Chapter 8: Rachis

Uldren Sov, who was now going by Ulric, woke up around 4am feeling energized. He usually tries to wake up around this time so that he could go on a solo run without having insults hurled at him. More Guardians were acclimating to his presence these days, but there were still a few holdouts. Some Guardians were just too angry and he didn't blame them. He changed his name in order to separate himself from his past but his face was still that of Uldren Sov: the Mad Traitor, the man who loathed Guardians, the one who killed Cayde-6.

Today, however, he wouldn't be going on a simple run. Instead, Ulric planned to go to the EDZ to do patrols on his own. Elika was still too protective of him to let him go out on his own, but he had been training everyday for the past two months and felt ready for the task. She preferred that he go out with a partner, usually one of their friends like Benoit or Lucinia, rather than go alone. He knew it was for his own safety but really he wanted some time to himself out there, just for a few hours. He geared up and prepared to sneak out of the apartment silently. He would have transmatted to his ship but that made too much noise; Elika would definitely hear it. He left his boots off as he crept out of his room and made his way towards the front door which was across the living room, where Elika slept.

"Where do you think you're goin', brother?" The Drifter spoke quietly so as not to wake Elika, who was passed out next to him in bed. He was on his back, sitting up on his elbows. His head was cocked at Ulric, awaiting a response.

"Just out for a bit. I'll be back soon." Ulric whispered.

"You'd better be." Drifter nodded towards Elika, warning Ulric with his expression that she'd be angry if he didn't return quickly. Ulric nodded and gave a thumbs up then headed out the door. He appreciated Drifter more than most other Guardians seemed to. It's true that The Drifter is standoffish to virtually everyone except Elika, but over time he seemed to develop a bond with Ulric. This was no doubt thanks to Elika in some way, but regardless it was nice. He is sort of like a brother to the newly reborn Hunter at this point. Where Elika can be harsh and unrelenting, Drifter is the opposite. Elika would be furious if she knew what he was about to do but Drifter simply let him go and that was that.

Ulric was of course appreciative of Elika too, even if she was a tougher teacher than he expected. She simply sees more in Ulric than he sees in himself, which can be frustrating. However, it's always nice to have someone pushing you to do better as opposed to someone who allows you to settle for less. She may give him a hard time but she always makes it clear that she cares about him. He was truly grateful for everything she's done for him.

As soon as he left the apartment Ulric transmatted to his ship and set a course for the EDZ.

Once he arrived, Ulric picked up a few beginners patrols. He cleared some Fallen out of a cave, intercepted a Cabal transmission, and did a quick supply run for Devrim. Overall it was casual yet riveting; Ulric had a lot of fun being a Guardian. He was proud of himself for the work he had done all on his own. Before heading back he decided he'd sit down somewhere and watch the sunrise. He made his way up to what he thought was an abandoned outpost on top of a hill but someone else was there. The person was lying prone on their stomach peering through the scope of a sniper rifle that was held snugly against their shoulder. They had a hood on so Ulric couldn't quite see their face but it was clear they weren't Eliksni or Cabal. For some unknown reason Ulric felt it was best to alert the person of his presence by tapping them lightly on their outstretched ankle. He walked over quietly, crouched down, and lightly tapped his gloved fingers against the person's exposed ankle. In an instant the sniper flipped around and pointed their gun at Ulric.

"Wait, wait! I'm friendly!" Ulric panicked and threw his hands up above his head. The sniper didn't respond or relent; instead they stayed perfectly still with their sights fixed on Ulric. His face was visible now as his hood had slipped off somewhere in the spin he made towards the Hunter. He was a rather handsome Awoken male with light blue skin and long, white hair. His narrow, intelligent eyes shone a pale blue, almost white color. Ulric began to feel almost sick to his stomach as he looked at the man. It was as if his mind and his body were suddenly at war with one another. Ulric shook the feeling off and reached up to remove his helmet, revealing his own face. "My name is Ulric, I'm a Guardian. I didn't mean to startle you."

The man before him lowered his gun and stared at Ulric before standing up. For a brief moment he looked as if he had seen a ghost. "You'll have to forgive me, Guardian. Didn't mean to threaten you like that. Just didn't hear you coming is all."

