Frontiers Unexplored

25) Storm and Shadow

Yumiko and the rest of the Legendary Warriors had been walking for a few hours, and the trees had given way to wide, empty ground. She had finally put her D-Tector away after being on edge for far too long, but she found herself fiddling with it constantly. The space was too hollow for her liking, and there was nothing to look at aside from an endless, vast expanse of gray sand below. The sight was dull and upsetting, and Yumiko knew that it was a sign that the Digital World was still on its way to dying. 

After meeting up with the rest of the group, Yumiko had apologized firmly for her actions before. Just as Tomoki had expected though, they were more than happy to forgive her for everything, and she was left standing in shock as smiles were send her direction along with loose shrugs. She thanked them for their kindness, and then the walking started. She hadn't said much of anything since then, but she kept a smile on her features the whole way to the Continent of Darkness. 

There were other conversations around her, but Yumiko didn't want to join them. Instead, she glanced around at the surrounding space for even a trace of surviving life, wanting to cling desperately to the idea that something could live through this hellish nightmare. Still, she found nothing, and her eyes continued to dart feverishly across the area in vain. No matter how many times she was met with emptiness, she continued to look, still clinging to the trace of hope that perhaps something had managed to live just out of sight. 

Yumiko had passed through this area many times as Fioremon, but the eerie lack of plant life never really got easier for her to deal with. She had managed to push it to the back of her mind before, but that trick only worked so many times before falling apart. When she traveled with the rest of the Legendary Warriors, it was all she could think about, and she felt sick at the realization that this was caused by Cherubimon, the very Digimon she had spent so much time working for in the time leading up to her purification. 

The area around the Continent of Darkness was nothing but sand, but the winds were never strong or passionate enough to kick up the dust. All breezes that blew through the area were ominous and small, and Yumiko shuddered when a small gale hit her cheek. She instinctively pushed her hair back into its regular position before closing her eyes, wanting to focus on anything but the mission at hand. 

The Continent of Darkness itself was encased in a large storm. The outside perimeter was made up of many clouds that had been dragged down to the earth, though Yumiko had no idea what could have caused such an odd phenomenon. It was as if the Continent of Darkness was the inside of a beehive, and the clouds were the protective honeycomb around the outside. Still, something must have dragged the puffs of air down to the ground, and she was determined to figure out what it was. The clouds were likely also responsible for the lack of life in the area, and she wanted to make it go away as soon as possible. 

Yumiko suddenly froze when she realized just what was responsible for the mass of clouds. Her jaw fell open, and all she could do was stare. The rest of the group had come to a halt behind her as well, and she realized that Junpei's D-Tector was in his hand. The device was beeping fervently, desperate to ensure that each member of the group heard its cries of certainty. 

"This must be the spot," Junpei murmured, and his gaze fell upon a large storm ahead. Dark gray clouds churned angrily, and Yumiko could hear the distant roar of thunder from inside. Lightning flickered along the outside, and when she put enough attention to it, she could hear the slamming of rain against the ground. Water was coming down in sheets, and she knew that she would never be able to navigate through that space without being tossed around like a rag doll. She doubted anyone would have that power aside from perhaps the Warrior of Thunder himself. 

The storm seemed to make up a small segment of the shield, and its influence could be felt in every direction. The clouds were thick enough to block out the sun overhead, giving the Continent of Darkness its customary shadow. The clouds would likely dissipate after the Beast Spirit of Thunder was removed from its place, but Yumiko suddenly had an awful feeling about following through with that. She took a slow, deep breath before attempting to identify a weak spot in the cloud barrier.