

Smiling to himself, Wizardmon mentally applauded Takeru. He has determination, this one… If all the rest of the Destined are like him, then we won't have to worry about Pathogen for much longer. He looked at Aero and noticed that the dragon held a certain gleam in his eyes as he watched Takeru-pride? It would be the logical thing. Aero respected Takeru and cared for him as a close friend. After all, Takeru was the one who saved him so many years ago.

"Well, now I teach!" Wizardmon exclaimed, clapping his hands once.

The scenery changed and soon the trio found themselves standing in a plain field with tall grass swaying in the breeze. Takeru looked around with some bewilderment and Wizardmon decided to answer his question before he asked it.

"We're still in Piximon's garden by the way, just in a different region; his garden stretches over many miles," he remarked lightly.

Takeru blinked and then he and Aero shared a look that the digimon couldn't quite comprehend. But when Takeru looked at him again, Wizardmon could see the focus and sheer determination in his eyes. The look both surprised and invoked some awe in the digimon. He has definitely changed… Ah, Piximon you were right. He is going to be something to work with, he mused.

Snapping out of his reverie, Wizardmon put on the fierce look he was known for and directed Takeru. "First we're just going to deal with how to hold the sword in general. There are many different stances, but I'm just going to go over the basic ones today. Tomorrow we shall start with defense and then gradually move onto offense," he began. He walked over to Takeru and tapped the sword he was holding. "Now raise it a little higher… This is a defensive stance. After you master using your left arm, we will go onto using your right arm. And I assure you, it's much easier on the right since that it as the arm you are used to."

Takeru did as he was told, wincing very slightly whenever he applied more pressure to his hold on the sword. Piximon and Wizardmon were definitely accurate on the "it's going to hurt like hell" bit. He could barely focus on what Wizardmon was saying to him about mastering the sword and then moving onto his right. All he wanted to do was just drop the forsaken sword but something in him kept with it. Perhaps it was just stubbornness but he was not going down without a fight. The pain was agonizing but his will was too strong for it to bring him down at this point.

"The sword is an elegant weapon but can be very destructive depending on the wielder. I'm not here to teach you to kill with the sword but merely to defend you or anyone else that will need it. It's the same with your powers. You must never use them to kill when it's not necessary. I know Piximon has told you this in the past but it's a very critical thing to remember."

"I know."

The words were barely gritted out of Takeru's teeth as he held the sword as steadily as he could with his left arm. It was a heavy weapon despite the fact that it was so thin and Takeru was only allowed to use one marred arm. He turned all of his attention to Wizardmon as he gave his lecture in an attempt to "ignore the pain," as Piximon said to him before.

"Do you now? Then let us begin. I want to first see how your overall reflexes are so I'm going to be throwing some rocks at you. I want you to hit as many as you can with that sword, understand? Good."

Some rocks turned out to be a spell of dozens of large pebbles thrown at Takeru at different speeds and direction. The blond nearly cursed aloud when he saw how many Wizardmon had conjured up. The digimon merely looked at him in an almost childlike glee before sending them at Takeru. They raced through the air and no matter how many Takeru managed to hit, five more seemed to hit him. The pain in his arm also intensified but now that Takeru was focused on trying to hit the flying assailants, he did not notice it nearly as much as before. Wizardmon watched the concentration in Takeru's eyes and smiled to himself. He just takes everything that's given to him without question or complaint. My, my, he's going to be bruised tomorrow. The digimon winced when one large stone managed to land smack down on Takeru's injured arm. The boy nearly dropped the sword in shock and pain but gritted his teeth together and continued on with the exercise.

Wizardmon then put an end to the practice and nodded at Takeru. "Hm…yes, not bad at all. Your reflexes are pretty good for a human that's never had practice in this sort of thing. We do, however, need to build up some strength in that arm because I've noticed that it has been drooping lower and lower with every swing…" he drawled on, much to the dissatisfaction of Takeru.

He listened to Wizardmon but inside he just wanted to get everything over and done with. As the smaller digimon began another lecture, Takeru let his gaze wander to the bright blue sky in that particular region. He remembered the others and what Piximon had told him. They're trying to find their way here… I know that's going to be a difficult journey. For a strange moment, Takeru felt a certain longing to be where they were. Despite that nearly half of them still had missing memories, at least they were all together. Sooner or latter they would remember everything. It felt odd for him to be estranged from them. Takeru closed his eyes and lowered his head. I suppose it's for the best. We'll all be here together soon enough. That thought reassured the blond very little-especially when he remembered Daisuke. The look the dark-haired boy had shot him when they first reunited again was mind-blowing. It was full of anger and such enmity. It hurt Takeru to remember so he shook his head and looked up to see Wizardmon glaring at him.

"Takeru, this is a very serious situation! I'm trying to help train you to be prepared for your confrontation with Pathogen and you're dazing off somewhere! Goodness knows…"

Hiding a sigh, Takeru thought to himself. This is going to be a long day…

TBC