Chapter Six - “The Oracle of Forever”
There was no dungeon or field of traps when Renamon entered the cavern. In fact, the trip through the cavern had barely begun before she was dipped in sunlight once again. Squinting she sighed. She was almost disappointed that there hadn’t been some sort of challenge. At this thought she took a drink from her worn flash and looked around. Things definitely weren’t right.
“This can’t be correct,” she mumbled to herself. “This DEFINETELY can’t be correct.”
She couldn’t believe it because Renamon
had heard so many legends about this place - especially from the Rev’res Rep’se, the
mystic Digimon tribes in the
But none of that was here.
In fact, this place was probably the most unimpressive place she had been in the past two decades. It was about a hundred yards in circumference, with well tended grass all around, numerous crops of vegetables, and human animals she recognized from the human world: cows, chickens, and horses, all behind fences and in coops. In the very epicenter of the place was a shabby hut made of stone and straw. It was about ten feet in circumference.
“Don’t tell me,” came a voice from behind her, and Renamon jumped several feet in the air. Never in her life had something managed to sneak up on her, but whatever was behind her had no smell, and made absolutely no sound as it moved. “You’re thinking ... how can this be the famous Shrine of Midas, the sanctuary on the island that cannot be reached by neither mon nor womon. Where is the gold and where are the rubies? Where are the dangerous traps, and the giant temple where destinies begin and end?”
Renamon swiftly turned around and was greeted by the sight of an exceptionally handsome looking man who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen years of age. He was dressed in dingy overalls with a straw hat on that was too large for his hat. The thing she took most notice of, however, was the deepness of his eyes which seemed too vintage for the rest of him. He wasn’t even looking at Renamon but had apparently just appeared there and was sprinkling seeds on the ground staring at the ground with a single piece of wheat in between his teeth.
“Where is the-” Renamon began, but was immediately cut off by the boy who kept talking.
“Frankly, it makes no sense for the cartographers to keep calling this place the island that cannot be reached,” he said sighing. “There have been many who have gotten past the many impediments here on Epoh – why the entire coast is populated by those Impalmon who are smart enough to plant themselves here to pilfer from travelers such as yourself, who foolishly come here with their guard down looking for certain legends and enchantments.”
He suddenly looked up from his wok, smiled with perfect white teeth, and continued planting his new crop undaunted by the fierce creature in front of him. Something wasn’t right here...
“Not that you really have anything to be stolen,” he sighed restlessly. “And the only reason you’re here on the golden land is for something to be gained.”
Renamon opened her mouth, but without even looking at her, the boy persisted sounding grave.
“I know what you’re looking for Renamon,” he said softly. “And I know that you’ve come here to secure your goal ... however, there are bad dealing sin the works my friend. There are things about to happen in your world that ought to draw your attention more fervently than this.”
He looked up at Renamon’s quiet self and chuckled.
“Yes,” said the boy. “I am the one who you are searching for. I am the Oracle of Forever, and welcome to the Midas Shrine. Not what you expected I know. I meant what I said though Renamon, I do believe that you should abandon this course of action ... bad business Renamon, bad business.”
But Renamon wasn’t paying attention. She had gotten the piece of information that she desired, and even though this shrine or its master weren’t as impressive as she had hoped, it would do. Renamon went to ask a question.
“Yes, I do have the ability to monitor any and all information flowing through the matrices of the Digital World- past present and future. I suppose you could call me the system registry.”
He took off his hat to reveal short messy black, and he tossed it aside. Renamon was getting annoyed at this mystifying being answering her questions before she asked them – and if he could read her mind in the future, than why didn’t he just answer-
“Because its fun my dear,” he said bowing slightly. “Living here as a reclusive entity for so long can make one bored. There used to be a magnificent temple here – the greatest in all the land – but over time it was destroyed by unfriendly visitors who didn’t want their futures in my head. They never so much as laid a scratch on me – I could dodge everything they threw because I knew what they were going to do before they did – but they did manage to rip apart my temple and the monuments that surrounded it. I suppose I never really felt like fixing it up again ...”
