Tormented

You Promised

I apologize for the late update. A mix of getting ready for Thanksgiving and being sick cut down on my writing time but I didn't want to not update this week, as I already had done that the week previously. As such, the reason for the late update lol

Anyways, thanks to Lazypersons, zantilis, The Ashen Titan, and AAA for the reviews!

Edited: 1/30/2022

Peeking over the mound of broken rubble and metal, Esther let out a huff as she spotted several Vex nearby; they have been patrolling for 'hours' now. If she had known the Vex would have lingered for this long, she would have brought Rocket Launcher rounds, or maybe Machine Gun rounds to make less noise. The Vex aren't called the 'Hive Mind' after all.

That is when a snore echoed behind her.

Glancing back, Esther couldn't help but raise a brow and smile, "Are you that bored, Alyx?

The snoring came to an abrupt halt and soon followed by Alyx's hulking form suddenly sitting up, moss and dirt clinging to the back of his armor, "I'm up! I'm up!"

"Sorry for taking so long, Alyx." Esther apologized, watching the Titan stretch his arms above his head. She then added, "I know you are itching to head back in time for Trials."

"It's fine." Alyx managed to yawn out, "Jordan and Ria can find someone else to replace me. Wouldn't surprise me if they decided to bring Spirit along." He let his arms fall into his lap, "Out of all of us, he's the only one who hadn't made it to the Lighthouse."

Esther snorted, "What? He's not built for the Crucible?"

"More like he's leaning towards just finishing Trial Bounties than actually winning."

"So, he's not giving his all then?" Esther shook her head as Alyx nodded, "Then the next few days he will have to do his best. I hear that Jordan and Ria do not sit around when it comes to Trials."

There was a quiet laugh from Alyx, "You mean taking it seriously to the point like as though their life depended on it?"

"Is that why you like doing Trials with me?"

"I prefer fighting alongside someone is who okay with losing than listening to others rage about a loss."

Chuckling, Esther decided to peek over their cover, only to come to a halt when she noticed that the patrolling Vex had came to a stop. And their glowing red optics turned towards them.

"Shit!"

Esther barely had enough time to duck down when she heard the familiar sound of a Vex shot, only to further curl in when the mound behind her exploded, feeling the dirt and broken debris fall around her.

"How the hell did they spot us!?"

"I don't know!" Esther managed to shout out as she felt a hand settle upon her shoulder, feeling them push her back; she felt Alyx step in front of her, "Maybe we made to much noise!?"

"We've been staking out this area for 'days'!" She heard Alyx let out a grunt, she looked up to see a seared shot on his arm, "How in the – Damn it! They were toying with us!"

"Excuse me!?"

That is when Esther heard static, which was followed by the sound of something heavy landing on top of their broken cover; she felt it shift from the sudden addition of weight. Looking up, she froze at the sight of a Vex Hobgoblin, the latter of which cocked its head one side before aiming its weapon at her. She jumped when Alyx's fist rammed through its chest, the Vex's optic blinking before it went blank.

"Get out of here!" Alyx snarled out as he ripped his hand out from the Hobgoblin's torso, kicking it away as he looked at her, "I will hold them off!"

"What?!" Esther pushed herself to her feet, her optics spotting the static, the amount of Vex falling into view, "But-"

"Esther!" She winced at her Ghost's voice, "Come on! We have to report this to the Vanguard!"

"But Alyx!" Esther protested as she took a step towards the Titan, watching him snap his hands out, his Ward materializing around him, "There's too many Vex! He won't survive – Vulcan!"

She feels the weightlessness of Transmat, the edges of her vision filtering with light.

"Alyx!"

As she felt the hum of transmat settle around her form, the last Esther saw was Alyx's Ward shattering, the Titan being shot down by the Vex. And his Ghost easily crushed in the grasp of a Vex Minotaur.

Xxxxx

Aleeza couldn't help a laugh as she watched her nephew waddle back and forth in the middle of the Plaza, reaching out with his small arms in an attempt to tag one of the many Guardians present.

It had been a sudden game, Aleeza originally only bringing him out for a walk for fresh air when Oraxsis was left in her care, only for the toddler to grab the cloak of a passing Hunter, yelled, "Tag!" before waddling away. Fortunately, the Hunter had taken it in good humor, and started to 'chase' the child. Soon, it turned into a full blown game, as the pair pulled in others. Even Aleeza had momentarily joined in, but soon slinked away and sat down on the stairs when the number because too numerous. Instead, she listened to her nephew's shrieking laughter.

