Brand new story! For those of you who have read Start of Something Beautiful, I am a little sad to say that it has been reverted back to as Oneshot. In its place comes this story so I hope that this goes somewhere far. That's it for me so go for it and of course...

Enjoy!

" In that last moment she seemed as wholly luminescent as the Sun, and I wished to be so brave." ~ Item Description, Heart of Praxic Fire

Act I: Spark

Chapter 1: A Guardian's Sacrifice

The ground comforted the Warlock's aching muscles as her knees heavily dropped to the ruined earth beneath her feet. Her arms plunged, leaving one to grip a small plot of rustling dirt while the other clutched a wound on her lower chest. Her mind was in a state of unrest and exhaustion. She pleaded with her inner self, begged that the sight before her was nothing more than just a convincing illusion. A solid tear trickled down underneath her helmet until it reached her flexed lips. The scene was disastrous and she knew it better than anyone else.

Her Sunsinger flame shuttered. If only her adversaries could see her in such a crushed stance.

A firm hand came down onto the Sunsinger's shoulder. She looked to the Exo Defender who faced the scene with a fearless composure. He externally showed no hint of yielding or hesitation, but she could tell he felt the same way she did. The Titan pumped round after round of Void charged bullets into the rushing crowd. This is not the end; he translated to her through his tight grip.

All the while, a young Gunslinger to the Warlock's right continued to spray his trusty rifle in even burst. She could easily sense his anger toward the masses of resurrected enemies. Near him was a Titan Striker ready to harness the power of crackling Arc energy into an explosive weapon. A Bladedancer forced her body to conform to feats of extreme twist and turns, her knife dancing to the tune of a vengeful beat. Completing the circle of guardians was a Voidwalker whose dark void eroded her slice of combatants in sheer intervals.

Time and its distortions were warping the events around the Sunsinger at fault. But in that moment came an abrupt realization; the urge to destroy the entity that plagued her world gave her a new ambition. She would not give in to any heartless calamity, even if it meant her life be exchanged for guaranteed victory. That decree has stood solid for as long as she had maintained her will. She would not break here.

Grabbing her fusion rifle, the Sunsinger aimed ahead with no consideration for whoever was on the receiving end. The coils spun to life with a heated energy that growled anxiously. Forward streaks of concentrated Solar beams emitted in a grand succession from the rifle, dissolving oncoming aggressors in seconds. Beyond the wave of revived Fallen Dregs and Vandals, the true enemy hid behind another villain. Corrupted by the pulsing clot of Darkness was an unfortunate Kell, waiting with a pair of rusted blades. The heart of the thick black mass was responsible for reviving the dead Fallen to fight the group of courageous guardians.

Her perception of time was focused, her willingness strengthened by the spirits of those around her. The radiant flame within was becoming brighter and burning with the passion to free the Traveler from its destined opposite. This would not be their end.

"If we fall here, we fall together as victors." the Gunslinger joked while pushing off a swordsman. The Hunter was right, all would be lost if they gave up now.

"I'll take em' all down with me first!" The Bladedancer sent out shockwaves while seamlessly cutting down assailants faster than she could make the motions.

"We must prevail, for the Traveler's sake!" cried the Voidwalker, reduced to mustering up a combination of timed handcannon shots and bits of scattering grenades.

"My kind of party." the Striker eagerly said. The Sunsinger sensed the buildup of Arc energy within the circular space before a massive discharge blew away a section of fighters. The Defender formed up a shield of his own light for his team as the onslaught forcefully closed in. Such tremendous power that rivaled nothing, the immense intensity spoke volumes.

But it was not enough.

-o-0-o-

Swimming in the dark was one thing, but the emptiness that encompassed Leynna and her team was a whole different experience. They were surrounded, toppled over by dozens of the undead. The clawing sensations tore away at her Warlock vestments. Her soft whimpers were but a silent scuffle to the moans of the resurrected. She could barely retain consciousness as her hand attempted to pierce the blackness. Her flame was being extinguished by the lifeless.

She would not let that happen.

In the agony of a deep abyss was a grand power locked away, only to be used when the situation was dire. She needed to tap into that power, to connect to the deity who gave her life and the strength to overcome. Channels of searing energy leaked forth to all fibers of her being, waking the soul of something magnificent. The winged bird was no longer dormant in the ash of its own demise.

-o-0-o-

The legendary phoenix rose from the stockpile of soulless fighters to blaze a fiery path out of the center of despair. Leynna's team basked in her Radiance, feeling its rejuvenating properties enhance their own weaponry and reinforce their resolve. The Sunsinger propelled herself forward in a sprint as her team continued to combat the surrounding resurrected. Their shouting lifted her further than she could physically muster.

