She drove the cleaver into the heart of the hive monstrosity called Crota, executing him with such ferocity that a shock wave ripped through the ascendant plane, echoing with the screeches of a dying God. Fragments of shattered ghosts and once breathing guardians surrounded her feet, building a mountain underneath and propelling her into the vacuum of space-time.
Floating in an unknown space, strange pulsating masses flowed from a lightless singularity. The alien tar expanded and contracted like a thousand wriggling worms trapped in a bubble nested between realities. Nine strange voices spoke to her of all the was and all that had yet to pass, of places far away which even they could not reach.
With a thunderous clap they thrust her into an incredible brightness. The light burned with the heat of a billion dying stars, and with each ensuing supernova a soul blinked into existence. The beings watched her with interest- in their claws were thick strings pulling her limbs in impossible directions. One of them forced her head down to stare into an alternate universe. In her own hands was a smooth object of foreign material, and with it she conquered a life connected to a silver thread. She peered at the endpoint's occupant curiously. "Who are you?"
"I am you."
Atoms ripped apart and fused back together as she was pulled into an endless ocean of darkness. Around her were the bodies of people she knew, and some that she had not yet met. Their screams were deafening and she desperately tried to swim up, away from the tortured cries. "You did this," they accused. Her bones snapped and limbs contorted with guilt and rage as she sank further into the deep. It called out to her, and she had not the strength to yell back.
She continued to fall deeper as tubes of antimatter gripped her body and pulled her away from the sound of death and decay.
Amon strained to focus on what Osiris was saying, her thoughts swamped by a dream she had not had since Crota's end. The old Warlock reached out and snapped his fingers in front of her face, the sound cutting through the cacophony in her mind like a bolt of lightning.
"There you are, Guardian. Activate the Sundial whenever you are ready." Amon nodded silently and walked over to the white and gold control panel. Uldren followed closely behind, eager to explore the strange worlds of the Vex which he had not encountered since entering the Black Garden. There had been someone with him, someone he once wanted something from, but he could not remember their name or the details of a face.
Amon pressed her hand to the console. A blinding light engulfed their vision as they were transmatted into the unknown. They reappeared on a round platform inside a vast greyscale landscape. In front of them across a chasm dropping towards infinity stood a complex geometric structure. There was a large triangular archway with stone steps leading up to an opening. Fragments of a metallic material swept up and out from the arch and extended into the nothingness with the likeness of silver wings.
"The shotgun you crafted in the infinite forge is reacting to the Sundial," Ghost appeared at Amon's side. "An onboard transporter is casting coordinates...a path through the Sundial, crossing two time periods. The Prophecy blueprint you used to craft the Perfect Paradox must have included this broadcast. If you can open up the initial chamber, I can align us to the first time period the broadcast is referencing."
Ghost concealed himself as they stepped to the edge of the platform. Uldren kneeled down, reaching over the edge and feeling the empty air. However, he discovered that the air, in fact, was not empty at all- a faintly shimmering pathway of amorphous silicon stretched across the chasm towards the chamber. They charged forward, clearing the space as fast as they could for fear that the invisible floor might drop away.
The first door led to another bridge- visible this time- that connected them to a second triangular opening. Approaching the opaque portal, Amon pulled her Riskrunner from her back and looked over to Uldren.
"Ready." He entered the glowing portal first, rifle steadied against his shoulder. It opened into a large chamber with a tall monolith in the center, surrounded by a pond of radiolaria and a smattering of thin trees. On each side of the room was a doorway identical to the one they had just come through, but this time two of the three were blocked by a large stone. Sol Collective harpies and goblins patrolled the area, turning and aiming their guns at the intruders.
Amon and Uldren ran side by side around the circular path, easily clearing the enemies as they went. The open doorway led to another bridge room and a subsequent chamber that was similar to the first, but this one contained five doors instead of three. As soon as they entered, Amon was suddenly caught and suspended in a strange transparent forcefield. She began to panic and let out a small cry of fear.
