Beta: TheWolfParadox

I would like to give thanks to TheWolfParadox for being a beta for this story and chapter, they also looked over the prologue as well, but I forgot to give credit.

While I don't have a note from TheWolfParadox at the moment, they do hope that you enjoy the story.


Birth in Darkness


Ever since she was born, Xala had only ever known darkness.

For all her life, she had found herself cast in endless shadow. From the moment she took her first breath, she had lived the way all of her kind were used to, in dark, dank corridors and spaces, where the light never reached. She had spent her days in numerous places like that during her time - from dim caverns and tunnels on various moons and planets, to dark tomb ships, and ruins like that of humanity's abandoned Arcoloiges on Titan, where she now resided. Those were the kinds of places that the Hive favored, the kinds of places where they chose to reside: the Deep.

The Hive worship the Deep and the Sword logic with fervor. They took its teachings to heart, and it was something that they all reveled in.

Xala, however... not so much!

She moved through the dark halls of the new Pacific Arcology, the dead bones of humanity's achievements lying broken and decrepit. The walls around her were covered up in all kinds of Hive gunk, disgusting growths, and crystals that clung to whatever surface they could find. Making her way through the blackness that engulfed her, Xala's three green-glowing eyes guided her along the inky path.

She could hear the sounds of soft groans from all the gunk around her, as well as the distant roars and bellows of fellow Hive throughout the old Golden age structure.

An odorous smell lingered in the air, a rancid, putrid smell that all her kind loved, but Xala did not - the scent of death and decay. It permeated everything around her: the tunnels, the walls, her brethren, and even on herself. She could actually taste it, the rotten smell was so strong that she could feel it on her tongue as a thick filmy texture. Unlike the other Hive, she didn't care for the odor and didn't feel about it as they did, but she would never tell them that for fear of being looked down upon.

The darkness that engulfed her soon began to dissipate, the shadows getting chased off as she passed through a chamber illuminated by glowing crystals. She made her way through the small passage, the light from the bio-luminescent growths casting upon her chitinous hide.

She stepped out onto what had once been a large balcony looking out over the Arcology, now in ruin and disrepair, all but forgotten and left to rot under Hive filth. Xala crossed the old decaying structure and made her way over to the far end. She came up to a cluster of her brethren, Knights, Thrall, and Acolytes like herself, all standing ready and waiting for any sort of conflict.

A large Knight with a sword growled at her as she approached. "You're late!" He said accusingly.

"I got distracted!" She apologized. "I didn't realize!"

The Knight stared down at her with his three eyes, scrutinizing her long and hard. Finally, after several tense seconds, his burning glare leveled off, and he issued out a gruff warning. "It won't happen again!" He threatened, before angrily stomping away with a huff.

Xala sighed in relief, a feeling of pressure in her chest she didn't previously notice quickly relieving itself. That was close, she thought, the Knight had been mad about her being late, but if he knew just why exactly that was so...well, it wouldn't be good.

Shrugging off her encounter with the knight, she pushed deeper into the grouping of Hive. They congregated on the far side of the old human-made balcony, standing firm at their post as they guarded the entryway to a project of high importance. Xala looked ahead towards the large overgrown hallway that deeper back into the Arcology, through there, a series of rituals and tests were being headed by the Witch Veera'nal'toa, as she conducted research on an old golden age artifact - research to what however remained unknown to her.

She passed by a ravenous pack of Thrall, warily giving them a wide birth as they tore at and fought over an old pile of bones.

Xala came up to another Acolyte standing beside a collapsed pillar next to the edge. He stood alert, a Hive shredder in his hands as guarded his post, ready to fight at a moment's notice. He saw her coming and raised a hand in greeting, a small smile showing on his face as he waved her down.

"There you are, Xala," he said. "I was beginning to wonder where you had gotten off to?"

"Sorry, Tal'rooth, I had been preoccupied with something and was caught up in what I was doing."

A curious look appeared in Tal'rooth's three green orbs. "What was it?" He inquired. "Is it something I should know about?"

"It's nothing!" Xala said quickly, fearing what would happen if he found out. "It's a personal thing, you wouldn't even be interested in it...trust me."

She and Tal'rooth had been close growing up, they had stuck by each others' side for years. He was the closest friend she had in the world, and she loved him like a brother. But just like the rest of her kin, he was still Hive and would act as such; taking what he wanted, crushing the weak, and abhorring the Sky and anything related to it. And it was for that reason that she didn't want him - or any of her kind for that matter - to learn what she was hiding. If he did, she knew he would disapprove of what she was doing and maybe even try to take it from her - possibly even destroying the bond they had.

