A/N: I began this story a few years ago as well when I began playing Destiny 1. This was a lost Chapter I finally dug up and wanted to rekindle now that I'm back in a writing mood and Destiny 2 is kicking up more for me. I plan for this to be a very long story as long as I can stay motivated. This game holds a special place in my heart, and will feature many of my friends I've made along the years. I plan to keep it as lore friendly as possible and plan to avoid being 'The Guardian' in the story, rather being my own and following my own story while cameoing in the main story for fun.
If you would like to stay up to date on developments, or even want to cameo in the story yourself if you're passionate about the game (Or want to join me in-game even!) Feel free to join my discord /URqvVxt7qM ! It's geared toward my streaming journey but there's plenty of places for friendly community gathering and playing, with a section dedicated to Destiny as well. I hope to see you in there, and tell me if you come from here!
PS: This again was from a while back, I promise my writing is much better and future chapters will be much longer!
Dust...Lots of dust. It covered the landscape of Earth's surface where untouched obstacles lay. Broken down vehicles of Pre-Collapse Earth, buildings lay in ruin, even crumbled and tossed astray paneling and metal sheets all about were caked in the stuff. Gusts of wind carried it all throughout the land, occasionally breathing a new life to the previously coated objects as they weren't hindered by the dust. Within this particular area of Earth, not far into the Cosmodrome, a vaguely familiar sound scoured the zone. An interstellar sounding flight from a very small object rippled through the air effortlessly. This small device on rare occasion stopped and scanned skeletal remains and let out simple beeps. A loud chattering began to ring out, and then more from the distance. Communication, perhaps? But from what? Between what, rather? The robotic droid fluttered a little higher and started to hover over the Earth below to avoid confrontation...just in time. A pair of four-armed Alien Creatures skittered across the land with rifles in hand, and swords in another. They clattered and clicked again toward each other and began to inspect the abandoned yard. A few ramshackle buildings lay in ruin still, empty besides the debris and whatnot left inside. They crawled up the sides of buildings and crept in through the windows to begin their own scan to attempt finding what was making that incessant beeping noise.
The Droid darted off while it could. Only to have a strong urge to fly its way through a shattered window of another ruined building. Room after room, it scoured...Scanning debris, scanning piles of bones and any odds or ends it could find. Was this where it would find what it sought? Was this the end of it's century-long journey? It rammed against a weakened door a few times until….CRUNCH! It plowed right through the rotted wood and shook itself back to reality. A little bit of a daze, the poor thing endured but it was worth it. The sense was much stronger here. Yes, this HAD to be where it was! All it had to do was….
CCRRRRRRRCK-UNNNCH! The door was torn straight off its hinges and tossed away like day old garbage by one of those odd Four-Armed Aliens. They chattered to each other again and charged into the room. One started slashing and swinging it's sword wildly at the Droid as it desperately fluttered around to attempt avoiding capture while the other bounded up to clutch it's alienated fingers around the metal thing. It shrieked out in a feminine voice and the parts that surrounded the glowing blue eye in the center suddenly jolted out and spread wide. A blinding electric blue light pulsed out in a bubble around it, then it retracted back into itself. This was the end. A century...two? Who knew how long, going to waste now that one of these beasts had the bot in it's hand…
That's what the Droid thought. But there was another sound. A man pushed himself up to a stand, brushing destroyed planks of wood, and chairs and all off him in the process. That poor sod was absolutely buried beneath it all. He rubbed at his forehead, confused as to why he was...well, alive. And what was going on?! What were these things in front of him? The one that wasn't clutching the droid began to clatter loudly and rushed toward him on all sixes. Instinctively, the man yelped and thrust out a fist at the thing, hoping a slung right hook would make it reel enough so he could make a plan...But something else happened. His hand didn't connect but a burst of dark purplish void-like magic pulsed from his hand and absolutely threw the creature back to crumble against the wall. The Droid beeped rapidly, and loudly, causing the other creature to drop it and jerk hands up to its ears.
