Chapter Text
The Young Wolf stood ramrod straight and her eyes were unfocused as she stared at the wooden casket before her with a stoic expression across her face.
Her arms were resting at her side and she could feel her fingers digging into her skin through her gloves from how hard she was clenching her fists but she didn't care.
She knew Mara would be concerned when her fiancée inevitably saw the marks but in the moment, the Guardian couldn't find a single ounce in her body that cared.
Not with her brother's body laid before her...
She briefly closed her eyes as the wind started to pick up from where the five of them were standing, her fireteam copying her actions as the breeze started to blow their hair around too.
She could feel her own chestnut curls, recently curled just that morning flow with the breeze around her and despite the situation, she couldn't help but revel in the slight sting of the cold mountain air against her face.
She opened her eyes once the wind calmed down, gently brushing the two strands of dark purple hair out of her eyes and situating them behind her ear as her eyes focused back onto the wooden casket before her.
Last night she had re-dyed her hair back to her natural brown but she still wanted to keep the purple for her fiancée so on either side of her head, her face was framed with a single strand of purple on both the left and right.
Mara had seemed to like it, saying how she had looked better with her brown hair, even if her eyes had flashed with an expression mixed with both smugness and possessiveness aimed directly at her.
Mara may love her brown hair, but the Queen also loved anything that marked the Titan as belonging to her.
Movement from the corner of her eye brought the Titan back to the present, as her fellow Titan, Echo walked up to stand before the casket that held his best friend, his brother.
His optics were shinning with sorrow as he gazed at the pale complexion of the man they all loved. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking barely above a whisper, his heavy coat flapping in the breeze as the wind started to pick up again, "Centuries ago, on this very peak we buried Naeem, may she rest in peace. On that day...Nolan, he came up to me and said that when he died, his only wish was to be buried right beside his wife and child." The exo said, making the four women in attendance close their eyes in pain.
The Young Wolf swallowed thickly but pushed the tears down, not at all wanting to cry today. For she had cried more than enough throughout the last week.
Her family was hurting, her siblings and just this once, she'd be their shoulder to lean on when they needed it and not the other way around.
She could break down when it was only her and Mara, alone...
The Titan, ignoring her own pain raised her hand up to Lillian's shoulder in a show of support, the warlock standing right beside her.
The awoken guardian sniffed and raised her own hand to cover the Young Wolf's, gently squeezing to let the other woman know she appreciated the gesture as they continued to listen to Nolan's eulogy.
"I didn't think he'd last this long." Echo said softly, "I didn't think he'd last another decade back then but, he pushed on...he did what all good guardians do, put others needs before his own."
"Ten years ago I thought he'd finally do it...I thought he'd take his own life. But...a few months later we met all of you, and that...that saved his life, gave him something new to fight for." Echo shakily exhaled a breath, taking a moment to collect himself before he finished his speech.
"He gave his life for humanity...so we could finish the fight, so we could protect the universe. But that wasn't the only reason...he sacrificed his life so his sister could live." He said, turning his gaze to look at the Young Wolf, making the woman press her lips into a thin line and choke back a sob that wanted to escape.
Not now....
"He knew it'd cost him his life...but he didn't care, he knew that together, we could stop the Witness and, we did...we did." He whispered.
Echo walked over to the casket and stared down at the pale complexion of his dead friend, his hands resting on his chest with the shards of Gisela resting within his palms.
The exo sighed and rested his hand atop Nolan's, "Rest easy brother, you've earned it...Say hello to Naeem for me." He said softly, taking one more glance over his best friends frame before moving away from the casket and giving his siblings room to say their own goodbyes.
The Young Wolf watched as one by one, Kate, Erin and Lillian all moved to say their final words to their brother, their black clothes accurately depicting all of their moods in the moment.
The Guardian though merely watched, as the minutes ticked on how her friends said goodbye, tears leaking from their eyes but her face remained stoic, unmovable, impassive.
She would not cry...
After they had all said their goodbyes, her siblings turned to her and all of them gave her a sad smile, "You're turn wolf." Erin said wetly, dapping at her cheeks to wipe away the tears but her eyes were bleeding with understanding as she gazed at the Young Wolf.
The Guardian though hesitated, pursing her lips and clenching her jaw as she gazed just beyond the casket, her silence speaking more words than she could ever formulate in the moment.
Lillian though, understanding her silent request laid her hand on her shoulder and squeezed, just like the Titan had done for her, "We'll be over there. Just...come get us when you're done." She whispered, trying to catch the Guardian's eyes but the young Titan continued to stare at the casket with a blank look behind her gaze.
Her four siblings looked at one another, silently conversing among themselves before slowly walking a couple yards away to let her have space to say goodbye, knowing that when she got like this there was very little that could get through to her.
She stood there for a full minute, counting as the seconds ticked on before finally, slowly, hesitantly she crept towards the open casket.
She laid eyes on Nolan for the first time since Echo hauled his body off the battlefield and she couldn't help how her heart broke at how pale he was, how lifeless his body was.
He was always ready to joke around with them, never silent and always moving around, whether it be bouncing his leg up and down or fidgeting with his fingers.
To see him so...lifeless...it was jarring.
The Young Wolf swallowed thickly, moving her shaking hand to rest on top of Nolan's cold, lifeless ones, "You're such an asshole." She whispered, her words tinged with heartbreak and sorrow as she gazed at the corpse of her brother.
"It should've been me." She continued on, making sure her siblings couldn't hear her for she knew they'd start to worry if they did, "I should've been paying attention but I slipped up...I slipped up and you had to pay for that mistake."
