For better or for worse, Liv had been the one selected to report the Guardians' progress regarding the Dreaming City to Mara Sov. They sent messages to the Queen every week — usually with Petra doing the actual talking — but at the curse's height every third week, the Blind Well was charged enough to grant access to Mara's court.

The Awoken Queen's court was a beautiful place, a dais on a cliffside that looked out into deep space. Yet for all of its beauty, it was desolate. Liv often thought that she would be terribly lonely if she stayed there for as long as Mara seemed to. But then again, maybe the Queen didn't see it that way.

She voiced her thoughts aloud, wondering if maybe her Ghost had an opinion. But to her surprise, it was the voice that answered her.

"I agree," it whispered in her mind as she made her way to the Oracle Engine in the Spine of Keres. "It is quite the lonely existence. To sit there suspended in nothingness — eons away from anyone or anything — I do not envy Mara Sov."

Liv blinked in surprise. It almost sounded sympathetic to the Awoken Queen. Normally, the voice held little consideration for the Awoken and tended to be dismissive at best. So this was new territory. Still, the Hunter knew better than to remark on it. The voice had a tendency to stop speaking whenever she pressed too much. She would figure it out eventually, it was just a matter of time.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I couldn't do it. I'd go crazy. Even here in the Dreaming City… I know there are tons of Guardians and Corsairs here, but it's not the same. Not like it is in the Tower or the City. I mean, sure, we're all united to save the city, but it's missing its sense of community, y'know? And none of my clanmates are here either…"

"Tristan visited you," Rhys reminded her.

She sighed. "I know, but he didn't exactly stick around, did he? Not that I'm blaming him. I mean, I know why he had to go back… It just would've been nice if he could've stayed here. Or Kai… I dunno, someone that's more than just a colleague." She sighed again as she began to climb the wide staircase that spiraled up to the Oracle Engine controls, longing for her clanmates filling her chest. "I guess I just wish I had a friend here — a companion."

For a second, she felt a presence brush against her mind.

"I'm here," said Rhys, "And I'm not going anywhere."

Liv smiled. "I know… Thanks, Rhys. I'm lucky to have you."

"I'm here too," the voice reminded her, apparently not wanting to be left out.

The Hunter rolled her eyes. "Butt out," she said, "You haven't done anything for me."

She climbed the last few steps, coming to a stop on a small balcony that looked out over the Oracle Engine. Before accessing the controls, Liv took a moment to gather herself. There was nothing new to report, really. The curse was progressing as it always did, and the strike against Dûl Incaru had gone off without a hitch — just as it had before. Still, she felt a bit regretful that she couldn't be delivering better news to the Queen.

Reaching out, Liv traced her fingers over the control terminal, activating it and presenting the offering she'd gotten from the Blind Well. As always, the offering vanished from her hands as the rings of the engine slipped out of their ever-revolving motion to form a circular gateway. The portal activated and she took one last deep breath before entering.

The Queen's court was the same as the last time she had visited. It still held that timeless beauty counterbalanced with utter isolation. She looked toward the void of space. Mara Sov was seated — as she usually was — on her throne suspended over the edge of bottomless space. Only this time, she wasn't alone.

A strange figure floated beside the Queen. It was humanoid, yet Liv got the feeling that it was distinctly not human. The pair appeared to be engaged in conversation.

Mara's regal tone echoed across the dais. "If that's so, I accept their terms. Move the asset into position beyond the grave of the First Fleet. And do remind them: I have shown more than enough patience."

As Liv watched, the mysterious floating figure vanished, leaving Mara alone once more.

The Hunter had a lot of questions, to say the least. Who were they? How did they know Mara? Who did they represent and what kind of relationship did they have with the Awoken? It appeared to be some kind of business relationship, judging by the language Mara used with them. She had no idea what they were discussing, but she did recognize "First Fleet." If her memory served her, the First Fleet had been lost around Saturn during the Collapse. It was nothing more than a landmark now — or a spacemark, as it were.

