A/N: To all readers in Japan reading Destiny: Skyfall, please forgive me if I butcher your language. Gommennasai (Sorry).
Chapter XI: In with the Darkness
Orbit of Jupiter, Solar System
"It is good to hear from you, yes? Petra mauled by grief when word of Awoken fleet eliminated by Dreadnaught reached her. Thought no one made it out," the familiar voice of the Vandal belonging to the House of Judgement rang crisp and clear within the helmet of the Queen's personal knight, whom was already in her Draught of Nectar far away from the Hades' Soul. She was lucky to have snuck away from the Cabal warship undetected, and that was just a small step into her plan.
"Sorry for making you and Petra worried, Variks. I had some business to attend to." The Sunstriker checked all of her vital instruments to both her ship and armor, confirming whether or not she was ready to go. "Variks, I have a favor to ask of you."
"How shall I help you, my friend?"
"I want you to scan for any form of distress signals coming from the Dreadnaught and relay it to me as soon as I do one last thing. I'm headed back to Earth."
"I assume this is another of your suicidal plans, yes?" she heard the Vandal chuckle in his foreign tongue, setting coordinates back to Earth. "I shall do as you ask. Good luck."
"You know me too well that I won't need it." Once the ship confirmed the coordinates to her destination, she punched the 'launch' command on her console. The HUD in front of her eyes started counting down, and she took a deep breath as it continued to tick away the minutes until her ship makes the jump.
Spectre… I swear it. I will protect you. I'll get you out of there…but not without the rest of us. As much as Silver, Rez, and the others on Hades' Soul was reliable and trustworthy, there were some aspects between her and her brother that none of them knew. They didn't understand the both of them. Not like the rest of the kazoku. A kazoku that Lightning and Spectre had grown up with.
The hand on the overdrive throttle gripped it tighter than normal, and her teeth grinded against each other. For all of her life, she had to obey the wishes and orders the Cyphers gave her, and she knew how much Spectre had acted like an insubordinate. But now…now she just couldn't take it. It further boiled her blood. She wouldn't abandon her family. Not now, and not ever.
The Cyphers contacted her on a private comms channel unknown to the Tower and the Speaker. And what they said pissed her off. For the first time since they sent her off to the Reef.
They knew about Spectre's capture. They knew that he was without Primus. And the worst of it all? The Cyphers pulled the plug on Spectre being the one to carry out the Absolution Directive and left him for dead. They won't rescue him. Because in their eyes, he failed them. He didn't live up to their expectations just with his capture. And to add salt to her wound, they transferred his part of the Absolution Directive to her and expected her to complete it, despite her protests of never abandoning her brother and saying that he was the better candidate for the Absolution Directive. Even with her protests, they simply refused to listen to her and just signed off. Now she understood why Spectre hated them, aside from forcing him to kill Vesper.
She glanced towards a pre-Golden Age frame resting next to the stand where her Empress of the Abyss was put away. In the ancient relic that practically no one else would use, she felt remorse and a feeling of content. The photo was of her, Spectre and their about-to-be sister-in-law, along with three others huddled around and smiling…except for one, who only crossed his arms while the rest enjoyed the moment. All in all, the photo revealed that, including her brother, Vesper and herself, there were a male Titan, a Hunter, and one female Warlock. The only oddest thing about the six was that they were all human. No signs of the Awoken or Exos anywhere.
For the first time in nine years, I'll see the rest of them. I'll be coming home…to them.
The countdown on her interlinked HUD finally reached zero. At the instant the timer reached zero, her ship made the launch to jumpspace, entering the all-too familiar cobalt tunnel.
-Destiny-
Old Tokyo, Old Japan
Out of all the places on Earth he could've chosen to train and or seclude himself, it had to be here. Why am I not surprised? As much as she was used to the Old Russia environment, this terrain and environment was something she never got to adapt to. Given that the terrain in Old Tokyo─now a city overflowing with vegetation much like Old New York─, it just reminded her of Old Chicago. And with it, her motivation of why she changed now.
