Hope you like time skips, cause there are three of them, hopefully in accordance to the game. Enjoy

-Horus

...

Two Days after the City attack...

Evan fell with his eyes closed, he didn't see the ground up and coming. He didn't feel the impact; He didn't feel much of anything after the Light was taken from him. The Storm no longer cracked and danced along his skin.

He hit the ground at terminal velocity and passed out. While it should have killed him, something, somewhere, had other plans.

There was an ocean. It was clear, yet Evan could see bodies. They were made of stone, but the thing that drew his attention was a bird. This bird was coated in white and it flew over the bodies with such grace that Evan, even in his dream state, couldn't help but gravitate towards it.

It flew over the bodies and showed him something. It was a shard. A Shard of the Traveler. As much as he should be excited about it, he couldn't help feeling hollow on the inside. If he lived and Lena died, as soon as this was over, he would go into self-imposed exile and live out the rest of his days, or he might do something worse.

The Traveler years ago had embraced this young Guardian, as a comforting gesture, but also a blessing. A blessing that would become his burden. It would call on him when it needed him. Now, it was needed. Evan didn't know this; He just wanted to see the white light and go. To be let go, to be free from the chains of life.

Whether Evan accepted this or not, he heard a voice, neither male nor female, yet it was at the same time. 'Your time has not yet come, my young Guardian. You will bring Humanity's second chance. Follow the vision, you will be safe…' Then the voice faded as Evan was slowly coming to.

Evan opened his eyes as he only saw red. Red Legion ships dominated the skies and their forces occupied the ground, based on footsteps that echoed in his head. Evan's body felt like he went through a couple of Hive rituals, and having seen some, he knows how much pain he is actually in. Breathing felt like a challenge, he struggled to sit up.

With a low groan and a major effort on Evan's part, he sat up, and as he did, he felt his heart fall. The bond that he had forged with Lena was… not gone, but he couldn't feel it. The situation set it, he needed to leave and never come back, only when the time was right. Still, his lungs burned like someone lit a fire inside him.

He tried to not think of his Huntress, but failed, miserably. If only he could go back and try to save her… but what's done is done. 'Go, my child, you must leave.' a soft melodic voice said in his head. Was it… the Traveler? No, Evan shook his head ever so lightly, it can't be. The Traveler has been captured but this Ghaul. So, how did it just speak to him?

Evan finally got up, wincing as he did so, The pain was almost too much. He felt lightheaded as he stood up to a crouch and saw the small crater he made. "With a fall like that, how am I alive?" he quietly mused.

He stumbled along swiftly finding out that moving and breathing felt like someone was stabbing him over and over again. It pains him to be alive, in this state of agony. Evan tried not to think about it, and that was what pushed him forward. He had to ignore all the pain to focus, harder than it sounds. After stumbling for a few seconds and almost falling, he made it to a lower road where there was cover, that being a down City Hawk. A Cabal ship flew over his head with a spotlight. They were looking for survivors. Evan had to leave the City, but one question came to mind, where is Val? Where is his closest companion?

He continued to walk, attempting to maintain his stability. He tripped a couple of times, before falling to the ground with a thud. Any wounds or injuries he didn't notice before made their presence known. A pain in his ribs, basically his whole chest and torso, a couple of these could be broken, courtesy of Ghaul's killer backhand, or was it his kick to the abdomen? He tried to get up, but he couldn't gather the strength to move. He could feel a liquid leaking somewhere. Great, he is going to bleed out in the streets of his fallen City. How fitting.

"Guardian!" a voice said, a little distorted and low, and almost lifeless as Evan felt. "Where are you?"

Evan wanted to at least see his Ghost again before he passed, to know that she didn't fail him. To know that she took care of him for these past two decades. He got up on one knee and hobbled forward, slowly. He managed to make it into speaking distance, but as he tried to speak, he collapsed, feeling tired, drained, and worthless. How was he supposed to save the City, if he couldn't even save himself?

That vision… It was the Traveler's doing. The feeling he felt when he acquired the Storm… Why did it choose him? Why couldn't it have been someone else? Sure, he has helped with some major events, but he is not deserving of this chance.