"I'm...I'm so sorry. So sorry..." She shook her head softly and closed her eyes, fighting the tears, "I'll spend the rest of my life trying to earn the chance you gave me."
"I love you Nolan, I won't ever forget what you did for me...I promise."
She opened her eyes and took a calming breath before stepping back away from the casket, showing her siblings that she was done.
Once they all walked back over, they all took one more glance at their friend before Echo slowly shut the lid, locking it in place before walking over to the front.
The Young Wolf then walked to the back of the box and together, they lifted the casket and gently placed it in the hole they dug right beside two other gravesites.
Once the box was in the ground, they stood back and gazed at their friend one last time before covering the hole with dirt again.
After they had buried Nolan, The Guardian focused her powers, magenta energy flowing from her hands and washing over the grave side as she made a gravestone out of pure marble with just a thought, keeping her eyes closed to focus on what she wanted etched into the marble.
After a few moments, it was done so sighing softly under her breath she then opened her eyes again to see her work firsthand.
Nolan
Warlord: Guardian
Loving Husband and Brother
Died protecting the ones he loved
...Per audacia ad astra
A Gravestone, etched to perfection standing tall and proud beside Nadeem's and their unborn child's grave.
The Titan hoped he found peace, hoped that he got to see them, one last time.
It's the least he deserved.
The five remaining members of Fireteam Godsbane stood there, atop the snowy peak in heavy winter gear, braving the harsh cold, not wanting to leave the gravesite.
If they left...it'd be real...Nolan would finally be gone.
Eventually though, the cold got to most of them, even Echo could feel his inner machinery start to freeze up from the climate.
Erin and Kate were the first ones to leave, after them it was Echo but Lillian and the Guardian stayed there, standing and staring at their brother's grave.
The Young Wolf assumed Lillian only stayed because she was staying, for the Titan could see how the Warlock was slightly shivering due to the cold, arms crossed over her chest and teeth chattering.
But the young woman didn't feel any of that, all she felt was a numbness taking over her body, much like it had all those months ago when Amanda had passed.
Much like the five years after Cayde's death, his first death when all she could feel when thinking about her former mentor was the pain of losing him.
At this point, she was used to the cold...
"You don't have to stay." The Guardian murmured under her breath, just loud enough for Lillian to hear her over the roar of the wind.
The warlock glanced at her from the corner of her eye before turning her gaze back to Nolan's grave, "I'm fine." She shrugged, but the Titan could hear the emotion in her tone, could hear the unspoken reason as to why she was staying.
She could hear how worried Lillian was, for her...
She didn't say anything, not needing to but the Titan did lean closer to the warlock, making the awoken guardian smile and lean towards her as well, their arms brushing as they stood in the cold in silence.
It must've been another half an hour before the Titan finally sighed, "I should probably get going. Ikora wanted to see me after the...funeral." She whispered, making Lillian turn to smile sadly at her.
"If you ever need anything, you know where to find me." She said, leaning down to press her forehead against her sister's.
The Young Wolf couldn't help but smile at the gesture and lean her head against the warlock's in retaliation, "I know...Thank you." She whispered, thanking her for much more than just offering her whatever she needed.
For Lillian didn't have to stay.
But she did...
Lillian smiled, "No problem, what are best friends for?" She asked rhetorically, making the Titan snort under her breath in amusement.
"Still...Thank you." She murmured before pulling away from her sister and smiling sadly up at her, "You're heading down to the Tavern, right?"
Lillian nodded, "Yeah, when I'm not out in the field with you I'll be there helping Echo run the place."
"Good. He shouldn't be alone today." The Titan said somberly, making the warlock purse her lips.
"Yeah, call me if you need anything today alright? I'm serious." She said, making the Young Wolf nod her head.
"I will, promise."
Lillian nodded her head, "Alright, give Mara my thanks for yesterday as well. For inviting us to dinner. It...it meant a lot to us." She admitted.
The Guardian smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "Of course. You're family, and once Mara and I get married you'll be apart of her family too. She was just trying to get us all together after...well, you know." She said, gesturing to the grave a few feet from them.
"Still, I know the others appreciated it too." She said, laying her hand on the Titan's bicep and squeezing her arm gently before moving away again, "I'll see you later Wolf."
The Guardian smiled sadly, "See yah Lils."
As soon as Lillian had transmatted away, the Young Wolf sighed under her breath and stood there atop the snowy mountaintop for another minute, hair blowing in the breeze and staring at her brothers grave before she too turned away and transmatted back to her ship.
Not once looking back.
Once she was in the cockpit of her ship, it only took her a few minutes to reach the tower hanger. When she pulled her ship in, she watched as the guardians mingling around the hanger started to cheer for her, making her purse her lips.
She hated this attention...
Especially on a day like today.
Landing in her usual spot beside Saint, she turned off the engines and disembarked from her ship. The moment she stepped off the ramp, guardians and civilian workers alike started to cheer for her but the moment they laid eyes on her, the moment they saw her blank stare and pursed lips, an expressionless mask over her face they stopped and glanced at each other in concern.
Some of them even started to back away from her.
But she didn't care at the moment, not with the mood she was in.
And definitely not after her brother's funeral.
The sea of people parted for her as she made her way through the tower, guardians skirting out of her way, Eliksni flinching away from her and even cabal stationed around the tower looked wary at her stormy expression. The Awoken Corsairs were the only ones who didn't react, but she couldn't really see their faces to begin with.
But if you added in the fact she was dressed in all black, yeah...she didn't look all that approachable.
She was glad that school didn't get out for another couple hours, for she didn't need Isabella to see her like this when she picked her up.
