Frontiers Unexplored

12) Shattered Future

Night had fallen since the group's departure from Evergreen Dawn, and the inside of Trailmon had grown eerily quiet. Takuya's eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but he couldn't bring himself to close them for longer than a few seconds. When he tried to sleep, he was snapped back to the dull light of Trailmon as soon as visions of Seraphimon and Sorcermon appeared in his mind. Over and over, he saw Lyramon raising their shield and Duskmon striking Sorcermon for a final time. Sleep was quickly establishing itself to be impossible, and all he could do was shift uncomfortably on the outside edge of the train car. 

Koji still hadn't moved at all, though color was starting to return to his face. At some point, Tomoki had moved over to sit next to the Warrior of Light, but Takuya couldn't say when that had been. He watched Tomoki silently, waiting for Koji to say or do something, but he was let down in the end just like every other damn time he had prayed that things would change. 

Takuya looked over to Izumi next. She was still clinging to Seraphimon's egg like it was the one thing keeping her alive. She hadn't released it for longer than a few minutes since they had left Evergreen Dawn, and if her eyes hadn't dried up, Takuya knew she would have been crying. Bokomon and Neemon sat on either side of her. Bokomon stared at the egg intently, praying for it to shake or stir, only to be disappointed. Neemon watched the floor silently. His ears twitched every once in a while when he sensed Bokomon was moving a few feet away. 

Junpei was the final person Takuya examined. The Warrior of Thunder had one arm positioned on the backrest of the train's bench as he looked out the window silently. The train rumbled and buzzed gently beneath him, but he didn't seem to mind. His expression was unreadable, but Takuya had a feeling he understood exactly what emotions were flaring to life beneath the surface. 

Disappointment. Fear. Anger. Grief. Denial. Takuya had gone through the same cycle more times than he could hope to count, and he just kept on going right back to them. What else was there to do? There was nowhere for the group to go now that Evergreen Dawn was gone. They had no idea where Ophanimon was, no idea where the Beast Spirits were going to be located, and no idea when the Fallen Warriors were going to strike next. 

Takuya leaned back against the window, hating the feeling of vibration against the back of his head but not caring enough to move. He wanted to say something that would make everyone feel better, but he simply couldn't find the words. When he opened his mouth, the syllables would always die. Plus, Tomoki and Izumi would look at him with such hope, and when everything fell apart, the way their faces slipped back into sadness was too much for him to bear. 

He hadn't been this unhappy in a long time. 

Takuya suddenly heard a series of beeps pierce the air, and he realized without fully processing it that the sound had come from his D-Tector. He pulled the device from his pocket and watched it carefully. He saw Tomoki do the same as Neemon pulled Izumi's device from its place at her hip. Junpei was motionless. 

Static filled the screen before the symbol that Takuya had come to associate with Ophanimon appeared. A gasp left his lips, but he was cut off by the voice that spoke from the speakers. "Legendary Warriors," Ophanimon began. 

"Ophanimon!" Tomoki exclaimed. He looked about ready to start crying again, tears forming in his eyes with the threat of falling. Still, he managed to keep his composure. 

"You fought valiantly at Evergreen Dawn. I am truly sorry that it had to end this way... But I have your next mission for you," Ophanimon continued. "You are to head to the Rose Morning Star. It is Cherubimon's palace within the Continent of Darkness. You can find me there."

"Cherubimon's castle?!" Neemon shrieked. His eyes went wide, and Takuya dully realized that Neemon's eyes could in fact open further than mere slits. Who would have guessed?