"V-Val!" Evan shouted as loud as he could, but it came out as a whisper and he started to cough again. This time, blood filled his mouth and helmet. He had to take it off as he spat it out. Evan didn't even want to know how he looked. He felt like just fell a long way down… oh, wait.

"Evan! Thank the Traveler! I-I thought I lost you…" Val said, happy as she can be, given the current predicament. She scanned him, identifying his injuries and prepping a healing beam.

"Lena… I-I can't find Lena… Please tell me that Quinn is still alive… please…" Evan said as he finally took a deep breath as Val swept a healing beam over him. It fixed his internal injuries and some external ones. Physically, he's fine, but emotionally and mentally, he's a complete wreck.

"I'm sorry, I haven't been able to contact either one of them." Val's eye flickered, "Did you…"

"Get a vision? Yes, we need to go, there is nothing left for us here." Evan said somberly. "I don't even want to know how many didn't make it."

"Evan… if you die, I..."

"Can't revive me, I know, let's go." Evan wheezed as he was awaiting casualty counts.

Val seemed to be calculating just that as she let out a gasp or a Ghost equivalent. Evan's look was asking, but Val twirled her shell segments in a way of defiance. If Val told him how many, it would break Evan even more than he already is. She has been looking through his head, at least the forefront of his thoughts. They all contain Lena in some way, but Val knew something was different about her Guardian. His soul didn't burn as bright as before.

"Come on, Val, we need to leave." Evan's voice dejected and lost, but urgent at the same time.

Val guided him through the streets, avoiding Cabal patrols and such. They were almost spotted once, but thankfully they didn't investigate. That was until he saw something amidst the rubble. Evan needed to satisfy his curiosity. He dug through the rubble and thought this place was familiar. He looked up and saw the spicy ramen logo, half broken. His breath hitched, it was the same place Lena and Evan went for their first date, four years ago. What made it worse was when he saw the remnants of Lena's cloak. The cloak was a gorgeous cloak given to her by the Speaker. He remembered the name to be 'Strength of the Pack'. It had a golden wolf embroidered on the main part of the cloak. She always wore this with pride. He never saw her in a different cloak.

The white of the cloak was covered in soot and ash. The gold was discolored, making it almost a dirty brown color. Tears sprung into Evan's eyes and he couldn't control his sobs. Thankfully, they were silent sobs, but each was filled with remorse. His wife must be dead, but Evan is holding out hope that she is still alive, laying low. "Evan, we need to leave. You don't think that this doesn't affect me too?" Val chastised as her eye caught something off to the right. Quinn's shell was laying there, with multiple teeth marks and was split down the middle. "Evan…"

He tore his attention away from the cloak to see what Val sees. The shell. He scooped it and the cloak up and was off. Val was following close behind, "Wh-what are you going to do now?"

Evan's jaw clenched as he held back more tears. Quinn may not have been his Ghost, but he was like a second Ghost. Val had very much taken a liking to him, more than she probably let on. "What I'm supposed to do Val…" He looked into her optic, a fire in his eyes, "Kill them all…"

Five Days after the City attack...

Val was silent as she led them away from the City they once called their home. Three days passed since they left the City and they had made it to a Guardian outpost. Evan now barely spoke, he would normally make jokes to lighten the mood, but what was the point when jokes would make him Lena even more? Evan gazed on the bodies that were spread out everywhere in the makeshift camp. Around six Guardians of each class were here, all lifeless. Some of them had their necks exposed, having bled out, and now they were laying in a pile of their own dried blood. It sickened Evan and he wanted to exact revenge on them all. What made it worse was that he knew some of these Guardians, one of them was with him in the Black Garden. It hurts to know that they died and he lived. The Red Legion took his friends, his family, his home.

"Hey, Evan? You see that falcon?" Val asked, drawing his attention away from the bodies.

Said falcon flew over them, the only bird in the sky, the only wildlife the pair has seen since leaving. "I do, and yet it feels like we're supposed to follow it. It was in my vision, a falcon, it was white and it showed me something. It showed me a shard of the Traveler, one that I believe that we have to go to," Evan whispered.