"That's okay, really. I apologize for sneaking up on you. Oh, and for touching you. That… I don't actually know why I did that." Ulric stumbled over his words and kept his head down, suddenly finding it hard to look the man in the eyes.

"It's fine." There was a pause as the man slung the sniper rifle over his shoulder and moved towards Ulric, offering his hand as a greeting. "You said your name was Ulric?"

"Yes, and you are?" Ulric asked this innocently and for a brief moment he saw a glimmer of pain in the man's eyes. The question seemed to hurt him.

"The name's Jolyon. Jolyon Till the Rachis, to be exact." Ulric took off his gloves and grabbed Jolyon's hand, shaking it firmly. "What are you doing up here? It's a bit out of the way for Guardians."

"Oh, um… Well, I wanted to watch the sunrise and I thought this would be a good location." Ulric stumbled over his words again, as if his mouth was moving faster than his thoughts. It embarrassed him.

"You picked a good spot. Come, sit with me." Jolyon motioned to a set of rocks that look comfortable enough to sit on which overlooked the horizon. It was silent as the two of them stared out in front of them. They were close to one another now, the confined seating caused their shoulders to touch. After a few minutes of tranquility Ulric decided to address a nagging feeling within him, breaking the silence.

"Excuse me but… do we know each other?" Ulric questioned, looking over to Jolyon curiously. Jolyon stared back at the Hunter for a moment before replying.

"Do you know who you are?" Jolyon asked.

"I know who I was. I'm not Uldren Sov anymore if that's what you mean." Ulric answered sharply and defensively. Elika always told him to never let anyone try to tell him who he was.

"Of course. You're a Guardian now. Reborn in the Light." Jolyon let out a light scoff. Uldren held a special level of contempt for Guardians and Jolyon found it comically ironic that he is now that which he used to hate.

"You didn't answer my question." Ulric was firm.

"Yes. We do know each other. Or rather we knew each other." Jolyon hated secrets more than anything. He would never lie or withhold truths from Ulric, all he needed to do was ask.

"Were we friends?" Ulric seemed to already know the answer to this question. He had no idea why but he felt at ease around Jolyon. This was nothing like when he met other people who knew him before his rebirth.

"We were… Something." Not a lie, however Jolyon had a hard time talking about this. Especially given that Ulric didn't remember anything.

"Enemies then? Would it make you feel better to kill me?" Ulric smiled in an odd way, as if he was trying to make a joke to ease the tension but was also afraid that Jolyon might actually do it.

"No. It definitely would not." Jolyon looked down at his feet and chuckled softly. As their conversation progressed he was finding it harder to look at Ulric.

"Then tell me, how did we know each other?"

"Do you usually let people kill you, man?"

"Sometimes. It helps people move on, I think. I don't know… Yeah." Ulric's smile faded. He looked at the ground and kicked some dirty in front of him. His cheeks turned a darker shade of blue as his face twisted into a saddened frown.

"You shouldn't do that." Jolyon reached back as if to put a hand on the Guardian's shoulder but hesitated, ultimately deciding to put it on the back of his own head instead. He settled for innocuously resting the outside of his knee against Ulric's. "We used to work together, in a sense. You and I were Crows. I still am one, actually. I guess you aren't anymore, though. I was your wing-man back in the day."

"So we spent a lot of time together then?"

"Yes, we spent a lot of time together." Jolyon could not get over the newness and innocence in Ulric's amber eyes. Uldren used to be the cockiest, most reckless man he knew and now he sat before him as a kind, considerate person whose heart had yet to be corrupted by years of hate and anguish.

"That would explain why I feel like I know you. We must have been pretty close." Jolyon let the Hunter's words hang in the air as he turned to watch the sunrise. He didn't know how to respond to that statement. 'Yes we spent nearly every waking minute of every single day together because we loved each other but then lost your mind and I lost you' seemed a little too intense. So they sat together silently until the sun had crested over the hills on the horizon. Jolyon kept his hands to himself and his eyes dead ahead, trying so hard to not think about the man sitting next to him. Not like that, anyway. He was a new person, it's doubtful he felt the same way anymore. Jolyon never got over losing him. Every memory now felt like a knife stabbing into his side, killing him slowly as he bled out all the feelings he had once suppressed.

