A/N: Well, that was an unexpected state of play.

Consider this as a prologue of sorts to the raid. In all honesty, looking back, this probably could have fit at the end of the last chapter. Ah well.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Destiny and all of its supplementary materials are owned by Bungie, including any liberties I take with the lore. I only own Fireteam Storm and other OCs. Please support the official release.

Saga 02: The Monster of Luna

Arc 04: Crota's End

Chapter 29: There'll Be Another Time

Hellmouth

The Stills

20 Years Ago…

Eriana rounded a corner. It was just up ahead, she could see it. A light so bright it illuminated the very fabric of reality itself. And lay just on the other side of a single bridge. Eriana stopped at one side of the bridge, the light of Crota's Ascendent Plane beckoning her. For once she allowed herself to laugh. She'd made it.

"This Eriana-3 to all Fireteam Noble members," she announced on an open channel. "Does anyone copy. I've made it to the entrance of the Oversoul Throne. I repeat, does anyone copy?"

Static. Then. "…Sai…Omar…Vell…Eriana! Sai…Omar…Vell…Eriana!"

"Eris?! Eris, can you hear me?! Omar! Do you copy? Sai? Vell?! TOLAND?! Does anyone copy? I repeat I am at…I am at…"

Eriana trailed off, staring into the abyss of light that lay before her. Her face faltered briefly, a rush of emotions running across it as she summoned Jax. He looked pensive. "I-I guess this is it then?"

"Yeah…" Eriana croaked, unable to look at him. "Could…could you do one last favour? That recording I made at the farm? Leave it by Wei's grave and broadcast it."

Jax nodded. "I'll sat it to loop after…" he frowned. "After…"

"It's ok, Jax," Eriana said calmly. "You can be angry. It's what I deserve."

Jax huffed, looking at the ground. "The only thing you deserved was to treat yourself with kindness."

The pair said nothing when Jax flew off. He stopped momentarily, looking back at her. "For what it's worth," he said. "I'm honoured to have had you as my Guardian."

With Jax no longer a worry for her, Eriana composed herself and walked into the light.

(Lone Wolf- Halo: Reach OST)

Eriana woke in cold room of emerald stone. The first thing she heard was the howling wind. She got to her feet, making her way to a small crevice in the wall. Outside was an eerily beautiful castle suspended within a howling void. In the distance was a broken star of emerald green fire, bathing the structure in a cold glow.

Eriana gripped the Fighting Lion in hands tightly, a finger brushing over a phrase written in Mandarin: the last and surest argument. With a heavy sigh she set out of the gazebo she'd found herself in into a small courtyard of sorts.

It was quiet, save for the wind.

The Warlock shivered, trying to flick a small Solar flare for warmth but even that seemed to take all the energy she could muster. With nowhere else to go, Eriana followed the path to a bridge that materialised from thin air. She hesitantly stepped, the platform wobbling under the sudden weight before stabilising. Eriana continued, the bridge dematerialising as she moved across it until there was nothing left when she reached the other side.

Eriana looked up at the castle towers high above her, then to an open door. She stepped through, wondering why the Hive would just let her in. As she meandered through the expansive halls of Crota's fortress, Eriana felt the pit of her stomach sink lower and lower- like her soul had slowly back to fall to the depths of whatever Hell Crota's home rested. Every step through the castle made her heart ache more and more.

Wandering the halls, listening to the ambient shrieking, Eriana's thoughts drifted back to her friends. It was funny. She wished she could've gone back and told them that before the Stills. Everything seemed so pointless now. Everything but them.

Omar's loyalty, despite his apathy to the idea.

Vell's kindness, wishing in someway to alleviate her pain.

Sai's wisdom, lighting the darkest of times.

Eris's steady hand, reassuring the team.

Eris… She'd always been there after Wei died. Helping Eriana clean, get out of the Tower. Her awkward attempts to help Eriana out of her trauma brought a smile to the darkest of days. She was Eriana's rock after Crota…

After Wei… And Eriana discarded her.

