Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Maiden of Light ❯ Interlude 2 The Crest of Evil ( Chapter 11 )

This chapter begins where the previous interlude left, which is the day after Alice's nightmare. The exact time will become clear when you start reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own "Digimon" or the characters, used in this story. They belong to someone else (I don't know who and I don't really care), so don't sue.

I own only what I have created (which isn't much).



" " - speech
** ** - thoughts (if any)
< > - change in place and/or time
* * * * * * - prophecy
~ ~ - telepathy
`Zeon's words/thoughts'


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Interlude 2: The Crest of Evil


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<Approximately six months before Alice's trip to the central sector>

Few hours later Dellia returned to her island. She had successfully found and retrieved all parts of her data she had previously discovered by using her pool. With the partial restoration of her power the color of her skin had changed and was now closer to the color of a normal white person, although it still was too pale.

**Ah, that's better. Much better. Now that Anubismon won't be a problem even with my Crest in her possession. I'll take a short rest before I take back what is rightfully mine. And while I'm here I'll take a quick look at the worlds just in case I missed something the first time. Or someone.**

Dellia pointed her hand at the pool's surface. As before, her hand glowed with purple light, shortly followed by the pool itself. Images started to appear. The first one was the image of Anubismon's location.

**What? She's gone! But where did she go? Wait a second, what if…**

She didn't finish. Another image appeared. Dellia sighed. **So it is as I suspected. The Shadows of Darkness have summoned her and have boosted her power a little. I see they have also given her some guards. Obviously they won't let me take back my Crest so easily.**

~ Looking for your Crest, Dellia? ~

~ … ~

~ Well, if you agree to serve us again, you will get it back. ~

~ Serve you? Never! I served you long enough. I will NOT serve you ever again. And if you don't give me back my Crest this very instant, then I will take it by force. No other digimon has ever had power as great as mine and you know it. ~

~ That is true, but you don't have your true power yet. And with the Crest of Evil in our hands you will never get it back. Unless you agree to serve us. We are willing to forget what you did in the past and how you rebelled against our rule over this world if you come to us, kneel and subdue. ~

~ Never! I will rule this and all other worlds. Everyone will bow before me. And you can do nothing to prevent this. Now stop wasting my time. Return my Crest immediately! ~

~ Is this your final answer? Very well. So be it. As for your Crest, if you want it, come and get it. If you can. ~

~ If I can? You think you can stop me? Ha! ~

~ We can and we will. ~

~ We shall see. ~ She smiled. ~ We… shall… see. ~

**Restoring my power may take longer than I thought. No matter. I'm not in a hurry. Now let's see what else of interest I can find.**

Dellia started looking at the pictures shown by the pool again. Soon she saw another digimon that attracted her attention.

**Asuramon? The same Asuramon that dared to challenge Zhuqiaomon long ago, when I still was learning and gaining power? I remember he could digivolve to a number of different Mega digimon. But I thought the Sovereigns destroyed him. Looks like I was wrong. That would certainly explain the destruction in the South sector. It is, after all, the one ruled by that stupid arrogant bird. Whatever happened there I am sure he is responsible. I can barely wait until Asuramon and the Sovereigns meet again. I will enjoy watching them fight like they did before. His presence will add to the total chaos that will follow when the war begins. All the better for me.**

The Empress returned her attention to the pool. It didn't take long to find another interesting scene. **Poor little Palmon. Mistreated by her DigiDestined child because the girl is crazy about angels. I wonder if such behavior is common in the East sector? If yes, then the sector isn't as well defended as I though. After all, it doesn't matter how many DigiDestined there are as long as I can crush them with ease. I think I`ll keep watching over that particular Palmon and the other digimon in that world. Something good may come out of it.**

After the last thought she redirected her attention to the other sectors. The first one was the South. **Something has happened in the digital world. But I can find no clue what exactly. Maybe I can find the information in the real world.** Dellia turned her attention to the human world. **Interesting. Whatever happened in the digital must've affected also the human world. The damage caused isn't even half as bad, but that is of no importance. Now let's see if I can find anything helpful.**

An hour later Dellia had found the Hypnos towers and had seen the people working there. One woman attracted her interest. **That woman… looks like she has suffered a persona loss recently and is taking it badly. By using the power of the Dark Ocean I can reach her undetected by anyone. Maybe she can give me the answers I seek. Or at least tell me where to find them. It will take time, but that is something I have. First however I will finish my search.**

