A/N: After 14 years of loyal service, my laptop finally died beyond repair. Taking with it all of my pictures, memes, edits and even four chapters of Osiris and the Warmind, and a partial chapter of New Villain in Town. Luckily, I managed to recreate one chapter of Osiris and the Warmind. Took me two days to recreate it. New rule for me: finish a chapter, post it immediately. Now, onto the story!
Unknown Location
Infinite Forest, Mercury
Ren walked besides the Vex Mind calling itself Cassandra that took the form of his long deceased mother, Ann Ren. Following it into the portal, he found himself in a large corridor lined with Vex Goblins at attention. Seeing them not hostile, he kept his weapon at his side as he walked alongside Cassandra. "I thought that all Vex under the designation of Oracle were basically code without form." Recalling some of the lessons that Guardian Byf gave him and the rest of Beacon on Vex units. Not to mention that all the Vex cared about were themselves and converting all existence into zeros and ones, why go to all this trouble for me? Keeping me in a Simulation of my parents living when they should have died?"
"True, but Panoptes needed one that can be more formal in the sense, and I was chosen amongst numerous other units. On occasionally we do gather some living entities and put them in a simulation to see how they handle it. Yours was one of the very few data packets we received from our Vex Collectives sent to Remnant long ago. The destruction of Kuro Yuri, your parents. One of a thousand things we received before Guardian Summer Rose ruined everything." It said that last part with venom. Turns out, there are some things that cold-hearted machines hate, Summer Rose being one of them.
"But in the case of you, there are two reasons, the first is that we have created several scenarios of this conversation we are about to have, you prove to be the most logical of Team JNPR, so naturally, you are alive. In all of existence you are safe as safe can be."
"And the second?"
She turned to him, a stony look on its face, his mother's face. "Certain entities require us to parley with you."
They stepped through another portal and Ren found himself in a large chamber dominated by a large globe. The globe was at least a story tall and wide, surrounded by Vax. Some were Goblins and Harpys. The rest were Minotaurs or Hydras plugged into it via a ring of bronze below said globe. Even from here, Ren could feel the enrgy within and recognized it.
"That's…the Light?!"
"Indeed Ren. For a long time, we Vex knew about the Red Legion coming to the Sol system, attacking the Last City, attempting to take what you call the Light from the entity calling itself the Traveler. And we knew he would fail in doing so. The Traveler awakening, letting out a pulse of Light that spreads throughout the system and beyond. And we planned for it. Constructing this machine, when the Light bathes mercury, some of the Light will spill into the Infinite Forest where we will collect it then study it. But we didn't know when it would happen, so we kept it hidden even from Osiris, and when the event occurred, we were prepared. And in doing so, we learned how to see it and infuse it into some of our Vex units. The results varied based on how much in each unit. It's only a matter of time till we have the correct balance."
Ren stood with his mouth open seeing the Vex long term planning. They knew that the Red War would happen with the Cabal losing and they planned for it. Seeing the Vex hooked up to it, he knows that it's a matter of time before they find the correct combination. He and his team along with Lux Syphoid fought a few of these Light-Infused vex and they were no push overs. Given time, they will have a Vex unit that can go toe to toe with guardians. And if that happens, they can accurately predict how Guardians react, make simulation, perhaps even find a way to mimic how Ghosts resurrect Guardians and do it for themselves. All because of this globe of trapped Light.
A vex Harpy approached them and said something in the form of beeps and dings. Cassandra was the only one who understood it and sighed in frustration. "Stupid cabal…initiate an Infinity Loop on the group. The second they all die, send them back to the very second they step through the doorway." She turned back to Ren. "Apologies, we will have to move things up the time table."
"Something happen?" He said picking on his sleeve.
"A group of Cabal Red Legion led by Valus Thuun, an idiot and obsessed fan of the Dominus, has entered the Infinite Forest. We're just giving him what they deserve." She said stepping past him towards another Vex gate, never noticing that Ren ripped a bit of his sleeve off, infused it with a bit of his Aura and dropped it on the floor.
