AN: I think I've narrowed down why Mav feels so lucky compared to other Celestial MCs. Turns out, the achievement based point gain system I use means on average he's earning more than 100 points every thousand words. But, that's because he's actually doing shit, so really the system works as intended, preventing the story from turning into that one Celestial Forge one. If you know, you know.

The room is heavy with silence as I finish recounting the Witness's history, all the way to the Collapse. I can feel their reactions, each one simmering beneath the surface.

Saladin stands rigid, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "The Hive... their entire path of carnage and destruction, manipulated from the start?" His voice is low, anger bubbling just beneath the surface. "The Witness and its Disciples twisted them into weapons. All this time, we fought their gods, their rituals…."

Ikora's eyes narrow, her analytical mind already working to piece this new information into the broader picture. "Innumerable civilizations lost…" She murmurs, mostly to herself.

Zavala, speaks. "And this thing is coming here?"

"Yes." My voice doesn't waver as I meet his gaze. "Within the next five years, if everything plays out as I've been shown. It is the greatest threat we'll face, but not the most immediate." I pause, letting that sink in before continuing. "One of their ships is already here, lying dormant somewhere on the Moon. It belonged to the Disciple in charge of the Collapse: Nezarec. He's long dead, but his ship remains."

Osiris steps forward, his eyes blazing with purpose. "Then we go to the Moon." He declares. "If what you're saying is true, we must investigate this ship immediately. Perhaps, proper understanding of the threat will avail us new means to combat our foes."

"Osiris." Ikora interjects, her tone calm but firm, "Rushing in without proper preparation is reckless. We'll need Eris Morn. She's the only one with enough knowledge of Luna to locate this ship."

Osiris exhales sharply, clearly frustrated but unwilling to argue. "Fine." He says, though his tone is clipped. "But we cannot delay for long. If this ship poses even a fraction of the threat you claim, every moment wasted is another moment this 'Witness' gains ground."

I study him for a moment, noting the tension in his stance and the intensity of his gaze. He's driven, but perhaps not just by the present threat. If memory serves, he's still reeling from his failure with the Sundial, unable to rescue Saint-14 from his death. Maybe this urgency is his way of escaping that weight, throwing himself into something tangible, something he can work towards.

I remain silent as the others begin to plan, quietly weighing the possibilities. Osiris and Eris together will no doubt awaken the Pyramid ship far sooner than in canon, which will undoubtedly draw the Hive's attention. They'll try to exploit the ship's activation, but Sora and I can ensure their efforts come to nothing.

Still, Osiris will have to find Eris first. Until then, I have a bit of time.

I did tell them of Savathun's secret betrayal of the Witness, slaying Nezarec during the collapse and spiriting away the Veil. But I never said where she put it. Much as I'd like to run off to Neptune, setting my tracking perk to find one of the Cloudstriders, or perhaps find a way to rip the knowledge from Lakshmi, the Black Fleet was unable to locate the Veil until the Witness made contact with the Traveler.

In all probability, the link was weakened by the Traveler's sacrifice during the Collapse, and possibly further obscured by Savathun's machinations.

Ironic. One of our greatest foes technically saved the universe. No wonder the Traveler gave her the Light in canon.

Anyways, it's better if the Veil remains secret for now, at least until the Vanguard can be convinced that Darkness can be utilized for good. Centuries of anti-Darkness dogma won't be overturned by me telling them "Actually, the Dark isn't evil."

Gambit serves as an excellent taste test for most Guardians, gathering motes of Dark for use summoning Taken to fight the opposing team. Gets them in the door, so to speak.

Osiris has long advocated that the Darkness might be something we could turn against the enemies of humanity. Gaining his trust will be instrumental in ensuring the safe adoption of the Darkness throughout Guardian ranks. Between him, and a Speaker clearly favored by the Traveler saying it's alright, it should be possible to ensure the safe adoption of the Darkness sooner than in canon.

The Pale Tree casts a soft, silver glow over me as I lounge high in its colossal branches, cross-legged with my back resting against its trunk. My Haki stretches out, reaching for the Traveler. She answers, a warm presence at the edge of my mind.

Her voice resonates like a melody woven into the fabric of existence. 'Owl.'

I let the thought settle before speaking. "Why humanity?" I ask, gazing up at the clouds. "Out of the thousands of civilizations you've blessed, why us?"