After finding nothing more in the South sector she moved to the West. **Something has happened there as well. I wonder what? Oh, well, whatever it was it is over now. I'll worry about it later.** Next was the North sector. **Nothing. At least nothing that would interest me.** And finally the Central. **Hmm. That Ophanimon I saw before seems to be searching for the Zeons. I better keep an eye on her. If she gets too many, she might become a threat to me, especially with all her servants.** With that her search ended. **Funny. I saw no sign of GravePhantomon. I wonder what happened to him? Someone must've destroyed him. Well, there is nothing I can do about it now.**

Of course, a careful step-by-step search of all sectors was out of the question. It would take months at least. This quick look was all she could afford for the moment. **I just hope I didn't miss anything important. Now let's see what this woman I saw before is doing.** The woman in question was just going home after the end of the workday. Dellia watched her all the way to her place. **Looks like she has a sister. And they love each other more than anything. It is also obvious that her sister is taking whatever has happened quite heavily too, but not as much as this woman. Good. I think I know a good way to take advantage of this fact, get the information I need and one other thing.**

Dellia turned away from the pool, opened a portal to the Dark Ocean, and stepped through it.

A young woman with sky blue eyes and long black straight hair that reached to the middle of her back was walking down the street on the way to her home. Her name was Yukina Sayama. She wasn't paying attention as to where exactly she was going because she was lost in her grief. Less than a month ago her mother had died and Yukina was taking it very badly. It had affected her work somewhat, but her boss and her colleagues had understood how she feels so they weren't pushing her and unlike her salary her work time had been cut shorter. As usual the woman didn't bump into anyone despite her lack of attention. For years she had been walking around with only a small part of her mind focused on where she was going. So she had developed instincts that helped her avoid collision with other people.

Yukina was one of the people working at Hypnos. She had gone to work there shortly after the D-reaper accident and was doing quite well so far, which was another reason why her superiors were so understanding. Her home wasn't far from the Hypnos towers, which is why she went to work and back home by walking all the way.

Soon Yukina reached her home and entered. She was greeted by a young woman on the age of twenty-two. The woman had sea blue eyes and hair with the color of gold that reached to her shoulders. Her name was Yumi Sayama and she was Yukina's older sister. Now that their mother had passed away Yumi was the only family Yukina had. They loved each other a lot and always helped one another when possible. Yumi was taking their loss badly, but not as bad as Yukina.

"Hi, sis. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Yuki. How are you? Do you need anything?"

"Nothing right now. All I need is some time alone. If someone calls I'll be in my room."

Without another word Yukina left the room and retreated to her own.

**Oh, Yukina. I can't bear to see you like this. You were so full of life. But ever since mom died you keep getting further and further away from me and everyone else around you. When are you going to go back to your old self?**

Once inside her room, Yukina dropped on the bed on her back, closed her eyes and returned to her memories about her mother.

**Oh, mom. Why did you have to die? Why? Why did you have to leave us so soon? You were so young, you had years before you. We were so happy together. You, Yumi and me. Why did you have to die?**

Memories flooded her mind. Some from the time when she had been a kid, some from the last years. With the memories her grief from the loss got worse.

Some time later (Yukina had no idea how much time it had been; it could've been minutes or hours) she felt something isn't right. She opened her eyes and prepared to get off the bed. But the moment her legs touched the floor she felt her feet are in water. She looked down and saw that they really were. The ground was flooded with dark water. It was centimeters deep, but this fact was of no importance. Its very presence made Yukina get up from the bed intent on investigating all this. But as soon as she was off the bed, the room around her simply… dissolved… and vanished from her sight. She took a look around, but saw no one.

**What the…?**

Yukina realized she wasn't in her room anymore. She had no idea where she was, but it was obvious it is someplace else. She was at the shore of what looked like some kind of dark ocean. The world around her was dark, no light to be seen.

"Where am I? What is this place?"

"You are in the Dark Ocean, in the World of Darkness." Came the answer from someone (or something) above her. She looked up and saw a girl floating down. The girl landed a meter in front of the young woman.

"Who… What are you?"

"Call me Dellia. I am the most powerful digimon you have ever seen."

"You're a digimon? You look more like a human."

"I look the way I like. But it seems you know what a digimon is. Good, because I need some answers about digimon."

"Answers? And you are hoping to get them from me? Why should I answer your questions?"

"Because you are at my mercy, as is your sister. I am the one who brought you here. Only I can bring you back. And no one can protect you or your sister from me."

"My sister?"

"Yes. I could go and kill her. Right now, if you want. I'll even let you choose the way she'll die. I could simply tear her apart with my bare hands. I could easily do that. Or…" She held up her right hand. A small ball of black energy appeared in it and was thrown at the ocean near by. The moment it touched the water it exploded. The explosion was far more powerful than the ball's size would suggest. "Or something else. It is up to me and you to decide."

