Chapter 20

Earth's Moon

Temple of Crota

"Finally we made it!" Diana exclaimed as the team of four jumped off their sparrows now that they had arrived at the other entrance that would take them down into the Hive catacombs.

"It'll take us some time to get down there, keep that in mind." Petra pointed out as they wasted no time running down into the entrance, stomping their boots since there was no need to be quiet. There were no enemies.

"Ghost, have you been able to contact Tobias?" Diana asked her small accomplice.

"No, no dice. I don't have readings on their location either." It responded, much to everyone's dismay.

"I hope he's alright, there's no telling what the Hive have down there." Niko mumbled out as they arrived at another long corridor that took them further down below.

"Rah!" Tobias roared as he fired away with his pulse rifle, gunning down several Thrall with this magazine before he dove into a small crevasse to reload. Putting down a Vortex grenade to buy him some extra time, Tobias quickly discarded the empty magazine and slapped in a new one as his Vortex faded away. Peeking out, Tobias could see that despite the number of Hive enemies he had killed, there numbers weren't decreasing.

"Tobias, you can't stay here. There's way too many for you to fight by yourself!" His Ghost declared.

"You're going to have to guide me out of here. Once I start moving, there's no stopping." Tobias stated.

"I can't guarantee I'll get you to the surface, but I'll try to see if we can get back onto the map that Petra gave me." His Ghost said as it quickly scanned the room for their exit. "This room is connected to another room, and from the next room there's a tunnel that travels upward. Hopefully that'll put us on the right track."

"I'll take your word for it." Tobias said as he looked out from the platform he stood on. The room below was flooded with Hive that were eagerly awaiting their opportunity to rip him to shreds. But that wouldn't be today!

Tobias leapt from the platform, hovering above the Hive that filled the floor below for just a few moments. As he drew closer to the ground, they began to gather around the area where he would land, the Knights readying their large cleavers to cut him down. But Tobias disappeared into thin air. All of them began to look around curiously in search of the Guardian, only to discover that he was already at the large doors that connected to the two rooms, sprinting like there was no tomorrow. And the pursuit began.

"You have to get there." His Ghost pointed out as they entered the next room. Tobias quickly looked up the long staircase which was littered with Knights and Acolytes, and at the top was another group of Knights guarding a pair of closed doors. "There's a seal on the door, but I'm certain I can break it."

"I need a shotgun then." Tobias called out.

"Careful, the Knights at the top are equipped with Boomers. Watch your approach." His Ghost responded as it placed the weapon he had requested in his hands. And just as his Ghost had said, the Knights at the top of the staircase began to bombard him with their arc catapults, but this wasn't enough to deter Tobias. Weaving through the cannon fire, Tobias jumped as he approached the base of their staircase to throw down a Vortex grenade at the Acolytes that were blocking his path.

Placing it perfectly at the center of the group, all of them were blasted away as the Void energy erupted beneath them, opening Tobias' path up their staircase. Looking up the stairway, Tobias quickly counted out seven Knights, one more than the number of shots he had in a magazine of his shotgun. But this wouldn't be a problem.

Evading each of the Knights initial attack, Tobias quickly responded by giving them a head full of pellets from his shotgun. In no time at all Tobias was at the top of the staircase where the seventh sword wielding Knight had backed up to gain the aid of the Boomer Knights. But this meant nothing to Tobias as he jumped into the air above them and cocked his hand back, igniting it with Void Light.

"Hah!" He shouted, pitching down a swirling vortex onto the group of Knights, destroying them all in an instant and opening his exit path.

"Good work." His Ghost said as it took shape to examine the seal on the door.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Tobias asked anxiously as he glanced back at the entrance to the room he had come through where all the Hive he had left were now coming through.

"I can't break this seal, we need a Tomb Husk." His Ghost replied, causing Tobias' stomach to drop.

"Where are we going to get one of those?" He asked as he turned to the approaching enemies, firing away with his pulse rifle to take out a few of them.

