S1-194
Beyond
4:31 PM
11/23/3273
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Sanctuary
Music
Destiny 2 - Necropolis
Making his way back to the Sanctuary, Michael met up with Eris Morn. Tanner-21 was there too, and his Ghost was patching up a few cuts in his armor. "{Repair complete.}" Michael saw something he didn't expect. Argon had strange, little appendages housed within the front parts of his shell.
"Alright, Eris. I think that's everything. The Shadow should have a complete set of armor, so there's no doubt the IMC have reverse-engineered the anti-Nightmare components by now. What's next?"
Eris, as always, disturbed him with her cryptic words. "Of all the things that haunt me, hesitation is not among them. Our world collapsed in pain and agony under the weight of these Pyramids. What lies within? More of the same? It doesn't matter. We must know. The unknown can act as a siren that draws us in... and swallows us whole. Please... do not let yourself be consumed."
"...right." Michael made a face of discomfort under his helmet before turning to the Exo. "Tanner, you're with me."
Tanner-21 got up and readied his Slug Rifle. "You got it."
4:36 PM
11/23/3273
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Sorrow's Harbor
Arriving at Sorrow's Harbor, Michael and Tanner-21 saw what appeared to be a Guardian with that new 'Dreambane' armor, eliminating the Hive at the Scarlet Keep's entrance using a pulse rifle... with mechanical efficiency.
"Hey there. New Guardian?" Michael approached the Hunter, only to be surprised when the Guardian removed their helmet, revealing... "Spyglass?!"
"Hello, Michael. Tanner. I have decided to utilize this new armor as a means of protecting myself from the attacks of the Nightmares." Spyglass's Ghost then transmatted new items into the Vice Admiral's hands. "Apply these Dreambane mods to your armor to give yourself the same protection." Michael and Tanner-21 took a Dreambane mod and attached them to their suits, which then momentarily rippled with the same energy as the rock Eris always carries around. "Let us be off."
As the trio headed into the Scarlet Keep, Eris was on the comms. "Our fate lies ahead of us. That Pyramid destroyed so many lives so long ago. Getting inside is paramount. We must find something... anything to help us prepare for their violent return."
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Enduring Abyss
"Remember to keep your wits about you. We do not know what tricks they may play within."
Spyglass opened fire with the Premonition pulse rifle, dispatching a very unfortunate Acolyte that attempted to face them on its own.
Further into the cave, Thralls began to pour themselves at the Fireteam, only to be wiped out by Michael's Spitfire. A Knight followed the Thralls, only to die to Tanner-21's Toil and Trouble shotgun before it could use its cleaver.
More Thralls and Acolytes were up ahead, with a group of Spectres fighting them. With the help of the Fireteam, the remaining Spectres survived the Hive ambush, then followed Spyglass's order to retreat.
As they came up to a clearing, Rocco spoke up, his voice beginning to distort. "{It's happe̷n̴i̶n̸g again. Li̶k̷e̵ ̷i̷t̸'s reachin̴g̷ ̴i̸n̶s̵i̵de me.}"
In Michael's head, the Traveler's voice was heard, but it was growing more and more faint. "Michael, I... I'm losing track of you. Are you goiⁿᵍ ᵗᵒʷᵃʳᵈˢ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᴾʸʳᵃᵐᶦᵈˀ ᵀᵒʷᵃʳᵈˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᴰᵃʳᵏⁿᵉˢˢˀ ᵂʰᵃᵗ ᵃʳᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗʰᶦⁿᵏᶦⁿᵍˀᵎ ᵀʰᶦⁿᵏ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰᵎ ʸᵒᵘ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ-" The Traveler's voice could no longer be heard.
"Big T? Hello?"
Music
none
"{Th̷e̷ ̵P̶yra̶m̶i̸d̸ ̸i̵s... waiti̵n̵g̸.̸}"
Michael and co. pressed onward, closing in on the Pyramid. "Tanner, Spyglass, I've lost contact with the Traveler!"
"I can no longer access IMC comms or the network." Spyglass reported.
Descending down into the large chamber where they first encountered the Nightmares, Michael and his team gunned down the Hive that were present. "I don't think we're supposed to come this close to the Pyramids." Tanner-21 remarked.
