*WARNING. This chapter contains depictions of graphic violence and gore. Viewer discussion is advised.*

The hour was late. The moon was in full view in the sky above the city, illuminating the darkness with its gentle light. The streets beneath it, though in the dead of night, were still bustling with life and excitement. Night owls of all types relishing their time in the dark. The sounds of laughing crowds and nightclub music filling the air around the city. Don't let this fool you though, nights like this were a common reactance in The Last City. Because when you know judgment is to come, you may as well party like it's the end of the world.

And fat above the streets of the city, the Tower was, ironically, dead as a ghost town. Many of the city's Guardians were either off planet on patrol, or fast asleep, resting after their heated missions. Some did however choose to stay up late, be it to drink or gamble in the annex. One Guardian in particular chose to venture into the main courtyard, beneath a large tree.

Along the wall next to the tree was a metal bust of a hooded Exo with a single horn protruding from its forehead. It sat atop a stone podium with a plack bolted onto its front beneath the statue. The plack contained a golden engraving of a hand cannon with a spade right below it, as well as an inscription in the stone by the podiom's base. It read,

"Cayde-6."

Jane alone stood before this memorial bust. In her hands was her trusty hand cannon, Ace of Spades. She looked down at the pistol in her palms, then looked up at the statue with a sad smile.

"Hi Cayde." Jane greeted woefully.

Doe holstered her weapon before continuing.

"I know it's been a while since I last spoke to you. I'm sorry about that. Work's been… Well, I don't even know where to start. Before or after I had to put up with Savathûn?"

She could help but let out a soft laugh. Her smile soon faded however.

"Something happened today, Cayde… I found him… Garrus."

Her hand slowly moved to one of the pouches around her waist. Jane pulled out both pieces of her broken dog tags. She found herself now transfixed on them as the tags rested in her palm.

"He told me who I was, or at least a little bit of who I was… My name is Shepard… Jane Shepard… Apparently, I really was a soldier… Kind of like you used to be. What Garrus told me so far… Light… It's… It's a lot more than I was hoping for."

Jane put the tags away, then stepped closer to the memorial. Her breathing becoming more uneven and her hands begin to tremble.

"I have these… feelings towards him… Feelings that I don't know how to describe. On one hand, I'm scared, worried. Mostly because we had only just met a couple of hours ago… On the other hand, I… I feel… this sense of belonging when he's around. It's like I… I immediately know that I can trust him with my life. That I can rely on him for anything… and both these feelings are at war with each other..! In both my head and my heart…"

Tears were starting to form in Jane's eyes. She wiped them away before they could flow and took a deep breath in to try and compose herself.

"I'm pretty scared right now, Cayde. Plus, where it was I found him. What he thinks of me. I don't know what I should think or- or believe right now. Five years I've spent searching and I'm only left with more questions than ever. Please Cayde, I could really use some adobe right now. Anything will work."

Jane was almost begging as she mumbled to the statue in front of her, as if she were waiting for some answer that would never come. She was desperate and afraid, unsure what choice to make right now.

That was when Doe felt something by her feet just now. Looking down, she saw a brown hen walking by her feet. Her fear momentarily subsided as she bent down to pick the farm bird up into her arms, cradling it gently.

"Hey there, Colonel." She cooed to the hen. "You're not the message I was expecting, but you're appreciated."

The chicken clucked in her arms. Jane gently petted the animal's head. The small bird always knew how to bring her comfort…

Bird…

In that moment, Jane had a realization. All of her new questions. She knew exactly how to find the answers to them. Who to turn to. The only other birds she knew who had more experience with alternate worlds than anyone.

Osiris and Saint-14, the former Vanguard leaders before Zavala and Ikora.

Jane placed Colonel back onto the ground and looked at the statue once more with a look of gratitude.

"Only you can give someone advice in a form so rediculous." She laughed in a wholesome way. "Thanks, honey."

Jane then kissed the inside of her palm before bringing it to the bust's face, cupping its cheek softly.

"I love you."

Time passes, Jane zoomed down the upper highway on her Sparrow at top speeds, almost crashing into other riders more than merely a few times, might I add. Eventually, she had reached her destination. A more up to date looking apartment complex, mainly reserved for Guardians. Jane parked her Sparrow by the entrance, and I really mean she left it on its side in the bushes. She entered the building and headed straight for the elevator, requesting to be brought to the penthouse suite at the top floor.

