Chapter 46: Symphony in the sky

Once the battle against Lilithmon was over, the children and their partners sighed in relief. However, the relief didn't last long. Seraphimon suddenly shuddered and clutched his injury. The others noticed his wound and gathered around him. Marinangemon offered to try something that could help; he believed that his healing powers could work in a regular injury like that. But the angel refused any assistance.

"I can't waste any more time!" Seraphimon said, walking away from his friends. "I have to get to her… I have to…"

Takeru looked at him with apprehension. The boy knew his partner wouldn't accept help before seeing his sister. If they insisted on the idea, that would only lead to an argument, which wouldn't help anyone.

"Go ahead, then." The boy told him, forcing a smile. "I can go with the others. You'll be faster if you don't have to carry me."

"Thank you, Takeru!" Seraphimon said, taking flight immediately. The boy watched him without blinking. As the angel distanced himself, Takeru felt the sadness he had attempted to hide make its way out of his heart. Yet, he tried to resist the familiar warmth of the tears coming to his eyes.

"I used a data-corrupting attack on him that slowly breaks his body down." Lilithmon explained, a few steps away from the group. "He's probably aware that he's dying. He doesn't seem to care."

"But your attack is not the same thing as that poison! Seraphimon can be healed, can't he?" Marinangemon questioned.

"I suppose it's possible." Lilithmon answered. "But it would take hours for that. We don't have that much time."

"Why? Is he going to die before that?" Herkuleskabuterimon asked.

"No, he wouldn't die so soon. But the red door won't hold still for that long." Lilithmon explained. "When I created that door, I made an unstable tear on the fabric separating this world and that dimension. It took the existence of the entire Digital World to sustain that door. But now that only Infinity Mountain is left on this side, the millions of souls on the other side are putting too much pressure on the tear without anything to counterbalance it. That thing is going to open any second now. I used to think that, when it happened, she would finally come out, but that was never her intention…"

"So, there really isn't time to heal him now if he wants to save his sister…" Jyou muttered, sadly.

"That's his number one priority." Hikari said.

Takeru turned to Lilithmon and glared at her. His eyes were brimmed with tears and his lips trembled. His rage felt like boiling water running through him. Many accusations emerged in his mind, but he didn't pronounce any of them. He knew that Lilithmon didn't have any reason to believe in Seraphimon's change of heart. Had he been in her place, Takeru would've probably done the same thing.

The boy took a deep breath, feeling his friends' concerned eyes on him.

"Seraphimon made his decision." He murmured, diverting his eyes from the children and digimon. Takeru looked at the crater on the ceiling and the many others on the floors above. "He cares more about saving his sister than about saving his life."

"The tyrant I fought wouldn't act with such nobility." Banchoulilymon commented. "On the other hand, the digimon I grew up with would… I can see that now."

"Hold on! He doesn't have to die!" said Mimi. "I mean, there isn't time to heal him now, but if he's not going to die immediately, Seraphimon can be healed after rescuing his sister, right?"

The others looked at her, astonished.

"You're right!" Koushiro exclaimed. "I mean, in theory, that's possible!"

"Really?" Takeru whispered, hopeful. "We can really help him?"

"I think so." Koushiro confirmed, smiling at the little boy.

"But when the souls from beyond the door leave that dimension and fully integrate with the billions of souls around this mountain, the new Digital World will be started." Lilithmon pointed out. "I believe that our data as digimon will be easily adapted during the world rebirth, but I don't think that would be the case for human data."

"What are you trying to say?" Marinangemon questioned. "What would happen to our partners?"

"It's hard to tell for sure, but I think they'd probably die." Lilithmon explained. "The smartest thing they can do is to leave before that happens."

"I'm not going to abandon Seraphimon!" Takeru swore.

"Neither will we leave our partners!" said Mimi.

"We don't want you guys to be hurt!" Banchoulilymon told her.

"I can protect us!" Hikari said. "I still have the knowledge of the Spirit of the World!"

"But if the new Digital World's structure is completely different from the current one, will that knowledge still be applicable?" Koushiro wondered. "You might momentarily lose your powers while the Homeostasis database is updated with information regarding the new world. In that moment of vulnerability, we could die."

"But we can't leave without being sure that things are going to be okay!" Takeru affirmed.

"We can't risk your lives like this just so you can feel reassured!" Banchoulilymon cried.

"That's true! We're not going to let you die!" said Marinangemon.

"We'll protect you!" said Herkuleskabuterimon.

"Actually, we might not have to worry about our imminent deaths." Koushiro said, earning shocked looks.

"Koushiro-kun, your self-destructiveness is kicking again!" Mimi was alarmed.

"He died so many times he doesn't care anymore…" Marinangemon muttered.

"No, it's not that!" Koushiro denied. "Before the other me disappeared, he told me something… he said that he never allowed human children to die in the Digital Worlds he had created."

"What kind of nonsense is that?!" Marinangemon asked. "We know that the original children died! And I don't mean just the clones but the actual children!"

