Wren and Kiran stood on a rise above the Farm, watching the horizon. The sun had begun to set, watching the horizon. The sun had begun to set, casting a golden glow over a curved structure that rose over the pine trees and thick fog. Birds flew by and with them came the call of a falcon.

Hawthorne joined them on the ridge, Louis on the hunt for rabbits farther down the slope. Wren didn't turn to face Hawthorne when she approached and for a time, neither of them spoke.

"What is that place?" Wren asked.

Hawthorne hesitated. "We call it the Shard of the Traveler. Not a place you wanna go." She turned toward the Farm and the movement drew Wren's attention to also watch the people below, settling in around campfires. Their world was smaller now than it ever had been, and yet it was opened to them. Most had never seen the wilds like this but they held onto hope in a way Wren hadn't expected.

"Your Vanguard is gone," Hawthorne said. "Your Light, your home… but that doesn't mean the fight is over. We've survived outside the City before, we can do it again. Whatever is out there, isn't as important as what's here." She motioned toward the Shard.

There was no way Wren could tell her that she was drawn to the Shard. Something about it called to her, that much she couldn't deny.

"You don't talk much," Hawthorne said, raising a brow.

"Not much to say."

"Is your tent already set up?"

"Yeah."

"Good. You're welcome to join me at my campfire for dinner. If you want."

"Thanks. I'm going to stay here a little longer."

Hawthorne nodded slowly, then turned to leave, Louis following closely. "Oh, before I forget. A few ships came in earlier. Full of refugees. Koro says he recognized one as yours. Guess your Vanguard and mechanics used them as emergency escape ships as a last resort."

"Right. I'll take a look in the morning."

"Good. If it's in good enough shape to fly, I need you to get it out of the hanger as soon as possible. Got a bunch of our own ships that need repairs."

"I'll take care of it."

With that, Hawthorne left.

When she was gone Kiran rested on Wren's shoulder. "We have to go."

"I know. I feel it too. I'll find the right time. At least we might have a ship."

"Cayde must have put people in it when he thought…"

"He still thinks I'm dead. Unless he's with Zavala or Holliday and even then, with as long as it's been…"

"Why do you think it took so long for those ships to get here?"

"Comms are still down over most of the system. Probably took a few days of flying around and finding safe places to camp out before they found the signal Hawthorne put out. It doesn't go nearly far enough."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid I want to help them, but not for the right reasons. I don't know why I'm pulled to that place and I have no idea what I hope to accomplish there but… if I were to leave for it tomorrow I wouldn't feel bad about leaving these people behind. I want to expand the reach of their comms but it's mostly to find Cayde faster."

"There's nothing wrong with—"

"No. I know how selfish it is. You don't have to try to make me feel better about it."

"Why don't we go join Hawthorne for dinner. You need to eat something."

Wren sighed and looked toward the Shard, now only a sliver of pale silver in the settling darkness. Beorn seemed so very far away. Exhaustion and hunger took over the pain and yet, it remained, and she was afraid. What if she remedied the other things and the pain came back just as intense as it had been? She rubbed her eyes.

This wasn't like before when she could drink it all away. Die in a gutter and Kiran bring her back. Death now would be permanent and she felt the weight of it, remembering what Sisre said. Beorn gave his life to save her. She couldn't waste it.

"Your ship can only get you so close," Hawthorne said through the comms of Wren's vessel.

It was a pretty good shape, all things considered. She flew as close to the Shard as possible before she was forced to embark on foot. Down a hill a rusted part of a wall stretched as far as she could see through the trees. Early dawn glow glistened on the dew and Wren felt her boots soak through with moisture.

The armor she had been given wasn't great. Mostly leather and simple plating. She kept the cloak of the dead Hunter she found and thought of Franz. It wasn't his body she left behind, but every time she thought of the Hunter, his face was replaced with Franz's. She secured the clasp and pulled her helmet on.

"You sure you wanna do this?" Hawthorne asked. "That Shard is the reason we call this place a Dead Zone."

"I have to," Wren said.

"It's a sign," Kiran replied weakly. His voice still crackled and it scared Wren, but he refused to stay behind.

"Yeah, a sign that says "Dead Zone"," Hawthorne replied.

Wren hitched up the strap to the auto rifle she'd been issues and checked the Better Devils holster. Damn she wished she'd kept the Spade. Her ace in the hole… she gazed at the sky. He was out there. He had to be.

She approached the wall, crossing a crumbling cement bridge. Everything here was destroyed, but she expected that. Collapse… Golden Age… all of it useless now. Rusted and decaying. Vehicles were husks, bound to fall apart with just a touch. Rebar jutted out everywhere and the forest had begun to reclaim the area, trees and grass sprouting up between cracked cement.

"You know, I've been all over the EDZ," Hawthorne said. "Charming enough. Nothing says "come visit" like a haunted forest."

"But, non-Guardians aren't supposed to leave the City," Kiran said from Wren's belt pouch.

"Here's the thing about City rules," Hawthorne began, "they stop applying when you leave the City."

