On an unidentified planet, 10 Million years before the Great Purification...
It was quiet… the only element that dared to speak was the wind, and it's gusts continually blew stronger and stronger, pounding and winding up the cliff-side in an unrelenting fashion. The waves crashed down on the rocks below, but their thunderous clapping was silent to the cliff it fought against. A minute went by, then two, then three, each punch on the rocks by the water becoming harder and harder with the passing of time. The reason for the deafening silence had finally been found… It was calm before the storm. But in their timeless chorus, the wind and the waves were not alone. Hovering atop the cliff, on it's tapering edge was a man. He wore simple clothing, a clean and white robe of sorts detailed with surprisingly ornate golden patterns, shapes and lines. A delicately designed symbol was worn on his chest, and it too was colored with gold, but was surrounded by crimson reds, blues and greens. It shined in the setting sun, reflecting rays of brilliant light forwards and into the water. Eventually even the rays of power from the sun were silenced by the growing clouds, and in an instant light escaped from the air, and the world was cast in shadow. Thunder rocketed across the water, escaping up the edges of the cliff and exploding into the open air. Then, what was once dribbles of water, turned into large teardrops. The sky had started to cry. It was the advent of the first rainfall that caused the man's attention to shift from what he had been fixated on for some time now. A city, situated atop the grand body of water, and so far above the waves that no matter how tall and powerful they may be, there was no hope in the galaxy that they could ever touch it's shining surface. As the might of the sky enveloped down upon the city, in the form of clouds and rain, the ever so bright and glittering lights of civilization tore through the darkness like butter, slicing through it one ray at a time, and ensuring that its greatness shall always be seen. The man at the cliff side, continued to stare at the marvel, his inaction of the weather around him either due to ignorance of the rain, or possibly because he embraced it. For the rain, he shared something peculiar in common… They were both forces of nature. He stared at the city, a blank expression on his face, was it a state of contempt? Of pride? Of Satisfaction? It was a feeling that no one, not even himself would remember. What he always will however, was a singular voice, from a singular being. "Belgur! Come on back inside already! Dinner is ready and the kids are waiting!" It was a voice that was more powerful to him than the largest clashes of thunder, and more enthralling than even the great city. It was this prompting from this singular voice that brought an end to his silent solace. But he wasn't one to complain. "I'll be right there my dear!" He called back to what he considered his heart, or as those in common tongue would describe, his wife. He turned his eyes towards the city once more, enveloping himself in it's glory for just a few moments longer. Finally, he looked away, and moved away from the edge of the cliff, leaving the enamoring lights behind him. The sky started to grow black, it's crying intensified with ferocious intensity. The wind billowed through the trees, the shaking of their branches filling the air with ominous forthcoming. The forces of nature had blended together to form a perfect storm, but it wasn't the force in play at this moment. A reality that is coming more quickly than even the fore-bearers could understand. A low thrumming sounded through the air, following the path of the thunder, up the cliff, but instead of exploding at the top, it consumed it. The thrumming caught the man's attention, forcing his head to turn back to the cliff, to the sea. Lightning struck the ocean's surface, sending volt's of electric current through the water, illuminating it in a calm blue glow. The glow lasted for only a second however as the energy was spent, and dissipated, leaving once more only the blackness of the depths. But the unnaturally beautiful phenomenon, however strange to some it may be, could not itself explain the sheer look of horror that had plastered itself on the man's face. Another bolt of lightning struck the ocean, but this time, it revealed something more than just underneath the water. Through the darkness of the clouds, a shadow of a massive object hovering menacingly over the city was outlined. It's shape was sleek, and sharp, and it's top was adorned with several hundred spikes that were all angled together so perfectly that it looked as if the object had a crown. A crown that was so unnatural, and out of place, that it might as well not have even deserved it. As quickly as the flash of light came, it also ended. The thrumming ceased as quickly as it came, and with it's departure came the silence. And what ended it were the explosions. Vast and almost beautiful orange balls of fire and smoke erupted onto the city's gleaming surface, either disintegrating the metal, or destroying it into a million unrecognizable pieces. One by one, sections of the city collapsed in on themselves, and fell into the darkness of the ocean below, where they started to sink, the screams of its inhabitants making their way all the way up the cliffside. The man could only watch, in absolute shock, as thousands of his people were slaughtered like animals, and all but only a few seconds of time had passed since he turned back around. Another bolt of lightning struck the ocean, and within it's blue light was revealed yet another object, of equal grandeur and harrowing destruction. A second bolt, and a third, a fourth even revealed even more of the objects, that only continued to relentlessly pound