The ~SIVA Crisis

The Last City,

Earth

The Last City was impeccable, to say the least. Surrounded by a gigantic wall, created by the Titans, it was a marvel of engineering and art. The most obvious features were the countless array of buildings that filled the ground—some were tall, others were stubby, and there were even houses too. Nothing in the City was abandoned as this was the last place we could safely call home. Nothing went to waste either.

There were mostly families residing in the City, along with businessmen, newsmen,  teachers, policemen, and even science researchers. You name it. Every profession inhabited the City. It was a paradise to those who inhabited it. Complete prosperity.

Guardians visited the City on their own leisure, to get away from Tower affairs or the stressful details assigned to us. Most of the time, we went to designated restaurants, bars, even night clubs; but some Guardians have a hard time relating to the rest of the City, and others know their struggles all too well. The things you see in battle change you. The people might read about the latest development in what the Warriors of Light are doing, but it’s a whole other story to witness it with your two eyes.

The people in the City had a perfect life…at least, so I thought: They wake up, do their morning routine, go to work, socialize with co-workers, go home to their families, dine, then go to bed. A pretty normal life, if you ask me. But was it perfect? In our eyes, sure. Many Guardians would kill another just to have a chance at living a normal life, even if it were for one measly day.

We were different, there’s no question about it. Our lives were far from perfect, and I doubt we’d have the same level of opulence as the people in the City do. Sure, we have our own rooms to bunk in; we eat on our own volition, and do what we’re programmed to do. Sleep. Talk to our comrades. Just like the people below us. But was it really perfect? I know some Guardians who hate their job, who abhorred warding off the Darkness in the field, even though it’s something they have to do; no one asked for this life, but many of us, such as me, go forward each and every day.

But who’s to say, including myself, that the people below don’t have problems of their own, like we do? One of the many reasons why I believe no life is perfect in both realms.

But if I had to choose…I’d choose my current life. It was arduous, yes, but it made my life purposeful and entertaining.

Anyways, before I go off on a recalcitrant tangent, the City even had a university for residents. Had to make Glimmer somehow.

For the most part, though, I found being in the City an absolute pleasure. Especially when it was Orion and I.

Every Friday, after we finished our assigned tasks, Orion and I made our way down to a Tavern, favoured by Hunters. The place was called pLace. Literally. Most Hunters occupied the joint, but there were Titans and Warlocks too. We welcomed them with open arms.

The place was rich in merits. From the cheerful hyper-retro music (how it was preserved was beyond my understanding) that played, to the small dance floor that had flashing coloured squares, and the giant overhead disco ball, to the dim hanging lights that gave atmosphere. There was a second floor leading to luxurious chairs and an outside patio. Stools ran alongside the bar, where Orion and I usually sat to drink. Sometimes, when we were feeling extra bold, we’d try an dance like the couple of nutjobs we were.

The place was extremely retro to say the least.

For me, I always drank Vodka, and Orion always stuck to neat absinthe. Not sure how he could handle the stuff, blah!

We both sat at the bar, taking periodic sips of our drinks, watching a Warlock perform her best moves on the dance floor. Orion was nodding as if impressed. He whistled seductively to himself.

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” I asked, giving him a light slap on the shoulder.

“What? That Warlock over there is a total babe. I mean look at her swinging those hips…and arms and…” He took another sip. “Look at her go. You go, babe, woo-who!”

I moved closer to him, lowing my hand. “Simmer down, Tiger. You’ve been off the rails all night.”

Orion looked at me and sniggered. “Did you just call me ’Tiger’?”

“Yes, I did,” I said, finishing my glass, then slamming it on the counter, being careful not to break it. “Hey, bartender. A refill please!” I had Ghost dispense 500 Glimmer. The bartender came and went to work. “Seriously though, what’s gotten into you, buddy?”

Orion did a full turn so he was looking at the bar. Then to me. “I dunno. The idea of us cracking the case of this crystal has gotten me excited. I mean, we kinda did say that it would be our final adventure together if I was right.”

The bartender came back with a new glass of vodka. I picked it up, ice cubes clinking against the glass. “Yeah…it scares me, bud. It really does.” A sip. “What if it really does work, and something or someone wakes us up?”

“Pfft. You’ve seen the temple.”

“Shh. Keep your voice down.”

Orion glanced over his shoulder, then back to me, before moving closer. The music in the background helped in a way as it cloaked our conversation. “You’ve seen the temple. It’s buried under a jungle. You and I are the only ones who know of it.”

“And the Vex.”

“That’s beside the point.” He took another sip of his drink, finishing it. Placed the glass down. “Look. We’ve done crazier things before. Why not finish it off with something that’ll leave us in prosperity?”

“That’s not what worries me, Orion.”

“Then what?”

I sighed. “Remember what you said to me once when we started doing our crazy adventures?”

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” Orion said.

“Yeah. I’m worried that the others will find out what we’re up to. I mean, we can easily be tracked by the Vanguard, and our little adventure would be compromised. The temple will be in possession of the Cryptarchs…”

“That won’t happen.”

“You don’t know that,” I said, taking another sip. “We know nothing of the future.”

“Now, I wouldn’t say that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got something planned. For the both of us. In the far out future. We just need time. And lots of it.”

“It’s not another one of your surprise parties is it?” I asked, reminiscing the last party I attended. “It was terrible. Though I have to cut you some slack for calling in a clown. I still can’t believe you donned your Ghost to look like a clown.”

