"I never knew you in life.
Your first life, anyway.
Something special brought us together.
It sacrificed itself, to bring life to me.
And here I am, having brought life to you. A second life.
It changed my world forever.
And now, it will change yours too."
...
1. The Ghost
The first thing she saw, was darkness.
A moment passed, and there was light. Her eyes opened.
One by one, she felt something return. Her senses returning to what once was.
The first thing she felt, was air.
It was a familiar feeling, breathing. Yet it felt like a new experience.
And then, the cold.
The cold was intense. It should feel that way. But her skin did not freeze. For she felt a warmth enveloping her entire being. She did not know where it came from.
"Hey.
You're awake."
There was a strange voice. It sounded masculine, but at the same time artificial. Before she could question it, the source of the voice presented itself.
It looked like... nothing she had ever seen before. Not that she could recall much. If at all.
An image of blue the shape of a diamond, within a single black orb surrounded by what seemed like floating metallic pieces, like a singular eye. There was nothing more, no mouth, or nose, or any other features one would call "human".
The floating eyeball began to speak once more. "I'm sorry that it had to be this way... but I found you here and... well, you were the one I've been looking for. You must have a lot of questions..."
Everything feels like a question to her. She did not know this place, or what this strange machine-like being is, or even who she was.
"I.. can't remember anything." Not even her own name.
The eyeball spoke once more. "Don't be afraid, it's normal. It's supposed to. But let me explain.
I... am a Ghost. I was given a task, to find those worthy of a second chance. You are the one that I've chosen, the one worthy of a second chance in life."
She was now burdened with more questions. A "Ghost"? A "second chance"? She wondered what it all means.
"I need you to... not freak out about this... but the reason you don't remember anything, is because you were dead."
Dead.
She couldn't tell whether the Ghost was lying or not. Dead people can't come back to life, that would be impossible. Somehow, she knew that.
"I was... dead? Then, how am I.. still here?"
"Oh, that's simple. I resurrected you. Because you are my Guardian."
Guardian? What could that possibly mean?
"I... don't understand." Was all she could muster.
"It's... hard to explain. You can call it fate, or a hunch. But... when I saw you, I felt something, and I saw something in you. A potential. I know you can do great things, but you'll need the chance to do so. And that's where I come in. You are my Guardian, and I am your Ghost."
She still couldn't understand it. It was too vague, and it didn't explain how this could happen. Countless more questions, she wanted to ask. But she was now beginning to feel the cold, the warmth from before slowly fading away.
"W-where am I?" She muttered.
"Maybe it's best if you see for yourself." The Ghost answered.
And so she stood up, snow falling off of her body. She looked down to see her hands without any imperfections, and her clothes, an assortment of slightly tattered black and white fabric.
She then caressed the side of her face, noticing her own silver-like hair. Eventually her fingers stumbled to a pair of protruding structures at the sides of her head. Her horns.
She couldn't remember her own face, or her own being. But she could still think maturely, remember common sense, and basic linguistics. But nothing about her own identity, she could ever recall.
As she looked around, she saw only snow covering the entire foreign landscape with nothing in between, and the grey clouds covering nearly the entire sky. Beyond the horizon was a mountain range, with no signs of civilization in sight.
"I found you here, in the middle of nowhere. I don't know what kind of life you once led, but you should know that you were indeed, important to someone." The Ghost remarked.
She blinked at him, intrigued. "Why do you say that?"
"Look behind you."
She turned around, and behind her, lay a single large tree, bare without its leaves. A large forest followed behind it, stretching across an endless distance. Countless of barren trees, yet none as large as the one under which she had arisen from. There was a wall of rocks surrounding the bottom of its trunk, carefully laid there by someone. And a symbol, burned onto its bark.
She didn't understand what the symbol meant. But she thought it must have meant something special, to someone. Someone she might've known.
This was her own grave. Perhaps the Ghost wasn't lying after all.
"Someone must have cared about you. It's not much but... I hope that knowledge would give you some comfort."