"I never realized that children were this adorable." Lena chirped, her back fins shifting as she hovered just above Aleeza's shoulder, "not until Akiva had one of his own." There was a sigh, a sense of melancholy, "Makes you wish you were capable of having one of your own."

No sooner had her Ghost finished speaking when Aleeza flinched, her smile fading from her face as she placed a hand onto her abdomen.

"Aleeza?" She sensed the bewilderment, the concern, "Is something the matter?"

"No." Aleeze forced herself to smile at her Ghost, "It's nothing."

But it wasn't nothing. Lena, her friend, her confidant, and yet, even she doesn't know that Aleeza is incapable of bearing children. This infertility, one that had been with her in her previous life, carried over when she was resurrected. And Aleeza, despite centuries of trying to cope, it still hurts to hear when others speak of children, children that she could never carry herself.

As such, Aleeza cannot help the envy, the jealousy when Akiva not sired not one, but two children, easily having what she could not. They say twins shared everything. How Aleeza wished that was true.

"Nana?"

Snapped out of her thoughts, Aleeza casted her eyes downward, only to smile softly as her gaze settled upon her nephew's. Ora's eyes beamed when he realized she had her attention, "Dada? Mama?"

"You done playing?" Aleeza cooed as she scooped the child into her arms, rubbing her faced into his cheeks. Her heart warmed as she heard him laugh, "Have to wait a bit. 'Dada' and 'Mama', they are still in the meeting with the Vanguard." Placing her nephew on her lap, Aleeza tapped his nose playfully, "But they should be back soon."

There was a sound of disappointment from the toddler, but nonetheless, he leaned it, pressing his head against her chest, and shoved his fist into his mouth.

"I am curious though, why the Vanguard just called the two of them to the Hall." Lena hummed, "Must be something private, I assume?"

"Private to the point where they couldn't even bring their own child into the meeting?" Aleeza snorted as she stood up, hefting Ora in her arms, "Must be 'really' important."

Hearing her Ghost laugh, the smile on Aleeza's face were quickly interrupted as the familiar static of the coms came to life. She then blinked when screaming and cursing echoed throughout the Plaza.

"Fireteam – Ow! Neve! – Fireteam Redacted and Fireteam Blaze – Neve! Clam down! Fireteam Blaze come to the Hall of Guardians! Immediately! Neve! Calm down! Put that gun away!"

The coms ended with a click, and it took Aleeza a moment to realize that there was complete silence, a brief glance showing all those present staring with wide eyes, and hanging jaws.

"Well." Aleeza coughed as she glanced down at her nephew, the latter of which looked up and gave her a bewildered look as he continued to suckle on his fist, "Want to see Mama and Dada?"

She smiled as Ora's eyes grew wide and he let out an excited squeal, prompting Aleeza to start her trek to the Hall of Guardians.

Xxxxx

"Well shit."

Leaning back in his seat, Ianos frowned at the weapon parts spread out on his desk, he heard Ace click and hum, "Guess we will have to finish this another time."

Glaring at the materials, Ianos then let out a heavy sigh as he forced himself out of his seat, "We have been working on this weapon for 'months'." He rubbed a hand down his face, "I was hoping to finish it 'today'."

"You know as well as I do that the only reason why it took that long was because Banshee said to get seven kills on enemies of Darkness 'and' seven headshots on fellow Guardians." Ace commented as the pair exited out of his quarters, "The first part you got done immediately, but it took us a while to find someone willing to use the precursor for us in the Crucible."

"And a lot of glimmer." Ianos grumbled.

His Ghost laughed, "Well hopefully it will be worth it. They did say that this is the sister to the Last Word."

"Hopefully it will be worth the work."

Seeing his Ghost nod once in agreement, their conversation went silent as they entered the halls, only for him to pause as he heard screaming.

"You ineffective use of the a machine of a Guardian! If I had known you would be leading him to his death! I would have never let him gone with you to Venus!"

"None of us knew what was going to happen! Stop blaming this on her!"

With his age, Ianos had heard plenty of screaming and cursing in the Hall, especially back when Brask was the Hunter Vanguard. Although he had the same smart mouth as his successor, Ianos recalls Andal Brask being one of the most stubborn Hunters he had ever encountered, and this usually led him to clash with the previous Warlock and Titan Vanguard. As such, the Halls usually echoed with constant bickering of the three before Brask's untimely death, and this allowed Ianos the time to adapt to hearing such bickering. However, what he had not expected to see was the towering form of Akiva struggling to keep his grip around Neve's waist, the latter of which was attempting to tear herself out of his grip and throw herself at a Hunter. He froze the instant his eyes settled upon the latter.