The blockade from their first trip through the chamber... granted them passage. "{It bec̵k̶o̴n̵s̶ ̸u̴s to co̷m̶e̶ ̸c̴los̴e̵r̷.̷}"
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Michael started feeling a terrible chill down his spine.
The trio was suddenly caught in some sort of paracausal tractor beam, which started pulling them into a break in the Pyramid's exterior.
Their Ghosts all appeared.
"{Vi̵o̸l̴e̸n̴c̸e̸.̶ ̷B̸e̸a̷u̸ty.̸ ̵T̸ruth.̸ ̷T̸h̷e̸s̴e thing̵s̷ ̷a̶w̵a̴i̷t̴ ̵i̷n̴s̶i̶de.}" Rocco wasn't sounding like himself anymore.
Neither was Spyglass's Ghost. "{The̶r̵e̴'̷s̴ ̵n̵o turn̵i̴n̶g̶ ̸b̸a̴c̸k̷ ̸n̴o̷w.}"
But Argon was experiencing some sort of breakdown. "{SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM AL-SY-SY-SY-SY- ~voice malfunctioning~}" The Ghost's blue eye flickered wildly before going out.
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Admittance
Now they were inside the Pyramid. "{W̶e̸l̶c̵o̴m̸e̴.̵}" Rocco's distorted voice said. "{W̵e̷'̸v̴e̷ ̸b̸e̸e̵n̶ ̴w̵a̶i̶t̷i̵n̵g̴.̴}"
Michael was horrified at the way his Ghost looked. A strange, crystalline material was slowly spreading out of Rocco's optic... which no longer glowed.
"Argon? Argon, are you OK?" Tanner-21 worried about his unresponsive Ghost.
Suddenly, Argon's eye started to glow. But now it was glowing red. "{S̵n̷o̶i̷t̵c̷u̸r̶t̴s̶n̶i̶.̶.̸.̸ ̷w̷e̷-̸w̷e̵-̵w̷e̵-̸w̵e̵n̶ ̷d̸n̸u̶o̷f̸.̴.̸.̶ ̴t̸i̶u̴c̴r̵i̶c̶ ̴d̸e̸t̶a̶r̵g̶e̷t̵n̴i̶s̸i̴d̷.̵}"
Everyone turned to Argon, even the other possessed Ghosts. "{T̸h̸i̸s̷ ̸w̵a̴s̶ ̶n̶o̸t̸ ̷o̴u̸r̶ ̸i̵n̵t̸e̶n̷t̵.̶}" Spyglass's Ghost was forced to say.
"{S̸o̵m̸e̴t̴h̴i̸n̸g̷ ̴h̵a̷s̴ ̸g̵o̶n̸e̴ ̴w̴r̵o̷n̶g̸.̴}"
Argon slowly raised into the air, twitching from side to side as the tiny appendages in the front parts of his shell splayed themselves out. "{D̷e̷t̸e̷l̴e̸d̸ ̶e̵c̴n̵e̶r̵e̷f̶e̵r̸.̴ ̴D̷n̸u̵o̸f̷ ̴t̵o̵n̸ ̷s̶e̴l̸i̴f̶.̸ ̸S̴l̵o̴c̷o̶t̶o̵r̶p̴ ̷e̸c̷n̶a̶n̸e̶t̶n̵i̷a̴m̶ ̸d̸n̷a̴ ̸r̵i̶a̵p̵e̵r̸.̴ ̸T̶s̷i̸l̷.̶ ̶C̷i̸t̵s̴o̷n̷g̴a̶i̷d̶-̴f̸l̶e̵s̶ ̸g̴n̵i̶g̵g̵o̶l̷.̵}" His voice had become deeper, lower pitched, and intimidating.
"What's happening to Argon?" Michael wondered.
