Frontiers Unexplored

34) Fierce Blizzard

The Legendary Warriors had all transformed by the time that the source of the rumbling was anywhere near them. There was simply too much anxiety buzzing in the air, suffocating in its sheer mass, for them to remain passive for any longer than they already had. Worst case scenario, they turned back to normal after realizing that there was no threat. It was best to be prepared rather than be caught by surprise. 

Ceruleamon looked out over the group and took note of all those she found. For the most part, they were all in Beast Spirit form, but there was one exception. Junpei had shifted to become Thundramon because that was the highest level that he had access to. Ceruleamon was still surprised to see that the Warrior of Steel had decided on using their Beast Spirit rather than simply settling with Lyramon as they had done for so long. Still, she knew that she didn't have time to think about it, so she shoved the thought as far from her mind as possible. 

Ceruleamon was softly impressed with her own abilities regarding the control of her Spirits. She had decided to shift over to her Hybrid form because she had no idea what was waiting for them. She wanted to get back to resting as soon as possible too, and she knew that it would be easiest for them to go back to relaxing if they attacked the enemy with as much power as they had at their disposal. 

At one point in time, she would have found it ridiculous to even imagine that she could use her Human Spirit without worrying about her lack of control. Still, she was not only able to master her dominion over Oceaniamon, but Aquariamon as well, and she had no issues with becoming Ceruleamon as soon as the time came for her to start fighting. She was able to keep both sides of her power under control, and she was glad that she had that power after believing for so long that she wouldn't ever have that ability. 

Ceruleamon knew exactly who was responsible for her newfound control, and she looked out of the corner of her eye at Zephyrmon. The Warrior of Wind didn't seem bothered at all by what was happening, though Ceruleamon suspected that this was likely a mask to keep the enemy from exploiting any weaknesses that she might display. The Warrior of Water couldn't help but smile fondly at Zephyrmon, glad to see that she was doing alright after their earlier conversation. 

In all honesty, Ceruleamon had been worried about opening up to her. She was so used to bottling her emotions until she felt ready to burst and drown under their weight, but Izumi had changed that. She had simply reached out a hand towards Hinoka and said that it was going to be alright, and Hinoka found herself believing in the words for the first time in too many years for her to count. It was an incredible feeling, and she never wanted it to leave as soon as she found it. 

The rest of the team seemed to be happy to have her there as well, though Ceruleamon was only assuming such because she believed that Izumi had been honest during their earlier conversation. She knew how caring they could be, and she could only pray that she was given the chance to understand that for herself. She didn't doubt her new friend's words in the slightest, and Ceruleamon found herself giddy for companionship in a way that she had never anticipated prior to her purification at Zephyrmon's hands. 

Ceruleamon found herself almost lost in her thoughts, but another sudden rumbling noise snapped her free of her trance. She was in the air, and her wings were keeping her aloft, but that didn't stop her from being scared almost out of her skin by the newfound explosion of sound. She glanced around furiously in an attempt to identify the region where it could have come from, but she soon realized that such was unnecessary. 

"He's here," came the whisper of Garummon, and Ceruleamon felt her heart skip a beat. She knew exactly who it was without needing to ask. She wanted to chastise herself for not thinking about it sooner, but she knew that wouldn't do her any good. The battle was what mattered, and she couldn't allow herself to be caught up in her own head as long as the Warrior of Darkness was still on the run.