A/N: No time skip on this one. Picks up right where last chapter left off.
Hunger of Darkness
It took an hour for Adeen to be able to pick up Thorn for more than 10 minutes. She tried to force her will upon it, to subdue its unrelenting hatred, but her Light wasn't strong enough. All she could do was defend herself against its darkness. Hopefully she was strong enough for that.
At one point, she tried to fire it, but nothing happened. It was almost like it refused to shoot. Its hunger intensified, pushing to the forefront.
Eventually a Wizard found her, and she quickly holstered Thorn and drew her own hand cannon. It was a fairly easy fight—Fusion Grenades worked wonders against Wizards. Strangely, as its death shriek faded away, Thorn's hunger diminished an infinitesimal amount.
Adeen didn't spend time wondering about it because the Wizard reminded her that she was still, in fact, in the Summoning Pits. It was a wonder that it took that long for an enemy to show up.
She slowly made her way back to the surface, and every time she killed a Hive, she felt Thorn's hunger decrease. Even when she killed a few lost Fallen who wandered too far into the catacombs, the hunger lessened. However, the longer she went without killing, the more its hunger returned.
As Adeen neared the surface, she started hearing...things. A skittering just beyond the edge of her vision, a distant scream from some unknown creature, silent weeping all around her. Then, in the void between the sounds, she heard it.
"Yor."
The word sent a jolt down her spine. Thorn seemed to grow hot as if it had also reacted to the whisper. Its rage, previously overshadowed by its hunger, immediately sprung to the forefront. Adeen felt terror. How could an object become the focal point of enough darkness to become its physical embodiment?
She had to get back to the Tower. Maybe proximity to the Traveler could suppress Thorn's darkness. At the very least, she could find someone to talk to. The only question was who. Ikora Rey? No, she wouldn't understand Adeen's choice to seek the weapon out. Master Kenval? No, he had already said he couldn't support her actions. Maybe the Speaker? Theoretically, if anyone would have an answer, it was him.
Mind made up and finally on the surface, she warped up to her ship and set a course for The City. The trip seemed longer than normal. Adeen wasn't sure why. There was a feeling, a noise just barely out of earshot. It wormed its way into her head, tickling the edges of her perception. Finally, she took Thorn out of its holster and placed it underneath her seat. The noise instantly disappeared, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She made a mental note: Just because she could hold Thorn for extended periods didn't mean she should. It worried her, to say the least, that this gun had such an effect on her. Hopefully the Speaker would have answers.
When she finally landed on the Tower, she hurried to the Speaker's chambers. Thorn was back in its holster, and Adeen worried she might not have much time before it got to her again.
"Well met, Guardian," the Speaker said as she approached. "To what do I owe this visit?"
"I seek your council, Speaker," Adeen said, adopting a slightly more formal tone. "I have found what I believe to be an artifact of great power, and I would appreciate your guidance in the matter.
"I will offer what wisdom I may. Please, show me the artifact."
Adeen withdrew Thorn from its holster and presented it to the Speaker. Even though his face was hidden, his body language spoke volumes; he was frightened.
"Do you know what you hold in your hands, Guardian?" he asked.
"I believe it to be the Weapon of Sorrow, Thorn."
"If you knew that, then you are either very brave or very suicidal. However…" He moved closer to inspect the weapon. "Something seems...different. I would expect such an infamous weapon to be projecting more darkness."
For some reason, that statement hit Adeen like a sniper shot. It should be darker than it already was? How was that possible? It was already the single most evil thing she had ever encountered. The Speaker continued on, unaware of the effect his words had had on her.
"It feels empty, like a husk of what it should be. Tell me, how did you find this?"
Adeen quickly recapped the events that led her to the Summoning Pits. "When it was over, I found a pile of flesh sitting there on the ground. It was grotesque, so I destroyed it. Thorn was sat inside."
"Interesting. I believe the Wizards were trying to create an Ogre by leeching away the darkness and hatred contained within Thorn. The weapon you now carry is but a shell of its former self. What have you noticed while possessing it?
