Spirit Hunt: Beyond Real [Alejandra Leblanc]
Dec 26, 2019 10:36:17 GMT
Post by Alejandra Leblanc on Dec 26, 2019 10:36:17 GMT
Walking through Whitewater had been her most lively experience so far. The vivid skyline in the distance, peeking above the closest rooves; the deep blue sky with a hint of pink, reflected in the puddles below; the colorful creatures running from left to right, gleefully chasing one another. That world felt real, despite its name. "Digi-world..." she repeated, as if trying to give it concreteness just by calling it over and over - but it was concrete, more so than the "real" world she was used to. What was waiting for her on the other side? A mother that didn't love her, or so she thought, and no friends.
Her interest to come back home had faded.
Maybe she could start again? "No, who am I kidding." She knew damn well the reason of her loneliness was none other than herself. She was to blame, even though she wished it wasn't her fault; her blasted social awkwardness, the fact that she cared a little too much about what people thought of her. "One day, I'll grow." Or better, one day someone would help her grow - but where to find them and how, that was unknown to her. Would anyone help her at all? If she didn't have the strength to get out of her own situation, how could anyone?
"No, I won't grow." Not like that, no.
The phone buzzed in her pocket. No number, just a string of random characters; the rules of electronic communication in Digi-world sure are busted. "Where are you going?" it read.
Aleja was taken aback. She did get some creepy text over social media every now and then, but it was a first in the new world. "Who are you? How did you get this number?" she replied. "I saw the lines. I thought you were going there."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember? The symbols outside the window on the train. You're going there, aren't you?"
No response. Aleja knew what they were talking about: while riding the Trailmon for the first time, she saw the lines from her window - a barren plateau, riddled with light brown stripes, branded with the unmistakable Nazca Spider's design in the exact center. But how did this person know? Ritsuko had mentioned not seeing anything. Like all the other conversations she used to have online, she chose to ignore further messages; after all, the city was interesting enough to keep her entertained. She was drawn to the colorful shops, the huge libraries, the stages waiting to be brought up to life on the shore. In particular, her eyes fell on a sign that read "E-BOOKS" and, of course, she was hooked; her walking pace turned to running, like a child with the ice cream truck.
That was when she heard him. "Here you are, finally." Alejandra froze on the spot, and slowly turned her head. He was slightly taller than her, and shared most of her colours: dark hair, tan skin, violet eyes. It was curious, almost like looking into a gender-bending mirror. "My name's Anansi. I did send you a message, but got no reply."
"Oh, okay."
Damn it, couldn't she say something a little more interesting?
"I just wanted to tell you that I know where to go. I'm going there, are you coming?" It had been a while since she was offered anything. Be it participation in any kind of social activity, or gifts, or anything that involved more than just her. Not to mention, the guy was pretty cute.
"Yes, I'm coming." The exact reason she accepted? Impossible to tell.
The shortest path went around Whitewater, skirting the sea for a few miles through a forest. The greenery was reminiscent of Ica, although one couldn't help but notice the oversized electronic components scattered here and there; the confusion of purely natural elements and evidently man-made ones was strangely fitting, for a world labeled as "digital" and yet not at all virtual.
Anansi was the first one to break the silence of the forest. "You know, when Digimon end their natural life cycle, they are reborn far away from here." "I guess their data doesn't get destroyed" replied Aleja, trying to find reason in the unreasonable.
"You're right. Some Digimon, however, are powerful enough to outright refuse to die." Aleja cackled; it really did sound like some kind of joke. "How so? Where do they go?" "Everywhere. The data is broken into pieces and deposited around the world in the shape of totems. However, their consciousness stays, behind the code." Like a background process, Aleja thought: her knowledge of web programming was enough to to fill in some gaps. Most of that world didn't make a lot of sense, anyways - also in this, it was no different than the real one.
They traveled for a few hours, traversing the thick of the bushes; eventually, they reached a vast barren expanse. "One of the totems should be exactly where we saw the lines and I'd love to see it. Let's pick a direction, if we're lucky we're gonna find the Spider." The plateau seemed infinitely large, extending in every direction; that didn't make any sense, where did the ocean go?
Turned out they were lucky, as the Nazca Spider almost materialised before their eyes not long after. Following the lines around they could get to the center of the abdomen, where a gaping hole in the ground broke the perfect flatness of the plane.