"Otae-san's brother was murdered in front of her!" Takeru recalled.

"I know those things happened, but…" Koushiro insisted. "Maybe what he meant was that, despite dying in the Digital World, human children wouldn't die in our world. Perhaps, Shinsuke and the original children that had been killed by the Academy were able to return and are still alive in our world… in that case, the same thing could happen to us."

"He never told me anything like that." Hikari informed.

"It's possible that he only said that to make you feel better, Koushiro-kun." said Jyou.

"Maybe it was his way to say that he protected us." Mimi suggested.

"We can't forget what that guy has done!" Marinangemon stated. "He could be just messing with you!"

"He had just saved me! Why would he do that?!" Koushiro asked.

"I don't know! Who can tell what went through that guy's mind?" Marinangemon retorted.

"Koushiro-san is that guy. He can tell." Takeru pointed out.

"I'll believe in Koushiro-han, no matter what!" Herkuleskabuterimon affirmed.

"I'm not so sure about that." Hikari sighed.

"Hey, have you all forgotten that we're in a hurry?" Lilithmon inquired, annoyed. She was already on her way to the second floor. "I'm going to leave you behind!"

That comment made the other children and their partners move. Takeru, along with Jyou, Mimi and Koushiro, climbed on Herkuleskabuterimon and took flight, while Hikari flew on Holydramon. The other digimon followed them towards the highest level of Infinity Mountain.

It was difficult for Seraphimon to fly because of the pain in his shoulder, but he managed to get to the red door. After landing on the highest level, his knees gave in and he nearly fell. Wizarmon caught him in time. They were in an ample chamber badly lit by a few torches. Between the crater and the red door close to the rocky wall, Houomon and Sora were standing. They gave him concerned looks.

"What about Takeru-kun and the others?" Sora asked, getting close to Wizarmon with her partner.

"They'll be here soon…" Seraphimon mumbled, breaking free from Wizarmon and making his way to the door. He could listen to uncountable hands punching the wood from the other side, trying to force it open.

"I could use a healing spell on that wound." Wizarmon offered.

"I don't have time for that…" Seraphimon said, while walking. His steps were uneven and his body was trembling.

"But that injury looks serious!" Houomon sounded alarmed. "You have to treat it before it gets worse!"

"I don't care about this pain!" Seraphimon stated, stopping a few steps from the door. "This is nothing compared to what I've made my sister suffer!" He stretched his arm to touch the wood. "I'm so sorry, Ofanimon! I'm so sorry! I never wanted you to suffer! I never wished to put you through this misery! If I could go back in time and undo everything… if I could protect you from this torment… what I did to you and those digimon was unforgiveable! Please, let me make up for it! I'll open this door and-"

"When you open the door, Salvation will be concluded." Ofanimon told him; her voice was partially muffled by cries and laments. "The souls of your victims will escape and tear me apart in the process."

Seraphimon was horrified to hear that.

"That can't be right…" He murmured. "There has to be a way to save you! I have to save you!"

"I can't be saved!" Ofanimon stated. "After all this time, the digimon you killed are still writhing with despair and hatred. I've done my best to contain their dark feelings, but my efforts never had lasting results… good intentions alone can't save anyone, but my plan can. They'll be reborn in a new world and be happy… and I'll never be reborn. But there's a bright side to that. I won't be able to continue to suffer because of you."

"No… you can't give up…" Seraphimon sounded like someone on the verge of crying. "Please, there has to be a way…"

"We tried to dissuade her too, but she was obstinate." Wizarmon spoke in a depressed voice.

"But I'm her brother!" Seraphimon stated. "We had a deep and special bond! If I can't save her… if I can't do anything…"

"If what you want is my forgiveness, I can give it to you." Ofanimon told him. "Will this make you feel less guilty? Will it grant you peace of mind?"

"I can't have peace of mind if I can't save you!" Seraphimon replied.

"In that case, dear brother…" Ofanimon had a sad but resigned tone, "…we have no alternative but to make each other miserable until the end of our lives."

Once the other children and digimon arrived at the highest level, they found Sora, Wizarmon and Houomon standing on a large piece of floor still intact, looking sadly at Seraphimon, who was paralyzed in front of the red door.

"Ofanimon said that when the door opens the data of the dead digimon will tear her apart." Sora explained to the others.

"After all the souls leave, that dimension will collapse upon itself…" Lilithmon muttered. "She was supposed to escape with them. After everything she has done, those souls should be grateful… instead, they'll harm her…"

"Daughter…" Ofanimon called from beyond the door. "I apologize for misleading you. I never let you know how small an effect my songs had on the fallen digimon because I wanted to protect you. I was afraid that you would fall in despair if you knew I couldn't survive Salvation… and that you'd try to stop the plan."

Lilithmon headed to the door with firm steps, passing by Seraphimon without even glancing at him.

