Powers of Crests: Passion of Fire

But he did have a dream, confused and blurred. He was running in a kind of maze. He doesn’t know where he was; all he knew was that he was chased by someone horrible. He panted and gasped as he rounded countless corners of the bewildered maze. He doesn’t care if he ever get lost. All he wanted was to get away from whoever was chasing him. He heard his friends’s voices calling from above, taunting.

You are nothing without your courage. Sora’s cynical voice.

You are worthless to us. Kim’s disgusted voice.

You are supposed to protect us. TK’s miserable voice.

He slapped his hands over his ears from the voices, screaming to drown them. He turned a corner and skid to a stop. He was at a dead end, blocked.

You are nothing! His voice! From behind him!

He turned to see the dark face of . . .

“Noooo!”

Tai popped up into a sitting position, his throat trembling with wheezes. Again, the pain burst in his chest, and he bent into a ball, trying to resist the pain. He felt warm hands touching him and arms holding around him, giving him sweet comfort, so sweet that it was almost as painful as the chest pain.

“You are all right. It’s only a bad dream.”

He rested in the arms for a while and opened his eyes. He was in Sora’s supporting arms, feeling the warmth radiating from her body. Looking around his surroundings, he was in a larger cave, its rocks hued red-brown. The ceiling was so high that Tai couldn’t see it. The air was so thick and warm that he had difficulty to breathe in the steam that filled the air. Agumon and Biyomon were near, concerned as they studied him.

Tai turned to Sora. “Where are we? Where are Kim and TK?”

“We are in Blaze Mountain,” answered Sora, letting Tai sit on his own.

“Where is that?” Tai touched his chest and cringed in pain. “Have I slept so long?”

Agumon nodded at him. “For nearly a day.”

“Tell me what happened.”

Sora answered, “Phyrimon found us. The digimon battled him, but still, he was too strong. I thought he was going to destroy us, but he didn’t. Somehow, he hypnotized us to fall into a stupor and I woke in this place with you, Agumon, and Biyomon. Biyomon recognized this place as a volcano called Blaze Mountain.”

That’s why it is so hot, thought Tai. He waited, then gazed up to her. “Sora, you didn’t answer my second question. Where are Kim and TK?”

Sora pushed back a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. She had her sky-blue hat off, sweating in the heat. “I don’t know. Phyrimon must keep them in another cave. I cannot hear out there from here.”

Tai pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He closed his eyes and shivered all over all of a sudden.

“Tai, you are shaking.” Sora putted her arm around his shoulders.

“I have an eerie dream. I was chased by someone. I was so frightened. I heard voices - your, Kim’s, and TK’s, saying I am worthless. Then I was blocked and turned around to see who was chasing me.”

“Who?”

His eyes narrowed as he tried to remember. “I can’t remember. It’s too blurred.”

“Don’t struggle too hard. It will come back.”

Tai suddenly shook his head violently. “No, I won’t want to remember! It was frightful!” He hugged himself tighter, ignoring the pain from the pressures on his burns.

He looked up at loud, stomping footsteps coming closer. Sora was terrified as she stood, facing the direction where the footsteps came from. Biyomon and Agumon stood in front of Tai, preparing to protect him, the weak friend.

Sora turned to him, her amber eyes hard. “Quickly, pretend to be unconscious!” she hissed softly.

“Why?”

“Do it!”

The bold words made him jump. He could see that she was serious. He laid down and closed his eyes. He forced to slow down his breaths to deep and regular. The air was getting hotter, difficult to breathe. He soon heard familiar voices.

“Kim! TK!” Sora said, relieved.

Then there came the crackling voice of Phyrimon. “The Master is still sleeping?” Tai found himself struggling not to stiffen at the words.

“Please don’t harm him, Phyrimon,” he heard Sora pleading. Phyrimon doesn’t answer at all, but he was still there. Then Sora asked, “Why do you call Tai the Master?”

Phyrimon answered emotionlessly, “He is the Master because he bears the Crest of Courage. He must be destroyed at once.” Then he left, the heat diminishing in the air.

Tai waited until he was certain Phyrimon was gone before letting his body go limp. Who was he, really? Why was he called the Master? He didn’t want to die because of that.