"Are we going spelunking?" Aleja asked jokingly. It was definitely unlike her to open up with a joke; maybe she wasn't as bad as she thought with people. It just had to be the right kind of people. Anansi joked back: "Ladies first."
Alejandra's face turned to a genuinely concerned expression, enough for Anansi to take his words back and go first himself.
"Be careful and only take the ledges I take!" he ordered from below, to make sure the lot of them would get to the ground safe and sound. Aleja tried to follow him ledge by ledge... until she heard the rocks crumble below her foot.
She grabbed the ledges harder with her hands; it didn't work, and those too crumbled; in a matter of seconds, she had no solid ground to rest upon. She only let out a desperate scream as she slid into the darkness below.
The girl regained consciousness, and couldn't tell if her eyes were open, closed or blind. She was laying on some cold, hard rock; all around her, pitch black. She could only hear herself breathe.
She gathered the strength to get on her knees, and checked no joint was dislodged, no bone was broken. She was miraculously alive and well, except for some bruises.
She started to make out shapes as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Light coming from the other end of the path guided her through.
Some distant screaming let her know that was the right way; it was Anansi, and he was looking for her. "Alejandra!" he yelled, over and over. "I'm... I'm alive!" Stumbling across the uneven terrain, she walked towards the faint light.
That was such a stupid idea. Did she really think an adventure like that would be free of any risk? Especially with how absolutely inept she was? She felt overwhelmed with shame. Her only words were "I'm sorry...", not even loud enough for him to hear.
Anansi met her halfway through. He hugged her, wrapped her arm around him. "Sorry, this was my idea. I shouldn't have" he said. Aleja didn't know how to respond; or rather, the answers could have been so many she didn't know where to start. In fact, she said nothing.
Anansi brought her to a larger room, illuminated by a small hole in the ceiling. In the exact center, where the light shone brightest, was a small statue; it portrayed what looked like four mechanical arms attached to some headless figure of a man.
"Is it the totem?" she asked, taking a breather. "Yes, it is. I think it should be a fragment of the ancient Digimon Iktomimon." "Iktomi...mon? That's the name of a deity of my mother's religion. Iktomi is, at least."
Aleja went to fix her hair, feeling a little resistance as if something was stuck to her hands. She looked at it against the light: spider web. She didn't notice it at first, but the entire floor was covered with the stuff; she felt a chill go down her spine and hopped towards the statue.
"Anansi..." she whispered, "... do you think there are spiders here?"
Her gaze fell on a cluster of eight green glimmers in the dark. Her entire body froze as she saw them get closer; then, it finally emerged into the light. Eight green eyes embedded in a golden, horned head; a mouth with too many fangs to count, drooling goo.
They screamed in unison, as they tried to escape from the horrendous creature; they split, going in opposite ways. As it moved into the light, Aleja saw the rest of its enormous body and counted eight legs; there was no question, they ended up in a spider's nest. The monster went for Anansi, decided on capturing the largest meal first.
She tripped on a thicker thread and fell face first in the web, getting tangled into it. Anansi was trying to run away from the monster, but the circular shape of the nest didn't provide a safe space. Soon enough, he had nowhere to go.
In that moment, Aleja knew she couldn't do anything. One last time, she blamed herself for not being good enough, or brave enough. If she had provoked the spider, it would have gone for her and not Anansi. Quite possibly, he could have saved himself.
Instead, what did she do? She used her opportunity to escape to get right into the trap. Useless, she thought.
Out of all her experiences in the real world and the digital one, only one thing had been consistent: her uselessness. That was the one truth that had accompanied her through her life.
The only reality, she thought.
One single thought navigated her mind. "I don't want it to be real anymore." Her right pocket, the one where she kept that stupid toy, the Digivice, started glowing. At the same time, the statue seemed to glow up in resonance.
"Here you are, finally." A voice, somewhat familiar although distorted as if filtered through an old radio transmitter, filled the ambient. Aleja was immersed in darkness once again; the only source of light, a faintly glowing light blue string extending infinitely. The string moved in harmony with the voice, as if trying to follow the frequency of those sounds. "Digi-World is so much more vast than you think. Reality is so much more vast than you think. I can open a small window for you."
"Iktomimon?" Aleja whispered, carelessly addressing the voice as if it were an old friend. The voice cackled in response, and the string twisted and knotted itself into an almost perfect circle. "Take a peek."
