le fantome: BREATH! lol :) I'm glad you like Neema too! Thinking about doing a story with her when I'm finished with this one perhaps.

"Pearl!"

Sagira came zooming into the obsidian maze that made up Ellana's headspace and was about to smack into the other Ghost when he backed up a few lengths without even looking at her and sent her flying past her tackling target with a squeak. He moved back into position where he'd been looking at some numbers.

He didn't expect her to essentially do a boomerang and still smack into him.

"Oh my ball in the sky! What's gotten into you Sagira!" Pearl wiggled all his pieces back into their appropriate spots as he glared at her.

"I don't know... maybe having two Guardians has given me a little bit of pep." she flew a couple circles around him, making him dizzy before going up to the terminal he'd been using.

"We've been through this, Ellana is my guardian."

"Technically, they're both our Guardians now." Sagira saw how the connection manifested itself, behind all the codes in the walls the light was still green, but occasionally a ripple of blue would occur. She imagined the pulses would change in accordance with what was happening. Right now the Guardians were just traveling.

Pearl huffed, "Alright technically you're correct but still."

"Don't worry, I no touch! I just like looking at what you're working on!"

"Just more defenses." Pearl said as he finished up a couple equations, "Since we survived the invasion of the Patriarch I have a lot of data to sift through. I don't think we've had any of this before because those Guardians never survived their... wish granting."

"Yeah well most Guardians weren't forcefully fused together with some weird altered Vex machine." Sagira replied.

"True... but I feel like it would still be handy if there are more of these Ahamkara hidden in our solar system. Rumors tend to have a lick of truth somewhere."

"Fair enough." Sagira abruptly flew off.

At this point Pearl was used to her acting like this. So he followed her more out of curiosity.

He found her at the locked door to Ellana's life before becoming a Risen. The chains had been corroded like acid had rained on them.

Sagira whistled, "Damn! Patriarch was going for it."

"Yup." Pearl floated up to the chains and sighed, "I hid it as long as I could... now I just got to repair it at some point when we're not dragon hunting."

"I wonder if this is what every Guardian's mind looks like when an Ahamkara starts breaking them down. That Samual we're looking for... his mind must be a train wreck."

"Or a graveyard... from the look in his eyes there wasn't much left of who Samual was." Pearl shuddered, remembering when the exGuardian had plunged his knife into Ellana. It didn't matter how many times it happened, when a fatal wound hit your Guardian it was terrifying. Even though they were warriors meant to take battle wounds, Pearl always felt guilty that Ellana had to essentially take the hits for him. Ghosts just made sure the body could keep going.

Outside, the giant construct of the Vex machine spread before the Guardians. Smaller versions of the node they'd recently been to were clustered here. Osiris' ever calculating gaze took it all in while listening to the scout they'd met up with.

"She's placed it in several locations between these structures." the Hunter was saying, "I think she's done it on purpose."

Ellana looked at the 3D map carefully that the Hunter had constructed. It looked like the Matriarch had dug out three chambers right up against the Vex's walls. Their great machine was already heavily damaged by the Almighty's feasting. It seemed that their attempts to prevent further damage was giving the Ahamkara the opportunity to rear her clutch.

"Has anyone gone near the nest?" Osiris asked.

"No."

He gave the Hunter a piercing look.

"Not that close." the Hunter corrected, "As soon as they started feeling odd they backed away. To be fair that's only how we knew exactly where she'd dug."

"And where is the Matriarch and her mates now?"

"They leave every few days, sometimes coming back with battle wounds."

"She's still trying to destroy the main crossroads." Ellana fiddled with the tips of her gloves, "If we're not fighting her, I think the Vex are using her Patriarch to keep her at bay."

"It seems even creatures of the dark know some concept of love." Osiris muttered low enough that only Ellana could hear, "That poses a new problem though, it means they have some semblance of control since his mind is partially turned into Vex."

"Let's focus on the problems growing in there first." Ellana pointed out.

"Agreed."