"And then you conspired with Piedmon to make me the new queen!" Lilithmon spat. "You kept important information from me! You lied to me and manipulated me! You never asked me what I wanted and instead decided by yourself the route my life should take!"

"I did that because I knew you wouldn't willingly accept the position." Ofanimon explained. "You have a great potential for leadership, daughter. The Digital World will need you."

"I don't want to lead anyone! I'm not going to do that!" Lilithmon stated. "You're not going to make me change my mind! You won't guilt-trip me into replacing you!"

Ofanimon stayed quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with sadness:

"I never meant to guilt-trip you… I just wanted you to reach your full potential…"

"That doesn't excuse what you did." Lilithmon said. "I won't continue to live my life for your sake. I'll find my own happiness."

"I understand." Ofanimon muttered. "I'm sorry for hurting you. That was never my intention..."

Lilithmon turned around and glanced at Seraphimon.

"Why are you standing there doing nothing?" She asked. "What happened to that determination you had during our fight?"

"I want to help her but I don't know how…" Seraphimon murmured.

"Can't we open the door but temporally stop the deceased digimon from coming out?" Sora wondered. "If we could hold them back for enough time-"

"That would upset them more, wouldn't it?" Mimi asked. "In their pain, they could hurt Ofanimon further… and us as well…"

"We would need a way to soothe the pain of all those digimon. That could give Ofanimon a chance." Hikari said.

"Her songs made some of them feel better for a bit." Lilithmon informed.

"Are you saying that we should sing?" Banchoulilymon asked.

"Maybe not literally…" Koushiro said, putting a hand under his chin. "But if we sang with our hearts…"

"What does that mean?" Jyou questioned.

"Remember when we went to Monzaemon's hotel and the toys said they could hear noise coming from us?" Koushiro asked.

"They said there was a beautiful melody coming from me." Mimi recalled.

"Back then, you were the most emotionally stable person in the group." Koushiro told the girl. "I think that translated to the toys as a beautiful melody coming from your heart."

"The rest of us, on the other hand, all had emotional issues…" Sora pointed out. "Those issues translated as noise. Monzaemon wanted to force music in our hearts and attempted to rewrite us for that."

"I think we resolved most of our issues by now." Jyou said. "Maybe our emotions now can be translated as music."

"Exactly!" Koushiro exclaimed. "If we focus on our positive emotions, they could become music and help to soothe the corrupted digimon for enough time for Ofanimon to escape!"

"Foolish!" Ofanimon yelled. "My very being is too intertwined with the fallen digimon! I can't escape them!"

"But I could enter your dimension and get you!" Seraphimon suggested. "I can free you and take you back!"

"Do you understand how deeply these digimon hate you?!" Ofanimon inquired. "They'll destroy you the second they feel your presence, brother! In fact, they'll destroy everyone in their way when they cross the door!"

"They won't do that if we hold them back with the music from our hearts!" Takeru stated.

"And how do you intend to turn your emotions into music?" Ofanimon asked.

"I could do that with my psychic powers." Wizarmon suggested.

"You almost lost your mind to these voices the last time." Ofanimon reminded the mage. "If you're standing there when this door opens, nothing will be able to protect you!"

"You don't have to worry about me anymore." Wizarmon told her. "I will help you this time."

"You don't have to feel indebted to me!" Ofanimon shouted. "Don't put yourself in danger just to pay me back!"

"I won't do that because I feel obliged to!" Wizarmon affirmed. "I'll do it because you're hurt and you need help! It's just that! I'll just do what I can to comfort someone in need! Someone who happens to be very dear to me… but even if you weren't, I'd still do it!"

Ofanimon didn't reply. Holydramon went to Wizarmon's side.

"You were the first person to show kindness to Wizarmon." She told Ofanimon. "He learned that from you."

"And you taught me not to give up on others after they make mistakes, but to give them another chance." Wizarmon said to Holydramon. "The digimon I am now… I owe it to the both of you, my two most precious people! Because of you, I'm not afraid!"

"None of us are." Sora affirmed, holding her digivice with both hands. "It's funny… I remember that right before Piyomon evolved to Birdramon for the first time, I had vowed to never allow any adult to mistreat children… and here I am now, trying to save a 'mother'… if I hadn't come to the Digital World, I wouldn't have understood that adults are also fallible people trying their best… people that are not always very good at communicating, but that are capable of loving as deeply as anyone else!"

An intense red glow came out of Sora's digivice. Wizarmon made a movement with his staff while closing his eyes. Suddenly, a sweet melody of a flute could be heard by everybody. The punching beyond the door stopped.

"Our digivices can amplify our emotions and help us to connect with other people. I just saw that happen earlier today." Takeru commented, while holding his digivice the same way Sora had done. "Because of that, I could understand my partner and help him… we had our ups and downs, but I want to keep on supporting him the best I can! And I want to continue to grow up with him!"

From Takeru's digivice, an intense yellow glow emerged accompanied by the upbeat sound of drums. Seraphimon turned to his partner.

