The years passed by in a blur.
After the new Guardians had retaken the City from what remained of the Trinary Star, humanity began to reassemble the broken pieces of itself. No longer did a dark cloud of oppression and misinformation hang over them- Keepers were taught to harness their abilities with the Light rather than shy away from them, Ghosts were allowed to return and encouraged to find new Guardians, and slowly the process of reconstruction was carried out.
At the forefront of the entire effort was Clara- the First Hunter. More specifically, the first of many- as new Guardians were born, many were emboldened to venture out into the wilds of the worlds that had been abandoned by humanity for centuries. Slowly, but surely, the missions to reclaim these worlds began to produce results.
Seraph remained in the City for several years, initially assisting Clara and Ghost with teaching new Guardians and Ghosts how to work effectively together. She never was clear on whether or not she actually had the capability to resurrect Mathias- she would only ever state that, 'it's not what he would have wanted.' One day, she seemingly disappeared of her own accord, leaving the City for the isolation of the wild. She had not been seen since.
Sive acted as her overseer of Guardian affairs, founding a new Vanguard with Talia and Amelia. The Queen, inspired by her uncle's last words, made a decision to join the Reef's people and forces with that of Earth's. Amelia oversaw extraterrestrial relations, sending scouts out into the solar system to find those who had disappeared- the eliksni being a prime candidate- to extend a hand of friendship in the hopes that they might strengthen the Light. No longer was the Vanguard strictly concerned with the well-being of the Guardians- instead, they watched over and protected all the peoples of humanity and beyond.
As for Clara, she was far too busy for such a role. As the emissary of the Traveler, her responsibility was quite clear- pass down the wisdom of those who had come before, reflect on the past, and prepare for the future. She had been the one who chose humanity's destiny- she had been the one to usher them into this new Golden Age of Light. Therefore, it was she who would need to make sure they would be ready for what would inevitably arrive.
She never forgot what the Nine had told her- not a day went by that she didn't recall their haunting tale of the Darkness and its true nature. But likewise, the words of a wise Hunter never left her mind either, and whenever she felt a crushing blackness threaten to surround her and swallow her whole, she would reflect on his teachings and feel a warm comfort come back to her …
Many have tried to kill us. Many, many times. But now matter how hard they've tried, we've always managed to come out on top. They can beat us down, imprison us, even kill us- but we won't stay down for long.
Even if they take away our friends, take our worlds, take our lives, the legend of us will always live on. And so long as our legend lives, so will we.
Guardians never die.
A/N: I have to be honest … I wasn't sure I'd ever reach this point. But after four years, and hundreds of hours of myself thinking about this day, I'm proud to say that 'Guardians Never Die' is finished.
This series was the first set of stories I ever set out to write on this site. Thanks to the first book's success, not only did I improve as a writer- but I gained a self-confidence and sense of pride that I'd never known before. It enabled me to continue writing, eventually coming up with stories like The Architect Codex and Eden, stories I probably would never have had the courage to write if not for the humble beginnings of this collection.
I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading this and waiting patiently for each new chapter in spite of their (at-times) ridiculously long intervals between chapters. It was knowing that you were all there eagerly anticipating what was to come that motivated me to complete what I started. If you'd like to join a community of readers like yourself, please feel free to join the discord for my content using the invite link below (remove the spaces);
discord . gg / 6nwfXCj
If it doesn't take too much of your time, please leave a review- whether it's about its flaws, its strengths, or what have you, I'd like other potential readers to know just how this story affected you.
I will not write another book in this series, even for Destiny 3 or whatever expansions may come in Destiny 2- these characters stories have been concluded. That being said, you may feature them in your own writing or creations so long as you attribute proper credit and acknowledge that it will not be considered canon.
Writing this has not only been fun, it's been a privilege. Thank you all for everything, and I wish you all the best.
- Matteoarts