"Shoot it from the inside. Hurry!" Uldren yelled at her through the barrier. She repeatedly shot at the inner walls until it finally faded into nothing, releasing her. She crouched on the ground for a moment to steady her breath and her heartbeat. Uldren hefted her up by the arm and looked her in the eyes. "You're okay. Keep moving."
Once again they cleared the room in tandem, covering each other and working together to take out a minotaur. They repeated this process in a third room with seven doors, exiting the chamber to find themselves in a dark and winding corridor. After traversing the hallway, they found themselves standing in the vibrant pink and yellow landscape comprising the perimeter area of the Zephyr Station. Ghost spoke to both of them.
"This is new- topographical scan confirms this is Mercury circa the Dark Age." The Guardians gaped at him in Astonishment. "Incoming signal on an old emergency panel, hold on." A Fallen carrier ship flew overhead and they followed it, jumping into the Valley where Vex had already begun shooting at them from. Suddenly a new voice with a heavy accent spoke through their ghosts, coming from the signal they had picked up.
"I repeat, this is Saint-14. The Fallen have overrun Zephyr Station. If you can hear this, turn back."
"Saint, hold your position. You have two armed Guardians incoming." Amon replied to him using her ghost while they shot back waves of goblins and minotaurs.
"Who is this?" The man sounded confused and mildly irritated.
"Just stay alive, Titan." Amon whirlwind kicked one of the minotaurs, shattering it into pieces. They continued along the valley and a group of Fallen guarding a servitor came into view. She motioned for Uldren to stay back, pulling out her Tranquility sniper and aiming down the sights at the glowing purple eye of the servitor. With a single shot, the machine crackled and spun violently before bursting into a heap of broken electronic parts.
The dregs turned their attention towards the source of the shout, shouting curses as the two Guardians raced forward and gunned them down. After eliminating the fallen and the remaining goblins, a large purple barrier lifted, opening a passageway through a cubical mountain. They entered the cavernous hallway and continued fighting their way through hordes of dregs and several large Captains.
Just as Uldren broke the shield of the third Captain they had engaged, Saint's voice crackled over their communication channel once again.
"All is lost, Guardians. Get out of here! I'll hold them off for as long as I can." They could hear the sounds of gunfire in the background. "The Fallen cannot be stopped," he grunted. "They do not negotiate. Their forces are vile- I watched them burn and pillage whole villages in the Cosmodrome." He cried out in pain before speaking again in a low voice, dripping with fury. "I've watched dregs eat children."
Amon and Uldren did not have time to respond as they struggled their way through one corridor after another, trying to balance on platforms above radiolaria puddles while returning enemy fire. Sain continued his tirade.
"They envy us. Their legends say the Traveler chose them. Before us. And they will kill, they will torture, they will maim, to earn their machine god's favor."
They ran through a curved tunnel towards the light as he finished speaking, finding themselves on a ledge overlooking a large circular clearing with stone walls rising on either side.
"They like the Traveler...dangerous...it only brings more violence!" Saint-14's voice was choppy and barely intelligible.
Amon spotted the purple glow of a Titan bubble shield. A figure was hunched over inside of it, arms thrust out to the side, straining to maintain their void energy. Amon and Uldren used their vantage point to take out some of the dregs and servitors that were swarming the barrier. She shot her void anchor next to the bubble, tethering the surrounding enemies and weakening them. Uldren activated his spectral blades and tore through the Fallen, slicing them in half with his sharpened knives of light and sending ether and gore all over the surrounding area.
"You're strength is a sight to behold! What would your strength come to….how the people are dying on Earth, they die tiered in trepidation!"
An alarm sounded in the distance and explosions begin raining down from the sky. Uldren and Amon took cover inside the Titan's shield, finally coming face to face with the voice in their ears. Before they could speak, a Fallen warship deposited a Walker about thirty yards away from their position, shielded by the glowing ether of a single servitor.