"It...it hungers," Adeen said.
"Hungers for what?" the Speaker asked.
Everything. "The Hive. I think it hates them."
"Then perhaps we can return this instrument of sorrow to the Light. Feed its hunger, Guardian. Fight the Hive, and when you feel its hunger is sated, return to me."
"Thank you for your wisdom and guidance, Speaker," Adeen said. She turned around to leave. As she descended the stairs, she heard the Speaker.
"Light be with you, Guardian."
Light be with me, she thought. Will the Light be enough to contain something so evil? She sincerely hoped so. If not, it would be the death of her. Or worse.
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Three months. Adeen spent three long months on the Moon, mercilessly hunting Hive. She may be mad, following in Toland's footsteps closer than she had intended. She heard the whispers.
Eir. Ur. Xol. Yul.
Eventually, she heard traces of a fifth: Yût.
That one came with something else. Just hints, and those hints contained notes to a song of such unimaginable power. A song of such totality even in its fragments that to hear its whole would mean the end.
The end of what? She didn't dare consider.
Thousands of Hive fell, yet Thorn was insatiable. Its gluttony so absolute that even Light could not escape.
Then one day—no different from any other—it ended. Its hunger vanished. The whispers stopped. The song, inching ever closer to its crescendo, ceased. The silence deafened her. She couldn't think coherently without the constant background noise permeating her mind.
Adeen fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Never in her life had she experienced something so wonderful. Months of torment over. As coherence returned, she realized she didn't have much time. The longer she had gone without killing, the more Thorn's hunger had increased. Who knew how long she had before its hunger might return now that it was gone?
She hurried back to the Tower. When she finally stood before the Speaker, he greeted her warmly.
"Guardian, I am happy to see you return safely," he said. "Tell me, has Thorn's hunger been sated?"
"I believe so, Speaker," Adeen said. She took the weapon out and gave it to him. He examined it for a few moments.
"Yes, I do believe you are correct." He paused and looked closer at Adeen. "Though I feel a change in you. Your Light has dimmed since last we spoke. It would seem even an empty husk of something so evil still has the power to corrupt." He took another moment to study her. "However, it has not yet claimed you completely, Guardian. Be thankful for that. I can stop the blight from spreading. But you must cleanse the weapon, and yourself, with an infusion of Light."
Adeen reached into her back and withdrew a small shimmering orb. "I obtained this Mote of Light while on the Moon. Will this do?"
"Yes, it will do nicely." The Speaker took the mote and the weapon. The mote seemed to liquify, and it slowly flowed over towards Thorn. Before her very eyes, the Light seeped into the tainted weapon. It glowed blindingly bright for an instant, and when the light subsided, something was different. Aesthetically, nothing had changed, but the overwhelming aura of hatred and darkness was gone. Well, not quite gone. More subdued, overpowered by the infusion of Light.
Not only did Thorn seem different, but Adeen also felt changed. She felt like some unknown bond had been severed, and a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt her Light grow brighter.
"The infusion was a success, Guardian," the Speaker said. "I can already sense the blight diminishing."
"Thank you so much, Speaker," Adeen said from the bottom of her heart. "Even more than when my Ghost found me, I feel reborn." She paused and looked at Thorn, still in the Speaker's hand. "What will happen to it now?"
"Its bond to the Darkness has been severed. By all rights, Thorn is now yours." He held Thorn out to her, and she took it reverently. "You are being entrusted with an enormous power; use it wisely."
"I will, Speaker. Again, thank you."
With Thorn at her hip (and not trying to corrupt her), Adeen felt rejuvenated to continue her search for Toland's teachings. Thorn had taught her a valuable lesson about the power of the Hive, but now she had a way to fight back, to rend the very creatures from which the gun had spawned.
"To rend one's enemies is to see them not as equals, but objects - hollow of spirit and meaning."
This wasn't entirely true. The Hive had meaning. They were meant to die by her hand.