Yukina felt terrified. First she had lost her mother. Now this digimon (she had no doubt the "girl" is one) was threatening to kill her sister too. And she obviously had the power to do so. "No! Please, do whatever you want with me, but don't hurt my sister. She's all I have left!"

"I want answers. Help me get them and you'll have nothing to worry about."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise. And unlike some other digimon I always keep promises. If you help me get what I want no harm will come to you or your sister. At least not from me. I might even protect you from someone who's trying to hurt you." **I always keep my promises. But not necessarily the way people expect. I won't hurt you or your sister. But I can always send NeoDevimon to kill you both once I have him back at my service. Not that I see a reason to do so. I have another, much better use for you, my dear. Much better indeed.** She smiled inside of her, but it didn't show in any way on the outside.

"Very well. What do you need to know?"

"First tell me about yourself and your family. I'd like to know who am I dealing with. But be quick. The base stuff will do for now. Oh, and by the way, DON'T lie to me. I have my ways to learn the truth. If you lie to me, soon I will find out. And I'll make you regret it."

"I… don't know where to start…"

"How about a proper introduction?"

"Oh. Right." Yukina introduced herself formally.

"Yukina. A beautiful name. Just like you. You are fortunate I am not a man, or else I would have jumped on you by now. But please don't let me distract you. Proceed."

"Uh… thanks." Yukina thought for a minute what to say next, then started talking. It took her just five minutes to tell the girl what she wanted. There wasn't that much to tell anyway.

"That is all? Good. Now let's get to the reason you are here in the first place. In your digital world something has happened recently. I want to know what. Tell me everything you can."

"Well, I still don't know everything, but I will tell you what I have learned so far." Yukina started talking. It took her a couple of hours to finish. When her tale was over, she shut up and waited for further questions.

"Tamers, you say? Interesting. It seems the tamers are no longer just an idea of mine."

"An idea of yours?" The woman was shocked, to say the least.

"Well, yes. Long ago, in my imagination I created the tamers. But I never turned them into more than a fantasy because I never got the chance. I never told anyone about my idea, but it seems that despite this fact there are tamers now. Another proof that destiny has its ways. But enough about me. Are you sure you know nothing more about this… D-reaper… and the war that caused so much destruction?"

"I'm sorry, but that is all I have learned so far. Is there something else you need?"

"Hmmm. Well, you gave me the answers I needed. There is no denying that. And something tells me you are not lying or trying to hide anything from me. I am pleased. Very much. In fact, I think you deserve a reward."

"A reward? Well, I… that is very generous of you, but no reward is needed. Really."

"Oh, but I insist. You earned your reward. It isn't much, but it will help you overcome whatever perils the future holds for you. I'm sure your success will make your sister happy. You want her to be happy, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Good. Then there is no reason to object against my little reward."

"I guess so. What is it anyway?"

"This." Dellia rose up her left hand. In it was something small and black. It probably had been there the whole time, but had remained unnoticed. Yukina saw it for a brief second so she couldn't take a good look at it.

"What is that?"

The girl smiled. "Your reward, as I already said." She moved and positioned herself behind the young woman. "Now just show me your neck for a second."

"My neck?"

"Yes. Hurry up. We don't have all day."

Since she had no choice Yukina did as asked of her. "Good. Now this will probably hurt for a few seconds, but nothing more." As soon as she said that Yukina felt something touching the skin of her neck. She felt horrible pain in her whole body. As promised it lasted just for a few seconds, although they had felt more like ages. Somehow she managed to stop herself from screaming.

"There. Now my work here is finished."

"So I am free to go?"

"Yes. Just close your eyes for a few seconds. When you no longer feel water around your feet, open them and you will find yourself in your room. Oh, by the way, need I tell you what will befall you and your sister if you tell anyone about this?"

Yukina closed her eyes. "I won't tell anyone." At first nothing happened, but then the feeling of water suddenly vanished. She opened her eyes and found herself standing in her room. Everything looked like a bad dream. Or, better said, a nightmare.

**Wha… what happened? Was it real? Or was it just a dream? Well, whatever the truth, I'm glad it's over now.**

Boy, was she wrong!

Dellia returned to her island in a very good mood.

**Excellent. Now it is only a matter of time until my dark spore takes full control of Yukina. Soon she will be my servant, ready to die for me. Until then I will decide whether or not to implant one in her sister as well. But there is enough time for this. Now let's see how is my little Palmon.**

She went to her pool and started looking at the images shown. It turned out she was just on time.