The Ghost spoke from behind her in a softer tone than usual, as if trying to comfort her. Does it have human emotions? Or is it all just a facade?
"Maybe... but I don't remember them. Not anymore."
She continued staring into the tree bark. She noticed underneath the burnt symbol, was a series of carvings, resembling letters.
She read the carved letters. They formed a single word.
'ALINA'
It was her name. At least, that's what she assumed. The only part of her past she could ever know.
She stood alone in front of her grave, in the middle of nowhere, with only a Ghost as company. A fate more bizarre and tragic than she could ever hope for.
She had been walking across the tundra for hours. She hadn't found a reason to stop.
Alina wasn't tired, not yet. But this vast expanse of snow was starting to become irritating to the eyes. And the raging wind felt colder the longer she walked.
And for hours more, she continued. An endless trail left behind, carving through the snow, stretching on for seemingly miles. And she had found no other company, beside the Ghost floating beside her.
She hasn't gone tired, nor in need for sustenance. She didn't think any further on why that is.
Instead her eyes looked up front. The mountains began to grow bigger than before.
Eventually, they became close enough to block the sky before her. Unknowingly, she had made her way to a valley, and a line of forests began to greet her. And she kept walking.
But she paid no attention to her surroundings. Her mind was still busy comprehending everything thus far. She was essentially, a ghost herself. A phantom with nothing but a blank memory.
She had spoken little to the Ghost beside her, with their interactions mostly boiling down to a parade of questions. But the answers weren't much.
All she knew was that this place is situated somewhere in the northern parts of a large continent, of which the inhabitants were foreign even to the Ghost. She wondered why that is. How could he barely know more about this world than her?
And then came the matter of her true nature, one that she had been putting into the back of her mind until now. Why did the Ghost call her a Guardian?
"You called me a Guardian before... why?"
The Ghost seemed more than happy to answer.
"Right, I haven't explained to you about that... a Guardian, is a Lightbearer who has sworn to protect others for a noble cause. A defender of those who cannot defend themselves. You've been blessed by the Light, because I chose you. Because the Traveler has deemed you worthy of a second chance. And with this gift, you can defend yourself and humanity from its enemies."
A Lightbearer, The Light and the Traveler. She was unfamiliar with any of them. The Ghost's tone suggested that this Light is not regular light, but rather something mystical in nature. And what did he mean by enemies?
"You said my role is, to protect humanity. Protect them from what?"
And for the longest time, the Ghost simply stared at her, the pause feeling almost like eternity. "I'm afraid that answer is... more complicated than you think."
'Is everything not complicated enough already?'
She also thought about whether there were others. She can't be the only Guardian, right?
"Are there more like me?"
"Yes, there are."
Her eyes lit up. If there are others like her, then perhaps they would know more about her situation.
"Where can I find them?" She asked.
Once again, the Ghost remained quiet for longer than she was expecting, before finally answering.
"That's... also complicated. Where they're from, where I'm from... it's far away from this place." He explained.
"How far?" She asked further.
"Farther than you can imagine."
She didn't understand the cryptic meaning behind his words. If he truly came from a far away place, how did he get here? How long had he been wandering, looking for someone like her?
"Eyes up, Guardian."
Her steps came to a halt. She never got the chance to ask more.
She saw the floating Ghost beside her looking dead ahead. Far in the distance, there was a faint tower of smoke, rising from beyond the stretch of forests covering the valley.
The smoke may indicate a settlement, she thought. Which meant there are people. Or it could be something else.
"Is that... a village?" She asked the Ghost.
"It should be."
"Wait." The Ghost interrupted himself. "That rising smoke... it's too big. Too big for a simple campfire. And there's only one."
His tone hinted at a conclusion far too ominous for her liking. "What do you mean, too big? Is it dangerous? Do you think something bad happened?"
The Ghost hesitated to answer. "Well... maybe. Only one way to find out. We'll need to get closer. And we might need to move fast."
She didn't say a thing in response. Yet, the Ghost somehow was able to tell her apprehensiveness, from a single glance.