"I assumed there were people out here," Wren said. "Not that I've run across any, but Earth wasn't usually my stomping grounds anyway. Not until—" she cut herself off. She didn't want to think about Beorn.

"Not until what?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Whatever you say. Anyway, there's a small gap in the wall. Hard to see, but it's there. Nobody goes farther than that. At least nobody that wants to come back."

Wren squeezed through the rubble, passing under a car that had been wedged in place. A rusted corner caught her helmet and the scraping sound made her grind her teeth but it took only a moment to pass through.

The atmosphere on the other side was far different. No birds chirped and the light from the rising sun was mostly absent, only touching the very tips of the trees overhead. Thick fog had settled in and visibility was low. The largest thing she could make out was the silhouette of a dead, twisted tree; massive and dark against the swirling white.

The closer she got to it the more she realized there were more of them. Dead trees curved over the top of a ruined road, like a natural tunnel. Back in its day it must have been beautiful, but now it smelled of wet, rotting wood. Of damp soil and decay.

Slowly she passed below the branches, the only sound from rocks and sticks that cracked under her boots. She continued on, slowly, pacing herself and keeping her senses on alert for anything odd. Nothing moved here. Nothing stirred.

It wasn't until she came to a part of the road that delved into the mountainside, deep into dark tunnels, that she stopped walking. Kiran peeked from his hiding spot and Wren gently pushed him back down.

"You can do this, Wren."

"I hate that it's been this long and I still struggle," she admitted.

The feeling wasn't as strong as it used to be. Sometimes it was hard to remember drowning at all, it was more a left-over feeling. A tightening in her chest. She had it here but one thing she didn't have was an outside source to push her along, other than Kiran. No Cayde to urge her forward. No Beorn to stick close to.

Wren headed into the darkness with only Kiran's light to guide her. He peered out from her pouch, casting long shadows across the walls. The path grew steeper and far narrower, plunging deep underground.

"Let me know when you've—" Hawthorne's signal crackled, then went silent.

"Hawthorne?" Kiran croaked. "I think the signal is dead."

Deeper they trekked, Wren straining to hear anything in the tunnel.

"I wonder why the Vanguard never mentioned this," Wren said quietly.

"I'm not sure. I'd think they would know it was here."

"It's massive, so I'd say yes."

"Hopefully it's nothing too bad."

"Woah," Wren breathed as they turned a corner into a wide, open cavern. Light streamed in through a few holes higher up but there was no way to get to them, especially without her Bones of Eao.

Below the ledge she exited on was a shallow pool of dark water with stalagmite columns rising from the still black surface.

"Did you hear something?" Kiran asked and Wren paused.

"No?"

"Just be careful."

Wren dropped into the water below and when she did she could have sworn she saw a splash in the water at the far side of the pool. She froze and watched as ripples not only drifted away from her, but smaller ones came forward to meet her own. Something had dropped over there. Or moved.

She took a few steps forward, auto rifle at the ready, when an invisible creature lunged at her. She barely caught the glimpse of an energy ripple beside her before the familiar sound of a blade cutting through air sliced by her helmet. She opened fire without being able to see what she was shooting at but an instant later a wounded Fallen dropped into the water beside her.

Splashing and growls all around told her where the others were and she fell back toward the ledge, shooting blindly where she thought there might be Fallen. Kiran buried himself deep in her pouch and she wished she'd lined it with something solid.

One Fallen got too close and she had to deliver an upward strike to its jaw with the butt of her weapon before delivering the killing shot.

Their bodies lay all around her, purple fabric they adorned themselves with floating like auras.

"I don't recognize them," Wren said.

"They're not wearing any house colors I'm familiar with."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure, but you need to be extra careful."

"Let's just get out of here."

"I see some light from just over that ledge."

Wren climbed up to where Kiran had mentioned and surely there was a path leading away from the cavern and it was lit by Fallen lanterns. The orange glow hurt her eyes a little, but it was better than being plunge into total darkness.

She followed the solitary path, keeping an eye open for any signs of shifting that would signify a Fallen with cloaking was nearby.

The stone walls slowly became replaced by man made ones of rust eaten metal and vine covered wood that was rotting away. Luminescent blue mushrooms grew more abundant here and she even found a small cache. She neared it, practically sprinting in the hope that it was one of Cayde's but the top was stamped with a Vanguard symbol instead. At some point someone must have used it for supplies.

She opened it to find it mostly empty. A few Glimmer scattered across the bottom, some ammo that was compatible with her auto rifle, and some rusty daggers she chose to leave behind. She closed it again and ran her fingers over the Vanguard symbol. So close…

"We need to get moving," Kiran said and Wren reluctantly left the cache.

Wren climbed the half-buried stairs and back out into fresh air. So to speak. Outside, everything was dead. Seemingly burned. Blackened trees were merely jagged forms sticking out of the fog. The ground was rocky, rough, and uneven but there it was… a symbol of hope.

"The Shard of the Traveler," Kiran said.