"Takeru…" Seraphimon muttered. "I want that too…"

"Then, you'll let me heal you after we rescue Ofanimon!" Marinangemon told him. "You have to be alive to be able to grow, right?"

"I guess…" Seraphimon said. "Wait! What did you mean by after we rescue her?"

"You weren't seriously thinking we'd let you go in there alone, right?" Herkuleskabuterimon asked.

"We've been together since the beginning." Houomon said. "We have to be together until the end!"

"But she's my sister! It's not fair to you-" Seraphimon contested.

"She might've been your sister first, but we're also your family." Banchoulilymon told him. "In this life, we laughed together, cried together, fought together… what we lived in the past is important, but it doesn't take away from what we have now. It only adds."

"I didn't grow up with you…" Holydramon said. "It could be pretentious of me to act as if I'm part of your group, but I also would like to help. And then, when everything is resolved, maybe we could be friends."

"I was already counting you as our friend!" Houomon told her.

"Me too!" Marinangemon agreed.

"It's always good to make more friends!" Herkuleskabuterimon added.

"Digimon that fight together have an unbreakable bond." Banchoulilymon affirmed.

Holydramon grinned after hearing that.

Seraphimon's lips trembled. Then, they formed a smile.

"I have one big family and many precious friends!" He stated.

"I'm so happy…" Mimi said, closing her hands around her digivice. "It's so wonderful when our words are capable of transmitting what we feel… when we are listened and listen to others, we can make a huge difference. We can find our strength and our mercy… we can shake the world!"

When the green glow erupted from Mimi's digivice, the electrifying sound of a guitar reverberated in all directions.

"We are capable of more things than we can imagine!" Jyou stated, holding his digivice close to his chest. "When we're determined to help someone, we can accomplish amazing things! We can be whatever we want and our effort can't be tarnished by our eventual failures! We can learn from our mistakes and keep on pushing ourselves forward, for as long as we can!"

Gray light flooded the room as the pleasant melody of a piano spread.

"We are always learning." Koushiro said, putting his hands together with his digivice in the middle. "We are always changing and discovering new things about ourselves. Not all of them are good… some can be terrifying… but we can't look away from them! We can't run from ourselves! So, the best we can do is to try to understand these complicated people we are. That way, we might come to like them, to like ourselves… if we're willing to keep our hearts and minds open."

The melody of a violin came along with intense purple light from the boy's digivice. The five colors and sounds were blending together, but there was still something missing to fully harmonize them.

Hikari picked up her digivice and held it with both hands in a way that looked like she was about to pray. She was willing to help her friends with her powers for as long as she could.

"We're all unique and special, but we also shine the brightest when we're together!" Hikari stated. "Your love, hope, purity, honesty and knowledge are mine too. And I give you all my light!"

The dazzling pink light that left her digivice was accompanied by the beautiful melody of a harp. The six colors combined turned into white light. The pieces of music became a symphony that could be heard not only beyond the door but also outside the mountain, filling the dark sky.

"I won't go in there." Lilithmon said, approaching the children, while turning her back to the chosen digimon, who were lining with Seraphimon. "While your partners and that mage are busy, someone knowledgeable in magic should be around to keep them safe if something goes badly. I can do that."

"Thank you, Lilithmon!" Seraphimon exclaimed, turning to her.

"Only you can open the door from this side." She told him in low voice, without turning around to look at him. "Bring her back, okay?"

"I will!" He vowed.

Seraphimon placed both hands on the red door and pushed it. As it began to open and a massive amount of dark smoke was about to cross it, the light and the song from the children pushed the darkness back and created a path for the chosen digimon.

"LET ME OUT!"

The souls cried out as they tried to separate themselves from Ofanimon's data, tearing her from the inside out.

It'll be over soon… she thought, trying to distract herself from the pain.

Out of nowhere, the darkness she was immersed in began to be broken by a luminous white point in the distance. That spot was getting bigger and taking over the horizon. The light was accompanied by a lovely melody. That music had a calming effect on the fallen souls.

Why are they doing this? Ofanimon wondered. Why can't they just let me die? I don't wish to live anymore, I don't want to exist… why can't they understand that?

"OFANIMON!"

She recognized her brother's voice. On the horizon, she could spot him flying in her direction while five digimon flew around him and tried to keep any dark claw from getting close to Seraphimon.

Why did that idiot come here? He's just going to die! She thought. Maybe that's what he wants deep down… and there was no real meaning in his vows to save me…

Ofanimon wanted to believe in that. It would be less painful. But she knew she was just trying to fool herself.

"Sister!"

He called again.

With her uncovered eye, she could see him hovering in front of her. The claws twisting her limbs and tearing her insides began to shake in anticipation. They could feel the presence of their murderer.

"Go away!" Ofanimon ordered.

"I want to help you! Please, come with me!" Seraphimon pleaded. He tried to pull the dark claws away from her, but they began to attack him viciously.

