Maria helped Eliksni flee deeper into the Botza district. Ghost stayed behind with the hatchlings and others, despite being without a weapon. She had left her auto rifle in her apartment nearest the Tower that Shaxx had given her. She didn't think she'd ever need to start carrying it around. Mithrax took the front line, but soon they were backed into a corner. The sounds of the Vex's weapons rang in the air without stopping. Mithrax's weapon seemed to be infinite in bullets as well.

To her relief, Saint transmatted just in front of her, and set up a shield. "Here, angel," he tossed her a silvery bow and a handful of arrows, "a gift from Ikora. She meant to give it to you last time, but you started that fight."

"Hey I did not start that fight!" A Vex narrowly missed her head, forcing her to duck behind Saint. "And can't you make that thing any bigger?"

"No," Saint started firing his gun, which seemed louder than any other gun she'd heard before. Maria took careful aim with every shot. The arrows that hit their target exploaded still within the body. She could hardly feel herself breathing as she shot her arrows. Shaxx's rigorous training was working out well, she hardly missed her shots!

Some of the Eliksni were still scrambling to get behind the rubble, running out in front of them from what felt like every side. One Eliksni flew forward on his hands and knees in front of Saint after a stray Vex shot hit the ground by his feet. Saint was quick to help him stand. "Stand, friend, you will not fall today."

Maria took a quick shot at a Vex that was aiming carefully at Saint. From the corner of her eyes she could see a stray Eliksni that had also been knocked down by another shot, struggling to stand and no one was around to help her, but the Vex in front of her was still taking aim for her.

Without thought, Maria ran over and stood in front of the Eliksni, protecting her from an oncoming bullets. "Quickly, quickly." She aimed and fired at the Vex as the Eliksni scrambled forward, but one step and Maria toppled to the ground. Looking down she saw blood pouring out of a hole in her leg. As her eyes laid on the wound she suddenly realized the warmth that traveled out of the wound. The pain traveled up an down her leg quickly, but she couldn't feel her foot. The whole night felt hotter and hotter. "Saint!" She screamed until she caught his attention. Saint ran over when he finally saw that she was down.

"What happened?" He looked over at her leg. Vex shots were just narrowly missing his head. "Come, stand, quickly." He put his arm around her waist and held her up as she limped, dragging the shot leg behind her. He helped her sit behind the rubble.

"I can still fire the bow."

Ghost scanned her leg. "No, you can't. Not if that blood keeps pouring out like that. Saint, you have to keep the Vex back."

"You do not have to tell me. Keep her out of trouble." He stood and ran to be by Mithrax.

Ghost quickly shouted orders at some of the Eliksni. As soon as their bannered cloths touched her wound she cried out. It burned up her leg and into her hip but she still couldn't feel her foot still.

"Ghost, my foot…I can't feel it."

Ghost didn't respond, but his back panels whirred around thoughtfully. "We need to stop the bloodflow to this leg. Anything will do as long as it's tied tightly."

One Eliksni finally seemed to understand what he was talking about and tied a rope tightly around her leg until she screamed out. Tears flooded her vision until they poured out. She could hear the fighting behind her and Eliksni ducked out of the line of fire.

"Ghost, where is Osiris? Why isn't he here helping us?"

Ghost's back panel's whirred, and he dropped low.

"Ghost!" She could feel the sweat pouring out of every part of her body, and her leg still felt like someone had set it on fire and her foot tingled painfully, like a million fire ants were crawling inside of her.

He didn't answer, there was a deafening sound of Void energy being released. It seemed as if the noise of the gunfire had ceased long enough for her to hear Ikora's voice say, "More than enough." She could hear Amanda Holiday's shotgun and when she looked out from behind the rubble, she even saw Zavala join the fight. Relief flooded every bone in her body. She whooped and threw her hands up in the air, hollering and when she looked back again, she could've sworn she saw a dark figure, eerily like Osiris, standing on a rooftop. She didn't get a good look, however, she had to turn back forward and retched up beside herself fluid and stomach acid. She now barely heard the sounds of a fight.

"Maria?" Ghost flew closer to her, but his form became fuzzy.

Ikora's head barely popped into view through the darkness. She started shouting orders that Maria didn't understand. Saint's voice was the only thing that broke through the darkness, and just barely, "Stay with us. Maria, stay with us!"