Suddenly, Argon faced his Guardian, welding torch aflame. "{ˢ̵ⁿ̸ᵒ̶ᶦ̶ᵗ̶ᶜ̵ᵘ̶ʳ̶ᵗ̶ˢ̵ⁿ̸ᶦ̸-̵̹͆͊̓̉̚A̸̱̪͈̣̗͎͆̇̃̿͑̕̚͝A̷̟͎̦̒̾̍̔́͌A̸̧̢͙͚͈̲̮̽H̷̘̮̣͍̥͙̉ͅḨ̴̜͉̲̰̦̽̔̿̔͠ͅḦ̵̹̘͔̤̱́͛̈͘͝͝ͅ-̷̣͍͑̄W̸̠̳̮̯͇̿ͅë̶̱̖̪̠͗̒̅͗͘n̴͎̜̫̼͍̍̍͛͊̕ ̷̡̖͍̤̃͑̈̚d̴̻̤̤̠̦̕ṋ̴̜̤̥̀͠u̸͖̖̟̠͋o̸͓̹͛͊f̴̫̼̪̋͗̈ ̷̢̡͚̍͑͝ͅṯ̵̜͔̿̿̕ḯ̴̧̜̯͍̗̆͂̎ͅü̵̡̨̳̱̃͋͆́ͅć̶̳͋̚ṟ̸̛̹̔͑̄̒̽i̶͖̜̘̜̜͌͐̿̕̕͘͜c̷̢̤͍̹̜͋̊̔͗͑ ̵̧̥̦͚̲͗d̷͇͉̺̏͋̔e̴̳͎̟̜̔̓͌͂̓̕t̵̛̘̣̩̿ã̸̧̠͙̜̲̐͐ŕ̸̬͙̺̭͚̆g̴̨̭̺̘͂̀̃̈́̚e̶̝̤͊̾t̷̘͉͙͕̻̓̽̈́̄n̷̖̻͍̤̞̥̉̾i̵̮̣͐̎͊s̸̛̻̪̘̱̪͂̄̋͆i̸̛̠͍̋̾d̶̯̭́̄̍͌̅̓.̶̯̃}" Argon had become hostile!
Arc Light building, Michael shot out a single bolt of Ball Lightning. The bolt struck Argon, disabling the corrupted Ghost. "Let's move!"
"{Y̵o̴u̶'̸r̷e̶ ̴s̴o̸ ̷c̴l̶o̸s̷e̵ ̷n̸o̸w̶.̴ ̶J̸u̷s̶t̸ ̸a̸ ̸l̶i̴t̶t̴l̷e̵ ̵f̶u̶r̸t̸h̷e̸r̶.̵}" Rocco's distorted voice said as the possessed Ghost watched the trio from overhead.
Trekking onward, they came up upon the Nightmare of Dominus Ghaul. The area around them flashed, instantly becoming a scarlet and incredibly dark version of the area where Michael fought the real Ghaul.
Music
Destiny 2 - Dominus Ghaul Redux
Michael and co. had to fight perfect replicas of Cabal troops along with the Ghaul Nightmare.
The fake Cabal put up one heck of a fight, but in the end, the Nightmare of Dominus Ghaul was forced to retreat... to where the real Ghaul tried to siphon the Traveler's Light.
As the fake vortex of stolen Light formed, the area went back to normal, and the Nightmare was nowhere to be found.
Music
none
"{T̶h̷e̵ ̶R̶e̷d̵ ̸W̴a̶r̴ ̸s̷a̶w̶ ̵s̴o̸ ̶m̴a̴n̴y̴ ̷l̵i̵v̶e̸s̷ ̸l̵o̵s̵t̶.̷ ̶S̷a̶w̸ ̴t̴h̶e̸ ̸L̷i̴g̶h̷t̸ ̵t̷a̷k̸e̷n̷ ̴a̵w̵a̵y̶ ̴s̴o̴ ̵e̵a̶s̸i̸l̵y̵.̵}" Spyglass's Ghost's voice stated.
Rocco was forced to utter something he would never dare to say. "{I̴n̸ ̷L̵i̷g̴h̶t̷,̷ ̸t̷h̷e̵r̴e̷ ̵i̴s̸ ̶o̷n̴l̵y̶ ̶w̴e̴a̴k̵n̴e̴s̶s̷.̶}"
"I've had to go without the use of my Light for the entirety of my first life. Losing my Light was like going back to it, even if I had to re-acclimatize to it. And I wasn't weak back then either."
Spyglass's Ghost's voice glitched. "{W̶e̶ ̵s̴e̸e̴.̵}" Now it became apparent that the Darkness was using the Ghosts as a means of speaking to the Guardians.
Traversing down the halls within the Pyramid, Michael and his team came across the Nightmare of the Fanatic. The area around them now resembled the inside of the Watchtower in the Reef.
Music
Destiny 2 - Nightmare of the Fanatic
The Nightmare of the Fanatic started out by calling down storms with that staff Fikrul had. Tanner-21 was forced to summon a Ward of Dawn for protection while Michael laid down a Healing Rift.