“In what world would a party need so much time to plan?” Orion asked. “Look. Forget I said anything, alright? Let’s focus on figuring out a way to take that barrier down.” He rose his glass in the air. “Put it here, buddy. To us.”

“To us,” I said, joining in on our toast.

Bunker Triglav

Old Russia, Earth

Nothingness!

My first several seconds after enduring the appalling silence was a heart-bursting eternity of thunderous-pounding terror! The silence surrounded me, suffocated me. If I had been able to draw breath, I would have screamed.

And then my mind started to adjust to the silence. I began to calm down, gasping, feeling weak (and a little foolish, mainly for having an overdramatic reaction). In my defence, dead comms were always a bad sign that things went south, though, sometimes, that wasn’t usually the case; sometimes there would be an error in transmission, or the comms went down; it happens; hell, it even occurred when I superintend the radio frequencies of the Tower. Perhaps the operator was experiencing technical glitches.

But somehow, I couldn’t explain why this felt different.

As I stood, feeling the cool air placate and tickle me (given that I now have a rip in my armour), thoughts spiralled aimlessly in all directions. I could hear the wind howl, and even my own breathing; that’s how silent it was. Still, I was struck more by what I couldn’t hear: The voice of Pathernax, warfare booming on in the far distance; their absence was powerful that I first mistook the outside and everything around me as silent, even though it was not. A perfect silence—a paradise where I could let my mind wander and be free. I could still feel the snow beneath my feet; and though I could not see much or far, I could see further than I had realized: We had to do something. Paledon and Kabril were out there somewhere.

They need our help.

Then again, as a Hunter, that would be my first instinct. It might not be factual, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind. Dead comms. Unresponsive teammates. What else could possibly come to mind?

I shook myself out of my trance, then walked over to Pathernax. Spoke sternly. “We have to find them. Let’s go.”

I made my way toward the Lord’s Watch.

Pathernax chased after me. Stood in front. “Okay, we don’t know anything yet. Maybe they’re busy dealing with the Splicers.”

“But—“

“Or there’s something blocking the signal. We shouldn’t assume.”

“Speculation isn’t going to get us anywhere. We need to start looking. Now. So let’s go.”

We made our way to the Lord’s Watch, back to the bronze building, where we last eliminated the spider tank.

Nothing.

“Maybe they went to the next area?” Pathernax said. “They did say something about investigating the other parts, right?”

“I believe so,” I said, summoning Ghost. A giant map of the Plaguelands displayed itself. “Giant’s Husk. Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

I summoned my Sparrow for quicker transportation. Running on foot got tiring after awhile, even as a Hunter. Sparrows were all-terrain thrust bikes with one purpose: Moving from objective to objective with unmatched speed.

Situated and feet on the back pedals, I jounce the Sparrow forward, the engine revving as acceleration increased second by second. A blue trail of plasma energy was tailing the end of my bike; the faster I go, the bluer it gets.

Pathernax was following behind me on his own Sparrow. I did a sharp turn to my left, then straightened my drive; although these were fun to drive (there were even Sparrow racing tournaments held every so often) they could be potentially dangerous, just like driving any other vehicle.

Anyways, ahead of me were a multitude of shipment contains stacked on top of one another, and a net with Fallen capsules hanging from the high ceiling. We shifted and turned, drifted and adjusted our speed as we zoomed our way through the enclosed space.

Soon, we reached the threshold of the Giant’s Husk. There were even more shipment contains diffused around us. Some here tipped over, and others were stacked.

In front of us was a ship with land metal stairwells leading upward to an entry. There was a cave off to my far right and there were SIVA wires everywhere. Fallen goons were scattered around, and even some Hive. Mostly Wizards and Acolytes.

We hopped off our Sparrows, weapons drawn. “So now what do we do?” Pathernax asked.

“We look around. See if they’re around,” I said. “Actually. Ghost.”

“Yes?” Ghost popped up right in front of my face, his form spinning.

“Could you track Paledon and Kabril for us. If you could, that would make our lives so much easier.”

“I certainly can. I just need to…Fallen incoming!”

“Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that?” I asked, letting out the most dramatic sigh.

“Here’s the deal. Protect me while I try and track down Paledon and Kabril’s location.”

“Every time,” I muttered to myself, hoping Ghost didn’t hear me.

“I heard you. Just watch my back.”

“Got it.” I turned to Pathernax. “You heard him. Let’s get ready for a fight.”

A Fallen Ketch (think of it as a big ass ship that can deploy Skiffs; Kells usually resided and commanded them, though sometimes Archons could as well) ripped through the upper atmosphere sending a pulsing soundwave through the air. It broke the sound barrier, all too easily. Three Skiffs in total were disposed to distant realms that didn’t concern us, at least yet. One in particular made its way to us, no doubt to provoke a fight.

The Fallen were always seeking to prove their worth, their loyalty, even invalidate their fears.

When the Skiff motioned toward us, hovering a low height above the ground, I readied myself for impact. Turrets were exposed, which was a first in a while, and shot us with bolts of SIVA or some form of Solar Energy. They put a moderate dent in my shields, forcing me to drawback from the assail. I found cover behind a shipment container; they were a blessing and a curse.