Osiris told the other Guardians to hang back until he called them forward. It took them a little more firm convincing before they finally agreed. Ellana could sense the discomfort that everyone had with Osiris. On the one hand many revered him, on the other they were quite nervous due to his reputation.

She did her best to not get in the way of the exchange, she felt it was up to him to repair what his actions had done to the other Guardians. In the end they looked at Ellana though young in the grand scheme of things, they knew her better. She just quietly nodded and that helped give a little trust in Osiris for them.

The climb was not an easy one, especially the nest was made with wings in mind.

The closer they got to the nest, the more Ellana noticed a quiet buzzing sound. It wasn't so much in her ears as it was between them. Osiris abruptly stopped in front of her and she ran into him.

"Please don't do that while we're on a freakin' cliff!" she growled.

"Do you have a strong memory in mind?"

"What?"

"A strong memory, preferably one that's not traumatic. I feel like we're going to need it to stop this noise."

Now understanding, Ellana thought a moment in her many lives that was loud enough to drown out the buzz out. It wasn't completely gone but now it wasn't making it hard to think.

As carefully as they could, they entered the chamber to be greeted by a very disheartening sight.

There were several clusters of crystalline eggs, the largest batches of them were up near the back of the den where one of the young breeding males was currently sleeping. Sagira popped out cautiously and scanned the entire cavern.

"This mother is smart." she whispered, "These eggs are all at different stages of birth but their growth is accelerated, all of these different time zones within the Machine must be helping with that."

Osiris stood straight up and walked toward the nearest egg. He was greeted with a weird squelching sound as whatever was inside shifted toward his approach. The Warlock knelt next to the egg, it glowed gently in response, one could see the bright veins of the fetus inside. Ellana felt a twinge of curiosity from the man. Like something wasn't quite right.

Something cold and hard pressed itself against the back of Ellana's neck and she froze.

"Don't wake the children." a raspy voice warned.

Osiris whirled around readying his rifle. The ragged Hunter chuckled at the hostility, "You two have no manners at all."

"And you have no sense of duty." Osiris growled.

The other man laughed again quietly, keeping the gun on Ellana's neck, "Says the man who abandoned what was it called... the Vanguard? Whatever that is." even though his face was covered by his cracked mask the amusement was heavy when Osiris looked surprised, "She sampled your memories if you're curious... not enough to lay a hook into you."

Ellana was starting to get very angry, she did not care to have her head blown off but she also wasn't sure what would set this guy off.

"Samuel."

The gun shuddered slightly against her collar.

"Samuel... why did you give in to the Matriarch?" she asked, not sure what else to say.

"Samuel Samuel Samuel... such an old name. A name so deep rooted we've forgotten where it came from." the human snorted and cast his face up to the sleeping dragon, "They haven't forgotten though... while we cling to dead things they make new from the dead's wishes."

Abruptly he pulled Ellana close to him and he held her close, keeping the barrel pointed into her skull, "Little things little things little things aren't enough! They're not enough!" Ellana was so glad she had a helmet on, she could only imagine this man smelled of rot.

"Not enough to do what exactly?" Osiris asked, keeping his aim on the other human.

Samuel laughed at first, then it became difficult to tell if he was laughing or crying, "You should know. You should both know! Eternity has mercy for no one! Everything will just wither and die around you. But here... with HER." he gestured to the den, "There can be peace. Let her bring peace, let her bring life. The Traveler knew it would bring pain to us... and now it just wants to prolong it. Watch us suffer in its dreams."

Osiris had had enough, he reached around with his foot and rolled one of the eggs out in front of him. Now he pointed the rifle at it, "Stay with me, Samuel."

Ellana felt the twitching and fidgeting still.

"There, now that that's got your attention." Osiris was pleased, "Let go of her."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No." Samuel repeated, "She demands payment. Payment for you killing her first mate's children." his grin was just noticeable under the dirty glass of his helmet, "Now she has nothing..." he squealed when Osiris put his foot on the egg and with his Light field strength crushed it. The fetus wriggled and gurgled for only a moment before its larynx collapsed under the Warlock's slimed boot. Its veins simmered and released a puff of golden light.