Osiris and Saint weren't just former Vanguard, they were among the oldest, wisest, and strongest of Guardians who ever lived. Osiris was regarded as the Phoenix of the Dark Age, the strongest Warlock, maybe the strongest Guardian who had ever existed. An expert on the Vex and master of understanding alternate realities. His cunning and intelligence was unrivaled. Even though he was now Lightless after losing his Ghost, the man still pulled his weight with his brilliant findings and theories.

Saint-14 was known system wide as the strongest Titan, capable of taking down entire armies single handedly. Though despite this reputation, the man was more of a protector than a destroyer. Saint prefers to remain in the city as its protector most of the time. Beloved and idolized by all, there wasn't a soul around who hadn't heard his name. A gentle giant right down to his core.

He was also Jane's mentor. It was numerous, grueling training sessions with the legendary Titan that helped shape Jane into the Guardian she was today. Her fighting style, the way she used her shield in battle. She learned it all from him.

After reaching the floor, Jane power walked down the hall to a door that was decorated with both Egyptian hieroglyphs and lavender laurels. Osiris and Saint's apartment. She noticed that the door was slightly open, meaning that somebody must have been inside. Though she knew for a fact that nobody would be stupid enough to try and rob the home of those two, since Saint himself was basically the ultimate home security system. Just thinking about what he would do to the burglars would cause one to shutter.

Jane decided to enter the apartment. At first, it seemed empty, but then she heard movement from the upper floor. There was somebody home after all. The Titan hurried up the stairs to the second floor and marched to the master bedroom, knocking on the door.

"Come iiiiiin~" A male voice called. "I've been waiting for you~"

Jane paused for a second. The voice definitely belonged to Osiris, but something was off. Never in all the time she had known that Warlock had he ever sounded like that. Normally, Osiris was stern, impatient, a tad antisocial. Now, he sounded more… tantalizing?

She decided to shrug it off, as she needed his help, so she opened the door and walked in.

"Osiris, it's me. There's something I need to- OHMYGODWHATTHEFUCK?!"

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Big mistake…

"And that's why I came to you guys."

After everyone had calmed down, and Saint was helped up off the floor, Jane and the two elder Guardians had moved their conversation to the den area of the apartment. Osiris had poured a coffee pot and pulled out three mugs from the cabinet, one for each of them.

Jane had explained to them the events that had transpired the past few hours. Flying through The Anomaly to rescue Whiskey, arriving at the Citadel, finding Garrus, and Jane learning her true name. Every single detail right down to the dot, all the way to Garrus' imprisonment.

Both Osiris and Saint listened closely to the woman's words. Osiris found himself absolutely fascinated by Jane's findings. He had long since abandoned his research on alternative worlds that didn't involve Vex simulations. Now, hearing that they were all true, the old warlock was beside himself as he just ate all this news up.

"An entire world, parallel to ours." Osiris said in amazement.

"One where humanity lives without the Light, and aliens live alongside us in harmony." Added Saint.

Jane nodded. "There's also this united military consistent with those races. They called themselves the Systems Alliance. They're similar to the Coalition here. Garrus is this ship commander for their navy." She explained further.

"A soldier, like you! Ha ha! This Garrus sounds like somebody I will like!" Saint said loudly.

"But why come to us in such a hurry, Jane, especially if the Vanguard is already aware of this themselves?" Questioned Osiris.

That was when Jane took out her dog tags from her pocket. She presented them to the two elder Guardians. Both of them felt confused as to why she was presenting this to them.

"This is the other half of my dog tags. Garrus had them."

Saint tilted his head cluelessly "And that is relevant because..?"

"Saint, have you already forgotten that Garrus was found in a world beyond The Anomaly?"

The Exo went wide-eyed before turning back to his student with total shock. Jane gave a nod of confirmation.

"And if all that's the case… then what if I'm from beyond The Anomaly."

Such a claim left both Osiris and Saint stunned with both astoundment and disbelief. They never would have dreamed that Doe would make such an assumption. Though the uncertainty she was showing as of now told them otherwise.