Perfect replicas of the lesser Scorn enemies appeared and joined the fight.
After dealing with them, Michael turned his Spitfire to the Nightmare of the Fanatic, only to quickly expend the remainder of his weapon's magazine. Using his new Love and Death grenade launcher, Spyglass opened fire on the Nightmare.
Very soon, the area reverted.
Music
none
"{T̸h̶e̸ ̷L̵i̸g̵h̸t̷ ̵a̴b̶a̶n̷d̵o̴n̶e̵d̷ ̷C̷a̶y̴d̶e̴.̷ ̴L̵e̷f̷t̶ ̵h̶i̸m̸ ̸f̴o̵r̵ ̶d̷e̸a̷d̸.̶ ̴A̵n̸d̴ ̶k̴e̴p̶t̷ ̶h̸i̸m̸ ̶f̵r̴o̸m̵ ̴b̷e̵i̶n̶g̶ ̷s̷a̴v̶e̶d̷.̷}" Spyglass's possessed Ghost said.
"The Light didn't leave Cayde. It was torn from him with the destruction of his Ghost. And since I brought Sundance back, his Light could be reignited."
Rocco's overtaken shell seemingly made a nodding gesture. "{W̶e̴ ̸h̵a̶v̵e̵ ̴s̴e̴e̴n̸ ̴t̴h̴i̷s̶.̵ ̶M̸o̸s̵t̵ ̷i̷m̴p̸r̷e̴s̶s̷i̷v̸e̶.̵}"
Further inside the Pyramid was the Nightmare of a foe Michael and Spyglass had never seen. It was the Nightmare of Crota.
The area was unfamiliar to the ace Pilot, seeing as he wasn't there to steal the real Crota's soul years ago.
Music
Titanfall 2 - Destroyers in the Sky
But something was strange this time around. The Nightmare of Crota was already engaged in combat... against a Nightmare of a Ronin-class Titan? "{W̷h̵a̷t̵?̵}"
A sword made of Hive materials clanging against a sword made of an incredibly durable metal... and it was no surprise that the Crota Nightmare's sword was cracking, fracturing, and falling apart with each impact.
With wide eyes, Michael practically gawked at the scene unfolding before him. His helmet's HUD zoomed in on a section of the Titan Nightmare's plating. A chassis number.
Romeo-Delta One-Five-Three-Nine.
Michael's Ronin-class Titan, which was destroyed in the Red War.
"RD...?"
Kicking the Crota Nightmare down, the apparition of RD-1539 turned towards the ace Pilot. "[Michael. It has been... a long time.]"
Battle-hardened instincts kicking in, Michael rushed for the Titan.
As the Crota Nightmare got back up, Michael entered his Ronin's cockpit. "[Controls are handed to you, Pilot. Sword Core Ready. Keep your enemies close.]"
"Tanner! Spyglass! I've got this! Keep the other Hive off my back!" Michael's voice rang from the Titan's built-in speakers.
"[Sword Core activated.]" Stowing the Leadwall, Michael attacked the Crota Nightmare with a now electrified Broadsword, shattering the Hive blade with a single strike before cleanly dismembering the Nightmare of Crota himself, one swipe at a time.
Michael [Sword Core] Nightmare of Crota, Son of Oryx (Blood of Oryx)
Music
Titanfall 2 - Uphold the Mission
Michael then disembarked. "It was great to see you again, RD. I hope there was something we could do to help you."
Spyglass spoke up. "I may have a solution. While the Datacore may be a construct of the same energy as the other Nightmares we have encountered, it still holds the AI of RD-1539. It may be possible to transfer his AI into a real Datacore, then install it into a recreation of his original chassis."
"Of course. A similar process was used to pull BT out of Jack's helmet!" Michael turned to the apparition. "RD, try and make your way to the Sanctuary here on the moon."
"[Understood.]"
The area reverted to the Pyramid's interior, followed by the apparition of RD-1539 attempting to make his way out the way the others came.