And her friendship with Tal'rooth was something she treasured, something she wanted to protect. She wasn't like the other hive and often felt like an outsider among her own people, but when she was with him she felt more at home and comfortable, and that was something she wanted to keep.

"Alright, if you say so," he said, dropping the subject. "I won't pry."

Standing next to him, Xala felt a wave of relief wash over her as he returned to standing guard, letting the matter go and thus preserving her secret.

With that out of the way, She began to survey the area around her, keeping watch just as Tal'rooth did. She observed the other Hive as they paced around giving off a tough and ruthless vibe just like all of them did. She paid attention to all the various paths that an enemy could take to reach their position.

As she stood there, her mind began to wander as she looked upon all the old golden age architecture that lay buried under Hive growths. She started to wonder what it had been like, how it was before their collapse; in her head, she tried to imagine what it had looked like when it was alive. She could see how the walls glistened, free from her kind's influence as they sat in pristine condition. She could see people - humans - walking through dazzling halls and suspended walkways and balconies that were a feat of architectural engineering as they went about their daily lives. She thought of all the projects that had been undertaken, all the advancements in science and medicine that had been achieved, all the wondrous inventions that had found life.

They had managed to do so much with the blessing of their Traveler, managed to do and create so many wonderful things with the knowledge it bestowed upon them. Every day she spent here in the old Arcology, she always found herself in awe at all the amazing things they left behind, she could see the beauty in what they achieved.

And she always found herself mourning what they lost.

As Xala stood there lost in thought and fantasizing about the past, she didn't notice Tal'rooth casting a quick glance her way.

"You should go grab a shredder and arm yourself, we could see action at a moment's notice."

"What?" Xala shook her head, coming back to the real world as she registered he had said something, the world from her fantasy fading away like dust.

"I said go take a shredder, you'll need one." He repeated himself, making sure she heard this time.

"Oh, are you sure?" She cocked a glowing emerald eye at him. "It's just, we've never seen any fighting in this area, no enemies have ever come down here, yet you're acting like you're expecting it, is all?"

Of course, that was just what she told him, in reality, her true reasoning for not wanting to grab a weapon was completely different. The Hive lived to kill...if that made any sense. She inwardly scoffed in disgust at the notion, killing the weak, was in their very nature, it came as easy as breathing to them. Xala hated the idea of killing that accompanied the sword logic, and though she was bound to it by her worm - she had never believed in it. She didn't want to hurt others, didn't want to claim innocent lives in the name of the Deep.

The Hive were monsters, bloodthirsty monsters... and she was ashamed to be one of them. If it wasn't for her vial worm and Tal'rooth keeping her tethered to them - she would have abandoned the Hive and the sword logic long ago.

"Yes!" Tal'rooth confirmed resoundingly, fixing her with a serious stare. "Yes, I am sure! And I am expecting it! Our enemies have been all over this moon recently, those rotten Eliksni pirates have been raiding our supplies and pillaging the spoils of the Deep since they first arrived. And then there are the Guardians!" He spat the word out venomously. "Those faithless warriors of the Sky have been interfering in our affairs endlessly, destroying anything they come across all in the name of their despicable Traveler. They are drawn to rituals like those being conducted nearby, always seeking to bring an end to them - they've already disrupted several on this rock!"

After listening to his words she had to admit that he had some compelling points, and she was about to reply before a loud bellowing roar caught her attention.

Emerging from one of the centermost pathways leading onto the balcony was a guard detail of four large Hive Knights, all of them carrying shields and cleavers. They moved in a box formation, and in the center floated the Witch herself. Verra'nal'toa approached with her guards, soaring regally above the ground, adorning a spiky headdress and a billowing robe and cape of deep crimson.

She made her way towards the far passageway, escorted by the Knights as she no doubt went to perform further rituals and tests. All the Hive standing guard in the area stopped what they were doing as they paused to regard the Witch as she passed, basking in her glory. Veera'nal'toa meanwhile gave them all a quick fleeting glance, barely paying them any mind as she continued on her way.

Xala and Tal'rooth watched from their post as Veera'nal'toa disappeared through the hallway with her guards in tow.

"Do you have any idea what kind of things they're doing in there?" Xala asked her companion curiously, her eyes staring distantly at where the Witch had gone.

Tal'rooth shook his head, before narrowing his eyes as he looked at the same place as Xala. "Not exactly," He said. "But I have heard rumors: some think its some sort of method to grow closer to the Deep, become one with it. While there are others - myself included - who believe it's a way to strike back against the Sky, a way to destroy the Guardians once and for all, and finally vanquish the blasphemous Traveler!" He chuckled, forming a sinister smile full of sharp teeth. "Can you imagine it, Xala? A world where the light is no more, a world where the Sky has been slain!"

