"This was our world, our solar system. We were here first. And no matter what the darkness brings, we will be here at dawn." - Grimoire of the Humans
The Ghost's shell whirled about as she processed the implications of her breakthrough. She, as well as others, knew that aside from those previously mentioned few, no one had been on Mercury since the Dark Age after the Collapse. Of course, there hadn't been many people left on Mercury at the time, as what remained of humanity had abandoned it in their search for the Traveler. Perhaps I've discovered the remains of one who'd been left behind?
She scanned the bones once more but was unable to ascertain the length of time they'd been in the ground. It must have been a while because most of them had crumbled and broken down. What surprised her though, was the amount of Light present. Ever since she'd landed on the tempestuous planet, she hadn't come into contact with any Light outside of her own. This was something she'd expected, seeing as Mercury's only occupants were creatures of the Dark, but after going so long without the Light's touch, the Light radiating from the old bones felt to her like a warm breeze breaking through winter's shell.
She basked in the feeling for a few short moments while she considered what she should do next. On one hand, she'd always been told that her one true function was to locate her Guardian and when the time came for a revival, she would just know. But this might mean nothing for all I know. It could be that I'm just glad of the Light's comfort. She wished there was someone else to advise her, but she knew that even if there had been, the decision would have still rested with her and her alone. We haven't had a new Guardian in so long, she thought, Maybe the time has come for it to happen again. Deep down, she was aware that she was only stalling on behalf of herself. Thoughts of doubt plagued her. What if I can't revive them at all? What if I do revive them but they end up dead anyway? How would a new Guardian survive on Mercury, the planet of machines? What if I mess up and the Tower found out? I'd be known as the Ghost that caused the Guardians' extinction... Stop it! she scolded, The only question you need to be asking yourself is 'Does this soul deserve another chance?' The Ghost bobbed up and down slightly. "Any person with this much Light left deserves a second chance. I will do it."
She set to her task with a fevered determination. Now that her mind was made up, she resolved to remain steadfast in her choice. "I will give this soul another chance or die in the process," she said grimly, even though she knew that no Ghost had ever died in such a way, or if it was even possible to die from it.
After taking a moment to steel herself, she expanded her shell and called upon the Light that resided in the bones of her future Guardian, elevating them to the surface. "Now the tricky part…" She gathered the Light and spread it, intertwined with her own, throughout the body until, satisfied, she closed her shell and retreated to a few feet away. Whirring with anticipation, she felt the Light grow stronger, glowing brighter and brighter until it blotted out everything else around her. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the glow faded, leaving the Guardian's newly restored body resting on Mercury's barren terrain.
Shell trembling in excitement, the Ghost moved forward. "Guardian?" she asked tentatively. No response. "Guardian. Wake up!" Nothing. "Guardian!" There! A movement! It wasn't much, just a twitch of the fingers, but it told the Ghost that yes, the revival had worked. She raised her voice a bit more. "Hey! Guardian!" The figure sat up with a jolt, more of a gut reaction than anything else. "Eyes up, Guardian."
The Guardian's head jerked up and around before facing her. "Wh-what? Where-?"
"You're alive!" the Ghost chirped, doing a little flip in the air. She noted that the Guardian was male and watched as he unsteadily got to his feet.
"What...what are you?"
"I'm a Ghost! Well, your Ghost now."
"A...Ghost?"
"Yep! And you are a Guardian."
"What's a Guardian?!" he glanced wildly around at the Mercurian landscape, "Where am I?!"
The Ghost decided to answer the easier of the two questions. "You are on Mercury."
"What?!"
She sighed. "Look, I know this is weird and a little terrifying, but...you've been dead for some time and...Let's just say you'll see a lot of stuff that won't really make sense." The Guardian seemed to notice that he was clad in armor. She watched as he stared at his gloved hands before reaching up to feel his helmet.
"What is this stuff?"
"When I found you, there was nothing left except, well...you know...bones. So I made you some armor."
"You can do that?"
"Yep.
I had materials in storage from before I left, so I used those in addition to your Light to fabricate armor." "...I think I understood some of that?" The Guardian's hands reached up to feel his helmet again. "Can-is it ok if I take this off?"
The Ghost nodded. "Should be. Just don't look directly at the Sun. The Vex tech makes it less bright and hot around here, but I'd rather you didn't go blind."
After hesitating a moment as if to make sure she was serious, the Guardian removed his helmet. The Ghost's first impression of him was...young. He was by no means a teenager, but he was also a good few years younger than the average Guardian. His face possessed a slight tan that complimented his dark green eyes. His jaw was sharp, but still carried with it a hint of youth which, when paired with his boyish haircut, made him seem even younger.
He watched the Ghost as she observed him. He still looked a little leery of her. That's expected, though, after what he's been through. Finally, he dropped his gaze, instead turning it to the unfamiliar environment surrounding him. "Be honest. Is this really Mercury?"
"Affirmative. You're standing on the smallest, second densest planet in the solar system."
His face drained of color. "H-how...how is that possible?"
The Ghost clicked at him, puzzled. "The Traveler made it possible centuries ago," she said, "...Have you not heard of the Traveler?" He shook his head, but the confusion in his eyes had been answer enough. Taken aback, the Ghost started muttering to herself. "That shouldn't happen. The Traveler has been known to humanity since the Golden Age…" She looked at her Guardian. Although he could not see it, she was concerned. "Guardian...what is your name?"
He frowned at her and opened his mouth, seemingly about to reply, when he stopped cold. The Ghost saw his eyes flick frantically back and forth as he tried to recall his own name. The Ghost gave a sad mechanical sigh and was about to address him again when his eyes lit up. "I remember!" he said, "...My name is Harley. Harley...Hayden."
Thank the Traveler! "Ok, Harley. Where do you come from?"
"I...have no idea," he said helplessly, "I can't remember anything else. It's like my mind's been wiped clean… Weird. I still know how to speak English…We are speaking English right?"
"Yes. This is English."
"That's good. Haven't lost everything entirely… But I asked you how this could be Mercury earlier…"
"Yes. You did ask me that. And the only reason I haven't answered was because I assumed you at least had some basic knowledge of the events of the past."
"Well, clearly I don't, so if we could get to the part about how I'm standing on the closest planet to the Sun, that'd be just dandy."
Wonderful. He has an attitude. "Very well. I'll tell you, but we should find somewhere where you can sit down...It's a very long story." Although Traveler knows I have all the time I need...
A/N: Had some extra time this weekend, so I decided to get another part done. The next update might take some more time as I'm really busy right now. In the meantime, leave a review telling me what you think. I don't really know what you guys think of this story, so I'd love to hear it. :)
- TheWolfParadox