Commanded by a mysterious force, the girl inched closer as the string wrapped around her eyes.
The huge spider, attracted by the light, turned around giving his former pray a chance; surely the statue had done something. But as it turned, there was no statue. On the short pillar on which the decoration rested was the figure of a woman; she was much taller than the girl, Aleja, but the color of their skin and hair was almost identical. The monster jumped forward, crashing against the pillar and sending rocks flying; did it trample the woman? It tried to turn around again to check, but it couldn't move.
Threads, much stronger than the ones he himself could produce, prevented him from moving any part of his body. "You are not going anywhere." The voice was Alejandra's, but somehow much more mature and confident. The threads lit up of an ethereal blue light; the source seemed to be the hole in the ceiling, whose rays shone upon the woman like a perfectly vertical spotlight. She didn't move an inch. "I am Athenamon" she declared on the top of her lungs, "and I shall smite you!"
The woman raised her right hand to the sky and confidently closed it; then thrust downwards, as if holding some kind of sword; the light rays around her hand seemed to condense and glow up, separating from the rest and taking the shape of a long braided whip - which hit the spider with enough force to split the exoskeleton apart and dig in the flesh for a few feet.
The battle was finally over; Athenamon and Anansi easily climbed up to the surface and made their way back to the forest. That was when the woman stopped and kneeled; in a flash of light she disappeared, and an exhausted Aleja took her place.
"Are you okay?" One could just feel the concern in Anansi's tone. The girl nodded and sat down on a piece of cable, fully intent on resting her eyes a little. Her head immediately dropped and she fell asleep, sitting.
Aleja woke up a few hours later, right outside the main gate of Whitewater with the warm feeling of a campfire caressing her skin. Anansi had set up camp, finally giving an explanation to why his backpack looked so full. "You were amazing, Ale" he stated. She didn't feel amazing - she actually felt quite drowsy the whole time. "I can't really remember... what happened to the spider?" she replied, scratching her eyes. "You beat him! It was flashy, and extremely cool. I knew you would make it." He nodded and poked the fire. "I kinda remember attacking it. Did I really beat it?"
"Yes. After all, it is the reason why I needed you." Aleja raised her head to look at him, taken aback by such a cryptic one-liner. But Anansi was not there. She jumped up, looking left and right for him - he had vanished in an instant.
She finally realised. "Why are you doing this to me?!" she yelled at the dark before her.
H-Spirit obtained: Athenamon
Her interest to come back home had faded.
Maybe she could start again? "No, who am I kidding." She knew damn well the reason of her loneliness was none other than herself. She was to blame, even though she wished it wasn't her fault; her blasted social awkwardness, the fact that she cared a little too much about what people thought of her. "One day, I'll grow." Or better, one day someone would help her grow - but where to find them and how, that was unknown to her. Would anyone help her at all? If she didn't have the strength to get out of her own situation, how could anyone?
"No, I won't grow." Not like that, no.
The phone buzzed in her pocket. No number, just a string of random characters; the rules of electronic communication in Digi-world sure are busted. "Where are you going?" it read.
Aleja was taken aback. She did get some creepy text over social media every now and then, but it was a first in the new world. "Who are you? How did you get this number?" she replied. "I saw the lines. I thought you were going there."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember? The symbols outside the window on the train. You're going there, aren't you?"
No response. Aleja knew what they were talking about: while riding the Trailmon for the first time, she saw the lines from her window - a barren plateau, riddled with light brown stripes, branded with the unmistakable Nazca Spider's design in the exact center. But how did this person know? Ritsuko had mentioned not seeing anything. Like all the other conversations she used to have online, she chose to ignore further messages; after all, the city was interesting enough to keep her entertained. She was drawn to the colorful shops, the huge libraries, the stages waiting to be brought up to life on the shore. In particular, her eyes fell on a sign that read "E-BOOKS" and, of course, she was hooked; her walking pace turned to running, like a child with the ice cream truck.
That was when she heard him. "Here you are, finally." Alejandra froze on the spot, and slowly turned her head. He was slightly taller than her, and shared most of her colours: dark hair, tan skin, violet eyes. It was curious, almost like looking into a gender-bending mirror. "My name's Anansi. I did send you a message, but got no reply."
"Oh, okay."
