Redacted

Aid

Kinda late but the chapter was a bit longer than I anticipated (when I was done, it was nearly reaching 8k, I had to cut some out and start a new chapter and it's still 6.7k words). But anyway thanks to Dianmond002, Mantic65, Guest, and The Great Wolf 117 for the reviews!

Guest - I have a feeling a lot of people share your opinion towards Dusk lol. She is definitely not a popular character XD

"Something is coming through this gate."

"Say what?"

The young Hunter turned around to face his friend, only to pause when he saw her stare into the glistening surface of what he recognizes as a Vex time gate. A fully active time gate.

"Aria," The Hunter removed his knife from its sheathe, holding his hand cannon in his other hand as he took cautious steps back, watching the female Titan hold up her auto rifle and do the same, "and here Cayde said that we would have a 'peaceful' patrol on Venus."

"He always has ways to jinx us, you know that Matt."

Nervously smiling behind his helmet, the young Hunter then held in his breath when the surface of the gate rippled, planting his feet firmly on the ground as his radar started to repeatedly blink red. Expecting the familiar copper forms of Vex that he had seen from the footage of older Guardians, Matt found himself reeling back in surprise when instead, a more humanoid form ran out from the gate, tumbling onto the wet marsh before collapsing onto their hands and knees with a groan.

Fixing his weapon onto this unknown newcomer, the young Hunter took the time to examine their form only to come to a sudden halt; they were a Guardian, a Titan, if the bulky armor wasn't enough to give it away. However, unlike the battle worn pieces of experienced Titans or ones like Aria, dented but still shimmering with inexperience, the ones that the Titan wore in front of them was rustic, cracked, as if he had been venturing around for centuries with nothing to repair the broken edges.

"Jora." Matt hesitated when the Titan buckled back onto his feet, hearing him rasp out again, "Jora."

Glancing over at Aria to see her shoulders tense, but her fingers away from the trigger of her weapon, Matt took it as a sign to continue to watch the disheveled Titan make his way back towards the Vex gate, bracing his hands against the sides as he shouted, "Jora!"

Then, seeing the Titan reach out near the shimmering entrance, it finally clicked inside Matt's head at the call of this stranger's name, and as such, he turned to Aria, "There's another Guardian trying to make their way through."

Sensing the shock emanating from his friend, Matt took steps forward to give the Titan aid when suddenly, sparks filtered around the edges of the gate, and the light of the door dulled, the strong hums quieting down.

"No," Panic can be heard in the edges of the Titan's voice, "No! Jora! Jora!"

Watching the Titan then attempting to push his arm into the gate, this was quickly squashed as the light died, leaving nothing but the broken edges of the entry's frame. A cry of despair can be heard from the broken Guardian, Matt watching him fall to his knees as sobs emanated from his form.

Empathetic towards the Titan, the young Hunter took steps forward only to reel back when creaks and groans permeated through the area, causing Matt to shift his attention towards the gate. Before the young Hunter could let out a cry of warning, the Titan was already on his feet and scrambling back, barely dodging the falling debris of what was once his escape.

That is when a cry permeated from the Titan, however, the cry sounded young, new, fresh into the world; this immediately caught Matt's attention, the young Hunter watching as the broken Guardian curled in onto himself and wrapped his arms protectively around his chest. It was then, Matt noticed the straps wrapped around the Titan's back, contouring his shoulders and down the front of his body.

"Ssssh, it's okay, it's okay, daddy's here. I know you want mommy, but mommy is – darkness," A choked sob can be heard from the Titan, "We'll get mommy back, mommy will be back. We just need help."

Once again turning his attention towards Aria, the latter of which had lowered her weapon, Matt then took the opportunity to turn his focus back onto the Titan and slowly make his way to his side, "Hello?" He paused when he saw the Titan turn his broken visor towards him, "Do you need aid?"

At first, Matt sensed relief emanate from the male Titan before seeing him nod once. Letting himself relax at the sight before him, the young Hunter then holstered his knife and weapon before holding out a hand. However, as he watched the broken Guardian reach out towards him, he then saw the Titan's hand go rigid, his shoulders going tense; this caused Matt to crease his brows together in worry.