By the time she finally made it down to the Bazzar, word had spread around that the Young Wolf was there and looked pissed, so the only person there waiting for her was Ikora, Hawthorne no doubt down in the city with Devrim and Marc at this time of day.
"Guardian." Ikora greeted her when she arrived at the Warlock's gazebo-like section of the tower, making the Titan's eyes drop their coldness and instead take on a more friendly hue.
"Morning Ikora." She said softly, lingering sadness in her tone but the older woman didn't seem to care as she smiled sadly at her with a knowing glint to her eyes while taking in her funeral attire. "You wanted to see me?"
The Warlock nodded her head and clasped her hands behind her back, "I just wanted to check up on you and Ghost. Wondering if you noticed any...side effects from what happened in the Pale Heart after the Battle with the Witness." She said, making the Young Wolf tilt her head in confusion.
"Not really." She said, trying to ignore the pang that went through her heart at the reminder of what happened with Ghost, "If anything it's been MY new powers that have had effects on HIM." The Titan admitted, "Both Light and Darkness are resonating from his core. It has my signature on it as well so I think my powers have been bleeding into him."
Ikora furrowed her brows, "Is anything wrong? Any effects that we should be worried about?"
The Young Wolf shook her head, "No, he's fine. Like I said, it's not affecting him." She said firmly, an edge to her voice that Ikora definitely took note of.
She gazed at the Titan sympathetically, eyes shinning with understanding, "I get it." She said gently, wisely deciding to change the subject before she upset the Guardian even further, "How's your army doing over on Neptune? You and Caiatl went over and got rid of a few Shadow Legion commanders who were causing trouble right?"
The Young Wolf nodded, relieved for the change in subject, "Yup, everything's good now. The Taken, Scorn and Dread are as obedient as ever. The remaining Shadow legion are just looking for someone to keep them afloat, keep them at the top and, right now that someone is me. I have the Dread keeping a close eye on them incase any of the remaining commanders feel like rebelling. House Salvation...fled Neptune as soon as they arrived on their Ketches. Which is fine, it's just...I hope they don't start causing trouble, or worse...join back up with Eramis."
"With our luck, that's exactly what's going to happen." Ikora sighed before she moved on, gazing at the woman with a knowing glint in her irises as she spoke up, "My hidden also inform me that on the side of the planet your army is stationed at, the entire planet has gone dark. No communication, no satellite imaging...it's like someone intentionally blocked that entire side of the planet from any prying eyes...Which would take a huge amount of power, one might say a godly amount...You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" The Warlock Vanguard asked with a raised brow, making the Titan smile innocently at the woman.
"No, not at all."
Ikora scoffed, "Really?" She deadpanned, "What about the increase in raw materials from the city? Special nanotechnology, the same technology that was used in that Strand sidearm of yours. Or what about all the Diamonds being shipped from the beaches? Diamonds, a material that can only be broken by diamonds itself. And if my Hidden are to be believed, there's much more than two Pyramid ships over on that side of Neptune. But from what they caught mere glimpses of, they seemed to be half destroyed."
The Young Wolf, knowing that there was nothing she could do to convince the Warlock otherwise or try to convince her she didn't know what was happening sighed under her breath before explaining, "I'm working on a project that will help me house the sudden influx of warriors I now have control over. Neptune, having the best resources for what I'm looking to make was the obvious choice of where to start the project. Nimbus agreed to help and...it's still very much in development but, in a few months we're looking to hopefully get it done." She said, making Ikora tilt her head.
"And, what is this project of yours? Anything I can help you with?"
"Sorry, probably not." The Young Wolf shook her head, "Nimbus has it taken care of. Plus, I wanted it to be a surprise." She said pointedly, making the older woman raise her hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for ruining the surprise." She said in amusement, softly shaking her head.
"Is...is there anything that needs to be done today. You know like...out in the field?" The Titan asked hesitantly after a moment of silence, not looking the woman in her eyes.
She needed something to keep her focus for the next few hours until she picked up Bella from school.
She wanted to forget about the funeral, and what better way than to go out and punch the lights out of their enemies?
Ikora gazed at her knowingly, a hint of sadness and concern in her eyes as she responded back, emotions that the Titan decided to ignore, "I'm sorry Guardian, there isn't. We're very much in the information gathering stage as of right now. Crow, his hunters and the Praxis Order are out there scouting, along with my Hidden. They're trying to track down those three objects that escaped the Traveler. Preferably before our enemies do." She said, "If I had something for you to do, you know I'd tell you."
The Young Wolf deflated but nodded her head all the same, "Yeah, let me know if that changes." She said softly, making Ikora nod her head.
"Will do, take care Guardian." She said as the Titan turned around and began to walk back to her ship, not noticing the worried glance that the Warlock sent her way, frowning at the young woman’s retreating form.
Ikora, all the while secretly wondering if it was too early to make a call to the Dreaming City for Mara to make a surprise visit today…
She didn’t like the emptiness in the Guardian’s eyes, not one bit.
On her way back to the ship, stalking past vendors and brushing through crowds of people along the way the Young Wolf tried to ignore the ever growing numbness that began to encompass her entire being but she was powerless to stop it, powerless as her emotions got the better of her, again.
Being reminded of what almost happened to Ghost, on the day of her brother's funeral made the coldness inside her body seep all the more deeper into her heart.
Going out in the field would've for sure helped her forget, but now she couldn't even do that...
She had to escape for a few hours, she had to get away from it all...
"Where are we going?" Ghost asked her through their bond gently, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
The Titan clicked her tongue as she transmatted into her ship before shedding her clothes and dressing in her armor.
There was only one place to go...
Where it had all began.
"Set course for the Cosmodrome."
