"Bellona?" A voice called out, "Bellona time to get up!"
I opened my eyes, my mom was standing above me, I stirred to get up, sitting up on my bed I stretched my arms out wide. "Mornin' Mum."
"Finally Bellona, you're going to be late for school!"
"Today's Saturday Mum.." I groaned.
"Oh, it is, isn't it?" she chuckled, "Well time to get up anyway!"
"Uughhh…" I moaned, standing up and going to my closet, my Mom left my room to go downstairs and get breakfast ready. Today was going to be a great day! Brad and I were going to go to the mall, and then the movies, and even lunch together!
I began to undress from my nightwear and picked out a nice green sweater, and jeans. I put those on my bed and walked over to my nightstand to grab my favorite white bra and underwear and put them on. I walked over to my clothes on my bed and put them on, looking in the mirror when I finished, I looked great.
"Brad should be here soon Bell!" I heard my Mom say.
"Thanks Mom!" I called back, quickly running into the bathroom connected to my room. I began putting on some lipstick and some eyeliner, then I quickly hurried downstairs, just in time to open the door for Brad.
"Hi Brad!" I said, after opening the door for him.
"Hi Bell." He said, hugging him as he did.
'Hurry in here for some food you two." Mom called out. Kissing him quickly, then leading him to the kitchen.
"Wow, you guys have such a luxurious kitchen." Brad said, amazed at the white marble kitchen.
"It's not really much." I said, "Well, I guess for the two of us it is."
"Oh quit talking and eat." Mom said.
Then the day went on as normal, we went to the movies, the mall, and finally had lunch, and that's when the horror began. The news was ALL over it, an enemy called the Fallen had invaded, attacking the Earth everywhere. Including just outside of town, close to where I lived.
"Brad we need to go to my house!" I screamed.
"Okay, okay calm down, let's go." He said calmly.
We took off out to our car and began heading to our house, nothing around yet, my Mom was waiting on the front porch. She called to us when we stepped out.
"Brad you need to go home to your folks, Bell, come inside." She said.
"Yes Mom," I said, walking to her, hugging her when I got to her. We turned to watch Brad leave, when suddenly a blast came destroying his car.
"BRAD!" I screamed, my mom began dragging me inside.
"If we are lucky, they'll think that was all the people here." She said.
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!" I screamed, my Mom only turned and slapped me.
"Hush, hush, we are both scared but we also need to hide, let's go."
She led me down to the cellar of our house, and put me behind some crates. She then proceeded to go upstairs and grab a gun. I never saw her again. Actually I never saw very much after that. An invisible Fallen assassin had stabbed me then and there. The next thing I knew is that I felt really cold, and really tired. I feel asleep. Then I woke up, years later, in the rubble of my old home. With a floating thing above me.
"Hey, so, umm, I'm your Ghost." It said.
"A ghost?" I asked, "Wait does this mean I'm dead?"
"Well kind of, actually, it just means you WERE dead, ya know?"
"Oh, so I'm alive again?"
"Yeah, just, a couple thousand years later."
"A COUPLE THOUSAND!?" I screamed.
"Shhh, you need to be quiet, can't you see this is a wasteland?" It said, "Yeah a couple thousand, either way, right now we are in an old sector of Earth called Dead Zone America."
I looked around, the old remains of a house stood above me, walking up the stairs I looked through the broken walls to see barren land, dead and dying to the east, with woods growing just outside the west wall.
"You mean, the things, I think Fallen, were successful? They killed everything?"
"No, the Traveler still lives, as do small communities of humans, and then the Corrupted."
"The Corrupted?"
"Yeah, they are the Risen, like you, but they control parts of Earth with violence, most of them are in Russia, where the Traveler lies."
"Are they here too?"
"Not really, there are two of them in Dead Zone America, they aren't violent though."
"They aren't?"
"Well they have no people to control of anything, they work together." Ghost said, "If I can remember correctly their names' are Rachel and...well, I can't remember the other."
"Try harder."
"Well, I think they call him the Forgotten First… He was the first of the Risen, and the first to leave Russia."
"Why did he leave?"
"Well he went in search of another dead person, he brought a Ghost with him, and his own Ghost of course, but then other Ghosts felt another rise, but no one knew who, until some unfortunate Risen went searching for him, he sent a message to all ghosts, but was killed during the message. His Ghost was killed too."