“Is he okay, Sora?” he heard Kim saying with heavy concern.

He opened his eyes and sat up. “I am okay.” Kim and TK ran to embrace him, glad to see him okay. Iyumon and Patamon went with them, also relieved. Kim and TK were slightly disturbed, tense. “Are you both all right? Was he torturing you?” His eyes darkened at the thought.

Kim shook her head. “No, we are fine. Are you okay, Tai?”

Tai nodded, feeling stronger by the minute. He felt the pure azure eyes of TK on him, studying him, so serious for a boy so young. “Are you the Master, Tai?” he whispered.

“I don’t know what is Phyrimon talking about, but I am not the Master.”

“Yes, you are the Master.”

Startled, all the kids crowded together in fear as Phyrimon entered the cave. He must eavesdropped them talking. Agumon, Iyumon, Biyomon, and Patamon stood in a defending line before Phyrimon, still too weak to digivolve, but fearless as Digimon Guardians. Tai felt the cold eyes of the fire digimon on him, paying no attention to the others. Clenching his teeth, Tai stood up, ignoring the chest pain, and, heart pounding, walked past the digimon line. Agumon made an anxious noise in his throat, but Tai cut him off with a hand. The severe tan eyes gazed up to the passionless ashes eyes.

“Are you afraid?” Phyrimon almost ridiculed.

“Yes, I am!” Tai’s words sharpened. He grew tired of that digimon torturing him with hazy nightmares and nonsense of the ‘Master.’ But he never was so terrified than before when Phyrimon only wanted to destroy him. Why him? Why must he be destroyed?! “I don’t know who I am!”

“You don’t know who you are.”

It was Tai’s voice! But it didn’t came from his throat. He saw a form in the darkness, the same size as him, moving from behind Phyrimon. The form moved around and stood in front of Tai. He shook in new horror as he stared in the eyes of himself. Yet the dark Tai was not him. He wore alike to Tai, looked exact the same, with the unkempt dusky hair, and the impatient face. The only difference were the eyes, which were dead, like cold ashes neglected to keep alive.

“Who are you?” Tai’s voice trembled as he stepped back once.

“Who are you?” the dark Tai echoed with the same voice, but tauntingly.

“I am Tai!” he yelled over the echo.

“No, you are not,” Dark Tai shook his head almost in pathetic pity. “You are nothing.”

Instantly, Tai realized what was Phyrimon doing. He was destroying him by using his most darkest fear - himself. He was always acting daringly and brave, often to cover his true self to his friends. Inside, he was always frightened. He feared that his friends would not look up to him if he was cowardly. Realizing the reason of Phyrimon, Tai stiffened himself, his eyes darkened as his gaze met the cold gaze of himself. “You are nothing but my fear. To be courageous, I must face and overcome myself.”

Dark Tai smirked. “You didn’t face yourself. You are not courageous.”

Tai’s face scowled with new strength. “No! I won’t let you destroy me! Yes, I fear myself, but because I would not see myself. But I must. I will not give up! I will not give up to myself! No one will make me! I am Tai!”

His crest glowed orange and surrounded him. An aura of flaring flames encircled him, like he was the source of the fire. Intense pain throbbed in his chest, but Tai paid no attention, his eyes blazing passionately as his fiery aura. His friends moved not, gaping in unbelievable awe. Phyrimon and Dark Tai stepped back in disbelief at the boy, the Master of Courage.

Tai’s voice shouted with the very courage of his own soul. “I am the Master! Passion of Fire!” A gigantic beam of twirling flames emitted from his outspread hands, its scorching heat sizzling his flesh. The beam bound Phyrimon and Dark Tai from feet to head. He heard the horrible, pained screams as they were slowing dying into red-hot ashes, the only traces of their existences.

The beam dissolved, and so was his fiery aura, leaving Tai appearing passionless without his fire energy. Slowly, blackness crept in his head, and he swayed. “I am . . . the Master . . .” he breathed before he collapsed, all thoughts gone.

* * *

He was carried. He was laid down on his back, was carried by a supporter. He slowly woke in the darkness. He was slightly aware that he was in fresh air, and the pain was gone from his chest. He let himself rest, let his senses remember the new surroundings. Unconsciously, he let out a small mumble from his mouth.