Meanwhile over in Russia, deep within the old Cosmodrome a lone ghost was hovering above a rusted old machine, but something stuck underneath the machine caught her eye.
"Come on. Come on. Come on." She whispered under her breath as she floated closer to the skeleton. As she got closer though, she could feel her light call out to the remains, could feel her light sing in absolute joy as she started to scan the dust and bones underneath the machine.
"Yes! Finally." She exclaimed, calling upon all her light and channeling it into the skeleton before her.
There was a flash of white...and then, a gasp of air.
Calliope's eyes snapped open and her hand came up to her chest as she tried to get air into her lungs, disoriented from waking up...well, she didn't really know where (where the hell was she?!)
The woman was shorter than average, coming up at around five foot but her build was that of a runner, firm muscles pushing against the body-suit she now wore and lean legs showing off her athletic build.
Her black hair was curled, going down to just below her shoulders and her emerald green eyes shone with confusion as she took in her surroundings around her, complexion a little more pale than her usually tanned skin.
Her eyes then caught sight of the small white little drone thing hovering before her, "W-what are you? Where am I? How'd I get here?" She said quickly, but even then the ghost could tell the woman before her was still quite...excitable with the way her eyes were bouncing off every surface in the rusted down room in fascination, making said ghost shake her shell in amusement.
"Hello, my name is Nemesis, I'm a Ghost." She said before shaking her shell, "Well I'm your Ghost now. But I can explain all of that later, right now we've gotta get you to the Last City. Sadly there are still some Zealots of the Witness on the loose. They've been patrolling the area for a few days ever since the end of the war so, we need to find a way to get you in the air and out of here, quickly." She rambled on before suddenly brightening up, "Oh! I almost forgot, what's your name? Do you have one? Something that...feels right?" Nemesis asked hopefully, making the newly reborn Titan look back over at her...Ghost with a titled head.
"Calliope." She said after a moment of thought, "That's my name." Calliope whispered, knowing it in her gut that was her name. She didn't know how, but it felt right in the moment.
And...she kind of liked it herself.
"What an excellent name!" Nemesis exclaimed, and Calliope could've sworn she could feel amusement and happiness radiate from the small drone but, that wasn't possible was it? "But like I said, we've gotta get going so how about we get the hell outta dodge now yeah?" She said, floating closer to Calliope before transmatting into her pack, making the Titan jump in fright as her new buddy disappeared before her.
Before she could panic though, she felt a voice echo throughout her head, "Don't worry, still here. I'm just in your pack. We've gotta move though, the patrol won't be gone forever and I hate to say it, we're in the kill zone. Let's move. Due north for now, hopefully we can find an old weapon incase we run into trouble."
Calliope, not seeing any other way followed Nemesis's instructions and started to head north after grabbing the helmet on the ground next to her and placing it on her head, following the pinged mini-map on her HUD (how did she know what a HUD was?) as soon as it appeared.
While walking through the broken buildings though, she asked her Ghost questions that she still had, "What do you mean by, Zealots of the Witness? Who's the Witness? You also said the war had ended, what war? Why are they patrolling here? And...where is here?"
Nemesis sighed under her breath, "This is gonna take awhile." She whispered to herself before speaking up and answering the Titan's questions, "To understand all of that, you're first going to need to know other things. Like how you my friend, are what we call a Guardian."
"A guardian?"
"Yes, a Guardian. Every Ghost has one, we're both linked together. Centuries ago, a paracausal being known as the Traveler entered the Sol System, where humanity lived. It brought forth a Golden age with its power, known as the Light. But, it had enemies. The one who had been hunting it for millions of years, known as the Witness followed it to Earth, which is where we are...humanity's home world."
"When the Witness arrived it decimated the Sol System, left humanity on the brink of extinction but the Traveler, with its last breath made us, Ghosts. Conduits of the Traveler's light to bestow said power upon those worthy to wield it. Humanity may have lost that day, but the Traveler ensured they'd live on through us. The Witness was pushed to the far reaches of the universe, waiting for its enemy's return while the Traveler remained dormant for many years."
"We called it the collapse, and it was only thanks to the actions of the first lightbearers did normal humans live to tell the tale."
"Now you may be wondering what a Ghost and a Guardian are." Nemesis asked, drawing a small nod form Calliope, "Thought so. Basically Ghosts were tasked by the Traveler to bring back human's who have died to wield its power, but we can't just bring back anyone. Some of us spend...centuries searching for our counterpart." Nemesis said softly, a somber note entering her voice, no doubt thinking of her own experience.
"And...when we do find them, find our Guardian...they are brought back with no memory of who they once were. Some of them, if they're lucky wake up with a name but...that's it."
"Like me." Calliope whispered, making Nemesis hum.
"Yeah. Moving on though, there are three different classes of Guardian. Warlock, Hunter and Titan. You're a Titan."
"What's the difference between them?"
"Well each class can manipulate the power of the light differently, Light that you can wield through me, your connection with the Traveler. There are three different...should I say, fragments of the light that you can manipulate, elements one might call them. There's what we call the Void, Solar and Arc energy and each class can harness that in their own way."
"There are also certain behavioral traits that are associated with each class. Warlocks are usually considered more...book smart than the others. They think of plans and tend to over prepare. Hunters are the ones who don't like to be tied down. They're wild, carefree and don't really play well with others, most of them anyways."
"Then, there's the Titan. Headstrong, stubborn warriors who will stop at nothing to defend their people, their home. Don't get this confused, every guardian has that same need but Titans...well they go above and beyond to ensure that happens." Nemesis said reverently and if Calliope could see her, she'd bet that there would be stars shinning in her glowing optic.