Marinangemon threw bubbles on the dark mass and Holydramon poured light on them. Banchoulilymon got close to the angel and tried to take away the claws piercing his armor, but there were too many of them.

"Why isn't the song from their hearts stopping them?" Houomon asked. "It was working just now!"

"Their hatred for him is far too strong…" Ofanimon muttered, as she watched the pieces of metal that covered her brother being broken and his blood flow freely. Even the corrupted data imbued in her body left her to attack Seraphimon. The other digimon tried to attack the dark mass and to free Seraphimon from it. However, the more they struggled, the more ferociously the darkness tore into her brother. "You shouldn't have come here! I warned you!"

"I'm not going to abandon you!" Seraphimon stated as dark hands punched his helmet and tried to strangle him.

"You came here to make me watch you die… you'll die because of me, like that time…" She muttered, letting a tear fall from her uncovered eye. "How cruel of you…"

Some of the claws behind him took the form of a spear and stabbed Seraphimon, coming out at the other side of his body. It repeated that motion at least three times. His companions cried out for him. They launched their attacks against the spear, but they simply went through it, like their attacks on the dark smoke. They tried to cut or break the claws stretching and twisting Seraphimon's body, but the result was the same. The digimon didn't know what to do. Their despair could be felt by the chosen children.

The light began to flicker.

The music started to lose intensity.

The cries of the chosen digimon were added to those of her brother's victims.

"At least try to run away…" Ofanimon pleaded in a weak voice, not able to contain her tears. "Leave this place… please…"

Seraphimon put all his energy in trying to free his right arm. His injured and bloody flesh was protected only by a few pieces of armor that hadn't been destroyed yet. He stretched his arm in her direction and opened his hand, showing her his palm. Seraphimon forced the best smile he could muster and said to her:

"With you, I will leave."

Those five words took her back to her distant childhood, to a conversation they had and a request her brother had made.

"Bocelli! I really like it! I think the song is called 'Con te partirò'."

"Do you know what it says, Plotmon?"

"No, but I'll learn one day!"

"Translate it for me when you do, please."

Ofanimon had learned the meaning behind those lyrics a long time before. They had never touched on the subject after her brother had been chosen by Fate and she never had the chance to tell him the translation. Could it be that he had learned the meaning by himself? Did he choose that specific phrase to try to communicate something?

Or perhaps that wasn't intentional at all. Perhaps it was nothing more than a strange coincidence. But whatever the case, Ofanimon couldn't stop seeing the Patamon she had loved so much where the battered angel was. Her heart ached in a way it had never before, but that was a different kind of pain. It didn't break her spirit, but made her want to move. Not out of guilt, shame or a sense of responsibility. Ofanimon moved because of something far more powerful. Something irresistible.

"With you, I will leave…" Ofanimon began to sing in low voice, holding the hand he was offering with both of hers. "Countries that I had never seen and lived with you… now I will live them…"

The darkness stopped attacking Seraphimon and began to retreat. Ofanimon pulled him into a hug and continued to sing, letting her warm tears fall on him:

"With you, I will leave… on ships on seas… which I know don't exist anymore… with you, I'll live them…"

The light around them shone more intensely as the symphony of the chosen children harmonized with Ofanimon's song. That cold dimension got warmer, as if it was catching fire.

They were all able to return.

The song and the light the chosen children had created generated a white bubble around them, which connected to a tunnel that entered the dark dimension. When the digimon returned, with Herkuleskabuterimon carrying both angels, Takeru's concentration was broken and he ran towards his partner. The music was interrupted and the white bubble dissipated, but Hikari was able to create a giant pink bubble to shield them from the data that violently emerged from beyond the door.

The dark mass destroyed the walls and the top of Infinity Mountain and fused with the dark clouds outside. After a few seconds, countless points of light with the colors of the rainbow poured down from the sky, forming lands, vegetation and bodies of water around the mountain.

Hikari's bubble was dissolved by the rain of light and she wasn't able to create a new one. A new world was starting and her powers were gone. The children were alarmed in the beginning, but relaxed when they saw that nothing bad was happening to them.

Takeru wasn't paying attention to the world being reborn around him. His eyes were locked on the pair of angels holding each other's hands as data particles broke from their bodies.

"It's too late to try to heal them now…" Marinangemon said sorrowfully. "They've suffered too much damage…"

"I'm sorry, Takeru…" Seraphimon said, trying to get up from Herkuleskabuterimon's hand. However, he didn't have enough strength. He stumbled and remained seated.

Takeru let a couple of tears escape his eyes. Nevertheless, he tried to smile.

"What are you apologizing for?" The boy asked. "You saved your sister! And soon the two of you will be born again in a brand new world and be very happy…"

The little boy couldn't take it anymore and began to sob as more tears fell from his eyes.

"You brought my brother back to me." Ofanimon told Takeru, showing him a beautiful smile. "Thank you."

"I will never forget you, Takeru." Seraphimon promised, smiling as well. "We will meet again."

