A full year has passed and I'm still no closer to the answers I'm looking for. I've asked my ghost for help countless times and he refuses. I know he can hack into the guardian's communication network, I've been hoping that listening in on them would give me some insight. He stopped doing that months ago, says he'd rather distance himself from the 'Lightmongers' as much as possible. Part of me thinks he's doing it out of spite because I won't do what he wants.

. . .

I overheard some guardians today. They called this place the 'European Dead Zone'. I can see why. Ruins of old towns poke out amidst the dense forests. This makes it easier for me to hide; they're still hunting me.

I'm still searching for Hive. No luck. Though, I came across a band of small, four-armed creatures with glowing blue eyes. I tried asking them, but they attacked me, forcing me to defend myself. They're ashes now…why does every living being I encounter want to kill me?

. . .

Something weird happened today. I was on the path when my ghost told me to look at the sky. For once, I listen to him. Out in the distance I see a massive orb of white ascending upward.

"The Traveler…it's leaving." He comments.

"The Traveler?"

"Yes. The one that created me and the other ghosts…the one who blessed you with the Light."

"Where is it going?"

"I…I don't know. It's been here for as long as I can remember," he says. He sounds almost sad.

"Is the Traveler a god?"

"Some say it is."

I watch as my 'god' ascends higher into the sky. Then suddenly multiple bright lights illuminate around it. I look away, for fear of being blinded.

And then…nothing. The Traveler is still suspended in the sky. An eerie silence permeates the atmosphere.

"I think we should keep moving," I mumble.

My ghost lingers, staring at his creator for a few more seconds before quickly floating back to my side.

. . .

For a while now, I've been feeling these weird pulses of Light. Every time I do, a soft glow shines throughout the night sky. My Light resonates throughout my body. Its…soothing. I've always wondered where it originated from, and I think I know where.

I came across an abandoned settlement close to a lake. I could see a massive city across the way. Something tells me it would be a good idea to avoid that place for now. But that's something to look into later, in the meantime, there's a large open field behind the settlement and out in the distance, I could see storm clouds that appear to be unnaturally fixated on one part of the mountain range. Perhaps I can look there. Could there be a connection between that shard and my powers? Maybe the Traveler is somehow involved…

. . .

A couple hours into my trek, I stumbled across what appeared to be a scouting party of interesting looking creatures. I hid behind a brick wall to get a better look at them. They were a bit shorter than me, but they had dark colored chitinous armor covered in spikes and had three glowing green eyes. Strange, why do they look familiar?

. . .

I follow the three creatures deep into the woods, only to come to a clearing with architecture that clearly didn't belong here. Sharp spires and platforms made out of the whitest stone jutted out from the otherwise rusty, crumbling buildings. Strange crimson grass and flowers cover the normal vegetation.

"It's them." My ghost whispers.

"Them?"

"Yeah, the Lucent Brood."

There's that name again. "The Lucent Brood…what are they?"

My ghost hesitates before answering. "Like you, they're a sect of Hive that are able to harness the power of the Light, unlike most other members of the Hive. Those beings over there are called 'Acolytes'."

"Think I can ask them for help?"

Again, my ghost hesitates before answering me. "There's no harm in it. You belong to the same sect anyway."

With my mind made up, I emerge from the bushes and approach the group. They immediately take notice of me, and thankfully, don't draw their weapons.

"Hello," I greet.

I get no answer. Instead, I get three unnerving stares, as if greeting them was taboo.

"Follow," they all say in unison.

Weird, but at this point, I'm desperate for information. I follow them without a second thought.

. . .

So, this is what has been resonating with my Light. A large white shard sticks up from a small lake of glowing water. The shard itself seemed to have an ethereal glow amidst the dark forest. Standing in front is what I would assume to be another 'Hive'. This one is different from the Acolytes I've been following. For one, he's much larger in stature and covered in heavier, chitinous armor, similar to myself. He also exudes purple energy, another version of the Light, Void if my memory is right. He turned to look at us, and his eyes seemed to widen at my presence.

"You? You've been resurrected?" The question was directed more to himself than to me.

I give him a quizzical look. "You know me?"

"Yes, this is good." He said to himself. "With you in our ranks, the war against the guardians will be much easier."

"What are you talking about?"

He shook his head, brushing off my question. "Don't mind me. Everything will make sense once we get you to Savathûn."

"Who's Savathûn?"

"The Witch Queen." One of the acolytes next to me answers. "She's the leader of our brood and, most importantly, our god."

"You will be reunited with your brothers and sisters," the lightbearer reassures me. "You're coming home."

I should be happy. Happy that I'll finally have my questions answered. For the past year I've been wandering aimlessly, searching for any kind of answer. Now, I'm presented with the opportunity to learn everything.