Eventually Ulric stood up and dusted off his pants before turning to Jolyon.

"Well, it's been great talking with you. I wish I had more time but I promised to be back soon and it's my head if I'm late." Ulric chuckled. Elika was always so uncomfortable when he talked to people, concerned that they would hurt him. Still, he felt something tugging at him, telling him to stay with Jolyon regardless.

"Yeah, of course. We could talk more some other time, if you want."

"I'd love that!" Ulric's eyes lit up brightly.

"I'll call you soon then." Jolyon stood up as Ulric shyly brushed his own hair behind his ear. He had butterflies in his stomach around the Crow.

Without further hesitation Jolyon moved closer to Ulric, pressing his body lightly against the Hunter. He reached down and lightly touched the outside of Ulric's hand as it hung by his side, caressing it with subtle fingertips. He leaned his head down to rest delicately against the side of Ulric's face. The Hunter's breath hitched as his heart rate grew faster and faster with every passing second. Jolyon let his lips brush softly against Ulric's ear before whispering, "Until next time."

Ulric felt his face heat up as he attempted to catch his breath after Jolyon pulled away from him. The Crow flashed a charming smile as he ran his tongue along his lower lip. Time had frozen for the Guardian at this point. He couldn't seem to move his body as he watched Jolyon turn around and grab his rifle. He would have probably stood still like that for another hour easily if Pulled Pork hadn't taken control of the situation and transmatted him away.

Once he was aboard his ship he snapped out of it and looked at his Ghost with an irritated expression.

"You seemed like you needed help. You weren't moving." Pulled Pork was more naive than Ulric, which was really saying something.

"I… I'm fine. I think. Who was that man?"

"Jolyon Till the Rachis." Ulric paused, assuming his Ghost was being sarcastic and would continue with actual information. Eventually he decided to ask something more specific when he realized it was a serious answer.

"Yes, I got that much. Do you have any data on him?"

"No. However, Spaghetti may. Elika has been around longer than you and her Ghost has likely recorded a lot more information than I have."

"You're right. I'll have to ask him then." Ulric trailed off absentmindedly. He shuffled over to the pilots seat and collapsed into it. He stared at the console, deep in thought, not moving for a few moments before Pulled Pork finally got his attention.

"Did you want to talk about anything?" The Ghost flitted up in front of Ulden and turned to the side a bit, as if to be lending an ear.

"I just have the strangest feeling about Jolyon. I can't remember anything but my body feels like it knows him."

"Is it a bad feeling?" Pulled Pork inquired.

"No. It's an incredible feeling, actually. I can't seem to put my finger on it." Ulric slumped down in his chair.

"If you could use one word to describe it, what would that word be?"

"Love." Ulric replied immediately. He didn't really need to search for the word, it was already on the tip of his tongue. He sighed and shook his head, finally turning his attention towards the console and setting a course for The Tower.

Down in the EDZ, Jolyon Till the Rachis sat alone on the ground in his makeshift camp. His legs were crossed, with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands covering his eyes. He was sobbing so hard he could barely breathe. Next to his knee was a picture of he and Uldren Sov, smiling together in a different time.

Ulric daydreamed the entire ride back to The Tower. He walked back to Elika's apartment from the Hanger, too distracted by his own thoughts to pay attention to anyone around him. When he got there he found the apartment empty. "Strange. Elika should be here but maybe she already left?" The Hunter thought aloud. Spaghetti appeared out of thin air, startling Ulric.

"Where have you been?" He questioned the Hunter with a judgmental gaze.

"Just… Just out." Ulric mumbled.

"She'll be back soon, she went to grab you both some coffee from that shop she likes in The City. She told me to stay here and wait for you." Spaghetti looked at Ulric, who was barely interested in anything that was just said. "Is everything okay? You seem preoccupied."

"Do you have any information on Jolyon Till?" Ulric asked somewhat desperately. The Ghost sat still in the air for a moment, presumably searching through his files.