"Are you afraid?" He asked.
"A little." It was an understatement, a lie towards her companion and herself. But the Ghost didn't know that.
"It's alright, I'll always be with you, no matter what."
She looked at the Ghost. There was concern in his voice.
"And if anything happens, you have the Light to protect you."
There he goes again with the Light stuff. Did he expect her to use this "Light" as a weapon of some kind?
"I don't know how to use this... Light."
"When the time comes, I'll teach you. No hurries, right?" Said the Ghost.
She looked back at the rising smoke, now content on continuing her trek. She hoped "the time" would never have to come.
She had finally found traces of a civilization, yet relief was far from her reach.
"Oh no..."
And as it turns out, her Ghost wasn't wrong.
The first thing Alina saw were the wooden huts, abandoned but not completely barren. There were burnt holes littering the walls of some of the houses.
And around them, littered on the pale snow, were bodies. Some were of different sizes and different ages, but none of them were moving.
Ghost went forward, scanning his one eye across the entire view.
"None of them had a pulse... I'm sorry for making you... see this."
"Can't you... revive them? Like you did to me?" She asked the Ghost.
"No, I can't. I've linked with you, and I can only supply the Light to you alone. I'm sorry if that's not the answer you're looking for."
She didn't know there were limits to what the Ghost was capable of. Was the Ghost refusing to do so, or is there something preventing him?
"Why?"
"It's how the Traveler made me. I can only find one person to share my Light, and no more. And you are the one I've chosen."
It didn't make any sense. This "Traveler", this "Light", none of them do.
She didn't try to respond or argue with her companion any further. Instead, she pressed on into the ruins.
One of the wooden houses, bigger than the others, was the source of the smoke. The fire had gone out, but what remained of the structure was still smoldering.
Her Ghost spoke beside her. "The fire started burning around an hour ago... and there's doesn't seem to be anyone left. It must've been raiders. We were too late..."
She felt regret deep within. Why would she? Because she arrived too late? But she didn't know if anything could've been changed by her presence.
There was no one alive to be seen. Instead there were numerous lines of footsteps left behind trailing to the back of the fire. There may still be people here. Or the attackers could still be around.
She braced herself to keep moving, following the trails until something prompted her to halt.
"Guardian, wait." Her Ghost warned her, and she knew exactly why.
There are still people here. Eight figures, seven wearing cloaks and body armor, one of them wearing a fur cap, all armed with swords and crossbows.
Instinctively, she dashed to the side and hid behind one of the untouched huts. They didn't seem to have noticed her, for now.
Were they the perpetrators of this? She didn't know their intentions, not yet. And until then, she couldn't risk doing anything.
"They don't seem friendly. Just... don't do anything, for now." Said the Ghost. She didn't disagree.
She continues to watch the hooded figures from afar. They seemed to be arguing about something.
"Hold on, I could hear what they're talking about. It sounds like... they're looking for someone. Maybe survivors?" The Ghost remarked.
"You think they did this?" She queried.
"I'm not sure. But from what they're carrying... I don't think they're capable of doing... all this."
That meant someone else must've caused this tragedy. And she just happened to walk right into a group of strangers who decided to sweep over what remains.
As she pondered about what to do next, a sound caught her attention. It was a scream.
From one of the intact huts, emerged a ninth member of the group, dragging along a child with them. He screamed for help, but no one else answered.
The child was wearing rags and had branching horns, just like hers. There were traces of what looked like black rocks on the side of his face. She witnessed the child being brought to the vicinity of the group. He was pushed around, and at one point even hit by one of them.
His struggling retaliation and their behavior told her enough. They had nothing benevolent in mind for him.
"Oh dear... they're hurting him, and I don't know why." The Ghost added.
Why would these people want to hurt a child? Have they no empathy? Her apparent disgust slowly turned to anger. Without realizing it, her fists were shaking. Her Ghost however, noticed.
"You want to do something, don't you?"
