A/N: I'm back everyone and with a new chapter to boot! What are your thoughts on the current season?

Trostland, EDZ

Earth

It was a long journey between Mercury and Earth even with FTL travel. Long enough for Lux to place the jumpship on auto-pilot and stare at the journal she got from the desk at the Lighthouse on Mercury. Her Diary. Her past life diary.

She tried to go through her thoughts again and again as to why she grabbed it. But time and again, she ended at the same conclusion: She wanted to know her past. She needed to know. But each time, she could not go through with it. It was silly really. Her, Lux Syphoid; member of Fireteam Nero, God-slayer, Hero of the Red War, scared about finding out her past. Her teammate, Summer Rose found out that she was a former huntress on Remnant, married and mother of two. But the only thing Lux really knows about her past is that she was a member of the Cult of Osiris. Beyond that, nothing! Was she a good person? A bad one? A merchant or a significant other to someone before she fell in with the Cult?

It was sort of Summer's fault really. She getting stranded on a planet that was her home in her past life, finding out she had friends, loved ones, family that remembered her. It got Lux thinking about her own past, despite the taboo about Guardians finding out.

Her musings were cut off by Ren who joined her at the front. She quickly transmatted the diary back into her inventory.

"So, Guardian Syphoid, can you tell us about our destination?"

Seeing the opportunity to change the subject, she answered. "We are going to the EDZ of Trostland into a region called, Hangman's Pass. A rugged mountain area that has an old radio tower near the top. That is the 'temple' that this sect of the Cult uses. Unfortunate for us that they too have an anti-transmat beacon too. Fortunate for us that there is an old highway we can use for travel."

Ren nodded before he turned to leave to relay that to the rest of his team. Lux herself readied herself for the journey.

The jumpship broke atmosphere and flew over the forested region of the Trostland EDZ. It hovered over a broken rode and the five exited the ship, thankfully via the doorway instead of transmat. Team JNPR looked around themselves at the broken road, the desolate buildings in the distance and the nearly faded road signs hanging above. They read about abandoned towns and such during their studies at beacon and during their classes about Earth and their Golden Age and Collapse. But seeing it did not prepare them for the reality of it. The memory of these places in their heyday. The many lives lost. It sobered them up.

"So, was this area called Hangman's Pass in the Pre or Post Golden Age?" Jaune asked.

"Actually, quite recently." Lux explained. "Recon patrols say that they saw an entity wandering through the forests at night, dragging a ball of flames on a chain. They call him the Hangman for his purchase of looking for anyone to hang in the trees and rip them to shreds." She saw the horrified expressions on the fours faces and laughed. "Luckily for you that its just rumor and the Vanguard has issued a statement that the Hangman does not exist. Same thing regarding the Rat King." She manifested a Sparrow and hopped on. This prompted the four teenagers to bring out their scrolls. Swiping right and finding what they were looking for, they tapped it and four additional sparrows appeared.

One of the many technological advances that the Vanguard gave the people of Remnant was the distribution and storage of Sparrows for huntsmen and huntsmen in training. Journeying from point A to point B in the middle of the wilderness took time and the risk of Grimm. But with the addition of Sparrows to the Huntsmen arsenal, travel only took half of the time. Not to mention some found it hilarious to run over Grimm while riding on Sparrows.

Three members of team JNPR manifested standard Sparrows to ride while the other found difficulty. That other being Pyrrha. She shook her scroll and turned to Jaune. "My Sparrow seems to have difficulty loading. Mind if I ride with you?"

"Uh, sure…that's fine." He replied.

She walked to him as he scooted forward to give her room. She then sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his lower chest and resting her head on his upper back near his head. A slight smile appeared on her face as he started his Sparrow and moved forward. As they flew by, Nora and Lux looked on.

"Subtle Pyrrha." Said Nora.

"Bet you 20 glimmer they end up together after this." Lux said.

"I'll take that action." Nora replied.

The five were soon flying away down the dilapidated road in the wilderness. They flew past factories reclaimed by the wilderness, signs which have eroded to the point where the lettering faded completely. As they drove, they heard the rumbling of thunder up ahead. They looked up and saw dark clouds form signaling a thunderstorm approaching.

Soon they reached their destination.

Up ahead was a dilapidated radio station, the tower rusted away with paint peeled away.

And not a moment too soon since it was right as they got off their Sparrows that the storm broke, a curtain of rain blanketing the region. The five stiffened feeling the cold rain pelt their heads, drenching them completely. The skies darkened with a crash of thunder and lightning piercing the sky every so often.