The moment of tension was palpable.

All around them the eggs began to hum louder, the large male dragon lifted his head sleepily, tongue tasting the air like a snake.

Ellana used this moment to grab the wrist that had the gun and both of them went tumbling to the floor. She slammed his hand against the floor forcing him to let go of the fire arm but that's when she saw the knife come flying. She rolled back just in time and used her feet to kicked Samuel's mask, crushing the last of it away from his face.

"You will fertilize her future!" the man frothed, eyes clouded and skin withering away.

"Stop!" Osiris lifted his hand and encircled the exGuardian in a ring of flame. Samuel tried to run through it but his skin bubbled and popped, he bore his teeth in rage.

"You're waking the children!" he hissed. He turned this way and that trying to escape the heat. Samuel held his head, "Don't wake them! They need rest! They need peace! They will bring peace to this shattered world." the old Hunter looked sadly at the remains of the smashed egg.

Ellana looked nervously up at the dragon, yet curiously he hadn't moved from his pedestal. He lay calmly with his front claws over lapped and eyes attentive to their activity. She only recognized which one he was because of the burn marks she'd left on his face.

"These 'children' will never know peace, Samuel." Osiris growled as he approached the flailing thing he'd trapped, "But you will."

Samuel looked straight into Osiris' eyes this time, "May eternity rot your heart, Guardian!"

Bang!

The shot rang clear and loud.

The flames died before Samuel's body hit the ground. What was left shriveled up into dust.

Around them the eggs began to rattle against each other. Ellana heard Pearl send the signal out to the Guardians waiting outside.

"Wait wait wait Pearl." Ellana looked up at the dragon who was still sitting there very unbothered by what they'd just done. Several smaller pairs of eyes, started peaking over the edge of the boulder.

Small was a matter of perspective, each dracling was as long as they were tall. They all sniffed in their direction, curious. There was a distinct different between these children and the ones they'd seen before. Their white scales were crusted in gold and their eyes glowing a sky blue.

'Time is such a useful thing, seeker.'

A large shadow passed over them as the Matriarch entered the cave with a powerful flap of her wings, the second male following close behind her.

She landed on the ledge above them, her children crowding around her feet until she snorted a bit of flame, forcing them to back off. The reproached with less gusto this time, making sure not to tangle her feet.

'Normally we are at the mercy of time's flow... oh how useful it is when you can bend it to your will.'

The rattling of eggshells was starting to become overwhelming.

"You see what time has done to the Vex. They've become nothing, nothing but a seemingly unstoppable force that just wants to consume." Osiris responded. Ellana went up beside him, avoiding the pile of dust that had been Samuel.

"They have nothing, Matriarch."

'Correct. But they are not so different from anything that consumes. They've simply perfected changing things to what they think is perfect.' she tilted her massive head toward the Guardians, 'Your world is dying in this future, seeker, I can help keep death away now that you've freed me from Samuel's desires.' Osiris could feel it, those creeping claws that pricked the edge of his thoughts. He recoiled away from them however, clinging instead to the warm presence of Ellana in his mind.

When he recoiled the Matriarch's lips just barely curled into a growl.

'I see you are not alone... curious. You prefer to be alone do you not?'

"I'll make an exception for my partner. She's better company than you dragons ever could be." Osiris snorted.

Matriarch bore her teeth as a grin, 'Is she? You're not afraid she'll turn her back on you like the last one you loved?'

For a moment Ellana felt that flicker of doubt cross Osiris' heart, then he reached out for her with his mind. Reminding himself that they now knew each other better than most people ever did in a life time.

"Enough talk." Ellana stepped forward, "It was decreed long ago that your kind don't belong here."

'No more than the Traveler... but you accepted its embrace quite readily.' Matriarch lowered herself among her children. 'No matter. The Vex and Cabal have given me the time to understand the Light that Samuel gave me.'