There's a pause, a flicker of something indecipherable. Then, her reply comes, tinged with vulnerability. 'This… takes some explanation. The further back I try to remember, the less I can. Memory is the domain of the Dark, after all. My sacrifice, hundreds of years ago, doesn't help.'

Her presence shifts slightly, growing wistful. 'But I do remember being… tired. Tired of running. Tired of watching civilizations snuffed out. Tired of being afraid.'

She pauses, and I sense something deeper. 'I remember the Eliksni. Their horror as I abandoned them to flee the First Knife, dooming their homeworld, even as I prevented the end of everything with my cowardice. Much as I loved all the civilizations I favored over the eons, I never understood you all.'

I tilt my head, intrigued. "You seem like you understand us now. What changed?"

Her voice softens, carrying a note of bittersweet affection. 'The Ghosts. Each was born of a part of me, severed at the end of your Collapse. They experience the world like you do; conversing, laughing, loving, living. When they die, their Light returns to me, but their souls remain inside my heart. Their gathered experiences allow me to understand.'

"What comes from the Light, returns to the Light." I mutter.

There's a quiet moment before she continues, her presence tinged with unease. 'Truthfully, I'm still afraid. Even now, I wonder: Will I run again, dooming them once more, only to prolong the existence of a universe that dims with every civilization lost? Eventually, I will no longer have anyone to run to. I'll be… alone.'

Her words hang heavy in my mind. I take a moment, weighing what I'm about to say. "I know how we can win." I say finally. "I know how the Witness can be defeated."

Her curiosity sharpens. 'Ah, yes. You tell the others I send you knowledge of the future, but not even I know how events will play out with any certainty. Choice changes everything, you know. Although… you haven't been wrong yet.'

I close my eyes, gathering my will. Reaching deep, I reverse the Voice of All Things, letting my thoughts surge toward her. Images flood my mind, scenes of a story called Destiny. The Light. The Dark. The Traveler. The Witness. Every detail, every triumph and tragedy, every scrap of lore I remember.

The sheer volume of information exhausts me, but I push on, sharing everything.

When it's done, the Traveler is silent, her presence unusually still. For the first time, I feel I've left her speechless.

I sag against the Pale Tree, the cool bark grounding me. "The Darkness is the key." I say with my real voice. "Without it, we'll never be able to defeat the Witness."

A wave of distaste ripples from her, like she's tasted something bitter. 'All this time, avoiding the collision of Light and Dark… and yet, only together…'

I nod, firm. "Through Darkness, the Witness may be weakened. And through the Light, it may be destroyed. Only both forces together may defeat it."

Desperation laces her response. 'What about your wondrous power? Surely you can develop some magic that would prevent any of my chosen from risking the First Knife's influence!'

I shake my head. "In theory, but you know it's unpredictable. You know what must be done."

Her unease lingers, but it's tempered by a growing resolve. 'I don't like it…'

"Strand is proof that the Darkness can be wielded without the Witness's influence." I argue quietly. " Even Stasis, when fueled by one's own inner Darkness, is free of its influence. You know I'm right."

A long silence stretches between us before she speaks again, her tone shifting, her fear giving way to determination. '…I told you before, I'm tired of being afraid. To protect my chosen… to ensure you all are capable of forever making your own choices, free of the Final Shape… I shall think about it. A choice like this is not to be made lightly.'

"S'all I ask." I reply.

As the link fades, I shift my focus to my Magic Circuits. Beyond being used to fuel mage craft, they have myriad uses. Spell calculation, storing data, anything a powerful computer could do can be accomplished with Magic Circuits. It's partially how magi keeps up with modern advancements in the Nasuverse.

So. How do I make my circuits act as extra computing power for my magics?

… This would be a lot easier if I had even a basic knowledge of magecraft.

Right, let's try something simpler. Reinforcement.

The concept is simple enough: you fill an object with magical energy to enhance its purpose. A knife becomes sharper. A shield becomes tougher. Muscles become stronger. Overdo it, though, and the result can be catastrophic; with objects breaking apart or even exploding.

I hold out my hand, channeling a small pulse of Light. A steel throwing knife materializes in my palm, cold and unadorned. I resist the urge to infuse it with Solar Light; this is an experiment in pure prana manipulation. Slowly, carefully, I allow energy to seep from the circuits in my fingers into the blade.

My eyes show me the flow of energy. At first, it's smooth, but as it saturates the metal, it begins to 'wobble' in certain areas. It's almost like watching ripples on water, each disturbance revealing the knife's limits. I guide the prana carefully, shifting it into other parts of the blade, avoiding the spots where the wobble grows too erratic.