Palmon was waiting for her DigiDestined to return. Her human partner was twelve-years-old girl by the name of Mariana. They had been together for nearly half a year now. Palmon had always been treated well. But for some reason Mariana spent little time with her digimon. The rookie had seen other kids and their digimon and to her it looked like she was seeing her partner for too short periods of time. She had also noticed the way Mariana spoke of angels and how she was looking at angel digimon and their DigiDestined.

At first Palmon had considered all this a product of her imagination and had tried to convince herself everything is just fine. She had succeeded in doing so, but only for a little bit. As time had passed Mariana's disappointment of having a plant digimon had become quite obvious and impossible to ignore. But Palmon was hoping that this would change when the two get to know each other better. After all they were a DigiDestined and her digimon. Her hopes were two minutes away from being shattered forever.

Mariana finally returned home, much to Palmon's delight. The small plant enjoyed every second she spent with her partner. To her surprise however the girl wasn't alone. A boy the rookie had never seen before was with her.

"Hi, Palmon. How are you?"

"I'm fine, now that you're back. I missed you."

"Not too much, I hope. We won't be seeing each other very often from now on."

Palmon looked at Mariana confused. "We won't? What do you mean? I don't understand."

The girl pointed to the boy with her. "This is Hiriko. He's going to be your partner from now on."

"My partner? But you are my partner." The plant looked at the boy confused. He looked two or three years older than Mariana. In his hands was a Patamon who had remained unnoticed by the rookie so far. **A Patamon? Don't they digivolve into Angemon?** Suddenly she remembered all her fears about her partner not wanting her and wanting an angel instead and she felt very worried, but didn't let it show.

"I was your partner. Just like Patamon was Hiriko's. But we made an exchange. From now on Hiriko is going to be your DigiDestined and I'm going to be Patamon's. We decided this will be best for both of us."

Palmon felt her heart shatter. She realized her hopes had been in vain. Mariana had never really wanted her and had put up with her only because she had had no choice. Now however she had found a way to get the digimon she had always wanted and had not hesitated to use it.

The plant rookie felt betrayed and terribly hurt, but didn't let it show. She had heard that some kids exchange their digimon with other kids' digimon in order to get the partner they want, but she had never thought it possible that this will happen to her too. Now it had all of a sudden. And since it had been decided already she could do nothing but hope that her new partner will treat her better than the last.

"I know you are confused by all this, Palmon, but I assure you that you have nothing to worry about. I will treat you well, I promise."

"Well, okay. When are we going?"

"Right now." Hiriko gave Patamon to Mariana, picked up Palmon in his hands and left.

**I hope you'll be happy with her, Patamon.**

And he was. At last he had a partner who liked him. He was sure the girl would treat him well. And he was right.

Without even a goodbye Palmon and her new partner left.

**Poor little Palmon. I wonder how will your new "partner" treat you? Not very well, I hope.**

A week later Dellia had just the answer she had hoped for.

**Poor, poor little Palmon. No luck with your "partners"? Don't worry, soon you won't need anyone anymore. I promise you. I will take care of that myself.**

At first Palmon was happy with her new DigiDestined. He treated her really well and was always kind and caring. But her happiness lasted for exactly six days. Early in the morning of the seventh day Palmon woke up. It was a couple of hours before the time she normally got out of bed. Much to her surprise Hiriko was already up and was talking with a friend of his the plant digimon had not seen before.

"…So you finally got yourself the digimon you wanted?"

"Yep. I traded my "partner" with a girl crazy about angels. Now I have a Palmon. I can't wait until she reaches first Ultimate, then Mega. Lillymon and Rosemon are just so… you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know, bro. Promise you'll bring her over to my place when she's an Ultimate?"

"Sure. After all, you are the one who told me about that girl wanting to trade her digimon for an angel."

The two kept on talking, but Palmon didn't remain to listen. She had heard all she wanted. And now she felt even more hurt than when she had realized Mariana didn't care about her.

**So he only cares about my Ultimate and Mega forms, not about me. It could be any other digimon and he wouldn't care. He's the same as Mariana.** She ran to her bed and started crying quietly.

"Palmon." A feminine voice was heard just a meter away from the rookie. Palmon opened her eyes and saw what looked like a girl with pale skin looking at her. Only the girl was floating above the ground. After a quick look around the plant realized she is no longer in her bed. She was lying on the ground in a world she had never seen before. But she certainly didn't like what little she could see from it. The place she was at now was dark and without anyone else anywhere in sight. It was the Dark Ocean, but she had no way of knowing this. She had never even heard of the Dark Ocean before.

"Who… who are you? What are you?"