Even in this environment, it's clear as day that due to the vegetation, anything could be lurking within them. The sound of chirping birds native to the area was the only sound to the Titan and Ghost's ears, which was the only thing they heard aside from Lightning trudging through the knee-deep grass.
The Sunstriker continued to walk down one of the many streets near one of the parks in Tokyo, completely lost and unsure about where to find them. "Don't you really think that this was a bad idea? I mean, you don't even know where to find him in the first place." The 'twin' of Primus asked, shell whirring as she looked at her partner. Artemis only got a scoff in reply.
"That's one thing you need to know about him."
"And that is?"
The Ghost's question was abruptly answered when a wave of unknown blue energy came streaking against the ground like a shark's fin on land from deep within the vegetation. Quickly, Lightning drew out her Infinite Edge and deflected the fin-like attack. However, the energy attack dispersed and separated into smaller versions of themselves on contact, which struck the Titan in many areas. Acting in unison, the attack give out their last blow, throwing her across the street.
"Lightning!"
Shaking off the impact, Lightning only had a split moment to react before a shadow appeared from above, a giant sword in hand and struck downward with it. She attempted to roll out of the way, but her foot was caught in a pothole in the ground, mixed with vegetation that tangled itself to her ankle. By the time Lightning looked up, she was already too late. The flat end of the blade threw her back where her Ghost was still hovering, skidding against the concrete. Stabbing her sword into the ground, she used it as support and got back up, quickly removing it from the concrete and blocking with her sword. The metals between the two sparked, the Solar-Arc fusion from her Infinite edge dancing like a storm against the dull-black sword that was about the width of a mirror. Comparing the two swords, it would seem that Lightning's Infinite Edge should've broke against the larger blade. But that wasn't the case.
She took advantage of the situation and swiftly delivered the same Arcburn strike she used on Adam back on Hades' Soul, melting off the lower jaw portion of the attacker's helmet. However, the attacker had evaded the thrown punch and grasped Lightning's neck, pinning her against the wall. He raised his sword, ready to put her down. The older twin of Spectre only winced and closed her eyes, wanting the 'Guardian down' state to come already.
A heavy thud rang in her ears, and for once, did she dare look. Instead of the blade tearing her in half, it found itself embedded in the wall, the attacker's helmet staring at her own. Their hand was still wrapped around her neck, but not as forceful as it was only a few seconds ago.
"Ohisashiburu desu, Raitoningu-san. It's been a while, Lightning." The attacker freed his weapon from the wall, slinging it against his back and letting go of Lightning. Now, Lightning was able to get a better look at the one who attacked her. It was a Titan, sharing the same black colored scheme like Spectre, Rez and Reaper, but entirely different in terms of armor. In fact, three of the four armor types were Exotic-grade. He had An Insurmountable Skullfort for a helmet, the 'bulls-eye' lighting on the visor completely absent and visor colored like the rest of the armor; Ruin Wings as his gauntlets; Spearhead Type 0 covering his chest and torso with the metal badge of a wolf's head over his heart connecting two straps forming an 'x' on his chest; and a full set of Mk. 44 Stand Asides as his boots. He had no mark that made him a Titan whatsoever, but there were pouches around his hip like the ones on Spectre's Honor of Cormorant present and black cloth covering his left leg and right arm.
Under her Golden Bull Mask, she only faintly smiled as he did in the photo they all took. "Not surprising to see you secluded in a place like this, Cloud."
"Cyphers kara nani wo kitai shi masu ka? What would you expect from the Cyphers?" the titan responded, looking over her shoulder at Artemis, then back at her. "Spectre-san ha doko desu? Where's Spectre?"
"That's exactly why I'm here."
"Karega komatte iru ja nai desu ka? He's in trouble, isn't he?"
"Yeah. And honestly, I need you and the rest of the kazoku to help me," hovering right above the two Titans was the familiar Draught of Nectar owned by the Sunstriker, the rear hatch opening for the two to board.
"Ta no ni nin ga iru baai ha kono chikyuujou ni nokotte tsu ichi dake. If you want to know where the other two are, there's only one place left on the planet."
