Fuyuki City, Japan

2014

The group walked along the burning road, with Olga leading the way and the twins and Mash a bit behind. Ari stood farther back with Ghost hovering above her shoulder. Their mind was slowly filled with new knowledge of this world. She now knew of a few heroes such as Jeanne d'Arc the Saint. However, with each burst of information, she felt the worst migraine. Ari let out a long sigh watching the group march ahead of her.

"This feels weird," Ari admitted to Ghost, her emerald eyes looking to the side. She crossed her arms, unsure what to say next.

Ghost turned to her, still hovering beside her. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, it feels weird without the rest of the fire team. Usually, by now Wolf and E would be putting on some friendly competition, and they're probably out there doing that, finishing off the Witness while I'm somewhere else unable to help them," Ari ranted to her flying companion.

"At least we are helping someone, it seems they just had their Collapse, so they need our help too. You know E and Wolf can handle themselves, especially with the Vanguard watching them after the last time you left," Ghost said with a little laugh. Ari's expression didn't change much causing Ghost to sigh. "Let's just do what we do best, for now, deal Guardian?"

"Fine, it will be nice to have some alone time, right," Ari smiled summoning her glaive. "Ghost, when was the last time you had to revive me before today?"

"Back during your fight with Savathun, just after you and the rest of our fireteam entered her Throne World, why?" Ghost asked the blonde Warlock.

"Then we might have an actual challenge on our hands," Ari said with a small smirk, which warmed Ghost to his core.

The two walked on, listening to the crackling of the fire. "Ghost, can I switch to Nova Bomb?" Ari asked.

"Not yet, not until we have better support for our master and their allies," Ghost answered bluntly.

Ari snapped her fingers in defeat, before laughing to herself. She looked up to the sky with a smile. She gripped her glaive, placing it on her back.

Mash walked beside Ritsuka and Gudako. Her eyes were filled with mixed emotions: fear and determination. She looked at the twins, who walked right in front of her, causing her to get this protective feeling around them. She looked at Gudako who seemed rather happy, though there was a tinge of nervousness in her eye.

"Senpai are you ok," Mash asked the redhead.

Gudako turned to the pink-haired girl with a small smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Well you seem somewhat nervous," Mash responded in a shy tone.

"Of course, I am, the fate of the world is on our shoulders, though it also makes me feel like a superhero fighting against the odds," Gudako explains, punching the air toward the end of her statement. "At least I am handling it better than my brother."

Ritsuka gave Gudako a small glare, before rolling his eyes with a laugh. The fire crackled around them, which gave the twins a small sense of comfort. It reminded them of the fireplace their grandfather had at his place, though if they failed they most likely would never see it again.

"That is a matter of perspective," Ritsuka said waving his sister off.

"From my perspective, I'm handling it better," Gudako said crossing her arms.

Ritsuka chuckled while Mash as a raised eyebrow on her face. Mash opened her mouth for a split second to talk, before deciding against it.

"Anyway, how are you holding up, Mash?" Ritsuka asked the shield wielder.

"I'm doing well Senpai, though nervous like everyone else," Mash confessed to the young Master.

"That's good, wait how old are you?" Ritsuka asked.

"That's rude bro," Gudako snapped, "you never ask a lady their age."

"I'm only asking because she keeps calling us Senpai," Ritsuka explained.

"Do you not like it, I can call you something else," Mash responded in a very polite tone.

"No, it's fine, I'm just curious is all," Ritsuak admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm 18," Mash answered.

"Yes, I'm older than her," Gudako cheered.

Ritsuka nodded letting a small chuckle lose. He glanced over at Ari walking behind them. Ari seemed nice though from what he was told about Servants during the walk he thought they were meant to be like knights or pirates; which aren't heroes but that wasn't the point.

"So does anyone know who Ari is meant to be?" Ritsuka asked the two.

Gudako merely shrugged while Mash opened her mouth to speak. "I don't know, from what I know she doesn't match anyone in human history, the closest I can think of is Jeanne d'Arc."

"Which is..." Ritsuka asked beginning to trail off.

"I know, she was a famous French hero during the 100-year War, though I swore she had at least brown hair and didn't have a cute drone thingy," Gudako explained excitedly.

Mash merely shrugged, when Ghost speaking caught their attention

"Did you hear that, she called me cut," Ghost chirped.

"Please don't give him an ego," Ari called out to them.

Ritsuka and Gudako chuckled a bit before turning back to the road. The three of them walked with Ari and Ghost catching up, though all of them were still a bit behind Olga. Ghost flew up a bit higher to see the ocean or at least the bay ahead of them.

"We are heading to a body of water; please do not jump into it this time, you know you can't swim," Ghost warned the Warlock, who in turn rolled her eyes.

"That was one time, and it was because I miscalculated a jump," Ari said in a very defensive tone.