But they're a bit too eager to get me 'home'. Not to mention that the large one seems to know who I am. He speaks as if I had a reputation…who was I before I died?

They're hiding something, I'm sure of it. Something darker. Insidious even. For as long as I've been alive, following my instincts has allowed me to survive. That feeling in my gut, that voice in the back of my mind, it has never let me down and right now, it's screaming at me that this is a bad idea… I've made my choice.

"No, I'm not going with you." I say, crossing my arms. A habit I picked up from observing the guardians.

"Excuse you?"

"I'm not going with you," I say again. "There's something you're not telling me. I would be an idiot to blindly follow you."

"You would be wise to come with us." He growled. "Even a knight with your former reputation could not take on multiple lightbearers.

"No". I say again. "First my ghost and now you. I'm tired of being told what to do and how to think. I'm sure this 'Witch Queen' is no different. I'm looking for answers, sure. But at the cost of my free thought? I'd rather die.

The knight in front of me fell silent, an inscrutable look on his face. He seemed…disappointed.

"Is that really what you wish?" He finally asked after a few seconds.

"Yes."

He turned around to gaze up at the white shard.

"Then so be it." He quickly turned around and fired off his massive cannon of a gun.

I reflexively grab the two acolytes to my side and force them in front of me. The blast reduced them to ash and chitin. He fires off another shot. I side-step the blast, form a flaming bone hammer in my hand and throw it at him, the impact cracking his helm.

I take my chance and charge him, ramming him into the white shard, his cannon skidding away. He struggles as I pin him with my forearm at his throat. Summoning another hammer into my hand, I strike his face repeatedly, the horns and faceguard breaking off in the process. After my fifth strike he manages to catch my hand and headbutts me in the face, forcing me to release him as I recover.

"I can see your brutality has not waned." He comments before he summons two bone-like shields bathed in a purple glow, hurling one of them at me.

I recognized the technique he's using. 'Sentinel shield' as the guardians call it.

In response, I throw my hammer at the shield, the two weapons ricochet off each other and embed themselves into the floor.

He charges me with his other shield. I summon another hammer, but I have no time to throw it as I barely doge the spiked edge of the shield. Taking advantage of this opening, I quickly swing my hammer at his chest. The force of the blow not only knocks him back but also shatters his armor and lodges the hammer in his chest cavity. He tries to remove the weapon, dropping his shield in the process.

Taking advantage of his distraction, I summon another weapon. This time, a giant flaming battle axe. Just as he finally removes the offending object from his chest, he looks up just in time as I swing my weapon in a wide, horizontal arc. As the two halves of his body topple to the floor, he looks at me in silent agony, the green glow of his eyes eventually fading away.

I have no words for him. I release a breath I didn't know I was holding and drop the axe, the weapon disintegrating before it hits the floor.

Even members of this 'Lucent Brood' are untrustworthy. If solitude is the price I have to pay to find answers, then so be it. Perhaps it's fate, if my reputation was as infamous as that knight implied then maybe this is what I deserve.

As I turn to leave, I can't help but look back at the Shard. The white color was still pristine like I hadn't rammed someone's skull against it a few minutes ago. The soft, ethereal glow seemed to pulse around it, as if it was bidding me farewell. With a slight nod, I turn to take my leave.

There is a noise, a familiar one behind me. I've heard it countless times. Only when I resurrect. I look back and see a ghost, just like mine. It hovers above the bisected body. My own ghost screams at me but I can't hear him. I reach inward and pull at the Solar Light within me. Before I finish forming a hammer, a longsword falls from the sky and impales the ghost right through its eye.

I look up and see a creature cloaked in wings of fire descend before stopping in front of the body, the wings of what I assume to be Solar Light dissipate, leaving what appears to be another member of the Lucent Brood. Odd, I've never encountered a being like this before, which is all the more reason for me to be on guard.

"Relax," a feminine voice says as she turns to look at me. "I'm not one of them."

"I doubt that." I replied, my grip on my hammer tightening as I cautiously approach.

"Of course you do. I used to be the same way."

She seemed to sense the confusion in me and answers before I could speak.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions but for now I'll start with who I am. My name Ezo'Tah and like you I am- was a member of the Lucent Brood. We…I've been following you for quite some time. You're the only other one I've seen who's not indoctrinated."

I blink in surprise. How long has she been following me? I guess my spatial awareness is not as great as I thought.

"You know that still doesn't make me trust you. Following me for that long is kind of weird."

She looks away, as if she's embarrassed. "I know, I apologize. But allow me to make it up to you. I can travel alongside you, give you as many answers as I can. No hidden motives, no alternative agenda. What do you say?"

Author's Note

Sorry for the long update. I'm in the middle of my clinical rotations so it's been harder for me to find time to write and edit. I do have a list of future chapters I have in the works, I just need to find the time to get to them. Thanks for reading!