Liv approached the throne but before she could say anything, Mara spoke, her tone reflective. "It was a friend, once. A confidante. Now, it is a shell… Avoid falling into schemes of the Nine. Like the curse on my people, their games never end… All this, as we find ourselves at the whims of so many small minds."

The Hunter's brow furrowed in confusion. There was a lot to unpack there. She wasn't entirely sure how to respond, so she decided she was better off just giving her report.

Liv forced the confusion off of her face and bowed in the traditional Awoken greeting — touching her hand to her lips.

One of the few things Rae had told her about the Reefborn was that they placed a great deal of emphasis on hand gestures.

"A people who don't need to feat the advance of time are careful about who they insult," Rae had told her, "One of our founding verdicts was that there would be no secrets among us. Dishonesty is avoided except in the most extreme circumstances. But people don't like hearing the truth all the time either, so they use formality and etiquette as a buffer… It's exhausting, honestly."

According to Rae, the Awoken believed that while the face could deceive, the hands told the truth. Hence the formal greeting. Bowing conveyed respect and the touching of the lips was a way of saying that dishonesty would not enter the conversation.

"Queen Mara," she greeted, "I'm here to give my report on the Dreaming City."

Mara nodded, indicating for her to continue.

Liv sighed. "Unfortunately, we have nothing new to report. Nothing about the curse seems to have changed. We've collected more data, so hopefully with enough time, we'll learn enough about the curse to end it."

Mara arched an eyebrow. "We can only hope… Leave now," she said abruptly, "My next audience does not find the presence of the Traveler's Chosen to be… respectful."

Liv bowed again before making her exit.

Once she was safe back in the Oracle Engine room, she let out a loud sigh. "Well, that was great. We spend all this effort charging the Well to speak to her every week, and she just tells me to leave… I'm really feeling the love here."

"Yeah, that was kind of a dick move," Rhys said, earning a laugh from the Hunter.

"Rhys, you can't say that about the Awoken Queen," she scolded halfheartedly.

"Well it was," he muttered.

"As much as it pains me to say it, I must agree with your Ghost," the voice put in, "I had forgotten how dismissive Mara Sov could be."

Liv rolled her eyes. "Who even asked you?"

Not that she disagreed. She respected the Queen's power, but she thought Mara could stand to be a bit more polite, considering the circumstances.

"What did it say?" asked Rhys curiously.

"Nothing important."

The voice sounded miffed. "Everything I say is important."

She scoffed. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Did it agree with me?" her Ghost piped up suddenly.

Liv didn't grace him with a reply.

"Holy shit, it agreed with me, didn't it? In your face!"

She shook her head, dragging a hand over her face. If having one presence in her head was draining, having two was exhausting.

"Whatever," she grumbled, "Let's get out of here."

She started for the exit. At other times, she would stick around the Oracle Engine, which was often one of the more peaceful locations in the Dreaming City, as enemies rarely showed up there. However, she had no interest in hanging around any longer that day. She was discouraged by the lack of progress with the curse, and her audience with Mara had only contributed to that.

As she left the Oracle Engine, she thought she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye — a flicker of movement or a flash of color. But when she turned, nothing was there.

She shook her head. "I'm losing it," she muttered, "I'm going straight Toland up in here."

Funnily enough, Toland the Shattered — or whatever remained of him — was actually someone she had encountered in the Dreaming City. He appeared to her sometimes in the Ascendant Realm, mostly spewing cryptic nonsense and being a general pain in the ass know-it-all. She didn't fancy becoming anything like him.

With one last glance at the portal to Mara's court, she turned and made her way to the Confluence portal in the Spine of Keres so she could use it to get back to Rheasilvia.

With nothing pressing to do until the curse loop reset at midnight, Liv decided to wander around a bit. She didn't know why, but even after all the loops, exploring the Dreaming City had yet to get old. Not only was it a beautiful location, but there almost always seemed to be something interesting to see, whether it was Awoken relics, ascendant chests, or just odd knickknacks that Rhys couldn't resist scanning.

She had also managed to find tons of cool sights and hidden corners just by venturing off of the beaten path. As much as it was nice to be around the Corsairs and other Guardians, sometimes she had to give into the age-old Hunter instincts of solitary exploration. So it came as no surprise when she began to stay from the trail once again, not paying much attention to where she was going.

