Candles

Part 1

It was named the Red War. In its wake, Guardians and civilians alike were not spared. Our Light was gone, our Ghosts diminished and disheartened, were terrified of how they could protect their Guardians without the Light.

My own was no exception.

The little device at my shoulder, my constant companion since awakening to my new life as a Guardian, stayed silent. She was so afraid of what was happening around her, around us.

We returned to the Tower after a mission to radio closer we got to the Tower, the more it became obvious as to why this was. Smoke engulfed the Tower, the sky a bright orange from the fires. The Traveller, our Light, sported a giant clamp, trapping it and holding it in place. Above, a giant ship hovered, a swarm of smaller ships crowding around it. I swerved the ship, dipping low into the clouds and the smoke, trying to hide us in amongst it. This did not work.

Barely seconds afterwards, one of the ships swooped up from below. It fired immediately, and not for the first time that day did I wish Kal was with me. His piloting of ships, much to his Ghost's annoyance, was something to behold. All care and concern for safety was thrown from the windows as he'd loop through the sky, making sharp turns that made my stomach churn. Figuratively speaking, of course.

He could've outran that ship.

I could not.

The ship behind me closed the distance between us, no matter how far I pushed my ship to its limits. I weaved and dodged when it fired upon me, mimicking Kal's driving as best I could. It did not work. The ship dipped low, speeding ahead, then rose from the clouds in front. I dove upwards as high as I could go.

"Look out!" my Ghost shouted.

I looked at her, then back to the ship's window. I was just in time to see the guns fire and the explosion engulf me.

It surprised me equally as much when I awoke. I was convinced I should've been dead, that this would be my last death. Despite knowing my Ghost could revive me, the first time I was killed shook me to my core, and it made me all the more careful.

I opened my eyes, rolling over onto my side.

Fires blazed, screaming filled my ears. My Ghost was not with me. Heavy footsteps marched around, the familiar grunts of Cabal echoed. I should've realised this by the shape of the ship that attacked me. We were arrogant, thought we were invincible, untouchable thanks to the Traveller's gifts. The Cabal reminded us we were not, we were far from it.

I struggled to my feet, my shields having taken most of the damage from the fall. I staggered, reached out for something to stop me from falling, only to find nothing there. I collapsed again. I managed to raise myself to a crawl, making my way to the nearest pile of debris. I grabbed it, hauling myself to my feet. The world spun. I looked to the ground for my Ghost, fearing the worst, that she had perished in the fall. I would be alone.

The walk was long and arduous. I passed bodies, skin charred, the smell of burnt flesh filling my sensors. Piles of stone lay crumbled, what once was platforms and buildings, now gone, demolished. Fires raged, smoke billowed, Cabal patrolled. This was not the Tower I visited so often, where Kal found me that first night, staring up at the Traveller. Where I got lost more times than I could count, where I'd feel dizzy watching the other Guardians collecting bounties, seeing Master Rahool about engrams. Where I'd accompany Kal to receive new missions from either Cayde or Commander Zavala. It was unfamiliar, it was destroyed, my home was no more. Everything I'd grown to know and to love, was gone.

The urge to cry became apparent, but I could not. I could not allow myself the emotion to overwhelm me, not until I found my Ghost. Not until I found Kal.

I walked. I kept walking, scanning the debris for any sign of my Ghost. Eventually I found her, her bright colours leaping out at me from the pile of rubble she'd landed in. I knelt down to her, picked her up and cradled her in my hands.

"Annie?" she managed, her eye blinking at me.

I let out a cry. "I'm fine, I'm fine. You're fine. I'm here now."

"Something's wrong…" She flew into the air, restored both my shields and healed the injuries incurred in the fall. "The Light. I can heal your wounds but…"

"But what?"

"If you die, I can't…" She paused. "You'll be gone, for good this time."

I stayed silent, trying to digest this news. For the second time in as few hours, death reared its head, threatening to steal me from this life. I could not, I would not succumb to that fate, to be another victim of the Cabal's attack on the Tower.

"Then I won't die," I told her.

I opened my hand and reached out to her.

"You won't die. I'll make sure of it."