"There are some energy fluctuations in a small room beneath us. That's probably a Tomb Husk." His Ghost explained as it zipped down the staircase, motioning for him to follow.

Glancing at the approaching horde, Tobias knew that trying to fight them off would put him at a greater risk then taking this gamble with his Ghost. Jumping down the staircase, Tobias quickly followed his Ghost down into a small tunnel that eventually took them down into a very small room with a statue craved into the wall.

"See, just like I said." His Ghost stated triumphantly as it floated over to the glowing sphere that rested in the hands of the statue. Tobias approached the statue tentatively, slightly unnerved as he stared at the statue. It wasn't a carving of something from the Hive pantheon like you'd expect to find within the Hive catacombs. The statue was clearly of a human, a woman. Both her eyes were shut, but at the center of her forehead was a third eye which was wide open. "Come on Tobias, we have to get moving."

"Right." He said, snatching the Tomb Husk from the statue. He then returned to the exit of the room, but stopped there. Tobias didn't even need to see with his own eyes to guess how many enemies were waiting for him back in the main room. His radar was going crazy. They had already closed up around him. "Oh, crap."

"We're trapped." His Ghost said softly. "They'll be down here any second now. It's over."

"No, not yet." Tobias said as he raised one hand, gathering a very small amount of Void Light in his hand, creating a small sphere.

"Turning invisible shouldn't be a problem for you Tobias. You're already a master at manipulating Void Light, this builds off of everything you know." Niko explained.

Holding the small orb in hand, Tobias threw it at his feet, becoming enveloped in a plume of white smoke. Once the cloud cleared away, Tobias was nowhere to be found.

"Hah, excellent." His Ghost marveled before vanishing as well.

As the Hive came down into the room, Tobias took the opportunity to leave, slipping past them as a small portion of their forces came down to search for him. But as he continued back out into the main room, almost all of the Hive he had passed turned and began following him.

'What's going on?' Tobias asked his Ghost as the number of Hive following him increased dramatically as he proceeded up the staircase.

'I think they can smell the Tomb Husk you're carrying.' His Ghost responded, causing Tobias to bite down on his lower lip. The invisibility granted from the smoke bomb wouldn't last much longer, and this was the last thing he expected to happen. It was likely that they thought he was one of them because of the scent of the Tomb Husk, and using another smoke bomb would give himself away, so he was running out of options.

'How long will it take you to break the seal with this?' Tobias asked.

'It should be instant, but I don't know how long it will take for the doors to open up.' His Ghost replied. 'Just slam the Tomb Husk into the seal once you get there.

'That's good enough.' Tobias said as he picked up the pace, rushing to the seal as his invisibility began to wear off. As he approached the door, Tobias raised the Tomb Husk and slammed it into the seal once he was close enough, causing it to shatter as the chains locking the door became fiery ashes.

There was a roar as the Knights and Acolytes spotted Tobias, realizing that he was an enemy. But before they had a chance to attack, Tobias pelted them with Vortex grenades, using it as a barrier to keep them from advancing up the staircase. The doors creaked as they began to separate while Tobias fired away at the Hive with his pulse rifle, keeping them at bay.

"You're clear!" His Ghost shouted as there was enough space for Tobias to slip through. Tobias threw down another grenade to hopefully gain just a few extra moments of precious time between himself and the army pursuing him before darting through the doors. But he quickly came skidding to a halt as he discovered that what awaited him here was even worse.

A trio of monotone Wizards were hovering around a black sphere, all of which turned to face him as he came through the doorway. They all raised their arms, summoning Thrall that were pitch black and completely silent as they rushed at him. Surprised by this, Tobias was late to react as the Thrall attacked him, slashing away at him with their claws.

"What the?" Tobias exclaimed as he felt his strength being drained from him as the Thrall attacked him.

Lashing out with his pulse rifle, Tobias knocked away one of Thrall, causing the other two to lunge at him. Slamming his palm into the closest one, it was blasted to bits before he did the same to the remaining one. All that was left was the Wizards, but as Tobias eyed them they spawned another trio of the shadow like Thrall to fight him again.