The buzzing was starting to get on Ellana's nerves. She stepped forward and sent a blast of fire all around her, "I said... enough talk." the Warlock growled. The nests in front of her sizzled and popped, each egg cracking and releasing a puff of golden light particles.

Matriarch bore her teeth, tail swishing angrily, 'Very well.' she stood up to her full height and spread her wings to make herself look bigger and let out a roar that shook the cavern. Her two mates mirrored her actions.

Osiris glanced behind them, "Down!" he grabbed Ellana and dove for the scorched floor.

Several balls of fire went sailing through the air and smashed against the far wall with a distinct 'clank' as they exploded. A half a dozen super charged Sunbreakers came barreling over the edge, sending hammer after hammer into the lower echelon of the nest, destroying everything in sight.

The smell of fire and charred flesh hung painfully in the air even with her helmet filters on. With the mass of Guardians at their back the two Warlocks joined the fray.

The large cavern filled with fire, lightening and rage.

Matriarch breathed in deep the chaos and sent a stream of fire down below. It wasn't just fire though, it was infused with the Light and so burned with a ferocity that rivaled a volcano. One of the Titans tried to leap up to the platform but mid way he curled up and yelled in surprised. He dropped to the floor clutching his head. The little blue eye'd draclings were all huddled together, wingless and helpless. Except for their music.

It wasn't so much a song as a tempered note. These creatures had not inherited the Light through giving they had been born with it. Their adult counterparts could only focus on one person at a time but these ones seemed to be able to project the noise to everything around them.

So that's one reason they wouldn't leave the platform.

It didn't take long for the Guardians to realize this and quickly switched to long range weaponry. Matriarch seemed impervious to the smaller bullets and so made herself a shield to the males and her children. Another wave of molten flame came careening down the tunnel, forcing them to move back. The air filled with black smoke and waves of heat. One Guardian accidentally stepped onto the melted rocks and lost his foot. Getting chastised by his fellows he was pulled back out of harms way.

Osiris put his gun aside and made a cross gesture in front of him like he was pushing air away. The flames immediately in front of them blew out and simmered, leaving only the melted rock.

"You're a cornered rat, Matriarch." he yelled above the chaos.

The dragon snorted a puff of smoke in amusement. 'Come come, let's take this conversation somewhere quiet.' She spread her wings and dove straight toward the mass of Guardians. Everyone scattered as her razor sharp claws raked through them, sparks flying in response to her touch. In the pandemonium she knocked a fire team over with her tail, whirling around to try and find Osiris.

Matriarch squealed in pain when a rocket smashed into her side. Boiling flames were spat in all directions causing even more separation. Overhead one of the males had taken flight, dipping and diving among the Guardians trying to pluck them up and tear them apart.

Ellana paused against a pile of rubble to take in the scene. Osiris finally appeared on the other side, he wouldn't stay there for long. He had to stay just as fast as the dragon or he might get caught. The younger warlock looked up at the untouched nest above. A thought occurred to her.

"Sagira! Come here!"

'What?! Now?!'

"I said come here! Trust me!"

A little flash of blue light tore across the battle arena toward Ellana. Once she felt she had both Ghosts, she quickly scaled her way up, only having to dodge the flying male once in his fly by attempt to knock her off.

The noise from the Light infused Ahamkara was starting to make it hard to think the closer she got, but with Osiris anchoring her down she didn't lose sight of her intentions.

Finally she reached the top where she felt like a whole nest of bees was flying around in her head. The scorched male was busy fighting off several projectiles, even not being full grown he was still a very powerful creature.

Several pairs of eyes stared at Ellana, part out of terror part curious. The Awoken chose one shared memory to focus on between her and Osiris. She summoned both Ghosts out and grabbed them out of the air.

"Come here little ones... I may or may not have a wish here for you." she knelt holding out her friends.

"Um... Ellana? Ellana have you gone nuts!" Pearl screamed.

The clutch didn't move at first, then one stepped forward, nose sniffing the air. Its bravery helped those next to it step forward as well. They were hungry, it seemed all Ahamkara were hungry for the power that didn't belong to them. Ellana slowly stepped further back until the cliff met the heel of her boot. The majority of the clutch were starting to crawl a little faster toward her and her two ghosts, drool dripping from their pearl white teeth.