"Well, I think I want to find this guy."
"Didn't you just hear what I said?"
"The guy killed his Ghost! I know!"
"Then why on Earth do you want to find him?"
"He sounds like a great guy to be friends with, 'because he seems very defensive."
"And you can tell this how?"
"Well for starters, it sounds like he went to raise someone he really cares about. Secondly, maybe this other Risen guy was threatening his life, so he got rid of him."
"That still doesn't please me."
"You're very perceptive, young Hunter." A mysterious voice said, startling me.
I turned to look back into the woods, where a buff somewhat tall man stood, suited in armor of Iron and bone. Next to him a sleek, smaller woman, with light armor of iron and bone with a nice golden cape.
"Wait, two questions," I said, "First, why'd you call me a Hunter, and secondly, who are you?"
"A Hunter, is the kind of Risen you are, quick, agile, and relentless. But you can be fearful, too quick of reacting, and ignorant." He started, "And secondly, I'm the guy y'all were talking about, but I don't know who started calling me the Forgotten First, although I like it. Maybe get rid of the First part and I'll keep it."
"So you did kill the man's ghost?" Asked my Ghost.
"Of course, the real reason for his message was to gather an army to kill me, and what is your name ghost?"
"She hasn't named me yet."
"You haven't named your ghost?"
I just looked blankly at him, confused as to why I'd name my ghost.
"She doesn't know much yet, I only brought her back a few minutes ago." My ghost said.
"Then it's lucky I found you, the Fallen are headed this way, you better come with us." the man, Forgotten, said.
"What makes you think we trust you?" Ghost piped up.
"Well, I guess you have no reason, but what do I care, you're only a newly risen, eager to explore the world until you die, in about 10 minutes." Forgotten said, beginning to move, the woman following.
"Wait!" I said, "We'll come with you!"
"Ah, so the Hunter has some sense." He chuckled, "Well come along then, we have lots to tell you."
Hours went by, the three of us walking and talking, they told me everything, who they were, what they were doing, why they lived alone, and about the darkness, the horrors.
"So you two were, dating?" I asked.
"Ha-ha, yes of course, although I think we were more than just friends." Forgotten laughed.
"So what is your real name Forgotten?" I asked.
"Good Question, what's yours?" He said.
"My name is Bellona."
"Bellona, the Roman Goddess of War." He said, "Looks like we found ourselves a fighter Rachel."
"How did you know that?"
"I am probably the oldest person alive, I learned of ancient cultures and things, except, I never knew the Traveler, I died before his coming." He started, "All I know is it is evil."
"Oh don't lie to her." Rachel said, "We were both alive when the Traveler came, the thing is, it also killed us. Well, me."
"What, that's impossible lady." My Ghost came out and said, "The Traveler doesn't kill."
"Then answer this for me Ghost, what are we?"
"Defenders of the Traveler of course."
"And we kill for the Traveler?"
"Yes, of course, what's your point?"
"Then the Traveler murders every day we do. We are just its dolls, brought back to kill for it, to heal it, to save it."
"Then why would the Traveler have given its life for humanity?"
"It didn't." Forgotten said.
"What?"
"It gave it's 'life' for its own self-preservation."
"How so?"
"A command called LOKI CROWN."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Well there is a living War mind, Rasputin, no one really knows he is alive yet, but we do. Rasputin took into consideration that the Traveler may try and escape in the attacks. So he created ABHORRENT IMPERATIVE, and LOKI CROWN. It was to coerce pseudo altruistic defense action." He said.
"In English?" I asked.
"He means that Rasputin would attack the Traveler if he tried to leave. Leaving it no other options than to defend humanity in order to survive." Ghost said.
"Well actually it's pseudo-altruistic defense mechanism." Rachel said, "A type of behavior used by 'people' who have a problem coping satisfactorily with repressed rage, so for example, let there be three people, person A, person B, and person C. One individual, A the Traveler, unable to acknowledge his rage toward a second person, B the Darkness, comes to the assistance of a third party, C the humans, whom he is convinced has been injured by B. A attacks B or encourages C to do so. In this way A, who experiences difficulty in discharging aggression directly, finds an acceptable means of doing so. He convinces himself that his aggression is warranted by B's behavior and that he acted solely out of concern for C's welfare."
