The two huntsmen in training and their Guardian stood in front of the Infinite Forest gateway. Taking one last look at the surroundings that was Mercurys past, they stepped through. They soon found themselves back in that white void that led them to the past in the first place. However, this one was different. Instead of a large pool of Radiolaria in the center and numerous pathways, there was only one pathway. And that pathway was blocked by numerous lasers. Some were high enough for them to walk under, while others they had to duck. And two very annoying ones that spun in front of the pathway.
Dodging through them, they managed to make through the doorway. Only to find themselves in another location identical to the one they left. But with numerous pathways before them with even more spinning lasers.
"Any chance you can use your gun to determine the right pathway?" Jaune asked.
Lux brought out her hand cannon, Jack King Queen 3, and peered down the sights, looking down each pathway. Each pathway, save for one was bathed in a hazy-red mist. She theorized that they led to somewhere else that they didn't want. The one that was bare was the third from their right. She pointed to that one and they proceeded, dodging the lasers.
Her choice proved invaluable since they found themselves in a Simulation of mercury's Future. The one they saw before Panoptes sent them away.
Seeing a small tree that was lush and green, they knew it was a conflux and went to investigate it. Lux's Ghost scanned it. "Good news, we are not in the future, but in a simulation. One I can re-calibrate to open a doorway back into the main hub of the Infinite Forest and out into the real world."
Their celebratory mood was cut short by a shotgun blast and a Vex Goblin falling from up above. Seeing the raining Vex parts, they went up the pathway and froze in place at what they were seeing.
It was Saint-14, his chest and joints filled with more lavender and purple accolades shooting more Vex and, in some instances, headbutting them. The latter he did to a large Minotaur bathed in arc energy, which broke apart.
Sensing the group behind him, Saint-14 turned to them.
"Welcome, my friends! It has been centuries since we last saw each other." The group approached. "I was about to send my Ghost away. These vex are doing something with my Light, but with all of you here, we can…" He was interrupted when chains of Arc energy shackled around his arms and legs and dragged him to a Vex pillar. A cage of Vex data surrounded him.
Manifesting before the group of four, was a gigantic Vex Hobgoblin. Lux's Ghost soon got a name from this one; Agioktis Martyr Mind.
The group prepared their weapons to fight. Unfortunately, one of their number was already taken out so to speak.
Another set of Arc chains appeared around Pyrrha's waist and she was soon teleported right besides Saint-14.
"Pyrrha!" "Jaune!" Pyrrha and Jaune shouted at one another. However, their shouts at one another were soon drowned out by the Martyr Mind soon fired at the group, scattering them. Lux went one way, while Jaune went another.
"I'll handle the big one! You try and free Saint and Pyrrha!" Lux shouted as she materialized a Scout Rifle and shot at the gigantic Vex mind keeping it distracted.
Jaune ran to the pillar, seeing Saint-14 and Pyrrha bound within. Jaune slammed his fist against it hoping to break it, but it was in vain. Jaune turned behind him and saw several Vex Goblins of the Descendant variants marches towards them. Jaune brought up his shield to cover the blasts. Jaune was soon pushed back towards the pillar due to the number of blasts fired upon him. He placed a hand on the pillar to steady him as he was soon immobile.
As Jaune stood there, shielding himself and possibly the ones trapped within the pillar, he grew angry. Mostly at the vex around him, but at himself. He wanted to do something, anything to help. His partners were either trapped, missing or using temporary space-magic. And here he was, with a shield and sword!
So angry at the situation he was in, he didn't notice his arm bathed in white light and seep into the cage. Right into Pyrrha!
Her eyes soon shown bright white and on instinct, reached out her arm towards the Vex.
The Vex units shook in their casings and were soon propelled forward towards the pillar. Jaune ducked as they slammed into the pillar and fell to pieces.
"What was that!?" Pyrrha asked. Saint-14's Ghost, Gepetto manifested by her Guardian and replied.
"I detected a weird signature coming from Jaune here, it went into Pyrrha and whatever power it was, went into overdrive." She turned to Jaune. "Think you can do that again?"
As they tried to recreate what Jaune did, Lux was having trouble with the Vex Mind. Apparently, this particular Mind was one of those infused with Light and was using them to full advantage. It tossed a Void bomb at Lux, trying to suck her in and atomize her, but failed. It tried to zip towards her at faster than the speed of Light, leaving a trail of Solar energy to scorch the ground. Lux barely avoided getting her feet burned when she touched down and the soles of her boots melted.
"Bitch, I liked these boots!" She shouted at the Vex Mind as she summoned a Nova Bomb that impacted the Vex Minds head, but it continued forward, using every available attack in its repertoire.
"I knew that the Vex Mind was making my Light weaker, but how is it utilizing it?" Saint-14 asked observing the battle between the Warlock and the Vex Mind.