He looked at where his hut was, and smiled mysteriously.
“Now as for your question,” the Oracle said turning to look at her. “You’re looking for your lost buddy right? Of course I’m right; I’m the Oracle of Forever!”
He chuckled to himself and leaned against an upright rake he had grabbed looking out into the sky. Renamon was loosing her patience. Perhaps he’d stop being so annoying if she just hit him with a Dia-
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the Oracle sighed. “First of all, defeating me is a irrational course of action that is almost completely impossible. Secondly, even if you could land all your pretty little diamonds on me, what if I become corrupt or deleted? Do you really want to know what happens to a computer when the registry becomes obsolete? Scary stuff.”
Reanmon sighed and relaxed her muscles. He was right, it was impossible to win a fight against someone who knew everything. That’s why she’d come here to begin with.
“Where is she Oracle?” she asked simply before he had a chance to say anything. “Where is MirrorRenamon?”
The Oracle smiled.
“Where indeed,” he said nonchalantly as he began to pick apples off of a small tree behind him looking away from Renamon once again. “In life, we’re always searching for SOMETHING. It could be riches, or contentment, love or pleasure ... or are we all searching for death from the start? Curious ... ”
Renamon watched h him with her tired eyes boring a hole through his back.
“Are you going to help me,” she said quietly. “Or not?”
“Apple?” he replied instantaneously.
The Oracle turned back around with two ripe green apples and tossed one at Renamon. She caught it with natural ease. He immediately launched into another speech.
“Now think about that for a moment,” the Oracle said leaning on a nearby rake like a cane. “The future! What happens anytime from one second from now to one millennia thereafter? Its one of the biggest conundrums of sentient life.”
He smiled and pointed at the green apple that Renamon was holding.
“I toss you an apple, and you catch it,” said the Oracle. “Was that fate? Was that part of some giant book called ‘Time’ which was written a googolplex of epochs ago? If so, who wrote it? Why did they write it? What’s the significance of me throwing that apple-”
He pointed again.
“...And you catching it?” he asked. “Hmmm?”
Renamon narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t searched all these years for this place to talk philosophy with this man. Was he playing some kind of game with her?
“No, I’m not playing a game with you,” he answered expertly. “I honestly want to know your answer.”
The fox Digimon raised an eyebrow.
“If you are truly the famed Oracle of Forever,” Renamon said. “Then why do you need me to tell you what my answer is? Don’t you know it before I say it.”
And at that, the Oracle simply laughed.
“Do I really?” he asked tossing the rake aside and leaning against a particularly thick apple tree. “Sometimes, I wonder if there is indeed a linear path, but also certain points in time where one can ... change the track of their destiny. If this is true, than individuals, in fact, control their lives when you really think about it. Perhaps, I, the system registry am merely a calculation of variables determining what could happen.””
“Why are you telling me this Oracle?” Renamon said slowly, and Oracle’s smirked vanished immediately.
“I sense that you are in great danger Renamon,” he said looking at her with his deep eyes. “And sometime, not too long from now, a great chaos in both worlds will require you to make a choice that could either save the two dimensions ... or damn them both to cybernetic and subatomic oblivion.”
Renamon’s mouth hung open. This was not the news she wanted to hear.
“But,” the Oracle sighed looking older and more exhausted that ever. “If my fears are true, and fate has an irreparable predetermination to it ... then it really won’t matter. If I told you that you were going to die tomorrow, even with knowledge of the future, could you still change it? Even I, the holder of all knowledge, don’t know the answer. Curious stuff that is ... but anyway-”
He sighed once again and tossed Renamon
a rolled up piece of parchment. Upon re-opening it, Renamon
saw that the Oracle had already prepared a map outlining a place on the
mainland in red ink with specific routes also prepared to make the journey as
quick as possible. The label read:
“
Renamon looked from the map to the Oracle, back to the map again, and to the Oracle again.
“There’s something you’re not ...” she began, but she blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, the spot where the Oracle of Forever had been standing was vacant. “...telling me?”
And so the cogs began to turn ...