She threw away everyone.

Eriana stopped just shy of an arch, her trembling hands tightening around Wei Ning's Fighting Lion. "I didn't deserve you…" she said sadly.

In the courtyard she found what she'd come for. A great beast in emerald chitin, stood tall. Omnigul was beside him, along with Sardon and several other Hive she'd not seen since The Great Disaster. A rush of rage filled her but, as quickly as it rose up, it vanished. Instead Eriana felt nothing but dread and anticipation.

"Oh, Wei…" she whispered.

Crota tilted his head at the name. "That ferocious woman who stood before me all those years ago?"

Eriana frowned, aiming her grenade launcher at Crota. Crota relaxed his shoulders. "At ease, Lightbearer."

"Ease?" Eriana spat. "Ease?! You took my wife away from me!"

"And she died a hero," Crota replied casually, watching Eriana march down. "Even the Hive are not above singing songs to our fallen enemies, should they deserve to be sung."

Eriana stared into Crota's curious gaze. The God-Prince continued. "The woman, Wei…she was your mate? Your brood partner?"

"Yes," Eriana replied softly.

Crota leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Do you wish to have her back?"

"Yes…" Eriana murmured, taken aback by Crota's apparent sympathy. "More than anything."

"Will killing me bring her back?"

"No…"

Crota paused "Then why are you here?"

Eriana remained quiet. For a moment she could have sworn she saw a strange understanding in Crota's eyes. The beast stood, the whole Throne groaning alongside his movement, and appeared to give a firm nod. He pulled his sword from the ground, levelling it at the lone Guardian.

"Then accept my mercy," Crota said. "In a warrior's death!"

With that the Hive poured into the courtyard, first the Thrall that were cut down with Eriana's Solar Light. The Guardian yelped, darkness blasts from the Wizards lancing her armour. Eriana aimed Fighting Lion, firing a single shot that rebounded of a wall before cutting through the Wizards like paper.

Crota gestured, sending his blackened Knights into the fray. Eriana screamed, unleashing round after round from Wei Ning's Fighting Lion at them. With each fallen Knight, Eriana felt the spirit of the Titan with her once more.

The shadowy Acolytes, Suvox, swarmed her but was met with a blast from her Solar Grenades. The Acolyte's doubles all snickered as they fell, a Hive cleaver piercing Eriana's gut. She grunted, glancing behind her. It was Norzuk.

"Me again," he chuckled darkly.

Eriana grunted, throwing her body forward and ripping the sword from his grasp. She turned, sword still impaled through her stomach and grabbed his face with a palm covered in flames. Norzuk screamed, backing off and buying Eriana some time. She ripped the sword from her, turning and throwing it straight at the encroaching Domak. The Ogre howled, grabbing his as it tried to wrestle the sword from his bulbous head.

Vizneh stepped in, rushing the Warlock with her scissor-blades. Eriana's body ache, and she could barely fend of the Wizard's attacks. She readied the Fighting Lion again, but was quickly disarmed when Vizneh sliced her hand off like it was nothing. Eriana was so focused the Heart of Crota she didn't see Sardon coming from behind, impaling with his sword.

The Fist of Crota cheered, lifting Eriana up on his blade for all to see. Crota said nothing, merely watching the body twitch before it exploded with a Radiance of Solar Light that sent out a shockblast so powerful to flung Vizneh and Sardon across the courtyard.

Omnigul entered the fray, lancing her with wormrot blasts that burned up before they could hit the Warlock's burning form. Omnigul braced herself when the pyre that was Eriana charged. To the Wizard's surprise, it was a palm strike but a headbutt that left her crumpling into the ground.

Eriana stumbled, staggering and panting as she turned to face Crota. She grabbed a sword with burning hands and readied herself. Crota scoffed, but nodded none the less and the pair charged- the monster of Luna swatting Eriana away like a fly.