She needs to do something. But there were eight of them, all armed. And she had nothing to defend herself with.
"Are you afraid?" The Ghost asked further.
She didn't answer, but her eyes told the Ghost enough.
"It's alright to be afraid. Fear is a natural thing for all of us.
But there must come a time when we have to overcome that fear, if not for ourselves, than for something greater. A cause worth fighting for. And only a select few worthy of walking down that road. That's why I chose you.
I can't force you to do anything. Even if I could... I won't. Because you're my Guardian. You make your own fate. I'm just here to help you reach it."
It was the most sincere thing she had ever heard from the Ghost. There was nothing she could say to him in return.
There was nothing she needed to say, because she knew he was right. And she believed in him, as he did her.
"I know." She said. She looked back at the child, in need of her aid.
"Would you like me to teach you now?" Asked the Ghost.
She pondered on his question. Does she really have to fight? What if there's a way to resolve this peacefully?
"Maybe... I should try talking to them?" She mused. Violence can't always be the answer, she thought.
Her Ghost turned to meet her eyes. He looked surprised by what she said. As if he was expecting her to act otherwise.
"Are you sure that's the right call? Are you sure they'll be willing to listen?" Ghost questioned.
"I don't know... but I have to try, right?" She convinced herself that it may be the right choice.
Her Ghost was hesitant, but he accepted her plan. "Alright... but be careful. And if anything goes wrong, get back to safety."
As he finished his sentence, the Ghost vanished from her sight. Before she could say something, his voice was heard once again.
"Don't worry, I'm still here. Just making sure they can't see me. They might start asking questions."
She thought to ask him why, but then concluded that a floating one-eyed machine might not be a common sight in this world, and it would raise too many questions.
Knowing her Ghost was still by her side, she took the deepest breath she had ever taken, and walked forward, away from behind cover.
It didn't take long for the armed men to notice her presence.
"HEY! Stay right there!" The one with the fur cap shouted, his crossbow now aimed directly towards her.
The others, no longer paying any attention to the child, began raising their weapons.
She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes darting over each of the hooded figures. What was she to say to them now? Could she get out of this with just words?
"I.. I'm not from around here. Please let the child go. He's with me."
She told them a truth and a lie. She had never known the child beforehand, but maybe they'd be willing to cooperate if she claimed otherwise.
Said child now noticed her presence, though he said nothing. She wasn't sure if he truly didn't recognize her, or if he was simply trying not to attract any attention.
The armed men glanced at one another. One of them called out to her. "Are you infected?"
She blinked, confused. Infected? She had no clue what they meant. Infected with a disease? She certainly didn't feel any sickness so far.
"I.. don't think so?"
Upon answering their question, the hooded men began talking to one another, but she was too far away to hear anything. The child still with them apparently overheard their conversation, as he became wide-eyed.
Soon, they stopped talking, and turned towards her, their weapons now fully raised.
"Come over here! Surrender yourself!" The one wearing a fur cap, possibly the leader of the group, instructed her.
As he finished, two of the hooded men began to restrain the child and drag him away, ignoring his panicked pleas. She saw the event unfold, and tried to reason once more.
"Wait! I don't understand! What do you want with him?"
"Don't play dumb with us! We know you're Infected too! Come with us and we will make it quick!" The leader shouted.
She didn't know how to respond. It was clear they didn't believe her, but she wasn't even sure what they were accusing her of. What does being an "Infected" mean?
"I don't like this. I think they're planning to hurt you and the kid." The Ghost whispered in her ear.
She couldn't back down now. She didn't want the young boy to get hurt for whatever reason. Her fear began to subside.
"Please, just let the kid go! Nobody needs to get hurt!"
The leader became harsher. "Shut the hell up! Don't you dare defy us! You and the boy don't deserve to live on this land!"
Why didn't they deserve to live? What did she or the boy did wrong?
"Why!? Is it because he's Infected? What's wrong with that!?" She yelled out to the men in frustration. Without realising it, her fists were shaking once more.