"We've encountered a few vex imbued with Light recently. Possibly trying to replicating it so they can destroy it. This one must be another variant of those Vex." Jaune explained, finally figuring out how he did what he did to Pyrrha. Turned out, it was his Semblance which was some sort of Amplifier for Aura and by extension, Semblances. Right now, he was channeling it into both Pyrrha and Saint-14 to see if they can break out of their prison from the inside.
"Vex unit…imbued with Light? USING…THE LIGHT!"
Rage that Saint-14 hadn't used since he head-butted a Kell of House Devils overtook him and he soon found strength to break out of his prison with a yell. He soon channeled Arc energy into his body and charged at the Vex Mind.
Lux was incapacitated when the Vex Mind shocked her with some Arc energy channeled through its tail when it grabbed her. She was soon on the ground when Saint-14 shouted and broke out of his prison. Agioktis turned to the source of the shout. Already damaged a bit by Lux's attacks, it was not prepared for the enraged Titan.
There, the two members of Team JNPR and Lux Syphoid of Fireteam Nero saw firsthand why Saint-14 is considered the greatest Titan that ever lived.
Saint-14 charged into his legs, knocking the Vex Mind over onto the ground with a crash. He then grabbed a leg and gripped it tight. Using the Arc energy from his Super to give him increased strength, he swung the Vex Mind over his head and slammed it into the ground, shaking the ground. Bits of the Vex Mind broke off of the whole, but Saint-14 continued to swing it over his head and even around him, slamming into the rock and making bits of the landscape glitch. Satisfied that it was bruised enough, Saint-14 went to an arm. The Vex Mind recovered at the moment that the Titan ripped its arm out of it socket, bits of Radiolaria fluid leaking from the wound. It then proceeded to beat it with its own arm.
If Nora was here, she would be shouting, "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!" Jaune thought to himself as he got Pyrrha up of the ground, helping her stand.
Several dozen slams of its severed arm into its body soon reduced said arm into scrap, resorting to Saint-14 using his own fists instead. Jumping on top of its body, it punched its body repeatedly. Again, and again the slams echoed throughout the space, resulting in the vex Mind screaming. Soon those screams were silent as the body of the Martyr mind was soon unrecognizable. His rage finally spent, he removed himself from the gaping cavity of what was once the main body of the vex Mind, Saint-14 got out and approached the downed, Lux Syphoid, offering a hand to help her up. She grabbed it and was helped up by the Titan. "Apologies for that outburst. To see something as sacred as our Light being even remotely utilized by the Vex...It got me so angry." "No, no, totally justified. Helped us out really good." Lux quickly countered seeing the legendary strength.
"Perhaps, we can leave now?"
"Gladly."
00000
"After leaving that Simulation, we found ourselves in the central area of the Infinite Forest and we exited it." Saint-14 concluded their tale. "Yeah, right into the waiting fist of Nora's punch to the face." Jaune finished, Pyrrha placing a newly cooled ice-pack on his face. Even though his Aura managed to heal the majority of the damage, Nora's punch still hurt like hell. "Sorry fearless leader!" Nora apologized again.
Currently, the group of five were in an unused room in the Lighthouse regaling them the story of them being separate and reuniting with Nora. Outside, numerous members of the Cult were hard at work going through documents, both digital and physical to lend them assistance. Others were close, dictating their words to ponder, discuss and analyze.
"This doesn't make any sense." Sagira said to herself with a far away look in her optic.
"What? That we went through time, traveled to the distant past, met Saint here, went back in time again and prevented his death and brought him to the present?" Lux asked. "Seems like a normal Vex-themed day for me and my Fireteam."
Sagira shook her shell in the way that a human would shake their head in the negative. "No, all that makes perfect sense. What I mean that it should be impossible for the three of you to do it when Osiris couldn't." She turned to Jaune, Pyrrha and Lux.
"The location that you three traversed is called the Corridors of Time. Think of it as the outer layer of whatever dimension that the Vex call their network." Sagira explained. She then turned to Saint-14 "Osiris found out about it a few centuries ago. He sought to use them to undo your death, but couldn't. He couldn't even get a foot through the door so to speak. He even sought to create a machine capable of ripping a hole through it, one he called the Sundial. Lucky for us, I convinced him to run simulations to test it out."
"And what happened?" Saint-14 asked.
"The simulation resulted in the entire Solar System divided into separate timelines. The planets were either stuck in the present, past or future. Some regressed while others aged into nothing. These instabilities spread further and further till the entire galaxy either regressed to its infancy or aged to death."
They were all silent hearing what Osiris attempted to do. It was the Titan who broke it.
"He…would have done all that for me?"
"He attempted it over 1000 times, destroying 1000 simulation to make it work. We were getting supplies before we were diverted by a simulation of the Vault of Glass, which led us too now." Sagira finished.
"So, if Osiris himself wasn't able to travel through to Corridors of Time…how did we?" Jaune asked.