"Yes. Jolyon Till the Rachis is a Crow. The most elite Crow in existence, to be exact. He is an extremely skilled marksman and is well known among his people for being loyal, trustworthy, and honest. He-" The Ghost paused, realizing that what he was about to say may have an effect on Ulric. What that effect would be, he couldn't anticipate. "He served alongside Uldren Sov, Master of Crows, on nearly every single mission he ran before Uldren's descent into madness. It is said that he was well liked by his people, who gave him the title of Rachis. His undying loyalty to Uldren was never called into question except for by the Awoken Queen herself, who found it annoying that he was more loyal to her brother than he was to her. There is a blank spot in his history after he and Uldren Sov infiltrated the Black Garden together but it does eventually pick back up."

"Where does it pick back up?" Ulric was on the edge of his seat now, fascinated by this information.

"Um… He was part of the fireteam that brought Uldren Sov to the Prison of Elders after… Well, after you went insane, for lack of a better phrase. Petra Venj notes that after you were killed by Elika she went to find Jolyon in the field, asking if he wanted to pay respects to the body. All he said was: 'He's dead. He died a long time before you shot him. Or if you didn't, you helped that Guardian do it.'" Ulric's demeanor changed, going from excitement to melancholy. He thanked the Ghost and said he'd like to be alone for a little while before heading into his room and closing the door.

The words "he died a long time before you shot him" ran through his head over and over. It was so frustrating to not know what that meant. What did Uldren do that hurt Jolyon so badly? Not being able to actually remember anything about it was the worst part. In this moment he could understand why Guardian's were discouraged from digging into their life before the Light.

He laid on his bed, fully dressed, and just stared blankly at the ceiling. He thought about the man with the white hair. His smile, his eyes, the way he walked, the feel of his fingertips on the back of his hand, the sound of him whispering in his ear. All of it was just so thrilling. Suddenly he began crying, though he couldn't for the life of him explain why. He cried for someone he couldn't remember and about past mistakes he may or may not have made. He needed to see Jolyon again. He needed to ask more questions, to learn the truth. What happened to us?

Ulric had let himself drift off to sleep while he waited for Elika to return. All he could see when his eyes were closed was that smile on Jolyon's face before he turned away. It played over and over like a broken record in his mind alongside those words. He died a long time before you shot him. Suddenly there was a knock at his door and Elika abruptly entered with a cup of coffee in her hand, passing it to Ulric as she got closer.

"For me?" Ulric could barely get those two words out before Elika spoke.

"Get ready, bitch! It's Gambit time!" She shoved the coffee into his hand with an energetic smile as he stood up. She didn't seem angry about his earlier absence, in fact she seemed completely out of her mind. Ulric also noticed that she was wearing a different set of armor than she usually did. Normally she donned a purple set of armor with black highlights and a cloak that Drifter had made for her. However, this set was dark black cloth with a glowing red snake design wrapping around the hood on her head and stretching down to her ankle on the right side. She also appeared to have a faint red aura looming above her head.

"What's going on? Why do you have that look on your face?" Ulric was slightly afraid.

"What look?" Elika immediately responded, her eyes somehow wider than they were before.

"You look like you want to eat me or something. Should I be alarmed?"

"What? No! I had like 13 shots of espresso, man. LET GET THIS BREAD!" She shouted while pulling him out of his room and into the dining room. "Spaghetti said you had a rough morning?"

"I suppose you could say that. It wasn't bad but rather… a lot to take in." She reached up to wipe a tear off his face with her thumb in a moment of softness before snapping back to her caffeine induced craze.

"Nothing makes you forget your troubles like a team of Guardians trying to kill you while a giant Taken also tries to kill you. It's so fun!" He chuckled at this. He had been watching her play Gambit for a few weeks now, just spectating on the Derelict with The Drifter. He learned the rules and watched all the best strategies. She previously denied him entrance to the game, claiming he wasn't ready. It seems that the Hunter Vanguard had changed her mind. Or maybe the caffeine did that for her. Who knows. "Let's go, Suki-3 and Minerva are waiting for us."

With that, the two Hunter's transmatted onto the Derelict before Ulric ever had the chance to drink his coffee. Elika had good intentions and maybe getting shot at by every damn thing in the arena would help him get his mind off of things. For now, anyway.