I managed to make it into a run, ducking down whenever a Cabal soldier passed. Everything around me was destroyed, no longer houses or apartment complexes, but rubble and dust. I hid underneath them, creeping through it to avoid the Cabal. The question plagued me as I made my escape, how could the Cabal catch us so unaware? How long had they planned this for, waiting for the opportunity to arise and they could launch this attack?

How, how, how?

Why, why, why?

When I crawled out from the last piece of debris and into the wilderness below the Tower and the Last City, an even worse sight met me. Guardians. Lightless Guardians dead on the ground. Their Ghosts were not far from them, lying in pieces. They were gone, killed trying to escape the calamity.

I rushed over to the largest one with the biggest armour, fully expecting to see Kal's face behind the helmet. I pulled it off, threw it to the side. It was not Kal.

I let the emotion come forth, assaulting me in a tidal wave. Though I could not shed tears, I could cry, and cry I did. I cried and wailed and screamed. Where was Kal? Was he dead too? Would I find his body in another encampment?

"Annie," my Ghost said, "We have to keep moving."

I took a few strangled gasps, made the useless action of wiping my eyes. The function for tears was not there, but the learned behaviour was.

He could not be dead, I refused to believe it. I nodded to my Ghost and we continued onwards.

We passed more encampments, Guardians dead, surrounded by what little supplies they managed to find and bring with them. How easily our Light had been snuffed out, like a candle in a breeze. We forgot how to be mortal, we didn't know how to be mortal, to have one life and one life only. So many were not afforded this luxury Guardians were, and now we were coming face to face with this stark reality.

I finally stopped for a rest in an abandoned camp at my Ghost's insistence. We had no plan, no idea where to go, what to do, driven only by my need to find my friend. Ensure he was alive in amongst all of the chaos.

I started a fire, sat down beside it and checked my equipment. I hadn't been able to scavenge any ammunition, though I was lucky to at least have a sword with me. It was one Kal insisted I try out during one of our missions together. He insisted "I'd love it" and damn it if the bastard wasn't right about it. Beyond the sword however, I had a pistol with perhaps two clips, and a sniper rifle with a single clip. I lay down on the ground, wishing for my bed at the Tower, as well as other luxuries I never thought would become so.

I shut my systems down for the night, my Ghost keeping guard.

It was the next day and we'd been walking since dawn broke. My Ghost was convinced she saw a bird of some sort and it seemed to want her to follow. With few other options, I let my Ghost lead the way.

There were more bodies the further we walked. Civilian, Guardian, both succumbing to death and the Cabal. More than once did I hear the bark of their war hounds, thankfully in the distance somewhere. I could only hope they had not encountered any more Guardians. When silence fell, I moved from my hiding place and went onward.

The thought of hiding from them stuck in my throat. I was a war machine, I was made to fight, to defend. My status as a Guardian simply added to that identity. I was not made to hide, to cower from the world.

Their drop ships flew overhead, landing somewhere beyond the horizon. The design was crude, all angles and sharp edges compared with the Cabal themselves and their rotund shape. I thought I was safe until I heard gunfire over the next hill. I drew out my pistol, despite its limited amount of bullets in my possession. I had to help, I had to.

My Ghost realised what I intended to do and she rushed to follow me, flying into my face.

"Do you remember what I said? I can't resurrect you!" she said.

"Do you expect me to hide again?" I answered.

"You might die, Annie. And I can't lose you."

"Device, I will not die, nor will you lose me. I am made for war, for battle, you know this."

My Ghost shed its shell to block my view. "I also know that we're alone out here. It's just us! Not Kal, not his Ghost. Us!"

Before I could argue further, the battle from beyond the hill found me. Cabal and their war hounds came sprinting at us. My Ghost moved to my shoulder, ready to heal me should the need arise. I fired my pistol, aiming for the dogs as they charged ahead of their handlers. I moved out of the way, barely dodging one of them. It caught my boot and shook it. I kicked its face until it howled before shooting it.

The Cabal were not far behind. The leader, a shield bearer, propped it up and protected the others around it. I aimed for the middle, disabling it. The Cabal played the numbers game, there were far more of them compared to simply my Ghost and I. I began to think I'd made a mistake, perhaps I should've taken my Ghost's advice and hidden myself away. Perhaps she would indeed lose me as she feared. Would she find a new Guardian to awaken? Guide them as she had done for me?