Music
none
Spyglass's Ghost, still possessed by the Darkness, spoke again. "{O̸n̸e̷ ̷b̸y̶ ̴o̷n̸e̶,̴ ̶C̷r̴o̴t̸a̶ ̷s̵l̶a̸u̵g̷h̶t̶e̸r̷e̷d̷ ̴m̶a̶n̶y̸ ̵G̴u̷a̸r̸d̴i̶a̵n̶s̸.̴ ̴T̴h̸e̴ ̶L̵i̷g̴h̶t̴ ̷s̶t̵o̵o̴d̶ ̷b̸y̴,̸ ̷a̷n̴d̵ ̶d̵i̵d̷ ̵n̴o̷t̶h̶i̸n̶g̶.̴ ̵A̷n̸d̶ ̸a̵ ̸g̸r̷e̶a̵t̷ ̵d̴i̷s̶a̸s̷t̴e̶r̴ ̴e̷n̷s̸u̸e̴d̷.̴}"
Rocco was forced to utter another thing he would never say. "{I̷n̷ ̴L̶i̴g̸h̷t̵,̷ ̵t̴h̶e̴r̶e̷ ̶i̸s̴ ̷o̸n̸l̵y̸ ̴d̸e̶a̴t̷h̷.̵}"
"I wasn't here for that. Thanks for the history lesson." Michael remarked with a flat tone of voice.
Up ahead was what looked like a statue of a dark goddess under a veil. "{C̷o̸m̸e̶ ̵t̵o̷ ̴u̴s̴.̸ ̵D̵o̷ ̶n̸o̷t̶ ̷b̷e̶ ̶a̴f̷r̸a̶i̶d̸.̴ ̷R̷e̶s̶p̶i̶t̵e̸ ̴l̸i̴e̵s̵ ̷a̷h̴e̴a̶d̶.̵}" As Rocco's voice said this, an unknown sphere descended to the base of the statue.
As the Fireteam approached the sphere, another voice was heard behind them. "{D̵n̸u̷o̸f̵ ̷m̵e̵l̴b̶o̵r̴p̸!̸}" Argon had caught up to them. "{S̷i̶h̶t̴ ̴r̶e̷t̷f̴a̵ ̴u̶o̷y̶ ̶e̸l̵c̵y̴c̴e̵r̴ ̴o̵t̴ ̸e̵v̵a̴h̴ ̴l̵l̷'̴i̵!̵}"
As the corrupted Ghost rushed at the Fireteam, Michael placed his hand upon the unknown artifact, and everything blinked to black and silence.
UNKNOWN
Michael found himself in a place that resembled the Black Garden, but with more of those Pyramids in the sky. Looking around, he found Tanner-21 and Spyglass were still with him.
While looking over an edge to get a bead on their location, the trio heard their own voices speak in perfect unison behind them. "You made it." They turned around, seeing three very familiar figures approaching them. "We have heard your cries for help. And soon we will answer."
"Who are you?" Michael demanded.
"Don't you recognize us?" The three figures... were them!
The copy of Tanner-21 stepped forward. "We are not your friend."
Spyglass's double approached. "We are not your enemy."
"We are your..." Michael's doppelgänger put himself at the center of the entire group, facing the ace Pilot with an unsettling glare in the eyes. "...salvation."
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Enduring Abyss
In a burst of silent blackness, Michael and co. found themselves back outside of the Pyramid. "Tanner. Spyglass. Status report."
"I am undamaged. My systems are rebooting." Spyglass reported. "And my Ghost has been released from the Pyramid's influence." Indeed it was. Spyglass's Ghost was intact, with no sign of possessions. But it was inactive, optic closed. It was hard to tell whether a Ghost was dead or unconscious in such a state.
"I'm alright. But Argon..." Tanner-21 was right to be concerned. His Ghost had malfunctioned inside the Pyramid and attacked them.
But now Argon was just laying there, his optic having reverted back to its normal blue glow, yet flickering. Not long after, Argon went back to normal. "{All systems operational.}"
"Rocco?" Michael looked to his Ghost, finding his old friend shaking on the ground, his optic little more than an erratic dot. There was no doubt in the Pilot's mind that the experience had scarred Rocco.
4:47 PM
11/23/3273
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Sanctuary
Music
Destiny 2 - Necropolis
Returning to the Sanctuary, Michael and his team filled Eris in on everything that had happened in there. "They are not our salvation... They're our destruction. This has been a manipulation from the very start. They know we're here. They know what we've found. The artifact you recovered may be tainted. After all, they wanted us to have it. But... a treasure such as this is far too valuable to destroy. I must stay and study it with the utmost care. Whatever I discover, I will send to the IMC."