"You too? Yet, I can feel your emotions, you aren't happy about this." Val said and Evan had enough.

"Of course I'm not! I should have died when I was kicked off the command ship! That fall would have killed a Light-filled Guardian had they not braced themselves. Yet, I'm the one who lives that fall. No one else has to go through this burden! Val, when I was falling, I thought that was it. I have lived and served and it was my time. But no, the Traveler had other plans. I was content with my potential death. I had fought, I had tried, and it wasn't enough. This Ghaul was right, I didn't fear death until I was free falling," Evan snapped at Val. As soon as the words passed through his lips, he winced, "No apology will make this better. I just, I feel like I'm supposed to suffer from this." Evan's eyes fell. He looked around back at the bodies before murmuring a prayer that they find peace.

"Evan… I'd understand if once this was all over if you were to find peace; I'd go with you." Val said, with a hundred percent seriousness.

Evan almost gave himself whiplash as he regarded his Ghost, "You know I would never ask that of you," His voice trembling as the thought entered his brain.

"I'm with you to the end," Val said, nudging herself into the crook of his neck where Lena's cloak now covered his face, providing comfort.

Quinn's shell resided in Evan's limited inventory, where he hoped and prayed that they were alive.

A roar was heard and Evan found an Omolon SMG amongst the bodies. He found ammo and reloaded the gun. Thankfully, these guns don't jam, they have energy bar magazines that get lighter until they run out. Around seven of these dogs, called War Hounds, all tried to take a bite out of Evan. Val scanned them and found these were the ones that had killed these Lightless Guardians. Which made Evan more furious than ever.

Evan didn't hold back. He grabbed one and snapped its neck and tossed it aside like the trash it was. He proceeded to murder every single one in a more gruesome way than the last. He scanned over a Hunter's body and found one of their knives. Thankfully, they won't use it anymore. Evan found this was the way to honor them. He took the time to get all of their names and store them to remember them, for they may have passed, but they will have a legacy. Val guided him up a hill and moved on, not before taking a look back and seeing the carnage. Why did he survive over the rest?

One Week after the City attack...

A week since the attack on the City has passed, and Evan made it to the mountains. The falcon was sitting on a rock and flew away as Val pondered, "That falcon again, is it following us? Or are we following it? Normally, wildlife doesn't stick around for this long."

Evan only shrugged as he continued along a cliff face. He could see the City from here. He could see the cage that held the Traveler. He could see the smoke and destruction from here and it sickened him. He wondered where the Vanguard went, or if they even made it out.

Evan could not move at a fast pace for a long period of time, he could only manage a lope for only a few seconds. The loss of the Light has made most things that were once easy more difficult. He continued along and was coming up on a small valley. Evan was taking his time getting down, one slip up could mean death.

Upon making to the last jump, the falcon was sitting there, turning its head inquisitively. Evan took a few steps back and made a small running start. As he was about to jump, he lost his footing and fell short, falling below.

He didn't know how long he was out but he opened his grey eyes and saw someone approaching, "Oh look, someone left a perfectly good Guardian laying around. Things in the City must be a lot worse than I thought," The person said as they pulled him up.

"Who are you?" Evan questioned.

A caw was heard and Evan looked up to see the falcon landing on the stranger's arm, like it belonged there, "That falcon, it belongs to you?" Val inquired.

"Name's Hawthorne and this is Louis, the best pilot we got. What about you? You fit to fly?" Hawthorne asked.

"Sure, show me the controls and I'll be fine," Val replied for Evan. He didn't feel like talking much now. Not around other people.

He settled into the pilot's seat and followed the rest of these refugees back to what they called 'The Farm'. Evan couldn't take it anymore, he let his emotions finally catch up with him. He cried. He cried for the City, he cried for Lena and Quinn, and he cried for himself. He felt like an outcast. He felt broken. He felt like an insignificant speck in the world. He didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't want to walk the Earth anymore, yet Lena would never let him do it until he completed his purpose.