"Right. Looks like we have one last stop," just as she set foot in her ship, her comms channel began ringing. She pressed two fingers to her audio receptor. "Variks, did you find anything?"
"Was looking, searching for signals. Could not find one. Could not understand Spectre's signal wavelength. Bad data. Search signals?" Variks laughed once more in his Fallen tongue, indicating whether it was good news or bad news. "Could not find distress signal because there is none. Picked up faint signal within Dreadnaught."
"Knowing Spectre, he would've kept his signal below the radar because of the Skyburners. I'll start from that faint signal, Variks. Relay me the coordinates of that signal."
-Destiny-
Rings of Saturn, Solar System
"So that's where Spectre's being held."
A Hunter observed from the loading bay in the Draught of Nectar, taking in the sight of the Dreadnaught. Based on his look from the light, he had brown unruly hair and eyes similar in shade to Spectre and Lightning, but the more defining aspect was a diagonal scar across his forehead and nose. He sat next to Cloud, whose giant sword was leaning against the bench since the weapon couldn't let him sit down.
"Let's admit it, he was bound to screw up somewhere eventually."
"Watashiha Spectre-san ga kareni sashidasu nantoka odoroi te iru watashitachi no nokori no bubun ni dokuji. Sonogo, futatabi kareto Vesupaa i tachikaku ni ari masu… I'm surprised that Spectre managed to hold out on his own without the rest of us. Then again, he and Vesper were close…"
"Holding his own weight for four years? Knowing him, he was probably drowning in his sorrow."
"Stop with the negative responses, Leon," the Warlock of the group spoke up between the Hunter and Titan's 'argument', closing a hardbound journal that she was skimming through in her one hand. In the dim light of the loading bay, Cloud and Leon could see a woman around their age with short hair with an unnatural light blue color and dark blue eyes contrasting her hair. "I can remember the times you were in the same position, but with your sis─"
"I get the point, Aqua!" exclaimed Leon, springing up from the bench to start a fight with the Titan. Before long, Cloud put a hand on his shoulder and drove him back down on the bench with his insane strength.
"Reon-san, juubun desu. That's enough, Leon," even if Cloud is behind his helmet, the glare he could've sent towards the Hunter already shut him up. "Watashitachi no subete kara karega, un no warui koto wo oboe nakere ba nari mase n. Naze tak, karega aisuru josei wo korosu tame ni karega aru no daro u ka. Anata no imouto ga tamatama josei desu ka? Out of all of us, you have to remember that he was the unluckiest. Why else would he have to kill the woman he loves? A woman that happens to be your sister?"
"Damn you, Cloud. You and your silver tongue…"
"Sore ha watashiga kangae ta mono desu. That's what I thought."
Leon looked over at the Warlock across from him, who only opened the journal and dove deep into what was within it. Her eyes skimmed over each and every line of text and flipped the pages with one finger, followed by her page-flipping hand out and formulating many variations of the Warlock's Force Ignite. From an amplified version of the Stormcaller's Thunderstrike to a floating shard of ice in her hand that was gradually growing, she was clearly a force to be reckoned with, especially with her versatility in her Force Ignite. His attention switched over to his own weapon leaning against the bench much like Cloud's sword. It was intriguing to the sight, with the frame of a handcannon and a sword's blade replacing the barrel of the weapon. Imprinted on the sides of the weapon was the insignia of a lion's head.
The door leading to the cockpit of the Draught of Nectar opened, and in came in Lightning, her weapons both sword and auto rifle at the ready. She hadn't removed her helmet since she picked up Cloud from his 'shrine' in old Tokyo, so the three waiting for landing had to do with it. Cloud, Aqua and Leon directed their attention to the Sunstriker, the shard of ice in Aqua's hand fading away to particles and the Hunter resting his weapon on his lap.
"Are you guys ready for this?" asked Lightning, looking towards Cloud first.
"Hai. Yes."
Aqua tucked her hardbound journal into her side pack, tugging at the hem of her gauntlets. "I'm in too. Besides, Spectre isn't just a member of our Fireteam before he was assigned to the Absolution Directive. He's family. And the four of us is all he has left."