"If you won't listen to us, then we'll kill you right on the spot!" One of them shouted. All of them were now pointing their weapons toward her.
"Guardian, I don't think they're listening."
She could not understand their animosity. And they refused to let her understand.
"I don't get it! Is he a danger to you!? Why do you want to kill a child!?" Something deep within began channeling through her. Her fists were slightly glowing.
"I warned you!"
"Explain to me why!"
"Alina watch-"
She heard the Ghost calling out to her. She didn't hear him finish.
She felt a pain in her chest. Everything suddenly went silent.
She saw the boy, still being restrained, yelled out to her. She couldn't hear any voice.
She looked down to the source of the pain. Something was sticking out of her chest, where her heart should be. It was a steel bolt.
Her clothes began to change color around where the bolt had struck, from pale white into a deep crimson.
She tried to inhale, but her lungs failed to comply. She tried to let out a voice. Nothing came out.
Her limbs suddenly felt weak. She collapsed into the snow.
It didn't take long for her senses to eventually become numb. Even the cold began to feel like a distant memory. The pain began to grow weaker.
She finally realized it now. She was dying.
This can't be the end.
She didn't want this to end. Not like this.
Please don't let this be the end.
'It can't be-'
Her thoughts went blank.
Everything went black.
...
There was light.
Her eyes were opened. Once again.
The first thing she saw, was a floating one-eyed machine. The Ghost, no longer invisible.
Slowly, her senses returned. And she heard a voice. It was the Ghost's.
"-Guardian! Run!"
Alina didn't know what had happened. Yet her instincts suddenly kicked in.
Faster than she realized, her body shot back up, and began running. Back towards the nearest cover.
She heard shouting from behind. She didn't care, and kept running. Bolts flew over and around her. She kept her pace.
She made it back to one of the huts, and hid behind the wall. She began to recollect the memories of what happened before.
She looked down, on where the pain was. The crossbow bolt was nowhere to be seen. Not a single drop of blood.
But she knew they were there before. She knew what happened.
"I... was dead. Wasn't I?" She said in-between her shaken breaths.
Her Ghost appeared to her side. "I resurrected you, don't worry."
The Ghost resurrected her? Again?
"I died again... and you brought me back?"
"You're a Guardian. As long as we're together, I can bring you back from death, no matter how many times."
Does that mean she could never truly die? Is that a gift? Or a curse?
She gripped her head tightly. Nausea began to cloud her mind. Despite having not eaten anything, somehow she felt the urge to empty her stomach. But she held it in.
"You okay?" The Ghost asked, now slightly panicked.
She took more deep breaths. Eventually she could find strength to stand upright again.
"I'm... fine."
She heard more shouting, and footsteps from behind the corner. They were closing in on her, and now she knew they had no intention of letting her, or the boy live.
The time she dreaded had come. She needs to fight.
The Light, something the Ghost told her about before. He didn't elaborate much further on what it meant, other than she could use it. It was just a matter of how, and when.
There was still fear and doubt in her mind, but this wasn't just about her anymore. Someone needs her help, and the worst thing she could ever do, is to squander this power given to her, by turning back.
And now, more than ever, she'll need the Ghost's guidance.
"Teach me. How do I use the Light?"
The Ghost obliged, without question.
"Alright, close your eyes."
And she did. All she could see is darkness.
"Try to focus on something powerful. Try to visualize it."
She visualized in her head, something powerful. Something that she could use, not simply to fight, but to protect.
And an image formed within her mind. A spark. That spark grew into a flame. And the flame grew brighter.
The footsteps grew closer. It didn't distract her.
"Then, I want you to imagine focusing all that power into your palms. Imagine it as something you can hold onto."
She did as the Ghost instructed, and held out her palm. She could feel the heat spreading to her arm, gathering itself to her fingertips.
Something warm began to grow in her grip. The heat radiates on her skin, but it didn't hurt one bit.
"Can you feel it? Open your eyes."