There was a story there, and the newly risen Guardian definitely wanted to hear about it, perhaps later though when she knew more.
"They tend to jump head first into a situation without a plan and if all else fails, well they have their fists as a back up weapon if need be."
Calliope hummed, taking note of her ghost's words and committing them to memory before speaking up, "So...this Witness? You said there are Zealots roaming around? Where is here? And what War ended?"
"The gist? Basically last week the entire Coalition, made up of Humans, Awoken, Eliksni and Cabal followed the Witness into the portal that it had carved into the side of the Traveler and took the fight to it."
"Portal?"
"I'll explain later." Nemesis said, "All of our leaders went after the being responsible for taking down humanity and thanks to The Young Wolf, we won. Humanity was finally free from the Witness's tyranny. The Godslayer as people call her, she killed the Witness and claimed it's power, and if the rumors are true they now call her the Goddess of Balance. She's like, the strongest Guardian who has ever lived and she's been protecting the city and it's people for the last decade. It's...thanks to her that all of us get to live our lives now."
"Wow." Calliope murmured softly under her breath, "She sounds amazing. She killed this...Witness?"
Nemesis hummed in affirmation, "Yes she did, with the help of the Coalition and her fireteam, she used her light and unmade the Witness and saved the Sol System...to be honest, she saved the entire Universe from ending."
"That's so cool." Calliope shook her head, "Is it normal for there to be just...Gods everywhere? I mean, a human as the Goddess of Balance? That's, great and all but, weird at the same time!"
"You get used to it after awhile." Nemesis replied back, "But to answer your last question about where we are...well, we're on earth, humanity's homeworld. To be exact we're in Old Russia in the Cosmodrome. Well, what's left of it. The Witness did a number on it centuries ago during the collapse. Now...the place is just scattered with ruins of what the world used to look like."
Calliope frowned, "It's a shame." She said, looking around the broken building she found herself in. Metal all rusted and ceiling half collapsed, "I bet this place was beautiful back then." She said but as soon as she was done speaking, there was a giant crash that came from the adjacent room from where she was in, making her whip her head over in the direction the noise came from.
"What was that?" Calliope asked, a small bit of anxiety in her tone as she instinctively got down into a defensive position.
"I don't know." Nemesis responded back, "The tracker isn't picking up any hostiles in the area." She said, making the Titan purse her lips.
"Should we...check it out?"
"I don't see why not!"
Hesitantly, Calliope made her way over to the back room and tried to open the old rusted door but it was locked so, using all her strength she bashed her shoulder against the door and it instantly gave way at her strength, making the woman stumble into the room and almost fall flat in her face.
She shook her head and looked back up and what she saw made her tilt her head in confusion.
In the middle of the room there was a giant pile of what appeared to be armor of all shapes and sizes with another smaller pile of weapons beside it.
But that wasn't the weird part of what was before her, the weird part was the five other guardian's standing around the room and dressing themselves with the armor, all of their ghosts hovering above their shoulders.
As soon as she crashed into the room and landed on her hands and knees, they all whipped their heads around to stare at her.
"Uhh...hi?" She said hesitantly, a shy smile across her face under her helmet, "My n-name is Calliope, who are all you?"
The Young Wolf gazed at the rusted car, an unreadable expression across her face as she stared at the place she had awoken for the first time almost ten years ago.
She couldn't believe it's only been ten years.
It felt a lot longer than that, if she was being honest.
The woman was standing before her first resting place, the breeze blowing Cayde's cloak back and forth and her fists were clenched at her sides.
Her helmet was off her face but she had the hood up, covering her face as her mind ran a mile a minute.
She still remembered that day with perfect clarity. The confusion of waking up, the feeling of trepidation when she took her first breath but...there was something she never told anyone, not even Ghost about that day.
She remembered Light...before she had been pulled back to life, she remembered being at peace.
And then, she had been pulled away from that, much like Cayde had mentioned happened to him.
That's one of the reasons why she had been so understanding of Cayde's situation. Because when she had first been brought back to life, she had secretly felt the same.
Why had the Traveler brought her back? She was happy wherever she had been, why did it have to pull her away from that to fight in a war that she didn't even know existed until she was revived?
Back then, it hadn't seemed fair to her.
It was only after she had killed Oryx that she had understood. Understood the severity of the situation humanity was truly in.
These enemies of the Traveler wouldn't stop coming, they'd continue on, trying to take what belonged to humanity, they'd keep trying to destroy her people unless she did something about it.
After Oryx had died, she had committed fully to the life of a Guardian, she had embraced every aspect of her new life and knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would protect her people for years to come, and she wouldn't stop until there was no longer oxygen in her lungs, or blood pumping through her veins.
She had pushed everything down that wasn't necessary and she had been okay with it for years, slowly pulling away from her friends and family without even knowing it.
But now...now that she's opened up, that she, with the help from Mara has mellowed out her more destructive tendencies, now that she's lost her mentor again along with her brother...
Well, all her old regrets just came bubbling up to the surface.
They had lots of time together, but they could've had more if she hadn't been so hell bent on pushing everyone away...
"You good?" Ghost asked through their bond, causing the Young Wolf to sigh under her breath.
"Yeah, just...thinking."
"About?..."
"Everything." She replied evasively, still staring off into the distance, eyes not once leaving the water rippling across the shoreline even as Ghost tried to dig deeper into her thoughts to see if he could find anything.
"I'm surprised your brain isn't overheating then, for I was convinced the only thing you think about is punching the daylight out of your enemies...well, and kissing Mara, I guess." He joked, making the Guardian's lips twitch up in amusement and drawing a small huff from the Titan.