Two out of the three down. Lightning then redirected her attention to Vesper's brother, "Leon?"
"…As much as I personally want to go back to my business, I suppose I can spare some time getting our brother back from the clutches of the Taken King." Venom seethed at the word 'brother', both from the idea of someone like Spectre trying to be his brother-in-law and from previous confrontations.
"Then get ready. We'll be landing in two minutes."
The three acknowledged the order from Lightning and put on their gear, Leon and Aqua putting on their helmets. As if she knew, the Warlock got up and followed after Spectre's older sister, standing in the cockpit with her. Lightning was in the pilot's seat, fist on her cheek and arm propped on the armrest. Obviously, autopilot was active, and Aqua knew that Lightning was in one of her rather rare 'blaming/beating herself up for what she had done' moments. She could just tell.
"Light…" the Warlock placed an assuring hand on the Titan's shoulder, "Don't worry. We'll get him back. You know how all of us were trained."
"I know. I just hope we're not too late." Lightning's Ghost appeared over her shoulder, pressing her shell against her shoulder to do its best to comfort her. "I know Spectre could hold out for so long against the Hive, but this capture… It can't be any typical Hive."
"Are you suggesting that…?"
"Oryx Took a Guardian." Lightning added bluntly, "A Guardian that either despises my brother or all Guardians. Primus said it was a Titan, but it can't be Adam… So who else could it be…?"
Soon enough, her train of thought was derailed. Derailed like another train crashing into it from the side. Under her Golden Bull Mask, her eyes widened. A soft chime similar to pre-Golden Age wind chimes reached the Titan and Warlock's ears, prompting the two to dig into their packs. They found their rose-shaped crystals, and both of them were in one hell of a surprise.
One of the five petals began to wither, despite the rose being made out of crystal. And that meant one thing.
I'm not losing him, not like Vesper! Lightning switched to manual control and hit the overdrive throttle. The silver and black ship raced towards the Dreadnaught, completely unaware that they were in sight of the Cabal warship that Lightning snuck away from.
…Where am… I?
Nothing. The Sunbreaker known to many Guardians as Spectre felt nothing. All there was to him was just…nothing but white. He couldn't move, nor see anything.
Am I… Dead?
Spectre felt like he was floating in the water or floating in zero gravity. He tried to open his eyes, but they refused to obey his command. He also tried moving his arms, but like his eyes, they didn't listen and remained still as a statue. Even behind his eyelids, he saw nothing but white.
So this… is how it ends for me. The Tower's greatest hero, KIA by the newest threat to the system…
He couldn't recall much. The only bits and pieces of his memories during his torture by the Right Hand was the constant beating and stabbings, as well as having a tiny Hive worm in his ear as a part of the Right Hand's sick method of torture. So far, he could only come up with two outcomes. He either died mid-torture, or he slipped into unconsciousness. Hours and hours has he gone through it all. The pain kept piling up until it buried him whole.
"Wild flower, blossoming,
I beg of you, tell me this so I know too,
Why do people fight? They all act as if it's right~"
That voice…
Spectre heard it was close by, just within his ears. He couldn't register whose voice it belonged to right now, but it sounded familiar… And so did the string of verses. It sounded like a lullaby, but it also had aspects of a requiem from the singer's pitch. Soon enough, he felt something. A hand. Fingers brushing against his bloodied and beaten face warmly and gently, followed by humming.
"Don't they know that's no way to live?
Valiant flower, blossoming,
What can you see when you look down on me?
Why can't people say that they're sorry for the way that they've fought~"
Spectre's recollection of his mind began to piece it all together, and eventually he felt his head resting against something like a pillow. A gentle breeze ran through his hair, and so did a smell. A smell of many flowers filling his nostrils. Out of the flowers he could name off the top of his head, one of them has a rather strong presence. The scent of roses. It has to be… It must be!
