Chapter 1

Why was it so hot here?! He had gone to Mercury before and it wasn't this stinkin' hot, and Mercury is right next to the sun!

He had been free falling for...well for a while now. Wisps of green and yellow raced past him as he descended further into a thick fog, his robes flapping wildly around him. Glancing around at his surrounding once again, he still couldn't see any farther than he could reach. He could barely make out the palm of his hand. This fog was so dense, and the radar within his helmet had shut down from the intense heat.

Flying blind. The only thing he could trust at this point was his eyes, his instincts, and the weapon on his back.

Taking in another shaky breath, he could hear his heart thumping in his chest. Was he truly ready for this? He had his fair share of accomplishments, and yet, the task at hand was far greater than anything he had faced before. He knew that the odds were stacked against him. Everyone had told him that, but backing down meant certain doom. That wasn't an option.

Clutching the grip to the scout rifle that was strapped to his back, he exhaled audibly, trying to calm himself. Being anxious wouldn't do him any good. It was too late to turn back. His task was to fight. And fight he would. To his last breath if he had to.

The fog seemed to clear as a light began to pierce through it, growing brighter and brighter until it was beginning to blind him despite the tint from his helmet. His eyes became wide as he spotted what appeared to be a trio of burning green eyes staring at him from within the light.

"You dare oppose me!"

He was falling through the air, yet he could still feel a quake from this roar. Was he really ready to face this?

A shockwave was unleashed from the eyes, rippling through the air as it traveled toward him. It didn't matter if he was ready or not. He was already at this monster's throne. Crossing his arms in front of his face as the shockwave hit him, the fierce power from it cracked his helmet, snatching all of the oxygen out of it. He could do nothing as he gasped for air, descending into the light which quickly consumed him.

"Diana, this signature from the Forgotten Shore. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before." The slightly mechanical voice of a Ghost called out to the female Guardian. Together they glanced down at the coastline from their ship which was quickly zooming over the old Russian Cosmodrome.

"Hold the ship here and send me down." She replied as she removed the belts that held her down to the seat within the cockpit.

"Sending you down." It replied. Sparkles began to gather around the Guardian known as Diana before she vanished within a flash of light.

Diana felt her boots hit the ground softly as she was now standing near the rocky beach of the Forgotten Shore. Taking a moment to straighten up as she looked around, her helmet began to measure the energy readings in this area, searching for the anomaly her Ghost had picked up on.

Diana Amano. She was a proud Warlock, allied with the Vanguard, Guardian of the Traveler, protector of the Last City. The titles she had received had no end. She was simply doing the job that she had been raised to do. Fight the Darkness.

"Do you see anything Diana?" Her Ghost asked over through the communication line.

"Not here. Can you pinpoint the location for me?" She asked in return.

"Give me a moment."

Diana watched quietly as her helmet began to sort through the information it had been gathering before locking onto the signature that had come to investigate. It was a fair distance from her current position, more than enough reason for her to ride her Sparrow.

"I'll need my Sparrow for this." She stated, and almost immediately the fast moving craft materialized in front of her. Diana hopped on and revved the engine a bit, then she rolled the handlebars forward which acted as the throttle. The Sparrow roared before it lunged forward, taking her to her destination.

"Are you prepared for this Diana?" Her Ghost asked her curiously.

"Why do you ask? It's probably some increased Fallen activity at the most. I doubt it's something we haven't seen before." She replied confidently.

"Well according to my sensors, there are no enemies in this area at all." Her Ghost pointed out, surprising her.

"None? So then what are we talking about here?" Diana asked. "Should I contact the Vanguard and call for backup?"

"No no, that's unnecessary. The anomaly I picked up, its the Light. I think its a Guardian, but his or her power is incredible. It's almost as if all the enemies here left just because of their presence." Her Ghost explained, leaving her a bit shocked.

As far as Diana had ever seen, the soldiers of the Darkness knew no fear. The Fallen had attempted to tear down the walls of the Last City to get to the Traveler. Crota and his armies slayed thousands of Guardians on the Moon. For creatures such as these to be chased away by the mere presence of one Guardian. Diana had to meet this person.

