Ch3

"I have more to ask…" Ocena said softly ducking her head a little. She shifted to get more comfortable, she let her legs fall to the floor and rested her clenched hands on her legs.

"What are the Guardians? What does it mean to be one? How many are there? Do they all fight or can some heal? Or… or make shields? Do I have to fight? It's scary… what was I doing before? What's the City like? Can we go down there? Does every Guardian have a home? Or is this all there is? What did you mean my memory has damage?"

Ocena knew that was a lot but she needed answers. She had one other thing to ask but she didn't know the man well enough to request friendship… no matter how alone she felt she couldn't do that.

Luden looked to the other Ghost. *"This is one reason she needs help."*

Thane blinked owlishly at Ocena for a moment, caught quite off guard by her sudden barrage of inquiries. Then an amused smile found it's way upon his face as he released his grip on his Ghost. "I had anticipated that you might have questions," he said evenly, "but it would appear I will require assistance if I am to satisfy your curiosity. Prayer?" Thane's Ghost, Prayer apparently, turned to face him. "Would you mind sending a Flash Mail to Victor's Ghost asking him to meet us down here for something important?"

Prayer glanced over at Luden for a moment before responding. *"Alright, I think Luden here was meaning to bring him in on this too. I'll let them know where we are."*

Thane nodded and turned back to Ocena, noting with quiet relief that the air around her was no longer in immediate danger of spontaneously exploding. "In the mean time, I will do what I can to answer what I can. You asked how many Guardians there are? Our exact numbers are difficult to say for certain: some I see everyday around here, others have been out in the wilds for so long we are not sure if they are still out there at all. My best guess is that we currently number somewhere between one and two thousand: there used to be many more of us," he finished sadly.

Ocena thought about that a moment. "So no one fights alone then?"

*"No one has to."* Luden said.

Thane frowned. "However, some of the more… bold, or foolish among our ranks choose to go into the wild on their own, seeking fame or lost relics of the Golden Age. I'm ashamed to say that my classification of Guardian produces these types more than the others do."

"You do those things too? Or just others? What's your classification?" Ocena asked.

"I am what's known as a Hunter," Thane replied. "I specialize in taking a very indirect approach to combat when needed: if required, I can make it very difficult for our foes to notice me, and I am patient enough to wait for a few days in order to get one perfect shot in the right place. Out in the wild, my brethren and I serve as scouts and rangers: we map out the ruins of the territory that humanity once held and identify key points from which to ambush our foes and destroy them before they can find us."

Thane paused in thought for a moment. "Many Hunters have a flair for the dramatic: they like to show off. I suffer no such delusions of grandeur: I have no fame to earn." There was something grim and chilling in the last part of Thane's sentence.

Ocena was glad for the information but… why did he sound… so… sad at the last bit? She wouldn't ask it wasn't her business.

"So… who can answer my other questions?"

"He should be within earshot in a handful of seconds," Thane replied calmly without turning away from Ocena. She was about to ask what he meant when she heard a new voice from behind Thane.

"So here you are Thane: skulking about in the shadows. I thought you said you didn't feel the need to play the mysterious and..?" A human trailed off as he stepped into view and caught sight of Ocena. He had bowl-cut red hair and deep blue eyes that did not glow, and his skin was a pleasant peachy shade. His face was very open and had a faint tattoo of a blue glyph that looked like an 'A.' He was also dressed in robes similar to Ocena, only his was made out of much more sturdy looking material and was colored metallic blue and bright yellow.

"Hullo hullo, and who is this?" The newcomer asked, eyes seeming to light up as he studied Ocena's face.

Ocena blinked having just managed not to jump when he suddenly came in.

"Um… I'm Ocena…"

"She is the important something I Flash Mailed you about," Thane said with a quick glance in his direction. "Ocena, this is my friend Victor, a Warlock like you and one of the most powerful Guardians I know. Victor, this is Ocena. She is a very new Warlock, and her Ghost… Luden was it? Has asked us to take her under our tutelage."

An enormous grin spread across Victor's face and he clasped his hands together. "Splendid! I can't remember the last time we've had a new Guardian, much less a Warlock! Where did you come from, Ocena?"

"Um… uh…"

*"I found her in Old Russia, Cosmodrome."* Luden said. *"Her memory is very damaged it seems."*

Victor frowned at the part about Ocena's memory, but smiled again as he sat down next to Thane. "Old Russia? We'd speculated that there might still be technology worth salvaging there, but our petitions to lead scavenging parties keep getting turned down by the Vanguard and the council; Fallen house of Devils based somewhere there, relatively close to the City, could provoke aggression from them. Not quite enough manpower to make a foothold. You came in a ship salvaged from the Cosmodrome, yes? Perhaps your escapades have rattled the Fallen and-"

Ocena flinched at the mention of the Fallen.