Green optics bright against icy blue paint, Ianos recognizes the unique strip of dark green paint over her optics, making their glow more vibrant. Clad in blue and violet armor, her cloak is what confirmed Ianos' suspicion and shove aside his denial. Although long faded and torn on the edges, the familiar mark of stars and planets are recognizable on the faded white fabric.

She smiled at him endearingly, her optics beaming softly as she leaned in and press her hands against his cheeks, wiping away that tears that had fallen from his eyes.

"Why are you crying, brother? Did Mars bully you again?"

"Ianos! Help me!"

Snapping out of his memories, Ianos looked up in time to see Neve had managed to grab the Hunter by the front of her armor, pulling in her, fist reeled back for a punch while as Ikora, Zavala and Cayde had jumped in, attempting to pry her back. Rushing forward, Ianos, wrapped his hands around Neve's wrist and, with one fluid motion, pried her grip off. Watching the Hunter stumble back, Ianos then saw Neve collapse to the ground, tears forming in the edges of her eyes. As Akiva leaned down to warp his arms comfortingly around her shoulders, Ianos took the opportunity to turn his attention towards the Vanguard.

"What happened?"

"I-I'm sorry."

Freezing at the Hunter's voice, Ianos forced himself to look over just as former continued, "I thought it would be okay. I thought with Alyx, the two of us…" Her voice cracked, breaking her sentence and she lifted her hands to cover her face.

"What happened, Little Light!? What happened!?"

He had no answer for her and instead, he fought back tears, his lower lip trembling as his vision blurred. All he heard was an anguished cry.

A sigh broke Ianos out of his memory once more and it was then, he recognized the fiery red shell of the Hunter's Ghost appear into view.

"A short while ago, Esther went on a reconnaissance mission and she had stumbled into an archive, claiming that she had found clues of Golden Age Technology, one she claims would help the City." Vulcan explained, "But Esther wanted a partner, one to watch her back and as such, she requested the aid of Titan Alyx, and he agreed. We staked out the area for a few days and at first, everything had been fine, but then…" The Ghost's voice faded, his shell drooping, "We hadn't anticipated an ambush from the Vex. There were too many of us to handle so, in order of Esther and I to escape, Alyx stayed behind. He…he gave his life to ensure ours."

"Lies!"

Recognizing the voice, Ianos let out a deep breath as he turned his eyes towards the entrance of the Hall, just in time to see Jordan leaping down the stairs, his hazel eyes filled with rage and denial as the rest of Fireteam Blaze followed him.

"Alyx? Dead? I refuse to believe it!"

Before anyone could stop him, Jordan stormed over to the Hunter, leaning in close to her face as he snarled out, "Alyx is one of the best Defenders out there. I refuse to believe that a simple group of Vex was able to take him out."

"Jordan." The Hunter's eyes snapped towards Ianos, his gaze hard, "Look around. Do you see Alyx anywhere? Do you think he would not be in this room to greet you all after a long mission? Do you think he would make you worry like this?"

It was disheartening, to see the fire, the anger, the denial fade in the eyes of not just Jordan, but the rest of Fireteam Blaze, the realization dawning upon them.

Spirit was the first to react, collapsing onto his knees as his shoulders trembled. Ria knelt down next to him, wrapping her arms comfortingly around his shoulders as she closed her optics in solidarity. Leo had turned his eyes towards the floor, his hands curling into trembling fists as his lips tightened into a thin line. In turn, Jordan's eyes had grown wide, his face turning pale as he took staggering steps back.

"We are sorry for your loss, Fireteam Blaze." It was Ikora who broke through the stunned silence, "We shall send a team to gather Titan Alyx's Ghost. But, for now…" That is when Ianos watched Ikora's bronze eyes turn towards Esther, the latter of which tentatively tapped her fingers together, "Are you finally going to tell us what you found, Hunter Esther? Instead of telling us 'It's a surprise'?"

The way Esther turned her optics downward, her shoulders scrunching together in guilt, Ianos couldn't help but wince. It was just like her.

"I am sorry." She held out the form of a child to the parents, avoiding their grieving gaze even when the mother fell to her knees, "We tried our best but, I'm sorry."

