They call us ... guardians. But I think we're more than that. All our lives we've been told that the light is our protector, our savior. The dregdens would call it a crutch. I think I've learned now… light? Dark? They're both so different, yet so similar. Sources of power, philosophies of thinking, cosmic entities and simple words. Ever since our rebirth we've been told to follow the light, while others tempt us to disregard it and join the darkness. All of our second lives we're presented with this choice, and I can't help but thinking…
Why the hell not both?
First thing I remember was this blinding light. It felt so warm and soothing, like a mother's hug. I could tell there was something I was forgetting, I knew there was something, but I couldn't quite reach it. Slowly my senses came back to me, one at a time. I tasted the blood in my mouth, I felt the rubble on my chest. I could smell the scent of rusted metal in the air. I could see… well not much more than concrete but hey it's better than nothing. And finally my hearing came to, this ringing deafening the world around me until I heard someone, or something, speak to me.
"Guardian? Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian."
I pushed the rubble off my chest, it didn't hurt much really, though it felt like it should. I looked around and saw this concrete jungle around me. That makes it sound like I'm just trying to say city in a pretentious way. I mean, a jungle sprouting from concrete shells around me. Giant skyscrapers decorated the region above me, and rusted cars lined the streets where I lie, an ocean of broken down machines long since forsaken. The branches of trees sprawled like a web above my head, vines and leaves danced in the wind and the sound of birds chirping made everything sound so … peaceful. A glint of light caught my eye as I turned towards its origin, barely able to stand, but ready to run like hell.
But the monster I expected was not there. Rather, what looked like a small metal cube floated towards me. It's single eye dancing up and down my body, scanning me.
"You look like hell." it said in a gentle feminen voice. It's speech was jaunty, I think those before the traveller would call it 'irish' or something funny sounding like that.
"Ummmm… thanks?" my own voice surprised me. It was deep and resonant, and though I couldn't remember a single thing, I could speak just fine.
"Oh right. I guess I should tell you where you are… What you are." she looked off into space for a moment then stared back at me. Though it didn't look human in any way, it felt like it. "You are dead. Well you WERE dead. Now you can't. Die that is… I'm being more confusing than helpful. You are a guardian. I am your ghost-" she was cut off by the sound of some deep robotic whirring. "Uh-oh that would be the Vex. I was hoping you I would be able to get you up faster, silly me I always do thi-"
"Ghost? We should leave."
"Oh. yes lets." she disappeared right before my eyes and I felt another presence enter my mind. "Ooohh I've never done this before. How interesting. Anyway, Forward!"I heard her voice echo throughout my mind. I saw what appeared to be a marker and information fed right into my mind about the world around me. The tracker that was projected into my sight appeared malfunctioning and jumped from red to blue to black frequently.
"Oh that can't be right, let me fix that." just then the whole thing turned bright red, indicating enemies all around me. "Oh. ummm… Run? Yeah, we should run." I was already sprinting off into the thicket well before she was finished. I felt my feet hit the ground beneath me in a constant, yet steady rhythm. I didn't tire, didn't even lose my breath, it felt like my body was as calm as it would be walking. Whenever an obstacle appeared in my way, I would simply jump over it in a single leap, sometimes in two, as I felt a propulsion from my feet launch me even farther into the air. I climbed, sprinted, jumped and climbed again, moving forward, running away from the sound of approaching danger behind me. I couldn't help but feel a laugh escape my lips. I wasn't scared. I wasn't even worried. I was having the most fun I had ever had in my entire life. Granted that consisted of five minutes of waking up from the dead, but still.
Eventually though, running failed me and I turned a corner into a dead end room. I punched the wall near me out of frustration and turned to face the threat behind me. A single figure peered out of the jungle. A metal monster with a large fanning head and one red eye stared back at me. It cocked it's head and scanned me slowly.
"Maybe it's friendly?" I thought out loud.
It immediately shot a red burst of energy directly into my face the moment the words left my mouth. Guess I was wrong…
I felt the impact of the shot, though it was more akin to a harsh slap than a lethal weapon. Still, as soon as I felt the impact I hurled myself behind cover with superhuman speed, feeling a trail of light left behind me. I waited patiently for it to come closer and inspect my disappearance and as soon as it did I jumped onto it. I felt my hand pull out a knife out of thin air, its glittering purple figure surging with power in my hand. I stabbed it into the beasts neck and ripped it's head clean off, though somehow it still writhed under me. I saw a container of white milky fluid and dragged my blade across it, less of a cut and more of a disintegration of matter followed it. The vex beneath me fell to the ground and I stood tall in triumph. That is, until I heard a similar deep sound behind me. I turned and saw another vex monster, twice as tall as myself and bigger than a car.
"Oh sh-" nearly escaped my lips as I felt my body being torn apart from the cannon mounted on the vex's arm. Though the nothingness of death didn't last long, as I felt a similar flash of light and breath of life overcome me as my ghost scrambled to resurrect me. Though as soon as I sat up from my 3 second slumber I felt the foot of the machine drive my skull back into the ground and back into death again. My third resurrection started with me again dodging into the corner of the room, barely escaping the grasp of the monster in front of me. I looked in fear at the opponent, it's eye staring menacingly past my own. Then I was given the greatest gift of my very brief life. A shot of void, tearing through the air and plunging itself into the machine as it's frame dissolved into thin air. Leaving behind nothing but a broken tooth and bad memories. I looked off into the wild and waited for my savior to appear, and stalking out of the brush towards me… was a woman, wearing a black cloak mantled with feathers and armor made of jagged chiton dyed black, with purple energy wreathing around her fingers and a quiver of void arrows resting on her hip. A mask with two smokey green eyes looked me up and down as I stood awkwardly before her.
"Thanks for the assi-"
"You a new light?" her voice cut through the air and through my sentence, somehow both gentle and fierce.
"I don't… know what that mea-"
"That's a yes."
"Who are y-"
"A guardian. Like you."
"Could you let me finish a sentence?" I stared at her in defiance. My will quickly shattered as she stepped forward towards me. She chuckled in victory and I saw a ghost zip out of nowhere from behind her, it's shell covered in piercing thorns as it looked at me. My own ghost choosing to meet with it's new darker counterpart.
"Hi. I'm his ghost"
"I guessed that." the woman said dryly, but playfully. "You look like… a hunter. Like me."
"If you say so." I said, confused.
"You lack the smarts of a warlock, but you don't look as dumb as a titan. Plus I get the sense you prefer quietly. Welcome to Mercury."
"What's a mercury?"
"Geez, you're right off the shelf aren't you?" she looked around for a minute. Then pulled out a bow from thin air and handed it out to me. "Here. something to get you through the night." I grabbed it and felt a quiver land on my back. My ghost floated forward.
" We need to get back to the tower."
"Then you need a ship, I guess I can give you a ride. But first I've got something to do in this building. You wait here. I'll be back shortly."
"But-" both me and my ghost blurted out almost immediately.
"No buts. You're not ready yet. All in due time. I'll just be a minute."
"What am I - I mean we, supposed to do while I wait?"
She stared blankly at me through her helmet. "You're a hunter. Hunt." and just like that she disappeared into the air.