They made it back to Petra's area in the Strand with relatively little difficulty, only having to avoid a few groups of hostiles in their path. They dismounted their sparrows in the gazebo and crossed over to where the Queen's Wrath stood.

Petra nodded to Liv before turning to examine Tristan. "Guardian," she greeted.

Tristan nodded to her. "Hello," he said, "You must be Petra Venj. My name is Tristan Bentlix. I've been in Liv's fireteam since before Twilight Gap."

"Any friend of Liv Marko is welcome here," replied Petra, "Will you be staying in the city for long?"

Tristan shifted his weight, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Unfortunately not," he said apologetically, "I only stopped by because I have some news for Liv."

Liv studied her friend's face curiously. Tristan was never one to wear his emotions openly, but she was pretty sure he looked a bit more somber and worn down than usual. Whatever his news was, it probably wasn't of the positive variety. She suddenly had a very strong conviction that she would not want to hear what it was.

"What if you stayed for a bit and helped us charge the Well?" she suggested.

He shifted again, fidgeting slightly. "I don't know…" He sounded hesitant.

"C'monnn," she needled, "It always goes faster with more Guardians."

The Warlock sighed. "...I suppose I could stay for a couple of days. It does seem that you could use the assistance."

Petra's answering nod was a weary one. "We certainly can," she agreed, "I confess, I had my doubts when my Queen ordered me to open the Dreaming City — one of our most sacred places — to the Guardians, but I know now that I wasn't seeing the full picture… Perhaps I still don't. Regardless, the help that the Guardians have provided so far has been invaluable. Your assistance would be most welcome."

Tristan nodded, casting a glance at Liv. "Perhaps it's a good idea for me to stay for a little while anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Liv suspiciously. Her bad feeling about Tristan's news grew even more potent.

Petra frowned. "Does it have something to do with the news you came to share?" she asked.

Tristan nodded again, and Liv directed her full attention at him. "What's the news?" she demanded.

A slight grimace tugged at his features for a split second. "...It might be better if I tell you in private," he said, with an apologetic glance at Petra, who nodded understandingly.

Liv sighed and tugged the Warlock over to the opposite side of the gazebo that crowned the hill. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to face him. "Alright, out with it, shy guy. What's this all about?"

Tristan sighed. "I'm afraid it's bad news," he said, confirming her suspicions.

"And you came all the way out here to tell me? Why?" Liv was dreading the answer. For Tristan to come about bad news in person, the news had to be serious — the Dreaming City's problems with transmissions aside. "Did something happen to Kai? Is she ok?"

"She's fine," he assured, "Honestly, even if transmissions didn't get scrambled here, I think it's better that you hear this from me in person… Harley is dead, Liv."

Liv blinked at him. Tristan had never been one to joke around, especially about serious matters, but she still wanted to believe that what he'd just said wasn't true.

She shook her head. "No."

Tristan looked pained, but not surprised at her response. "Liv…"

"No!" she growled, "Dammit, Tristan! I won't- I can't accept this! Not now. Not after we just lost Cayde."

There was nothing but sympathy on the Warlock's face. "I'm sorry, Liv… I wish I could tell you anything else."

"Ace can't be dead!" she said angrily, eyes burning, "Not after everything, all the shit we went through. He was Taken! Taken, Tristan. And he still came back! He made it through the fucking Red War without the Light so you can't just stand there and tell me he's gone!"

"I'm sorry, Liv, but he is." Tristan's sincerity was unwavering. "Rogue and I were there. We saw… we saw what was left."

Liv shook her head, her gaze locked on the ground next to her friend's feet. Every word he said rang with truth, but she couldn't accept it. Harley Hayden was not an old Guardian by any means. On the contrary, in fact, he was still very young by Guardian standards. She herself had been around for hundreds of years, while Harley had only been around for about four of them. How could he be gone already? Guardians didn't die. How was it fair that Harley's life had been cut so short? There were dozens of other Guardians like herself rezzed centuries ago who were still walking around. How had the scales become so skewed?

"...How did it happen?" The question escaped as a whisper.

"Shin Malphur killed him," said Tristan, "In the Tangled Shore." The words were simple and to the point — something that had been repeated over and over again in a futile attempt to explain the loss of one of their own.

Liv just nodded numbly, like she understood. Like she was capable of understanding how one of her friends, her clanmate, could be torn from her life so easily.

Tristan continued without prompting. "Since Rogue and I were there, I figured it would be best coming from us. He… didn't want to come back to the Reef. The others know… well, most of them do, but you're my fireteam leader, so I thought that I should be the one to-"

"I can't do this," she muttered.

Tristan paused. "Pardon?"

"I can't do this, Tristan!" she snapped, "I can't! I just… I can't."

She turned away from her friend and started walking, picking up speed as she went until she was flat-out sprinting down the hill and away from the Strand. As her feet pounded into the ground, she was aware of Rhys trying to get her attention, but she steadfastly ignored the Ghost. Whatever it was, it could wait. She didn't want to talk, she wanted to move — to run. She didn't care where she was going, only that she was doing something that didn't involve facing Tristan and the news he'd brought.