"Is something the-"

Before he can finish his sentence, Matt found the Titan's hand sudden latched onto his wrist, feeling it tighten as he heard the broken Guardian snarl, "Tower Guardians."

It was then, he saw darkness seep between the cracks of the Titan's armor.

Xxxxx

Hush knows from the gentle squeeze around her hand that it was to be a sign of comfort, but the young Titan knows better; she can see the trembling in his fingers, the beads of sweat sliding down his face, and the pain constantly flashing in his eyes.

She doesn't understand fully why, but Hush knows that he is sick, ill with something that is 'eating away at him' from what she can grasp from the others. The young Titan wants to help, but she was told by Akiva that nothing she would do will make any progress; the best they can do is hope and pray that the light will help him pull through.

As such, returning the comforting squeeze with one of her own, Hush reluctantly followed the older Titan out of the Awoken's room, lagging behind just enough to give her papa one last wave before they finally exited.

"Don't worry, Hush," She lifted her yellow eyes to Akiva's smiling face, "Ianos made it this far, he will make it through this one as well."

Scrunching her face together in both bewilderment and confusion, Hush held up her hand to voice this when movement caught her eye, causing her to shift her attention forward only for her to lock gaze with familiar white optics.

"Nine?" A shake of the head from Akiva's question, "Ah, Knight, here to visit?"

"Nine wanted to also check up on Ianos' condition." Hush blinked at that, "Wanted to make sure he is stable before he continues to find a way to properly expunge the-"

A sudden raise of the hand from Akiva was enough to halt the younger mind's words, causing Hush to shift and give the older Titan a puzzled stare before she caught Knight glancing over her and nodding once.

"Right, I will update you once Nine is done assessing Ianos' condition."

Watching Akiva give the young Exo a nod, Hush then followed Knight's form disappear into Ianos' quarters, prompting her to turn and shake Akvia's arm to gain his attention, What is Nine and Knight doing?

Another smile from the older Titan, "Trying to make Ianos feel better. He is… ill, and he is having trouble getting better on his own. Nine and Knight is just helping him along the way."

And what is making papa ill?

"Ah," Hush watched Akiva pause, his golden eyes narrowing in thought, "Uh, well, you have heard of a 'cold', right?" The young Titan nodded; she remembers enough of her former life to know of the fevers and sickness that plagued her clan, "Well, what Ianos is infected with, it's like a cold for us Guardians, but it is harder to for us to be rid of it. Much harder."

Hush frowned at his words, But colds doesn't hurt you. At least, not 'that' much.

"Well, it takes a lot to take a Guardian down."

Pondering on Akiva's words, Hush couldn't help but hold a tinge of doubt in the back of her mind, holding even when they entered the halls for the apartments. However, just as soon as the dim lights of the halls filtered onto their forms, Hush heard a quiet gasp emanate from her shoulder, prompting the young Titan to glance over to Crystalline. Normally quiet, and only speaking out when needed, it came as a surprise to the young Guardian to see the composed Ghost's shell pressed against her core, her yellow optic wide in surprise and shock.

Frowning at this, Hush reached out with their link, prodding the female ghost for an answer as she watched the latter turn her gaze towards her. Although unable to fully understand what Crystalline was saying, the child Guardian barely caught wind of 'not here' from the Ghost, causing her to nod her head in understanding before shifting her attention towards Akiva, and tugging on his arm.

"H'm?" Hush took the opportunity of his attention to start tugging the larger Titan towards her papa's quarters, "What? You don't want to stay with me tonight?"

She shook her head, gesturing towards Crystalline and then to herself, earning a nod of understanding from the older Guardian, "Right, alone time." He then gave her another smile, "Remember what Neve and I said. If you need anything, just give us a call."

Nodding her head in understanding, Hush then followed along, staying near Akiva's side until the familiar door of her papa's living space lingered in her vision, prompting Hush to finally leave his side and slowly walk towards the quarters. Giving Akiva one last wave of farewell, Hush then entered her papa's apartment, closing the door behind her before she made her way towards the bed, and took a seat.