"Yeah." She replied softly, taking a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking up barely above a whisper, voice filled with hesitation, "Ten years of constant conflict...fighting the same war to push back the Witness but now that they're dead...I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself." She admitted, finally airing out her biggest concern.
For her entire life has been about fighting back humanity's enemies, but now that the Witness is gone, and she has control over its armies...
Where did that leave her?
"What do you mean?"
"Don't get me wrong, I love Mara and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. But...my job has been to protect my people from the Witness, I was chosen by the Traveler...the Gardener to push back the Final Shape…and, I guess by extension the Winnower as well and now that I've done it...now that my Destiny has been fulfilled...I'm just kind of..."
"Lost." Ghost finished for her, tone somber in nature making the Titan sigh.
"Am I just to...continue doing what I've been doing for the past ten years? Continue fighting until one day I don't make it back to my family? There's...there's gotta be something else out there, something else for me to focus on, right?" She whispered.
"If I was Chosen to destroy the Witness and stop the Final shape...then...what am I? Who am I without the Witness?"
"You're the Young Wolf." Ghost said firmly after a moment of silence, "The Hero of the Tower, Slayer of Gods, Protector of Sol and Guardian to all. You have such a big heart and you use that everyday of your life to help people no matter the personal toll it takes on you."
"Fiancée to Mara Sov, mother to Isabella, sister to your fireteam, protégée of Osiris and Mentor of Crow, the Hunter Vanguard."
"You Guardian, are so much more than your ability to fight. We all see that, each and everyone of your friends and family."
"It's about time you see it too." Ghost said softly, his words drawing a small smile from the Guardian's lips.
"...I am pretty great, aren't I?" She joked weakly, hoping that her partner didn't detect the small tremor in her tone as she spoke.
"The best." He replied back truthfully, and even though she couldn't see him, she could hear the smile in his tone. "We'll figure out what comes next, together. And I'm sure Mara will have something to add on, seeing as how you'll be marrying her in the near future and both of your futures are now kind of intertwined." Ghost mentioned, making the Young Wolf's smile turn more genuine at the mention of her fiancée.
Her future wife...
God, she was so looking forward to the day she could actually marry Mara and become Mrs Sov.
Just thinking about it makes her heart flutter.
"Yeah. It's a shame she's busy all day." The Titan sighed under her breath and shook her head, "Although I'm glad I'm not there. I don't think I'd be able to play nice with the Awoken Council today." She said.
"Well it's a good thing she's the Queen of the Awoken and you're the Queen of the Deep then." He said, making the Titan groan in exasperation.
"Please stop calling me that!"
"Oh, would you rather I call you the Taken Queen? Or how about the Goddess of Balance? Or, better yet The Transcendent Goddess of Sol. That's a keeper right there."
"I hate you, so much." The Young Wolf deadpanned.
Before Ghost could respond though, the sudden sound of gunfire off in the distance made the Titan turn in the direction of where it was coming from while Ghost quieted down.
"What was that?" The Guardian asked, all traces of amusement now gone form her face and instead she was all business with one of her hands resting on the hilt of her sword along her hip, Ergo Sum resting comfortably in its sheath.
Ghost hummed, "I don't know. We're too far away for me to get any accurate read on what's happening. We'd need to get closer for me to see what the source is."
The Guardian nodded her head, "Sounds like a plan, someone could be in trouble." She said before quickly transmatting her helmet on her head and grabbing her Sword as she started to make her way towards the sound of fighting.
It only took her a few minutes of sprinting, but as soon as she turned the corner and entered the Steppes, her grip around her sword tightened.
There was hoards of Dread roaming around and fighting a small pack of Guardians, six of them who she didn't recognize at all but she definitely could make out a seventh guardian, Shaw Han picking off the Grim from a distance.
But If the Young Wolf was being honest, the six New Lights were the ones who had her complete attention.
The way they moved, the way they fought almost instinctively reminded her when she had first crawled out of her grave, taking down Fallen left and right trying to reach the last City.
She could tell they were new Lights based off their sloppy handling of their light but the way they all moved...how one female Titan twisted on a dime when she heard a Weaver sneak up on her, how the lone female hunter flipped out of the way of an incoming tormentor and dodged its Scythe slam.
To how the warlocks were fighting back to back, guns raised and not letting anything get near them, they were all natural fighters.
Just like she had been first out of the grave...
She was broken out of her stupor when she saw a pack of three Tormentor Commanders land on the field, making the Titan narrow her eyes from underneath her helmet.
Calling upon her power, she jumped up into the air and summoned her Void axes and threw all three of them into the pile of Zealots, watching in satisfaction as they all exploded in a cacophony of volatile energy.
She then without breaking stride ran straight towards the pack of Grim that was closest to her.
At this point, everyone on the battlefield took notice of her presence and from her view she saw Shaw give her a thumbs up before he continued giving cover fire for the New Lights who were still in the thralls of battle.
The Grim tried to suppress her but she was too quick for them to land a hit on her. She raised her Ergo Sum and started to slash and cut through their forces, channeling the Arc energy embedded into the blade and letting it form a protective barrier of lightning around her, zapping and frying anything within a few feet of her.
She then turned her attention to the Weavers and Attendants running up on her. She quickly dispelled the Arc energy and instead pulled power from the Void.
With a single slash of her sword, the group of Zealots exploded as Void powered Wolfpack rounds summoned on top of them from her single attack.
At this point, the New Lights were hanging back and watching all of this with open shock and admiration, wondering who exactly was this mystery woman and how they could get their hands on her cool weaponry.