"So this isn't a new Guardian?" Diana inquired.

"Not in the slightest. The Light of a new Guardian is faint. A well trained and seasoned Guardian has a defined presence. But this one...is just overwhelming." Her Ghost described for her, and this only placed a smirk on Diana's face as her curiosity increased. What were the odds of her going out on a routine patrol and stumbling onto a Guardian of this caliber. "This just makes me wonder what they were doing way out here. You're closing in on their location."

Turning her Sparrow to the side, she came to a halt so that she could briefly check the area. There was no sand separating the rocks from the water as each wave rolled in. Scanning the water briefly, Diana spotted what they had been looking for. She could see a red robe floating on the surface of the water which she could only assume was the Guardian that they were looking for.

"I see them." Diana stated as she pushed forward on her Sparrow, skipping out onto the surface of the water.

"Diana, you know I can just warp him up to the ship right?" Her Ghost asked her.

"I know, but I can do this myself." Diana replied as she leaned over on her Sparrow, reaching out to take a hold of the cloak as she approached. Getting a hand on the robe, Diana grabbed on, but the body weighed far more than she had planned on. She was ripped from her Sparrow which was sent tumbling across the water while she crashed into the sea with a shriek.

Within her ship which had been trailing behind her, Diana's Ghost sighed inwardly.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up." It offered once again.

"I'm fine." Diana retorted as she resurfaced, pulling up the unconscious Guardian with her. "Although, if you could bring my Sparrow back that would be nice."

After a few moments, her Sparrow materialized right beside her, silently hovering just above the water. Climbing up onto her Sparrow, Diana then hoisted the Guardian out of the water and laid them over the back of the craft. With that, she hit the throttle and raced back to the shore to further inspect the Guardian. Arriving at the shore, Diana jumped off her Sparrow and then gingerly scooped the Guardian off and placed them on the ground.

Diana raised her eyebrows as she finally got a decent look at the body she had just hauled out of the sea. It was clearly a man, well built and tall. His clothes were ripped, torn and burned at the edges, like he had just escaped from a battle. But most notably, his helmet was split open down right down the middle. Diana leaned over his head curiously, trying to peek inside the helmet to get a look at his face but it wasn't enough room for her to make out his appearance.

"His vitals check out fine. He's just unconscious right now." Her Ghost stated.

"Have you found his Ghost?" Diana asked her Ghost.

"No. There's no Ghost in the area right now aside from myself." Ghost replied as it completed its scan of the mystery Guardian. "That's…interesting."

"What is?"

"The scout rifle on his back, it's a Proxima Centauri II. A weapon like that was deemed obsolete a long time ago." Ghost explained. "Why would he be using something like this?"

"Maybe he likes it. It's not like Banshee can't give our weapons a tune up." Diana replied.

"That's just the thing. The type of power cell it has is from about two decades ago, but it's brand new. Almost as if it had been given to him recently." Ghost went on. "Don't you find that odd?"

"It's…interesting." Diana replied as she pursed her lips. "But right now, our top priority is getting him back to the Tower. You can bring us up now."

Flying back to the Tower, Diana anxiously thought about what this mystery Guardian could be like. The split in his helmet wasn't big enough for her to see his face, but she could tell by his body type that he wasn't an Exo. He was tall, but not as tall as those humanoid machines. He was either human or Awoken.

But what was he like? Could he have been a Guardian that had been driven mad studying the Darkness? Was he a savage on the battlefield? Or someone who had a hard time pulling the trigger…?

Hopefully once they arrived at the Tower someone would be able to help them out.

"Have his vitals changed at all?" Diana asked her Ghost who floated beside her in the cockpit. The small device flew out of the command center of the ship and into the cabin where the unconscious Guardian was resting.

"Nope." It replied after scanning him once again.

"Well, we'll be in the Tower in just a few minutes." Diana explained as her Ghost hovered over the Guardian in the cabin, silently observing him.