"Yes!" Takeru nodded.

The smile he was able to show his partner in those final moments wasn't large, but was sincere. Takeru promised to himself that he would show his best friend a happier face when they reunited.

The two siblings turned completely into white data particles, but they didn't float to the sky. Instead, they became eggs.

"We didn't get to say good-bye to her…" Wizarmon lamented, glancing at Lilithmon.

"I had told her everything I needed already." Lilithmon said. "I wish I could've returned that necklace to her, though."

"You can do that when she's reborn." Hikari told her as she handed the necklace to the woman. In that moment, the prism was no longer transparent, but black.

However, before Lilithmon could catch it, the object went through the girl's hand and fell to the floor, shocking everybody.

"What just happened?" Jyou shouted.

"I think we're disappearing!" Sora yelled, looking at her increasingly transparent hands.

The digimon tried to hold their partners, but weren't able to touch them.

"Hikari, can't you do anything?" Holydramon asked.

"It's a whole new world now! I don't have the knowledge to do anything yet!" Hikari replied.

"We're going to be okay! The other me promised we wouldn't die!" Koushiro reminded them. "We're just going back to our world!"

"You're making a huge assumption there and you know it, Koushiro-kun!" Mimi interjected.

"Wait, did the other Koushiro really say something like that?" Sora was surprised.

"We're definitely not going to die!" Takeru stated. "Patamon and I will meet again! I'm not going to die before that!"

"Are they dying or aren't they dying?" Marinangemon was panicking.

"I'm going to trust my partner. They're going to be okay!" Herkuleskabuterimon affirmed.

"W-We have to stay positive…" Houomon said in a breaking voice. "Sora is going to be okay… i-isn't she?"

"Hikari can send me a psychic message when they get home." Holydramon suggested. "That way, we'll know they're fine."

"But with the time difference, when would that message arrive?!" Banchoulilymon was distressed.

"Is there still a time difference between our worlds?" Herkuleskabuterimon wondered.

"I can't wait centuries to know that Jyou is fine!" Marinangemon shouted.

"Please, don't panic!" Sora pleaded. "We're going to be fine and let you guys know as soon as we can!"

Takeru approached his partner's egg and tried to touch it with his transparent hand, with no success. He looked up to Herkuleskabuterimon and then to the other digimon and asked for a favor:

"Please, take care of them while we're gone."

"Take care of all of them." Hikari added, looking at the sky.

Hundreds of eggs were slowly coming down from the now white clouds, which had begun to dissipate to show a starry sky.

The digimon were distracted by that beautiful phenomenon.

When they turned to their partners again, the humans had completely disappeared.

The six children found themselves back on the small island where they had left Taichi and Yamato.

"I was right!" Koushiro said, excited. "At the end of the day, I do know myself. Or I did know myself before I watched myself die."

"What you just said doesn't go well with the smile on your face, Koushiro-kun." Mimi commented.

"Are you guys alright?" Yamato asked, getting close to Takeru and Sora. "It hasn't even been one minute since you left!"

"Yes. It seems that things are okay here too." Sora replied, looking at the clear sunny sky above.

"I'm going to be okay." Takeru said, wiping his tears with the backs of his hands. "Everything will be fine."

"Hold on! Are we stranded here?" Jyou asked, concerned.

"Don't worry! I borrowed my father's cell phone before leaving my apartment!" Mimi informed, taking the phone out of her bag. "And I even asked for permission! No rules violations!"

"You're so well-prepared, Mimi-kun!" Jyou praised her.

Taichi and Hikari were standing a couple of steps away from each other. They both had guilty looks on their faces.

They hesitated for a moment, while their eyes became brimmed with tears. Then, at the same time, they told each other:

"I'm sorry!"

The coincidence took them by surprise and they both laughed briefly. After that, they hugged each other and cried.

"I'll never keep things from you again!" Hikari promised. "I'll let you know when I'm upset… when I don't like something… I won't hide my feelings anymore!"

"That makes me happy." Taichi told her. "You can tell me anything, whenever you want! I will always listen to you!"

"You can also confide to me, Onii-chan." Hikari said. "Let's share everything, even our ugliest sides. Let's accept and love each other as we are, instead of forcing ourselves into being something else."

"Sure!" Taichi agreed, smiling largely. Hikari smiled too.

As the other children observed them, they felt their eyes getting filled with happy tears.

The two siblings would still bicker and disagree many times in the future, but their bond wouldn't be damaged by those moments and they would always make amends. For the rest of their lives, Hikari and Taichi would never have another fall-out.

They were aware of that truth in that instant, during that hug, despite not being able to see the future. Such ability wasn't necessary for them. They had begun to see each other clearly and didn't need anything else to know that everything would be alright.

Every night, ever since the return of the chosen children, Hikari was able to talk to Holydramon in her dreams. Their conversations usually revolved around the girl's everyday life and the fun times she had with her brother and her friends. Holydramon talked to her about what the Digital World had become after their departure. For instance, the time discrepancy between the human world and the Digital World had disappeared after Salvation.