Meanwhile, their Ghosts were all too shocked by the presence of the Godslayer to speak up...
As soon as the last Weaver's body hit the ground, The Young Wolf turned her attention to the three Tormentors who were glaring daggers at her.
"Kik'thid'va'na'tsi'vo!" The Tormentor in the middle of the group shouted, summoning its void whirlwind attack and hurling each valet towards her.
The Young Wolf merely scoffed and raised her Ergo Sum, blocking her body with the weapon gifted to her by the Traveler.
As soon as the first wave of Void energy struck the sword, the blade absorbed it into itself and the Titan remained standing still as her sword continued to repel the attack.
The three tormentors stared at her and even though they didn't have normal faces with expressions, the Young Wolf could feel their trepidation, their subtle fear roll off of them in waves, causing her to smirk under her helmet.
"O'kū'va'kad." She growled, stabbing the point of her sword into the soil beneath her, "Ken'o'ka'yi'lin!"
The Tormentors glanced at one another but the Titan knew instantly what they were going to do just by their stance alone.
Sure enough, a moment later all three of the dread units started to charge right at her.
The Titan narrowed her eyes but held her ground. Her grip around the handle of her sword tightened but she waited...
She could hear all the shouts directed at her to move but she ignored them and instead focused on her power.
Specifically, she channeled her Solar light into the sword, igniting the blade on fire but she didn't make her move yet. She waited until the tormentors were only a few yards away before she raised her flaming Ergo Sum up over her head and slammed the blade into the ground.
Much to everyone's shock, a giant wave of pure solar flames burst from the blade as soon as it hit the ground, cutting through the air and heading right for the three Tormentors like a giant tsunami.
They were instantly engulfed in flames, the fire burning away at their weak spots atop their shoulders until they dropped to the ground and they were nothing but ash blowing in the wind.
Silence reined across the battlefield as the Young Wolf grabbed her sword and sheathed it back across her hip. She couldn't see due to their helmets, but all the New Lights were staring at her with stars in their eyes while the remaining of the Witness's Zealots fled the scene all together, not wanting to risk the wrath of the Transcendent Goddess.
The Guardian sighed under her breath as she turned around to face the others around her but before she could go over and talk with the six New Lights, Shaw came walking up to her with a relieved smile, "Thanks for the help Wolf. If I knew you were around I would've called for you to help." He said, making the Young Wolf smile warmly at the man from under her helmet.
"It's no problem, I was in the area anyways, heard all the fighting and wanted to check it out. How's been ferrying the New Lights? They treating you right or are they still picking on you?" She joked, making Shaw laugh.
"Ah well, you know the routine. I still receive some slack, especially from other Hunter's but this group of New Lights is surprisingly competent and...all things considered they're pretty nice." He said but the Titan could see something hesitant cross his features making her frown.
"What's wrong?" She asked, making the man sigh.
"You see their armor?" He asked and only continued on when she nodded her head, "Well some of it is stuff Guardian's fresh outta the grave shouldn't have access to. Apparently, from what they said they came across a barricaded room with a bunch of Armor and Weapons stashed inside...but, well there was multiple types of armor, from Hunters, Titans and Warlocks." He admitted softly, making the Young Wolf tense at what he was insinuating.
"Someone's been killing Guardians." The young Titan whispered under her breath, "Collecting their gear and stashing it here." She said, making Shaw nod his head.
"That's what I thought as well." He said, "I didn't want to concern the New Lights so I kept it to myself but...if you could inform the Vanguard, I'd really appreciate the help finding this killer. If there's a rogue guardian around here...well I don't have to tell you the Cosmodrome is where most New Lights originate from. If this killer isn't found soon, I fear they'll strike again."
The Young Wolf nodded her head seriously, "I understand. I heard Ikora talk about missing guardians but we all just assumed it was the Witness and it's forces responsible for the disappearances. I'll be sure to tell her right away. Can you give me the coordinates of that room full of gear?" She asked, making the man nod his head.
"Of course, I'll have my ghost send it to yours right away." He said, raising his hand to rest on her shoulder, "In the meantime, I think you have some new fans wanting to meet you." He teased, making the woman groan under her breath.
She turned her head slightly to look at the group of six guardians who were silently conversing among themselves but she could tell they were all glancing at her every now and again.
A small part of her though was still intrigued about how the six of them fought.
They really did remind her of herself at that age, when she was fresh out of the grave...
She saw something in all of them, something that was rare among New Lights these days.
She saw that same drive, that same need for battle, the thrill of the fight resonating from them all.
Just like her...
"Hey, I'll catch you later alright?" The Young Wolf said, turning back around to look at Shaw, "I'll make sure to inform the Vanguard about this killer roaming around."
Shaw nodded his head in thanks, "I appreciate that Guardian. Take care, I've gotta get back to my post." He said, waving his hand at her before walking away back to his station not far away.
The Titan, once he was gone took a moment to collect her thoughts before walking over to the group of New Lights. As soon as they realized she was walking closer to them, all conversation stopped and instead all eyes were now on her.
As she came to stop a few feet away from group, her gaze bounced between all of them for a moment before she spoke up, "You all good?" She asked, slight concern coating her voice, hoping that none of them got hurt by the Witness Zealots before she had the chance to intervene.
One of the female Titans shook her head rapidly, "No! Wait—Yes! Yes! We're uh, we're all good! Really good. Soo good, actually!" She rambled and by how the woman instantly tensed up, the Young Wolf could tell she winced and there was no doubt now an embarrassed blush spreading across her cheeks.
Despite herself, the Guardian couldn't help but smile in amusement at the New Lights behavior, "I'm glad. Going against the Dread...not a fun first fight for you all. You're all lucky I was around. Those Tormentors wouldn't have let any of you leave here alive." She said seriously, making the group sober up.