A rocket of hope forged a trail of glimmering stardust for all as Leynna struck the Kell with a heated fist. The Kell attempted to shield itself with the blades but the ancient swords could not withstand the force of the Sunsinger's collision. They shattered under the raw weight of the light she possessed. The chest plate, or what would have been, busted apart under the pressure of the flame embrued attack. With a careful kick against the Kell's chest, she pushed herself away but was unable to catch herself. As the thud of a fallen bird echoed, so did the defeated monster, now liberated from the Darkness' puppet strings.

Leynna listened closely as her friends rushed to her side. The resurrected had strangely fallen when the Kell was downed. Their ghastly moans filled the room around them, sending out hushed words of approval and gratitude for their freedom. Meanwhile, the clot of Darkness centered above a high altar continued to pulsate violently in angst. The Sunsinger could do nothing but watch as the mass began frantically producing tentacle like appendages. It had finally hit her, seeing that creature thrash about with such disgust.

She could no longer feel her feeble muscles, and their unresponsive behavior promoted her rising fear. Leynna was staring face to face with the object of her existence, the entity that called for her reawakening by the Traveler, the gross injustice she swore to quell with her new life. It had finally hit her, seeing that creature thrash about with such disgust. She was pinned to the ground as she accepted the exposed truth; she could not escape.

"Leynna!" her fellow guardians shouted but they stopped mid trek at the sound of a horrendous crackling. The Sunsinger's sudden shriek of pain froze all in the room. Their eyes saw their shining phoenix being lifted into the air, a tentacle protruding from her back.

They opened fire on the Darkness in the hopes of releasing their firebird but their bullets had no effect. Their attempt at defeating the mass was ineffective. The group began to cry out to Leynna for guidance but her speech was muffled by the crimson liquid settled in her mouth. She was choking on her own blood as the Darkness started to harvest her light as its own.

"Damn it! Somebody save her!" The Gunslinger pleaded.

"Kill that thing now!" shouted the Bladedancer, who turned to the Titans. They were paralyzed by the same fear the others' felt. "Don't just stand there!"

"Esm..ond" the Defender heard the faint call of the Sunsinger as she slowly flew about in the air. The Darkness was taunting them.

Rumbles from above shook the cave site where the guardians stood conflict. They had taken too long; the ancient Bingham Canyon Mine was being invaded by the Fallen house that originally ventured into the mine and discovered the mass of Darkness below. The reinforcements had been to ones to disturb the monster and now they were prepared to fight to save their brethren. Taking advantage of the situation, the black blob attached more tentacles to the ceiling of the cave and to the supports of the cave. It was ready to bury anything that dared to confront it.

"Leave..." the order echoed through ever members' comm channel. The voice came from the suspended Sunsinger. "P-Please go, bef...ore it brings t-the place down on us."

"Not without you!" The Striker called out. The others nodded in agreement.

"I-I'll finish this..." Leynna spoke, her hands now hovering above the tentacle that held her hostage. She felt for the creature's negative energy and braced herself as she gripped the black matter. The light had all but been drained from her but somewhere in her was a whole spring.

Breathing heavily, Leynna's body was enveloped in the same orange essence as that during Radiance. The glow was softer than when she had light to spare. It was a tender shine, like that of the morning sunrise. Focusing all her thoughts into feeding the Darkness, the Warlock projected a blinding field of her hidden power. She discarded the aching pains as she let go of any and all barriers.

The heat she emitted worked jointly with the Darkness to bring rocks from the ceiling down onto the ground. The guardians marveled at the Warlock's vitality, but they also fully understood her actions. The Defender motioned for the others to follow before the ceiling caved in. The group went against their best wishes to carry out their leader's last orders. Burdened by grief, they escaped as a large rock collapsed from the roof and barricaded their only exit. Taking a final look, the Titan swore he could feel the Sunsinger's smile hovering over him.

Her words reached him and only him; she sincerely praised them for the work done under their name and promised to watch other them. He promised to fight in her name, in her philosophy, and in her loving empathy for all living beings above all else.

With her team safely away from the blast sight, Leynna returned to face the Darkness, who intensified its grasp on her life. She would never let go, even if it meant more time to make amends. The black clot muttered a chilling message to the guardian before her white light began to darken.

Her eyes became heavy and her body shuddered. The warmth of her flame was fading away. It would be all over and she knew that her legacy would be carried on through her fellow teammates, her dear friends. She had accomplished her goal of protecting the Traveler as a champion of light. She had succeeded in using her divine gifts to fight for those who could not. The world around her would know of what she did her today, on her last day in its final minutes.

Her view was pitch black and her mind was gone. In the surround void, she sensed the presence of another entity. Its venomous green eyes burned in her own as it manifested before her.

It smiled graciously. "This will not be your end."

How was that for a introduction? I would like to hear what you have to say, so comment if you say see a problem or have any suggestions or just want to say hi (hi right back at yacha'). A little less than a third of this story is complete so that means this story has no definite update schedule. Just keep an eye out and I'll try to get a system going. See you all later...