00000
Hellmouth, Luna
Sol System
On the moons surface, laid the Hellmouth. A gigantic Hive structure that was both fortress and vast pit that led deep beneath the moons surface. Here the Hive conducts their rituals, plans and patrol their territories from Fallen raiders.
It was here on an outcropping over the Hellmouth pit that an assemblage of Vex stood waiting.
These weren't Vex units from the Precursor, Descendant or the Sol Collective here, but the Sol Divisive.
This Collective was a Vex Collective that was normally found in the Black Garden, worshiping what was the Black Heart; an object closely associated with the Darkness. In other words, they are rogue Vex that actively worship and stand united with the Darkness.
And it is because of that worship that they were meeting with an entity closely allied with the Darkness.
Vex units that were a combination of Goblins, Minotaurs and Hobgoblins stood and gazed around them, their bodies covered in leaves, vines and lichen. Above them floated a gigantic Vex Hydra that looked rusted and covered in more plants that the rest. A Vex Mind that died, but was resurrected due to its nature. A Vex Mind known to Guardians as the Undying Mind.
Once upon a time, its purpose was to restore the Black Heart from its destruction by the hands of the Guardian Summer Rose by reweaving Time. It failed and died by her hands. A lot of times. It failed those many times and was now permanently unable to revive the Black Heart. Now here it floated above Vex units under its command, waiting. Their waiting was soon paid off when they sensed his presence. They froze in place and stood at attention as he approached.
A human in a black robe, flanked by two Hive Wizards, one of which had an elaborate head-piece. They floated right alongside the human, passing by Vex Units, some even bowed in reverence as they passed. The Hive Wizards stopped and the human continued. He soon stood before the Undying Mind. He opened his robes, revealing the tumor-like growth with seven eyes on it. Those seven eyes starred at the Vex Mind.
Is it done?
The Vex Unit shuddered feeling the power of the Disciple before it, it then released a series of groans and beeps. Roughly translated, the Vex Mind said, "They have succeeded in ensuring the Saint-14s survival. The Corridors of Time are now closed to all but the Vex."
Wonderful news. The Final Shape's Future is now ensured. Your services are no longer required.
The human raised his arm upward, twitching a bit as new bones grew in its hand until the fingers lengthened into claws and knuckles were added to the fingers. The Undying Mind drifted downward, beckoned by the Disciple. A finger brushed up against one of the Vex's optics. A cold shiver went up its body. Which was odd since a Vex couldn't feel anything.
The Undying Mind groaned and floated upwards, spasming and twitching. It shook and soon another Undying Mind appeared right next to the other, also mirroring the others movements. Soon those two became four. Then eight. Then sixteen.
The Disciple, along with the two Hive Wizards and the Vex units gazed as the Undying Mind made duplicates of itself. On and on they went. Up, down and on either side, duplicates were made. Each one identical to the original. As the duplicates soon blanketed the night sky above, they soon snapped back into the original. The body shook and the Vex Mind screamed before dissolving.
The other Vex units gazed at the dissolved remains of the Undying Mind, doing nothing for their fallen Mind. Their loyalty was to the Darkness and by extension, the Disciple. Standing at attention and ignoring the Hive Wizards, they vanished.
A red mist hung where the Undying Mind once hovered. The Disciple breathed it in. As the red mist went into its mouth, it's body was rejuvenated, becoming more healthier, more powerful. The tumor-like growth even expanded a bit on its host body, becoming bigger just a bit.
The Disciple, covering its body save for an eye that gazed at his Wizards.
We're done here. Go to your uncle, see if he's interested.
The two Hive Wizards gazed at one another. "Of course, my lord. Might I ask, what did you do to the Undying Mind?"
I gave it a nightmare. And it killed itself along with every version of itself rather than live with it.
00000
Deep in the Vex Network, in the outer regions of the vast network laid the location known as the Corridors of Time, it began to collapse on itself. Turned out that the Undying Mind along with every variant of itself was what kept it stable. And with every version of itself dead, the Corridors of Time were collapsing.
Vex units of every type that were heading towards their destination felt the shift and marched quickly to escape. But it was not meant to be. The Corridors collapsed, erasing all the Vex that traversed it throughout existence.
A/N: Happy New year to all! Hope you enjoy this chapter and hope to keep getting your awesome reviews for this story. Next chapter, we will head back to Warmind, then resume back to the usual schedule of two chapters of Osiris followed by Warmind until the end.
As you can see, it was Nezarec who allowed them to travel back into the past and save Saint-14 with the help of the Undying Mind. By changing something so small, like saving the life of one Guardian, changed everything aka butterfly effect aka ensuring the rise of the Final Shape. I gave a demonstration of what the Disciple is capable of, even at a fragment of his power, he is capable of giving a Vex Mind a nightmare so horrifying, it committed suicide to escape it.
See ya next year!