Destiny
by Leto
It was dark. The whole landscape had warped around them, warped with the power of the pure evil that had been corrupting the world which they had been sent to protect. They almost seemed to be standing in air. But the final, dying roars had disappeared, the last pieces of corrupt data erased from the air, and all was still for a moment.
"Congratulations, kids."
The five children looked up as the familiar figure of their advisor appeared and nodded to them.
"It looks as though you have truly earned the title of 'digidestined' and defeated the ultimate evil that had plagued the digital world."
The kids grinned at each other and then at their Digimon. They were exhausted, ragged, dirty, beaten, dishevelled... and triumphant. Their months of effort had come to a close and in their favour.
"And now I'm afraid you must say goodbye to your Digimon and return to your own world. The digital world is being reconstructed and your presence will impede its progress as you do not belong to it."
"What?!" shouted one of the digidestined, "the second we FINALLY do it, you tell us to leave right away? Can't we even spend a few days enjoying the effects of what we've done?"
"Yeh, I wanna shee Digiworld wifout monsters chashing me," said another of the children.
"You just usin' us or somethin'?!" demanded a third, "the second we finish our job you get rid of us?!"
"I'm sorry," said their mentor, "it is not I who decides these things. You have five minutes, any longer will distort the time-space continuem."
So the children had to make rushed goodbyes and left the digital world forever. As they disappeared, supposedly returning to their own world, their Digimon partners disappeared too. Disintegrated, as their data was reconfigured, perhaps to be reborn as the next destined Digimon, perhaps to be lost as their purpose had been fulfilled.
Soon just one child, bearer of the Crest of Destiny, remained. He was only nine years old, the youngest of the digidestined, and looked small and lost. He nervously put his hand into the clawed hand of his Digimon, who whimpered.
"Digidestined of Destiny," said the mentor, "your time has come. Your destiny was different to that of the others. You see, I was the previous carrier of the crest of Destiny, after I was called from the real world into this one. The previous carrier of that crest once conferred it to me. I gave you your crest and so conferred that destiny to you. In doing so, I also conferred the role of Guardian."
"Guardian?" repeated the child.
"You must stay. You must select the next digidestined if ever the digital world is placed under threat again. You must seek out the ancient prophecies and legends. You must fight to defend the world you are now destined to protect, until you too confer your guardianship."
The child, barely understanding the significance of what the older man was saying, looked up with wide eyes and a trembling lip. "I want my mom," he said.
"Good luck, digidestined of Destiny," said the mentor, ignoring the open fear of the boy in front of him, "you have a difficult journey ahead of you, but I am sure you are up to it. And now I have fulfilled my own destiny and may return home."
"Bu- but..."
"I too take my leave of you. I leave the digital world in your capable hands. Farewell, Gennai."
The mentor disappeared as the other humans had, leaving the boy alone with his Digimon partner in the middle of the great dark abyss.
And the great and powerful carrier of Destiny sat down and cried.