"I am not completely sure."

Snapped out of his memory once more, Ianos looked up in time to see Esther shying away from the narrowed glance of the Warlock Vanguard, "All I remember is that I got lost in the Archives and that it guided me back outside, giving me directions to properly avoid hostiles along the way."

"Guided you?" Zavala was the one who spoke, "What do you mean by it 'guided you'."

Watching Esther take in a deep breath, contemplation clear in her optics, an ache resounded in Ianos' chest, longing as another memory took hold.

"What do you mean Little Light can't join the Clan!" Her bright green optics narrowed at the Clan Leader, the latter of which promptly crossed their arms and glared back, "He has been there every step of the way since our expansion! It's only fair that he gets to jour our Clan! Our family!"

"I may have a reason to believe that it was a Warmind that guided me out of the Archives." Once again, Esther's words pulled Ianos out of his memory, "But I am not a hundred percent certain, as such is the reason why I did not give you a proper answer."

"And that cost Alyx's life."

Ianos couldn't help but sigh at Neve's words; he knows for sure that she is going to carry a grudge over the Titan's death for centuries to come.

"If you had just told us the truth from the very beginning then maybe, maybe Alyx would still be here."

"But he isn't." Ianos had blurted out the words before he could stop himself, mentally cursing as he felt the glares of Fireteam Blaze settle onto him. Nonetheless, regaining composure, he decided to continue, "Did you expect that 'Fireteam Blaze' would last forever? We are soldiers of the Light." He couldn't help but return the glares with one of his own, "Our duties ensure the protection of not only the last remnants of humanity but each other as well. Death is to be expected, especially when it comes to the ones we hold dear." He then gestured towards Esther, "Alyx gave up his life to ensure this Guardian made it back home. Do not insult his memory by blaming those he died protecting for his death."

Ianos knows it's not something easy to hear, especially after receiving the news of a friend, a comrade in arms, a brother. But it was enough, if the guilt that settled into their eyes was telling. Even Neve had shifted her eyes to the floor, which prompted Akiva to slip a hand into hers and give it a comforting squeeze.

In turn, Ianos let out a breath, "When is it best to head out and retrieve Alyx's Ghost?"

It was subtle but, Ianos spotted the way the Vanguard glanced at each other, reading each other's movements, a silent debate. Ianos crossed his arms at this, leaning against a leg as he waited for silent conversation to end; he had known them long enough that their wordless conversation may take hours. He recalls plenty where they would startle unsuspecting Guardians when one would suddenly shout out a solution. Fortunately, it was brief, telling when Ikora turned his eyes away from her fellow Vanguard and spoke.

"We believe the best solution is to send a team with Esther – 9 to not only locate the Ghost of Titan Alyx, but to also find this 'Warmind', if another exists."

"We will go."

Ianos wasn't surprised to see Fireteam Blaze volunteer, all of which regained enough stature to show the seriousness in their words. But, he also spotted the anger, their rage, easy to tell the way their jaws were tight, their hands flexing for a fight; they were out for vengeance.

Frowning behind his helmet, Ianos shook his head subtly before parting his lips to retort against their words.

"No."

The Vanguard beat him to it, Zavala taking a step forward as he added, "We understand why all of you want to volunteer, however, the three of us believe that in your current state, you might act rashly in reaction to Titan Alyx's death."

"What makes you think-"

"Jordan." It was Neve who spoke, Akiva helping her onto her feet, "I think we should sit this one out."

"What?! But-"

"Jordan." Neve started again, her tone stern, "I understand why you want to head this mission, why 'we' want this mission, however, I agree with Commander Zavala. This is too personal for us. Knowing us, we will act brashly." She sighed, "it is best to send a different team to work with Esther."

At first, Ianos thought Jordan would further retaliate, just from the way his hands curled into fists, his jaw grinding together. But then, it was as if all the rage faded, as his shoulders suddenly slumped, the anger in his gaze fading, and tears forming in the edges of his eyes. Then, as if to find a reason to further retort against their Fireteam Leader's words, the Hunter turned to the others, only for them to turn their gaze away. In turn, Jordan took in a shuddering breath, then nodded reluctantly.

"Do you have a team in mind?" he asked.

It didn't take long for Ianos to feel the Vanguard's eyes to fall upon him, and Ianos felt his stomach twist; they wouldn't dare.

"We believe Fireteam Redacted would be the best candidate for this mission."