You were surprised earlier.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Hush frowned at her Ghost, Crystal…

"Darkness, I swear you are Blaise incarnate. He does the same with me when he is not pleased with me." Hush narrowed her gaze as the female Ghost gave her a blank look, "Fine." The child Guardian smiled, "It was a message, a message from Blaise's friend."

Hush blinked, Why would a message from brother's friend bother you?

That is when she watched Crystalline pause, her yellow optic glancing nervously around the room before finally, she answered, "You do remember me telling you about Blaise's previous team, correct? The ones that entered the infamous Vault of Glass, but only Blaise came out?"

The child Guardian gave the female Ghost a frown but nodded.

"Well, the message I received was from Titan Isamu. He was one of the two Guardians that Blaise and I had thought dead when we had left the Vault."

Xxxxx

Despite what had occurred there, Angel will always consider Venus his birthplace – he was born there in his previous life, and he was resurrected there in his current. Even with all the deaths and loss, despite his silent claims to himself that he 'hated' the planet, the young Hunter always founds himself drawn back to the marshlands of Venus, trailing behind echoes of his memories to follow old paths that he had taken when he was a child.

It was strange to him, to visit places that he instantly recognizes in his memories but, yet at the same time, it felt foreign, estranged to Angel as he would walk between crumbling hallways, trailing his fingers against the cracks forming in the walls. Perhaps it was because time had worn away what he truly remembers: the pristine surface of the halls, the sounds of people chattering as they ventured to their destinations, the hums of machines constantly working.

Yes, Venus was where all the students came, where all those who wanted to attend prestigious schools come to finish their studies in hopes of working amongst the many research settlements placed on this beautiful planet. Now, Venus was just a shadow of its former self, Angel watching as the light of his past slowly faded back to the present, taking his hand off from the darkened walls.

"More memories comin' back?" The Hunter turned his attention towards Hope, seeing his Ghost shift her shell against her core curiously, "do you remember this place at least? "

Shifting his attention back to the building before him, Angel simply lifted his gaze upwards before responding, "The dorms, a place where many students stay at while attending school here."

"Did you attend school?"

A shake of the head, "My mother was a renowned scientist, she taught me everything I knew." He let out a short laugh, "There was no need for me to go." Angel then paused, furrowing his brows together as echoes lingered in his mind, "I can talk to another student and they never would think I was home schooled."

"So, you're smart then?"

The human Hunter snorted at that, "Who said I was smart?"

"You can speak and understand practically every language out there – heck, even the Hive language in which only those obsessed with those crusty undead can easily read. And not to mention you can piece things together faster than the others."

"Just Hunter's instincts."

"You mean you should give yourself more credit."

Flashing Hope a soft smile behind his visor, Angel then decided to move on, holding out his hand to signal to the female Ghost to glide over, settle in, and flash out a screen of light. From there, the human Hunter flipped through the screen, his green eyes flashing over several models of Sparrows he had collected over his short life – he settled on a basic one, reminiscing when Amanda Holliday gave him a broad grin as she held out the transmat codes for the white vehicle; Angel wouldn't admit it but, even though he has better options, he couldn't help but always use this one out of sentimentality.

Hefting himself onto the white Sparrow and shifting the controls forward, Angel then wonders if the reason was its speed. For its age and model, it has lower power compared to the others he has in his Vault and as such, the young Hunter would constantly find himself glancing around his surroundings, taking in the sights and daring himself to weave around the copper forms of Vex and the pale azure cloaks of Winter.

Angel smiled at the thought of the Fallen House.

True, he maybe more comfortable with Eliksni than the Guardians back at the Tower, but Angel still remembers the trouble the House of Winter gave him when he was a freshly resurrected newborn; never had he ever experienced such exhaustion and weariness since his time as being prey for the Eliksni. As such, he had started a 'tradition' for himself whenever he finds the opportunity to visit Venus – and by tradition, that means going around and annoying the lights out of them.

The young Hunter doesn't mess with their Ether supply though; he knows how vital that is for all Eliksni and his growing conscience won't be happy with him if he places the House of Winter in danger. So mainly, he goes around messing with their shanks, sneaking around while cloaked, and switching wires around while they work on their Walkers, ensuring their weapons were low on energy before bringing them out on patrols – he just does enough to make them struggle. Just like what they had done to him when he was a newborn.