How could this have happened? Ikora thought over and over again as she looked out over the Last City. The sun finally beamed down on it with a warm glow, and it made the hearts of the people lighter. How could she have not seen Lakshmi do this sooner? And worse, Osiris was missing! Everyone was on high alert for him, much to the despair of Saint. Maria, on the other hand…

Maria stood beside her, leaning on a cane, and berating Osiris's actions. "I mean, can you even believe it? I knew he was obsessed over Vex tech but to bring it into the city. To help Lakshmi attempt genocide…"

"That's enough, Maria." The Traveler hung over the city, a beacon of hope. Ghost sat beside Maria, never leaving her side. Maybe she was like them-a Lightbearing Guardian after all, and none of them knew it yet.

The people below continued to celebrate, blissfully unaware that there was even a fugitive with ties to the Tower. The government the people relied on was now destroyed and Zavala had to be swift with his next actions. Once a government run by Guardian representatives and faction representatives was now a government of broken bonds. She felt jealous of the people's ability to celebrate while everything crumbled around them.

"Ikora, can I ask you something?" Maria spoke softly.

"What is it?"

"Does…can the Traveler…talk to people?"

Ikora looked down at her. Her green eyes were full of curiosity but also darkness. Something troubled the young girl. "Sometimes, but it hasn't in a long time. Why? Did something happen?"

Maria didn't answer at first, and Ghost started to hover a little higher as if he was going to respond, but she finally said, "It started about a month ago, when House of Light first arrived…I would have these daydreams and a voice kept asking why it should give 'them' a second chance."

"The Eliksni?"

"Honestly…I don't know. At first, I thought maybe it was the Eliksni, but it kept asking me and now…I'm not sure. Then, I had this dream the day of the Vex attack…" Maria paused again, looking out to the Traveler, her green eyes shifting as if reading something that Ikora couldn't see, and then she said, "It asked me if I would stand and fight."

There was more. Maria was hesitant to tell her something, but Ikora thought it best not to push for the time being. She knew that the girl already felt like she lost everything she had worked hard for. More importantly, she had lost the one person she was always too eager to see. The one person she regarded as more than a friend-he was family. Osiris had broken his trust in her just as he had once broken her heart by unexpectedly leaving her at the tower. Osiris had stolen her heart and broke it, and he had brought her gifts to steal it all over again, and shattered it, but she tried to act as if it wasn't the most painful thing. Ikora grieved the loss too, and the pain was more than she could shoulder. She put a hand on Maria's shoulder.

Behind them she heard Crow approaching. When the two women turned, they saw he had a grin on his face and two bottles of alcohol in his hand.

Maria smiled, and Ikora watched the two of them walking together. Saint stood on the other side of the Bazaar, with his arms folded, a mixture of pride and sadness made his stance look odd. He finally walked over when Maria and Crow were long gone, and the two of them stood looking out over the city.

"I cannot choose to believe that Osiris…" he started.

"I know, but he isn't here to defend himself either. What choice do we have but to believe the worst?"

The two stood in silence for a long while.

"I see our little angel has grown to be a capable fighter, Ikora. She risked everything to protect them."

Ikora nodded. "She isn't being punished, Saint, but she does have to heal. An injury like that will take a long time."

"Some wounds do not heal, Ikora. Osiris was her first trusted friend. She feels betrayed…and I can hear it when she talks of him, she wants revenge for his betrayal."

"But she still has Ghost. He is still her most trusted friend."

Saint sighed and shook his head. "I fear the day that she will be forced to part with him."

Ikora nodded. Her stomach churned painfully with just the thought, "So do I."


Crow and Maria sat at the War Table in the H.E.L.M laughing and talking. Glint had never seen Crow enjoy himself more than he did in that moment.

"But you've had a crush on me this whole time?"

Maria's already flushed face flushed even more. "No, no, we aren't talking about this. Next topic." She put the bottle of beer to her lips.

Crow laughed, "Come on, that's what you told the other guy."

"Mm," Maria had to quickly abandon her sip of beer before she could choke on it, "I think what I said was 'I didn't know you had a crush on him'…"

"Actually, I think what you said was 'I thought I was the only one with the crush on Crow'."

Maria smiled as she took another sip, only to find out the beer was gone. "Can we please move onto another topic of conversation?"

Glint watched passively by Crow's side, watching the two banter drunkenly back and forth. Crow had enough drinks that he even started singing, which Maria laughed hysterically at, and when the sun was long gone, Maria had sobered up enough that she stared out longingly into the city.

"I can't believe that Osiris…"

Crow frowned. The lighthearted mood soon turned sour, and nobody spoke for a long time.