Epilogue

So often the years seem go to by quickly, so much more-so lately than they did when I was younger. There was so much happening in the first half of this particular year that it passed in a blink, but then everything changed. I was changed. And everything slowed to a crawl. These last several months have been a grueling slog of rehabilitation and adaptation.

First, I lost my leg. I have mostly grown accustomed to the cybernetic prosthetic that was built for me, but I swear the thing is a fraction of a centimeter shorter than my original leg was. The doctors insist that it was built to specifications taken from scans Elgan had made of me, but I feel lopsided and it annoys me.

Second, Zillah left. I only met her during the craziness of earlier this year, but her absence now was noticeable. She had left with Lady Efrideet to somewhere on the outer reaches of the solar system. The Iron Banner had come and gone a couple times since then, but she had yet to return. She hasn't requested to have her possessions sent to her or have her room at the Tower reassigned, so I keep holding out hope. Another Iron Banner is scheduled to begin tomorrow. Something to look forward to, perhaps.

Third, there seems to be a reluctance to let me back out in the field. I was kept close while I adjusted to my new leg, but I have gotten to the point that I am confident enough in its function to get back to business. However, it seems that someone finds my presence around the Tower beneficial for new Guardians and I have fallen into a mentoring role with the freshly revived Titans. Honestly, I enjoy it, it's just another change to get used to. Also, whoever came up with the "Tower Dad" monicker needs to make themselves known so that they can get a swift and well-deserved punch in the face.

Regardless of how fast or slow they feel, the days tick by as they always have, bringing with them the usual customs and celebrations. This day, in particular, marks the beginning of the Festival of the Lost. The Festival is a City tradition that spread to the Tower, a time of remembering those that have passed on. It's a weird mix of somber and fun that always seems to somehow brighten spirits.

I rolled to the edge of the bed and reached down, picking up my leg and attaching it. I flexed it a couple times to get all the connections in place, then stood to my feet. After that, it was slipping on the undersuit and putting on my armor. Fitting for the day, Elgan has set out an old Pacorus armor set, armor that had been dedicated to lamenting the dead, bearing my customary green and gold paint job. It was outdated armor, wearing it now would mostly be ceremonial. Complimenting it was the Mark of the Lost. Dressed for the day, I picked up the wrapped item from my nightstand, tucked it in my belt, and scooped up a bad full of candy before stepping out into the hallway.

I might not have been in my usual gear, but the colors and wolf emblem emblazoned on the shoulder made me recognizable enough to other people that I received several warm greetings on my way topside. Once I reached the plaza, a scene of delightful chaos greeted me as Guardians and civilians alike dashed around the space wearing elaborate masks representing everything from a simple engram, to wild animals, to Oryx the Taken King himself. A Hunter dressed in a particularly ridiculous representation of everyone's favorite Cryptarch jumped from where he had been hiding.

"Feed me the blood of your enemies!" he roared. "A million deaths are not enough for Master Rahool! I demand a tribute of engrams!"

Before I could even being to attempt to respond, he sprinted away cackling and howling. This caught the attention of the real Rahool, who looked none too pleased at the impersonation. His clear annoyance made me grin inside my helmet.

I made it through the plaza without being the victim of any more pranks or scare tactics, though I was a witness to many masked characters jumping out at people passing by or Guardians in Traveler masks leaping off the Tower. Entering the hallway, I couldn't help but admire the decorations and lighting likely put up by Eva Levante. She usually considered herself to be a "master of ceremonies" for these types of events, encouraging participation and handing out gifts and treats. Sure enough, as I passed her work stations, I saw a sizable group gathered near her. I continued on, my destination just a bit further.

Opposite the Speaker's chamber was a large, circular door. This door remained closed much of the year, but rolled opened for the Festival. Inside was the Memorial to the Lost, an intricately carved chunk of black stone where the names of lost Guardians were carved. The walls or the room also bore decoration, holding relics from, or carved images of, legendary figures in the history of the City and the Tower that stood over it. I stepped up to the memorial, finding all the familiar names.

Donvan, the leader of my first fireteam. Sarai and Baruch, two other members of that old team. I searched for other Guardians I had served with as well, recalling faces and moments shared. Elgan appeared over my shoulder, quietly observing the ritual. Eventually, I reached for the object at my waist, the final thing I needed to do here today.

I carefully unwrapped the cloth from around the object, revealing a Hunter's knife. This particular knife had been held to my own throat at one point in the recent past. Elgan's shell clicked in a manner I recognized as confusion.

"Why do you have that?" he asked. "I assumed you had disposed of it."

"No, I never had any intention of doing that. I had actually planned to return it to its owner blade first, but didn't have it when he made his unexpected return. I wasn't sure what to do with it after that, but then I knew there was only one choice"

I knelt down by the memorial then, spreading the cloth on the ground by the base. Holding the knife flat across my open palms, I set it down gently on the cloth.

"I don't understand," the Ghost chimed in. "He tried to kill you. You did kill him. He was a danger to everyone around him. Why are you honoring him like this?"

"It's more in honor of who he was," I replied. "When we figured out who had attacked me, I had you find all the information you could on him. There wasn't a lot, but it did give me some notion of who we were dealing with. I've been going over all of it again ever since that day on Venus, trying to understand, to make sense of what happened, and what I found was a very different Guardian than the one that tried to kill me.