'I don't have time for this!' Tobias said to himself as he peaked over his shoulder to see the Hive that had been pursuing him arriving at the doorway. Jumping into the air, Tobias used Blink to skip over the Wizards and begin sprinting up another long staircase.

Inside of Tobias, his Ghost was examining him closely, taking note of the sudden exhaustion Tobias was experiencing. He had been fine up until he was attacked by the Thrall produced by the Taken Wizards. They must have been draining his Light. If they were run into more Taken, there was no telling how long Tobias would be able to keep fighting. They had to get out of here, fast!

"Oh my God, why are there so many of these guys!" Carmen exclaimed as she gunned down another squadron of Taken Thrall. They had been venturing down the tunnels in peace for a while, but as soon as they came down to an open room, they discovered a Hive Seeder firmly entrenched in the heart of a room, with hundreds of Hive and Taken roaming around it on a walkway that spiraled around the Seeder.

"It doesn't help that we're by a Seeder." Petra pointed out as she fired away at their enemies with a pair of Vestian Dynasty's, the side arms that were signature to the Awoken Royal Guard.

"As long as it's open, they'll keep coming!" Niko declared as he glanced down at the small walkway beneath the Seeder where the army of Thrall and Acolytes were coming out.

"If we knock out the supports holding it up, we can send it crashing down into the pits below." Diana said after quickly scouting out the structure. There were numerous beams that held the Seeder up in place, but if they could destroy enough of them, they could send this Seeder to its demise down below.

"Sounds like a plan!" Niko said as he summoned a gray pistol in his hands which became ignited with Solar Light. "Cover me, I'm going to knock out the beams down below."

"We got it!" Diana hollered as Niko jumped over the ledge, landing on a small platform on the walls surrounding the Seeder to get a better angle on the support beams. Raising his Golden Gun, Niko fired at one beam, watching with a small smile as the flames seared through the column with ease.

"Carmen, we need your Golden Gun down here!" Niko called out as he jumped back up to join them on the walkway where the Hive were approaching them.

"I'm on it." Carmen said as she activated her Golden Gun and jumped down to the platform Niko had been standing on. From down below, Carmen could see just how massive a Hive Seeder was, and the thought this thing being sent to Earth to further the Hive's efforts against humanity only fueled her desire to destroy it. Raising her weapon, Carmen quickly spotted a pair of beams which she burned through immediately before she searched for a target for her last shot.

But as she looked around for a final beam to shoot, the Hive Seeder began to creak loudly as the weight of the structure began to pull it down now that its bottom support had been removed.

"Carmen, get out of there!" Diana shouted after seeing that upper support beams couldn't bear the weight. It was going down!

Carmen was quick to follow Diana's orders as she returned to the team of the walkway who quickly put some distance between themselves and the Seeder as it tore down parts of the wall with it. Niko whistled at the sight of the Seeder disappearing down into the pit, followed by some silence before there was a small tremor when it finally made contact with the ground below.

"Awesome!" Carmen exclaimed as she threw her fist in the air, but the battle was far from over. The Hive and Taken that remained came charging at the Guardians, but as they fought now their numbers began to dwindle until there was nothing left, allowing the team to proceed.

"Excellent work." Petra noted as the group peered down into the pit, but a fog at the bottom prevented them from seeing the remains of the Hive Seeder.

"Let's keep going, if things are like this for us, I can only imagine what's going further down." Diana said as she motioned for them to start moving again.

Tobias held his side as he leaned against a small rock, gasping in pain. His chest was aching, his lungs were on fire, and his head was spinning. Escaping those Wizards was the last positive thing to take place as he proceeded up the Hive tunnels. There had been a few minutes of peace before he arrived at what was likely his worst nightmare.

A Hive Seeder rested at the center of a large room that was loaded with Hive and Taken, all of which seemed to be waiting for him. He only had a few places to hide, but they were ineffective at best as he was swarmed by their enemies that occupied this room. He fought them tooth and nail, but there were just too many in this room for him to take care since the Hive Seeder was replacing anything he killed. But to make matters worse, as he fought the Taken they continued to sap him of his strength. He was so fatigued that he could barely muster the strength to summon the Light.

