Hey folks. I'm finally back with a sequel to Secret of the 327th, one that I've been long waiting for myself. As you can probably tell right away if you've read the prequel to this, this chapter is nowhere near as long as most SOT3 chapters are. But that's fine. From now on, chapters will be only as long as they need to be. As will the stories. And I hope that this story will be the first of many to kick off this franchise! :)

CHAPTER 1:- THE KING'S FEAR

"Ryo, are you just going to lounge around up there all day? Or are you going to get down here and let the twins watch me thrash you?"

Ryo Akiyama chuckled to himself as he rolled onto his side atop the wall he was perched on and propped his head up on one hand. "Thrash me, huh?" he gave the speaker - Rika - a broad grin. "Well, I suppose there is a first time for everything."

Rika rolled her eyes, setting down another card on the grass in front of Ai and Mako. The former Digimon Queen was in the middle of teaching the two youngest Tamers a few tricks and combinations with the Modify cards, at the request of the twins themselves. Of course, nobody could say that they weren't excellent Tamers in their own right - they had already proven that in the final battle against GranDracmon. But outside of biomerging with their partner, they were easily still the least experienced, and they were very much determined to change that.

The whole group was there in Rika's front garden. Ten Tamers, ten Digimon and a single Rutian Twi'lek all scattered about and either doing homework, talking or just attempting to enjoy life. They were often here these days. It was one of the few places they could go where they got any real privacy, as the local police force had made it a punishable offence for anyone to set foot on Rika Nonaka's property without an invitation from a Tamer or Rika's family. Everywhere else they went they went they attracted quite a crowd.

Unless they were under Renamon's perception filter, but the yellow fox couldn't exactly cover for the entire group at all times. And here, at least, she didn't have to.

It was a relatively normal scene. Kazu, Takato and Kenta having a heated debate about which of the Digimon from the TV show was the coolest. Henry, on his laptop, checking out the rumours of a potential movie about the exploits of the Tamers. Suzie, lightly brushing Renamon's tail while the kitsune watched her mate Terriermon scarf down his weight in rice bowls while Guilmon ate twice his own weight in bread. Guardromon, apologising to Rumiko for accidentally breaking another garden ornament. Elecmon, pretending to snooze in the sun while Impmon chased Calumon around the yard, yelling at him for drawing random patterns in felt-tip pen all over Behemoth.

But what mostly held Ryo's attention was the sparring match going on up on the roof.

Cybedramon's teeth bared back in a determined snarl as he swept across the tiles with a broad sweep of the Lobomon light sword in his hand. His opponent, Aayla, sprang nimbly up and over the dragon Digimon, planting her feet on his shoulders and leaping to the far end of the roof. But Cyberdramon twisted himself around in a split second and came back again, forcing Aayla to drop almost to her stomach to avoid one blow and then push up with a little burst of the Force to leap over another coming in from the other side. She struck downwards with her lightsabers, power setting lowered down to training mode, but one of Cyberdramon's swords was there to block the attack and heave Aayla up into the air.

Aayla turned the throw into a dive and rolled onto her feet, throwing a lightsaber over one shoulder to parry Cyberdramon's strike at her back. Her body twisted nimbly to duck under Cyberdramon's guard, and she struck at his midriff, but Cyberdramon threw himself backwards so the tip of Aayla's blade just missed nicking his armour. He roared and tossed one of the swords aside to grip the other with two hands, charging in to thrust forwards in three rapid jabs. Aayla blocked the first two and dodged the third, but Cyberdramon rammed her with his shoulder to knock her back across the roof and spun in a wide circle to swing the sword hard enough to make the air thrum.

Ryo sat up, momentarily alarmed at the aggressive move, but Aayla flipped herself into a spectacular cartwheel that carried her neatly over the blow, the sword narrowly missing the tips of her lekku as she passed above it upside down. She then crossed her blades into an X to catch the downward swing that Cyberdramon sent crashing toward, their weapons interlocking above their heads.

"Very good, Cyberdramon," she said with a light smile. "Sometimes two weapons is not better than one. Two certainly provides more opportunities to strike, but it also means that your parries are most likely going to be weaker and…"

She got no further because quite suddenly Cyberdramon roared, and with lightning speed one of his hands lashed out to seize the Twi'lek by her throat.

"Ahh! Cyberdramon, stop!" Ryo yelled and shot to his feet, his heart surging into his throat as Aayla was lifted clean off her feet, Cyberdramon's vicious claws puncturing her skin. "What do you think you're…?"

SNAP!

Ryo's entire body seemed to seize functioning as Cyberdramon flexed his fingers and instantly crushed Aayla's windpipe and shattered every bone in Aayla's neck. He could only gape in complete and utter horror as his partner tossed the lifeless alien from the roof where she landed with a splash face-down in the pond!

Instantly cries of anguish and grief filled the air, but Ryo barely heard them. Cyberdramon leapt to the edge of the roof, his claws glowing as he sliced the air and left greenish trails in the fabric of reality before taking on a bright blue light as he aimed at his amassed friends.