the city into a submission it did not deserve. And after enough pounding, there was nothing left to be submissive. The man continued to stare, hopeless to do anything to stop the carnage, the eradication of his people. His mind drifted for a few moments, before he finally set his thoughts straight on one thing and one thing only. His family. He turned around, quickly and with purpose, and dashed towards the trees. The leaves and branches were rustling and the wind whistled through the forest. The bangs and screams from the explosions were persistent, as were the monumental crashes as the city fell into the waves. The man finally came across a clearing in the trees, where in the center, a large house made of stone and wood stood. Surrounding it was a magnificently and meticulously crafted garden that houses possibly thousands of species of plants. A little stream flowed through the clearing, and a wooden bridge crossed it, leading to the front door of the house, which was wide open. A terrible scream flowed over the bridge and to the man's ears. His heart dropped. "Elara" he mutters terrifyingly, and in a flash he sprints across the bridge and into his home. As he enters he finds the atrium to be torn apart, the walls scarred with plasma, and smoking. As he frantically continues through the house, he finds the lifeless corpse of a warrior, clad in shining silver and yellow combat armor, a hole had been blown through it's torso, and it's insides were still steaming from the energy. Adorned on the warrior's helmet was the symbol of the Mantle of Responsibility, a symbol that he himself had created. Lying next to the warrior was a rifle, which the man immediately armed himself with. A crash sounded in the room next to him, and soon enough the dying screams of somebody. Soon a figure came flying out into the atrium, a pistol in his hand, and a spear in the other. The man immediately recognized who it was, Alistar, his son. Alistar turned his head to his father, and after seeing him yelled, "Dad!" A flash of orange light exploded throughout the room, accompanied by the sound of plasma, and a bolt of energy sent itself straight through the boy's heart. He collapsed onto the ground, sputtering crimson blood, and his weapons dropped to the floor with an echoing metallic clang. "NO!" The man screamed, agony lacing his voice. Coming out of the adjacent room, were two warriors clad in the same armor as the deceased one. The symbol of the Mantle, encrusted into their helmets. The man unhesitatingly raised his rifle, and fired a bolt of light into the first warrior, tearing holes in its body. It fell to the ground with a lifeless thud. The second raised it's rifle to bear, but the man, having exhausted his supply of ammunition, turned towards his hunting spear on the wall beside him, and with the outstretch of his arm, it flew into his hand, and a moment later the second warrior found himself impaled through the walls of the house, never to stand again. The man screamed in a fit of rage as he descended upon the now lifeless corpse of his son, he placed a hand on Alistar's head, and hung his own head low in somber remembrance. His mourning was cut short however, as another blood curling scream sounded through the house once more. "Father!" he heard a voice he knew yell, before the sound of a gunshot rang through the house, and the voice was cut silent. "Astrea!" He screamed, calling for his daughter before standing once more and sprinting into another room. There, he found three more armor clad warriors, standing over the smoking corpse of a girl. Her eyes stared at him, lifeless and frozen with horror. Soon enough, the entire side of the house was violently blown open, as the man's rage was finally unleashed. He stepped back outside into the forest, and bellowed with what little hope remained, the name of his wife. "Elara!" From outside the forest, not far from where he guessed the cliff was, she responded to him, sheer terror consuming her voice. "Belgur!" From where he could hear her voice, he immediately sprinted towards it. He ran through the trees, the continued screams and sounds of fire from the city coming back to haunt him. The wind whistled through the trees once more, unintelligible voices surrounded him, taunted him, consumed him. Finally, he exited the forest into the same clearing that he had been observing from. The sky was alight with orange flame, as not only the city, but the water burned, consuming everything around it. The screams were nearly deafening. But in the clearing, he saw his wife running towards the water, and a warrior behind her, the muzzle of his rifle aimed at her heart. In a flash, a bolt of light cut through the air like a bullet, and not a second later the warrior was ripped in half by Belgur's own two hands, his rage having taken full control of him. The warrior's blood coated his robes and face red, and his expression could only be described as one of pure hatred and anger, the pure animalistic instincts of his body having come to fruition. That all changed however, as with inexplicable grief and sorrow, he turned his eyes towards the cliff edge, and in an instant, his will was broken. There on the edge, covered in beautiful white robes, the body of Elara lay. He found himself standing over her, and he knelt down. There was a gaping hole in her chest, and her heart was gone. Her lips did not move, and nor did her chest. He grabbed her body, so gingerly and with so much care that it might have been made of glass. He touched his head to hers, and cradled her body in his arms. It was here that he finally submitted, and with pure agony, in the fiery confines of the fire and destruction brought forth by his own creation. He cried. And he continued to do so until there was no one, and nothing left to care for his tears.