"Call me Dellia. I am the most powerful digimon you have ever met. I have an offer for you."

"A digimon? You sure don't look like one."

"This is my human form. But let's leave this for later. My offer is the reason I brought you here."

"So you brought me here. And it seems only you could send me back, but you won't do it until I hear your offer."

"As if you want to go back. I know about your partners and how they treated you. I know you are hurt even though you hide it well. You don't want to go back, but you see no other option. I will show you one."

Palmon had to admit to herself that the girl was right about her not wanting to go back if there is another choice.

"Very well. I'm listening. What is your offer?"

"I want you to serve me. In return I will grant you the power to digivolve. It is as simple as that."

"You can give me the power to digivolve on my own? Without a partner?"

"Correct. You need no partner anymore. I can give you one, but that is a reward you have to earn in time."

"A reward I don't need."

"I'm afraid I wasn't clear enough. I wasn't talking about partner like the two that didn't care about you. I was talking about a tamer. You don't know what that is and right now it is not important. All you need to know is a tamer can make you far more powerful for a limited period of time. Such a partner will be a great help to you."

"I see. And all I have to do is serve you?"

"Yes. But let me warn you, I have many enemies. Powerful enemies. Most of them consider me dead because I was… dead, so to say… for a time, but some know I am back. They might try to stop me now, while I'm still weak. And if you serve me you will be considered an enemy by them, so they will try to destroy you too."

"Enemies? Who are you really?"

"I am Dellia. There was a time when there was only one digital world. Now there are five. I am the reason that is so. I am more powerful than any other digimon in all worlds. I am the future ruler of every world there is. I am the Empress of Darkness."

Palmon felt terrified. She realized she has two choices. She could refuse to serve Dellia and side with those who had hurt her so much. That would mean immediate deletion by the hand of this Empress, but at least she would've remained on the side of good. Or she could join Dellia, who would no doubt be the ultimate winner at the end of whatever was to come. She had been dead, but she had returned to life. She had split one world into five. She could make digimon digivolve. And she had power greater than that of any other digimon. Even the most powerful Megas could only dream about this kind of power. It took Palmon exactly one second to make her choice.

"Very well. I accept. I will serve you."

"A wise decision. You just saved your life. And, more importantly, you joined the winning side. Come."

Dellia opened a portal and motioned for Palmon to go through. With her choice made the plant rookie was no longer terrified and obeyed without question. She found herself on some kind of island.

"Where are we?"

"On my island." Dellia pointed her right hand at Palmon. A ball of darkness appeared. "And here is the power I promised."

The ball was shot at the rookie and darkness surrounded the plant. She felt power surge through her small body. When it vanished, the rookie felt something she could not describe. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. She was again surrounded by darkness.

Palmon dark matrix digivolution too… WitheringLillymon.

WitheringLillymon took a look at herself.

"Wow. But I thought my Ultimate level is Lillymon."

"It is, normally. However you digivolved by using my power instead of the normal sources of digivolution. I am a digimon that has the power to make other digimon digivolve. But I am not a source of digivolution given physical form, like that Calumon I heard about. So the power I use is different from the normal. You could say it is corrupted. That is why all who use my power to digivolve turn into something different from what they were supposed to be. I have done this in the past, so I know. In fact, you are the second WitheringLillymon that becomes my servant. The first one served me well, but when the time to choose a side came, she chose my enemies over me. For her betrayal she paid with her life. I hope you will be smarter."

"I will never betray you, my Empress. May I ask a question?"

"Feel free to ask all your questions. But don't be disappointed if you don't get an answer."

"What did you mean with "normal sources of digivolution"?"

"Oh, that. Well, in all worlds there are two sources of digivolution. The Light of Digivolution and the Eternal Darkness. They are the normal sources of digivolution I was talking about. There was a time when I too used the Eternal Darkness, but not anymore."

"I understand."

"Any other questions?"

"Not at the moment."

"Good. Now start training. I want you to master all your attacks. Including Withering Rain. Right now I don't have all my power, so I can't give you the power to reach Mega. But that will change. It is only a matter of time. And when I have restored my true power, if I am pleased with you, I will give you the power to reach Mega."

"Really? Cool. Oh, by the way, what are my attacks? I know what are Lillymon's, but…"

"Withering Cannon, Withering Rain, Seduction, Vicious Vine, Withering Reed, Withering Wreath."

"Thank you. I will start my training immediately."

**Good. Looks like I won't need NeoDevimon any time soon. But I will bring his egg here just in case. This way when I need him I can wake him up right away.**

A month passed. Dellia found another small part of her data and learned the whereabouts of few more. But more importantly the dark spore she had implanted in Yukina had taken full control of the woman's actions. So far she had not risen any suspicion, but it was only a matter of time. Or would be if Dellia didn't have other ideas.