"Where do you think he's from?" Her Ghost asked curiously as it glanced back at the entryway to the cockpit.

"I don't know." Diana began as her ship dipped below the cloud layer. They zoomed over the mountain tops as a large white sphere came into view.

This warmth…

"Hmm, his heart rate is picking up." Ghost noted, causing Diana to look back momentarily.

He knew this feeling…

"Keep an eye on him now." Diana ordered.

It was the Light!

"Umm, Diana!" Her Ghost called out as it backed away from the Guardian as he rose up from his seat.

"Ugh, what happened?" He grumbled has he placed a hand on his throbbing head. Looking up, his gaze immediately came to a stop on Diana's Ghost who was floating in front of him, returning his stare.

"I'm glad you're finally awake Guardian." Ghost said as it split its shell, revealing the bright blue light that surrounded its core. The Guardian didn't respond kindly at all. Gunfire sent a chill down Diana's spine as she activated the autopilot on her ship. "Whoa Guardian, I'm not the enemy!"

As Diana came out of the cockpit, she found that the Guardian was standing upright with his weapon drawn and her Ghost cowering in the corner of the cabin. Before she could get a word out his head snapped to the left to look at her, and this was followed by his weapon clicking as he took aim at her. Diana studied him closely, taking note of the hand that held his weapon. It was trembling faintly, but enough to Diana to understand that he was frightened and confused.

Where was he? Who was she? What was going on? All questions that were probably racing through his head right now as he stared at Diana, his finger wrapped around the trigger of his Proxima. Diana took a step forward, and this caused him to tighten his stance.

"Don't come any closer!" He demanded, but this didn't seem to faze Diana at all as she took another step forward. Should he shoot? He didn't hesitate to shoot at her Ghost, but this was clearly a person now. But he couldn't tell if she was friend, or foe...

Friend, or foe...

The Guardian gasped in pain as an image flashed through his mind. He was staring at himself. He was in some kind of suffocating grasp that was choking him of all his strength.

Diana furrowed her brow as a purple aura began to form around him. It was faint at first, but it began to grow before it suddenly expanded into a field around him. A small but a protective dome had formed, blocking out both Diana and her Ghost from him. He had summoned a Ward of Dawn.

With a pained gasp he fell back down onto the seat he had been resting on. He had used what little strength he had to protect himself, but at great cost. But he needed answers. Taking a few deep breaths, he stared at Diana who had approached his bubble.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?!" He demanded as he looked up at her.

"Where are you Guardian?" Diana asked in return.

"I'm…" He froze as he struggled to remember. Where was he? He had no idea...

Another image flashed through his mind for just a moment. There were decaying corpses everywhere, yet there was no terrain for these bodies to be resting on. Just darkness everywhere.

"I'm behind enemy lines. The enemy is everywhere." He replied as he lifted his Proxima once again.

"I'm not an enemy. My name is Diana." She replied as she kneeled down beside his bubble, placing a hand on the back of her helmet to deactivate it. The Guardian watched as her helmet dematerialized, revealing her teal colored skin, short silver locks of hair and glowing irises.

She couldn't tell if he had relaxed a bit yet, so Diana placed a hand on his bubble, expecting to reach through it. But she quickly discovered that it was completely solid, denying her entry. He still didn't trust her.

"My name is Diana Amano." She repeated. "As you can see, I'm Awoken. I'm thirty one years old and my favorite color is burgundy. What's your name?"

"My…name?" He said in response. What was his name? He had no idea. "I don't know."

"Amnesia." Diana's Ghost stated. Like all the other fresh Guardians a Ghost finds. They don't remember much.

"Do you remember the last thing you were doing?" Diana asked. He lowered his head, trying to recall what he could. Everything was a hazy mess, but the same image he had seen before flashed through his head again. There were corpses everywhere. He was holding his Proxima as yet another wave of enemies rushed toward him.

"I was fighting." He replied.

"Fighting what?"

"I don't know."