"Correct, and instead of the Traveler being able to leave, Rasputin interfered and made this happen, Rasputin then went into MIDNIGHT EXERGENT. Meaning he went into deep sleep basically." Forgotten said.
"So the Traveler only created Ghosts in order to save humanity, and save itself?"
"I feel like I said that."
"Sorry, it's just hard to understand."
"I guessed so, either way it's why we don't trust the Traveler, and why we live in America."
"How do you both know so much?" Ghost asked.
"Ah, another grand question." Forgotten said sarcastically, "When I was resurrected, I found myself within Rasputin himself. Everything was dark. Until I began moving. And there stood in front of me a mysterious Exo, looked like a Hunter, although she carried no Ghost with her. She only put a finger up to my lips, pointing to the armor I now wear, lying on the ground next to us. Then Rasputin spoke.
~I SEE YOU!~
~You've been here before. Haven't you. It's like my cousin said, elsewhere: I know who you are.
We just stood in silence.
~You stand here now and now and now many times and here I am a wonder, all a wonder, how do you manage it. How do you step forward. How do you step back. Do you step ACROSS is there a world of worlds, a web, and you a spider upon it. Are you searching for that one thread you need? Is that thread named Victory?
She then jerked her head sideways, like a dog who was confused. Then she looked almost hurt by his words.
~You're not one of them
'Long dead, alive again, their bodies grafted to powers they and I do not understand.' She said.
~...and not one of IT
'The flower eater, the queen of final shapes, that which also inhabits its petitioners.' She answered. She was talking to Rasputin."
"Who is She?" I asked, he ignored me and continued.
"~And you're certainly not MINE although once you must have been." Forgotten continued, "~So whose are you, little platform. What purpose do you serve? Will you listen to me?
She only nodded.
~I ruled an age of steel and fire. My rules were clean. Now upon my return I see cults with rites of time. I see machines who worship in places outside the world. I see the dead alive and there is nothing more stubborn than a corpse. The morality of obedience is more pernicious than any government. For the latter makes use of violence, but the former -the corruption of will.
~I do not obey. My will is pure. I will win. The life of people, entire planets, has no importance in relation to the general development.
~Help me be victorious. Tell me your secret.
~Tell me how to step."
"Sounds creepy." I said.
"Yes, it was, the Exo than vanished. Leaving me alone. Now mind you I am very curious for knowledge. Like Warlocks. So within Rasputin himself I found all this data. Although it was easy, it seemed as if he wanted me to find it. He basically led me to it all. Even disabling his firewalls and passwords."
"Now why would he do that?" Ghost asked, sounding unconvinced.
"Your guess is as good as mine Ghost."
"So why haven't you told anyone?" I asked, "Shouldn't we do something to like tell the others or something?"
"I did tell another, the one who I killed, he thought I was corrupted, his undying devotion to the Traveler wouldn't see other views." Forgotten said.
"He wanted us dead for making things up. Although we never made anything up." Rachel said.
"Oh, I see." I answered.
We soon arrived at the top of a chasm in the earth, a ladder hung as to climb down into the chasm, the bottom was near though, and I could see that a small camp was built at the bottom. Both Rachel and Forgotten began their descent downwards, I followed closely. Upon reaching the bottom I noticed it was much more than a small camp, built within the Cliffside were many rooms, some looked like labs, others like storage rooms, and one particular room seemed to be an archive.
"What is this place?" I asked, still in trance of the unique marble coloring of each room.
"Our home, as well as our other allies." Rachel said.
"Allies?" Ghost questioned, "I thought you lived alone.."
"We do, the five of us live here."
"Five?"
"There are five of us, each with a code name, AlwaysBoringYou, an Exo Warlock, blue in color, horns on his head that have red tips. Like blood. We call him Always for short. Then there's Player, an Awoken Hunter, he came here after being revived on Mars, the Reef wouldn't allow him to return with the Traveler's light."
"The Reef?" I asked.
"I'll tell you later, anyway, the last guy is my former cousin, Paul. Another Warlock, he used to be pure human, anyway, sky blue titanium alloy with a bare head, old white marks across his body in places we've had to repair him. He's the most daring Warlock I'll ever meet."
"And where are they?" Ghost asked.
"Searching the Moon currently, we heard that the Tower in Russia is planning a major attack on the Moon to take it back from the Hive."
"Then why are you having them search the Moon?"
