Chapter 1: Celebration

The boom of fireworks exploding in the distance muffled the many conversations taking place around The Tower. The Almighty had been brought down and a new Hunter Vanguard had been chosen: Elika Valerys. She was a part of the fireteam who killed the Taken King as well as his son Crota. She was also there to take down Aksis, Xol, Panoptes, and many other devastatingly dangerous enemies of the Light. They called her "The Hero of Light" long before they called her Vanguard. She stood alone while watching the fireworks from Zavala's corner of the Tower.

"I cannot think of anyone else more qualified for this position, Guardian." Zavala spoke up over the crowd and moved towards Elika for a handshake.

"I agree wholeheartedly." Ikora appeared behind him, embracing the Guardian in a hug.

"Thank you, both of you. I promise I won't let you down." Elika was nervous. She was used to the weight of the system on her shoulders but the task before he was unlike any of the previous challenges she has faced. Zavala and Ikora mean so much to her. She would be devastated if she couldn't live up to her new title.

"We won't let you down." Spaghetti, Elika's Ghost, popped up to offer a nod to both Ikora and Zavala. Elika smiled and held up a fist towards him, which he bumped with his entire shell.

"Of course, I expect no less from the duo that defeated Zulmak in the Pit of Heresy just this morning." Zavala chuckled. Elika still had so much to learn from both of her new colleagues. However tonight was a night for celebration and the Guardian had a special meeting to attend. She excused herself and began to walk towards the growing crowd.

Elika walked slowly through the throngs of people who had gather to celebrate, hugging friends and returning high fives, until she got to Banshee-44's workshop. She went down the stairs behind his stall and around the corner. She stood underneath where Lord Shaxx was posted, looking through the shadows for a certain someone.

"There you are, hero. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about ol' Drifter." The rogue lightbearer made his way out of the shadows, twirling a jade coin between his fingers.

Elika moved in and kissed him softly, pressing her body against his. "Who could forget a man like you?"

"You're too kind." He shifted back, making enough space between them for him to wrap his hands around both of hers. "Congratulations on the promotion, beautiful. I'm proud of you." He was smiling but his deep, blue eyes gave him away. Something was on his mind.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"You're not good at lying to me." She pulled her hands to her hips and stood there waiting for him to respond in earnest.

"It's nothing, really. It's just… Now that you're part of the Vanguard, can we even be a thing? I know the other two have no love for me. How do you think they will respond when they find out you and I are an item?"

"I don't care what they think of what I do, or who I do, in my personal time. It's none of their business. As for them not liking you, well… I am going to try to fix that. They need your help whether or not they are willing to admit it."

"You're not gonna go all 'Vanguard' on me now, right? You still love me, faults and all?" He moved back towards her, grabbing her arms from her hips and bringing them up to wrap around his neck. He then wrapped his hands around her waist before softly whispering in her ear, "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me." She whispered back to him. "We made a promise to each other. We're in this for the long haul. I meant it and I know you did too. I do love you, faults and all, just as you love me." The two embraced each other. They'd had each other's backs for a while now, through thick and thin. He was there to support her and she was there to support him.

"Ahem," Spaghetti appeared and attempted to get Elika's attention. "I think we should head back now, you know, to the celebration taking place in your honor?" Elika shot him a glance of annoyance. She loved Spaghetti but he had a knack for killing the mood.

"Come with me." She looked at the man standing in front of her, who was now holding her hands.

"I don't know, I don't want to cramp your style."

"Don't be silly. Look," she pulled her hands away from his and put them on the sides of his face, leaning in and resting her forehead on his, "I need you and I don't care if people know that. I'm tired of hiding." Drifter was silent for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and nodding. She knew he was worried that he would tarnish her near-spotless reputation but she didn't care about that. She cared about him. She took his hand and the two walked back up to the party.

Drinks were being poured and hors d'oeuvres were being passed around. Colored lights were strewn about the Courtyard along with flower petals and streamers. There hadn't been a party like this since Ghaul was defeated nearly three years ago. Elika was praised for his defeat then and they held a party in honor of her bravery and dedication to the people of the Last City. Now they were celebrating her promotion to Hunter Vanguard. She was proud of her accomplishments but filling the shoes of her predecessor would be nearly impossible. Cayde-6 was a dear friend and mentor of Elika's. They shared a close friendship. She still felt guilty for his murder in some way, as if she should have been faster or fought harder to prevent his murder. She sought out Uldren Sov and killed him in retaliation, nearly causing another war. This was a choice she made with confidence at the time but one she has come to regret. Maybe she was too hasty, too bloodthirsty. Could she have done better? Her choices weighed heavily on her mind yet again as she reached down and placed a hand on Cayde's iconic gun, Ace of Spades, which rested in her thigh holster. She couldn't change the past but she could make better choices in the future.