"It'll take him some time, but it'll come back to him. For now, the best thing we can do is have him examined in the Tower." Her Ghost pointed out, receiving a nod from Diana before a thought entered her head.

"Do you know what the Traveler is?" She said, returning her gaze to the Guardian who immediately perked up.

"The Traveler?" He went silent again. That sounded familiar. Closing his eyes as he looked up in thought, the visuals soon came. "It's a big, white ball…right?"

"Yes, that is correct. In fact, you'll be seeing it just a minute or two." Diana explained.

He could see it. A large white ball looming over an enormous city. He was standing on a balcony, admiring the sphere, and there was someone else there with him. But who was it?

"The Traveler. It granted me my powers." He went on.

"And it did the same for me." Diana added, causing the Guardian to lower his weapon as he set his gaze on Diana once again. He failed to notice it before; he could feel the Light within her. But it was small in comparison to the Light they were approaching. "We're the same."

The Guardian gave a sigh as his Ward of Dawn dispersed. Diana smiled softly now that she had gained a bit of his trust.

"We're close to the Traveler, aren't we?" He asked, receiving a nod from Diana.

"How did you know?" She asked return.

"I can feel its Light." Was all he said, causing Diana to glance at her Ghost. "I can feel the Light in you, and that…ball."

"I'm a Ghost." Diana's Ghost corrected him immediately as it hovered around the Guardian. "Don't you have one?"

"I don't…think so." He said slowly. He couldn't recall ever having something like Diana's Ghost with him...not that he could recall much at all.

"Well we'll have you meet the Speaker. I'm sure he can help you out." Diana pointed out as she looked back at the cockpit. "I bet we're close to the Tower now. Come here, you can see the Traveler."

Heading into the cockpit, Diana had to wait a moment as the Guardian tentatively followed her in. He was checking out everything he could about her ship before he joined her. Once he was in the command center of Diana's ship, she motioned for him to look out at their destination.

The Last City on Earth, a huge metropolis that stretched for miles with a large wall surrounding the perimeter. It had been built right underneath what appeared to be a hovering white sphere. It hovered above the city silently, ominously. The Traveler.

The Guardian became completely silent as he saw the Traveler for the first time in was felt like ages. The Light from the Traveler was overwhelmingly bright, and it felt so warm and comforting. Why would he ever leave this warmth in the first place?

"Whoa." Diana said softly as she took a step back from the Guardian. An almost azure colored fire had ignited around his head, flickering and dancing. What was this? She had never seen anything like this. Perhaps a meeting with the Speaker was now their top priority.

Tower

Hangar

The constant movement within the hanger of the Tower was a bit overwhelming for the no name Guardian as he stepped off of Diana's ship to the platform it had landed on.

"Come quick!" Diana called out to him. She was already a good distance from him, standing on the outside of the outline of the platform. She then pointed to the next platform where a vacant ship was resting. The platform descended down into the floor, taking the ship with it before a new, empty spot filled its place.

Raising brow at this, he quickly dashed to the edge, joining Diana to ensure that he didn't disappear with the air crafts.

"So what would happen if I was taken away with one of the ships?" He asked once they were off the platform, watching as Diana's ship was taken away as well, making room for the next arrival.

"Well it's kind of like a parking lot down there. It wouldn't be too much trouble to get you back, but it's something the staff prefers to avoid." Diana explained as she led him up the stairway to the level above the landing area.

This level was filled with Guardians that had either just returned to the Tower, or were waiting for their ship to be called out for their departure. Looking around, the Guardian noticed that none of them were currently wearing their helmet like he was.

"Am I supposed to take my helmet off?" He asked Diana who looked up in thought.

"Well there's no rule saying you have to. It's up to you basically." Diana replied. This gained a sigh of relief from him as he placed both of his hands on his helmet, attempting to yank it off his head. Diana chuckled at his struggle to remove his helmet. "That's not how you take off your helmet."