It was so much quieter once Liv escaped the heavily traveled parts of Rheasilvia, leaving behind the distant rattle of gunfire as Guardians clashed with the enemy du jour. The only interruptions to the quietude were Rhys' requests for a closer look at whatever object caught his eye. Liv was used to them, so they didn't bother her much, but the voice in her head seemed to have other opinions.

"If your Ghost asks to scan a rock one more time, I'm going to get violent," it threatened.

Liv snorted. "Oh yeah? You and what body, genius? Last I checked, you're nothing but a voice in my head that Rhys can't even hear."

"What's it saying?" Rhys demanded.

"Talking shit," said Liv, "It's tired of you scanning rocks."

"Oh is it?" Her Ghost sounded far too smug. "Well, in that case, I think I'm going to scan even more rocks."

"You better not," the voice threatened, "I'll turn you into a decorative lightbulb."

Liv laughed at the remark. "He can't hear you, remember? And if you're so tired of looking at rocks, why don't you suggest something for a change?"

It was silent for a moment, possibly considering her words.

"Fine," it said eventually, "Now that you mention it, there is an interesting landmark in the area… Far more interesting than rocks, I might add. I don't recall what it was constructed for, but I believe it is used by the Awoken on occasion… I can direct you to it."

"Hmm, sounds like it could be cool," she grudgingly admitted.

"What could be cool?" asked Rhys, "What did it say?"

"It said there's some kind of landmark nearby that the Awoken built… I think we should check it out."

"...Fine," said her Ghost sullenly, "But it better be good."

Liv had no clue how a disembodied voice of unknown origins and dubious morality would have any idea how to navigate the Dreaming City, but she followed its directions all the same. They led her further away from Rheasilvia — enough that all but the tower and the tallest peaks were obscured by the ever-present mist. She had never gone this far out before, and as the voice's directions took her higher into the mountains, she wondered if this wasn't just a massive and deliberate waste of her time. But whenever she gave voice to these doubts, she was assured that their mysterious destination was indeed real.

Breathing heavily, Liv followed a narrow trail that wound up the mountainside, only to halt after rounding the next corner.

The rocky path ended abruptly as the mountain dropped away, granting her a view of the adjacent mountainside, where a massive gazebo sat embedded into the rock. It looked not unlike Petra's base of operations in the Strand or one of the structures in the Garden of Esila — undoubtedly Awoken architecture. It seemed to have no visible path leading to it, jutting directly from the mountainside.

"Whoa…" said Rhys, "I retract my complaints. This was worth it."

Liv was still on the fence about it. It looked impressive, sure, but how was she supposed to get to it?

"Is there a way across or am I gonna have to jump?" she asked.

"I believe you may have to jump," said the voice helpfully.

She groaned but took a few steps back to get a running start. Fortunately, the gap looked larger than it was, and she was able to propel herself across with no extreme effort. She had tackled more challenging jumps on her missions.

Liv landed on the mountainside about a meter or so below the structure, hiking up the remaining distance until she stood on the main platform. In the center beneath the domed roof and surrounded by a colonnade, was a low table-like disc. It stood at about hip height and — given its central position — she figured it was important.

She meandered around the gazebo, taking in the intricate carvings on the columns and floor. "What is this place?"

"Looks like a temple," said Rhys, "Like those old garden temples we saw on Earth. Remember?"

She nodded. It did bear a striking resemblance.

"I have no idea what this was constructed for," said the voice in a tone that indicated it didn't particularly care, "I just thought I would show you something more interesting than a rock."

"Well, hats off to you," said Liv, "This puts rocks to shame."

She poked around a bit more. It was difficult to tell how long the gazebo might have been standing. Probably since the creation of the Dreaming City. Awoken architecture was difficult to put a date on — it had an ancient feeling to it, yet seemed utterly timeless.

Liv was just leaning over to get a better look at the carvings on the raised table structure in the center when she heard a footstep. Instinctively, she spun, her gun in her hands, and aimed before she was even conscious of moving.