Pathernax was already opening fire on the troops jumping down, their weapons already opening fire on us. He blinked, evaded the projectiles coming his way. There were Shanks, Servitors, and a few Vandals. Luckily there weren’t any exasperating Captains this time.

“A little assistance is utmost required from you, Hunter!” Pathernax shouted, chucking a few grenades at the enemy. This time he was using a shotgun, a Matador 64 to be precise. The thing hit like a truck, much like Lord of Wolves, though it behaved differently. The Matador 64 was a weapon with range, impact, and refinement; a deadly weapon up close, you best not be within its range or bam!

I peeked around the corner, seeing my Warlock friend in action. He must’ve had at least five metres of distance between him and the enemy; at that range, it’s pitiful to even attempt using a shotgun; but he ran forth, blinking (without jumping in the air) on the ground, slide then steadily pulled the trigger. His shotgun was engineered to fire in full auto, so it was a little advantageous since the fire rate on the thing was so low.

Three quick shots, and the Shanks were down. Another two quick shots and a Vandal was killed by decapitation.

Wait a second…Matador only had five shots, which means…

“I’m coming Pathernax!”

I vaulted out of cover and ran forward. My weapon and arms were swaying back and forth with every step I took. Sweat was already pooling on the side of my head, and I felt it trickle down my temples; I rose my weapon, and pulled the trigger, sending rotting lobbing bolts of starfire at the second Vandal and Servitor.

The Servitor teleported to the right of me, red matter streaking the air. Its form rotated and shot red orbs from its eye. I withstood the damage done to my shield and focused on pumping out DPS (damage per second).

I quickly switched to my Lord of Wolves before sliding in the snow to unleash its devastation. The Servitor went down, though there was still one more to deal with.

To my right, there it was, looking at me. I shadestepped aside, then reloaded.

Before I had a chance to strike, Pathernax already beat me to the punch as he arose and shot twice from his shotgun, downing the Servitor. Pieces of the once ancient artefact were in smithereens. Servitors were what generated the Ether the Fallen depend on for life.

As I sat in the cold snow, Pathernax extended an arm to help me to my feet. “Thanks.”

He pulled me up. Patted my shoulder. “That was quite the show.”

“Eh, not really. Just another day at the office, really. Ghost, you get anything on their location?”

Ghost appeared in front of me. “Nothing yet. But if we keep moving, we might get something. Keep your head up.”

For the next little while, we investigated the giant ship in front of us. We ascended the rusty stairs that lead us to an entryway. Inside was a corridor blocked off by a laser grid. Unfortunately for us, Ghost couldn’t do anything about the grid. Apparently we require something called a Splicer Key, dropped by certain Fallen lieutenants. I didn’t know the first place to look for them, but I was sure we’d come across one sooner or later.

“Hunter…we should rest,” Pathernax said. “The surrounding area seems clear of hostiles. There’s a cave where we can reside in. I got a couple of sleeping bags with my Ghost. We can use that and make a fire.”

“But what about Paledon? And Kabril. I’m worried about them,” I said, taking a seat on the ledge of the stairwell.

Pathernax sat down with me. “And I’m sure he is worried too. You trust him, right?”

My head turned to him. “What kind of question is that? Of course I do! I trust him with my life.”

“Good. Then you can trust in him that he’s looking out for himself and Kabril. I know you’re vastly worried, but I assure you he is fine.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Sure I do. Need I have to enlighten you again with my vast wisdom?’

“Spare me your lecture, Path,” I said, without the intention of sounding harsh or rebuffing.

Pathernax shook his head in an understanding way; compassion and sympathy were radiating off of him; I could feel it. He gave me a light pat on the shoulder, then said, “I’m going to get the sleeping bags ready for us. Take as much time as you need out here. I’ll be waiting for you.” He jumped down, headed for the cave, leaving me to myself.

A little alone time was exactly what I had yearned for since the comms went dead. Today had been a most stressful day. My body was aching, and exhaustion was rippling through me like scissors cutting paper. Fighting two spider tanks, and doing an entire mission, all in one day, drained the energy tanks. To be quite honest, I wasn’t used to this level of intensity, especially after six months of being decommissioned. Being disconnected from fight for so long really messed me up. Coming back out here…on the field was one helluva ploy of mine. All so I could be with the man I cared so profoundly about.

And now he’s missing in action.

Well, so I believed.

I gazed up at the star-painted sky—starlight soaked my eyes, making me wince them close. The dark moon illumed its rays downward, as did the Traveler.

The night was a serenity, to say the least. I couldn’t quite pinpoint why this area wasn’t flooded with Fallen, given the current existential crisis of SIVA. The idea of SIVA, what it can do, how powerful it can render a form was enticing yet the repercussions were so reprehensible.

Remember the Hive I mentioned earlier? They were gone too.

It was only Pathernax and I. Weird right?

But I couldn’t complain. I had no reason to. I drank in the night-sky vista momentarily before catching a flicking light in a distant cave.

“You know,” Ghost said, hovering above my shoulder. “He’s waiting for you. He won’t sleep unless you’re there with him.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Can’t a guy just enjoy a bit of alone time before he has to make obligations to speak with another?”

“You certainly can.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

There it was again. That brisk, crisp silence, hardening like igneous rock. It hurled its way to me like big crashing wave.

“You know he cares about you,” Ghost said. “Despite what happened between you two. I hope you know he feels terrible about what he did.”

I chuckled. “How would you know that?”