Xala could imagine it...and she feared it greatly.

.

.

.

After a while, she and Tal'rooth were relieved from their position guarding the ritual site, after which they set off through the countless Hive-infested corridors of the Arcology. For a while, they simply wandered through the old halls, talking with each other while patrolling their territory for any trespassers. When nothing seemed out of the ordinary, they stopped to eat before returning to their nests.

It was dark and musty, a series of tunnels and chambers that served as a communal sleeping area for the Hive.

Xala sat upright in the dim environment, with just enough light to cast a shadowy image of what was around her. She was surrounded on all sides by her kind, all of them quiet and unmoving. Next to her lay the sleeping form of Tal'rooth, his back turned to her as he presumably dreamed about something related to the Deep.

Seeing this as her chance, she carefully got to her feet, taking caution not to wake any of the resting Hive as she silently sneaked past them. She snaked her way through the mazelike tunnels that comprised a portion of the nest, before emerging out into the wider halls of the Arcology.

She quietly made her way through the ancient pathways, making sure not to alert any attention her way. On several occasions, she had to hide from patrols of Hive, taking cover behind pillars or around corners, to ensure she wasn't followed and found out. She navigated her way through winding corridors and long hallways, moving by memory as she continued on, climbing higher and higher, up the levels of the new Pacific Arcology.

This had become routine to her after doing this for so long, she had done this so many times, that it had become muscle memory, the path to her destination ingrained into her brain.

She moved into an area with less Hive activity and fewer growths, the stench of death not as strong up here. Still checking to make sure she was alone, Xala moved down another hallway with a vent at the end. Stepping up to it, she carefully pried the grate off as she had often done before and climbed in, giving one last sweep for followers before closing it back up behind her.

Hunched over, she crawled through the old vent, the metal vibrating under her footfalls. Her three eyes cast a soft green glow in front of her, while her breath came out all metallic and echoey.

The grate on the other end of the vent was already open, light from beyond flowing into the little tunnel. Climbing out, she stepped into an old apartment, once used by humans in the Arcology, but was now long since abandoned.

The place was in disrepair, the walls and floors were covered in a thin layer of Hive growth, the furniture was broken and decaying, all but forgotten as they were left to waste away at the hands of time.

Xala had come here almost every single day. Approaching the right side of the room, she came up to an old, dirty window with a shredded curtain that had seen better days, light came flowing in from outside, fully illuminating the area and banishing the dark. She glanced out at the churning methane seas, and violent flashing storms of Titan, before turning her attention inward toward a small table in the middle of the room.

She approached it and knelt down, silently gazing upon the collection of items she had there: an old doll, a video camera, a framed picture of the home's previous inhabitants, and a sculpture of a white sphere. She picked up the doll, its dress was torn and its face was scratched up. She had found these things here a while back, most Hive would have destroyed them, but not her. She looked at the photo, of a family smiling and laughing as they stood together, the outline of the sun setting behind them. All the other Hive, in these things they saw signs of the 'blasphemous' Sky, but Xala, she only saw beauty.

She looked to the camera, on it, she had found home videos of the family that used to live here, always playing together and having fun, enjoying each other's company, living a good life here on Titan - they were happy. But the Hive didn't see things like that, to them, stuff like that they saw as weakness and needed to be destroyed, but Xala, she saw love and happiness.

Finally, she looked at the sculpture, she had made it herself with scraps she'd found lying about the apartment. She had never actually seen the Traveler herself but from everything she'd heard about it, it was always described as a giant white sphere, a wondrous machine that brings life to everything it touches. But to the Hive, they saw it as sinful, as blasphemy, an enemy that defied the Deep and went against everything the Sword logic stood for, but Xala, she only saw hope and Light.

Xala wasn't anything like the other Hive; she didn't share their views. She didn't believe in the Deep or the Sword logic, she didn't believe in the ways of her people, and she didn't believe in their ways of killing.

She looked out the massive window, looking out distantly towards the horizon. She looked past the skies of Titan, past Saturn and Oryx's Dreadnaught drifting in its rings. She looked out at the distant blackness of space, somewhere out there was a little blue planet known as Earth, and above it, rested the entity known as the Traveler.

Oh, how she longed to see it. To bask in its wondrous glory.

She longed...for the Light.


So, what do you all think of the story so far, I really hope you liked it.

Now, this is just a taste of what's to come, going forward I have a big story planned for Xala and the companions she'll meet along the way, one that I really hope you'll stay with me to enjoy. So with that said, please follow, favorite, and review.

I hope you'll all stick with me on this adventure I have planed. And I hope you'll all come to love Xala just as much as I do.

...oh, and for anyone wondering this is set just after Shadowkeep.