Contemplating on what to do next to burden the House of Winter – something alongside the lines of placing something irritating in their armor – a blimp of blue on his radar caused Angel to come to a pause, turning his Sparrow to the side to slow down to a stop; Hope flickered back into view because of this, "Is everythin' alright?"

"There's Guardians nearby."

He watched as Hope narrowed her green optic at him, "You know as well as I do that Guardians come here often. That never has stopped you before."

Angel frowned at her words; it was true, he never stopped for any Guardians in general vicinity. If he makes contact, a simple wave or nod is enough to acknowledge each other's presence before the young Hunter ventures off on his own. But strangely, these two blue marks on the HUD of his visor, he couldn't help but shake off that something just wasn't right.

"I'm going to say hi."

"I beg your pardon?"

Opting to ignore his Ghost's confusion, Angel hopped off of his Sparrow, feeling the familiar buzz of energy linger behind him to signify the vehicles return to his Vault, and then reaching down to his thigh to remove his hand cannon from its holster.

"Why in the Traveler do you want to say hi to these two Guardians?"

Once again pushing Hope's words to the side, Angel instead focused on their surroundings, taking in the sight of familiar rusted and broken forms of rings, watching time and moss wrap itself around the metal frame. Besides the high walls holding up the remnants of the time gates, there were square entryways that Angel is certain were Vex made – despite the similar construction compared to the manmade ones – and when he peered in, he same most of them leading down into thin corridors. Only one lead to what seemed to be a clearing, and according to the two blimps on his radar, that is where the Guardians were located. Scanning their surrounding a moment longer, the Hunter then decided to turn and give his Ghost an answer.

"Hunter's instinct."

"Bah."

Smiling at the frustration oozing off from Hope, Angel took the opportunity to head towards the entryway, taking slow and careful steps in as he managed to make it out to the clearing. At first, the young Hunter found himself tense, feeling himself on edge as he slowly made his way out into the field of wet grass and broken debris, his green eyes squinting as if to spot any dangers that his senses might have missed.

"You sure that there is somethin' goin' on?" Angel shifted his attention towards Hope, easily seeing both doubt and smugness in her optic, "Because accordin' to what I see, your 'Hunter's instinct' is wrong."

Letting out a pout in response to his Ghost's words, the young Hunter parted his lips to let out a retort, only to duck down as an explosion rang in his ears, Angel feeling pellets of stone and debris pelting his back as he wrapped his arms protectively around his head.

"Oh shit! Your instinct was right!"

Sensing the familiar weight in his mind – a sign that Hope had materialized into his helmet – Angel then lifted himself up, turning around just in time to see a Hunter and Titan clamber back onto their feet, shaking their heads as the dust settled around them. From this distance, Angel can tell that the pair weren't much older than he was – he can easily tell the armor was a mix of items given to them by the Tower and armor that were obviously made by their Ghost's, the coloration and texture differentiating from their bracers to their chest pieces. Even their weapons he can tell were bought from the Tower, the models all too familiar in Angel's eyes.

Musing at this, Angel then followed the direction of the fog of dirt, trailing towards a newly form hole only come to a sudden halt, his green eyes widening at the form standing near the opening. It was a Titan, although it was hard to tell from the way his armor seemed rustic, deteriorated with age – he can see patches of silver of where the original color had faded away, and even then, Angel can barely spot the violet hues. From the front, he can spot rough edges of cloth, wrapped around a bundle in which the Guardian carried with one hand, sparks of what appears to be arc light buzzing around the Titan's form. At least, the young Hunter believes it to be arc light.

Unlike the natural pale blue form of light, this one had more a violet tinge to it, almost pink in color if it wasn't for the dark ridges that flashed over the edges. And this one was filled with malevolence, as if it had a mind of its own as it lashed and coiled around the Titan's form and darkening the hearth around him.

At first, Angel thought this individual was a naturalborn – they maybe rare, but the young Hunter holds no other explanation for the unnatural phenomenon occurring before him. That was before he saw wisps of black seeping out between the cracks of his armor.