"I don't know how cults work here on Earth, but shouldn't there be someone to greet us?" Ren shouted over the pelting rain.

Lux looked around, agreeing with Ren. All she saw was a dilapidated building. No banners, no defenses, nothing. She cautioned everyone. "Keep your weapons on hand." She said as the four students did her bidding. Their sparrows soon de materialized back into digital storage on their scrolls.

They made it ten feet from the door before they saw the body.

It was Nora who first saw it and thought it was a guard resting, but then she smelled the stench of decay and notified Lux. As the Guardian bent down and examined the body, the rest were shaken. They read about seeing dead bodies on patrols. But it was one thing about reading and seeing one for the first time.

Lux bent down and examined the body. She identified the body as being a member of the Cult of Osiris due to the robes. The body was female, but heavily decayed. She estimated that it died months ago. She then noticed something in the chest area. Bending down to look, she saw it was a bullet wound. As she brought her head up, her head blew apart.

The four huntsmen gasped seeing Lux without the top portion of her head, blood splattering. Some of which landed on Jaune's face. "Oh my…it's in my mouth. It's in my mouth!" He gasped as he hurled into a pile of rubble. Lux's Ghost appeared over her body. "Duck now!"

They obeyed which saved their lives when another sniper shot sailed over where their head were. They ducked and looked around them. But the rain and the approaching darkness obscured their vision. "Pyrrha, Jaune keep your shields up! Nora and Ren, squat behind them and together move to the doorway. I'll resurrect Lux and she'll join you!" He said as he went to work resurrecting his Guardian.

They did as they were told and brought up their shields, channeling their aura into their bodies as they shielded their other two teammates. Together they walked backwards towards the doorway, passing more bodies as they went. Ren got a brief glimpse and saw they too were shot at by a sniper. They scrunched up their noses blocking out the smell and focusing on their task. Nora was the first through the door followed by Ren, then Pyrrha and Jaune. Through the doorway and down the stairs they went into the small building. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw more bodies. All in various states of decay, robed in the colors of the Cult all over the place. Against the walls, on the floors and even on tables. Ren bent to one of them and checked over them. "No wounds on either of them. They either died naturally, or were starved." He said to his teammates. More sniper shots as someone ran down the stairs and stopped. They looked up and saw the resurrected Lux arm herself with a Trax Dynia scout rifle.

"Can't believe I got so careless and got sniped by a Hellmouth-damned Fallen! Stupid!" She berated herself as she loaded and fired a shot where she guessed was the sniper. Thanks to the rain and storm, she could barely see what was out there. She must of impacted something because she got three more shots from three different places come right at her. Those shots illuminated her opponents briefly for her to see several Tracer Shanks along with some Dregs and Vandals armed with Wire rifles.

She recognized the dark purple and blue cloaks they wore as members of House Dusk; Wolf chapter house. The Fallen not allied with the Vanguard consolidated their houses into one with numerous chapters scattered all over the system. "Any survivors down there?" She asked as she took a shot, possibly hitting a target but couldn't tell since it got harder and harder to see.

It was Ren that replied. "No, looks like they starved to death." She swore and looked down, ducking to make sure history didn't repeat itself. "Okay students, whichever of you that has long-range firearms, get up here and help me with these bastards."

00000

Sykis, Vandal of House Dusk; Wolf chapter smiled at his genius plan. Several months back, he and his crew stumbled upon this hideaway of the Cult of Osiris and raided it. Killing as many as they could find, they retreated a safe distance as the remaining humans of the Cult hid away beneath the radio tower. Thanks to his Servitor blocking their transmissions, they couldn't call for help, and they couldn't leave since his crew decided to set up camp around the area to keep them in. After a week of this, he sent in a few of his men who had cloaking tech to see if there were any survivors. After reporting that there were not, they raided the place. Taking everything from weapons, books, or anything that looks valuable. They then bring it to their Kell Yaveks and rewarded. Afterwards they learned that other humans were going there and his plan came into focus. Any human that shows up, they kill, loot their bodies, bring it back to their house and repeat the process. Everyone in his crew got rich and even some regrew their limbs. It was perfect. And they currently got themselves five new victims, one of which was Guardian Lux Syphoid; a member of Fireteam Nero and friend to the accursed Guardian Summer Rose.

Sure, they were out in the rain pelted by cold water and wind. But this is worth it.