"Guardian! Quick, kill it! If the Fallen call others of their house, we're in trouble!" The Feminine Droid called out desperately.
The man stammered a little, confused but...some instinct set in. If he handed the first one, why not this one? He ran forward and cocked his hand back, then...thrust it out again! Nothing...He just force-palmed the creature right in the jaw. It made it reel back and clatter in pain. It threw its arms in the air, one of them holding a rifle. The man's eyes widened considerably, and an idea sprang into motion. He ran forward and threw his arms around the beast, and lifted it in the air with a sudden lunge backwards to Full-Nelson Slam the thing into the ground. It didn't die, like the other had, but it gave him the opportunity to grasp the sword the first one dropped. He pushed it into the ground and helped himself up to a stand, then turned quickly to slash the blade out. THUD! The head of the supposed 'Fallen' fell to the ground and rolled to the side. He panted for air and stabbed the head of the ornate sword into the ground again, and leaned on it to gather himself again.
"What the hell was that?" He gasped, looking toward the now flying robotic thing. "And what are -you-? How am I here?" He seemed desperately confused…
"You're...A Guardian. The Traveler sent me to bring you back and protect and assist you. I'm a Ghost. -Your- Ghost. I brought you back and you...have The Light now!" She said helpfully. The front of her shell separated from the back and began to spin happily. "We need to get you out of here before I try to explain anything else though...There are bound to be more Fallen. Judging by the red cloaks and the insignia on their backs, those were Devils. House of Devils that is...I'll explain all about that later. Pick up that rifle, it'll come in handy later!" She said once more helpfully.
The man glanced down at the rifle and wrinkled his nose thoughtfully. For some reason, he shook his head at it. "I don't...really think that's the smartest course of action. You said it could attract others so I assume it's gunfire would too. I'm...gonna use this." He lifted the ornate blade up and brandished it a little.
The Ghost beeped a few times thoughtfully and flew around the man. "Oh such a wonderful idea, Guardian! I support you fully! As long as you can swing that thing well, we should be fine! And you have your Light now! Which reminds me…" The Ghost began to channel that bright blue magic into him for a solid ten seconds or so, causing an icy sensation to fill his senses...then suddenly an overwhelming warmth like he'd just opened an oven and been washed over with the heat. "When you're in a pinch, trust me, that'll come in handy. You'll know what to do!" With that, she dissipated and seeped into his very Aura. In his head, he could still hear her voice. "Don't worry, I'm still with you. But I'm safe here. If I'm summoned and follow over your shoulder too much, I may be in danger which...spells trouble for you. Again, I'll explain later. For now, onward!" She chimed. "We need to find a ship. I've uploaded a neurological path to you, just follow the instinct you have! It should lead to a pretty busted up Rocket Yard. Some old-age aerial transport and some crashed ships the Fallen scavenge from periodically. We might get lucky and find a working ship to get us to The Last City."
The man huffed but followed that instinct that just took over his senses. He wandered out of the half demolished building with the blade propped up on his shoulder. The gentle padding of his boots (That he was inexplicably wearing? Perhaps during his resurrection, the Ghost also had conjured a set of armor for him to wear. It was...form fitting, at the very least. Simple leather armor it felt like.) thudded against the grassy Earth beneath him. The world around him was mostly silent, with the casual howling of wind whipping through the area and blowing pieces of loose creaky metal this way and that to kill the silence.
The Guardian spoke softly, not wanting to warrant too much attention from these supposed 'Fallen'. "So...You're a Ghost...and I'm a 'Guardian'...Those are 'Fallen'...And this is real? This is a little confusing...What's your *name* even?"