The twins turned their heads at the Guardian, then back at each other. "You can't swim?" Ritsuka asked.

"If you count walking through the depts of Titan then yes," Ari responded receiving a look from Ghost.

"No, that doesn't count, nor is that water," Ghost corrected.

Ari hung her head in defeat, not noticing the group stopped. She bumped into Olga, who swiftly turned around to face the blonde Guardian. Ari looked up and gulped. The burning city now mostly lay behind them, with a railing along the side in front of them leading to the water. Around them on the floor, a bit on the railing, and the crumbling walls were these black and white spots, almost like tears in the fabric of reality. Olga glared at Ari, as the Servant gulped.

"Watch where you are going!" Olga shouted, beginning to chew the blonde out.

Ritsuka leaned over to Ghost with a raised eyebrow. Ghost watched Olga's verbal assault on Ari, thinking he was going to have to revive her again.

"What Titan did you two mean," Ritsuka asked referring to their conversation.

Ghost was slightly surprised at first, turning his single-eyed orb of a body toward his master. "The moon of Saturn of course."

"You can't be serious," Ritsuka muttered not believing Ghost, which only nodded.

Gudako shoved Ritsuka out of the way with stars in her eyes. Ritsuka yelped falling on his bottom. "You've been to space, that's so cool!"

Olga raved on about how a Servant should pay attention, while Gudako began to exclaim how much she would love to see the stars up close. Both girls failed to notice the thing they were talking to left. Ghost and Ari left them as those tears caught their eye. They were familiar, far too familiar. Ritsuka and Mash's eyes followed them before landing on that tear as well. Soon Olga noticed Ari left her, her head turning to see the Guardian investigating something.

"Hey, pay attention to me when-," the director cut herself off upon seeing the anomaly. "Roman, what is that?"

The hologram of Roman appeared, quickly hiding a donut from the director. "What is it?" the doctor asked curiously.

"I was hoping you knew, or at least can find something in the database," Olga sighed.

Ritsuka noticed Ghost shooting small beams of light at the tear, earning his interest. "What is he doing?" the boy asked.

"He is scanning it," Ari explained, "though you should probably prepare to be attacked, because usually when he finishes we get ambushed, invaded, or killed."

Ritsuka nodded before his mind got stuck on the word "killed". "What do you mean 'killed', was that how you died," Ritsuka asked even more curious.

"That was one of the many ways I died, though this little buddy always revived me," Ari smiled gesturing to Ghost. "I swore I told you that before."

"I thought that was a joke," Ritsuka admitted, "though after I heard you went into space, and saw that alien, I should probably start believing in more stuff like that." Ritsuka chuckled causing the Warlock to giggle.

"I am serious about preparing for battle, if you must know," Ari said grabbing her glaive from her back.

Mash looked at the guardian who responded with a determined smile. For some reason, Mash felt a strange sense of validation though she did nothing. Mash readied her shield as the Guardian recommended.

Roman looked at Ari with a curious look before back at Olga. "Have you identified who Ari is?" the director asked.

"No, I can find no legend related to or sounding similar to what we know about Ari so far," Roman admitted rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, I also found nothing related to that tear, but it could be unique to this singularity."

Ghost finished scanning it, letting out a sigh. He turned to the rest of the group. "It's as I suspected, it Taken energy," Ghost said with fear in his voice.

"So someone stole energy?" Gudako guessed though Ghost shook his "head".

"Sorta, it's difficult to explain exactly," Ghost admitted.

Olga was rubbing her temples as Ari waited calmly, expecting something to appear. Nothing did for, causing Ari to let out a small sigh.

"The curse has been broken," she noted to Ghost.

Then they heard the sound of raging flame so close in front of them. Ari looked at them almost on cue Taken fire converged, forming a humanoid figure wielding a spear-like weapon. Their hair was meant to be moved like a mix between a snake and a flickering flame, its limps faded from a pitch-black color to a pure white, as its singular white eye glared at them.

"Oh come on," Ari exclaimed.

"That is a Taken, though I am unsure what species," Ghost noted.

Mash and Ari ran in front of the group readying their weapons, with Ghost disappearing soon after. The Taken figure twitched as if it was possessed before purple orbs sprang from its hair, and like snakes, it began to slither across its body.

"This one feels quite strong, though I most likely handled worst" Ari noted, receiving a nod from Mash, who seemingly did it on instinct.

"Senpais, get behind us!" the Demi-servants order.

Roman gained a shocked expression as he stared at the Taken figure. "It had the same reading as a servant, I recommend you two be careful."

Gudako and Ritsuka stood firm, shaking slightly as Olga stepped directly in front of the two. The tension grew as everyone waited to see who would attack first.

A/N: Finally on time for once. I have no non-spoiler questions, though I will explain how things work as they come up like Ari's power level, Ghost revives, and the Vex.