Uldren dodged in and out of the bubble, sending round after round into the servitor's eye from his rifle while Amon made quick work taking down the walker's legs with her machine gun. Uldren was hit by a blast from the walker's scorch cannon and his tattered corpse collapsed just outside the shield. Amon rushed over, dragging what's left of him inside and shielding Pulled Pork while he revived him.
Jumping back on his feet, Amon gripped his arm and raised her voice over the roar of the battle outside.
"I've almost destroyed its legs. In just a minute, the walker is going to expose the power cell in its neck- bright orange, you can't miss it. We need to unload everything we have into that cell- save your light until then."
"Roger that!"
Amon let go of his arm and they jumped back out into the heat of the conflict. Just as she had said, after a few minutes the walker collapsed and its head lolled forward, exposing the power core.
"Now!"
Amon and Uldren lept into the air and activated their golden guns in unison. The heat of an entire galaxy blazed as bullets of solar light barreled towards the walker, striking it in the neck repeatedly. The power of their combined light was too great for the machine's defenses and it collapsed onto all six of its legs before being ripped apart in a violent explosion. The hunters landed back on their feet and scurried into the bubble shield, narrowly dodging shrapnel and flying machine parts.
Once all the hostiles were eliminated, the titan finally collapsed onto his hands and knees, chest heaving, and let the void energy dissipate.
"We never should have come."
The two hunters ran over to him as he struggled to his feet, placing a hand on his hip and tilting his head back in exhaustion. He took a wobbly step towards them.
"Another minute and they would've eaten my ghost." He looked down at the ground, still trying to regain his balance. "Fallen are monsters."
"Some are. Are you fit to fight, Titan?" Uldren reached out a hand to steady the man. Saint stood up straight and turned away from them dejectedly.
"I was supposed to protect these people. I should be dead."
"You're stronger than you think." Amon took a step forward and tried to reassure him. He shrugged and shook his head.
"Not strong enough."
Ghost appeared at Amon's side and floated in front of the Titan, transmatting a shotgun and suspending it in the air. He tentatively reached out and grasped it, examining the weapon. "What is this?" He turned to face Amon.
"The Perfect Paradox. I built it myself out of spare parts, and light." She looked on as the titan raised the scope to his helmet, testing out the sights.
"It's beautiful." Though she couldn't see his face, she could hear the awe in his voice. Ghost perked up and began projecting a view of the city, drawing Saint's attention.
"I probably shouldn't be showing you this, but when has that ever stopped us." Uldren glanced at Amon and chuckled, earning him a glare. "This is the last safe city of humanity, hundreds of years from now. You wouldn't believe it today, but there are children laughing in the streets. When night falls, the people sleep in their homes- not against the walls, weapons in hand, like the early days."
Saint looks around him, taking in the scene. "Like my people?"
"These are your people, Saint. They're descendants. If you quit the fight, maybe you'll live forever- your ghost will protect you no matter what. But this last city….might never happen." Amon spoke fervently to try and get him to listen to reason.
Saint-14 took a step forward. "Everything I've built has died, and I have burdened most of the people I've met. I can't do this." He turned and faced away from the guardians. "Not anymore." The titan slung the shotgun on his back and muttered to himself. Before Amon could plead with him further, she and Uldren were pulled out of the forest and back to their reality- back to Mercury. Ghost materialized and began scanning frantically.
"Ok, let's check the Tower databases and make sure we didn't just wreck the entire timeline. Querying Saint-14." Ghost buzzed nervously as he waited for the results. "Records state he was a former Commander of the Tower but vanished on a final mission to Mercury in search of the exiled warlock Osiris."
Both hunters released the breath they had been holding. "Well, those are the big deets. The timeline is intact. Good job, Saint…." Amon trailed off and hung her head. Uldren placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Ghost nudged her in the side of the head and spoke again.
