Frontiers Unexplored

10) Evergreen Dawn

The doors of Evergreen Dawn were huge and imposing, standing at more than four times Takuya's height. He craned his neck back to take in their full glory, his eyes wide as could be. He was frozen in place at the shock of being in the presence of such an incredible architectural feat.

However, Takuya being shocked still was not a sentiment shared by the rest of the group. Bokomon had no qualms about approaching the castle doors and grabbing on the handle to knock loudly. The sound echoed in Takuya's head, and he watched the place where Bokomon stood silently.

The moments seemed to drag on as they waited for a response from the other side of the door. Takuya saw Junpei cringe upon putting weight on his injured ankle, and Izumi tried to keep him from crying out in pain. Tomoki, Koji, and Neemon followed Takuya's example in staring at Bokomon while waiting for a response.

The door slowly creaked open, and a figure appeared on the other side. It was a Digimon who appeared rather similar in appearance to Wizardmon from the Candlemon village. However, this Digimon had a white cape rather than a darker one. His outfit was mostly white with a few pale blue highlights here and there. His hair was a paler yellow color that fell over his back in a loose ponytail. His blue eyes could be seen peeking out from between his white collar and oversized white and gray hat. A staff with the tip shaped like an icicle rested in his hand.

The Digimon pointed his staff at the group immediately, a glare in his eyes. "Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded, his gaze falling on Takuya harshly. Even if he was fiercely determined to get into Evergreen Dawn, Takuya found himself squirming on the spot under the Digimon's powerful gaze.

"Sorcermon!" Bokomon exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air to catch the attention of the Digimon. "It's me! Bokomon! I'm back at long last!"

The Digimon, Sorcermon, looked down to Bokomon. His eyes went wide immediately, and he dropped his staff back to his side. "Bokomon!" When his gaze traveled to Neemon, he spoke again. "Neemon! What are you doing here? I was so sure that Seraphimon had sent you far away from this place..."

"He did, but we came back," Bokomon replied with a grin. "Can you let us inside? We have much to tell you. A lot has happened since we last left the palace."

Sorcermon nodded and opened the door wider, allowing all of the group's members to squeeze past him. Takuya looked down to Bokomon in confusion as he passed by, prompting the white Digimon to provide him an explanation. "Sorcermon is Seraphimon's right-hand man. He's been doing everything to defend Evergreen Dawn and its surrounding territories for as long as anyone can remember," Bokomon told him.

Takuya nodded his acknowledgement. Confused expressions disappeared from Izumi and Tomoki's faces as well, so he assumed that they had overheard Bokomon's words. He was about to ask them about it, but he was cut off when a gasp left his lips.

The inside of Evergreen Dawn was somehow even more impressive than the outside. The ceilings stretched high above the group's heads. The walls glittered with the same rainbow pattern as the outside, but being surrounded by such an ethereal pattern made Takuya feel even more awestruck. He didn't know what to say on the matter, and he wound up forcing his jaw to shut no matter how much it seemed to want to stay wide open.

"Where's Seraphimon?" Neemon questioned airily, waddling to catch up with Bokomon and Sorcermon.

"I'll take you to him as soon as I can," Sorcermon explained. "It's just me and him in the palace these days... Everyone else either fell or retreated after the Battle of Evergreen Dawn."

"Fell?" Izumi echoed, her eyes wide. "You meant that they were turned back into eggs?"

Sorcermon nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so... But things will change soon. I'm sure of it. Bokomon and Neemon returning to us is incredible. This is a sign that perhaps things may look up from here on out. Seraphimon will be able to explain more when you are able to speak with him," he replied.