"I thought we once could,
When the sky has cleared and rains have passed,
I still won't forget the past,
You are not alone on your own~"
"Ves…per…" Spectre groaned, struggling to open his eyes. The singing stopped, and the hand he felt against his face found its place on his scar-sided cheek. After what seemed to be an eternity, he opened his eyes. Despite his vision being blurry, he saw the silhouette of a human Huntress looking down at him and smiling.
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
Another face appeared in his hazy vision, energetic and eager in their entrance and looking down at him. He didn't recognize them, but it appeared to be a child and he saw a bit of long brown hair and a cheerful and innocent smile on their face.
"Hi, daddy!"
Well, cliffhangers galore! Really, that's all I have to say… Nah, not really.
Short and sweet bios for the rest of Spectre's kazoku (family in Japanese). Enjoy.
Cloud:
Main Subclass: Unidentifiable by Tower and Vanguard database, known only as 'Buster' (Talent Nodes: Meteorstorm Grenade (Solar grenade that delivers a devastating explosion on impact and splits to cover a large area); Blink (Lift); Omnislash (Super); Voidburn Strike (Void/Solar-fused melee); Titan Codex II; Unstoppable SOLDIER (Extremely harder to kill while using Omnislash); Titan Codex IV; Limit Breaker (Every enemy brought down by sword or melee or hit taken charges Super and Limit significantly, allowing Cloud to use Omnislash and Limit attacks more frequently)
Primary Weapon: None
Special Weapon: None
Heavy Weapon: Buster Sword, Fusion Swords (When equipped, Super changes from Omnislash Version 1 to Omnislash Version 6)
Ghost Shell: None
Helmet: An Insurmountable Skullfort
Gauntlets: Ruin Wings (Seeds of Ruin Exotic perk replaced with new perk 'Mako Infusion', making Cloud near invincible when using Limit attacks and unable to cancel Limit attacks when hit by an enemy)
Chest: Spearhead Type 0 (Removed radio antenna and decorated as described in chapter)
Legs: Mk.44 Stand Asides (Be Somewhere Else Exotic perk replaced with new perk 'Dash and Slash', giving a variation of Shoulder Charge where Cloud dashes and delivers a devastating slash from his sword)
Mark: None
Artifact: Holy Materia
Shader: Fenrir (Legendary-class Shader that takes on a completely black look with a dull shine)
Bio: Prodigy in his own right and lone wolf of Spectre and Lightning's kazoku, Cloud is one of the three that doesn't utilize firearms in any shape or form, but instead relies on his sword. Cloud used to speak in English before, but after an assignment given to him by the Cyphers, he was wounded to the degree that his vocals couldn't allow him to continue speaking in English, forcing him to speak in another language, Japanese. Leon, Aqua, Spectre, Vesper and Lightning could understand him well in Japanese, and the reverse can be said with Cloud. Eventually, after Vesper's death, he secluded himself in the ruins of Old Tokyo, where he continued to train against the Fallen in the area and becoming better in his surroundings.
Leon:
Main Subclass: Unidentifiable by the Tower and Vanguard database, known only as 'Griever' (Talent Nodes: Seeker Grenade (Solar grenade that scatters on impact and releases explosive drones that track nearby targets. Think of the Seeker Grenade like Gjallarhorn's Wolfpack Rounds as a throwable grenade); Balanced Double Jump (Combines Better Control, Higher Jump and Triple Jump); Renzokuken (Super); Disintegrating Blade (Void knife attack that disintegrates its victims much like a Voidwalker's Energy Drain and Defender's Disintegrate melee); Path Forgotten; Lion's Prodigy (Like Cloud's Unstoppable SOLDIER, Leon is extremely difficult to kill during his Super startup and the duration of Renzokuken); Way of the Drifter; Lion's Marauder (Further amplifies Leon's critical slashes by 300%, and each successful kill with the critical slashes boosts Armor, Recovery and Agility)
Primary Weapon: None
Special Weapon: None
Heavy Weapon: Lion's Heart
Ghost Shell: None
Helmet: Graviton Forfeit (Void flare removed from helmet; Elusive Shadow Exotic Perk replaced with new perk 'Griever's Roar', allowing Leon to warp around much like the Vex and causing either an explosion or shockwave upon the end of the warp)