Nodding, Michael opted to speak to Spyglass, but the Traveler's voice was heard in his head. "Michael! Are you OK?"
"A little shaken up, T. But I'm fine. Rocco on the other hand..."
The Traveler's voice sighed in relief. "I'm glad you're alright. Promise me you'll never do anything like that again."
Considering the things he and his Ghost went through inside that Pyramid, Michael couldn't help but see the reason for the Traveler's worry. "I promise."
Music
Metroid: Other M - Briefing
"Michael. RD. We're ready." Spyglass called out from a new setup.
The apparition of RD-1539 allowed itself to be hooked up to the machines that had been carried down via Drop Ship. Next to the apparition stood an offline Ronin-class Titan chassis, hooked up to the same machine. RD-1539's apparition opened its optical casing, exposing a Datacore made of the same solidified scarlet energy. Various devices connected to the Datacore, successfully getting a hold of the AI within.
"Vice Admiral, all systems are in the green. AI transference is ready to go." A technical officer reported from one of the consoles.
Spyglass looked up at the apparition, which gave him a thumbs-up. "Proceed."
The raised arm falling limp, the apparition's chassis began to fade out of existence. "It worked. AI successfully removed from Nightmare Datacore. Initiating AI repair procedure. Renewing base AI framework. Memory files and program Omni-10 personality data extracted. AI base framework restored. Reloading memory files and program Omni-10 personality data." The officer gave Spyglass a thumbs-up. "AI repair procedure complete. Uploading to new Datacore." The device connected to the console began to glow. "Datacore ready for installation."
Disconnecting it, Michael procured the Datacore, then climbed up the empty chassis. Sticking out from underneath the opened optic was a small cylindrical harness for the Datacore, and the ace Pilot slid it in. The harness was then pulled back into the chassis by the internal servos as the rectangular optic moved back into place.
A few seconds later, the optic glowed. "[Hello, Michael. It's good to be back.]"
Spyglass (Guardian loadout)
Species
Modified Spectre
Gender
Male
Class
Hunter
Kinetic weapon
Hand Cannon - Loud Lullaby (Lunar Halcyon Gilt)
Energy weapon
Pulse Rifle - Premonition (Lunar Halcyon Gilt)
Power weapon
Grenade Launcher - Love and Death (Lunar Halcyon Gilt)
Helmet
Dreambane Cowl (Lunar Halcyon Gilt) (Default Ornament)
Gauntlets
Dreambane Grips (Lunar Halcyon Gilt) (Default Ornament)
Chest armor
Dreambane Vest (Lunar Halcyon Gilt) (Default Ornament)
Leg armor
Dreambane Strides (Lunar Halcyon Gilt) (Default Ornament)
Class item - Hunter Cloak
Dreambane Cloak (Lunar Halcyon Gilt) (Default Ornament)
Ghost shell
Moonshot Shell (Lunar Halcyon Gilt) (No Projection)
Sparrow
Moonrider One (Lunar Halcyon Gilt)
Ship
The Third Tide (Lunar Halcyon Gilt) (Default Effect)
Well! That was an interesting conclusion to Operation Shadowkeep.
And welcome back, RD-1539! We've missed you!