Yukina was in her room, resting after another day of boring work. Ever since she had received whatever Dellia had implanted in her everything had looked easier than normal. As time passed she got more and more isolated from the world. Everything she did looked easier and easier, and therefor more and more boring. She no longer felt anything for anyone. The only feelings left in her heart were her grief and the love for her sister, but both were disappearing faster and faster with every passing day.

Suddenly Yukina was surrounded by an aura of black light, but because she had her eyes closed she didn't notice. She did notice however when the bed under her back turned into solid ground. She opened her eyes and found Dellia looking at her.

"You again. What do you want now?"

"That is no way to speak to your Empress, my dear. After all I am the one who gave you that dark spore. The spore is the only reason you are so successful with everything. What do you think will happen to you if I take it back?"

Yukina didn't answer at first. She didn't let it show, but she was worried. She remembered what she had been like and she didn't like it at all. Going back to her old loving, weak and stupid self was not an option for her. She wanted to remain the way she was now. But Dellia could take it all away from her and the young woman could do nothing to prevent this. She was a human so she was powerless against a digimon.

These were Yukina's first thoughts. But then realization dawned on her. Dellia was obviously the one who had made that… dark spore. She surely could make many more and give them to whoever she wants. But she had given the spore to her, to Yukina. This could mean only one thing: she had been chosen. She had been given a privilege others could only dream of. To be one of Dellia's servants. The "girl" was obviously a powerful Mega. She surely needed no humans. And despite this she had chosen Yukina as one of her servants. This was truly an honor. Yukina would gladly accept it.

Yukina remained silent for a couple more seconds, then knelt before Dellia. "I pledge my life and my loyalty to you and only to you, my Empress. Now and forever."

"Rise, Yukina. There is no need to kneel. I know you will serve me well. I have called you to give you your first orders."

Yukina rose to her feet. "I await your command, mistress."

"I am the Empress of Darkness. All worlds belong to me. Including yours. A month ago when we spoke you told me many things. Now you will tell me if everything was true or not."

"Everything is as I said."

"Good. But there were things you did not know. I will send you back to your world, where you will resume your regular life. You will do nothing that might make people suspicious of you. You will gather any information that might be of use to me. And when next time I call you I want a full report of everything you have learned."

"So I am to pretend I am the same weak little Yukina I was once?"

"Yes. And make sure no one suspects anything, especially your sister."

"My sister. She might be a problem. She knows me too well."

"If you are unable to do something as simple as fooling your sister, then you are not worthy of the dark spore. Remember, she knows you, but this is two-way. You know her too. Use this to your advantage."

"I will, my Empress."

"Good. Now listen carefully. Your first and main task is to learn as much about Gallantmon Crimson Mode as you can."

"I don't understand why, but I will do it nonetheless."

"At the time when I was defeated Gallantmon was something very rare. I have seen only three Gallantmon in my life. And none had a mode change. In other words I know nothing about them. I am curious. And I hate surprises. Both mean I must know what Gallantmon Crimson Mode is capable of. The same of course goes for ChaosGallantmon and Gallantmon Chaos Mode."

"It will be done."

"Good. Next, you will find out as many details about what happened in your world as possible. No matter how unimportant they may seem. I will decide what is of use to me and what not."

"Understood."

"About the tamers: learn anything you can about them and their digimon. And I mean ALL tamers, not just the ones that can biomerge. And finally, gather any information that might have a relation to digimon, no matter how fantastic it may sound."

"As you command, my Empress."

"Now I will return you to your room. Once there, you know what to do. Serve me well and you will be rewarded. Fail me, and I will show you things worse than death. Any questions?"

"Just one: why me? There are so many other people. Why not one of them? Is there a special reason for this?"

"You mean other than your beauty? Yes, there is. Your grief made it very easy for my dark spore to take control of you. Far easier than with normal people. Although I didn't think it will be so quickly. I thought it would take at least two or three months. I am glad to see I was wrong."

"My beauty? What do my looks have to do with everything?"

"Come on, Yukina. Use your head. It's not that hard to figure out even for someone without a dark spore."

"Stupid question. Sorry."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing right now. That was all."

"In that case close your eyes."