"Our trips not over. That broadcast I picked up off the Perfect Paradox marked one more set of coordinates within the Sundial."
Amon snapped her head up to look at him. "And you didn't think to mention this earlier?"
Ghost twirled his shell nervously. "It wasn't pertinent information at the time." Amon sighed heavily while Uldren sniggered quietly.
"What was that you said the other day- something about our ghosts being an extension of our inner being?"
Amon punched him in the shoulder and marched off with a huff. "I'm going to speak to Osiris."
When she approached him, her ghost relayed what happened inside the Sundial. Osiris greeted his words with a fire in his eyes they had never seen before.
"You met Saint-14 on Mercury? That was his first off-world mission for the Speaker. Those Fallen were House of Rain, the lowest of their clans. House Dusk took their colors during the Red War. I-" he spoke quickly, nervously, and shook his head. "You mentioned two coordinates broadcast from the Perfect Paradox?" He nodded eagerly at Ghost, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
"Yes. Apparently." Amon replied, shooting another glare at her ghost. Osiris rubbed his chin in thought, eyes flitting around as if he was watching some unseen event unfold. "The Sundial is spent, but it only needs time to recharge."
"What can we do to help?"
The warlock shook his head. "Continue to protect the City. I'll alert you when it's ready for another jump."
Amon, Uldren, and Ikora sat around a small table in a secluded garden behind Ikora's living quarters. They each had a cup of chamomile tea sitting in front of them, but Amon had not taken a single sip or spoken anything beyond a 'hello' since they arrived back at the Tower. She sat and stared at the sky while Uldren briefed Ikora on everything that had happened the day before.
"Did she speak at all while you were in the infinite forest?"
"Only when necessary." Uldren darted his eyes over to Amon before continuing. "I, uh, I heard that she used to be mute. Well, for five years. Until I…"
Ikora frowned and took a sip of her tea. "Yes. Until she bravely spat in the face of Zavala's cowardice and promised to kick your ass into the next reality."
Uldren laughed nervously and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. Ikora reached across the table and took hold of Amon's hand to try and draw her attention.
"Amon. I cannot help you if you don't tell me what is wrong. Did something happen we don't know about?" She paused, searching her face for any hints before a look of realization came over her. "Did you have the dream again?"
Amon snapped out of her daze and met eyes with Ikora, blue irises swimming with fear. "Yes," she whispered. Uldren sat forward, perplexed.
"What dream?"
Amon sat in silence for several minutes. Neither Ikora nor Uldren attempted to pry further, giving her time to decide if she wanted to speak or not. Finally, she let out a sigh and began to speak softly.
"After I killed Crota, I had a dream. Well- I thought it was a dream. Everyone I knew died, as well as millions of others that I didn't. All that was certain was that it was my doing." She paused, collecting herself before continuing. "When the Dreadnaught arrived in the solar system, my greatest fears became reality. The dream- all those people, my fireteam- they died as a result of my actions. My need for revenge against Crota. And then, the Scorn, and the Red War, and Xol...everything that followed. Every death, every attack on the city. All a chain reaction starting with me. With my resurrection."
Ikora squeezed her hand and bit her tongue, resisting the urge to argue and dismiss everything she had said as unfounded. Amon looked to Uldren and continued.
"I took a vow of silence as penance. But also out of fear, fear that if I opened my mouth I would shatter into a million pieces. That I would never stop screaming. But when Cayde died, I just, I couldn't hold back. I had to speak up, to fight for him. And once I did, once I found my voice again….well, I haven't stopped since."
Ikora peered at the awoken with sympathy in her eyes. "I'm only going to tell you what I told you back then. I understand how and why you felt that way. However, your assessment of your own causality is not consistent with anyone else's reality. Eladrin and Ravi's deaths were not your fault. Crota killed them—not you. The Darkness came here of its own volition, and you are not responsible for the things that followed it."