"Ghost, you can't make a transmat for me down here?" Tobias asked desperately as he reloaded his pulse rifle, panting heavily.

"The interference being generated by the Taken and the Hive is blocking everything. There's no chance that we can escape." His Ghost responded grimly. "At least things can't get any worse."

Hearing a roar, Tobias felt his heart stop as he realized that the Hive he had escaped from down below had arrived at this level and would soon be flooding into the room.

"You just had to open your big mouth huh?" Tobias said, causing his Ghost to look away sheepishly. "Eh, it doesn't matter. This might be it."

With a grunt Tobias forced himself to his feet, giving away his position to the enemies in the room. In front of him stood a massive horde that were all staring at him, and behind him was another massive group of Hive that were coming in through the small doorway. This was his last stand.

With a deep breath, Tobias drew out what strength his could as he pulled out his tanto. Charging his weapon and himself with Arc Light, Tobias became bright blue as he entered Arc Blade. He wasn't going down easily. Not by a long shot. They came charging at him, roaring and screeching as they surrounded the lone Guardian.

Everything became slow for Tobias as he heard his heart thump loudly, ringing in his ears.

Ba-Bump

He shut his eyes for a moment, and the next moment he opened them he was gutting a Knight with his blade. Tobias shut his eyes once more and when they opened again he was airborne, palming the head of a Wizard which he then ferociously slammed into the floor.

Ba-Bump!

Tobias wildly lashed out a group of Thrall, unleashing a shockwave of Arc energy that rippled through his enemies, vaporizing all of them.

Ba-Bump!

Tobias knew he was screaming, his mouth was wide open, but he couldn't hear his own voice. His hands were clenched tightly around the handle of his tanto as he charged at an Orge that was guarding the base of the Hive Seeder. He fearlessly jumped the Orge and pieced its stomach with his blade and enlarged the blade, slaying the beast.

Ba-Bump!

Tobias cried out in pain as he swarmed by Thrall who drained enough Light from him to deactivate his Arc Blade. Tobias shut his eyes again and when they opened he was looking at the floor, his feet shuffling beneath him. The room was spinning out of control before he finally went tumbling to the ground.

Ba-Bump!

Tobias rested on his side, too weak to even move. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a Taken Wizard hovering over him, outstretching its hands toward him. Tobias could feel its grasp on him, taking what little strength he had left. This was it. Shutting his eyes, Tobias drew in what felt like his last breath.

This is where he would die. In the pits of the Hive deep within Earth's Moon…

He wouldn't be able to see anyone he knew and cared about again. Niko, Carmen…Diana. Trisha and Cody. Fireteam Salamander. He wouldn't be able to see any of them.

Feeling the grasp of the Wizard suddenly vanish, Tobias fought to open his eyes to see what was taking place. It was blurry, but he was certain that it was nothing but chaos around him. What was happening?

"Oh crap, another Seeder." Carmen muttered as the team entered a large room, and just as they expected it was jam packed with enemies. But they were all preoccupied with something, failing to even notice the presence of the new Guardians.

"What's going on over there?" Niko asked as his helmet zoomed in on the Taken and Hive that surround a body that was resting on the floor.

"It's Tobias!" Diana's Ghost shouted as it took shape beside her. "His Light is weak! Really, really weak!"

This sent a chill down everyone's spine as they realized that Tobias was likely clinging to his life at the moment. And this sent Diana into a frenzy!

"Get away from him!" She screamed as she Blinked into the air, summoning Void Light into her hands which she hurled at the floor in three separate projectiles. The Shatter Nova Bomb cleared away the Hive and Taken surrounding Tobias, allowing Diana to land beside him where she discovered that not only was his Light weak, but he was covered in wounds. His robes had been torn, cut and stained with his blood.

"Diana, is he okay?!" Niko asked as he, Carmen and Petra quickly jumped around her, forming a perimeter to hold off the opposition.

