Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Era of The Families ❯ Chapter 1

I woke up to an explosion which sent vibrations through my room, violently shaking my bed.
"Nero!"
I did not jump up at the cry for my name, nor did I attempt to hide. I simply opened my eyes and gripped my pillow tighter, wishing it would all go away. I looked outside my window from across the room; I did not want to move. From my bed I saw a glimpse of a familiar shadow - then came the screams. A few seconds later, the dark shape disappeared. I got up and edged a little closer. Through the glass I could see the casualties. I walked over to the window sill; there my father was on the blood-soaked grass, looking at the mysterious shadow. After what seemed to be a brief conversation, the shadow left with his huge creature. But my eyes were fixed on the crown that adorned my father's head. It symbolized his power; his duty to the clan. He turned around quickly, and stared right up at my window. His eyes pierced through my mind as the look of shame darkened his face. I closed the curtains, and went back to sleep.

***

It has been a long while since the Real and Digital worlds have merged. The rift, which once was policed by the former U.N., had expanded and destroyed a great part of the original planet. Governments collapsed, and many of the past's civilizations have already been forgotten. Now countries are ruled by noble families and former military leaders. Weapons that were once thought to be indestructible - tanks, airplanes, guns - were all decimated in the merge, their significance lost to a world that had no use for them. People are now armed with creatures from the digital world: Digimon, strange, servile beings that possess incredible abilities and are composed of digital energy.
Those who control power will maintain control over humanity - it has been this way throughout history. After the obliteration of the Earth, those who adapted the fastest laid claim to the wastelands, and began to form empires of their own. Four great clans have arisen: the Baldacci, Domoro, Janus, and Cortez "families". Other, smaller clans have attempted to stake out their own sections of territory, but the great four possess the true power that governs this new Earth. In their individual quests for true dominance, each clan attempts to subjugate the rest. Constant warring between the groups continues to scar the already tortured land.
Within each clan, a hierarchy has formed, in which each member of the clan is given a title according to their digital mastery. A clan member begins as a normal "Tamer", where they are entrusted with a new Digimon and are able to build their skills. After extensive training and some nominal battle experience, the individual can be promoted up through the ranks, beginning as a common private and rising all the way to the level of General. The system is a vestige of the old world; interesting how war is an everlasting staple of human history. If one shows great skill and strength in combat, he or she will eventually become what is known as a Guardian. These elites possess great influence, but above them are the strongest of all - the Elders. The people who have reached this prestigious title possess Digimon with unbelievable power, and are the true minds behind the inner workings of the clan. The Baldacci clan, my own, has been pressing a campaign out into what was once Eastern Asia. Though our rivals, the Domoro, are pushing against us from the south, they are relatively new and poorly organized. Under the guidance of our leader, we have made an impressive amount of headway into Old Asia. This man is perhaps one of the greatest warriors of the era - and he is my father.

The year is 24 AA (After Annihilation). It has been three years after my brother's desertion from the clan. Everyone had thought he was destined to become the future leader of the family, following in the footsteps of my father. No one knows why he left; everyone speaks poorly of him now. I don't blame them though; he is our enemy now. He has launched many attacks on us, single-handedly killing soldiers and many of our strongest Guardians. My brother and his Digimon, Wargreymon, have inflicted heavy losses upon our forces. He is merciless, even against his blood relatives. Our cousins Xavier and Christov, both Elders, were slain by his relentless, brutal assaults.

As I had said before, my current status is Guardian for the Baldacci Family. At sixteen years old, I am the youngest Guardian ever appointed. Many of the clansmen did not agree with my promotion, but their fear of my father keeps them from voicing their opinions openly. I was the successor of the ruling family, stronger than many of the other warriors. At the age of four my digimon reached the level of Champion, the youngest person throughout history to achieve this. However, my Patamon has yet to reach any level past that, but is still a force to be reckoned with. I know that the deaths of Xavier and Christov were both my fault. Their blood stains my window; my own cowardice prevented me from assisting them. But their defeat has given me new motivation; a will to become stronger, to prove myself.

My weapon of choice is the Katar. Battles are usually fought by Digimons, but some duels require that the tamers do battle as well. A Katar is like a claw, it is lighter than a sword, and is as quick as a dagger. I have two, one for each hand, and have trained with them for the past 12 years. The collision of the two worlds has caused ripples in reality, which allows for one to gain special abilities after many years of training. I have managed to manipulate the threads of time and space to be able to have the ability to teleport where I please. This ability is not suitable for stealth missions due to the loud noise it produces as the worm hole I leave behind is opened and then quickly closed. I use this power very rarely, due to the massive amount of stamina it takes to use it. Usually after 4 or 5 uses, I'm left completely out of breathe and with very sore muscles. This ability draws from the energy everyone has inside them, if I use this too many times, it can kill me. This endowment has been a trademark of my family, and has been the reason why we have ruled over the people for so long. Although my powers are beyond the average bloodline member, they pale in comparison to Julius's, my brother, famous Solar Flare.

I look over to clock, 2 AM. 5 hours until I have to go to the Academy, I glance over at my Patamon who is unconscious at the moment and observe his breathing. His chubby exterior brings a smile to face every time I see him become angry, even when he sleeps he looks funny. I should try to learn from him though; I need all the rest I can get. Starting at 7, it's another day at the academy