“I’m a Ghost. I know Guardians. Trust me. I may be mechanical, but I can feel some level of emotion. It’s how I was designed. Talk to him. Tell him that is wasn’t his fault. He’s more understanding than you give him credit for.”

I nodded my head. “Okay. I will. But under one condition.”

“I’m listening.”

“We find Paledon and Kabril first thing in the morning.”

“It’s a deal. Now go on, get ready for bed.”

I looked away from the array of bright stars, then made my way to Pathernax. I double jumped my way up to the entrance of the cave, then found my way in.

The cavern was relatively large with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. There was already a lit fireplace in the middle, along with two sleeping bags on either side. Pathernax was sitting, his helmer off, watching the burning blaze. Around the large and sandy clearing that was the cave, the fire made shadows all around us; some of them trickled across Pathernax’s face. He appeared strange to me, like I had never seen him before; he was unhappy to be stuck with me for the night, I could sense it. Not because he disliked me, no. Because I disliked him for something he had done to me long ago.

The only sound between us was the crackling fire. Embers scattered around the the fire. I suppose kindlings were worthwhile after all.

Before I did anything else, I sealed the entryway with some hardened leather that was lying around, probably some article from Pathernax’s inventory. No air was getting in other than through the upper level.

I motioned back to the fire. Sat down on the sleeping bag, my arms behind me for support. I took my helmet and boots off, placing them aside. I curled my toes in front of the fire, warming them up. I let out a sigh. Glanced at Pathernax. “You know I don’t hate you, right? For what happened.”

Pathernax let out a half-suppressed peal of laughter. “Yeah, like I’m going to believe that. Ever since I made that horrendous mistake of—”

I put my hand out. “Please. There’s no need to explain. I know what happened.” I shook my head in odium. My blood heated up a little as I thought about what he had done. “You left me for dead in the Jungles of Venus.”

He fidgeted with some stone he had picked up. “Do you think it’s easy for me to live with that decision?”

“No…no I don’t,” I said, drawing my feet back and sitting with my legs crossed. “We’ve all made mistakes. Big and small. But there are certain ones that always stick with us, the ones that are the worst. Mistakes like that often bring out the worst in people.”

“Do you really believe that?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

Pathernax threw the stone at the fire. It dispersed a bit, but dwindled down to nothing but a mere flickering flame. “So let me ask you this. Why is it that you act friendly to me when, really, there’s some level of hatred and anger toward me?”

“Because I’m better than anger and hatred. I’m not the type of person to stir up animosity. You wronged me for something that you shouldn’t have done in the first place. I mean…leaving a fireteam member that’s down and defenceless? All because you wanted to get revenge on some Fallen Vandal that destroyed your friend’s Ghost? I was stuck there, with a broken leg, for three days! No one else was on patrol at the time either. Plus, the comms were down as well…just like they are now. Funny how history repeats itself, huh?”

There was nothing but that crippling silence again. There was a certain look in Pathernax’s face. There was compassion and regret in his eyes; they glistened under the fire. “I made a miscalculation on the situation. If I had known there were going to be variables—”

“Oh, quit with that bullshit.” My voice rose with every passing second. “We all know there was only one choice to be made, and that was to save me! I mean for christsakes, it was only you and me. And you decided to leave me behind. You couldn’t wait to transmit yourself out to tell that little shit of a friend what you had done for him, right?”

In case you didn’t know, Ghost could have easily transmatted me out of where I was but…and this is the juicy part, my Ghost was slightly damaged from enemy fire, preventing him from doing so. That was more than likely the cause of the blockage on the comms, now that I think about it.

The only reason it didn’t occur to me then was because I felt incredibly betrayed; not to mention I was excruciated by a broken leg. Ghost couldn’t have done anything for me; he wasn’t a medical wizard or anything like that. It took my Ghost three days to heal himself, which allowed me to get the hell out of there and to the Tower, where a heated fight between Pathernax and I broke out, after I got administered to the Tower’s hospital.

You can imagine how pissed off I was at him.

“Look,” Pathernax began, letting out a sigh, “I’m not proud of what I had done. And I never will be. You know…ever since that day, I had always been afraid to converse to you about this particular subject. I had always wondered why you were so kind to me, so polite. Knowing you for as long as I have, I had thought you would’ve deposed me from your fireteam. It seemed though, as soon as your leg healed, you were…understanding to me. You never brought this recollection up until now.”

“And that’s when you thought I forgave you?” I asked, laughing incredulously.

“Yeah…”

“You’re an idiot for thinking that.”

“Hunter, come on. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it!” I snapped. “I don’t trust you. I never will.” A pause to gather my thoughts together. “You know…I’m a changed man. This past year has given me perspective. I’m not going to be a cold son of a bitch to you, so I forgive you. But I won’t ever forget what you did. And don’t think for a second that we’re on better terms. Maybe in time, but now, that ship has sailed.”

Pathernax tried smiling at me, but it drooped like a plant without water. “I understand, Hunter. Just know that I regret failing you. I always will.” His voice was so calm yet violently full of emotion. A quality of Warlocks that couldn’t be deterred.

I placed myself under the sleeping bag, turned around so my back was facing Pathernax as I laid down.

“Hunter…why were you so kind to me though ever since your leg was healed?”

I peered my gaze over to him. “Because…I’m not cold like you. I actually care about you. I just don’t like you.”