"No, he's dying. We have to get him out of here and give him some treatment." Diana declared as she scooped her arms underneath Tobias's knees and back before hoisting him up, showing her strength considering Tobias was much larger than her. "Let's go!"

Ocean of Storms

Temple of Crota

"Ghost, we need a transmat to Diana's ship right now!" Niko barked at his Ghost as the team of five came sprinting out from the entrance to the Hive tunnels. They had finally escaped from the heavy interference now that they were back on the surface of the Moon. They were now free to leave.

"I already had one prepared." His Ghost replied as Niko was warped into the cabin of Diana's ship, followed immediately by the rest of the team.

Now that they had finally made it to safety, Diana dropped Tobias down onto the one of the benches so that he could be examined by Petra and herself. Ripping off his garments, Diana quickly noticed that none of the wounds he had received were closing up.

"He's not healing." She stated as she took of her helmet and tossed it aside. "Ghost, we need the medic kit in the cockpit."

"Got it." The drone replied as it instantly warped the supplies they were looking for to them.

"He'll bleed to death if we don't stop the bleeding." Diana stated as she fished some bandages out of the kit.

"What are you going crazy for? We have his Ghost so we can just revive him." Carmen stated, but she was taken aback by the sharp stare Diana hit her with.

"Tobias isn't like us. If he dies, he's not coming back." She stated as Petra lifted Tobias up a bit for Diana to begin covering the wounds on his back. "That why we can't…lose him."

"Someone start the trip to the Reef. The sooner we get there the sooner we can get him some real treatment from the doctors there." Petra stated.

"Yes ma'am!" Niko said with a salute before dashing into the cockpit to begin piloting the ship.

"Just stay with us Tobias." Diana said softly to him as the ship lunged forward, beginning their trip to the Reef. Petra felt raised her eyebrows at bit at the sight of Diana becoming so emotional over Tobias. This was unexpected, but she couldn't bare the sight of her cousin in so much pain.

"This is Petra Venj reporting in. The mission to Earth's Moon was a success, but Tobias has sustained some severe wounds that are threatening his life. We need a medical team on standby as soon as we dock." Petra said before nodding as she got her response from the Vestian Outpost. "Don't worry Diana; he's going to be taken care of as soon as we get back to the Reef."

The Reef

Vestian Outpost

Medical Bay

"I'm sorry, but you can't come any further." One of the medics declared, halting Diana and Petra who could only watched as Tobias was taken into an operating room on a hovering gurney. "We'll handle everything from here."

Diana bit down on her lower lip as she looked away from the medic who joined the rest of the team in the operating room. Spotting a small bench, Diana dropped herself down on the seat, trying to calm herself down.

"Diana, are you alright?" Petra asked her as she took a seat beside her.

"How can I be alright?!" Diana exclaimed as she looked at Petra incredulously. "Tobias nearly died today!"

"I understand that-" Petra began, but she was interrupted by Diana.

"I should have never let him go on by himself. Now because of that stupid decision I may never see him again!" Diana said scornfully.

"Diana, what exactly is he to you?" Petra asked Diana now that she had blown off a bit of steam.

"What do you mean?" She asked Petra, giving her a narrow glance.

"Well if I didn't know any better, I'd think you liked him." Petra stated, causing Diana to scoff.

"No, he's a member of Undaunted. He's like family!" Diana exclaimed.

"So why are you so bothered by this Diana? You we angry when you lost your family to the Wolves in the Reef Wars, but you didn't shed any tears." Petra pointed out, surprising Diana who now realized that there were tears trickling down her cheeks. "You only met him a few months ago, right?"

Diana was silent for a few moments as she wiped away her tears. She knew why this eating away at her so much. No matter how much she tried to keep him out of her mind, the thought of Briggs being lost in time because of Skolas continued to resurface. She couldn't bear the thought of losing another member of her fireteam.

She had spent so many years fighting alongside Niko and Briggs that she thought they were invincible. They were no way they could be killed, but the loss of Briggs was a wakeup call for her. And finding Tobias in such of a state scared her.