"Hmm?" He looked down at Diana curiously as she circled around him, examining his helmet for the switch to shut it down. Upon finding the small sensor to deactivate his helmet, Diana placed her hand on it, but his helmet just gave a low hum in response.

"You're helmet must've really taken a beating in your last fight. I think it has gone offline for good." Diana explained. "We might have to go to Cayde and have him split it open for you."

"Cayde?" He repeated.

"One of the Vanguard." Diana's Ghost replied.

"You'll meet the Vanguard soon. But first I want to take you to the Speaker." Diana added as they pressed forward once again. Diana led him through the crowd of Guardians that eyed him curiously until they arrived at the exit to the hanger. It was a long corridor with a soft but constant breeze traveling through it. "We're heading into the plaza next."

Reaching the end of the corridor, they stepped out into large and open area. Flags were shuffling in the wind. Tree leaves fluttered in the breeze, and Ghosts flew about completing small tasks for their Guardians.

"Wow." He said softly as he looked around. The plaza was massive and filled with Guardians that were chatting freely, resting on benches or in the shade provided by the trees.

"This is where the Guardians live. We rest, regroup and rearm ourselves here." Ghost explained to him as he admired the structure. It was wonderful here. And he had a clear view of the Traveler.

Walking over to the railing nearby, he looked out and incredible view, trying to compare it to the small memory he had of the Traveler.

'No, this doesn't match. I'm too high up.' He said to himself. He was beneath the Traveler in his memory. Was he down in the City?

"Come on, let's keep moving." Diana called out to him. She was already on the move, heading straight across to the plaza to the exit on the opposite side. Jogging to catch up, they continued into another corridor that led them to a lower level within the Tower. This was also an open area with Guardians relaxing, but there was a walkway leading into an area that was sectioned off.

"Whoa, what's that?" He asked, pointing up at the structure with a green sphere floating at the center with a pair of interlocking circles spinning around it endlessly.

"Umm, I actually don't know." Diana said sheepishly. "But we're here to talk to him."

Diana motioned to the small platform above where they could see someone in a white cloak observing the Traveler quietly.

"That's the Speaker." Her Ghost stated as they ascended the staircase. The Speaker was a tall man, but all his features were hidden beneath a heavy white cloak and a helmet with a black hood covering it. He turned to them slowly as they stepped onto his platform, but froze as he saw the Guardian that was accompanying Diana.

Azure flames surrounding his head. It couldn't be…

"T-Tobias?" The Speaker exclaimed, breaking his usual composure for all but a moment.

"Is that his name?" Diana asked as the Speaker approached them, staring intently at the Guardian.

"Indeed." The Speaker responded.

"That's my name?" Tobias asked, receiving a nod from the Speaker. "How do you know my name?"

"We were acquaintances at one point."

"So do you know what he was like?" Diana jumped in.

"Unfortunately I do not. I never got to know him personally. I knew that he was a great hero, and of his many great talents on the battlefield, but not much besides that." The Speaker explained. "Tobias, how much do you remember?"

"Tobias…oh right, that's me." He mumbled as he shook his head. "Not much. I just remember a lot of fighting."

"That's what I thought. That's all you seemed to do at one point." The Speaker said softly.

"Why was that?"

"The group you worked for, they didn't work with the Vanguard. They had their own agenda, and you were the centerpiece to their operation." The Speaker explained.

"Can I meet them?"

"No, they fell apart after your disappearance."

"Disappearance?" Tobias repeated as a he wrinkled his forehead. He couldn't recall anything like that. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I received word that you had gone out on a special task and we never heard from you again. We could only assume the worst."

"Wait, so when was the last time you saw him?" Diana asked.

"It's been almost a century." The Speaker replied, surprising both Diana and Tobias.

"Wait, he's been gone for almost a hundred years?" Diana exclaimed as she glanced at Tobias. But upon looking at the Guardian beside her, she realized that she still hadn't seen his face yet. It was possible that he was much older he seemed to be.

"That is correct. But it appears as though something happened to you during that time that wiped out your memory." The Speaker noted as Tobias looked up in thought once again. "Hopefully you'll begin to remember your past soon."

