The shrieks of agony and the burning light did nothing to faze the demonic child, silently watching, mask unchanging in the face of the tortures his ‘playmates’ were enduring. As the light faded, however, and heat and smoke wafted from the forms lying on the ground, he laughed and clapped his hands together. Baalmon, Meicrackmon, Flaremon, and Astamon. They were all back! 

[color=fdc68a]"Welcome back, guys! Who's up for Round Two?"[/color] It was as if the humans had never even been there. [color=fdc68a]"Glad you're all here to play today."[/color] It was time to brush off that earlier hiccup and go back to their earlier playtime. [color=fdc68a]"And I think I know just how to keep things going. Who's up for tag?"[/color] He teleported back to the edge of the clearing - Piximon visibly flinched at his arrival, even if he wasn't facing her. [color=fdc68a]"It'll be something different! Won't that be great? You know, in the human world, sometimes they play it with a few extras. I've even seen them use metal pipes."[/color] He spread his arms wide. [color=fdc68a]"I think I've got something a little more interesting - but you guys saw this coming, didn't you?"[/color]

Piximon blinked, looking from the four once-humans to the little demon, and then back to the humans before shaking her head and scooping up her brother's still-limp form. It was tempting to yell after them - they had tried to warn them, he had tried to leave them far behind from all this - but that wasn't going to work and it didn't matter anymore. Marineangemon's attempts to spare them had failed, and all she could do was try to spare him from the little demon he cared so much about.

Then there was a crack, and she paled. No... had he really gotten that far since they left? She turned to see the child raise both arms - and the massive tree cracked once more. Her jaw dropped, and she hugged her brother close to her before pushing off of the ground. There was nothing she could do for them. Not if he had truly destroyed the Server Tree.

--

It was like a glitching video playing in their minds -

[i]'WehavetosavethemWehavetosavethemWehavetosavethem-'

'HehastobestoppedHehastobestoppedHehastobestopped-'

'I'vefailedI'vefailedI'vefailed-'

'WhatdowedoWhatdowedoWhatdowedo-'[/i]

-endlessly looping, unable to quite move on to the next part. The voices roses above their pain, echoing in their skulls as if trying to push out their own thoughts and fill their heads instead with the repeated words.

Then there was the cracking noise. The voices stilled.

The child had both hands lifted above his head and, behind him, the massive tree rose several yards off the ground. Bark and root broke, exposing wires and cables under the surface, the remains hanging uselessly in place. Piximon was flying out of the way as fast as her gossamer wings would allow with her brother's weight dragging her down. The tree loomed above the five of them.

[color=fdc68a]"Well, guys-"[/color] The child's grin was practically audible. [color=fdc68a]"Just try to stop this if you can!"[/color] He flung his hands forward and warped away as the tree toppled down in their direction. Too wide to run to the side, too much pain and noise to focus on a plan-

And then everything stopped.

Piximon's wings had come to a complete stop in midair and yet she did not fall. The child's colors had stopped as a smear to the side of the tree. The tree's leaves still bent back from the force of falling but did not move.

Footsteps came from their right - uneven, a hollow thunk followed by a metallic clank, thunk-clank, thunk-clank - and a dead bush rustled before a pair of hands parted the bare branches. Staring at them was a figure in a red hood, wire stitched along the hood's seam to a hole for the mouth - also stitched shut by wire. The green eyes were wide, the mouth dropping open as far as the seams allowed it. Both hands were gloved in red; the left hand held a mallet taller than the being was, held as if it were a walking stick instead of a potential weapon. Beyond the red cloth, the being was garbed in grey with nothing else particularly distinguishing about its humanoid appearance.

"Oh my stars." It - no, she - also sounded like a young child as she stared at the four. "I - I know there's a lot going on right now and I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but you four - please, this way." She pointed behind her with the mallet, lurching forward and catching herself on the shrub. "I can't keep this up for much longer, and that tree's going to hurt if it lands on you."