I turned back around and found comfort by staring at the mineral filled wall.

An Unknown Place,

Unknown

The light was unearthly; a calm eldritch illumination cast a steady glow across the landscape. A lazily arcing stretch of white sand seemed to reach out forever to the left and right with seas before it; and there were a range of volcanoes distantly visible in the mist behind it. Everything was still; indeed, the world itself was still, under the cloudless, sunless sky. As I stood on the beach, staring out at the horizon, the sea was frozen. The surface of the water was rough and choppy yet immobile. Tall waves and gouts of spray were paralysed even as they had risen; but they were not ice nor were they any resemblance. There was simply no movement in this world.

My best guess was that it was Venus, though as there was an endless span of jungle behind me. There were no Vex, no Taken, no Fallen anywhere.

I looked left and right, searching for something, if only I could pinpoint exactly what. My eyes alighted upon a flash of ochre amidst the iron-grey waves, before I began to walk toward the sight with a peculiar sense of foreboding gnawing at me. My pace seemed wonky and janky, ungainly even, despite the sand being smooth and rockless; and when I reached the edge of the water, I couldn’t tell if the journey had taken a second or a year.

Tentatively, acting entirely on impulse, I touched the water with an experimental foot; feeling the water soak my boots and eventually my socks. The surface of the water was solid and pleasantly warm. It felt and sounded like glass, more than anything else. Glancing between the crests, I strained my neck, and once again caught sight of the flashing ochre. It was a person, someone, it was something! Something inside me said that I didn’t want to meet whoever was out there on the water, but I felt driven by an unknown force, impossible to comprehend. Slowly, carefully, I picked my way between the frozen wave-tops, the surface clinking beneath my feet.

At last, I laid eyes upon my quarry. At the foot of the largest wave I had yet seen lay an ochre human Hunter, his armour bedraggled and his eyes half-closed. He wore no helmet, and his hair was unkempt, but the colour of his skin was scarcely affected, such was its vibrancy. A pristine and elegant disposition.

I cantered closer. “Orion?” I asked, my voice for some reason sounding low and muffled, even in this open space. The figure in front of me turned his head to look at me, but it was as if his face were taken from a blurred photograph as his features were indistinguishable. I took an involuntary step back—fear rising like the bile in my throat. In the shadow of the overhanging wave, Orion got to his feet.

“Come here, Hunter. C’mere, buddy, ol’ pal.” His voice was quiet and soothing, although, scarcely, any movement of his blurred lips could be discerned. “Come here, buddy.”

I took another step back. I took another step back. I was directly under the peak of the large wave now. “I can’t stay here. I have to go,” I said, unsure as to why I chose those particular words. I felt trapped. Like I couldn’t walk away even if I wanted to.

“Catch me if you can! It’ll be like the good ol’ games of tag we used to play! Remember them?” he whispered, his low voice carrying easily though the still air. For a moment there was silence.

Then the sea was unfrozen, returning to a rough, stormy liquid. Before I had the chance to fall into the gelid depths, the roaring wave fell and smashed into us, immersing and washing us away in a maelstrom of twisting currents.

Eventually, I had found myself in the temple Orion had showed me, the one with the memory crystal. I was in the doorway, facing the crystal, then Orion exposed himself, the blur to his face still present, from the shadows.

“Why didn’t you save me, Hunter? I thought you were my brother…” he said, his voice sounding draggy and sinister. “Why!” His voice roared through me, forcing fear upon me.

My form was shaking and I was unable to move. Only speak. “I don’t know. I…I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to fail you, I just…”

“Well you obviously did.”

His form expanded to a larger form, like a balloon. His appearance was akin to a genie, but with a more distorted face. His teeth were sharp and it was like a complete horror show. “The crystal I once showed you…is no longer there. You blew the one chance at paradise, buddy!” Now his voice was louder than an rocket launching.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” I was on the ground, writhing around, sobbing like the pathetic fool I was. Snot was coming out of my nose and tears soaked my cheeks. “Forgive me.”

“Never!”

Orion came crashing down on me, opening his mouth to eat me and the crystal. There was an evil, sinister laugh resonating and it was Pathernax who was standing beside the crystal now.

“Orion was a little weakling. And so are you.”

He came up to me and retrieved my Ghost somehow, then ripped it apart. My very Light was being drained from me with his touch. It was suffocating. As I gasped for air helplessly, I collapsed on my knees, then fell to my inevitable death…

The Giant’s Husk

Old Russia, Earth

With a gasp of shock, my eyes flew open, and I bolted upright in bed, like a catapult, my heart hammering. Sweat covered my entire body as I looked around in momentary panic. It was still dark outside, I could feel it. My breathing gradually returned to normal and I looked down to see Pathernax staring at me in concern through the gloom.

“Are you okay, Hunter?”

“Bad dream,” I said, unable to keep a small shake in my voice. “Sorry to wake you up like that.”

“I was kind of half-awake anyway,” Pathernax admitted, comfortingly smiling at me. “I never knew you had nightmares, Hunter.”

“I get them every now and then,” I said, plopping myself back down, then letting a sigh. I glanced at him once again. “Hey. I’m sorry about snapping at you earlier.  I didn’t mean to say the things I did.”

“Don’t justify yourself, Hunter. You just expressed how you feel. It’s what we do as humans.”