Blue arcs of electricity danced along the inner surface of the white metal. The structure was so large it was difficult to comprehend. For a time, Wren just stood there, unable to make her mind understand the scale of it up close like this. For so long she'd ignored the Traveler. Paid no more attention to it than any star in the sky. It was merely a thing that was there and now seeing the Shard… she was in awe.

"Wren?"

"I'm okay. Let's get moving."

One more look and she turned away, dropping from the catwalk then farther and farther down from boulders until she was among what few trees remained alive, too stubborn and resilient to die. A fire nearby told her she wasn't alone. It was small and well contained, a cook fire most likely but she doubted it was human.

Silently she passed it, hearing Fallen nearby. She eased around the base of a tree to see that a ship of some sort had crash landed here and was on fire. A few Fallen were inspecting it. She used it to her advantage and killed two of them before they even knew they were under attack.

The final one scrambled up the hill toward her on all of its limbs, jerking and dodging limbs and obstacles until Wren jumped out into the path and finished unloading the auto rifle into its torso. The commotion drew the attention of other Dregs in the area but Wren had little issue with them; choosing to hide close to the fires in the hope that the smoke and bright light against the darkness would impede the Fallen's vision.

Kiran fidgeted in the pouch as she kept pushing farther into the forest. Haunted had been the word Hawthorne used but so far all she encountered were strange Fallen with no house colors. Or at least, none that she could recognize.

Pushing through the encampment was almost laughably easy. Perhaps the Fallen didn't figure any Guardian would come here, especially after what happened with the City. Were they aware of the delicate position the Guardians were in? Wren hoped not. It could mean massive attacks on what little of mankind remained and without the Guardians to protect them… she didn't want to consider what would happen.

"That's not normal," she said as floating boulders became obvious through the fog. She walked carefully below them, trying to keep from walking directly underneath.

"Perhaps it's caused by the Shard?"

"Maybe…"

Up close to the base of the Shard was a Fallen encampment. Or more, the heart of the one she'd fought her way through. A few banners hung about but all in all, it was a sad affair. There were only a couple of Dregs and one Captain, which seemed more intent on escaping than fighting. He didn't go down as easily as his smaller counterparts but when Wren was able to badly injure him, he fell backward off a small drop off and landed on one of his own lanterns, the rod impaling him through the chest.

Wren grimaced as he gurgled and fell silent. She watched only a moment before backing away from the scene. His screams might draw more in.

"Are you picking anything up nearby?" she asked.

"No. I think we scared them away. Or killed them all. Wren, take me to the Shard."

She turned to the far side of the encampment to the Shard, which she had largely ignored when they took the base camp. It stretched high above, beyond where the fog would allow her to see. It was mechanical, as she thought it would be, but it also glowed with a purple blue energy that crackled around what Wren could only describe as a rift of white light large enough to pass a small ship through.

Kiran hovered over her palm as she approached it. Wren took a few more steps forward herself and realized that her shadow was cast over what she thought was a rift. She tilted her head. What the hell was she looking at? A wall? Stone? Metal? A rift as she first thought? She fought the urge to grab Kiran and pull him away as he neared a place where blue light shifted, fractalized, near the center of the area.

"This is why it led us here," he said. "I haven't been this close to the Traveler's Light since—" his voice cut off but she could hear his obvious excitement. "Do you feel it?"

"Yes."

"Hold on to your helmet," he said, charging with Light an instant before a beam shot from him and into her body.

At first there was pain and she was lifted above the ground, auto rifle clattering to the dirt. Then a wave of warmth washed over her and the weight she'd felt since Ghaul, faded. She dropped to the ground once more and stumbled.

"Do you feel it?" Kiran asked, his voice growing stronger. He zipped around her. "We have our Light back!"

"It feels different than before," Wren said, clenching her fist. Arc energy crackled around it and a nearby pool of Light increased the sensation.

"Try to use Arc. I know you never have, but just… imagine a staff. Might wanna do it quick. We have some enemies incoming."

Wren felt the warmth of the Golden Gun in her palm but she tried to focus on the Arc she felt as more of a tingling sensation, sparking up her arm.

The staff was sloppy. The ends were wildly jolting instead of taking a defined shape but she had no time to adjust. Fallen swarmed in and she raced to meet them. Her movements weren't terribly fluid and sometimes the ends of the staff gave her a shock when she swung them too close to herself, but overall the staff was fantastic when it came to felling the smaller enemies that came in hoards.

"It's lasting a long time!" she called out as she spun through Dregs.

"I think it's because of all the Light here. It's so concentrated."

Wren felt hyper aware of the Arc energy coming from her and fear prickled in the back of her mind when she thought about what Cayde had told her when she burned herself with the Golden Gun. She killed the last of the Fallen and immediately let go of the staff. It faded and she dropped to her knees, panting.

"Kiran?"

"I'm fine. I'm here."

"This is it," she breathed, holding him in her palm. "This is what we needed to go find Cayde."

"What will you do then?"

Wren looked toward the Shard. "Then, we kill Ghaul."