The process is far from uniform. Each section of the knife seems to have a different tolerance for energy, the pattern more akin to a topographical map than a smooth distribution. I stop when I can't push any more prana into the metal. Blue lines arc across the blade, connecting areas of high saturation like veins of raw power.

Satisfied, I retrieve a stone from my hammerspace, setting it on the ground. With a flick of my wrist, I conjure an identical throwing knife. I grip the plain blade and stab it into the stone. It chips away at the surface but leaves no significant damage.

Then I bring the prana-infused blade down.

The stone shatters, fragments scattering across the ground.

I stare at the result, half-impressed and half-disbelieving. Is it really that easy? No, that's not it. This world lacks the forces that usually weaken magecraft. And, of course, my eyes make a mockery of the process. I don't need to fully understand the material's tolerances when I can see the limit and stop before overdoing it.

I shove both knives into my hammerspace, filing them away for later use.

… Probably shouldn't attempt body reinforcement in the City. Don't want someone noticing the Speaker's body exploded.

A week later, I find myself on Io. The barren landscape stretches out around me, golden sands broken only by jagged rock formations and the fossilized remains of creatures long dead. Crow is off somewhere nearby, practicing Void invisibility. He's already adept at sneaking, but invisibility opens new possibilities: slipping through heavily fortified areas and navigating layouts impossible to overcome with mundane stealth

As for me, I've been immersed in my own training. Reinforcement has become a daily exercise, and the progress has been remarkable. I've reached speeds that could outrun a 21st-century car. My fists can bend steel without injury, and my senses of hearing and smell are sharper than ever.

The cost of my rapid advancement? Seven deaths, all my own doing. Should I be worried that nearly every death I've experienced has been my fault? Probably. But I brush that thought aside. The results speak for themselves.

A new aura ripples into existence behind me, about 40 meters away. The sensation is unmistakable: an Exo. Not a Guardian, though there's something cold about their presence… Dark. Curious. I turn my head, my gaze meeting the face of Elisabeth Bray, the Exo Stranger.

Before I can speak, she vanishes in a flash of temporal energy, reappearing directly in front of me with her pulse rifle in hand. She doesn't aim it at me, but her body language is tense.

"Do you know me?" Her voice carries an edge, but her emotions betray her. Hope surges beneath the surface, raw and overwhelming.

"You're the Exo Stranger." I reply, scrutinizing her.

"But do you know me?" She presses, her desperation palpable even without Haki.

Realization clicks into place. "This isn't the first time we've met for you, is it?"

Despair floods her features, and she sets herself down on the fossil of some gargantuan creature, her hands idly caressing the rifle. "So you don't remember." Her voice is heavy with disappointment. "I had hoped you'd pull another miracle out of nowhere. From your hair alone, I can tell you've gained completely different magic from before… No matter. We can work with this."

If she's here, talking like this, it means the timeline I'm in now isn't the first I've been involved in. And worse, it means the last one ended in failure. "How many times have we done this, Elsie?" I ask.

She looks up, her hope rekindling slightly with my speaking her name. "Only once. It's nice not having to convince you of my origins, at least."

"Second time's the charm, I suppose." I mutter. My thoughts race as I consider the implications. Time travel interacts strangely with my Grimoire if I lack the same perks from one loop to the next. "Who did me in?"

"Rhulk." Her voice is steady, but hatred flickers in her eyes. She's masking her emotions, but not well enough.

"Ah. Savathûn didn't trap him in her Throne World?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "You killed her while she was masquerading as Osiris. Things you killed would stay dead."

I wince. "I probably thought I was being clever." I pause, noticing her frown. "What's wrong?"

"It's strange seeing you as a Lightbearer this time." She admits.

I raise an eyebrow. "Did I not manage it last time?"

She shakes her head again. "No. You were Lightless. You took things slower, more cautiously. By this point, you hadn't even left the City."

I nod, processing the difference. "Were we close?"

Her expression hardens, but something bitter stirs behind it. "Good friends." She says, her voice tight. She's holding something back.

"Did I at least manage to teach you any magic?" I ask, shifting the topic.

Her hands twitch, mimicking spellcasting motions that yield no result. "You had a perk that let you give others your magic, but you'd lose access to it." She hesitates, then continues, "My magic died when you did. The Upended killed everyone shortly after."

I frown. "Seems like I let you down."