"What? Jane Doe, that is nelepyy. Ridiculous." Argued Saint.

"Oh, come on. It makes sense!" She insisted. "Think about it. Cayde said that he found me literally right when the Red War ended, which was the same time that The Anomaly appeared near Pluto, according to Hidden reports. The timelines add up."

Osiris pondered in thought. Jane wasn't wrong about those factors. He had been told everything by Ikora upon his return to the city a few years ago. He was surprised by what his student had told her. A mysterious woman appearing out of the blue, with strange equipment and only a name to go by.

"According to Zavala, there was absolutely no record of me in the city's database. Facial recognition turned up nothing. I'm not from The Farm either, since neither Hawthorne nor Devrim recognized me. Add on my armor, the busted tech in my body and this holo-thingy on my arm. I'm the biggest enigma out there. I mean, aside from Elsie."

"Well, you may have just been a nomad on your way to the city for refuge." Saint said, trying to be as logical as he could.

"Master, listen to me. I know this sounds completely nuts, but I just- I… I know I'm onto something here. It wasn't just Garrus, either. There were people in that world who knew me, by my old name. They called me "Shepard". It's my last name. Look here."

Jane pointed to her dog tags where the name was engraved. Saint took a closer look. She was right. They read, 'Commander Jane Shepard.' Osiris decided to peak as well.

"Commander Shepard? YOU were the same rank as Zavala? You, who challenged three of Caiatl's biggest and most brutish warriors to an eating contest and won?" Questioned the Warlock in doubt.

"Ha ha ha! I remember that! Jane (the Black Hole) Doe, they called you, if I recall!" Laughed Saint.

"I was as surprised as you are." Jane let out an amused chuckle. "Could you imagine ME, commanding anything? I can barely get my team to cooperate!"

Osiris cleared his throat with a cough. "Still, if what you say on your origins stands true, then there are still many questions yet to be answered. Such as how you arrived in our world to begin with? What caused The Anomaly to appear In the first place? And why only came through as of now?"

He wasn't wrong. There were far too many unknowns left until they could come to a final conclusion. They would need to do extensive research first. Jane stood up for a minute and started to think hard. She couldn't just go home with more blanks than before. She needed some kind of idea on things.

"I know there are lots of variables in this, Osiris. It's the whole reason I came to you guys. Between the Corridors of Time and the Ascendant Plain, the two of you may be my only chance at having some semblance of a clue as to all this."

Reaching down to the coffee table, Jane picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. The dark liquid poured down her throat and sent caffeine straight to her brain.

"That is still scalding hot. I don't know why I did that. Ow." The female Titan set the cup back down. "I managed to find Garrus, but that just… It wasn't enough. I can't even question him because of Zavala. You're the only ones left I can turn to right now. I need you. Please.

Saint and Osiris turned to one another silently, silently debating on what they should say to their erratic disciple. They could never turn Jane down for such a request, especially not after she saved both of them in the past. Ultimately, they made a decision.

"Well… I suppose I can dust off my old Paraverse findings, see if we can make any connections." Osiris suggested.

Jane's eyes lit up with joy. She sighed heavily in relief.

"Well then, guess that means we got work to do. Osiris, go find the rest of your research. I'll put on some more coffee. Master, go… put on some pants."

The Exo looked down at himself, realizing that he was still dressed in revealing leather fetish clothing. Yet despite her words, Jane couldn't help but let her eyes linger off Saint's barely containable bulge. Osiris

glared at the younger Titan as he grabbed hold of Saint's arm like if he were marking his territory.

"Keep walking!" He warned her.

Saint couldn't help but laugh boastfully at the situation. His gaze turned to Osiris as he wrapped his large metal arm around the old Warlock's shoulder, pulling him in close.

"Well… So much for Bondage Night." Saint said in slight disappointment.

Osiris turned his field of view to his lover. "There is always tomorrow, love. I made a vow never to leave you blue balled for long, need I remind you."

His finger tracing up and down the crevice in between Saint's pecs. The Titan looked at his Warlock lover with eyes already burning with hunger. However, Saint managed to restrain himself before things got too heated.

"Thank you for that in advance then, my phoenix~" He whispered, almost purring. "Now then, let us get started. I will go change. Not because Jane Do told me to, but because my jockstrap is giving me a wedgie."