"A corrupted Guardian?" The young Hunter sense the unease from Hope at his words, prompting Angel to let his light seep around his form and letting arc light tingle through his arms.

Thankfully, the corrupted Guardian didn't seem to notice him and instead, charged towards the two Guardians that he had been assaulting, his abomination of arc light surging behind him and scorching anything that it touched within its range. That is when Angel lifted up his hand cannon and fired.

Having aimed at the head and considering the condition of the Titan's helmet, the young Hunter had anticipated to be a single shot kill, half-expecting the corrupted Guardian to just collapse from the blow. However, to his surprise, he watched as his bullet collided into the Titan's head, causing him to stumble and his distorted light to momentarily pause, only for Angel to gulp as the Guardian then snapped his attention towards him, and his debased arc light returning stronger than before.

"Did I say you were smart before?" He heard Hope whisper as the corrupted Guardian started taking steps towards Angel, "Well, I take that back."

Seeing the corrupted Titan then turn and charge towards him, Angel decided to holster his hand cannon and take out his knife, letting arc light explode around his form and letting it slither down into the blade, just in time to hold it up and block the punch that the debased Guardian had thrown towards him. Flash of blue and violet lingered in his vision followed by an ache in his teeth and bones as Angel felt himself sliding back, feeling the heels of his boots bury itself into the hearth in a vain attempt to stop his movement. Gritting his jaw, Angel then twisted his knife to the side, feeling the pressure follow the action and he found himself staring into the broken visor of the corrupted Guardian.

Although the front was cracked and perhaps too fogged to be of actual use, the young Hunter swore he saw eyes behind the visor, eyes filled with hate and disgust. Then, before Angel can fully comprehend what he had just seen, he then saw the Titan leap forward, and the human Hunter heard a resounded 'crack' emanate around him as he felt his head snap back, spots appearing in his vision as he stumbled.

"Headbutt, of course. Corrupted or not, typical Titan attack."

Ignoring Hope's blunt comment, Angel instead shook his head to straighten out his vision, only to find himself flailing as he felt a grasp grab him by his neck and his feet treading air as he stared into the hateful stare in the corrupted Guardian's helmet.

"Here to kill us again, 臆病者?" He heard the Titan snarl, "Ambushing my team and I while we were in the Vault and then pushing us into a Time Gate wasn't enough for you?"

"W-what?" Angel choked out, pausing in his struggles, his green eyes wide, as the corrupted Guardian continued, "No thanks to you, my team and I bumped into a Templar and its Oracles and we were forced to wander for 'decades' before we found a way out."

The young Hunter then found the grip tighten around his throat, causing Angel to go stiff and let out a wheeze as the Titan added, "If Blaise had not informed your so called 'Vanguard' of what you Tower Guardians had done, then 'I' will and this 'treaty' between us will turn into what it really was: a fraud, a fake." Angel then froze when he saw sickly green glow through the Titan's visor, "and then finally, the Revenants will bring back what you Tower Guardians had failed to do so for years: Peace."

Watching the Titan then pull a fist back, Angel took in a deep breath before surging out a burst of arc light, hearing the corrupted Guardian let out a startled yell and immediately felt his grasp leave his throat. Stumbling back onto his feet, Angel let out choked coughs as he rubbed his throat, only to pause as something unexpected pierced the air: a cry. A cry that Angel recognizes too easily as those he hears from Ora and the twins when they were upset or in need.

"Angel."

Hearing Hope take in heavy breaths in his helmet, Angel took the opportunity to shift his gaze back towards the Titan, only to pause once more when he saw the corrupted Guardian kneeling down on the hearth, his arms wrapped near his abdomen, holding what appears to be an egg made of glass, however, the edges seemingly glowed, as if light had been melded into the material. Cloth had been hastily wrapped around the shell, using it as a line to keep it tied close to the Titan's chest, although, it did little to hide what was inhabiting inside.

"A child?"

"A pup." Hope corrected, Angel watching as the infant's cries continued to resound through the air, their screams clear despite its makeshift crib.