*Victor, you're doing it again; TAKE A BREATH.* Interrupted a Ghost that appeared next to Victor. Victor halted mid-sentence, looking like a thought or two had just slipped away before blinking himself out of his stupor. "Ah right, sorry about that: you've probably got so many questions and here I am rambling on and on…" Victor smiled apologetically. "Thanks for that, Idea."

*No problem,* the Ghost Idea replied.

"So… you can answer my questions?" Ocena asked.

Victor smiled pleasantly. "Fire away."

Ocena repeated all which she asked Thane earlier minus the Guardian numbers question.

Victor sat in thought for a moment before answering. "Guardians… well first and foremost, all Guardians are warriors of a sort. We can't quite use our Light to heal others in battle, but we can speed natural recovery when working together here in the Tower. All Guardians are chosen by Ghosts from among the dead to serve as vessels for the Traveler's Light." Victor paused. "Er, you were aware that you used to be dead before your Ghost found you?"

"Yes… but… how was coming back possible?"

"Humanity found the Traveler on Mars centuries ago, and from it we learned… so much. Our technology leapfrogged forward, and many things thought to be impossible were made possible: human lifespan tripled, faster-than-light travel became possible, and we terraformed acidic, inhospitable Mercury into a garden world. With the Traveler's Light, science changed profoundly, allowing us to program matter into the states and forms we desired; physics could work in new and never before thought of ways. But…" Victor trailed off with a frown. "We aren't entirely sure how resurrecting the dead is possible. We Warlocks have put our collective minds together, but our order is still no closer to really understanding the process. One popular theory is that the Traveler's Light brings about the bulk of this miracle, while the Ghosts simply transform dead matter back into living matter."

"So…" Ocena frowned. "Is that why the memories vanish?"

"We assume so," Victor replied with a curt nod. "The Ghosts can only resurrect those who are able to house the Traveler's Light within themselves. That's what makes us special as Guardians: within you now is a part of the Traveler's Light. It is a part of who you are now, allowing you to do extraordinary things that only Guardians can do. However, dying and being brought back to life is a very traumatic thing. We don't know what the exact cause is, but considering the implications of resurrecting the dead, memory loss is not very surprising when you think about it from a more removed point of view."

"Memory loss does not occur during future resurrections," Thane said quietly.

Ocena paled more than she already was. "We can… keep dying and coming back…?"

Thane shifted nervously, realizing that he may have steered into dangerous territory. "...Yes. Should any Guardian be slain, his or her Ghost will capture their mind and hold onto it for as long as it can. In this state, another Guardian can provide a small pulse of their own Light, and with it the fallen Guardian's Ghost can quickly resurrect them."

"It really is a fascinating process," Victor mused. "Though naturally it's better to try not to die at all in the first place. Sometimes it can't be avoided though, and that's why it's always better to work in groups."

Ocena shook her head trying to process that death just wasn't permanent… that really shouldn't be… it couldn't.

"My head hurts…"

Thane imperceptibly scooted back a little in caution, while Victor leaned forward. "Stay calm. I know that this is a terrible amount of information to take in: just take it slow. Breath in, breath out."

*"Not working…"* Luden drifted closer to her not sure what was wrong. It couldn't just be what she had heard.

Ocena closed her eyes and held her head. She couldn't focus.

Victor frowned as he felt reality beginning to fill up with minute pocket voids around Ocena: little unseen bubbles in reality that contained self-perpetuating vacuums of nothingness. He concentrated and reached within himself, grasping the Light that flowed like a radiant stream through his body and directing it around Ocena, warming the air slightly and creating a soft glow similar to sunlight.

Ocena felt warmth around her and tried to focus on it but the throbbing in her head was distracting… she was starting to feel dizzy. She swayed a little before she fell over back on the couch still holding her head.

"Hurts… help… Luden… Thane… Victor… hurts…"

Sound faded out, she couldn't hear Luden calling out to her or floating around her. She just wanted it all to stop give her a chance to understand better. Thane and Victor were pretty careful but… but… the darkness she was in was getting very inviting maybe the pain would stop if she went in it? Ocena let herself slip off not knowing the panic she was making her Ghost go through. Or the likely confusion of the other two Guardians. She thought she saw Thane dart forward to catch her as her vision faded...