"Something happened to him. I don't think it was being corrupted by the Darkness. Lakshmi hinted at something in the hospital room, about him being exposed to whatever that War Cult Device is too many times. I think whatever it was broke him mentally. He lost part of himself, and then exposing himself to SIVA the way he did pushed away anything that was left of Jaeger. In the end, he was a shattered shell of what he had been. He deserved better. We all do."

I stared at the knife for several moments before rising back to my feet.

"Light go with you, Jaeger-10. Hopefully you've found a measure of peace."

I turned then, leaving the dead behind. Having honored them, it was now time to celebrate the fact that I had yet to rejoin them. The City below beckoned, and I had a bag full of candy demanding to be distributed. Making my way to an express elevator, I rode down to ground level.

As expected, the Last City was alive with activity which would only increase as the day went on. Most decorations had already been been put up over the last few weeks, but there were still a few people hanging banners and lights or setting out candles. A group of children ran by in masks, laughing and attempting to scare the people they passed. It looked so much like the activity on the upper plaza that I wondered if it was just universal behavior or said something about the maturity of most Guardians.

I removed my helmet, tucking it under my arm and just watched the scene. Compared to the Golden Age, or whatever came before that, I'm sure this would be a sad display. Right now, in this place, this little bit of happiness and peace was enough. This right here is what Commander Zavala means when he talks about, "The Dream of the City." It still wasn't the most comfortable setting for me, but maybe one day we would push back the forces of Darkness enough that the idea of living life this way wouldn't seem so foreign. For now, it was enough to be around it and maybe make their lives a little better.

Another group of children ran by me. This time, one of them stopped. A little girl with brown hair and eyes that matched. I recognized her instantly as the girl who had been in the pack of children following me and Scott-20 when we came looking for Zillah. I knelt and held out a hand. She smiled and darted over to me, slapping the extended hand as she had before. I took two pieces of candy out of the bag I was carrying and she eyed them greedily. I pretended to consider it for a moment, then closed my fingers around those two, placed the rest of the bag inside the old Pacorus helmet, and held it out to her.

"Take it," I told her. "Share it with your friends. You'll need it to keep all the spooks away tonight. If the candy doesn't turn them away, just wear the helmet and that should do the trick."

Her eyes grew wide and she grabbed the bag before offering a simple, "Thank you."

She turned and fled after her friends, waving the bag over her head and shouting. Watching her go, I turned and headed in the opposite direction. With no real direction in mind, I wandered the streets a for a few minutes, taking in the sites. My stomach reminded me that I hadn't had anything to eat yet, so I stopped in a little diner for some eggs and bacon.

After eating, I spent a few more minutes in the City, then headed back topside with the two remaining candies in hand. The City might not be the life for me, but there was a small measure of "normal" that I could actually hold on to. I strode purposefully through the living quarters and found the door I was looking for. I knocked and Celeste answered. Behind her, I could see the smaller figure of Astrid, the mini-Titan that Cayde had suggested Celeste try to help mentor. I smiled and held up the two pieces of candy.

"Happy Festival of the Lost, you two."

…

AN

And so we have reached this end. This is by far the most I have ever written for something. It feels good to have actually seen a story to completion rather than writing one chapter and then starting over repeatedly and never getting anywhere. Based on word count, I've written my first novel after years of saying I wanted to.

Thanks to Igglytots and AceArcalas for the story favorite! Sorry it ended right after you got here.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I know it has had its ups and down, and I'm glad for all of you that stuck with it. Special thanks to Order and Chaos – Qui Iudicant who has been here since shortly after the start, chimed in nearly every chapter thereafter, and always gave quality feedback. Thanks to my other faithful reviewers as well: Amberstar of Thunderclan and Jayfeattheris Awesome who were complementary and good for a laugh from time to time. Daydreamer B.A who joined in the back half of the story but gave good feedback and helped me look at some of the story elements in a new way. Lastly Eli8300 who might have been late to the party but was active once here.

Don't think that this ending means I won't be back here. I still have Tales We'll Tell updating and do have plans for more Destiny stories. Plus, Destiny 2 is a matter of months away and is already providing inspiration to people with the trailers.

Igglytots – You weren't the only one. I know at least Daydreamer B.A was shipping them as well. It's kind of nice knowing that the interplay between the two of them worked that well. Not sure about the Fireteam. For now he's busy baby sitting kinder-guardians, but who knows what the future holds. Other than fiery death at the hands of the Cabal, of course...

Daydreamer B. A – Yeah, did a little research on how people responded to losing a limb and dealing with the prosthetic before writing it. I was actually shocked by how many people are losing limbs these days. As for the picture, if I ever asked you to draw me a picture of my characters, it would probably be that one. Lol

Guest – One way to look at it. Though, there would have to be an offer for there to be an actual rejection, I think...

Order and Chaos – Qui Iudicant – Yeah. I don't know how much of an affect any weapons we have might have on Vex structures that apparently withstand millions of years of time paradoxes, but it might work against the SIVA. Plus, I had to drop the reference. I intended for Astrid to be with Celeste here, but it never actually occurred to me to have her at the hospital. Guess that's just me partitioning my stories a little too much and not making the connections.