Chapter Text
I wish I could stay here forever…
A small caterpillar stretched out his limbs as he rested on a smooth, flat boulder surrounded by hundreds of thousands of fully blooming spider lilies. The small Digimon sighed happily, wishing he could enjoy the peace for a little bit longer.
Centuries had gone by since he’d hatched from his digitama in this new, unwelcoming Digital World, waiting for the little boy he knew he was destined to meet and protect. When the boy first appeared, he could not have been more than a couple of months old. He had been happily babbling in the field of flowers. Behind the child had been a beautiful, solid oak door, painted a pure white and trimmed with a light pink. In the center of the door was an outline of an ornate rose.
On the other side of the door, the small Digimon noticed a variety of stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes floating among fluffy white clouds. Ah, the innocent imagination of a small child. It had seemed the child had accidentally wandered too far from his soul room and had been caught off guard by his new surroundings.
“Do you like the flowers?” Seeing those bright amethyst orbs that sparkled under the rays of the sun and the excited little squeal made the virus realize something. For the first time in a very long time, he wasn’t being criticized for being normal, for being an outcast among those with the X-Antibody. He wasn’t alone, finally accepted by someone other than the cryptic Pico Devimon. That realization alone brought a sense of comfort and peace he hadn’t felt before.
For many years after that day, whenever he entered the realm of peaceful slumber, the child would happily greet him, unknowingly chasing the digimon’s fears and troubles away. The two would spend the rest of their time together playing among the flowers or relaxing near his favorite boulder as he told the curious child about his new friend, Pico Devimon, who helped him and V-mon flee from a group of X-Antibody Digimon that had ambushed them. While he doubted the child understood any of this, seeing the small child brought a sense of warmth whenever his eyes sparkled with that innocent curiosity. Yet, he couldn’t shake the uneasiness that continued to weigh heavily on his heart, even after all these years.
This world was an ugly place and not kind to someone so small and innocent. He knew that very well and had experienced his fair share of endless torment and betrayals from those who blindly followed those who preached about the light. Ever since Yggdrasill recreated the Digital World through the failed X-program, the world had become overrun with those of the X-Antibody, with many of them developing twisted views over the centuries, no thanks to Hououmon X. Many X-Antibody Digimon, especially those classified as vaccines or a Holy Beast, claimed they were superior in every way. When Yggdrasill was mysteriously deactivated, and with the sudden disappearance of the Royal Knights, Hououmon X’s sudden attempt to purge the Digital World of those without the X-Antibody in their cores was inevitable.
The Digital World was in complete and utter chaos. Not all X-Antibody Digimon were bad; he was even friends with those of the natural carriers, but he couldn’t trust them, not completely anyway. Pico Devimon, Dorumon, and Lucemon saved him that day, but he could never forget the cruel words that shattered his entire world and how his best friend had turned his back on him and cast him aside like some common criminal. Unlike Armadimon and Hawkmon, who felt more like acquaintances, V-mon had been his best friend, his brother, ever since they had been babies. The fact that it only took Tailmon X’s sweet accusing lies to sever the century-long bond… hurt. It really did.
He would always cherish those wonderful, precious memories of them gazing up into the night sky, counting the stars, and wishfully talking about their dreams of meeting their destined partners. What would they be like? What would they look like? Was their world better than theirs? Did they have any favorite games? How old were they now? The list went on and on.
With the exception of the short interactions they had with the boys whenever they found a place to rest for the night, they barely knew anything about their humans. They were both so young, both full of life, and then they were gone. Wormmon didn’t know what to think every time he stared at the small black and white device that showed nothing but static on its screen. While Wormmon managed to hide his emotions pretty well, V-mon had been an emotional rollercoaster. He had been so excited when he encountered his human for the first time. What had been his name? Daisuke? V-mon would talk about him for hours and hours as they traveled from one town to another, avoiding confrontations the best they could.
Things only started to change after they ran into Patamon, Hawkmon, and Armadimon. While the three seemed okay at first, Wormmon began to notice a change in his friend. The smile had been the first to go, followed by the boundless energy he always showed around him. He no longer talked about Daisuke or his endless desire to see him. Instead, he’d have that distant look in his eyes, like he had lost someone precious to him. Wormmon couldn’t be sure what would have caused the changes that had seen many deaths and many families, friends, and acquaintances torn apart due to this war. All of that weighed heavily on all their minds, and it only got worse after they met Tailmon X and her lackeys.