"I guess it's because I lost everything here that I became so possessive as a Guardian. Especially since we couldn't be killed completely. I got used to being able to bring back my allies that I thought I'd never lose them. It felt like it was right since everyone I knew and loved was killed here by the Wolves" Diana explained. "I didn't want to feel the pain of losing someone again, and for a while I thought that I'd never have to feel that again. But when Briggs, my former commander, was lost…I didn't know what to do."

Petra remained silent, allowing Diana to speak freely.

"And now, seeing Tobias like that, it hurt. I may have only known him for a little while, but I got used to no one dying. Seeing my teammates, my family getting picked off…I'm scared." Diana went on. "Scared that I won't be able to help them when they need me most, like my family during the Reef Wars."

Petra could understand Diana's feelings. She wasn't foreign to the pain of losing of loved one, and she could understand how Diana had grown accustomed to not losing anyone as well. It must have been scary to think about losing a fellow Guardian once you've grown used to bringing them back in the heat of battle.

10 Hygiea

Hanger

"We're back!" Carmen proclaimed as the bottom of the cabin opened up, revealing that Zavala, Ikora and the Speaker had been anxiously waiting for them to return.

"There's not a moment to waste." The Speaker declared as trio quickly scaled the ramp and entered the ship, joining Carmen and Niko inside. "If we hurry we can still save Tobias' life."

"Where are we headed?" Niko asked as he returned to his seat in the cockpit.

"To the Traveler."

Soon enough they were flying outside of the asteroid that housed the remainder of mankind, circling around it in search of the Traveler which had been orbiting the asteroid.

"There it is." The Speaker said as they located the Traveler's current position. "Is Tobias' Ghost with us?"

"Yup, I'm right here." It said, taking shape beside Carmen who it had been entrusted to after they had dropped Tobias off at the Vestian Outpost.

"I can show you where the shard goes, but it's up to you to actually place it." The Speaker informed the drone who shivered at the prospect of restoring the Traveler.

"I've, got this." Ghost said slowly as they circled around the Traveler, allowing the Speaker to search for the location where the shard belonged. On the upper hemisphere of the Traveler, there was a sizable fissure in it that matched the size of the shard they had escaped the Moon with. "That's it right?"

"Correct." The Speaker said with a nod. "Go ahead."

Ghost vanished, leaving the ship to get closer to the Traveler. Once it reappeared, it was nothing more than a small speck to the Guardians in the ship.

"Well, it's all or nothing here." It said as it began to summon back the shard. It was slow process as the shard was warped back, but as it took shape it began to resonate with the Traveler, shinning brilliantly.

"Amazing." Ikora said softly. All of them were left speechless at the sight as Ghost carefully maneuvered the shard, sliding it back into place. The cracks that had formed around the fissure began to close up as the wound to the Traveler was finally healed. There was a moment of silence before the Traveler lit up, bathing them all in its Light.

Inside the ship, every Guardian shut their eyes as they were embraced by the Traveler's Light. They had never felt anything like this before! It was so soothing, putting everyone at ease. All over 10 Hygiea, Guardians came to a stop as they felt the Light of the Traveler being cast onto them. They had never felt it feel so powerful before.

Vestian Outpost

Medical Bay

Diana stood beside a large glass tube that contained Tobias. He was floating in a blue liquid with a mask covering his face to provide him with oxygen.

"There's not much we can do for him. Even though the damage done to his organs was minimal, they're still dying." One of the medics explained to Diana and Petra. "He doesn't have much time left."

"Are you serious?" Diana asked in a whisper as she approached the tube, placing a hand on the glass.

"I'm sorry miss, but there's nothing else we can do for him." The medic stated. "I'll leave to give you all some time alone with him."

Diana and Petra remained silent for a few moments even after the medic had left. Diana just couldn't believe it. She was going to lose someone else that she cared about and once again there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Damn it." Diana muttered as she fell to her knees, clasping her hands together as she placed them over her chest. It hurt so much!