Watching the corrupted Titan curl protectively around the child's form, Angel then spotted the sickly green emitting behind the Guardian's visor before the young Hunter watched him abruptly stand up onto his feet, the warped arc light crackling around his form once more. However, instead of charging like what Angel had expected, the young Hunter reeled back when instead, the darkened Guardian turned and ran, his decrepit light trailing behind him.

The debate of chasing after him lingered in Angel's mind, up until his gaze flashed over to the two Guardians that had endured the corrupted Titan's assault; he easily recognizes the form of the high powered rifle in the Hunter's hands. And as such, knowing comparison of power between his own hand cannon and the sniper, Angel decided to stand back as his fellow Hunter aimed, and fired.

A loud 'crack' permeated through the air as Angel watched the Titan fly forward from the impact, only to see him twist himself in time to land onto his side, the corrupted Guardian's arms wrapped around the shell; most likely in an attempt to protect the infant. As he watched the dark Guardian land, a loud clang can be heard in the distance, Angel momentarily glanced over in time to see the remnants of the Titan's helmet, watching it crumble before it can even bounce against the wall once more.

Shifting his attention back towards the debased Guardian, the human Hunter's eyes widen in disbelief when said Titan sat up; in a daze, but clearly still alive. Cursing under his breath, Angel then unhooked his hand cannon from his waist, clasping it tightly in his hands as he slowly made his way towards the dark Guardian, catching the sight of the Hunter and Titan doing the same.

Although worried that he would have the strength to stand back up and retaliate, Angel let his shoulders sag in relief when he noticed the corrupted Titan attention was on the crying infant in their cradle, hearing soothing words emitting from the Guardian's lips as he rocked back and forth. This soon changed however, when Angel and the others closed the distance, the young Hunter unable to suppress a jump when the dark Titan snapped his focus towards them, the familiar sickly green glow back in his gaze.

"臆病者たち"

The tongue was familiar to Angel (he sensed Hope huff playfully at that) however he couldn't understand what the Titan was saying; although, he couldn't help but feel like the corrupted Guardian was insulting them in a way, especially when he let out a snarl as the human Hunter and the others were practically at arm's length. Coming to a pause at this, Angel found himself raising a hand, signaling to the Hunter and Titan behind him to come to a pause, prompting the human Hunter to aim his hand cannon at the corrupted Guardian's form, and further taking in the situation.

Blood can be seen trickling down the front of the Titan's pale face, dripping down the front of his eyes as his gaze angrily continued to shift over the three Guardians. His hair, dark as the night, was short but disheveled, as if he had simply taken a sharp object and cut away at the strands so that they wouldn't get in the way. What caught Angel's attention the most though, was catching sight of the Hive like glow leaving the corrupted Guardian's hues, revealing light brown as the latter shook his head and brought up a hand to his temples as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Can't exactly fight with a headache, huh?"

Turning a disbelieving gaze towards the Hunter next to him, Angel contemplated if he caught their estimated age 'wrong' – perhaps younger than what he had anticipated (or perhaps it was just his personality, he later mused) – only to return at attention when the corrupted Titan opened his eyes and gave then a hardened glare.

"Yes, such an honorable 'fight' against an individual such as I – carrying an important 'cargo' after fighting for his life for 'years' inside a Vex Prison and then escape, only to bump into two 'Tower Guardians' while exhausted."

Unable to hold back the nervous smile as he felt his fellow Hunter return the glare, Angel then blinked as realization hit him; this Titan was weakened. If he had been at full strength when they encountered him….

Angel shivered at the thought but, quickly regained composure, "The malevolent energy that I sensed in your light, was that –"

"The Darkness? Yes," The human Hunter gulped at the Titan's answer, "Not very difficult to maintain if one carries the right amount of experience and hard work."

"But, the Darkness is evil," The other Titan, a female from the tone of her voice, commented, "Why would a fellow Guardian-"

"Do not place me as the same as you 臆病者たち!" Angel felt not only himself, but the other two Guardians jump at the corrupted Titan's outburst, "Light is good? The Dark is evil? You Tower Guardians only see things in black and white. 'We' see things as they truly are: that there is a balance, and light and darkness are to be in harmony, not to destroy the others."

"We?" Angel questioned, feeling the Titan's narrowed glance focus on him, "Who's 'we'?"