Now, that may be the end of our endeavors on the moon, but that just means there are still more adventures to come, so be prepared for tha-!̶͍̦͉͙̯͓̭͑͒̍̀̓T̴̻͓͎̖̟̞̲̭̐̅̊͐̆̾͝C̶̨̫̹͇̬͍̱̘͌̿̈́͜͝E̵̯͚͂̈́͐̾̈́̏̉̊͌̕F̵̨̡̫́Ȩ̶̱͖͕͑͒̀͛̐̕͘͝Ḓ̶͎͙̯̗̖̣̆́̉̚̕ ̶͚̈́͆̄͗̇̓͗̋͆͜͝G̵̨̫̯̗̜͓͉̤͓̞̋͋̾̓͒̎͒͆̈́̓͜N̸͓͓̐̀̋͆͝Ỉ̷͈͎͇͉̂̉̌͜R̷̡͔̖̱̬̜̩̲̒͜͠Ũ̶̗͔̳͎͖̬͕͚̐͆͝͝͝͝T̸͔͋͆C̵̰̤͎͖̬̖͉̲̀́̄́̂̃̎͗̕͝͝Ä̴̝̥̟͇͖̰́̀̑͐́͌̽F̶̙̙͎͙͈̦͍̃́͑͝͠Ư̴͇̘̋́̑N̵̢̝͇͎̗̟̯̙̓̒̆̅̈́͜͝͝A̸̛̲̜̦͕̦̮̯̻̗̩͙̓̑̊͌̕̚͠M̵͖̲̜͋͋!̵̘̱͎͆̈̒̀̈́̇͐́ ̸̬̮̑̑̅̑ͅ6̸̡̧̢̘̖͍̙̯̖̯̈̿̓͂6̵̧̙͗̉̓͑͒͗͊̇̔S̵̫̖͓̯̱̠͋̏̈́̓͂̓̽͝͝ ̷͎̞͖̥͛̌̉̐̌́̓E̸̬̪̯̥̥͑̏͂̓́D̶̨͇͍̤̬̖͗ͅO̶̟̍͒̆̽C̶̬͙͒̄̔͆̃̓ ̶̨̧̼̥̯͒͗̆͌͆͛̈́́̒́̑͜R̶̨̠̘̊̄̅͋̎̆O̷̖̟̠͂͆̋R̷̦̪̰̟̼̻͖̺̤͇͛̅̿͒̈́͑͘͝͝R̶̛̻̫̜̪͓̜͔̣͆͑̀̈́̔̓̏͛͌͜ͅͅE̵͖̫͍̭̩̔̍̈̐̆̿̚̕̚͜͝͝!̵̛̛̘̺̪͕̪̺̜̓̈́͒̇̐̃-̴A̵h̸h̸.̸ ̴T̶h̶e̸r̵e̴ ̶y̴o̴u̴ ̸a̴r̴e̷.̸
A̵s̵ ̶y̶o̵u̸ ̷m̶a̶y̶ ̶s̴e̶e̷,̶ ̴w̵e̷ ̵h̴a̸v̶e̵ ̶t̶a̵k̶e̵n̵ ̶t̸h̷e̷ ̵o̵p̴p̵o̴r̶t̶u̸n̷i̸t̵y̶ ̵t̴o̸ ̸s̸p̷e̶a̴k̵ ̴t̵o̷ ̸t̸h̷e̶ ̸G̶a̷r̵d̷e̷n̵e̷r̷'̷s̵ ̴p̶a̴w̸n̷.̶
H̵u̶m̷a̸n̴i̶t̸y̷ ̵l̸i̵v̶e̶s̷ ̵i̶n̴ ̵a̷n̷ ̶e̷v̴o̵l̴v̴i̸n̶g̴ ̴w̸o̶r̴l̴d̴,̴ ̷w̸h̵e̶r̷e̵ ̵t̷h̴e̷ ̵w̵e̴a̵k̶e̷s̴t̵ ̴l̷i̸n̴k̸s̷ ̸a̶r̴e̶ ̷o̴f̸t̵e̵n̸ ̸b̶r̸o̴k̵e̷n̴ ̷b̵y̷ ̸t̴h̴e̵ ̵s̷t̷r̷o̴n̴g̸e̵r̶ ̵o̸n̵e̶s̴.̸ ̴H̶o̴w̵e̷v̷e̵r̵,̸ ̷t̵h̵e̸y̴ ̶h̶a̶v̵e̷ ̴p̸r̶o̷v̶e̵n̷ ̴t̴h̶e̴m̶s̴e̷l̷v̴e̷s̷ ̷a̸m̶o̷n̴g̷ ̴t̵h̷e̷ ̶v̷i̷c̷t̸o̵r̴i̵o̷u̵s̶ ̶f̴e̶w̵,̷ ̵a̴n̸d̷ ̴w̵e̷ ̶w̷i̶s̴h̴ ̵t̶o̷ ̵t̴e̷s̷t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̸m̸ ̶s̵o̸m̸e̷d̷a̵y̷.̵