Hawkmon and Armadimon had been just as wary of her intentions at first; she seemed to two-face for their liking. One minute she was sweet, kind, and the next she was cruel and snarky. She was more of the latter towards him, given his virus status and his good relationship with a variety of other Digimon. But V-mon seemed to like her, and who was Wormmon to get in the way of that? He had endured her snarky remarks and endless harassment for his sake. And looked where that got him… alone, hurt, and betrayed by those he had thought were his closest friends. After so many centuries together, after all the struggles, tears, and smiles they faced together… how could he just toss all of that aside without a second thought? Had their friendship meant nothing to him?
Wormmon couldn’t shake the pain and rage he felt every time he thought about his former friends. V-mon’s cruel words and Tailmon X’s twisted smugness would always stick with him even after all these years. He probably would have done the unthinkable, become the mindless, cruel monster they always accused him of being, if Dorumon, Lucemon, and Pico Devimon hadn’t found him and driven the enemy away, taking him somewhere safe to vent out the emotions that had been slicing into his heart for all those years.
Even in his weaker form, the elusive Royal Knight had always been a wonderful companion to seek advice from, and Pico Devimon, with his mysterious past and smart ass, snarky comments, had always provided him with a new perspective and endless comfort when he needed it. They were true friends. Unlike V-mon, who always brushed off his concerns, the trio actually listened to his fears and frustrations. It was on that warm, summer night when he felt his whole world turn upside down, and what finally pushed him over the edge to protect what was his.
“Do you remember that intel Lucemon and I had gotten a couple of months ago when we raided one of the abandoned bases? Well, there’s a rumor going around that human children can potentially amplify a Digimon’s power, even help them evolve into forms you couldn’t even dream of. From what we gathered, this can only work if said child is bonded to a particular Digimon.” Dorumon’s expression had been tight as they sat around the campfire that night. Ever since Lucemon’s near-death experience when he had been a small Tokomon, Dorumon had taken it upon himself to raise and care for the child. So anything involving the harm of any child, whether they were Digimon or Human, troubled him deeply.
“The base was a lab of sorts, and the Digimon that had been there seemed to be working on something,” Lucemon continued the conversation when the elder Digimon struggled to voice the next part. “Barbamon and Nanomon are still looking into the data we sent over, but we found something troubling as well.”
Lucemon handed him two crests. The first was cracked in many places and had a blackened appearance. Given the poor state of the small crest, it had been impossible to tell what it used to look like, but he had a sinking feeling he knew who this belonged to. The other crest, however, caused his mind to reel back in horror. He immediately recognized the ornate rose symbol on the small pink crest. The crest wasn’t badly cracked like the other, but the sinister black slightly coated the edges.
“They had been experimenting on children, human children.”
His mind barely registered the angel’s words, now knowing that those X-Antibody Digimon had his child. They were hurting his child. They were…
“I’m afraid we are too late to help the other child, but there is a chance we can still save yours. I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”
“I would do anything to protect you. I would face Tailmon X, those traitors, and their human pets, ten times over if it meant somehow you would be by my side. Healthy… safe…”
A soft sigh left his lips as blue eyes wandered to the crest dangling around his neck. The once pink crest was now almost completely black. Only a little bit of pink simmered in the sunlight, trying to break free from its confinement.
How many years had gone by since that dreadful day? Weeks? Months? It was all so blurry now. Wormmon barely remembered when the day began and when it ended. He barely remembered the faces that continued to come in between him and his goals, and those he aligned himself with… well, they were merely a passing thought. While he aided his newfound allies in the fight against Hououmon X’s Holy Alliance, his thoughts never drifted away from the child he had failed to protect and was slowly being lost to the endless darkness.
Ken’s capture, his disappearance, and endless torture were his fault. He should have noticed the signs sooner, but he hadn’t, and he hated himself for it. The bruising… the dark circles under his eyes… the never-ending sobs… Someone had been harming this child, his best friend, his partner, over and over again, and he had been helpless to stop it.
“Ken-chan, I don’t know where you are or who I must kill, but I will not allow you to suffer anymore. I will not allow them to get in my way again.”