"Well, it's a good thing you were here then." One of the male Warlocks said.
The other female Titan, the one standing next to her fellow Titan spoke up next, her voice mixed with both shyness and admiration for her that made the Young Wolf think of her daughter, "W-who, uh...who are you exactly?" She asked quietly.
The Guardian smiled softly at the young Titan, not that she could see it though, "You can call me Wolf. I've been a Guardian for a decade so, still fairly new to the scene compared to my friends who have been alive for hundreds, but I've seen my share of war to know the ropes." She said, gesturing her head at the six of them, "What's all your names? If you have them, that is."
The first Titan who spoke decided to speak, "My name is Calliope! And this is my ghost, Nemesis!" She said, outstretching her palm for her ghost to appear.
A ghost who was staring at the Young Wolf reverently, making the woman snort under her breath.
It seemed their ghosts knew who she was, but they didn't.
Let's see how long that lasted...
The second Titan went next, "I'm Evelyn and this here is Rose." She said, mentioning her Ghost as well, causing the other Ghosts to pop into their partners hands.
It was then both the Hunters turn, "Ophelia, and this is Belladonna." Said the young woman, a wide smile across her face from under her helmet.
"Vector-2. This here is Loki."
Last but not least were the Warlocks, "Names Thorn and this here is Apollo."
"Deacon-11. 'Ma Ghost's name is Galileo." He said, making the Young Wolf smile and nod her head.
"It's nice to meet you all. It seems you've all made a pretty well rounded team here, which is usually every New Light's trouble, finding a place they belong. It's good to know none of you will experience that." She said.
Calliope shook her head though, "No we, well we're not a team! We just met and, you know...ran into those, dread on accident."
The Guardian raised an unamused eyebrow, "Really?" She deadpanned, "The way you all fought side by side could've fooled me." She replied wryly, making all six of them glance at each other in slight embarrassment at being called out.
Before they could speak up, the Young Wolf continued on, her voice taking on a more somber tone of voice, "Don't try and fight it. You've all been forced together by circumstance but it doesn't have to stay that way. A lot of New Lights...hell, a lot of guardians never find a true family in their team. But...take it from me, if you all are willing to give it a shot...it's well worth it." She said softly, her mind going back to Nolan, her brother.
God she missed him...
Before the group of New Lights could respond to that, the Young Wolf moved on, "So I'm guessing none of you have a way to the Last City, right?" She asked, getting small nods in agreement from them all.
"Thought so. My ship is big enough to ferry you all there though, let me just call it around and we can get you all home." She said, doing exactly that.
While they were waiting, the group couldn't help but ask her some questions. Evelyn taking the chance and speaking up first, "How did y-you beat all of the, d-dread? We were barely holding our own against them until you showed u-up."
"Yeah! It was awesome!" Calliope exclaimed, "That sword is the best thing I've ever laid eyes on! Do you think I could get one? How do you get one?"
The Young Wolf smirked and rested her hand on the ghost statue on the edge of her sword before responding, "Sorry, it's one of a kind. No one but me has one and if I can help it, that's how it's going to stay." She said, making them all groan.
"Oh come on!" Ophelia whined, "That sword is so cool! It seems unfair to just, keep it to yourself!" She pouted.
"To you it seems unfair, but the Vanguard agrees with me. Some Weaponsmith wanted to recreate the blade once we got back. It wouldn't be exactly like mine because like I said, it's one of a kind but the Vanguard shut them down, not even wanting a replica of this sword out there in the world." She said but before the others could respond, the sound of her ship overhead drew all of their attentions towards it.
"Come on you guys, let's get you home." She said, having Ghost transmat her into the cockpit. She waited until all six of them were inside in the cargo bay before she blasted off towards the City.
Not noticing that two pairs of eyes were watching her leave with their next targets...
"What do we do Bane?" The person who the first set of eyes belonged to said, a small sneer across his face, "They found our stash and the Vanguard will soon be onto us, not to mention the Godslayer."
"Be patient Dredgen Kell." The smooth silky voice of Bane, or Dredgen Bane replied back to his partner in crime, "We wait for Malice to return, she will know the next course of action. For now let's lay low and get off Earth for the time being, we don't need anyone sniffling around our business any longer." He said.
"And when she gets back from the other side of the Portal? What then?"
Bane smirked, "Then we enact our revenge."
Back on the Young Wolf's ship, the Titan was leaning back and enjoying the quick trip back to the city but before they had even left Old Russia her comms crackled to life and Ikora's voice echoed across the cockpit.
"Guardian something has come up. There's been a disturbance on Nessus and we don't know what to expect. With the Witness dead, everyone is scrambling so whatever is happening on Nessus, we need our best there. You won't be alone though, Saint and Osiris have requested to be attached to your fireteam for the investigation. The Vex have taken notice and are moving. An old friend of yours just made contact, looking for help. Looking for you." The warlock vanguard said and a moment later, the voice of one of her oldest friends called out to her.
"Captain! I told you I'd watch the Vex...and they are way out of line. You should come and kill them. Like old times. Visit soon!" Failsafe said, making the Young Wolf snort in amusement.
Ikora spoke up again after the message was done playing, "You depart with Saint and Osiris in ten minutes. See you soon."
The Titan glanced at Ghost after the cockpit was bathed in silence again and shrugged, "Let's get these New Lights back to the Tower before joining Osiris and Saint."
"Couldn't have said it better myself. Metal to the petal Guardian! Let's go kill some Vex!"
The Titan smirked, "My specialty."