A/N: This one's in the format of one of the Ghost Stories lore entries
Peregrine Institute of Higher Learning Presents:
"The Traveler's Risen"
A guest lecture by two Guardians about power, immortality, and their jobs
Featuring: Kai Grayham (Titan) and Tristan Bentlix (Warlock)
Transcript of the Q&A session is as follows:
Q: Welcome, Guardians. It's a pleasure having you here today.
KAI: No idea why I agreed to this.
TRISTAN: Thank you. We're happy to be here.
KAI: Don't speak for me, Tristan.
Q: So being Guardians, you two must have a lot to deal with.
KAI: Understatement.
TRISTAN: It can be a lot at times, yes.
Q: So what exactly does being a Guardian entail?
KAI: It's not a mystery. We fly around and fight aliens.
TRISTAN: There's a bit more to it than that, Kai. We travel to different planets to handle various threats. A lot of our job involves fighting other races, yes, but we also gather data, scavenge supplies, and survey our enemies' movements.
KAI: The boring stuff.
Q: I see. And how would you say the Light plays into what you do?
KAI: That's a stupid question. We EXIST because of the Light. What do you-
TRISTAN: Well, as everyone knows, we are connected to the Light and we use that connection quite often. In fact, some Guardians use their abilities more than their weapons.
Q: Would you say that your connection to the Light gives you a deeper understanding of the Traveler?
KAI: [scoff]
TRISTAN: That's where many people tend to get mixed up. Our connection to the Light allows us a more tangible relationship with the Traveler, but I don't think any Guardian can speak to a deeper understanding of it.
KAI: What is there to understand? It came from space, it does weird things to planets, and it brings back the dead.
TRISTAN: Actually, that's an excellent example of how much we don't know. No one is completely sure where it came from, although there are records of it having chosen the Eliksni - what most people call the Fallen - in the past. We don't understand how it terraformed the planets, nor how it can reanimate lost souls.
Q: That brings me to another question, and I think this is something a lot of viewers will want to know… What is it like coming back from the dead?
KAI: It sucks.
Q: Could you elaborate on that?
KAI: No.
TRISTAN: If I may, the first time our Ghosts revive us is generally very unsettling. I can only liken it to waking up from a coma. We're immediately faced with an unfamiliar existence. The majority of Guardians suffer from retrograde amnesia. Many of us can't remember any part of who we were in our past life. There are exceptions, of course, but not very many.
KAI: It doesn't help that we have to start fighting for our lives right afterward.
TRISTAN: Indeed. The areas Ghosts revive us in are almost never safe. Most of us are forced to start fighting before we know what we're even fighting FOR.
Q: So what you're saying is that revivals are often traumatizing. But after facing death multiple times, is there a point where you become used to dying?
KAI: The hell? NO. It's freaking DEATH, not 'falling asleep.'
TRISTAN: Sorry about Kai… That's an interesting question, but I'm afraid I don't have a very good answer. Every Guardian sees death differently. For most of us, it comes with the territory of what we do. Some Guardians actively seek out death in an attempt to learn things by inducing visions.
Q: Is that something you've done?
KAI: [snort] That's a GREAT question. 'Hi. Have you ever killed yourself?'
TRISTAN: I've looked into Thanatonautics before from a researcher's perspective but have never tried it myself.
Q: But you've experienced death more than once?
TRISTAN: Yes, I have.
Q: And do you ever...see things before your Ghost revives you?
TRISTAN: I have not yet received a vision from the Traveler.
Q: What about places or people?
KAI: Oh, just come out and say it. You're asking if there's an afterlife. The answer is no.
TRISTAN: KAI
KAI: I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You want to know what happens after you die? Nothing. Next question.
Q: As long as you have your Ghosts, you're effectively immortal. Would you consider immortality something that causes a rift between Guardians and those without the Light?
KAI: Hell. Yes.
TRISTAN: If you think about it, there's no way a rift like that WOULDN'T exist. We always heal. We always come back. When others are affected by age, we are not. It's not an easy topic to think about, but it's something we have to consider whenever we form relationships - of any kind - with someone who isn't a Guardian.
Q: And there you have it, folks. There's a lot we don't know about our Guardian protectors. While there are many more questions left to ask, I'm afraid our time is at its end. Tune in next week to hear our segment, Histories: Pre-Golden Age, delivered by one of the City's most renowned historians.