The Ghost beeped a few times in his head, or through his communication device that was built into the armor too, he wasn't exactly sure yet… "Uhm...We don't...have names. Not really. Our Guardians are the most important thing to us. We were created precisely -for- our Guardians. And you're my chosen! Of course most Guardians give their ghosts names. We're like Soul-mates. I was literally made for you, to give you life and be your companion. But I digress! That means you can give me a name, Guardian." Her voice was all too cheery, as if this were the best day of her life.
"...How about Alanis? No….Zoe? No…" He muttered to himself, thoughtfully trying to give her a perfect name. "Saria? Siri? Hm...Airas? Shiloh. I'm gonna call you Lady, I think. For a broad name that is. I don't have to pick one, and it's fitting if I just call you Lady."
"Lady! I love it, Guardian!" She said happily at her new name, materializing beside her Guardian to activate a bright flashlight from her glowing eye in her center just as he entered a dark tunnel.
"Uh...Guardian? I don't...think that's a good name for me. It's a little...bland. I don't really...know anything about anything but. That's not a name." The man said a little dully as he sifted through some wreckage in the tunnel as quietly as he could. "You can...help me think of one for myself in return I suppose?"
Within an instant, Lady spoke up. "Mercy! Since you showed NONE!" She giggled a little and spun around ecstatically. "You'll do good with that name!"
"...No thanks, that sounds a little too uh. Feminine for me. Not that that's a bad thing but. It's more fitting as a nickname. So what's something that could fit my...obviously masculine stature?" He said a bit sharply. A good nickname yes but not a real name.
"Akuma!" She said with bounding excitement, and rather suddenly. She liked that name! "I have spent a lot of time researching old records and there was once a great warrior named Akuma during the Golden Age on Earth! It's a good namesake." She explained.
"Akuma, huh? I guess that's better than Guardian...You know what, yeah." He said, twirling his blade in front of him to just inspect it. "I'm gonna keep this. I'll obviously need a gun soon but. This will do for now."
"For now too, we need to focus on getting a jumpship. Because we need to get to the City! It's not far off but we definitely need something that can at least fly to get to safety while you get your bearings and settle. Commander Zavala and the Speaker may be able to help you find some peace with your new life." Lady said, once more helpfully while flying around him now that they've entered daylight at the other end of the tunnel. Before them was an abundance of demolished, crashed and rusting ships. Some newer than others, some so covered in earth and dust that they were growing plants upon them as well. The sound of clattering began to echo off the wreckage, and then some rustling/tossing of metal all over was ringing out. As if something were in the process of scavenging these ships. Those so called 'Fallen' perhaps?
Lady lowered her voice enough that only the newly appointed 'Akuma' could hear her, barely at that. "Guardian...I mean, Akuma... Whatever! Uh...That's more Fallen. It actually sounds like a *lot* of them. I don't think it's enough for you to handle on your own. Especially with only a Sword. I can revive you but I'd be in danger, and my power is limited after the first revival and imbuing you with the Light. I - Wait...The Light...Guardian! Earlier, when I powered you up and told you that it'd come in handy later? This is the pinch I said you'd understand the power in later. Believe me. Maybe...Yes, I think you can do this. Or I hope so…" At this point she was rambling. The poor thing was nervous.
Akuma lowered his blade off his shoulder and held it outstretched to his side, as if he were ready for a fight. He felt whatever it was he was talking about. It was like a tingling all through his body, that he'd felt since earlier when she revived him. Perhaps he misconstrued it as just regaining his feelings and all from being alive now? But something told him otherwise. He took a few calculated steps toward the nearest ship, and looked at Lady. "Hide." Was all he said, and she didn't need to hear another word. She just hid herself within him somewhere.
He smacked the hilt of the sword against the metal and it echoed through the junkyard. "Hey! Fallen? Yeah, you're about to be when I'm done with you. Come have a swing! We'll see who's the new king of this Junkyard!" The sounds got louder, and the sound of rustling metal and limbs kicking off said metal started to sound off. The Fallen were closing in slowly, surrounding him from every point while clattering to each other. The circle of sure death just kept tightening slowly but surely. He started to twirl the blade in a circular motion, limbering up and keeping himself ready to strike at a moment's notice. He wasn't even sure how he knew what to do. Truthfully he was still convinced none of this was real, it was too...strange. But his body seemed to know better than his mind, so he listened to it's every instinct.