Harley had been killed by Shin Malphur.

Though Liv never recalled meeting the man himself, she would have to have been living under a rock to not know the story of how he had bested Dredgen Yor at Dwindler's Ridge. Since then, Shin Malphur had been regarded as a figure of legend — a warning to New Lights not to mess with the Darkness. Liv had no idea why he would have gone after Harley and at the moment, she didn't feel like speculating. Instead, she focused on the rhythm of her feet and the pounding of her heart in her ears as she ran through the Dreaming City.

When she finally slowed her pace, her legs were burning and her breath was coming in gasps. She came to a stop, taking in her surroundings.

She was standing in a large hall that seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen it before.

"Rhys… where are we?"

"You don't recognize this place?" Her Ghost's voice was a hiss in her mind. "This leads to the chamber where Riven's heart is kept."

And just like that, it all came back. Liv knew the hallway because she had led her team down it to slay Riven. They had passed through the chamber beyond to reach the Ahamkara and then returned to it, ferrying her heart all the way back so that it could be purified by the Techeuns. Now, it rested within the chamber, undisturbed since that day.

"We should turn back," said Rhys nervously, "We shouldn't be here."

"Why not?" she challenged, "We killed Riven. She can't do anything to us now."

"You don't know that. Ahamkara shouldn't be messed with. Don't you remember the Great Hunt?"

"Yeah, and you should remember that I didn't participate. Anyway, I just want to take a quick look. In and out, Rhys. I promise."

He still sounded hesitant. "I don't know, Liv. This seems like a really bad idea…"

Liv ignored her Ghost's reluctance and strode into the chamber.

Nothing appeared to have changed since she had last been there. The rows of Awoken chests ringing the room stood untouched. In the small enclave at the back of the room, she could make out the softly glowing orb of Riven's heart hovering above the receptacle that it had been placed in.

"See, Rhys?" she said, "Everything's fine."

"Great, now can we please leave?"

Liv sighed, but turned around and headed back toward the door.

Just before she reached it, she felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. A voice spoke, echoing through the chamber and pouring into her mind like a smooth, viscous liquid.

"What brings you to my chamber, oh murderer mine?"

It was a voice that she had heard before during her visits to Mara Sov's court. But the words were not those of the Awoken Queen. They belonged to Riven.

She spun around, eyes locking on the heart.

"I see you are without the company of the rest of my little killers," said Riven, this time in Uldren's voice, "A pity. Friends are a scarce commodity in these halls."

Liv fought down her shudder at hearing the voice of the dead Prince. "We're not friends," she said coldly.

"But we are quite close, are we not?" said Riven, speaking with Mara's voice once more, "How intimate, the bond between a dragon and her slayer… I consider you a friend, oh murderer mine. Would you not extend the same consideration to me?"

"No." She set her jaw. "Coming here was a mistake… I'm leaving."

Before she could turn away again, Riven spoke once more. "I understand," said the Ahamkara, "Friends are a touchy subject for you at the moment." As she spoke, her voice changed again, morphing from the Queen's elegant intonations into something that was warm and friendly and all too familiar. "I heard that you received some unfortunate news today," said Riven in Harley Hayden's voice, "My condolences."

Liv was unable to stop the strangled cry that tore from her throat. She clapped her hands over her ears. "Stop it!"

"I think not," Riven hummed, "I quite enjoy this voice… Tell me, oh slayer mine, do you mourn your friend?" Liv nodded. "Do you miss him?"

Her answer came as a whisper. "Yes." Of course she missed Harley. She might not have known him as long as she'd known other Hunters, but he was her clanmate, and clan bonds ran deep.

"And you feel that he was unjustly taken from you?"

"He was," she said emphatically, "He… should have had more time. He deserved more time than he got. I… I wish I could-"

"LIV STOP!" Rhys' shout echoed through her head as the Ghost materialized in front of her, blocking her view of Riven's heart. "Don't you see what she's doing?!" he demanded, "She almost had you, Liv! You almost made a wish ."

Liv's eyes widened in horror as she realized the magnitude of what she had nearly done. Ahamkara wishes were dangerous. They were the reason the Guardians had hunted them to extinction. Making a deal with an Ahamkara came at a high prince, and it didn't matter if the wish was well-intentioned or not. If Liv had followed through on her accidental wish, there was no telling what Riven could have done as a result. The greater the desire, the larger the wish, and the more powerful the Ahamkara grew.

"You have a clever Ghost, oh murderer mine." Rather than irritated or disappointed, Riven sounded begrudgingly impressed. "Tell me, Lightbearer, could one little wish really be so bad? If your intentions are pure, then why should your wish not also be pure?"

"Shut up," said Liv icily, "I'm not going to make a wish, no matter how much you want me to. You nearly had me that time, but you can't fool me twice. Keep Harley's voice out of your lying mouth and save your wishes for someone who gives a fuck."