"Diana." Petra said softly as she kneeled down beside her, placing her arms around Diana to embrace her.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" Diana asked out loud. Was she cursed? Was she supposed to lose everyone that she loved? Who would be next?

Diana lowered her head, unable to stop her tears any longer. But as she began to sob, it felt as though a new pair of arms were wrapped around her. They held her tightly, filling her with warmth, even rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her. But these weren't Petra's arms. Petra was still there though, but the comfort she was receiving from this embrace was far beyond what Petra could offer.

It was incredible…

Taking in a deep breath, Tobias finally opened his eyes in response to someone's touch.

"Who's there?" He asked groggily, looking around in search of the person. But there was no one there. He was in an empty room by himself. "Hello?"

"Hello~." A new voice rang out, causing Tobias to whirl around.

"Who's…there?" Tobias asked slowly, unable to find this person.

"Oh Tobias, I'm hurt that you don't remember me." This voice said playfully. It was a woman's voice that was so calm and serene that it put him at ease despite his curiosity.

"Hmm, no." Tobias said as he shook his head. "I can't recall your voice."

"That's a shame, but I guess that's what happens when I can't speak to you for hundreds of years." She continued. "I'm the Traveler."

"The Traveler, but how?"

"I've always been with you. From the moment you agreed to be a vessel for the Light at the end of the Collapse." She explained. "But the Hive have been draining me of what little strength I've had. I couldn't even speak to you for so long."

And by freeing the shard, now the Traveler could speak again. Tobias nodded at the thought, it made it sense.

"But only to you though." The Traveler added.

"O-kay…so then can I ask you a couple of questions?" Tobias asked as he took a seat.

"I don't see why not. Ask away."

"Is it really true that you can become some kind of super weapon?"

"You want to know if I can kill Oryx, right?" The Traveler asked in return, getting a nod from Tobias. "Well as much as I hate to say it, I can't anymore. That was my trump card so to speak, my trick at the bottom of the bag that I saved just for Oryx."

"So whatever it is you did during the Collapse, you can't do it again?" Tobias asked, looking for a straight answer this time.

"No." She stated, causing Tobias to frown as he took a deep breath.

"Crap." He muttered as began to stroke his chin. In the end their whole mission to restore the Traveler seemed to be a waste if it couldn't become the weapon they needed.

"Hold on a second, I said that I can't help you. But that doesn't mean there's nothing you can't do." The Traveler pointed out, causing Tobias to furrow his brow.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm powerless because I no longer the vessel of the Light. But Tobias, you are." The Traveler said. "You have no idea what kind of power you have inside of you, and now that you've restored the Light completely, I'm sure you've grown even stronger."

You have no idea what kind of power you have inside of you. Someone else had said something similar.

'And I also know that if this shard is returned to the Traveler, you'll gain an unimaginable power.' Titus said. Tobias' eyes became wide as his recent memories came flooding back into his head. His meeting with Titus. His desperate attempt to escape the Hive. And finally his final stand in the face of a Hive Seeder and an endless army.

"Am I alive?!" Tobias exclaimed suddenly as he jumped to his feet.

"Whoa, calm down Tobias." The Traveler said as a pair of hands were placed on his shoulders, trying to put him at ease. "You're alive and well. You have your friends to thanks for that."

"That made it to me?"

"Just in time too. They rushed you back to the Reef and you're in intensive care right now." The Traveler explained, allowing him to sigh in relief. Everything worked out.

"Okay then…so what where you saying before about the Light being restored?" Tobias said, refocusing their conversation.

"Right. I was saying that the Hive have been draining the Light from you, denying you a majority of your power. But now with that out of the way, I'm certain that you'll have the power to defeat Oryx." The Traveler said confidently.

"So what's this power you're talking about?"

"The Radiant Light. You've being using the Light, but you have yet to use it to its fullest potential." The Traveler revealed.

"Can you tell me how to use it?" Tobias inquired hopefully.

"I've never seen you use it. The Hive have been draining Light from you since you became the vessel. So this is the first time you've ever had access to the Radiant Light." The Traveler explained. "I'm sure when the time is right, you'll understand how to wield it."