He felt a vibration beneath his feet, he turned and the last thing he saw was a flaming lantern hit him in the face.

00000

Lux, Nora and Pyrrha had just got up from downstairs, ready to unleash hell on their attackers when they ducked as a body flew right by them and down the stairs. Jaune and Ren got a good look at it. It was the body of a fallen vandal with the front of his body burnt to a crisp. Soon screams can be heard in the forest in front of them. Lux, Nora and Pyrrha watched the forest, soon joined by the other two and they watched as something horrible occur before them.

Every so often, lightning would illuminate the forest. And in those brief instances they saw a gigantic being wielding a flaming ball and chain rampage among the fallen. They watched and heard them scream as the giant swung its chain and send them flying. Another lightning strike showed them the tracer Shanks turn to the giant and fire their weapons at them. Another showed them destroyed. And then another strike of lightning illuminated the forest where they saw the giant grab at a Servitor that tried to flee. And finally the last and most loudest flash of thunder and lightning illuminated the giant entity with the Servitor in its hands as it brought it up over its head and tear it in half with its arms, screaming in victory as the Ether within the dying Servitor spilled over its head.

The five stood in silence as they watched the giant turn to look in their direction. They saw the four eyes glow in the darkness as it saw them. Then it turned and strode away deeper into the forest, trailing the flaming ball and chain behind it until even that faded from view.

00000

After seeing that horrifying display, the five went back down below to survey the dead. Lux promised herself to report the display she saw to the Vanguard when she gets the chance. That display disturbed her, she may like the Eliksni allies, and be annoyed with those who were not allied with them, but none deserved to be ripped to shreds by that…thing!

"Looks like the Fallen picked everything clean of value. Buggers must have planned to loot the dead, sell it to whatever Kell they serve." Lux said after searching the place. "Then they would come back and killed any new recruits to the cult that would journey here. Having themselves a steady supply of loot." Ren finished, helping to move the bodies to a corner of the room for burial when the rain lets off.

"So, we have no device to awaken Sagira. So now what do we do?" Jaune asked as he leaned up against a wall. Said wall then slid downwards where Jaune then tumbled backwards down a hidden stairway. He screamed in fright before landing with a thud.

"Jaune! Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked as she looked down in concern.

"Ow." Was his only response.

The others soon joined him with Lux's Ghost illuminating the room where the only thing was a vex construct the size of a podium with an indentation of a Ghost in the center with numerous cables coming out of it lading to a circuit breaker.

"Looks like we found it." Ren said.

After helping Jaune up from the floor, Lux transmatted Sagira from her storage and placed her reverently into the device. Checking the device, she went to the circuit breaker and flipped the switch.

…

…

"It's not working." Ren said.

"I am aware of it, thank you." Lux said as she checked the device over along with her Ghost. The four heard her muttering about checking the wiring or flipping the switch on and off repeatedly. But it was Nora who found the problem.

"Turns out a cable wasn't properly plugged in." She said as she bent down, grabbed both cables and plugged them in.

By pure coincidence, a lightning bolt struck the tower which went through the cables and through Nora and into the device bathing the room in a bright light!

After the bright light diminished and after regaining their sight, they saw the vex device steam and sputter with Sagira gone with Nora lying prone on the floor.

"NORA!" Ren shouted as he ran to his friend. He was quickly joined with Jaune and Pyrrha as both Lux and her Ghost went to the check on her.

The ghost did a quick scan of Nora as she was helped up to her feet. "Odd."

"What is odd? Is Nora alright?" Jaune asked concerned for his teammate and friend.

"She's fine. But she has a large concentration of Light that seems comingled with her Aura." He then went back to the podium and looked between where Sagira was and Nora. It was as if a lightbulb went off.

"Oh my."

"What? What is it?" Ren asked panicking thinking something bad happened to Nora.

Their answer came not from him but another.

Another ghost materialized right by Nora's head. A golden Ghost with a blue eye surrounded by triangular appendages. One that was surrounded by a halo of pink energy.

"What the…where am I?" It asked in a feminine voice. It, no, she looked around her at the four teenagers and the Guardian nearby. Then turned to one of the teenagers, a red-headed girl in a pink and white attire. "And why am I connected…to…you…and Osiris?" She asked Nora who looked at her in a combination of shock and awe.

A/N: I've decided to stray from canon a bit and have Sagira bond with Nora instead of the Guardians Ghost. And I gave you all a clue as to what is coming on October 31st. Care to guess?

See ya next time!