When her eyes alit on the figure standing before her, she froze.

Despite having never met the man in person, Liv knew what Uldren Sov looked like. When word had reached her that Harley, Kaedro, and Bazzle had returned from the Reef, she had sent Kaedro a message asking him if he would get Jyn to share her footage of Uldren's death. The Vanguard had declared the mission footage classified, but that hadn't stopped Kaedro from sending it to her. So having seen Uldren Sov in his final moments, Liv could say that it was undoubtedly him standing in front of her.

Once she regained control of her muscles, her aim snapped from his chest up to his head.

"Don't fucking move!" she snarled.

Uldren raised his hands, eyes wide.

The unexpected reaction almost made her relax slightly. Then, realizing that was probably what he intended, she tightened her grip even more.

"Listen," she growled, "I don't know how the fuck you're standing here right now, but I'm more than happy to send you back to kingdom come!"

Rhys spoke inside her mind. "Liv, wait… I think we're missing something here. We don't have the full picture."

"No shit we don't have the full picture," she hissed to the Ghost, "I don't know how he did it and I don't care. All I know is this time, I'm gonna get the pleasure of killing him myself!"

"Since when did you shoot first and ask questions later?" Rhys demanded.

"Since I met the man that murdered my friend!"

"I, for one, think you should kill him," said the voice apathetically, "Why not?"

"Finally, we agree."

"No, no, no," said Rhys, "Liv, I'm telling you, there's more to this. Please just talk to him first, at least. For me."

"Fine," she grumbled. She raised her voice to address Uldren again. "Alright, unless you want me to pull the trigger right now, you're going to start talking. If you don't, I promise it won't be a hard decision for me."

"I believe you," said Uldren, his hands still raised.

Liv flinched at the sound of his voice. The voice that taunted her in her dreams. The voice that Riven had taunted her with when she led the team to kill the Ahamkara.

"Good," she forced out, "Now tell me how the hell you're standing in front of me right now."

"I'm not sure what you mean," he said carefully, "...I woke up here."

She scowled. "The hell do are you talking about?"

Suddenly, a very different voice rang out. "If I may, I think I can explain this better than he can."

There was a faint zap as something appeared next to Uldren. When Liv saw what it was, she froze all over again, her stomach twisting in horror and disbelief.

A pink-shelled Ghost was hovering at Uldren's shoulder. The shape of its shell was flatter than most Ghosts' and had a distinctly Awoken look to it that was impossible to miss.

Liv's hands trembled around her gun as she stared at the Ghost. She refused to believe what its presence signified. This had to be a joke. A huge cosmic joke. Because there was no way that Cayde's killer had been deemed worthy by the Traveler. Uldren Sov didn't deserve to be reborn in Light. He deserved to die like Cayde had died.

Rage and denial sparked in her eyes as she swiveled, pointing her gun directly at the Ghost, barely registering Uldren's cry of alarm.

But before the Ghost could vanish, before Uldren could protect it, before she could pull the trigger, there was another flash and suddenly it was her own Ghost staring down the barrel of her gun.

Liv flinched back automatically but didn't lower her aim. "Get out of the way, Rhys," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"No," said Rhys. His tone was steady as his blue eye bored into her yellow ones.

"I won't tell you again."

"What are you going to do, shoot me?" he challenged.

"Imagine if you actually shot him," said the voice, "Maybe you should… Just to see what happens."

Liv ignored it, maintaining her aim. Rhys was the only thing standing in the way of a clear shot at the Ghost that had dared revive Uldren Sov. As soon as he moves, she told herself, The second he moves, I'm taking the shot.

"I can't let you kill a Ghost, Liv," said Rhys "I won't. " Against all odds, his voice was completely calm. Unwavering.

"That's not your choice to make!" she snapped.

"Maybe not, but it's one I won't stand by and let you make… You know the penalty, Liv. You know what they'll do to you if you kill that Ghost."

She did know, but the matter seemed small and remote compared to the utter heresy of Uldren Sov being chosen by the Traveler.