Gauntlets: Don't Touch Me (Horn on right gauntlet broken)
Chest: Carnivore Match
Legs: Fr0st-EE5
Cloak: Lion's Legacy (Black and white reskinned Kallipolis Mantle with a Lion's head emblem replacing the New Monarchy emblem)
Artifact: Rainbow Blade
Shader: Griever (Legendary-class Shader that takes on black for the entirety of the Shader, but white in the inner linings of his armor and cloth on his chestplate)
Bio: Younger brother of Vesper and resident precursor to Lightning after her reassignment to the Reef, Leon is a part of the kazoku comprising of his sister, Spectre, Cloud, Aqua and Lightning that utilizes no guns but relies on a weapon he built himself, the gunblade. Normally, he wouldn't give a damn about anything but his sister, but pretty much finds time to duel with the other five of the kazoku. He was Cloud's partner when he lost his ability to speak in English, and put the blame on himself pretty badly. However, during a fight between him and Spectre, Leon became too reckless that he received his scar from his nose and forehead from carelessness. After Vesper's death, Leon became bitter at his soon-to-be brother-in-law and further distanced himself from the rest of the kazoku, eventually finding refuge with Aqua.
Aqua:
Main Subclass: Unidentifiable by Tower and Vanguard database, known only as 'Sorceress' (Talent Nodes: Axis Grenade (Modified Axion Bolt Grenade that randomizes between Arc, Void and Solar upon use and delivers a devastating bolt of energy that separates into a larger amount of smaller bolts); Blink (Glide); Ghost Drive (Super, similar to Radiance from Sunsingers, but relies on offense rather than defense and support, allowing her to attack at blinding speed while using after-image illusions and tricky movements to her advantage); Sorceress's Force (With her journal, Aqua's Force Ignite can vary to provide an infinite amount of possible combat uses); Arcane Wisdom; Master of Sorcery (Each kill while in Ghost Drive strengthens the next one); Ancestral Order; Sorceress of the Abyss (When using either a charged Super, grenade or melee, all enemies of the Darkness combust upon death, chaining the combustion effect to nearby enemies as well as increasing her power in a stackable effect up to three times)
Primary Weapon: None
Special Weapon: None
Heavy Weapon: Custom sword 'Stormfall'
Ghost Shell: None
Helmet: Light Beyond Nemesis (Keeper of the Pack Exotic perk replaced with new perk 'Mercy of the Light', which will start regenerating her health when her health is below two percent)
Gauntlets: Azoth Bend I (Pattern on right gauntlet removed, replaced with an emblem resembling a drop of water)
Chest: Voidfang Vestments (Hungering Void Exotic perk replaced with new perk 'Curse of the Dark', which allows Aqua to use an uncharged grenade, Super or melee at the cost of some of her health)
Legs: Transversive Steps (Strange Angles Exotic perk remains, but part of it is changed. Picking up ammo and reloading removed with allowing Aqua to vanish upon walking when crouching)
Bond: Binary Lazarus
Artifact: Wayfinder
Shader: Empress of the Abyss (Legendary-class Shader that takes on a black and blue look with small streaks of pink on the chestplate)
Bio: The most unique among the kazoku and the only Warlock, Aqua is a master in the one thing Warlocks have drawn inspiration from: sorcery and magic and utilizes a unique sword compared to the ones used by Spectre, Lightning, and Cloud. Usually calm and collected, with a devotion to them as well as a desire to do what's right, Aqua established her own set of rules that makes her stand out from the typical Warlock and looks out for everyone in the small 'family', acting as a big sister for them all. Despite her mastery in the elements, her favored element is none other than her namesake: water. After Vesper's death, she comforted Spectre, Leon and Lightning to the best of her ability until the Cyphers assigned Spectre to be the spearhead of the Absolution Directive and moved Lightning to the Reef, leaving her with Leon to support until they, eventually, fell in love.
Chapter XII is it. Next time, it will be time to see whether or not Spectre lives through it all, or becomes Taken. But first, he has some things to discuss with Vesper…