This time, surprised instead of hate flashed in the debased Guardian's gaze, causing waves of bewilderment to linger in the back of Angel's mind before the glare returned, and the Titan spat, "Does your 'Vanguard' fear us that much that they would even fail to mention us to 'newborns' such as yourself?" The human Hunter heard the Titan scoff, "臆病者たち they are: just because we are something they do not understand does not mean we are a 'threat'."

"Then tell us who you are." It was the female Titan again who snapped, Angel sensing the impatience oozing off of her form; this just earned her a snort from the corrupted Guardian.

"The Revenants," Familiarity resounded in the back of Angel's head, "and unlike you three, we do not call ourselves 'Guardians'. 'We' are 'revenants', the 'returned', we do not place ourselves amongst those who are easily manipulated."

"Hey!"

Sensing the agitation grow from the other Guardians beside him, Angel couldn't help but scrunch his features together as the faction rang recognizable, letting his thoughts wander before finally, it hit him, "Hope, wasn't Crystalline's previous Guardian part of the Revenants?"

"Yes, and Crystalline is still an active Ghost amongst their numbers," He heard the female Ghost hum thoughtfully, "I still remember conversations where she was determined to return to them once Hush grew strong enough; she also sounded like she is planning to bring the little girl with her."

"Wait, you know Crystalline?"

Turning his attention back towards the corrupted Guardian, Angel once more saw the hate, the anger leave the Titan's gaze only to see surprise, "How do you know Crystalline?"

Hesitating at the question, Angel momentarily glanced over to the Hunter and Titan nearby, sensing their confusion before he answered, "Crystalline is a Ghost of an individual we know."

"Blaise?"

Reeling back at the name, Angel shook his head, only to see a frown form back onto the Titan's pale features, "Sorry, but, I recall Crystalline speaking of that name." He shook his head in apology, "He's no longer 'here'. The Guardian, the 'returned' that I am speaking of, she is Crystalline's new chosen."

"Liar!"

The young Hunter jumped back at the Titan's' outburst, only to take a step forward when the infant in the corrupted Guardian's arms cried once more, prompting the revenant to resume soothing to the child's upset.

Questions popping left and right in his mind, Angel licked his lips as a thought settled into his head; although curious of the infant in the Titan's arms, where he came from, and other questions resounding within, he instead asked, "If you are a Revenant, then, can I ask for your aid?"

Sensing the shocked look he received not only from the pair of Guardians next to him but, also the Titan before him, Angel wasn't all too surprised when the revenant gave him a glare, "And why do you think I would help a 臆病者?"

"You need aid yourself, correct?" Angel saw the Titan's scowl deepen, "perhaps if we help you, then maybe-"

"No, there is a reason why I am a 'Revenant'," The human Hunter blinked at the corrupted Guardian's words, "I have already sent a signal out towards the others. They should be on their way here as we speak."

That is when panic bubbled into Angel's chest, the Hunter sensing the same from the others as he took in the revenant's words; the three of them were barely able to stand up to the Titan even in his weakened state. There was no way that the three of them could face off against one, let alone a possible 'several' individuals at their full strength. He should probably take the two Guardians behind him and run, leave this Dark Guardian and the infant behind while they still have the chance to escape. But a chance like this, Angel can't let it slip between his fingertips.

"One of my friends have been infected by the Darkness," A pause from the individuals around him, "He had been fighting it for years, trying to prevent it from devouring his light. However, a run in with an 'Acolyte' had left his light weak, and even as we speak, he is fighting for his life, the Darkness slowly killing him." Angel then took in a breath, giving the Titan a pleading look, "Please, as an individual who had 'tamed' the Darkness, is there a possibility that you can save him?"

Angel watched as the Titan's eyes narrowed, "I am not-"

"You don't have to get rid of it." He watched as the Revenant reeled back in surprise, "Just help him 'balance' it out, just so that one or the other won't be the cause of his death. I just…" Grief settled into the young Hunter's chest, faces of the dead flashing in his mind as he finished, "I just don't to lose anyone else."

