A Dance of Light and Dark [Spirit Totem Hunt] [Solo]

The winds sharply whipped across one of the peaks of the Terabyte Mountain region. Toki had spent an entire day scaling the harsh terrain, bundled up in thick winter gear complete with goggles. He paused to stop for moment and breathed heavily before a friendly hand pat his shoulder. Aylin as Crescemon "It's only a little further, Toki...just up these steps, you can do it!" she encouraged him. Toki weakly smiled and with her support trudged up the old carved steps to the summit.

Toki winced as they pushed through the freezing clouds, the sound of wind deafening. Aylin held onto him tightly to keep him from being thrown off. "Almost there! Just a few more steps. One...two..." they kept going, Toki almost collapsing from the exhaustion, but he had to keep going. If he left now, chances are he would never gain the resolve to do this trip again. Finally, with one final step, the clouds seemed to part at the summit and an odd warmth washed over the two of them. Toki fell onto his hands and knees. "W-we made it...thank you, Aylin...th-thank you..." he weakly stood up and his legs shook, but he took the last few steps forward. An old shrine, broken and lost to time, was up on this peak, and this was where it would be. His next spirit.

"You said it would appear at night? On a full moon?" he asked Aylin. Such a strange condition. He hoped they were there at the right time.

"Yes. It should be here tonight if my studies were correct. Let's go sit down for a little bit, you need your rest." she said, guiding him to the ruined building. Elaborate designs decorated the floor of what must have once been a magnificent structure. Various patterns based on the lunar phases were etched into the flooring and walls. Aylin was of course thrilled by the chance to study these ruins "Toki, look here..." she pointed at some writing on the wall "It says....'Light and Dark will meet you in the moonlit hours. O traveler from a distant realm, which will you choose? The correct answer is-'" she rubbed her eyes and kept trying to read that last part of the passage, but the letters seemed too jumbled to make any sense. "I-I can't read the rest of it. It...whoever was here so long ago seemed to...know? I don't know how, but let's just wait here, okay?" she said.


Toki had sat down in the center of the old temple room and stared up at the sky. He took a deep breath and nodded "Mhm...let's rest up. I'll probably need all the strength I can muster." he said. The two of them spent an hour talking and Aylin took the time to explore the ruins a bit more for anything to study. Soon, the sound of the wind faded away. The clouds dissipated and the area around Toki and Aylin seemed to crumble until all they were surrounded with was a beautiful starry sky. Shimmering steps appeared before Toki and two voices rang out.

"He must come alone."

"Please give him this chance."

Toki stood up and looked back at Aylin "I can do this, Aylin..."

Aylin nodded "G-Good luck."

With another deep breath, Toki started to walk up these stairs towards the bright full moon in the sky. After minutes of walking, the steps faded beneath him and he found himself floating above the Digital World and marveled at the vastness of it all. Still so much he hasn't seen.

"You've come."

"We welcome you."

It was those voices again. Two Digimon, clearly varants of each other, appeared before him. One radiant, one shadowy. Light and Dark. Cherubimon Virtue and Cherubimon Vice.

"Toki, we are happy to see that you have made it this far. We have held onto our forms until now just to meet with you."

"And now you have a choice. We are but fragments of what we used to be, of what...he...used to be. What he was, we cannot remember, but there is light and there is dark. Make your choice."

Toki was confused...both of these Digimon were parts of his old spirit? How was that possible? "I would like to know why I should pick one over the other."

The Cherubimon Virtue floated forwards "You have a noble heart, one that desires peace and compassion. My abilities will relieve pain and shield you and your allies from the enemy to come."

Vice pushed forward "Defense and healing will not bring about the changes we need! Call upon me and my thunder will destroy the ones that prevent the coming of the world we desire. The choice should be simple."

"But what is he to do if his allies can no longer support him, or if he cannot support them? Would we not be little more than a warlord spreading chaos and destruction if he picked you? Warmth and care is what is needed, not wanton violence!"

"There are simply those that cannot be reasoned with! No matter how much we talk and try to make peace, we cannot talk out of every possible battle. It cannot be done!"

"Our ideals cannot persevere if we force them upon others, you know this!"

Toki grit his teeth and stood up "Alright, that's enough!" the two Cherubimon paused for a moment, shocked. "This is exactly why I can't stand extremes." he sighed and looked at Virtue "You're right. Compassion, understanding, and support are the groundwork for any cause. But..." he looked at Vice "...he is also right. Not everyone is going to want peace, no matter how much we want it and how unfair we think it is. But that doesn't change the facts." he said. His annoyed frown eventually changed to a warm smile as he looked between the two "There is a place for love. A place to care for your friends and allies...but there is also a place for fighting. Fighting for what you believe in. Is there senseless fighting? Yes, absolutely, but there is also fighting to protect. Fighting to ensure a future. Please...see this."

The two of them looked at each other before Toki said "I have made my decision. Light and Dark bring balance to each other...one can't exist without the other. So..." he held out both of his hands, one for each. "I pick you both."

The two of them smiled and nodded "Then you have passed...our little test. Congratulations...Toki." they both took his hands and began to disappear into data, flowing into his Digivice to form his new Spirit.

His spirit began to speak "I...remember. This old temple, I...this was where I became a teacher. This was where so many looked up to me for guidance...I was so lost before. I didn't know what I wanted. This mountain path was so much easier to climb so long ago...and...and..." he paused for a moment "...and this is where I found my purpose. The love of my students. The love of the Digital World...no one remembered my adventures...but that does not mean they did not happen. Toki...thank you. Thank you for finding this part of me again. May my power forever guide your way."

Toki smiled and felt himself become drowsy. He slowly descended back to the Digital World as his eyes slowly closed.

"Toki...? Toki!" a voice called out to him. Aylin sat next to him as he awoke. The sun had risen, and the mountain path was...safe. "Oh thank goodness...Toki...you did it. I can feel the energy."

He looked up at the sky and a gentle breeze caused his scarf to flow gently in the wind "I feel it too. I...feel like there's so much more I can do now..." he placed a hand to his chest "But there's still so much I have to learn. My journey...is just beginning."

Aylin smiled "I will help you every step of the way, Toki. Come...let's go back to Rosewood. I'm sure everyone would love to see you again."

The two walked down the mountain. In the old ruin, the inscription revealed itself "Light and Dark will meet you in the moonlit hours. O traveler from a distant realm, which will you choose? The correct answer is...balance. To dance the line between light and darkness is to know true balance."