She did, and in her palm, there was a bright swirling orb of yellow light. A fusion of flaming hot energy, almost like a miniature sun.
"Now, gather all of your strength into it, and throw it towards your enemy."
And she stepped out of the cover, her fear no longer in control
Five of the hooded men pointed their weapons, ready to fire. She reacted first.
She threw her palm outwards, the bright burning energy escaping her grip.
And it latched onto the closest one. An orb of Light burning hotter than the surface of the sun, melted into his face.
Before he could scream, the orb exploded.
Boom
Three others were caught in the blast. They howled in pain, the Solar energy burning through their clothes, and their skin. The fifth one furthest from the others remained unharmed, and he staggered backwards in shock.
"She's a damn Arts caster!" He yelled out, as he began running back.
She paid no mind to the yell. Instead, she stood still, unwavering. Not out of bravery, but dumbstruck. She acknowledged what she had just done.
She had just killed four people. Using the Light.
Before she could contemplate any further, her Ghost screamed in her ear.
"Guardian, look out!"
The rest of the group drew their weapons, and began firing. She managed to avoid the flying bolts, and dashed back behind the same wall as before.
She held out her palm again, trying to call on the Light. But she found herself struggling to do so.
"Why can't I do this!?" She exclaimed, frustrated.
"You're not used to this yet! You need time to be able to focus the Light again." The Ghost whom had reappeared, gave her an answer she wasn't hoping to hear.
"I don't have time!" She shouted back. But the Ghost didn't say anything else.
She slowly peeked around the corner, and saw the leader hastily grabbing the Infected child. He drew his sword and pointed it at his throat.
"Come out now or we'll kill the boy! And don't try anything stupid!"
'Damn it!'
They had left her no choice. If she wouldn't come out, the boy would die in her place. And unlike her, he may not get a second chance.
"Alina... we'll get out of this. I promise." Her Ghost promised her, before disappearing again.
She braced herself once more, and stepped out into plain view, her arms raised up.
The remaining five kept their weapons raised, and ready to fire. The time for reasoning was over long ago. They all knew that.
She knew they would try to kill her again. But she didn't care anymore. She can't let anything happen to the boy. It wouldn't be fair.
The leader shouted once more to the others.
"Kill her again! And aim for the head this time!"
She took another deep breath, as deep as she could, bracing another inevitable end. She tried once again desperately to call forth the Light, feeling traces of its energy racing to her fingertips.
Bang
She heard a loud explosion. But not from her. Not from the armed men. But from a far distance away, to her left.
The leader of the group had dropped to the snowy ground, his head covered with blood.
The other four turned to the source of the loud bang, horrified. They didn't get a chance to fire their weapons again.
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
Four more explosions in rapid succession. Four more bodies hitting the ground. They've all died to an unseen force.
She stared at the dead men, awestruck. Eventually, her mind finally caught up, and she turned to the source.
Contrasting over the white background, there was a silhouette.
It slowly walked towards her, and she began to make out the details.
He was tall, shrouded in a thick blue hooded robe over a green one, with thick fur shoulder pads on each side, and a steel mask covering the lower half of his face. In his right grip, a steel weapon with a smoking end.
This masked man had saved her from another demise. She didn't know why. Nor did she know how he had found her. Or what that weapon in his grip was. Or anything else.
So many more questions, she wanted to ask.
He pulled his mask down, revealing an aged face and a full beard. His pale blue eyes met with hers.
With a faint smile, he spoke.
"How you livin', sister?"
Episode 0: Lost Light
0-1
A/N: So you may be wondering why I wrote this. Well, the simple answer is, I like Destiny. And I like Arknights. The lore, that is.
Another reason is because I was partly inspired by another fanfic that is also an Arknights x Destiny crossover, that is unfortunately no longer updated for reasons unknown. So to satisfy my own craving, I decided to write my own, albeit with my own twist.
(English is not my first language, so I apologize for any errors.)
I don't know when I'll come back to this. But I've got enough ideas to continue. Just depends on whether I've got the time to write it all, fingers crossed.