"Hmm…" Tobias groaned with disappointment at this. Oryx was an immediate threat, and the answer to defeating him was still shrouded with mystery.

"Don't frustrate yourself over this Tobias. I doubt you remember, but there was a time where you were completely alone in every battle you fought. Now you have allies. Prepare yourself with them, and I'm certain you'll find victory." The Traveler said. "In fact, there's someone waiting for you on the other side."

"Waiting for me?"

Diana sniffled a bit as she wiped away her tears now that the warm embrace had faded away. She didn't know who or what it was, but it was exactly what she needed at the moment.

"Whoa Diana, look." Petra said softly, causing Diana to look up at the small unit that contained Tobias. He had a faint golden glow surrounding him that contrasted the blue within the tube. It began to grow larger and larger as the heart monitor began to speed up.

"No way." Diana exclaimed as Tobias' eyes opened slowly. He blinked a few times before he recognized Diana and Petra. He reached out for them, placing his hand on the glass.

"I'll get one of the doctors." Petra said as she quickly left the room in search of someone that could free Tobias. It seemed as though all was lost. Tobias' life had been fading right in front of them and now all of a sudden he was back. Diana couldn't explain it, but it didn't matter to her as she rose up, placing her hand on the glass as well, lining it up with Tobias.

The glow Tobias possessed grew larger, cracking the glass at first but then it shattered causing the liquid inside to come spilling out onto the floor as Tobias dropped down to his feet. Tobias fought with the mask that had concealed his nose and mouth for a bit, earning a laugh from Diana as she tried to aid him, but it would not release its grasp on him.

Soon enough though, a pair of medics came rushing into the room with Petra where they were shocked to find Tobias standing on his own two feet in the remains the tube he had previously contained inside of.

"I don't believe this." One of the medics muttered as they completed their examination of Tobias. "You were as good as gone, and yet…here you are."

"You Guardians never fail to amaze us." The other added as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Heh, you're telling me." Tobias said with a small grin. He couldn't believe that he was alive either.

"Everything checks out, so you're free to go whenever you're ready." The medics said before they left Tobias with Diana and Petra.

There was a bit of silence as Diana approached him slowly, and before Tobias could say anything she wrapped her arms around him.

"Welcome back." Diana said softly to him.

"It's good to be back." Tobias said with a chuckle.

"And just so you know Tobias, don't ever try leaving us. You're not allowed to." She added, causing him to wrinkle his forehead as he processed what she was saying. After a few moments, Tobias nodded slowly as he returned her embrace.

"I don't plan on it Diana."

4 Vesta

Vestian Web

Palace

Once again, the highest ranking authority among the Guardians had gathered before the Awoken Queen. But the atmosphere in the room was much lighter than it had been during their last few meetings. Things were finally starting to turn around.

The Dreadnaught had left the Inner Planets, the Guardians had succeeded in retrieving the shard of the Traveler, and it looked like now was the time for them to reclaim Earth.

"You're all certain that you're ready to return to Earth?" Uldren inquired as he studied the expressions of the Guardians that stood at the base to the Queen's throne. There was no doubt in anyone's eyes. "You're home isn't going to be anything like what you remember."

"We're well aware of that. Our secondary base on Earth has been giving us full reports on the activities of the Hive and Taken." Zavala replied. "We know exactly what we're walking into."

"If you feel that you are ready, then press the offensive." The Queen said with a nod. "Your people may remain in our realm until Oryx is defeated."

A/N

Wow, my apologies for not posting for some time. I've been absorbed in a lot of things, and now RoI dropped so I really don't see myself writing much at the moment. I've played through a fair amount of RoI so far, and it's AMAZING! I sincerely hope that this is the direction they take with Destiny going forward, because they did outstanding!

I don't know when I'll get around to posting again at the moment. Perhaps when things start to slow down a bit, but then again, who's going to be reading when they could be playing RoI? So until we meet again Guardians, keep up the good work!