Damn it, couldn't she say something a little more interesting?
"I just wanted to tell you that I know where to go. I'm going there, are you coming?" It had been a while since she was offered anything. Be it participation in any kind of social activity, or gifts, or anything that involved more than just her. Not to mention, the guy was pretty cute.
"Yes, I'm coming." The exact reason she accepted? Impossible to tell.
The shortest path went around Whitewater, skirting the sea for a few miles through a forest. The greenery was reminiscent of Ica, although one couldn't help but notice the oversized electronic components scattered here and there; the confusion of purely natural elements and evidently man-made ones was strangely fitting, for a world labeled as "digital" and yet not at all virtual.
Anansi was the first one to break the silence of the forest. "You know, when Digimon end their natural life cycle, they are reborn far away from here." "I guess their data doesn't get destroyed" replied Aleja, trying to find reason in the unreasonable.
"You're right. Some Digimon, however, are powerful enough to outright refuse to die." Aleja cackled; it really did sound like some kind of joke. "How so? Where do they go?" "Everywhere. The data is broken into pieces and deposited around the world in the shape of totems. However, their consciousness stays, behind the code." Like a background process, Aleja thought: her knowledge of web programming was enough to to fill in some gaps. Most of that world didn't make a lot of sense, anyways - also in this, it was no different than the real one.
They traveled for a few hours, traversing the thick of the bushes; eventually, they reached a vast barren expanse. "One of the totems should be exactly where we saw the lines and I'd love to see it. Let's pick a direction, if we're lucky we're gonna find the Spider." The plateau seemed infinitely large, extending in every direction; that didn't make any sense, where did the ocean go?
Turned out they were lucky, as the Nazca Spider almost materialised before their eyes not long after. Following the lines around they could get to the center of the abdomen, where a gaping hole in the ground broke the perfect flatness of the plane.
"Are we going spelunking?" Aleja asked jokingly. It was definitely unlike her to open up with a joke; maybe she wasn't as bad as she thought with people. It just had to be the right kind of people. Anansi joked back: "Ladies first."
Alejandra's face turned to a genuinely concerned expression, enough for Anansi to take his words back and go first himself.
"Be careful and only take the ledges I take!" he ordered from below, to make sure the lot of them would get to the ground safe and sound. Aleja tried to follow him ledge by ledge... until she heard the rocks crumble below her foot.
She grabbed the ledges harder with her hands; it didn't work, and those too crumbled; in a matter of seconds, she had no solid ground to rest upon. She only let out a desperate scream as she slid into the darkness below.
The girl regained consciousness, and couldn't tell if her eyes were open, closed or blind. She was laying on some cold, hard rock; all around her, pitch black. She could only hear herself breathe.
She gathered the strength to get on her knees, and checked no joint was dislodged, no bone was broken. She was miraculously alive and well, except for some bruises.
She started to make out shapes as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Light coming from the other end of the path guided her through.
Some distant screaming let her know that was the right way; it was Anansi, and he was looking for her. "Alejandra!" he yelled, over and over. "I'm... I'm alive!" Stumbling across the uneven terrain, she walked towards the faint light.
That was such a stupid idea. Did she really think an adventure like that would be free of any risk? Especially with how absolutely inept she was? She felt overwhelmed with shame. Her only words were "I'm sorry...", not even loud enough for him to hear.
Anansi met her halfway through. He hugged her, wrapped her arm around him. "Sorry, this was my idea. I shouldn't have" he said. Aleja didn't know how to respond; or rather, the answers could have been so many she didn't know where to start. In fact, she said nothing.
Anansi brought her to a larger room, illuminated by a small hole in the ceiling. In the exact center, where the light shone brightest, was a small statue; it portrayed what looked like four mechanical arms attached to some headless figure of a man.
"Is it the totem?" she asked, taking a breather. "Yes, it is. I think it should be a fragment of the ancient Digimon Iktomimon." "Iktomi...mon? That's the name of a deity of my mother's religion. Iktomi is, at least."
Aleja went to fix her hair, feeling a little resistance as if something was stuck to her hands. She looked at it against the light: spider web. She didn't notice it at first, but the entire floor was covered with the stuff; she felt a chill go down her spine and hopped towards the statue.
"Anansi..." she whispered, "... do you think there are spiders here?"