With that, she turned and stalked out of the chamber, not waiting around to hear Riven's response.

As soon as she reached what felt like a safe distance from Riven's chamber, Liv felt her shoulders slump.

"You were right, Rhys," she admitted, "Staying there was a really bad idea."

She had thought it would be fine since Riven could no longer attack her even if she wanted to. But just because the Ahamkara no longer had a physical form didn't mean that she couldn't still hurt Liv.

Rhys sighed. "I wish you'd listen to me more often, Liv. I know facing danger is your job, but that only means I'm going to worry about you more."

Despite herself, Liv felt a small smile creep onto her face. "You wish I'd listen to you more?" She deepened her voice for dramatic effect. "Very well, oh Ghost mine."

"Stop that!" snapped Rhys, "It's not funny!" But she could hear the humor buried in his voice.

She sighed, letting her own humor drop. "Thanks for stopping me back there," she told him sincerely, "I don't know what might've happened if I'd made that wish."

She wondered if all Ahamkara were powerful enough to still grant wishes after death. If so, then the Great Hunt seemed like a massive waste of time. Hopefully, it was just Riven.

"We'd better get back to Petra and Tristan soon," said Rhys, "Trillian just reached out to me. They're worried about you."

Liv nodded. "You're probably right," she replied grudgingly. As much as she wasn't looking forward to facing either of them right now, she didn't want to worry them more than she already had. "We'll take the Confluence," she decided, "We'll get back sooner that way."

"Good idea," Rhys chirped, "I'll locate the nearest entrance for you."

Liv felt some of her tension ease when she stepped into the Confluence. She didn't know why, but something about the place felt relaxing, peaceful almost. Maybe it was the fact that she never ran into anyone else down there, or maybe something about it reminded her of the old Tower Library. For the Confluence wasn't just a means of quicker transportation through the Dreaming City. It also housed many Awoken artifacts and other things of interest. Sometimes when Liv couldn't sleep, she would slip into the Confluence and wander through its labyrinthine corridors.

The route back to Petra's base of operations in the Strand was one she had used many times before — one of the only ones she actually had memorized. Memorized enough, in fact, that she hardly needed to focus on where she was going anymore. Instead, she just let her feet carry her through the familiar twists and turns.

In her state of absentmindedness, she nearly walked right past a door. This wasn't unusual by itself, as there were many doors in the Confluence, and she always bypassed them unless they took her in the direction she wanted to go. She had passed this particular door every time she had taken this route, but it had always been closed before. This time, it was open.

Liv stopped and peered into the room. It looked much like every other room she'd seen in the Confluence so far, but she could see several artifacts sitting on a shelf inside.

"Mind if we take a quick detour, Rhys?" she asked. Without waiting for the Ghost to answer, she entered the room.

Rhys sighed. "Why do you even bother asking me at this point? We both know you're just going to do whatever you want anyway."

Liv shrugged. "It bothers you," she replied, a smile tugging at her face.

Rhys' answering sigh was even heavier than before. "Whatever."

She crossed the room to get a closer look at the artifacts on the shelf. There were a couple of books, something that resembled an old sextant, and a smooth glass sphere with spinning rings inside that was easily the most interesting thing there. She knew the Awoken used devices like it to store information, among other things. She had even used several similar interfaces herself during her time in the city.

"Check it out, Rhys… I wonder what's on it?" She reached for the sphere.

Her Ghost didn't sound impressed. "Probably something boring like shipping manifests… I doubt it's anything that'll help you figure out the curse."

Liv grabbed the sphere, mildly surprised at its weight. "I'm sure I can open it and take a look," she said, running her hands over the surface.

Originally, it had taken her a good amount of practice to learn how to operate the Awoken's information systems. Now it was almost second nature. She tugged and rotated the rings into the correct configuration, peering intently into the glossy surface. To her immense disappointment, the only thing it seemed to contain was a record of the date it had been encoded and stored in the Confluence.

She sighed in disappointment and put the data storage device back on the shelf. "Just some old record," she told Rhys.

"I told you so."

"Whatever," Liv grumbled, turning away from the artifacts to head back to the door. As she left the room, she felt a faint pressure in her head. "Oh great," she groaned, rubbing her temple, "Whoever encoded it didn't even do it right. Stuck me with a headache."

"Hmm," said Rhys, "That's a shame." He didn't sound very sympathetic.

"You know, you could get rid of it for me," she pointed out.

"I could," he agreed. Yet the Ghost made no indication that he was going to do so.

"Wow, fine. I guess I'll just suffer."

"I guess you will," Rhys replied.

Liv wished that her Ghost was corporeal so she could give him a good glare. As it was, she had to make do with glaring at whatever was in front of her. Leaving the disappointing room behind, she continued making her way back toward the Strand.

It was time to face reality.

A/N: Liv was going to have to find out about the events of Requiem at some point.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews are very appreciated ^-^

See you next week!