Amon met her gaze as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. "I know. I understand that now. The dream….it scared me. Once again I am afraid for the future."
As Uldren watched her speak he could see the trauma behind her eyes. It only made sense—for a guardian so powerful, who had seen so much—naturally, there would be wounds not even a ghost could heal. But beneath her vulnerability, he could see the same strength and resolve he had always known from her. A level of resilience that could not be matched, the perseverance required to uphold a greater good regardless of any personal cost. To him, it was no great shock that she had risen to become such an unfathomable hero.
"It is okay to be afraid, Amon. Just remember why we fight. The Vanguard, the Traveler, your fellow guardians—we are going to be there right beside you. Always."
Amon finally took a sip of her tea, inhaling its floral scent. "I'm starving."
Ikora leaned back and smiled. "That's more like it."
Amon and Uldren decided to join Dez and her fireteam at a popular Indian restaurant. Unfortunately, Ikora was pulled away by Eva Levente as soon as they stepped out of Ikora's apartment- something about a Dawning Crystal needing to be fashioned. Amon tried to convince Uldren to remove his helmet before they got to the restaurant.
"It's going to be fine- people are basically indifferent now. Which is a good thing!" She had tried threatening him, which didn't work. So, she resorted to pleading and tugging on his cape. Stubborn as ever, he refused, resolving not to eat. Amon could not concede him that luxury and so they came to an impasse on the subject.
Admitting defeat, they continued along to the restaurant. It was a rather large space with a genial atmosphere- Guardians and civilians alike sat in wide booths to chat with one another over their meals. Amon spotted Dez and her fireteam sitting in a partially closed off dining room with a round table covered in colorful mosaic tile. She led Uldren over and peeked through the curtain separating it from the rest of the dining hall.
Dez sat in between her two teammates, all conversing jovially with each other. Mercer sat to her right- an Awoken titan with short black hair, dark blue skin, and fiery orange eyes. To her left was Tycho-3, an Exo Warlock whose dark composition and yellow forehead plates gave him a permanently perspicacious expression. They all three looked up at the same time, throwing their arms out or clapping excitedly as they greeted Amon.
"Long time no see, Hivebane!" Mercer boomed at her, a smile lighting up his features. Tycho stood and pulled out a chair for her, bowing elegantly as if she was some form of royalty. Amon laughed as she sat down, thanking him for his chivalry. "And who's this?" Mercer was sizing up the masked hunter that followed her inside.
Amon stuck her hand out to him and pulled him closer, forcing him to sit beside her. "This is my newest fireteam recruit. But he can introduce himself," she nudged him lightly under the table.
"Crow," he stuttered and tapped his foot under the table. "I'm Crow. Nice to meet you." Mercer reached over and aggressively shook his hand.
"A man worthy of the Hivebane's personal squad- astounding! I would be honored to play you in the Crucible."
Uldren nodded hesitantly. "Of course." The titan smiled and leaned back in his seat.
"Brother, you can remove your helmet. I'm sure it is musty after a day of activities."
Amon shot Dez a look, and she replied with a helpless shrug, before placing a hand on Mercer's shoulder. "It's okay, Crow doesn't have to-" Dez stopped speaking and all eyes turned to Uldren as he began unfastening his helm. He took it off and set it beside him on the ground, afraid to look any of them in the eye.
Tycho was the first to speak. He sat up straight, folding his arms over the table. "I must say, based on your behavior I'm quite surprised to find you devoid of any deformities." He looked at Amon, who was nervously sipping her water. "How have you managed to conceal such a divine specimen?"
Dez and Mercer snapped their heads to glare at the Exo simultaneously. Amon glanced at Uldren's flushed face and started howling with laughter, nearly knocking her glass off of the table. He looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.
"Tycho, you can't go hitting on every male guardian as soon as you meet them!" Mercer gritted his teeth as he spoke, and Dez started giggling along with Amon's contagious laughter. Tycho fluttered his eyes and turned his chin up.