Lena.

His heart hurt even more because it felt like something was seizing his heart and squeezing it. It hurt to not know the fate of his love. It hurt to know that he may never see her again. Those violet eyes, that dazzling smile, and he wouldn't get to feel her lips on his ever again. He sobbed as grief was taking its toll on him already. He didn't know the troubles that he would face in the future.

Val could only watch as he sobbed and she could feel his soul breaking. She only hoped she could help him when he needs it. For now, she settled into the crook of his neck, nudging his cheek affectionately. If anything, she was the one who has to be strong not only for herself but for both of them.

The flight was filled with silence after Evan passed out from crying and exhaustion. The stress from this entire ordeal has put a lot of pressure on Evan's shoulders and Val is seriously worried about him. "Here's the Farm, a place where we can be safe until we can get back on our feet," Hawthorne said through the speakers.

Evan woke up, rubbed his tear stained eyes and gazed at what was outside the ship's window to see it. The thing he saw in his vision, "The Shard of the Traveler... " he said in awe.

"That shard is the reason that we call this place a 'dead zone'. We don't go snooping around for trouble," Hawthorne chastised.

Val spoke up, Evan still not wanting to talk to people, "We have to go, it was in our vision. We have to see what the Traveler wanted us to see."

"I have a feeling that I won't be able to stop you, just don't die. I don't need you to be the first refugee that I lose," Hawthorne conceded, albeit begrudgingly.

"You won't," Val said confidently. Evan was also confident, but part of him didn't want to do this. He only wanted to see Lena again. The one person who would make Evan feel complete.

They landed the ship and got out to see what this place of refuge had to offer. A few run-down buildings overlooking the Shard. 'Val? You think we'll make it through this?' Evan asked mentally through their neural connection.

"I believe we will Guardian. Will you make it through this?" She asked back, concern laced in her voice.

Evan only shrugged his shoulders and then looked at his hands for the first time in what felt like forever. His gloves still have dried blood on them, whether it was his or someone else's he didn't know, but his hands started to shake. It felt as if he was back at the Tower siege, taking in every little detail. It felt as if he was feeling the Traveler being taken again, like a recurring daymare. Even while he slept, he could only think about the last time he saw Lena, and also seeing Ghaul just take the Light right in front of him. He couldn't stop thinking about the City, about how much of a failure he was. He didn't know Lena's fate, nor her Ghost's. He didn't even realize he was screaming until a hand touched his shoulder.

"Guardian, relax, you are safe here." Evan looked up at the voice to see the one-horned helmet of the Crucible Handler. Evan was still screaming as if someone had stabbed him, his eyes were distant, like reliving a memory. Lord Shaxx could see the pain that lingered behind his eyes. Val was whispering in his head to calm down, thinking about how they will be alright. "Bring him to the medical bay, at least until he calms down." Lord Shaxx's voice carried throughout the Farm, demanding respect.

"Ghost, has he acted like this before?" Shaxx asked Val as Evan was escorted to the makeshift hangar, still screaming about 'I should have done better' and 'It should have been me…'

"No sir, this is the first time I've even seen him display this amount of emotion since…" Her optic not holding Shaxx's gaze.

"Since before the Tower fell, I see," Shaxx said. "Could you tell me what happened?"

Val looked shocked, her eye flickered red, "You of all people don't get to ask me that! He's lost more than just the City!" Then she flew after her Guardian, still fuming.

Shaxx pondered this whole conversation and thought about what could be going through his head. Cruz was a renowned Warlock in the Crucible; He wonders how he is going to cope with no longer utilizing the Storm. Stormcallers were a weapon of pure Arc destruction, and to see a Warlock like Cruz, makes Shaxx think he has lost way more than his Ghost lets on.

Evan finally calmed down and fell asleep on the bed on which he lay, his throat sore and scratchy. He was clutching the cloak tightly as he slept.

Val put herself down on the stand next to the cot, where she powered down to check over her systems. She silently hoped that Quinn was okay, and if he was truly gone, that he went peacefully...