"I don't care."

"You do care," Rhys persisted, "I know you do… Do you want to become another Guardian-killer? Like Dredgen Yor? Like Shin Malphur ?"

Liv bared her teeth at the reminder of Harley's death, but she still didn't budge. "It's different."

"How?" asked her Ghost, "His Ghost chose him, Liv. The Traveler chose him to be reborn in the Light. You know what that means. You know his revival has to be treated like any other Lightbearer's."

"Like fuck it does! The circumstances are different, Rhys! You know what he did!"

"I do. And it doesn't matter."

It was like Rhys had slapped her.

Liv's mouth fell open in shock, her aim dropping slightly as her brain tried to process what her Ghost had just said to her. How could it not matter what Uldren had done? How could it not matter that he had killed one of her closest friends?

She shook her head fiercely, eyes burning. "He doesn't deserve a second chance. Not after what he's done."

"That isn't your call to make," said Rhys, "I know how much it hurts, Liv, but if the Traveler sees him as worthy, we have to believe that it's right… We have to believe that it chose him for a reason."

"Why?" Her voice broke on the word.

"Because it chose you too," her Ghost said gently, "Did it make a mistake then?"

Liv's eyes flicked between Rhys and her gun. Logically, some part of her knew that he was speaking the truth. If they didn't trust the Traveler's judgment, then nothing meant anything. If they doubted one Guardian, they doubted all of them. If none of them knew their pasts, could they truly claim that they'd always been worthy of being a Guardian?

"What would Cayde do?" Rhys prompted.

And that, more than anything else, was what caused her resolve to crumble. Because she knew what Cayde would want her to do. She knew he wouldn't want her to mourn him by carrying a torch of vengeance. She knew what Cayde would have wanted his legacy to be, and this wasn't it.

With a muffled sob, she let her arms fall — the gun dropping to her side as tears spilled down her cheeks.

Rhys flew closer, gently bumping his shell against her forehead. His voice was warm as it washed over her. "I'm so proud of you."

She allowed herself one second to close her eyes and lean into his touch before refocusing on the man standing across from her. Uldren's defensive posture had relaxed somewhat, now that his Ghost was no longer being threatened. His eyes, which had been watching her cautiously, dropped when she looked up.

Liv knew that she should probably say something, but all she did was stand there, making no attempt to dry the tears on her face. Her emotions still churned inside her with a raw power that she hadn't felt since Cayde died. She had no idea what to do or say after that.

Eventually, it was Uldren who broke the silence.

"Listen," he said, and his voice was so different — so much softer than the wild-eyed, hard-edged man she had heard on Kaedro's footage — that it caught her off-guard. "I won't claim to know what I did in the past, but I know it must have been bad and I know it hurt you. So… I'm sorry, if that even means anything."

And Liv, who moments ago would have told him to fuck off before putting a bullet between his eyes, felt a strange sort of acceptance taking over her. It was tinged with wariness and dislike, but still there.

So to her surprise, the words that came out of her mouth were, "It does."

Because really, it did mean something. The apology itself might be empty, coming from a man with no memory of what he was apologizing for, but the fact that he was giving one at all told LIv that this was not the same man she had seen on the Ghost footage.

This was not the same man she had been loathing for months.

And that realization reminded her that she had something to apologize for as well.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. Uldren looked confused. "...For trying to kill your Ghost."

His confusion cleared. "...I'm glad you didn't. Glint is pretty much the only friend I've got these days."

Glint. Liv fought the urge to smile at the name. She turned to the Ghost. "I'm sorry," she said again.

"I forgive you," Glint chirped, "It was pretty scary, to be honest, but it didn't end as badly as our other encounters with Guardians."

She felt a twinge of sympathy for the Ghost. She wasn't sure enough about Uldren to feel sympathy for him — amnesia or not — but it wasn't Glint's fault that he had ended up reviving the man that so many Guardians hated. Luck of the draw, Cayde would have called it.

All of a sudden, she felt terrible for how she had acted toward Glint.