The Hunter Vanguard and The Drifter made their way through the crowd, stopping to chat with friends along the way.

"Whoooo! Good job, kid! Looks like we will be seeing a lot of each other lately since y'all will be right next door." Amanda Holliday offered her congratulations. She's always been a good friend to Elika. The two hugged and Amanda smiled at Drifter before saying "I didn't know you two were dating! You treat her good, you hear?" The Drifter reassured her and the two continued on.

"Nice one. Tell me though, why did Cayde get demoted?" Banshee-44 had truly been rebooted 44 times. His memory wasn't what it used to be and Elika didn't have the heart to tell him what really happened to Cayde anymore. The last few times she did were agonizing, and it got worse with each telling. Luckily, before she could shimmy out of that conversation, an old friend appeared.

"Guardian," Eris Morn herself had come from the Moon to celebrate, "I'm so proud of you. I could think of no one better to lead the Hunters than you." She smiled as she put a hand on Elika's shoulder. It felt good to have another famous Hunter, even if she was without a Ghost, on her side. The smile faded as she came to rest her three covered eyes on The Drifter. She then walked away towards where Zavala was standing.

"Well done, Guardian! I have always believed in you." Lord Shaxx's voice boomed over the crowd. He embraced her in a hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. After placing her back on the ground he softly said, "I know it's hard after his death, but if anyone can do this it's you." Elika nodded and gripped Drifter's hand tightly. It was still hard to talk about Cayde, apparently. She had accepted that he was no longer alive but it still stung. The death of a Guardian, regardless of who they are, was hard to swallow. She smiled and thanked Shaxx before moving on.

After moving further through the crowds together, making conversation with all kinds of people along the way, the couple made their way to the upper walkway which spanned above where Kadi 55-30 was located over to where Master Rahool was set up. It was typically rather peaceful up here. Even during the celebration there were few people..

"See? That wasn't so bad. There's no need to be worried." Elika tried to reassure her partner. He let her words hang in the air for a moment before he finally replied.

"I'm still worried but I do feel better now. Thanks for inviting me, Àirén." He squeezed her hand as he held it and she leaned over onto his shoulder. The two sat like this for about 10 minutes, silently taking in each other's company while overlooking the party below before someone interrupted them.

"Excuse me, Elika. I don't mean to interrupt your private time with rat man, but there is something I need to discuss with you. Alone, if possible." Saint-14 was attempting to speak in a hushed tone but it was truly difficult for him. He rarely sounded so on edge which led Elika to assume something was amiss. She kissed her partner on the lips and told him she'd meet him for Ramen later on before walking to a quieter area with the legendary Titan.

"What's going on?" Elika asked. He removed his helmet, presumably to be more personable. He motioned for her to sit on a nearby crate.

"Well… I don't really know where to begin. You know Uldren Sov, right? The Awoken Prince? Mara Sov's brother?"

"I am Awoken and I killed him personally, so yes. I know him." Elika's expression grew cold as she wondered where this conversation could possibly go and how it was at all appropriate on tonight of all nights.

"Yes, of course, I know that. I am sorry, this is just hard to say to you of all people. You see, it seems he has been… Reborn. He has a Ghost. He is a Guardian now. A Hunter, like you." Saint-14 shifted his weight from foot to foot, appearing nervous.

"Oh." This was the only response Elika could muster. The news of Uldren returning as a Guardian was a lot to take at first. So many old wounds related to Cayde had been opened tonight and now she was hearing that the man who killed him was alive again. On one hand, once a Guardian is reborn in the light of the Traveler their past disappears. They are a new person entirely, one which cannot be held accountable for their previous lives. On the other hand, Uldren killed Cayde.

"I'm telling you this because the man has faced a lot of discrimination out in the world. He doesn't know who he is or what he's done but he has been physically beaten and harassed regardless. Guardians are abusing him, too. I know this is a sensitive subject for you in particular but you are the Hunter Vanguard now, Elika. What should we do?" His words bounced around in her mind as she considered her options, turning her head to gaze out at the mountain range beyond the walls of the Last City. The Titan was right, she was the Hunter Vanguard now. She had responsibilities to all people, including Uldren Sov. She was also Reef-born and proud. Her first death happened when she laid down her life for her Queen, Mara Sov. As much as she wanted to shoot a Thorn bullet into his Ghost and throw him off the Tower she had to be the bigger person. She brought Ace of Spades up and held it in both of her hands. She finally snapped her gaze back, stood tall, and gave Saint-14 her answer.

"Bring him here to The Tower. I'd like to meet him."