"So what should we do with him after I take him to Cayde?" Diana asked.

"Perhaps you should take him to Lord Shaxx. Tobias may be a little rusty after all these years, and a little field activity in the Crucible might do him some good." The Speaker suggested.

"Yeah, that might be best." Diana agreed as she glanced at Tobias who was still deep in thought.

Almost a century ago he had been fighting. Fighting who? Fighting for what?

Yet another image of himself surrounded in darkness flashed through his mind. Even though it was pitch black, he could tell that he was standing in water that was as high as his ankles. A pair of arms sprouted from the water, pushing down on the surface to rise from the water. The head of the body was first to surface, revealing a trio of glowing green eyes. It screeched at him, but he only raised his Proxima and pulled the trigger, removing the threat without even an ounce of hesitation.

"Tobias?" Diana said once again, snapping the Guardian out of his thoughts.

"Wha-What?" He asked as he looked down at her.

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"Well, there's something bothering me now." He began, surprising Diana, her Ghost and the Speaker.

"Like what?" The Speaker asked.

"Almost everything I've remembered involved me fighting something. What am I fighting?" Tobias asked. The Speaker remained silent for a moment as he thought about a response. He then motioned for the pair of Guardians to follow him down the stairway and out to a balcony where they had an impressive view of the Traveler.

"The enemy of both of the Traveler, and the Light that it casts on mankind…is the Darkness and all its forces." The Speaker stated. "The Darkness seeks to snuff out the Light of the Traveler, and it will go to any means necessary. It almost succeeded at one point, but the Traveler granted us its power. It gave us the Light, to fight against the Darkness. So that we could protect the Traveler, as well as ourselves."

"The Traveler can't defend itself?"

"Not anymore. It gave what was left of its strength to the Ghosts to seek out warriors capable of using the Light to fend off the Darkness." The Speaker said as he motioned to Diana's Ghost. "Those Guardians fight alongside one another every day under the direction of myself and the Vanguard, protecting us from the Darkness."

"And, I'm a Guardian?" Tobias asked as he pointed toward himself.

"Yup." Diana chimed in. "Just like me."

"So that's why I was fighting. To protect the Traveler?" Tobias questioned earnestly, waiting for a reply from the Speaker.

"Yes." The man in white stated. Tobias exhaled. So he was like the rest of them. Like everyone else had seen in the Tower. Fighting to protect the Traveler.

"It's a lot to think about right now." The Speaker said, receiving a nod of agreement from Tobias. "You can visit Lord Shaxx tomorrow, for now you should rest and have your helmet removed. Will you take him to Cayde Diana?"

"Of course." She replied as she motioned for Tobias to follow her.

"Rest easy tonight Tobias. You'll need your strength for tomorrow." The Speaker called out at the distance between them grew.

As Diana led Tobias out the small area that belonged to the Speaker, the man in white robes could only stare the Guardian that was accompanied by Diana. He couldn't believe that Tobias had returned. And with no memory of what transpired during his last mission. This was certainly an interesting development.

"This is the Hall of Guardians." Diana said as they reached the bottom of the stairs, revealing a large and long corridor that had a number of Guardians speaking to one another. "The Vanguard Mentors reside down here."

"The Speaker said something about the Vanguard. Who are they?" Tobias asked as began walking down the center of the corridor.

"Guardians work for various parties. Some represent factions from the City that are led by Humans who want to help in our efforts to fight the Darkness. But the Vanguard is composed entirely of Guardians. They seek to make sure that all Guardians are prepared for battle, so they train, instruct and provide gear and weapons, that sort of stuff, for all Guardians in the Tower regardless of their affiliation." Diana explained.

"Hmm, that seems nice." Tobias commented.

"Just wait until you meet them." Diana said as they finally arrived at the end of the corridor which led into a large room. Within this room, there was a long table with three Guardians standing around it, absorbed in their own individual work. But the presence of Tobias immediately drew the attention of the only Warlock in the group.