The large Exo stood up off the couch and proceeded to the stairway, but not before Osiris gave him a forceful *SLAP* on his left buttcheek. Saint laughed sensually as we walked off.

Leave it to Jane to come between his personal time with his husband. Though Saint didn't really mind. He loved helping his favorite pupil with her endeavors. As he walked up the stairs, he saw Jane preparing the coffee to pour into the pot. His mechanical mouth put on a proud smile. That woman was like the granddaughter he never had. He would do anything for her.

Especially after all she did for him…

*Zypher Station, Mercury. Centuries Ago.*

...

The eardrum shattering sounds of explosions fill the air. Black smoke obscuring the sky above from the city stand blasts fire erupting all around. All across the land laid bodies, ranging from Human, Awoken, Exo, and an insectoid alien species.

Eliksni, otherwise known as the Fallen.

An alien species hailing from a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy. They are notorious for pirating and defiling gravesites for spare parts to build machines with. They were ravenous, highly aggressive, and willing to destroy everything in their way to get what they want.

This colony is no exception.

Taking cover behind a large stone, Saint-14 fell to his reer, panting hard in exhaustion through his helmet. His armor was modeled in a style simkar to that of a Roman gladiator. Silver, gold, with splashes of purple, and a large plume protruding from the top of his helmet. Covering his groin was a long cloth with a purple avian imprinted on it.

Saint looked down at the weapon in his hands. A large Linear Fusion Rifle, dubbed "Line in the Sand". He opened up his HUD display to check how much energy was left inside the heavy weapon.

None.

Great. Just wonderful! Saint discarded his empty weapon as it would only slow him down. He looked to his side holster. All that remained was a pistol with a single magazine. The only weapon he had left on him. Better than nothing, one would suppose.

"Damnit…" He cursed silently.

"Hello?! Is anyone reading me?!" Cried a voice through the comm channels.

Saint recognized that voice. "Gaetano, is that you, comrade? Are you receiving me?!"

"Saint? Figured you'd still be alive, you walking tank."

"I was separated from my group. I think I am by the power station." Saint assumed, though he wasn't entirely sure. "Where are you? We can regroup, try to come up with a plan of escape."

The sound of gunshots were heard before human speech.

"I'm over by the plantation. Place is crawling with Fallen, trying to make off with what little food is left. My team got snuffed out and I'm all that's- Huh? What the?! WHAT IS THAT THING?!"

"Gaetano, what is it? Respond!"

"No! NO! AAAAAGH-"

All that could be heard now were the nightmarish cries of anguish and a loud chewing sound through the comms. Saint immediately shut his radio off and gasped in fright. Another Guardian snuffed out by these savage beasts.

The Fallen can't be stopped at this point. They don't negotiate. Any bargain they offer is a flat-out lie. Saint remembers what they did back on Earth, in the Cosmodrome located in Old Russia. Entire villages, burned to the ground and pillaged for what little they had. So many innocent people killed, and for WHAT?!

Was it because they envy humanity? Because the Traveler left them and chose us instead? And they honestly believe that murder, torture, and maiming will win them back their Machine God's favor?!

Mercury was supposed to be safe. It was supposed to be a haven for those wishing to flee the conflicts of Earth and its warlords. Saint came here with at least a dozen human colonists when the conflicts between the warlords and the Iron Lords became too much to bear.

After being terraformed by the power of the Traveler, Mercury went from being an inhospitable fireball to a lush, garden world. Its new atmosphere was more than capable of sustaining life and vastly increasing the planet's protection against the sun. A perfect place to start a new home.

Unfortunately, the Fallen of the House of Rain tracked them here from the Cosmodrome. Not only that, but there was another hostile alien race already planetside when they arrived and were well on their way to reshaping Mercury into their own twisted image.

It was as though, no matter where you run, disaster would follow, no matter how hard you try and escape it.

"We should not have come."

That was when a new sound hit his audios. Screaming. A child screaming!

Saint's exhaustion quickly fading, the Titan pushed himself back onto his feet and followed the sound back to its source. He leapt over the collapsed radio town and zoomed through a small patch of ragweed. That was when he saw what made his metal heart stop dead.

