(A/N): I do not own Destiny, Bungie, nor any other groups associated with Destiny. I only one the original characters as well as the plot of this story.

Italics- Indicates thoughts

One Who Protects

Prologue

The legend of THE Guardian spreads like wildfire, and it grows with each passing day and with each new conquest. The effort of this single being of light has turned the tide of war, and just as Lord Shaxx had foretold, the guardians' role has changed from strictly defensive, to a full-blown offensive.

But not every legend started and shook the very foundations of existence within a few short years. Most took decades.

For most, honing and tuning one's light - learning and mastering just a single manifestation of The Traveler's power (solar, void, and arc) is a lifetime endeavor that requires great hardship, and an initial protective environment of a fireteam and an academy.

Yes, there exists a guardian academy, built to help integrate long dead humans (and neo-humans*) into their new roles.

For all but a rare few, the light is nearly inaccessible at rebirth, its most prominent feature merely being a flimsy shield. Some don't even have that.

This story will detail a particular legend, one that will run parallel with THE Guardian, but is far less known…

- End prologue-

Chapter 1, part 1: Graduation

"...Today is the day in which you all become full-fledged guardians, and take the fight to the Darkness…"

The central ground in which all guardians gathered to be debriefed, re-tasked, re-armed, and re-deployed in the Tower was jam packed full of cadets - novice guardians. An excited atmosphere hung above the heads of all who had gathered there.

Today would be the day they all became 'real' guardians. No more wall watch patrols, no more target practice, no more hours of poring over vast quantities of texts detailing every single formation and tactical approach and stratagem known to mankind.

Overlooking the courtyard, an awoken of an imposing stature addressed all of the soon-to-be guardians. His face was impassive, but even he was affected by the electrified mood that ran through the crowd. His voice seem to increase in volume and heart as he neared the end of his speech.

He boomed, "Guardians, go forth, and protect this great city, the Last City, with your light. May the Traveler's radiance guide you all."

A warlock said with a chuckle, "Evanescent, concise, and miniscule. Just like a titan. Now I know what they're overcompensating for with those tree trunks one could call arms."

A hunter next to him sneered. "Only a warlock would bother with saying the same thing three different ways. Just say 'short' and be done with it," he said.

"I'll crack both of your skulls if you don't shut up about Commander Zavala!" a titan threatened.

Before their squabble could devolve into a full-on fight, a distinctly female voice announced to the whole assembly, "Congratulations guardians. Please refer to the bounty board for fireteam assignments. Thank you, and may the Traveler's light guide you!"

On the outskirts of the group of rookies and standing next of the bounty board (now used as a posting for said fireteam assignments) was a collection of high level guardians; the vanguard.

One hunter who sat among them eyed out the three novices whom he would be responsible for.

For the next 2-3 years, a vanguard, or really any guardian with sufficient rank and experience, would be assigned to each fireteam as a temporary leader.

The Darkness was unpredictable, and the number of able and experienced guardians fell each year. If an untrained rookie or group of rookies were to pull the proverbial 'shortest straw' and happened to cross paths with a Fallen Archon on a supposedly quiet and easy patrol, they would never get a chance to accumulate enough experience to grow and become a powerful asset in the war against the looming Dark.

It was decided only a few years ago to add a fourth, more experienced member to each new fireteam to act as a mentor and as a sort-of quick response trooper to intervene if a mission went south and became beyond the abilities of the novices. However, more often than not, the vanguard mentor would stay in orbit and play commander for most of their missions.

The lone hunter had already learned of and scouted out his charges. It was a rare occurrence, as the groups were often randomly selected to promote versatility among differing allies, but his particular group would be a "One-of each" kind: One Sunsinger (Awoken), one Bladedancer (Human), and one Defender (Exo).

He spotted the warlock at the head of the group, eager to be the first to know where she would be placed. The hunter smiled. "Just as I thought."

A quick glance also proved his guess right. The hunter was standing in the middle, his body posture absolutely screaming impatience. The vanguard hunter frowned, having hoped it wasn't THAT bad. Of all of the so-called "classes" hunters possessed the greatest discipline. It was necessary, as most of their abilities and skills with knives and long range rifles required a focused mind. Impatience has killed many hunters over the years.

Moving on from the lackluster second guardian, the normally astute veteran nearly missed the last one, and mistook him for a stature at first glance. The titan stood dead last with a posture and rigidness only capable of an unfeeling machine. Again, he sighed with displeasure. Most Exos adopted at least some kind of 'natural sway.' Even Banshee-44 liked to 'fidget' every once in awhile. To them, it was unnecessary, and they often did away with it in combat situations. However, they adopted it in social situations as a way to… fit in a little better, and feel good about themselves.

The fact that this particular Exo had done no such thing implies either a slight failure in the motor cortex pathway of the Exo's brain (an astronomically low chance occurrence even in the most likely of situations), or more likely, the Exo simply CHOSE not to, foregoing sociability for practicality.

All-in-all, his team was already showing signs of being the least cohesive one here. And they haven't even met each other yet.

"A try-hard, a hyperactive, and a stoic… I've got my work cut out for me, don't I?"

Sigh.

-End of Chapter 1, part 1-

(A/N): My first story! Please comment, fav., follow, etc. It really helps! I swear I'll try my best to respond to all comments.

UPDATE: Fixed a few missed errors. Added a new paragraph to add clarity to the v-guard teacher's duty.

*Neo-humans- or "New" humans. Basically what I'm going to use when I am referring to Awoken, Humans, and Exos collectively.