"DESOLATION CLAW!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Ryo's cry tore from his voice box as destructive energy rained continuously down upon the entire party, filling the garden from wall to wall like a meteor shower. Instantly the grass was lit aflame; data particles filled the air as the Digimon exploded into data - the light so intense that Ryo was only able to make out the bigger forms of Renamon, Guilmon and Guardromon before they disintegrated. While their Tamers dropped to the grass like flies, their bodies rent with bloody gashes and some of their limbs completely blown off!

"STOP IT! STOP IT, CYBERDRAMON!" Ryo shrieked, but his body felt completely paralysed as near everyone he knew and loved was slaughtered before him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THOSE ARE OUR FRIENDS!"

"Friends?" Cyberdramon said, only it was not Cyberdramon's voice. It was still a growling rasp, but a much deeper one, and instead of bestial savagery it was filled with a crazed malice. And as Ryo watched, a strange aura seemed to fill the air above Cyberdramon. A dark shape with multiple arms, a huge head with a large horn sprouting up from the nose and a pair of heavy-duty cannons perched high on its back.

"You are the only friend that I need, Ryo. And I am the only partner you need."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Ryo crashed to the floor of his bedroom, very nearly hitting his head on the bedside table but wide awake even before he'd finished falling. Instantly he was shoving himself to his feet and staring around wildly, taking several seconds to realise where he even was.

In his room… not on Rika's wall…

Night…

In his pyjamas…

A dream… just a dream…

Nothing bad had happened. There had been no strange voice coming from Cyberdramon's mouth. No sudden, destructive rampage. Aayla was all right. The rest of his friends were all still alive.

Ryo collapsed back onto his bed, burying his face in his hands. It might have been a nightmare, but he could still recall every moment of it. Every inch of him was covered in a cold sweat and was also shaking.

And, moments later, his mother was opening his door.

"Ryo, are you okay?" she asked softly.

Ryo didn't answer. He just sat there, trying to use his hands like a paper bag to control the panic attack threatening to overwhelm him.

"I suppose that was a silly question," his mother said, gently coming into the room and sitting down beside him on the bed. She didn't try to hug him - she just wanted to be a comforting presence. "Was it a new one? Or the same one again?"

"…Same…" Ryo croaked. If he said any more, he worried that he might throw up. Because this wasn't the first time that he'd had that dream. It had been happening for several months now. Not every night but fairly regularly. Usually at least once every two weeks or so. The details were a little different each time. Sometimes his parents were there at the same time in the dream. Sometimes the parents of the others were there. But the result was the same - Cyberdramon suddenly going berserk and butchering everyone that he held dear to him.

And that voice. That same voice.

"You still don't feel up to telling me what it is?" his mother asked.

Ryo shook his head.

"Well, if you ever want to…"

"He'll tell us when he's ready," said Ryo's father, who was now leaning against the doorframe, his face set in stern stone. "But you know son; it's not exactly healthy to keep things bottled up. If these dreams keep bothering you, you should at least tell somebody about it. If not us, then someone."

Ryo still said nothing, but he did lean up against his mother and allowed her to pull an arm around his shoulders and hold him tight. The two of them just sat there together for over ten minutes, Ryo silently taking comfort from his mother's presence until finally, he was able to say, "Thanks, Mum… I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm good."

"Your father's right you know. If you ever feel ready to talk, we will be willing to listen. Not just about these dreams, about anything. You do know that, right?"

Ryo smiled lightly and nodded. "Yeah, Mum, I know."

His mother left, but his father remained a few moments. Just long enough for him to say, "You really should tell us when things are troubling you, Ryo. Considering how many friends you have, you try to do things solo far too often."

After he'd gone, Ryo immediately moved to the window to pull it open and look up toward the roof. There was Cyberdramon, standing and staring out into the middle distance and waiting for a Digimon to bio-emerge the way he always did at night while in this form. He quickly noticed Ryo's presence and looked down.

"Is there a problem?" he growled.

"Nah, just… making sure you were still there," Ryo said. "Stay vigilant, buddy."

He pulled back in, rubbing at his temples as he crawled back into bed. But he already knew he wouldn't sleep again that night.

Since Ryo and Cyberdramon had become partners, Ryo's very greatest fear had always been that his Digimon would harm innocent people or those closest to him. How could it not be, given what Cyberdramon really was? The nagging worry had always been there in the back of his mind. But he had never allowed it to get to him, to consume him. He'd never get anything done if he let that happen, so instead, he had just handled it. He did what was necessary to keep Cyberdramon in line and then otherwise just lived his life normally. More than that, he had great friends, great fun… everything he could wish for.

So what was different now? Why was he having the nightmares now, when there'd been no sign of… him… for years? Cyberdramon was calmer these days than he'd ever been. His regular sparring sessions with Aayla gave him an outlet for his aggression without having to resort to actual bloodshed.

And yet the dreams persisted.

"It'll never happen," he muttered to himself. "Millenniummon is gone. His Dark Spores are destroyed. Ken is free… He might as well not exist anymore."

And yet he was still alive. Somewhere inside Cyberdramon, the deadliest Digimon he'd ever known still lived.

And much like one particular Myotismon, he had a nasty habit of coming back.

See, shorter. But at the end of the day, I think this will help me to continue creating new content while relieving much pressure on me. I hope that you guys enjoy the upcoming adventure!