I aimed for the head of the nearest Cabal, taking him down in a few shots. With my limited ammunition, it was a few shots too many. I reloaded, it was my last clip. Time to make it count.

I shot the next Cabal, and the next. I shot my last bullet then holstered my pistol. My sword was drawn, and I stared at the Cabal. There were still three more, another dog nipping at their heels ready to spring at me. The first Cabal moved toward me, firing its gun, and I blocked the bullets. I leapt at it, swinging the sword upwards in an arc. It groaned behind the mask before it crumpled to the ground. The next one drove the butt of its gun between my shoulder blades, almost knocking me off my feet. I heard my Ghost cry out, and I spun around slashing at the Cabal. It blocked my swipe, causing me to jump back when it fired the gun.

The sword quickly became hard to handle, each swing took longer and did nothing but tire me out. With my only other option being my sniper rifle, I realised what a mistake this was. I tried to run, to retreat and pick them off from a distance. The hound had other ideas and I could hear it barking before it was let loose. It sprinted at me, blocked my escape while the other remaining Cabal surrounded me.

I mumbled apologies under my breath, to Kal, to my Ghost.

A gunshot resounded and it was not my own.

On the hill stood a figure, robes coming down to the knees, a high collar at their neck. A Warlock. A Warlock that was not only alive but had saved me.

He shot the other Cabal, headshots, bang, bang, bang. All fell to the ground. The war hound was next. It growled low and deep in its throat and it ran at the Warlock only to receive the same treatment its handlers had, a bullet between the eyes.

The Warlock holstered his pistol and approached me. He was grizzled, a missing eye, scars on his face. His life before was not an easy one, this much could be deduced simply by looking at him.

"Bad idea for Lightless Guardians to wander alone," he said.

The choice of words was so very wrong. "And just what choice do we have when Cabal took the Tower?"

"Ya don't…" He stopped, put a hand to his forehead. "You ain't been a Guardian long, have you, poppet?"

He was doing little to endear himself to me, regardless of the debt I owed him.

"Where the hell were you when the Red Legion attacked?"

I scowled at him. "Doing my duty."

He snorted. "Funny. Ya don't look like a Titan."

"Are you determined to make me dislike you?"

The Warlock grinned without humour. "I'm just that talented, poppet."

I sighed. "Well thank you for the rescue, I'll be on my way."

My Ghost did not agree with this course of action and flew in front of my face once more. "What if he can help?"

"You've spent the last day or so telling me it was only us, Device," I answered.

"He's a Guardian! He might know where others are."

I groaned, putting one hand to my forehead. "I hate it when you're right."

"Ya coming with me, poppet?" the Warlock called.

"Coming where, exactly?" I replied. My Ghost was already on her way to introduce herself to the rude Warlock's Ghost.

"There's a farm, it's where the lost Guardians and other refugees have ended up. It's run by one of the people below, never lived in the City."

I remained silent, only extending my hand to bid him to lead the way. I took up a place at his side, following onward while my Ghost buzzed around me like a fly, healing what injuries I had sustained.

The Warlock cleared his throat. "What's your name?"

"Annie. And you are? Besides being rude."

This drew a laugh from him, and a cough when he was done. "Rick. The flitty little bastard is Etheria."

"Device."

He raised an eyebrow. "You named your Ghost, Device?"

It was my turn to snort. "My friend didn't name his at all, refers to him as Ghost."

The thought of Kal, of his status still being missing, that I hadn't found him yet brought the sensation of tightness to my throat. I would not cry, not again. I'd had my fill of crying, I let emotion overwhelm me once and that was enough. Now was the time to fight, to take back the City, the Tower, the Traveller.

Home.

Now was the time to take back home.

The farm, it turned out, was another day's walk from where Rick found me. On our journey, we passed many more Guardians, most of them unfortunate to have a run in with Cabal instead of Rick.

We did encounter Guardians who had survived, each as traumatized and shell-shocked as the next. Here, Rick proved me wrong. I expected him to be as uncouth and smarmy as he had been with me. Nothing could've been further from the truth.