She was an attractive dark skinned woman that studied Tobias with her piercing eyes. He gulped audibly as she approached them.

"And who might you be Warlock?" She asked sternly, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Me?" Tobias asked as he looked toward Diana. She gave him a nod in return. "I'm...Tobias."

The name still felt foreign, but it was better than no name at all.

"Tobias." She repeated, looking up in thought. Why did that sound familiar? "I'm Ikora, the Warlock Vanguard."

"Oh, um, nice to meet you." Tobias replied.

"Just out of question Ikora, what makes you think he's a Warlock?" Diana asked curiously, causing Ikora to size up Tobias a second time.

"The armor he's wearing. It's outdated, but its a Warlock set." She explained.

"Hmm, I couldn't figure out what he was wearing." Diana noted. "But that's beside the point, he's no Warlock."

Ikora furrowed her brow at this while the remaining two Mentors began to listen in on the conversation now.

"He cast a Ward of Dawn on my ship while we were flying here."

"A Titan." The largest of the three mentors stated as he set the data pad he had been reading down on the table. He was a large and imposing figure, clad in heavy and bulky armor that made him seem like a giant in comparison to the other two Vanguard mentors that were present. "You may address me as Commander Zavala."

"Wait a moment, why would you be wearing Warlock gear if your a Titan?" Ikora interjected before Zavala could continue with his introduction.

"I'm just as lost as you are." Tobias said as he shrugged his shoulders. Ikroa then looked toward Diana who shook her head.

"It's what he was wearing when I found him." Diana said.

"Well this is interesting." She mumbled before stepping aside for Zavala to continue.

"Seeing as your a Titan, you will likely spend most of your time under my command." Zavala began. "As a Titan, or first priority is to fortify the City to ensure that everyone within our walls are safe."

"Excuse me Commander." Diana cut in sheepishly with a raised hand. "Actually we're here to see Cayde right now, but Tobias will be free to talk with you after."

The remaining mentor looked up at the group curiously at the mention of his name.

"Why would a Titan with identity issues to me all people?" Cayde asked her.

"His helmet is offline, and we need you to split it open for us." Diana replied.

"Easy enough. Take a seat Guardian." Cayde said as he motioned to the nearest seat. Tobias soon found himself seated with Cayde twirling the handle of a large knife in front of him, whistling softly. "Don't be scared, I've done this a hundred times."

Cayde raised his knife and spun the handle in his hand so that the blade was pointing at Tobias' helmet and jammed the knife into it. Tobias' eyes became crossed as he stared at the tip of the glowing blade which had stopped just short of his forehead. He watched nervously as the blade began to travel down his helmet, slicing through it with ease. Once Cayde had cut through a decent portion of his helmet, the Hunter stepped aside for Zavala to do the rest.

Zavala wedged his fingers in between the cracks, before taking in a deep breath. With a grunt, he then ripped the helmet in two, revealing the man that had been hiding within the helmet. Tobias was a dark skinned man, with defined facial features but lacked hair on his head. The only thing that really stood out about him was the dark, symmetrical markings on each side of his face. It started at his eyes and traveled down his cheeks to his neck and disappeared beneath the collar of his robe.

"He's Human." Cayde stated.

"Is that a bad thing?" Tobias asked as he raised a hand to scratch the bridge of his nose.

"I hate to bring race into the equation, but its well known that Exo Guardians are more efficient than-" Cayde began before Zavala stepped in front of him.

"You can ignore him." Zavala cut in, gaining Tobias's gaze. Looking directly into his eyes for the first time, Zavala could see how weary they were. Wherever he had been before Diana found him, he must have still been worn out from it.

"Regardless of who you are, you're a Guardian, and we're pleased have you join our ranks." Ikora went on.

"I'll continue your briefing the next time we meet. But, seeing as I'm responsible for destroying some of your gear, take this." Zavala said as he presented his Ghost to Tobias. "My Ghost will transfer a message to your Ghost. Take it to the armory and they will provide you with a set of armor."