S̶u̶c̷h̷ ̶a̴ ̶b̴e̶a̵u̶t̴i̶f̴u̶l̵ ̵t̶h̷i̵n̵g̸,̵ ̸i̵s̵n̷'̸t̸ ̷i̸t̵?̸
A̸f̵t̷e̷r̶ ̶a̷l̷l̷,̵ ̸o̵u̶r̶ ̷p̶u̷r̶p̷o̷s̴e̸ ̴i̸s̵ ̴t̸o̷ ̷w̶i̷p̸e̶ ̵o̵u̴t̶ ̵t̷h̷o̸s̷e̴ ̴t̸h̵a̸t̴ ̵c̶a̸n̶n̷o̴t̴ ̶s̷u̴r̸v̶i̵v̵e̵ ̵i̶n̸ ̷t̸h̵e̶ ̷f̶a̵c̷e̴ ̷o̷f̶ ̷o̷b̶l̶i̸v̸i̶o̵n̴.̸
T̸u̷r̴n̶ ̶t̵h̶e̷ ̴p̸a̴g̵e̸,̶ ̵r̷e̶a̴d̵e̵r̸,̵ ̵i̸f̷ ̶y̶o̴u̴ ̵w̶i̷l̷l̵.̶
L̵̬̫̳̳̭̼̘̲̥̳̻͋́͆͊́͌̔̐̂̓͋͐͑̚Ȁ̶̢̦̰͉̻̞̙̳̞̖̹̪̙͕͊͜N̵̞̦̼̤̈́̉̐̊̇̐́́͗̋̃͌̒̒̚͘I̶̢̡̖̙̞̥̓̐́M̷̡̡͇̼͕͍̯͔͍̜̬͂̆Ő̸̢͍̱͎̲͎͓͙̠̜͚͖̪͒͝N̴̡̯̦͙͍̤̑̄͂̾̀̓̾͊͠-̷̼̫̻̫͙͓̦̜̓͊(̴̛̳̭͕̮͌̀́̽̉̏̉̉̔̈́̂̚▀̵̨͉̫̼͙̂̉͐̾▖̷͎̞̲̦̥̮̗̪͇̲̗̼͕̗̹̀̃̅͒́̄̈́̏̇̎́̓̆̐̚͝┗̷͍̭̦̹̺̦̞̿̔͆͌̀̀͝▛̵̧̒̍̿̾̑̈͂̈́̎̉͘▄̶̨̪̼̫̜͇̫̞̝̄͑̎̀̉̀̐̑̔͋͘)̶̜̖̗̮͖͉̪̖͔̄̀͆͒͐̍̑̓̃̆̐̀͝-̴͖̫̩̭̗͓͉̻͇͖̞͇̞̜̓͗̌͐̽͒̅̌͑R̵̛̞̟̙̰̝͇̞̰̞̙͉̹̝̫̣͋́̌̋̃̓̀̊͒̕͝Ę̶͚͈̣̞͚̗̙̦̝̯͙̞̐̀͋̏͑́̆̈̈P̵̪̦̻̤͍̱͍̎̽̉̉̀͝Ó̵̼͍̤̝̱͈̣̹͚͙͒N̸̤̻͚͕͔͔̮̱͉̘͙̣̜̾͑͐̉̒̈́͂͜͜͠ͅÏ̸̘̠̼̳̏̌̈́͛͐̔̏̀̌̓̑̋̕͝ ̷̢͕͚̫̗̬̗̻̱͉̼͉͈̪̝̐̏̊͋̌͋̄̋̿̊͝͝Ş̵͙͓̥͍͓͇̭͔̮̘͙̅̏̊͐͊̎̈̎̅̊͘͜ͅĬ̵̛̛͕͈̘̺̦̰̠͈̖͓̪̀͂̅̐͊̓̄͆̊̔̋̔͝ͅ ̶̯̙̝͉̙̦̺̝͉̜͛͆̌̅͌̄̐͊̀̕͜͠M̸̧͍̜̱̻͎̭͐̐̓̅͊͋͘Ė̵̡̢̙̥͉͓̣̟̺͖̑͜ͅT̵̛̲̫͚̫̥̺̙͚͇͕̞̙̩̝͔̈́̀͊̏̍̐̽͋̉̇̕̚S̷̢̡̩̒̋͆̌̏̌͜Ý̷͓͕̞͖̭̞͓̭̗͒͗͛͛͆̐̒̀̀̓̕͜͠͝S̶͎̲͈̰̞̓̍̉̂͛͂͒̆̀̃̓͘̚͠.̵̨̛̣̙̮͖̹̗̎́̉̈͒̏͝-GAH! What in the... That was not pleasant. Anyway, I'll see you all next time. Now to figure out just what the heck happened to me...
Oh! And I had my 23rd birthday a few days ago.