“Hey, he is waking!” he heard a young male voice saying. He stopped moving and was lowered to solid ground beneath him. He sensed pairs of eyes gazing at him.

“Hey, Rascal.”

The voice seemed familiar to him, and he urged to see what face the voice was belonging to. His eyes fluttered open a crack and saw all blurs. He saw seven vague forms gazing down to him, the winking rays of the sun surrounding them with auras of light. He blinked several times to clear his vision. His eyes widened to see better, but narrowed enough to avoid the bright sunlight. His friends inhaled sharply, their eyes widened in silent shock.

Tai gazed up at them with puzzlement.

“How do you feel?” Sora said, her fingers touching his forehead.

Tai’s voice was raw, and it was difficult for him to speak. “Confused . . . How long . . . have I been out?”

“A couple of hours, Tai,” answered Kim. “We are carrying you down Blaze Mountain.”

His eyes went to her. “Phyrimon?”

“You burned him into ashes,” said Agumon.

“Burned?”

“You don’t remember?” wondered Iyumon.

“All I remember is fire, blackness . . . myself.” He closed his eyes at the shaken memory of facing himself.

“Must we tell him?” he heard TK whispering.

His eyes flew open. “Tell me what?”

Sora sighed and gazed seriously at him. “Tai, you have changed.”

“Changed? What do you mean?”

Biyomon answered from Sora’s side, “Since after you . . .” she struggled to find a word, “ . . . power or gift or whatever, somehow you have a strand of red in your hair and your eyes are red now, no longer brown.”

Tai frowned in bewilderment.

“We need a mirror to prove,” TK offered.

“Or water,” said Kim. She stood and left under low branches with Iyumon by her side.

Tai lifted a hand to touch his chest, and then realized that he was clothed once again with his shirt, which was clean, but with few stains of dried blood - his blood. There were no bandages. He felt his chest and neck. The burns were gone; his skin was unbroken. “My burns . . . they are gone.”

“Somehow, you are healed,” Agumon said.

“How?” No one knew the answer.

Kim and Iyumon showed up soon after. “There is a small pond not far from here.” She and Sora began to lift the stretcher, but, flushing, he stopped them.

“No, wait. I can walk.” Tai tried to sit up, but again, the same pain shattered in his chest.

Gently, Kim and Sora pushed him back to his laying position. “Rest, Tai. You are in no condition to move. Let us do it,” Sora said wisely.

Kim lifted the front end of the stretcher as Sora held on the back end. Tai gazed up to the flashes of sunlight between swaying branches as he was carried, remembering what had happened. He didn’t want to remember, and laid silently, feeling soothed by the gentle movements of the girls.

Then he was lowered to the ground. He was allowed to sit up, the pain in his chest a sliver, not intense as before. He leaned forward to see his reflection in the silent pond. For a moment, he thought his reflection was not looking back, but it was really him with some changes. His eyes, used to be light tan with eager, hungry ambition, were now bright red. The irises were all reddish with speckles of deep orange and golden yellow. He turned his head so the sun could reflect in his eyes. For a brief time, the irises blazed, like dancing flames.

“My eyes . . . like fire.” Then he saw a bright red lock among his dusky hair, curling above his forehead, standing out. He reached to touch it to see if it was real. It was real, feeling like his own hair. He gazed up to his friends, who were watching him. “Those things . . . I got them after I get my power?” All nodded as one. He again looked down to his reflection, as shocked as he was. “Unbelievable . . . Would I be like that forever?”

“It’s a possibility,” said Sora softly.

Tai took his time studying his reflection, trying to see if it was all a dream and he would wake up to find himself normal. But he was no longer normal, not to his friends, who were now seeing him in a different way. He had a power he never knew he has, and it affected him forever. He may be a different Tai from outside, but he was still the same inside.

He didn’t react when, all of a sudden, raindrops fell from above. He heard his friends responding with relief, welcoming the fresh, cool water. Raindrops fell in the pond, disordering his reflection, but the red eyes - his eyes of fire were unwavering, staring back with courage.

Tai inwardly smiled and whispered, “I am the Master.”

Digimon Fan Fiction

Unofficial Digimon Domain