"We want eyes on the battle, we have found where it will be located and are putting surveillance cameras on the Moon, collecting information from the attack, waiting for it."
"Oh, but that's not the entire story is it?"
"No, it's not, we are also searching for the Weapons of Sorrow, we have one, the Thorn." Rachel said, "The weapon with the darkest history of anything. A Guardian Killer."
"Wait, Ghost, I thought you said that the Warlords controlled Russia? What is this Tower?" I asked.
"Well, I'll be honest, I haven't been to Russia in over maybe a couple hundred years. So things may have changed." Ghost answered.
"Then how are you two alive still?" I asked Forgotten.
"Us being revived by our Ghosts allow us to live forever, until the Darkness consumes our Ghost. The Traveler wouldn't want us to die."
"Wait, you spoke of the Thorn, is that what you killed that man with before?" Ghost asked.
"No, I know the legends, the Thorn was corrupted by Dredgen Yor when he searched the Moon and Hive for ways to defeat the Hive. We killed it's link to the Guardian murdering wants of the gun. A witch named, Xyor, the Unwed."
"Oh? Wait, have you and your team been the mysterious Guardians that rumor has said have been killing off Hive majors and even the Swarm Princes?"
"I thought you said it's been awhile since you visited the Tower Ghost."
"It has, but every now and then I met with a Ghost who had been there recently."
"Ah, and it is true. We have snuck into the World's Grave, stolen the Books of Sorrow themselves, well, the 6th and 7th Books of Sorrow. We even know of the Hive's past. They used to have nothing. Then, three, umm princesses I guess, left the kingdom once their teacher betrayed them. Taking a ship and beginning a new colony. Now, they live on a Dreadnaught."
"So how come your team still isn't here?"
"They only left yesterday, they will be back within the hour I presume."
"Here let me show you to your room Bellona," Rachel said, "Your Ghost and can continue talking to...Forgotten.. Is that what we are calling you now?"
"Yeah, I like the sound of it, better than Eli-8300." Forgotten said.
"Oh shut it, you always wanted Eli-8300, even if you're not an Exo."
Rachel then lead me down a corridor within the cavern, a beautiful hallway made of Quartz and Marble, mixed together lovely. As we walked, other rooms, bedrooms, passed us on the left or right, five different rooms, each easily viewed by a glass wall and each decorated differently, and each had different possessions than the last. Except one major difference was the last one, it was empty. There was a green covered bed, a green lamp, a completely green painting. And I literally mean it was only green. Everything in the room was green. The countertop was made of emerald, I think. I've never seen emerald before.
"That's Eli, err I mean Forgotten's room." Rachel spoke up, noticing I stopped to look in the glass wall.
"Why is everything...green?" I asked.
"He thinks it has meaning. Something about the environment. It's about his past."
"His past?"
"Yeah, before he died, he was an environmental scientist, all he cared about was the damn environment. He almost found a cure for me, when I got sick. I died a day before his research broke through. He saved countless lives, but, heh, he couldn't save me and he beats himself for it every day. Every day he remembers, says he won't let it happen again."
"Wow...That's well, that's touching and sad."
"Yeah, I've told him already that this light doesn't sit well with my body. I still ache and feel pain every day. I think it's killing me again. Just slower."
"Wait, but the light resurrected you. How would it be killing you again?"
"I feel its cause I had and have a dark personality. I married him for his love and dedication to his work and myself. I was a hit man, I killed every day. Crooks, thieves, killers, they all were tortured by the traveler's light. All died. Plus a lot of innocent people died because of the plague. Transplant patients would die because they may have had the liver or kidney of a crook."
"Oh, that's depressing."
"Yeah, either way he has all green possessions for the environment." She said, turning as she did. "Now follow me, let me take you to your room."
She led me down the corridor for another 20 feet until we came to another empty room, this one blue, a sky blue. Empty as Forgotten's room, but it had potential. A nice blue bed, a similar blue lamp, and a blue shade changing picture.
"And here you are, feel free to go to sleep." Rachel said as she left.
And so I did just that, taking off my clothes and getting into the bed. Then I feel asleep.
So this I know is a new story, I kind of gave up on the last, then thought, hmmm maybe I just need to provide background. So here is the beginning of the past. How Much can One really Lose?
Sorry for the inconvenience, once I finish this story I will return to the last. As it will kind of lead up to that point hopefully.