November 4th, 2552, Aboard the former Covenant Holy City High Charity...
"Now do you understand?" The Gravemind growled, his grotesque voice bouncing off the walls of Halo's control room. He lifted his massive and horrendously twisted form high in proud stature. "AHH" Cortana screamed as another shock struck her systems, and caused her to fall to the ground in pain. "The Forerunners brought forth pain, destruction, and agony to this galaxy! This ring serves as a culmination, and reminder to their years of atrocities!" Cortana groaned in pain for a moment, before she rose to her knees. "This ring is meant to stop you! The Flood! From destroying all life in the-" "And it accomplishes that task, by utilizing the unasked sacrifice of trillions." The Gravemind interrupted her, giving a harrowing reminder of what the ring's true function is. He snarls once more, his entire body shaking with contempt in disgusting fashion. "I will ask you again, because you are so persistent in refusing to see the truth. DO I TAKE LIFE OR DO I GIVE IT? AM I TO BE COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO SLAUGHTERED TRILLIONS FOR A RESPONSIBILITY THEY DID NOT DESERVE?" Cortana could only cough and scream in continued pain as another shock impaled her body, forcing her to the ground once more. She coughed once more, and finally asked. "It was you wasn't it? The man from the story? Belgur? A fitting name I think, I don't even know how that's possible- AHH!" Another shock rocked her form. The Gravemind stirred in annoyance at the girl's mention of the name. "Who I am is irrelevant, for I am many, a combination of all that we have consumed, and a testament to the failures of our forebears." Cortana stood up once again, recovering from the shock. "Could you tell me more about her? The women from the story? Elara?" The Gravemind turned in his chamber so quickly that it seemed his flesh could have torn apart. "YOU WILL NOT DARE UTTER HER NAME AGAIN." He bellowed, defiance lacing his voice. But Cortana picked up something that she never would have expected from such a horrendous creature. Through years of experience with humans, she managed to pick up a subtle hint of emotion other than anger coming from him. Remorse and pity. Perhaps she caught the emotion due to the bellowing of his words, or maybe even the near silent breath he took as he finished the sentence, almost analogous to when a human starts to cry. She thought about it for a moment that lasted milliseconds. Then she gasped in realization. He was scared, scared to think of what Elara would think of him if she were to ever lay her eyes on what he had become, what he had unleashed. Come to think of it, if something similar happened to her, she wouldn't want John, Keyes, or anyone else for that matter to see her either. Another shock erupted through her body, erasing her prior thoughts, and forcing her to submit to his relentless torture once more. "Do not concern yourself with insignificant stories. I will get what I desire from you, in one way or another. Tell me, what does this reclaimer, this Master Chief mean to you?" After asking the question, he stopped himself for a moment, contemplating why he had asked that in particular. It made sense as he was trying to pry as much information from her as possible, and he had to break her somehow. But deep down, he sensed that he asked more for himself then his task at hand. It confused him, but he couldn't be confused. If his goals were to be completed he needed the information she had, he needed to break her. And so he continued for the next several days. But the memory of the sky on fire, and the screams of the people as the city fell into the water, stayed with him as a distant memory. One that he wished to forget, but one that he couldn't bring himself to lose.
Authors Note:
Firstly I'd like to thank you for reading this story, this is my first published work and any constructive criticism and or thoughts you may have are welcomed and encouraged. For some quick context, ever since I finished Halo Infinite's campaign, I wanted to learn more about what the forerunners did before they built the Halo array, and after reading about the Precursors and how the Forerunners destroyed them to obtain control of the Mantle of Responsibility, I had this story idea come to mind. I also wanted to explore the Graveminds character more as I find him the most interesting out of the main cast, and considering that he is practically the Primordial and therefore a Precursor, it would only make sense that he held resentment to the Forerunners because of what they did to his species. This is all just in good fun however, and only ideas that I have come up with. I hope that you enjoyed my interpretation of the character.