The fire had dwindled down to nothing but a few burning embers; they glowed in the cold, air-filled cave. “I lied about what I had said. About not being angry at you for what you did. But the truth is…I still have some resentment toward you. And a bit of anger. I mean, can you blame me?”

“No, I can’t. I find it quite admirable that you’re telling me this.” Pathernax cleared his throat. Sighed. Tears were welling up in his eyes; I could sense the regret surfacing as I lay there; sniffles were even coming from him. “Listen, Hunter. I know I’ve said this a dozen times by now, but I am truly sorry for wronging you. I made a mistake that I have to live with until the day the Light gets sucks out of me. I got so caught up in telling my friend, I didn’t realize what was more important at the time. Between getting ready to slay Oryx…I suppose I lot focus of what really mattered.”

I got up from my laid position. “You really mean that?”

“Of course I do,” Pathernax said, starting a new fire with some kindling and and a match. “Hunter, the thing you should know about me is that…I always tell the truth. Even when I lie.”

I smiled at him. “I’ll work on the anger and resentment I have toward you. I won’t forget what you did, Pathernax, but I can at least have the decency to move on from it. What matters most to me is that you accepted your faults. We’re not perfect. I’m far from perfect. I fuck up a lot. You just happen to do so less. I can’t promise you that we’ll be on good terms right now…but it’s start.”

Pathernax remained silent.

“Let me ask you one thing, though.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

I trailed a finger in the ground, feeling the ragged floor. “Will you ever forgive yourself for what you did to me?”

“I don’t think I can, buddy. I don’t think I can.”

“Okay…well”—I cleared my throat—“I’m going to try and go back to sleep. You should do the same.”

“No, that’ alright. I think I’ll just stay awake and think about what we talked about. And play with the fire.”

“Suit yourself. But don’t expect me to slow down on this search. And Pathernax…please forgive yourself. We’ve both been through hell already. It’s one of the reasons you’re still part of my fireteam. Because we have history together.”

“What you have seen will mark you forever,” Pathernax said.

Later that morning, Pathernax and I left our lovely little cave, and set off to find Paledon and Kabril.

The morning wasn’t kind to us though. There was rainfall spattering sharply against us and the surrounding environment; ice was beginning to form as a result, something we most certainly needed. Luckily for me, Pathernax and his wizardry was able to conjure up some sort of veil spell, so we wouldn’t get wet by the rain. A protective shield. I had no idea how Warlock sorcery worked, but it was beautiful!

As we traveled our way through the Giant’s Husk, looking for any clues that would lead us to our lost friends, the silence between Pathernax and I was companionable, a welcome change from the distressful silence and tension from earlier days. Pathernax seemed visibly more relaxed now that he and I had a proper conversation about our differences.

“What do you think Paledon and Kabril will think of us actually getting along for once?” Pathernax asked, stopping his tracks.

I kept walking. “I dunno. They’ll probably think nothing of it, to be honest. Shit like this happens all the time. Besides, it doesn’t even concern them.”

“Fair enough.”

There was silence for a few seconds, then I sighed. “So where do you think they went?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” Pathernax said, running to my side. “Isn’t your Ghost doing something to aid in their discovery?”

“Kind of. He said he’s keeping a ‘vibe’ going for any traces of Light. He’ll let us know if anything comes up.”

“I’m surprised that the area here is as clear as it is. Where’s the Fallen? Hive?” I asked, using my ken scouting abilities to trace enemies within a fifteen metre radius. “It’s just not right, it’s really eerie here. Something’s fucky.”

“I’m picking up an odd amount of Light coming from around the corner there,” my Ghost finally said. “In the Doomed Sea.”

“The Doomed Sea?” I asked.

“It’s the next sra on your map.”

We summoned our Sparrows and followed the waypoint that was set for us. The shoreline was beautiful, from the overcast sky causing rainfall, to the wretched ships that were in the distance. There was a tilted ship in the water.

When we arrived at the threshold, there was the remains of a once lit firepit. It must’ve been them! I felt the ash in the firepit. It was still warm. “Pathernax! It’s them, it has to be. The fire, it’s still warm.”

Pathernax stepped up as if to say something, but the next thing that caught my eye  prevented him from saying anything. “Footprints! They lead right around this corner. Let’s follow the footprints.”

And so we did.

We trailed alongside the wires that overtook the rock formations to our right and left, following the footprints of Kabril and Paledon. Normally Hunters were the ones not to leave any tracks or traces directly back to them, but it seemed like they wanted us to find them.

The next area on the map, The Archon’s Keep, spore an impressive landscape. The area was vast and wide. There was a crashed plane in the middle of the place, and blistering lava flowed out of metal pipes that were engrossed in the rocky walls. Bubbling lava resided in trenches that had metal planks for easy crossing. A forge of rotating machines circled huge lava pits, more than like to forge armour of some kind.

The place even had an orange tinge/hue. SIVA wires were scattered around, too.

“Well, this place is a death trap,” I said, walking over to a trench with lava. “Look lovely.”

“In what world is lava lovely? It burns, kills, and pains.”

“Pretty much our daily life at his point. There’s always something trying to kill us!”

“Picking up traces of Light beneath the ship. It might be Paledon and Kabril,” Ghost said. “Also be careful. There’s something odd around here. No Fallen? Something’s up.”

“You’re telling us,” I said, laughing. “Understood, Ghost.”