No, Ianos had wanted to shout, wanted to deny, but he found the word dying in his throat and instead, he gritted his jaw, hands curling.

"We're going on a mission?"

Turning his eyes to the entrance of the Hall once more, Ianos spotted Angel, Carina, and Aleeza walk in, the latter of which was carrying Ora in her arms as they entered. Before anymore could be said, a squeal could be heard from the toddler, in which prompted Aleeza to delicately lower the toddler to the floor. For his age, Ora was quick, waddling over to Neve who quickly scooped him into her arms.

"Yes." Ianos shot Zavala a dirty look at his answer, "We believe since Hunter Angel has knowledge of Venus' terrain, it would your team an advantage while working with Hunter Esther to locate this possible Warmind."

Or more like it was more convenient for them to send Fireteam Redacted since they were there, Ianos wanted to voice, but Akiva's raised hand made him pause.

"If I may speak freely." The Titan said, "I would like to exclude myself from this mission."

Blinking, Ianos let out a huff but said nothing else; with Neve's emotional state and his kid, he wasn't surprised that Akiva wanted to opt out. He has a lot to lose after all.

"Then is if it is okay with the Vanguard, can we allow one person from my team to go with them?"

A compromise, Ianos realized as Neve's question settled in; if the Vanguard won't allow all of them, then maybe they will allow one member from Fireteam Blaze to go. Although who is the question if the Vanguard allows it.

"Yes, you may."

Ianos turned and gave the Vanguard a blank stare; that was a quick decision.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Neve nod solemnly before he heard her say, "Spirit, will you work with Fireteam Redacted and Esther on this mission."

There was a brief pause and then a sputter and a choke; in honestly Ianos doesn't blame the Exo. He would have done the same and if he were to be honest, he hadn't expected Neve to choose Spirit. Perhaps one of the older members, such as Jordan or even Ria, who has more experience in the field than Spirit but not the young Exo.

"W-what?" Spirit's stutter proves his point, "B-but I…"

"I think it is time to face your fears." Ianos saw Neve smiled sheepishly at Spirit, "Do not worry, unlike last time, you will have others to help you when you are cornered."

There was another sputter, a deep inhale of breath as if Spirit was going to further retort. However, after a brief silence, Ianos watched him breathe out a sigh and nod.

Shifting his attention back towards the others, Ianos found his eyes settling back over Esther, and he couldn't help but look away when the Huntress turned her optics towards him.

"I am not working in this mission."

Ianos felt all eyes turn towards him.

"And the reason, Warlock Ianos?"

He couldn't help but turn and glare at Ikora, "You know as well as I do the reason why."

Noticing the eyes of the Vanguard glance towards Esther and then back to him, Ianos clenched his jaw at Ikora's next words, "I do not know what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean!" Ianos couldn't help but snap and from the edges of his vision, he spotted sparks of light; everyone took a step away from him. He opted to ignore it, "You know as well as I do that not only did you promise me but the members of Clan Galaxy that we would not work with 'her'."

He tried his best not to look, not to glance over and instead, Ianos focused his eyes on the Vanguard, glaring.

"We understand why you are upset, Warlock Ianos." Ikora said, "however, we believe that you are a valuable asset to your team." Ianos narrowed his eyes, "We also hope that this will 'rekindle' your relationship with 'lost' friends."

"That is exactly why I cannot accept this mission." Ianos snarled out between clenched teeth, "You promised us. Promised both the Clan and I that we would not interact with 'her' for the sake of her memory. Even the Speaker agreed."

Feeling his chest going tight, Ianos took in deep breaths, trying to undo the knot forming in his throat, he waited for an answer. When he received none and it dawned upon him that their decision has been made, Ianos let his anger rise to the surface.

"If Brask was alive, he would have kept his promise."

Ignoring the look of hurt in Cayde's optics, Ianos turned his back towards him and the Vanguard.

"I am going to find Pluto." He decided to say, "He would want to know about this."

He then ascended the steps and exited the Hall.

And here's the beginning of the new arc! :D

A lot of questions will be answered in this arc as a heads up! So be prepared! Although not all of them will be answered. Those are for the next arc :3

Lazypersons - Exactly why I titled this story the way it is lol. I had actually thought about not making Ora a Guardian but the angst was too good to pass up lol.

zantilis - hahaha you'll see :D

The Ashen Titan - you're welcome ^_^. I try to give each person's character equal amount of attention but as you can see, it's kinda hard to do lol. And thanks C:

AAA - Thank you ^_^