"Right," she said curtly, "I'm going to leave… I would say it was nice to meet you, but I don't think that was nice for anyone involved. Sorry again, Glint… Uh, see you around."

With one last halfhearted wave, Liv left as fast as she could manage without running. She had no idea what had possessed her to say "see you around," but she really hoped it didn't come true. The encounter had left far too many jagged emotions in her chest. If luck was with her at all, she would never have to see or think about Guardian Uldren ever again.

That evening, Petra was waiting at her usual spot — an outcropping that overlooked Rheasilvia located next to the path from the Mists. The vantage point granted her a spectacular view over the rest of the area. Liv knew there were even better views higher up the cliffsides but didn't particularly feel like taking advantage of them at the moment.

She trudged up to Petra, who greeted her with a smile. "How did it go?" she asked.

Liv blinked in confusion before realizing that Petra was talking about the meeting with the Queen.

"Fine," she said, trying not to let the emotions from her earlier encounter with Uldren seep into her voice.

She must have done a bad job of it because Petra's expression instantly morphed into one of concern. "That badly?"

She sighed, putting the Uldren stuff aside to recall the details of her meeting. "It wasn't really bad, it's just we've got nothing new to report and Mara didn't have much time to listen."

Petra nodded understandingly, looking sympathetic. "She has a lot on her mind. It can be difficult to talk to her at times…" She sighed and changed the subject, "Anyway, how have you been, cousin?"

Liv shrugged. There was no way she was going to bring up running into a revived Uldren Sov.

"Fine, I guess," she said. She tried for a joking tone. "Think I might be going full Toland, but you know, just another day in the life."

To her surprise, Petra took the statement seriously. Her gaze grew more piercing. "Have you had any strange interactions with paracausal forces lately?"

She laughed. "Only my entire life as a Guardian."

Petra didn't crack a smile as her eye assessed the Hunter. "Are you sure? The plane barriers are thin here, it doesn't take much for things to slip through the cracks."

Liv shook her head, shrugging helplessly. She hadn't been doing anything differently during this loop. The only thing that had really changed was the presence of the voice, and it sounded like Petra was describing something bigger and more noticeable.

Once again, she considered telling Petra about the voice. The Queen's Wrath had asked to be informed if something changed, and Liv had progressed to having full-on conversations with it.

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, the voice spoke up. "Don't tell her," it said. But rather than commanding, there was almost a hint of pleading in its tone.

That just made Liv want to tell Petra even more since she figured the voice didn't want the Queen's Wrath to know for a reason. She might be on speaking terms with her head hijacker, but she definitely didn't trust it.

And yet, even as the words sprang to her lips, something held her back. She really didn't want to make herself another of Petra's worries. Sure, plenty of bad things had come of Guardians hearing voices in the past, but she was confident that she could stop things from escalating to that point. So far, the presence of the voice hadn't caused her any direct harm other than headaches and mild annoyance, so she really didn't think it was worth devoting resources to figuring out, especially when those resources could be put to better use figuring out how to stop the curse.

"I'm fine," she said, "It's probably just sleep deprivation… Speaking of which, I think I'd better head back for the night and hopefully catch up on some sleep." She smiled wryly. "Reset's tomorrow, after all."

Petra's lips quirked up in a smile that mirrored hers. "That it is… Sleep well, cousin."

Taking her leave of the Queen's Wrath, Liv began making her way back to her quarters in the Dreaming City. It was the end of the third week, which meant the curse would be reset at midnight, starting the cycle all over again the following day. The Scorn would return, the Awoken relics would be stolen, and the Well would need to be charged.

Keeping up the motivation to battle the curse was difficult, but Liv had to hold out hope that if they just kept pushing, they would finally put an end to the vicious cycle.

A/N: Late update today, I know. Sorry, I got distracted watching MCC. But I think this chapter being almost double the usual size makes up for it.

Crow has finally made his first appearance in my series! You have no idea how long I was waiting to bring him in. Speaking of which, a note going forward: Liv will continue to refer to him as Uldren since this is set before he's named Crow by Spider so bear with me.

This was one of my favorite chapters to write so I hope you guys enjoyed it!