The Homeostasis databank had been completely reconfigured and Hikari's access to it wasn't as easy and immediate as before. In the following months, Koushiro had been collaborating with her to recover her abilities and open a gate to the Digital World. They believed they would have a breakthrough soon.

Before accomplishing that, Koushiro arranged a way for the chosen children to directly talk to their partners in the Digital World through e-mails. Occasionally, they could exchange videos as well.

During that time, the digimon told them that they were able to stay in their ultimate forms with no difficulties and that they were using their powers to guard the Digital World and protect the younger monsters. However, they hoped that, as time passed and more digimon evolved, they wouldn't be needed anymore. Once the monsters that had been reborn could organize their societies, write their laws and choose their leaders, the chosen digimon would only act in cases of crisis that endangered innocents. But until that day came, they would keep acting as guardians of the Digital World.

After the first new-born monsters reached child and adult levels and left File Island, the partners of the chosen children split across the world in order to help building the new settlements of those digimon. But they still kept contact with each other and reunited from time to time, especially when they wanted to send a group message to the children. Holydramon and Wizarmon stayed on File Island, where they took care of the Village of the Beginnings and waited for the two angelic eggs to hatch. On the occasions when they needed to leave briefly, they left a trustworthy digimon in charge.

During the following months, the chosen children exchanged many private messages with their partners. Sora told Houomon about the Christmas she and her mother spent with the girl's father in Kyoto. Sora was also thinking about a new sport to practice and Toshiko told her daughter that she used to play tennis during her teenage years, which sparked Sora's interest. The girl had never expected to bond with her mother over a sport and couldn't be happier about it.

Mimi told Banchoulilymon everything that happened every day with excitement, especially when she got to hang out with Sora, Hikari and her other girl friends. She also had fun with Koushiro and Jyou, when they had free time. Her idea of creating a debate club in her school was a recurring subject in her chats. The girl was hyped to share her opinions with more people and to get in contact with different worldviews.

Jyou didn't talk to Marinangemon with the same frequency as the others, but made sure to let his partner know that he was taking breaks in his studies. When the boy forgot to relax, his parents and brothers would pester him, even by phone, as if they could guess what he was doing. Besides, his friends adopted the habit of asking him to go out and have ice cream with them, especially Mimi and Koushiro.

Koushiro mostly updated Herkuleskabuterimon about his and Hikari's advancements in opening the gate, but sometimes talked about other things as well. An example was a book called "A brief history of time" that Sora's father had sent him for his birthday. Koushiro was already excited to read Stephen Hawking's work, but what he found when he leafed through it brought tears to his eyes. The pages of the book were filled with little notes by its former owner, who was none other than Koushiro's biological mother. The boy would make sure to thank Haruhiko personally the next time the man came to Tokyo.

Takeru sent his messages to Holydramon and Wizarmon and asked them to deliver them to his partner once he hatched. The boy tried to imbue a positive mood to the messages and talked about how things were going to get better. He mentioned a few visits from his brother and an idea his mother had about getting a new job in Odaiba and moving there with the little boy. In the last message he sent, Takeru mentioned seeing a teenager that greatly resembled Otae. The boy suspected that teenager could be Shinsuke, the former bearer of the crest of hope, believing in Koushiro's theory that the original chosen children were alive. Takeru froze that day and didn't talk to the guy, but if he ever ran into him again he would ask a few questions.

None of the chosen children or their partners had heard about or seen Lilithmon since the last day of the old world. Wizarmon sent messages addressed to her to some of the former Dark Masters, who were establishing new peaceful lives. Etemon, who traveled the new world as a musician accompanied by Gazimon and Pumpmon, claimed to be in contact with her. According to him, Lilithmon wanted to stay off the radar, living as a wanderer. Nevertheless, she always received his messages.

One of those messages would, in a near future, lead her to the Village of the Beginnings.

Lilithmon arrived at the Village of the Beginning on a sunny morning. The place hadn't changed too much. The fluffy cubic buildings in the shape of toys and the colorful and soft pieces of land were just like the ones she remembered. There were more trees, though; not only trees with stuffed animals and other toys, but also regular trees surrounded by small portions of grass. There were so many eggs and babies that it was difficult to find a spot not occupied by cribs, eggs or little digimon playing around.

She saw a child digimon flying around holding a basket of apples with his claws. Only after he gave the fruits to two infants (a Tsunomon and a Koromon) and watched as more babies approached them to get some food as well, Picodevimon noticed her presence. He looked surprised, but seemed happy to see her.

"You really took your time to get here." Picodevimon commented, flying in her direction. When he was close enough, the bat monster greeted her with a large smile. "Etemon said he told you to come here two months ago."