We approached the ancient crash site with caution. Our weapons were ready to fire if anything had jumped out at us. As the snow crunched beneath our feet, I heard a click of something, as if it were a mine; a trigger warning of some sort. “Pathernax. Don’t move.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Web Mines.”

I gazed down at my right foot. There was a red glowing web mine beneath my foot. Shit. The Fallen had always had a variety of tricks up their many sleeves (get it, because they have many arms?) and Web Mines were no exception; they were a proximity or impact triggered snare device that releases a tangle of heavy Arc energy, causing spatial distortion within its sphere of influence. If I were to take my foot off it, right now, it would eject the physical mine in the air where it would detonate.

I had always hated these because most often than like they were a sign of an ambush or a critical chokepoint the Fallen are trying to guard. Which meant something was up, and not in our favour.

For a moment I let my senses wander and nothing else; yet I could feel my pulse beating in my ears, as I heard a cry for help by some near inaudible voice, blocking out all other sounds except the breath that was raggedly moving in and out of my mouth. I found that I was staring at someone lying on the ground, under the plane crash. I couldn’t take my eyes away from he bodily form lying limply on the ground; and at that point nothing else mattered—not the Web Mine under my foot or ambush that was going to strike us at any moment. The connection I had by looking at this someone had to held because if I broke it, he would die. I never felt so certain in of anything else in my life.

I was scared.

Carefully, with precise caution, I slowly lifted my foot from the mine, forcing it to eject. The spherical mine jounced up in the air, spun around, making a beeping noise after its activation. I reeled back, then took a hold of it. Weighted it. The device was light in weight, but it sure as hell packed a punch. I readied myself for trajectory. I threw it in the distance, sending it flying in the air, wherein it burst into a sphere of Arc-like webs.

I exhaled to calm my nerves.

“Wow,” Pathernax said. “That. Was. Intense.”

I ignored his utterance and ran forth to where I perceived that somebody to be. As I got closer, my visor indicated that it was someone I indeed knew. It was Kabril. “Pathernax, get over here!” I yelled as I fell to my knees, than crawled my way to her. “Kabril! Kabril, are you there?!” I put and ear to her mouth. “She’s still breathing!”

Pathernax followed suit. “Where’s Paledon?”

A cough escaped from Kabril’s mouth. My guess was that her vision was blurry, too. “Hunter? Is that you?”

“It sure is, buddy. Are you okay?” I asked, placing both my hands on the side of her helmet. “Where’s Paledon?”

“I don’t know. We spent the night near some ship. We left like an hour ago. When we got here, the Fallen…they…they ambushed us. Paledon went after a Captain of interest, I think. I don’t know everything happened so fast!”

“It’s okay, Kabril. We’re just glad you’re safe,” I said, pulling her in for a hug.

She returned the hug too. “I’m sorry for letting you down, Hunter. I know how much he means to you…he told me about you and him. I just wish I didn’t screw up.”

I drew back. “Hey, you didn’t screw up. These things happen. We have to locate him before the Splicers do something irreversible to him.”

“Water,” Kabril muttered. “Water…”

“Path, get her some water, will ya?”

“How am I suppose to do that?”

If he could see my face under this helmet right now. “Use your canteen, scoop some snow up, then melt it. And here I thought you were wise.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said going to work.

“Can you stand?”

“Yeah…”

I helped her to her feet. “Here, sit down.” As she sat down, I got my bearings together. “Do you remember where Paledon went or any idea where he could’ve gone?”

“We were going to see what this Archon’s Forge was about. Maybe that’s where he went?” Kabril said.

Pathernax came up and gave her a canteen with fresh liquid water. She took periodic sips as she spoke. “Say. Did you ever try calling us over the comms? We were waiting to hear back from you.”

“We tried after we overturned the Fallen’s hold on the military weapons, but the comms were down. They still are, I think.”

“They are,” Kabril said. “If they were up, we’d know where Paledon is. But in any case, we should get a move on. I want to look for Paledon just as badly as you two do.”

“But you were out cold. Shouldn’t you at least rest for awhile?” Pathernax asked.

Kabril got up from her seat, then handed the Warlock his canteen back. “No. I’m not one to sit around. Let’s go.”

“I’m just looking out for your best interests at heart.”

“Let’s go! Don’t make me shove an Arc Blade up your ass.”

Sassy girl.

“Alright, alright, sheesh.”

I stood there laughing at my silly comrades, then followed suit.

We came across an abandoned facility with active computer terminals scattered around. A quick flight of stairs and we were inside; there were even thee capsules with a live eye looking around. Creepy much?

We ran into the tunnel corridor, twisting right and left, every which way. Eventually we came across a gigantic arena with spheres engrossed in the floor. In front of us was…Paledon! He was lying on the ground, his form unmoving.

I ran to him, fell to my knees, and relinquished his hand. “Paledon! Paledon!” I shouted his name twice, hoping he would hear me, but there was not even a single peep or breath coming from him. I had been so caught up in the maelstrom of emotion coursing through me that I didn’t realize the gash that had been sliced through his armour. A big bleeding gash. He was leaking Light and blood. “Help me! Help me get him out of here.”

We each did our part to carry him outside, away from the place that mutilated him, undoubtedly by the Fallen, while being carful with his wounds. There was a cave not too far from us. We resided in there for the time being. I placed him on one of Pathernax’s sleeping bag, hoping that the fleecy comfort would do the trick, rather than a hard floor.