As chaos engulfed the Digital World, slowly bleeding into the Realm of the Humans— before the gate had been permanently damaged—Wormmon found himself secretly searching for his lost child. The small amethyst-eyed child he had grown to adore had stopped venturing out of his soul room seven years ago. Why? He wasn’t sure. At the time, all the small human would do was cry until they both woke up from their unrestful slumber. The small digimon had tried to reassure the child, to comfort him from outside his shut door, and even tried to coax him out of his lonely room a couple of times.
His sorrowful sobs only persisted, though. When he first noticed the bruising, Ken had confessed that his father had yelled at him and locked him in his room for the rest of the night. Ken didn’t have an answer when he pressed for details, which wasn’t surprising. What three-and-a-half-year-old would understand the emotions of an adult? Wanting to protect his young friend, he had decided to pay the man a visit and gave him a heavy dose of nightmares for good measure. The bruising thankfully stopped, and his smile finally returned weeks after the incident. He’d thought all would be well again.
How could he have been so naive? He had felt a strange presence when he managed to force Ken’s closed door open for the first time in months. The poor thing had been a mess as he sobbed in the corner of the room. The various drawings they had made together had been torn into shreds, and his toys… someone or something had destroyed them all. There had been claw marks on the light blue walls, making it look deformed, and the splatter of blood…
He hadn’t been sure back then, but now he was positive, someone, a Digimon, had been in that room, tormenting his sweet child. Why? Why him? Why not me? He would do anything for his child? He would do anything to protect him from this hell? And yet he had been helpless when a powerful dark presence slammed into him, kicking him out of the room and sealing Ken within. Ken’s heartbroken sobs, his heartwrenching screams, and his little pleas for help would forever haunt his dreams. He had tried frantically banging on the door, trying everything he could think of to break open the stubborn door. But the door would not budge. He could only watch helplessly, core heart willed with a cold, painful nothingness, as the door flickered in and out of reality before disappearing completely. All that was left was the faint whimpers of his child, echoing in the wind.
“Wormmon, help me…”
Wormmon gasped as he was slammed with the reemerging feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and so many other raw emotions he couldn’t process in that moment. Bright blue eyes scanned the horizon frantically, only to pause when the faint traces of broken sobs traveled along the winds once more.
This wasn’t the first time he heard his sorrowful voice after the child had been ripped away from him, but the strange door would never stay in the same place. Yesterday, the door faintly appeared in front of his boulder, and last week it appeared in front of the lake, not far from here. Every time he rushed over to the door, in hopes of rescuing his poor child, of finally ending his torment, he’d end up face-first on the dirt floor after phasing through the door.
It was an uncomfortable feeling whenever that happened, but he had to keep trying. The small Digimon, determined, jumped off his boulder and followed the sobs. Unsurprisingly, the door appeared near the beautiful lake. The lake, surrounded by the red spider lilies, was a perfect replica of the healing lake under his castle. He had promised himself he would bring his sweet child there one day, and he wasn’t going to allow anyone to get in his way. As he passed the lake, a bright light illuminated his body, and he changed. He would always be the silly little bug that his little human adored, but right now, he needed to be more, a protector against a powerful threat.
Pico Devimon once told him that the state of one’s soul room represented the state of the owner. And Ken’s soul room… well…
Vamdemon took a deep breath and collected himself. Now was not the time to allow the whispers of fear and uncertainty to invade his mind. Ken needed him. The solid door that stood in front of him was once a beautiful rose white, but most of the paint had chipped off the door, revealing the rotting oak underneath. Several pieces of wood fell as he gently rested his hand on the fragile-looking door. The golden doorknob had long since disappeared, leaving a hole in its place, and clearly visible across the once strong, solid oak were huge cracks.
Vamdemon, for a moment, froze in place, surprised by the poor state of the door. If the door had gotten this bad, what could be happening inside? Was Ken beyond saving now, given how badly his mind must have deteriorated over the years?
“Lord Vamdemon! Lucemon and Dorumon are ready when you are.” The undead vampire was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Pico Devimon’s voice. “I know I don’t need to tell you this, but this time around, I know you will win. I believe in you, and so does the kid.”
His eyes misted for a moment. He would never admit it to his face, but he enjoyed the little shits company, maybe even considered him a friend. Pico Devimon had stuck by his side through thick and thin and had done far more for him than V-mon had ever done during the course of their childhood.
I need to focus. Taking a deep breath, bracing himself for the fight he knew would soon follow, Vamdemon lowered his gaze and looked through one of the many gaps visible on the door.