Tossing the frightened Ghosts over her shoulders Ellana burst into a super charged flame and made a sharp lifting motion from low to high. The ground around the darlings erupted in Light forged fire. A few escaped with screeches of terror while the others didn't live long enough to gurgle. Creatures of legend they may be, they were still children. Ignorant and ruled by their impulses.

The scorched one whirled around at the dracling's cries and was hit directly on the back of his back with a cluster bomb. He wailed violently and fell off, wings shredded to nothing. On the floor of the cave he was quickly swarmed by Guardians.

Snarling and hissing, the remaining four of the clutch all clustered together, tiny scales pinned on edge as they tried to force Ellana down with the mental ones were the biggest of the clutch, also the loudest. Little claws were starting to rip apart her thoughts painfully. It was like they just didn't know how to focus their power or them being infused with Light just made it all the more potent.

Just when Ellana was at the breaking point, a warm embrace averted her attention. Body engulfed in flames he'd managed to get up to her with no problem.

Osiris wrapped his wings around them, creating a barrier just in time to prevent the Matriarch from touching them. She put herself between them what was left of her Light infused clutch and bore down on them with her own fire.

Even with his great strength, Osiris struggled to keep the great beast at bay. He pulled Ellana against his chest and turned his face into her neck. The man didn't have room for words while using so much power at once so he thought of that moment of when he admired Ellana's music. A time where she skipped along the dark pathways of the Vex and did not fear a thing.

Hearing his request, she turned into him out of instinct and dug deep into her Light. It didn't have to be fancy, it just had to be true. Sol was ever giving till the day it would collapse.

Osiris drew upon Ellana's song and reached up with one hand sharply, his shield became a shockwave the tore through the Matriarch's heavily scaled body. She tried to grab what was left of her clutch but pain forced back and off the ledge where she sped off, smoke and the scent of charred flesh trailing in her wake. Osiris stood up and sent his emboldened flames to seek out the remaining male. The dragon screamed in agony as his body was reduced to ash and smoldering cinders above them.

You don't ever realize how much you appreciate silence till you don't have it. The air was heavy with heat waves, smoke and glowing particles of Light as what remained of the nest was destroyed. The Sunbreakers scorched everything down to nothingness, no bones, no egg shells, nothing. These creatures did not belong. Some hunters pushed further into the den to make sure there were no hidden surprises while others went to try and pursue the heavily injured Matriarch.

Flames smoldering down to nothingness, Osiris saw Ellana walk over to the charred remains of the new generation of Ahamkara that would never see the light of day. Ash fell quiet as snow on them as she knelt and placed a hand on the draclings head.

"Do you believe things can be born evil?" he asked.

"No." she curled her hands over the bodies, summoning flames to dispense of their remains, little pricks of whispers tickled the edge of her mind but those quickly crumbled away as their soft bodies were destroyed.

She could feel it, she could sense Osiris wanting to disagree and she was ready to fight about it. However instead of verbally starting up an argument he walked up behind her and made her turn around. He wiped the ash off of her helmet's visor so he could see the impression of her eyes, his hand lingering on her cheek.

Ellana squinted at him, uncertain what he was thinking exactly. Emotions were complex, especially when you were trying to compare yours to someone else. Identifying them was quite difficult at times.

Osiris opened his mouth to say something but was distracted when someone called his name. One of the Sunbreakers, Tallin, had made her way up to them in order to exchange information. He huffed in annoyance but, duty always came first.

Ellana shook the moment off before attempting to wipe the ash off her person.

Pearl and Sagira appeared on either side of her.

"Ok young lady, let's discuss using us as bait!" Pearl exclaimed.

The Warlock sighed heavily, tilting her head back in exasperation. As the two Ghosts yelled at her, she noticed a singular Hobgoblin standing alone up in the very corner of the den. It jittered, twirling a couple of its gears at an odd angle before teleporting away.