Anger flashes across her face, her composure breaking for a moment. "Not you. Savathûn made sure we'd all lose if she died. Rhulk knew to come for you immediately, thanks to her."

I sigh, the weight of her words settling over me. "Then we have to make sure this time goes differently."

{Met 'Lord Saladin' +50 points
Met 'Osiris' +50 points
Advanced to Level 4 Sorcerer +50 points
Met 'Elsie Bray' +50 points

Rolling…

Benevolence - Magic Resistance - Fate/Legends: Servant Universe (200 points)

Roll Success. Current stockpile: 350 Points.

Purchase Magic Resistance?}

Magic Resistance

It's so common that you could hardly even imagine a Saber without it. Even the ones that aren't actually Sabers get it. What is it? The ability to ignore all the spells and tricks of the Magi, making it easy to ram a sword down their mocking throats. As Sabers almost always do, you inherit powerful Magic Resistance that renders you almost completely immune to magic. Only the most powerful and complex spells will affect you, even when cast by ancient magicians or mighty gods. Any effect on you is simply negated. It doesn't protect those around you, unfortunately, and it doesn't really help dispel magic offensively. But some Sabers have found ways around those problems.

Magic resistance for only 200 points?

Yoink!

"I know that look." Elsie says, her voice almost amused. "Rolled something new, didn't you?"

"It's weird how you know that." I reply, turning to face her. "How long did you know me for?"

Her expression shifts. She tilts her face slightly, avoiding my gaze. "... Two years. Barely any time at all, really."

"And yet, you remembered the look I get when I'm rolling a perk." I point out, raising an eyebrow.

"Drop it, Mav." She mutters, her voice tinged with an edge of loss.

Before I can press further, Spectre materializes beside my shoulder in a flash of Light. Her voice carries a blend of curiosity and mild exasperation. "Alright, I'm definitely missing context here, but it sounds to me like you're some form of time traveler, right? How does Mav know you, if you've never met?"

Elsie's optics flick to me. "This is your Ghost, then?"

I roll my eyes. "Elsie, meet Spectre. Spectre, this is Elisabeth Bray. "

Spectre hovers in place, her glow pulsing as she processes the introduction. "Bray… As in Clovis Bray?"

Elsie sighs, a mixture of annoyance and resignation coloring her voice. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Kay then." Spectre mutters. She swivels slightly, facing Elsie. "So… you're saying you've met Mav before. But not this Mav. A different timeline version?"

Elsie hesitates, then nods. "In the last timeline, he was… different. No Light, no Ghost. But he had a way of pulling miracles out of thin air. He saved us more times than I can count."

Her words hang in the air, carrying an undertone of something deeper; admiration, maybe. I try to parse the sensation, but I'm still new to emotion-sensing. The more obscure ones sometimes slip past me.

"Interesting." Spectre muses, tilting as if deep in thought. "So you've come back in time to prevent whatever went wrong?"

"More or less." Elsie confirms.

Her optics narrow slightly as she scrutinizes me. "This version of you… you're different. Happier. Smarter, even. But there's something else."

I shrug nonchalantly. "Different perks, probably. Say, was I at least a renowned Wizard in the last timeline?"

Her lips twitch, almost forming a smile, but it fades as quickly as it appeared. "You were the greatest Wizard I knew."

The weight of her words lingers, and for a brief moment, the world feels quieter, more still.

A faint ripple at the edge of my Haki's range pulls me back to the present. My eyes flick to the left, spotting Crow returning from his jaunt. He walks casually, chatting with Glint, who hovers at his shoulder, their conversation easy and unguarded.

"Crow's coming." I say, turning back to Elsie. "Do you want to meet him-?"

But she's already gone. A faint shimmer of temporal energy marks her departure, dissipating as quickly as it appeared.

Spectre breaks the silence. "So… are we keeping that to ourselves?"

I nod, exhaling slowly. "Yeah. For now."

CHAPTER 20 END

AN: Mav may be dense, but I know you readers are not. Mav and Elsie were a thing in the last timeline. I thought about having her show up and interrogate him over his sudden presence in her time loops changing things, but I figured it would be way cooler to have Elsie share a history with him, but have it be complicated by the time travelling. Not sure if I like how I wrote her part, but I like the idea so I'm committing to it.

Magic Resistance is really good, and will come in handy later.

Failed Rolls

[Transformation - Changeling (Rank and File) - The Dresden Files (50 points)] (Missing Prerequisites)
[Domain - Cloak of Levitation - Ultimate Marvel (400 points)] (Insufficient Points)