His breathing was still nonexistent. I was frozen, unable to think or react. I was inert like a noble gas. My body was stiffening. There was no way he was dead. Not a fucking chance in hell! I couldn’t allow this to happen. I sat there, with Paledon in my hold, sobbing uncontrollably. The others were distant and quiet. I looked at them and they did nothing; said nothing.

Why did this vicissitude have to loom itself to the surface?! Why?!

“Help me!” I pleaded.

“Hunter…” Pathernax said, “he’s gone. The Light from him is…”

“Fuck you, man, fuck you! I refuse to believe that!” I glanced over at Paledon’s lifeless body. I yanked both our helmets off. His face was scarless, untouched. It was still the same beautiful face I had gotten to know and love. My hand subconsciously caressed it gently, while I quietly wept to myself. “Come back to me, Paledon. Please. It’s not fair for you to leave me now. No. Not yet. Please come back.”

Kabril stepped up to me. Placed a hand on my shoulder. “Hunter…Pathernax is right. There’s nothing we can do. The Splicers got the best of him. There’s nothing we could’ve done.”

I shoved her hand off me. There was too much at stake here. I had already lost Orion, I sure as hell wasn’t going to lose the most important thing in my life right now, even if Death called for Paledon’s soul. Fuck you Death!

“Paledon…” I whispered in his lifeless ear. A part of me expected him to open his mouth to respond, but it never happened. “Come back to me. You’re all I have left in this cruel, cruel world.” I kissed him, enthusiastically, like it was our first kiss, without thinking. Pathernax and Kabril realized what was going on in that moment, I was sure of it.

I closed my eyes to savour the moment.

Without thinking it, I channeled some of my Light, both from me and my Ghost; an attenuated veil of Light surrounded me, empowering me to beyond realistic capabilities. As the past scribed itself in history, I became more passionate, causing more Light to channel through me and to Paledon. I drew power from the Void at some point, hoping the extra surge of vast dark matter would do the trick in reviving my lover.

My right hand pressed gently on his gash as a means to heal his wounds with the Light. Soon the Light encircled him whereupon his wounds were salted by our god and healed. His once ghostly, pale form subsided and slowly returned to the normal tan complexity he bore. As I drew back from his lips, his form started to move and at last there was life in him once more.

My heart sank into the deepest pit of the abyss, but only for a split second as everything was happening so rapidly.

Kabril and Pathernax gasped in shock as they saw Paledon move around. His Ghost was by his side, too. “Hunter? Pathernax? Kabril? What’s going on here?”

“Paledon! You’re alright!” I said, glomping him for the most intense hug ever.

“Of course I’m alright, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Why?” Pathernax and Kabril said simultaneously. “You were dead! Hunter just revived you.”

Paledon looked over at me, a smile formulating on his face. “You what?”

“Oh, it was no big deal, I mean, all I did was—”

Paledon planted a light kiss on my lips before I had the chance to finish speaking; and I felt myself shiver gently at the pleasant sensation, spreading my arms around him for a hug. “You saved my life. That’s not nothing to me. Hey now, don’t cry. Everything is fine.” Paldon wiped my tears away with a thumb.

“This is sweet and all,” Pathernax said, but I think we got bigger things to worry about now.”

“Why?” Kabril asked.

“My Ghost just notified me that Fallen reinforcements have arrived on site. And I mean a lot of Fallen. Paledon, are you up for a fight?”

“Of course he’s not. He was just resurrected from the—”

“The man can speak for himself,” Pathernax said in his smug voice.

Paledon had a countenance plastered to his face, one that I couldn’t quite understand. It was a mix of content and fear, the former for being with me (I presumed) and the latter for fighting. “I don’t know. There is still pain in my chest.”

“Then it’s settled,” I said. “He won’t fight.”

“But—”

“Besides, who said we have to fight them, Pathernax? We’re been out here for at least two and a half days. I think it’s time we retire and go back to the Tower. Too much has happened here. We need to report back.”

“But with an existential crisis like this, we can lose everything if we don’t attack from all angles. Especially with the Fallen. They’re cunning and devious.”

“Pathernax where is your head, brother?” I asked, my voice filled with annoyance. I walked up to him and gestured my hands around. “If you go out there, you’ll get yourself hurt and maybe even killed. We don’t know what we’re up against. I mean for the love of the Traveler, Paledon had a huge gash across this chest. What does that say? We’re dealing with something big. And bad. We still don’t know everything about SIVA and I doubt we will.”

“Actually,” Kabril intervened. “When Paledon and I were out, we found a few SIVA clusters you told me about. Maybe we can use them to our advantage.”

“Hunter found one too,” Pathernax said. “Something about the Clovis Bray Facility on Mars.”

“Maybe we should investigate there and see what they have logged about SIVA,’ Kabril said. “It’s out best option, Pathernax.”

“I agree,” Paledon said, standing on his two feet, then retrieving his helmet. “We’ve been out here for too long. We should go back and rest up before we head out. But in the end, it’s Hunter’s call.”

I already knew my answer from the start. “We go back. We can deal with this later. Right now I’m looking out for the best interests of everyone here. We’ll set a course to Mars first thing tomorrow evening. Let’s transmatt outta here.”

Before we knew it, we all disappeared from the face of the Earth’s surface, off to rest and calm the mind down before out next endeavour.