"Here." Ocena said holding out a box to a man. "This is for always helping me out with the twins."

"You didn't have to get me anything for that. I'm glad to help." He replied.

"I know but…"

He gently took the box from her smiling. "Thank you."

Ocena smiled back.

"Orin stop wiggling I'll end up dropping you."

Ocena smiled softly watching her friend struggle to carry one of her little sisters.

"Down, down!"

"I'll let you down when we get to the park."

"Listen to Braket, Orin." Ocena said. "And Hilli try not to pull out the flowers today alright?"

"Otay!"

It would be a fun day at the park… for Ocena and the twins anyway Braket was going to go nuts.

"Mommy?"

"Yes Ocena?"

"Will daddy be back soon?"

Her mother smiled softly. "He should."

"...Do you ever worry he won't come back?"

Her mother gave a sad smile. "I do sometimes but in the end he always comes home dear. I have his friends to thank for that. They look after him. I think one day you'll have friends who look after you."

"Ocena?"

"Yes?"

"Will you come home today?"

Ocena smiled thinking back to a talk with her mother.

"I will because I'll have Braket with me, he'll look after me. And one day you too will have friends to look after you as well."

The twins smiled.

The blurry memories stopped and Ocena simply rested not knowing those around her outside her mind had heard her talk a bit in her sleep.

Victor watched Ocena's expression as he followed Thane down to the general living quarters in the lower levels of the Tower, Ocena held carefully in his arms bridal style.

"At least it looks to be a good dream…" Victor muttered as he observed the tiny smile on Ocena's face.

"What?" Thane asked as they reached the large wing set aside for the Guardians.

"She looks like she's having a good dream," Victor clarified. "I certainly hope so at least; Traveler knows she deserves a few good dreams with all that she's been through."

Thane nodded sympathetically as they made a turn down one corridor towards the section where most of the Warlocks had claimed their residence. "She seems so very frail. It is not my place to question the Traveler's will, but I fear for her in what is to come. We have all been fighting this war against the Darkness for so long, and now she is being thrust into it with a fragmented past and only a few small sparks of courage." He strengthened his grip on Ocena without hurting her. "I do not know if we can protect her. But I must try."

Victor frowned. "Why must you say that as if you will be protecting her alone? Give her time and let me help. I guarantee that she'll feel far more confident once she's able to hurl exploding spheres of Voidlight with her mind and a little sleight of hand."

"And guns?" Thane asked pointedly. "Luden said her hands trembled violently when she first held a scavenged weapon, so much so that she nearly missed the Dreg intending to remove her head."

"My hands shook too!" Victor pointed out stubbornly. "Every brilliant Light begins as a tiny spark. We just need to help her find her courage. The Crucible…"

"Absolutely not," Thane interrupted crisply. "Being shot at by other Guardians? Dying over and over again for training? She'd be horrified, crippled by fear. No. We train her ourselves, out on the wall if we must. Perhaps Shaxx will allow us to have a Crucible arena to ourselves?"

Victor snorted. "He'd sooner sell his weapons and armor and say that we should pray for peace, not train to fight the Darkness."

"Better than subjecting her to the chaos of the games."

Victor fell silent in thought as Thane carried her into an empty suite of rooms that Ikora Rey had arranged for Ocena to have. Thane gently set her down on top of the bed, taking a moment to brush a few stray locks of hair out of her face before stepping back.

"We should take her down to the residential district," Victor whispered suddenly. "Let her see what we are defending here. We can tell her about the Golden Age, the Collapse, as well as why and what we are fighting. Perhaps then we can start to work on giving her courage."

Thane was silent for a few moments as he considered Victor's proposition. "Agreed." he said at last. "It would do her good to see the precious lives that we must safeguard. It may serve to make her more nervous, or it may galvanize her to fight for them. Either way, something must be done. For now, we let her rest."

"No arguments here," Victor replied with a smile as he and Thane made to leave. A thought occurred to Victor. "When we finally do coax her into venturing out for training, we should see if we can convince Atom to come with us."

Thane turned to Victor. "The Titan? Would not his aggressive attitude be a hindrance towards…" Comprehension set in. "Ahhh, yes I see. I believe you are right: he may be just the Guardian we need to be tough on her while also being reassuring."

"Nothing says reassuring like being able to rip open a pocket in reality and blocking gunfire with it," Victor quipped with a smile as the two senior Guardians made their way towards one of the many lounge rooms.