To the particularly upset ones, he offered soft words and reassurance, promising a safe haven at the farm he described. Others he simply hugged, pulling them close while they sobbed. Once more, he whispered to them, speaking quietly, then helped them to their feet.

Etheria lived up to his description of "flitty little bastard". He moved from Ghost to Ghost, speaking to some of them, leading others away for a quiet moment. Device later asked Etheria about it, discovering these were the Ghosts who had lost their Guardians. Neither Device nor Etheria spoke further of it, and I respected their silence on the matter.

By the time we reached the farm, we were a group of twenty strong, something that lifted my heart to know.

"Hawthorne! I found some more strays wandering around!" he yelled.

A few moments later, a woman appeared, and from the back of our group, a hawk flew over to her, landing on her arm. "I knew you and Louis would find them," she said. She turned to the rest of us. "Please, make yourselves at home. There's supplies, as much as you need and a safe place to rest. If you need a different type of outlet, Lord Shaxx will provide it."

Shaxx? It made my heart glad to hear the Crucible Handler survived.

The group of us dispersed, each going their own way. Some wandered around, in something of a daze, disbelief written across their faces. They couldn't come to terms with everything that happened in such a short time. The Tower's destruction, the death that surrounded us, it was a wonder they could even function.

To my surprise, the area was large and spanned several fields. The buildings were in disrepair, the barn half fallen away, the other building in a similar state. A few frames stood next to tables, the Cryptarch Tyra Karn from Felwinter Peak also seemingly escaped the destruction.

Rick appeared once more from nowhere, holding a parcel and a cup. He handed it to me, and I looked in the cup, finding it was tea of some sort, food in the parcel once I'd opened it. He gestured for me to follow and he led me to a small wall, somewhat secluded from the others.

"Suraya found me wandering, brought me here," he said, reaching into one of his pockets. He found his prize, a small box that he flipped open. In it were cigars, a relic of the old world and the Golden Age. I was surprised he had them at all let alone lighting one up. "Over the past week, I've went out with Etheria, looking for any more stray pups looking for home."

"We're glad you found us," Device answered. "I almost lost her."

"Same story as the others. Some of 'em worse, lost their Ghost before they got here."

My Ghost moved closer to me.

Rick let out a hacking cough, giving his chest a thump a few times. Etheria moves from one shoulder to the other, until Rick waved him away. "He thinks I'm going to keel over every time I light one of these. I do it to annoy him."

"It works every time," Etheria commented. "You'll run out of them one day."

"And today is not that day."

I finished the sandwich and tea Rick provided. "Has another Guardian arrived here? An Awoken, large frame, a Titan."

"He also has the tendency to act like a puppy," Device added. I shot her a look. Only I was allowed to call him such."

Rick scratched his chin, then snapped his fingers. He put the cigar out then stood up. "I know who you're talking about, he got here before me. Was one of the first, actually." He gestured for me to follow. "C'mon poppet, the burly big brute should be around somewhere."

My stomach did flip flops the further we went into the farm. At the far end was a football pitch, goal posts and nets set up at either end. In the middle of the pitch, was a lone Guardian, kicking the football into the net with such ferocity I expected the ball to come through the other side of the net.

"You were offside!" Rick shouted across to him. The Guardian turned to face him and I recognised the face in an instant.

Kal.

I saw him mouth my name before he came sprinting toward me. In seconds I found myself engulfed in a Titan sized hug, one which I returned.

Rick quietly slipped away.

Kal let me go eventually, then held me by my shoulders. He touched my cheek, resting his hand there, and I reached up, holding his hand in place. "I thought you were gone," he said, voice shaky. A stray tear slipped down his cheek and I wiped it away.

I shook my head. "I was off-world, doing some bounties."

"It saved you."

"What about you? Rick said you were one of the first here."

He nodded. "I arrived at the Tower just after the Cabal attacked. Fought my way through the Tower, got to the bastard's ship." He clenched his fist. "Ghaul. Leader of the Red Legion. He's captured the Traveller, took our Light."

"I know. I saw the other Guardians."

Kal did not meet my gaze. "I saw them too." He took a deep breath. "Rick arrived after me, he's been herding anyone and everyone here. Civilians, Guardians, Ghosts, grames, you name it."

"I'm glad you made it."

Kal smiled, pulling me into another hug. "Me too."