"I knew they would all come here, so I waited a little." Lilithmon replied, diverting her gaze from the little monster and focusing on the fields covered by eggs and cribs. "I'm not ready to meet any of them yet…"

"If you wanted to go unnoticed, it's your lucky day. Holydramon and Wizarmon are not here right now." Picodevimon let her know.

"Good." Lilithmon muttered.

She walked by his side, noticing his constant glances in her direction.

"Is there anything wrong?" She asked.

"I was trying to remember if I had thanked you for helping me that day… when you took me out of the wall where Vamdemon had chained me." He replied.

"You don't have to thank me." Lilithmon told him.

"Shows of kindness are always a big deal for me." Picodevimon said. "Anyway, thank you!"

"I'm just glad you're okay now." She replied, showing him a little smile.

They got to a large tree that had a Patamon sitting on its shade. Picodevimon excused himself and let her alone with that digimon. Lilithmon thought for a moment that Patamon could be the former tyrant, but changed her mind when the child looked at her with icy eyes she knew too well.

"Hello, little brother. How are you?" She greeted.

"So you greet those weaker than you nowadays?" Patamon asked, smirking.

"I thought you'd have left this place for now." She commented.

"I'm not in a hurry to leave the village this time." He said, glancing at something a few steps in front of him.

Lilithmon looked in that direction and noticed two baby digimon playing on the grass. They resembled two tiny balls with faces, one white and the other red.

"A Poyomon and a Punimon…" She murmured. Lilithmon knew immediately who they were.

"It's still soon to tell if they remember anything." Patamon said. "You have something to give her, right?"

"Yes." Lilithmon replied, taking the necklace with the dark prism off her neck. "It doesn't have any key-code anymore. But it was a gift from her brother… she should keep it."

She observed the siblings having fun together and didn't want to interrupt them. Lilithmon wasn't in any hurry, so she decided to sit by Patamon's side and watch the babies with him.

"I've heard some crazy stories about what happened after I died." Patamon commented. "I knew the prophecy about the 'song of the final day,' but I never thought it would be sung by mother and a bunch of humans. Maybe it should be called 'song of the first day' instead, since it acted as the pillar of this new age."

"I don't think of that song as either thing." Lilithmon said. "It wasn't meant to create nor destroy the world. It just wasn't that."

"What was that song, then?" Patamon asked.

Lilithmon kept her eyes on the babies, thinking about the happy and peaceful days ahead of them, days they were going to share with the entire world. Not she and not any of the partners of the chosen children would allow tragedy to ever befall anyone again.

With a smile on her lips, she answered her brother's question:

"A song of love."

With this chapter, "The song of Love" is concluded. This was the longest and the most difficult story I ever wrote and I don't think I would've finished it if it wasn't for the support of the readers. I poured my heart on this fic and constantly pushed myself to deliver the best chapters I could. Thank you for being with me for the past three years of my life.

I'm grateful to everybody who read this fic, recommended it to other people, left messages in my blog, favorited or gave kudos to the story and wrote me reviews.

Thank you, SkuAg, my dear friend that I met on ffnet because of your regular reviews since 2015. You were the main reason why I kept on writing this story. And I know that, when you write in Spanish, it's because you really liked the chapter and that makes me happy! ¡Eres una chica muy dulce y una grande amiga!

Thank you, QwertyHuman! You were the first person to comment on AO3 and you offered to be my beta-reader. I'm really thankful for all your hard work and your inputs. Your little comments while revising the chapters were always delightful due to your intelligence and humor. I'm glad I got to meet you, my dear friend!

Thank you, Vase/Sarista Wow, who gave me the best surprise when I woke up one day and found more than 10 comments notifications in my email (bless Australia!). I enjoyed our conversations a lot and your reviews were always great. You have a great eye to detail and sometimes it felt like you could read my mind. I'm glad we became friends!

Thank you, Florencetheflowerfairy, someone I grew really close to. I wouldn't have met you if I hadn't written this story (and if Sku, hadn't talked about it on Proyecto 1-8 and invited us both to that forum… Sku really is fantastic!). I love your reviews and I love our conversations about Digimon and everything else, my sweet friend. You're a wonderful person!

Thank you, Morimiho. I have known you since before writing this story, when we bonded over our love for Koushiro. I really appreciated your reviews, the short and long ones. Sorry I didn't give you the Makoto ending you wanted. Thanks for supporting me for such a long time, pal!

And my thanks to: Max_Velocity, Canon, pikapata, sleepy lion, Green-Chrystall, Sora fan, Amora, Kiki, BrownyEyesAngel, spotty-bee, Skittymon, genbo, CassandraOT5, richboylion, Danny, bobbyneko, davidoziel2010, Mystery Pearl, dnaofsunshine, Son of Whitebeard, Lizzmiu (¡ME ENCANTÓ TU REVIEW!) and guest reviewers that didn't identify themselves (especially that one Guest that gave me a lot of reviews!). I don't know if all of you kept on reading the story, but thank you for the reviews you left. They made me happy!

Thank you to everybody who has read, is reading or will read this story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.