Yukina did as ordered. She remained with her eyes shut for a minute, then opened them and found herself in her room. **I should've asked if it is possible to give Yumi a dark spore. My work would be a lot easier if instead of wasting my time lying to her she was helping me accomplish my tasks. But I guess it is too soon to make requests. The Empress would probably be displeased. Maybe after I show her I am worthy of her trust and the dark spore she gave me. Yes, that would be best. But enough thoughts about the future. Now is not the time. I have work to do.** She had been given strict orders what must be done. She would not fail. She would do anything in her power to get the information needed. One way or another.

**Perfect. Now that I have a reliable source of information about everything going on in the South sector I can concentrate on restoring my power to its former glory. Soon I will once again be the most powerful digimon in all worlds. No one will be able to stand against me. No one.**

<A little less than five months later, while Alice is looking around after the portal has closed behind her>

Dellia had used the past months to locate all of the remaining parts of her data. All except one. She had gathered all that were in the World of Darkness. A task that had required the destruction of a small number of digimon because they had dared to load parts of her data. But the remaining parts were in the five digital worlds. That would make recovering them a lot harder because she wanted to remain unnoticed by the Sovereigns. But her biggest problem for the moment was her failure to find the last part of her data. It worried her because she had never ever failed to do something in the past.

While searching for her data she discovered a digimon searching for two specific Zeons. She didn't know what his plans were, but she decided to help him with his search and see if his plan would work. After all, whatever he had planned, its goal was to destroy the DigiDestined. Something she would have to do sooner or later. Unless someone else did it for her. After all, why fight battles others could win for her? But that would have to wait a few hours.

Right now however all of Dellia's attention was focused on the central sector for one reason: Alice.

**So this girl is the Dark Maiden of Light the prophecies speak of. That is good to know. Although I never expected that she would be a Demon Lord digimon. But no matter. It seems she will solve one of my potential problems: Ophanimon. How nice. Oh, I just love it when the servants of Light work for me without even suspecting it. I wonder how long she`ll need to return to the central sector? I hope she'll stay where she is now at least until morning. This way I will be able to take back my Crest and see the end. And that is something I would really like to do.**

The Empress turned away from the pool. "WitheringLillymon!"

In a second the Ultimate was standing before her. "Yes, my Empress?"

"I'm afraid I have to interrupt your training. I want you to watch the battle that will take place here on the island from a safe distance."

"A battle? What battle?"

"You'll see soon enough."

"Good. I will watch from above. But don't worry, it will be far enough."

"Wonderful. Go."

As soon as WitheringLillymon was far enough Dellia opened two portals.

Anubismon was doing the same she had been doing for the past six months, ever since the Shadows of Darkness had called her. Waiting for Dellia. The guards she had been given were doing exactly the same thing. It was awfully boring, but she had no choice. She had received a direct order.

**I'm so bored and tired of waiting. I wish Dellia would finally make her move and end this.**

A second later she got her wish.

The first portal opened directly in front of Anubismon. The second opened directly behind her. The portals opened nearly at the same time, with the second opening just half a second later. As soon as both were open, Dellia shot a ball of darkness through the second. Anubismon could not react at all due to the surprise attack. Th ball hit her and the resulting blast pushed her through the first portal. As soon as this happened, the portals closed. No one managed to react at all.

"Welcome to my island. Please, enjoy your stay… and the rest of your very short life."

"The Empress of Darkness, I presume. Finally. I was getting tired of waiting for you."

"Well then, let us end this, shall we?" While talking the two slowly flew up until they were a few meters above the ground.

"As you wish. Amemit!"

Dellia dodged with ease and answered with a ball of darkness, but her attack was dodged as easily. Each tried punching and kicking the other, but without success.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. Without my crest you wouldn't stand a chance, but with it in your possession and the power boost given to you by the Shadows of Darkness you are doing quite well."

"Quite well? You sound as if you still think you will win."

"I don't think. I know it." Dellia landed on the ground. Anubismon did the same.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Even all your power will not be enough to destroy me, that's what. The fact that you have the type advantage changes nothing. You are still too weak for me."

"Arrogant little girl. These are big words, but can you back them up with deeds? I don't think so. Pyramid Power!" A pyramid, made of yellow energy, appeared between the vaccine's hands. It was then thrust out at the virus. The attack hit dead on and the result was an explosion that covered the whole battle arena with a cloud of dust and hid both combatants. It soon cleared. Dellia smiled. "Is that all? You're pathetic." She drew her right hand back, preparing for a strike. Anubismon was looking at her with horrified expression. The Empress seemed unharmed. **No way! This cannot be! She was just hit by my most powerful attack and didn't even flinch! How can this be?** Normally she would try to run away or at least protect herself, but right now she was petrified by the turn of events. "Time to die. Nazar Claw!" Dellia trust her hand forth with such force that her strike pierced Anubismon's body, causing a hole in it. The vaccine Mega remained unmoving for a second, then started to delete.