Her gaze fell on a cluster of eight green glimmers in the dark. Her entire body froze as she saw them get closer; then, it finally emerged into the light. Eight green eyes embedded in a golden, horned head; a mouth with too many fangs to count, drooling goo.
They screamed in unison, as they tried to escape from the horrendous creature; they split, going in opposite ways. As it moved into the light, Aleja saw the rest of its enormous body and counted eight legs; there was no question, they ended up in a spider's nest. The monster went for Anansi, decided on capturing the largest meal first.
She tripped on a thicker thread and fell face first in the web, getting tangled into it. Anansi was trying to run away from the monster, but the circular shape of the nest didn't provide a safe space. Soon enough, he had nowhere to go.
In that moment, Aleja knew she couldn't do anything. One last time, she blamed herself for not being good enough, or brave enough. If she had provoked the spider, it would have gone for her and not Anansi. Quite possibly, he could have saved himself.
Instead, what did she do? She used her opportunity to escape to get right into the trap. Useless, she thought.
Out of all her experiences in the real world and the digital one, only one thing had been consistent: her uselessness. That was the one truth that had accompanied her through her life.
The only reality, she thought.
One single thought navigated her mind. "I don't want it to be real anymore." Her right pocket, the one where she kept that stupid toy, the Digivice, started glowing. At the same time, the statue seemed to glow up in resonance.
"Here you are, finally." A voice, somewhat familiar although distorted as if filtered through an old radio transmitter, filled the ambient. Aleja was immersed in darkness once again; the only source of light, a faintly glowing light blue string extending infinitely. The string moved in harmony with the voice, as if trying to follow the frequency of those sounds. "Digi-World is so much more vast than you think. Reality is so much more vast than you think. I can open a small window for you."
"Iktomimon?" Aleja whispered, carelessly addressing the voice as if it were an old friend. The voice cackled in response, and the string twisted and knotted itself into an almost perfect circle. "Take a peek."
Commanded by a mysterious force, the girl inched closer as the string wrapped around her eyes.
The huge spider, attracted by the light, turned around giving his former pray a chance; surely the statue had done something. But as it turned, there was no statue. On the short pillar on which the decoration rested was the figure of a woman; she was much taller than the girl, Aleja, but the color of their skin and hair was almost identical. The monster jumped forward, crashing against the pillar and sending rocks flying; did it trample the woman? It tried to turn around again to check, but it couldn't move.
Threads, much stronger than the ones he himself could produce, prevented him from moving any part of his body. "You are not going anywhere." The voice was Alejandra's, but somehow much more mature and confident. The threads lit up of an ethereal blue light; the source seemed to be the hole in the ceiling, whose rays shone upon the woman like a perfectly vertical spotlight. She didn't move an inch. "I am Athenamon" she declared on the top of her lungs, "and I shall smite you!"
The woman raised her right hand to the sky and confidently closed it; then thrust downwards, as if holding some kind of sword; the light rays around her hand seemed to condense and glow up, separating from the rest and taking the shape of a long braided whip - which hit the spider with enough force to split the exoskeleton apart and dig in the flesh for a few feet.
The battle was finally over; Athenamon and Anansi easily climbed up to the surface and made their way back to the forest. That was when the woman stopped and kneeled; in a flash of light she disappeared, and an exhausted Aleja took her place.
"Are you okay?" One could just feel the concern in Anansi's tone. The girl nodded and sat down on a piece of cable, fully intent on resting her eyes a little. Her head immediately dropped and she fell asleep, sitting.
Aleja woke up a few hours later, right outside the main gate of Whitewater with the warm feeling of a campfire caressing her skin. Anansi had set up camp, finally giving an explanation to why his backpack looked so full. "You were amazing, Ale" he stated. She didn't feel amazing - she actually felt quite drowsy the whole time. "I can't really remember... what happened to the spider?" she replied, scratching her eyes. "You beat him! It was flashy, and extremely cool. I knew you would make it." He nodded and poked the fire. "I kinda remember attacking it. Did I really beat it?"
"Yes. After all, it is the reason why I needed you." Aleja raised her head to look at him, taken aback by such a cryptic one-liner. But Anansi was not there. She jumped up, looking left and right for him - he had vanished in an instant.
She finally realised. "Why are you doing this to me?!" she yelled at the dark before her.
H-Spirit obtained: Athenamon