Although the frown was still visible on the Titan's face, Angel can still see contemplation linger in the revenant's eyes before a sigh emanated from him, "I will help you, once I am done being aided."

The young Hunter's eyes lit up, "Then you will help my friend?"

"'After' you are done helping me." The Titan snapped, "Afterwards, I shall see to your friend, if he is even in stable enough condition to utilize the Darkness. I cannot promise that it will help him, however."

"If it gives him a chance, then I will take it."

Watching the corrupted Titan nod once in agreement, Angel then watched him hold out a hand – most likely to summon his Ghost - when he felt a grasp clamp down onto his shoulder, feeling it pull him back before turning him around; it was the Hunter, "What are you doing?"

Angel blinked before he gave his fellow Hunter a blank stare, "Finding a solution to my friend's condition."

"But from an individual who wields 'Darkness'?" The human Hunter frowned at the Guardian's words, "He could be 'lying' for all we know, he might just stab you in the back once he gets what he wants."

"Look, I understand why you are 'afraid'," Angel sensed the glare from his fellow Hunter, "but just because he uses the Darkness just as well as the Light doesn't make him 'evil'."

"How do you-"

"If you don't want to get involved, then leave." The human Guardian interrupted, "however, my friend has been suffering for 'years' and the closest thing we had to cure him died recently. If this Titan, this 'revenant' helps give him a chance to live, then 'I' will take it."

"Are you insane?" The Hunter hissed out, "nothing can be saved by the Darkness, even by one who claims who can 'control' it. Your friend was lost as soon as the Darkness infected him, he is 'dead', there is nothing you can do."

Anger bubbled within Angel at his fellow Guardian's words, the human Hunter grinding his teeth as his green eyes glared at him; the female Titan must have noticed for he then saw her place a soft and gentle hand on her partner's shoulder, "Matt, I think we should just go."

Flinching at the familiar but common name, Angel then heard the Hunter retort, "What? Why? And let a fellow Guardian recklessly walk into a trap?" Matt scoffed before shifting his attention back towards him, "Look, I understand why you are so desperate on finding aid for your friend, but you can find other 'resources', just not 'him'."

"Do you think we haven't 'tried'?" Angel snarled, "Ianos tried 'everything' before I was even resurrected and as long as I had been alive, my team attempted to find a way to 'expunge' the Darkness. But so far, even help from an 'Acolyte', he isn't getting any better." He then paused, letting out a bitter snort as he then added, "He is actually getting 'worse'. The only thing we 'haven't' tried is balancing the dark and the light out, and 'he'" Angel nodded his head towards the corrupted Guardian, "Is the closest thing I have to make that work."

"So, you are willing to work with an individual of Darkness?"

"An individual of Darkness whose faction holds a treaty with the Tower," Angel sensed the scowl from the Hunter as the latter stated, "He tried to kill us."

"For the reason that he was almost murdered by other 'Tower Guardians'." Another scowl from Matt, "He was only trying to act defensively, and I say it is a good enough reason for his outburst. So, I will say it again." He then leaned in, glaring into the visor of his fellow Hunter, "Are you staying or are you out?"

Sensing Matt return with a glare of his own, he then heard the Hunter scoff before he turned and started walking away, "Let's go Aria, we have to report this in to the Tower."

Flinching at the thought of the Vanguard being informed of his 'alliance' with the corrupted Guardian, Angel then watched as Aria gave a quick but hesitant nod before following after her partner, finally leaving him and the revenant alone.

Matt and Aria belong to DisobeyedBowl6

DisobeyedBowl6 - Sorry if it took a while, but getting to this chapter actually took longer than I thought lol.

Anyways, yes, you will see the Kanji 臆病者 and 臆病者たち, both meaning coward/cowards respectively. The first Kanji is singular and is most pointed towards and individual while the second is plural, however, you have to be specific and point out who you are speaking of in the room - have to be clear otherwise, you're saying 'everyone' in the room is a 'coward'. Anyway, I can't spell it out in 'english' as the words are a bit too complicated (trust me, my friend, who is actually taking and studying Japanese as a minor in college, told me what it would sound like it in full. And honestly, I don't want to suffer writing it out repeatedly lol. Copy and paste is so much easier).