"Why? Why did they abandon me? I did what they ordered me to do. Why did they leave me to die? Why?"

"They didn't abandon you. They have been trying to open a portal and send you help the whole time we were fighting. But this is my island. As long as I am here I can effortlessly block any portal leading to the island or the area around it. Farewell, Anubismon." The deletion process ended. The Mega turned into a cloud of data that started to float away. In the middle of it was a small ball of black light with a symbol in the center. The Crest of Evil. Dellia ignored the data and reached for her Crest. The moment Dellia touched it black light surrounded her. The ball was slowly absorbed into her body. When it was finished, the Empress felt familiar power flow through her body. Darkness surrounded her.

Dellia mode change too… digimon mode!

Dellia flew over to the pool and took a look at herself. "At last! I have my Crest back! Now it is only a matter of time before I am ready to undo what I have done."

WitheringLillymon could not believe what she had just seen. **She was hit by a Mega attack and didn't even flinch! And to think I could be one of her enemies! I'm really glad I am no longer one of those who oppose her.**

**Undo what you have done? We shall see, Dellia, we shall see.**

<At the same time elsewhere in the World of Darkness>

~ Christine! ~

~ Yes? ~

~ You are summoned to the Isle of Shadows. ~

~ Me? ~

~ You and InfernalSakuyamon. You must come as soon as possible. It is urgent. ~

~ We're on our way. ~ "InfernalSakuyamon!"

"What is it, Christine? Has something happened?"

"We have been summoned by the Shadows of Darkness. We are to go to the Isle of Shadows immediately."

"Right now? Something must've happened. Whatever it is, I have the feeling we won't like it."

"I fear you are right. But we have no choice. We must go. Now."

<An hour later, at the Isle of Shadows>

Christine and InfernalSakuyamon were standing upright on the rocky ground looking at the shadows swirling around them. They were waiting to hear the reason they had been called. Though they had spoken a few times with the Shadows telepathically in the past, this was the first time they were on the island.

~ You came as ordered. Good. ~

"Yes, we came. And now, that we are here, we would like to know why that is so. What is the reason?"

~ Dellia, the Empress of Darkness, lives again. She came back to life approximately six months ago. Since then she not only managed to restore most of her power, but just an hour ago she destroyed Anubismon and took back her Crest. It seems she wants to undo what she did long ago. ~

**I knew I'm not gonna like it.** "You mean the World Break? Can she do that?"

~ She is the one who caused the Break. If anyone can undo it, it is she. This cannot be allowed. Not without knowing what power she will gain. And that is something known only to her. If anyone knows at all, that is. ~

"So? What do we have to do with all this?" **No straight answer, as usual.**

~ You two are without a doubt the most powerful of all who serve the Eternal Darkness. But not even you have the power to stand up against Dellia. ~

"So? Why did you call us?" Asked InfernalSakuyamon. She was getting impatient.

~ We are getting to this. If Dellia wants to undo the World Break, she will surely try to use the Eternal Darkness. But we won't help her, so she will have to find some other way to use the power of darkness. The easiest one is by using the help of digimon that serves us. It doesn't matter if the digimon is willing to help her or not. You two are the best choice because there is no one else with power like yours. That is why you must leave our world. But before you can, there is something you must learn. You two rely too much on our power for your digivolution. This must change. You must learn to digivolve in any world even without our help. Once you do, you must leave immediately. ~

"Are you sure this is necessary?"

~ It may not be. Maybe she won't try to use you two. But it is a chance we cannot take. Therefor you must leave. But look from the bright side, Christine. You have always wanted to leave this world. Your mother told you many stories about her world. After all these years of waiting for a chance to leave and see it you finally will. There are many other worlds you will visit as well. In some of them there are opponents that might be worthy for you, at least as a team. ~

"Well, since you put it that way…"

~ Before you leave and return home to start your training we have something for you. ~

A SkullSatamon flew down from the sky. In his right hand was a black crystal. He gave it to Christine and left as quickly as he had arrived.

"What is this?"

~ A mirror crystal. With it you can see what is happening in other worlds. This way you'll be prepared for the moment when you will leave. Now go! You have no time to waste! ~

"As you command!" Answered Christine and InfernalSakuyamon in unison and left.

"Excellent. Dellia believes we want to stop her, or so it seems. She will prove to be a useful tool, as Millenniumon predicted."

"And we will soon know if Alice really is the Dark Maiden of Light."

"Everything is going according to plan. Now all we have to do is wait."

**********

In case you are wondering, the conversation in the end was between the Shadows.