If Nora and the rest are tracking me, they can find my aura on my ripped clothing and find the globe of trapped Light and deal with that. He thought to himself as he continued to follow the Vex Mind.
"What do you want to show me?" He asked walking side by side with it. It looked at him like his mother would look at him when explaining something to a child. "A simulated future that just came about. Recent events have resulted in this created by the Disciple."
That name made him shiver involuntary. "The Disciple. Who's that?"
"We will not speak its name out of fear and respect for it. But as the Guardians are to the Light, It is to the Darkness." She said before gripping him by the shoulder and shoving him in.
00000
He found himself floating in a void. A place of pure blackness where he was the only thing there.
No.
There was something else in the blackness with him.
He looked around trying to find the source of it. His eyes took time to adjust to the blackness, but he found it eventually.
A black monolith, blacker than the void. It sort of looks like a pyramid. As he gazed at the structure, he could feel something inside of it gazing back. Watching him.
00000
He found himself back in the room, the large globe of captured Light above him, Cassandra looking down at him. He was catching his breath after seeing the thing. "What was that?!" He asked the Vex Mind. He faced Grimm, Cabal Red Legion, Vex, and Nora when the store ran out of pancakes for a week. That last bit was horrifying. What he saw just now, that was something else.
"That Ren is the future that the Disciple desires. A future where Darkness prevails and the Light extinguished. What a rogue Vex Collective worship and will bring to being: The Final Shape." That last sentence sent a shiver down his spine. It got down on one knee and looked him in the eye. "But it doesn't have to be. I spoke with the Infinite Mind and I'm authorized to give you an offer: tell your friends to stand down, cease this mission to stop Panoptes. Let it continue its work uninterrupted. Let us win. And we will allow a small population of humans to live here, in the Infinite Forest." It spread its arms around itself. "We will allow you to live in any scenario. A remnant without Grimm? Done. One where you and Nora can live together, surrounded by black-haired or redheaded children alongside whatever an Arkos is? It will be done. Our plans are the best option you have. The other, well, you've seen the result. So what will it be?"
Ren took several breaths as it measured the words that the Vex mind just said. That dark future is what awaited them if they succeed in defeating Panoptes and its plans. And the offer that the Vex gave him. To stop and convince his team and the Guardians to stand down. Not to mention that the vex are aware of his feeling between himself and Nora, and their support between Jaune and Pyrrha. He had his answer,
Up from his sleeve he pulled out Storm Flower and with reluctance shot the vex Mind that wore the face of his mother.
Several bullets impacted its face and it fell back several steps as it clutched the ruin of its face. After the last bullet left the chamber and his weapon went click signaling that it was out of ammo, Cassandra looked at Ren, its face instead of that of his mother, was now a series of zeros and ones.
"Was that really necessary? I really enjoyed this look."
"You're wearing the body of my dead mother; be thankful I just shot your face. I would have been a lot worse for you if Nora was here. As to your offer; just lay down and watch the universe converted to your liking and live in a zoo in some simulation? No, whatever future this Disciple has in store for us, we will deal with it."
Cassandra shrugged it shoulders, then quickly reached out so her hand now enclosed around his neck. The body shimmered and the body of An Ren vanished replaced with the large body of a Vex Harpy, one of its tentacles around his neck. This was the true form of Cassandra Oracle Mind.
"Every simulation we ran had you agreeing with us. Looks like we have to recalibrate it. Maybe sometime reliving your worst memory will let you appreciate our offer more." It said in a mechanical voice as it opened a Vex Gate below and dropped him into it, closing right after.
00000
He heard the cries of the people around him as his village burned. Destruction all around him. In the flames before him, the silhouette of the Nucklevee Grimm, the one responsible for the destruction approach. This time it would be different; it has to be!
He readied his weapons as he ran to it, firing at its legs. It reared up before charging him. He ducked as its elastic arms took a swipe at him. He ducked and weaved as if from memory.
He's repeated this fight over a dozen times already, so it was indeed from memory. This time, it has to work.
It has to.