The Warlock got to her hands and knees, reaching for the sword, only to be kicked down by Sardon. Eriana swiped his leg, pulling the Fist of Crota down but was blindsided by Omnigul's wormrot again. Eriana stood up and lunged but was pinned down by Suvox's clones. She batted them away, kicking the stragglers of and grabbed the sword in a delirious haze. She stood, swiping at the Disciples of Crota as her flames burned up. She collapsed, barely able to breathe, when Crota's shadow loomed over her.

"Any last words?" he asked, his sword raised.

Eriana said nothing, feebly stabbing Crota's shin with the stolen Cleaver. Crota chuckled before running Eriana through with a sickening crunch. With that, the embers died.

And Eriana's sorrow with them.

The Catacombs…

It was dark. But then, everything was now.

Eris felt her face sting when she cried again. She didn't move. She'd quickly learned that rubbing them would open the wounds again. Instead, she slouched against a pillar of some kind listening to the cries and echoes of Hive that filled the tunnels she found herself buried in.

Brya never returned. This much Eris had already known. Whether it was hours or days, she couldn't tell.

Nothing lingered for her anymore. Even attempts to think of happier times hurt. Another flurry of memories hit her like a truck, and she curled up, silently crying as she clutched her lucky bone tightly.

"Please…" she whispered. "I'd give anything to not be here…I want the way out…I want to live!"

Suddenly Eris felt the world around her grow cold, the distant echoes slowly replaced with a sharp ringing sensation in her ears that grew louder and louder and louder and then-

B-E-H-I-N-D Y-O-U O W-E-A-R-E-R M-I-N-E

A roar.

Instinctively, Eris grabbed a rock by her feet and swung it round. She heard a crash, a stunned shriek. Eris stood, unsteady, and forced herself onto her assailant, pinning the beast down. She felt it squirm and gripped its neck, before grabbing the rock again and began to smash the creature's head in. With every scream, every attack, her vision cleared- dull at first then slowly filling with a green haze.

Eris panted, looking at the dead Acolyte beneath her. She struggled off, a black liquid oozing to the floor from her face. She growled, panting as she crawled along the corridor like a feral best. She felt her hand slip, a small splash of water in a tiny pool made from liquid that dripped under an upper balcony.

In the pool she could see three sparkle emerald eyes. The haze cleared and the flayed flesh and bruised cheeks of her own face surround them. Eris whimpered.

A scream followed, one that merged with the furious laughter of the Hive around her. A last gasp howling at the blue world that hung above the Hellmouth.

Vell is…spectacularly dead. Omar and Sai are quite dead too. Eriana…poor, poor Eriana. I know you weren't anywhere near her, but…I feel it necessary to tell you that she was so bright at the end. So very, very bright.

Crota may have been unmoved, but that didn't stop you, didn't it? A name for chaos indeed…

Ir Yût was quite intriguing. I defined myself a friend, and she defined for me the quiddity of death. Revelation, my friend, and the realisation you still know nothing…it goes down hard. The definition killed me. The killing redefined me.

I want to appear in the Tower. Taunt them. Tell them I never sleep. Tell them I dance between the shadow and the light. Tell them I will never die.

Tell them that I was right.

I want to ask them, if they followed their laws here, to this fearful place, of what use are those laws? I want to tell them of my work, of my call into the dark.

Osiris! Osiris! Can you hear me?

Sometimes I think he answers.

Instead, I want to tell you that I am lonely. That the useless apes I criticised weren't so useless after all. A scared old man dies with many regrets.

One of them was you, Eris. In this…dead space I feel the pain of your present. I wish I could tell you I was so proud of you.

I wish I could tell you I was sorry.

Next Time:- Eris's injuries are fatal but there's one last hope. Unfortunately for Storm, the Vanguard stand in their way. Chapter 2-30: Wormrot.