"He doesn't have a Ghost." Diana said, receiving a baffled look from Zavala in response.

"No Ghost?" Cayde exclaimed. "How do you function without one?"

"…I don't know." Tobias said as he shrugged his shoulders, unaware of the glances the mentors were giving one another.

"Alright then…Ghost, take him to the armory and show them this message." Zavala said.

"Yes sir." His Ghost replied with a nod.

"You can go collect the armor right now. My Ghost will guide you." Zavala said as he motioned to the exit.

"Oh, okay. Um, thanks for the help." Tobias said as he gave the group a wave before Zavala's Ghost led him back out into the corridor.

"Diana." Ikora said, calling for her before she could leave.

"What's the matter?" She asked, turning to face the Warlock Vanguard while Zavala and Cayde returned to their work.

"Where did you find him?" Ikora asked plainly.

"In the Forgotten Shore." Diana replied as she glanced at each of them. It wasn't often that all three of them took such an interest in any one specific Guardian. "Is something wrong?"

"His Light…it's so powerful." Ikora noted.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been around him for a while so you may have adjusted to it already, but there's a weight around him. The power he exerting is putting pressure on everything around him. That's how powerful his Light is." Ikora explained, surprising Diana. "I'm not certain who he is, but I'm sure there's something about him that we need to know. Have you seen him on the field at all?"

"He didn't hesitate to shoot up my ship." Diana noted, earning a narrow glance from Ikora. Obviously that wasn't what she was looking for. "No I haven't, but the Speaker arranged for him to enter the Crucible tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll use this opportunity to watch him closely, and I suggest you do the same." Ikora stated, receiving a nod from Diana.

Barracks

Deeper within the Tower was an area filled with small rooms for Guardians to rest in if they had been stationed at the Tower.

"This is the room you've been assigned too." Diana said as slid the card key through the electronic lock on the door frame, causing the door to slide open. It was indeed a small room, providing nothing more than a bed and small area for them to hang to their armor or clothing. "You're pretty lucky that one of the window rooms was available."

The entire far wall of the room was a thick sheet of glass that allowed him to look out at the grand City below.

"The City looks amazing at night." Diana commented as they entered, allowing Tobias to set down his new gear beside his bed.

"You got that right." Tobias replied. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Just down the hall. There are showers in there to if you need to clean up."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I'll leave my Ghost with you tonight. If you're confused about anything, you can just talk to it." Diana explained as she motioned for her Ghost to remain with Tobias. "Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright." Tobias said as he gave her a small wave. The door shut, leaving Tobias with Diana's Ghost.

Silence ensued for a while as Tobias took a seat on his bed. Looking out at the City once again, Tobias spent a moment admiring the Traveler. But as he looked at the City that was beneath the enormous sphere, he realized that he didn't recognize anything. And yet, he had nothing to compare it to. What should he do?

"Maybe I'll take a shower." Tobias muttered to himself as he rose up from his bed. He had nothing better to do right now.

Exiting the room, he traveled down the hall to the bathroom which he entered quietly. It was empty and huge. Further down in the back, he could see several small rooms that were probably the showers. To his right there was a wall of mirrors above a number of sinks.

Approaching the closest mirror, Tobias stared at himself intently. He leaned forward, tilted his head back, to the sides, taking in everything he could. This is what he looked like. Stroking his chin a few times, he could only wonder, who was he?

Who was Tobias?

A/N

Welp, there's the first chapter. Thanks for reading, or even clicking on this!

I stinkin' love Destiny! I haven't been this invested in a game since Pokemon, and Pokemon was my whole childhood. It's crazy how much time I spend playing this game, and as much as I try to stop, I still end up playing it.

Anyway, I've been developing this story for quite a bit of time now. After the House of Wolves expansion came out for Destiny I started working on this, so its been under development for a while. I'm glad I've finally reached the point where I want to start sharing it with others, so please give me some feedback, I'd really appreciate it. This is going to be MASSIVE to say the least so be prepared.