"An ancient guru once said 'You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take."
This statement caused the two of them to chuckle at the absurd quotation, and soon even Uldren joined in, still blushing furiously. The room overflowed with their raucous joy, and Uldren felt for the first time the warm embrace of acceptance and belonging.
After they all caught their breath, Mercer turned to Uldren and gave him a serious look.
"Crow- welcome to the Tower!" He beamed and clapped Uldren on the shoulder.
As Uldren was thanking the titan, a waitress approached the table to take their orders, starting with Amon and making her way around the group before finally coming to Uldren.
"I'll take the same thing as her," he said while nodding towards Amon. "The uh, Volcanic Vindaloo." Everyone stared at him incredulously.
"Are you sure?" Amon looked at him questioningly.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Tycho whistled and shook his head while Mercer gazed at him with admiration. Amon and Dez raised their eyebrows, the table suddenly becoming very interesting. Uldren ignored them and began conversing with Mercer to organize a Crucible match for them all. Soon everyone joined in, discussing rules and taunting one another. Tycho was trying unsuccessfully to convince everyone that Dawnblade was absolutely necessary when several servers appeared and set their meals out in front of them.
The table grew quiet and Uldren stared down at the bright red curry dish sitting in front of him. Amon was the first to dig-in, shoving a huge spoonful into her mouth while making eye contact with Uldren.
"Mmm, delicious. Go on, try it." All eyes were on him as he slowly brought his spoon to his mouth.
Pain. All he could feel was red-hot agonizing pain. It burned through his mouth and his body and his soul. He wanted to scream but was unable to move anything other than his hand which was frantically reaching for a glass of water. Screams filled his ears. Where those his screams? He brought the cup to his lips and practically drowned himself in the cool liquid. The screaming did not stop. No, it wasn't coming from him….it was everyone else, laughing at him. The water did nothing to quell the eternal fire ravaging his entire being, and he gasped for air as he reached for Amon's water.
"Oh my god, your face! I've never seen it so purple!" Amon cackled and nearly fell forward into her plate.
"Brother Crow, are you alright?" Mercer tried and failed to sound concerned.
"I have never witnessed such pulchritudinous misery before. Perhaps a ghost is necessary." Tycho chuckled quietly, enjoying the spectacle.
"Guardian down! Pulled Pork- requesting backup!" Amon slapped her hand on the table, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
Pulled Pork immediately materialized, buzzing around his tormented guardian. "Guardian, you have never faced an enemy like this!" He reached out with his light and began attempting to heal Uldren's metaphorically smoldering skin. The hunter rested his head in his hands as the fire slowly went out. Sweat poured down his face and neck.
"Holy fuck." His traumatized gaze lifted from the table and focused on the guardians around him. Amon wiped her tears and rubbed a hand on his back as her laughter died down.
"You should have taken the hint, Crow. We both know you can't handle spice."
"Well, I didn't know it was spicy!" He sat back, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Not just spicy. It's one of the hottest dishes in the City, and not at all piquant. Amon is the only patron who has ever finished a portion," Tycho spoke matter-of-factly. Uldren groaned and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Crow. I should probably take this to go and get him home." They all nodded as Amon went to grab a to-go box from a server.
"I suppose we will see you at the Crucible next week?" Mercer raised his eyebrows expectantly. Uldren could only nod in reply, unable to speak. Amon returned and boxed up her meal before helping Uldren to his feet.
"Crow just needs some time to lick his wounds. I'll have him back in shape before the match." They all shared one last laugh before exchanging farewells, and Amon held him up by the waist as they walked back to her apartment.
As she was helping him to bed, he pulled her down to sit next to him and met her eyes.
"Amon. I think….I think its time for me to change my name. I want to go by Crow from now on."
She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. "Okay, Crow. Get some sleep."