One pounced from it's ship and brandished a blade of its own, though it was vastly different from the one he'd stolen from one earlier. This looked more...well, Fallen fitting. The one he took was far more ornate and likely scavenged from somewhere important. He stepped to the side and brought that blade up with a swift flick of his arm, slicing straight through that Fallen's shoulder and all the way through to it's waist on the opposing side. It fell in half to the ground, but that riled the rest of them to charge too. From all angles, they ran in brandishing swords and halberds, some hanging back with rifles to wait for a shot. The clanging of steel on steel rang out as he crossed blades with them from every side. He was turning expertly on his heel and blocking or parrying strikes from every which way with such a speed that'd make one think he'd been alive much longer than he had today. It was...instinct, it felt like - No, it had to be. What else could explain it? A few of them ended up disarmed from the sheer force of his strikes back, and those particular ones met a swift fate at the end of his blade each time. One took a moment to rush into him while he was executing a disarmed one. Instinct kicked in again, and he thrust out his other free hand the same way he had earlier. A burst of void-like energy blasted from his hand and launched it backward into the crowd. He was severely outnumbered, the poor Guardian...They tightened their coil around him and then...All at once, they piled on top of him and started to stab, slice and jab at every inch they could reach...To no avail. Because as they all mounted that strike, a *massive* explosion of dark violet, vortex energy pulsated from him and launched Fallen all over. Most of them absolutely disintegrated into the void, vanishing from existence as they were utterly erased. That cleared out almost every last Fallen save for the few who'd stayed back with rifles but he was still glowing with that dark violet aura. He slashed his sword through the air and it sent a wave of slicing void energy from the blade into each one of them. Burst after burst of slicing energy cut each and every one of them down until only one Fallen remained and...Akuma's super-charged energy ran dry. He reached down, and picked up a pistol that one of the killed Fallen dropped. He lifted it up and fired the round, aimed at it's head. The bullet pierced right between it's eyes and it fell, limp to the ground.
"Guardian?" Lady called out, then came from her hiding spot to inspect the...absolute wreckage that lay around him. "Oh dear...Are you okay? Let me heal you." She said, bursting with that energy to rejuvenate him. "Let's uh...Find you a ship yeah?"
"What was all of that…-how- did I do it...I don't understand. I don't...know how to use anything that just happened. My body just acted. Please, Lady. Tell me what's happening to me. THis can't be real." He said, almost sounding a little panicked. None of this made sense to him. But Lady began to glide around him to imbue him with The Light's Grace, tending what injuries and fatigue that ailed him.
"I can't explain it as well as The Speaker. Please, just trust me. I can sense a strong mechanical presence in the ship back there. Reactors and everything seem to be intact. I'm going to go see if I can get it going and I'll set us a destination for The Last City. Then it'll all make sense, just trust me." She assured, floating off to scan the ship and vanishing into it to rummage through the electronics. Within a few moments, it kicked to life and floated through the gaping hole in the ceiling that was *conveniently* located there. What luck…
"I'm going to transmit you into the ship. Hang tight." Lady said, and within seconds his body shimmered, then vanished. He was materialized inside the ship, and without prompting it lurched forward to this 'Last City' she kept telling him about, or at least he could only assume.
"There's...no way this is real…" He kept muttering to himself while she kept a ray scanned onto the drive panel of the ship to pilot them. Just as promised, their destination wasn't far as he saw a Towering civilization and a massive orb in the sky in the distance.
"Welcome, Guardian...to The Last City. And that in the sky is who you have to thank for your new life. The Traveler."