A Dreg, crouched over, chewing on something beneath it. There was no clear view of what the low-ranking Fallen was snacking on exactly, but Saint did manage to make out the small human arms thrashing around at the side.

It was in that moment, that one instant, that everything around Saint just faded away. The world turned dark. The only things left visible were Saint himself and that Dreg. There was no touch. No sound. No smell. Nothing, aside from a single emotion. One that ignited a flame within him, and was growing ever hotter and hotter. There was no denying it. No resisting it. This emotion was all consuming, capable of swallowing everything whole and leaving nothing in its wake. A feeling that would linger long after, even as the Dreg's torn and dismembered form laid dead by his feet.

Anger.

"This is Saint-14. The Fallen have overrun Zephyr Station. If you can hear this, turn back. I repeat, turn…"

Saint paused. His hand slowly moving away from his communicator as he stared at the tiny carcass at his feet. Those screams and cries. They will haunt him to his dying day.

The Titan dropped to his knees. Reaching up to his helmet, Saint removed it from his head. His violet optics not moving from the sight before him. His mechanical hands trembled. Saint may look like a machine, but his mind, his heart. They were all human.

He failed. He failed to save this child. Failed to keep his promise to the people. Failed this entire colony. Saint couldn't take it. His fists tightened and he roared into the sky above. He was ashamed. Ashamed of his inability to stop the Fallen. Ashamed of his weakness. He should have been stronger…

"Saint, hold your position. You have an armed Guardian incoming!"

The Exo's adiotories rang with the sound of a voice responding through his comm channel. It snapped Saint out of his moment of despair. Standing back up onto his feet, Saint reached for his earpiece to reply.

"Who is this?" He asked.

"Just stay alive, Titan."

The voice sounded like a woman's. Saint did not recognize it though. It wasn't any Guardian he was familiar with. Did they just arrive on the planet's surface?

Saint turned around. He was suddenly jumped by a large figure, catching him off guard. Saint and the figure tumbled onto the ground. He quickly realized it was another Fallen. A Vandal, armed with an electrified sword. Saint quickly reached for his hip and drew a Breachlight sidearm. He positioned the pistol's muzzle upward into the Vandal's jaw and pulled the trigger. A powerful two-shot burst erupted from the gun and straight through the alien's skull. Purple blood and brain matter exploding out from the exit wound. Saint, though still rattled, pushed the dead Fallen off him and stood back up.

That was not the end of it. When there is one Fallen, more usually follow. That was how they operated. Saint looked down at his sidearm, the only weapon he had left. Damnit, this wouldn't be enough.

"All is lost, Guardian! Get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Saint spoke into his comms to the voice.

That was when the air was flooded with the sounds of beastly growls and clicks. More Fallen emerged from the rubble around him. Dregs, Wretches, Vandals, Marauders, Captains, as well as their war machines, Shanks and Servitors.

Saint found himself surrounded in all directions. The insectoid creatures slowly closed in on the lone Titan. Their eyes hungry for blood, mandibles already drooling. Saint took a step back. There was no way he could fight this many alone. The Titan looked down at the boy's body once more. He could feel his mechanical heart increase in pace. Artificial adrenaline surging through his wiring, filling him with energy.

Despair soon turned to anger, and it kept burning hotter until it would become an inferno of pure, unfiltered, unshackled rage. Saint unleashed a furious roar.

"CHERTOVYYE MONSTRY! YA UB'YU VAS VSEKH!!!" (Fucking monsters! I will kill you all!!!)

If violence is all the Light brings, then violence he will become. The Fallen will know of the monster they have created today.

Saint will be what they fear.

One Captain shrieked, "Dis!" (Die, in the Fallen language.) Multiple Vandals and Wretches charged, blades drawn and hungry for deaths. One Wretch leapt towards Saint. Its advance was brought to a halt.

Due to Saint's arm bursting through its torso with its still beating heart clutched in his grasp.

Saint screamed out as he crushed the organ in his grip. Blood exploded across his hand. He took hold of the dead Wretch, tossing it at another Wretch. A Vandal advanced from behind and positioned its sword for a thrust. Saint quickly turned around and grabbed hold of the blade, pulling the Vandal in close. The Exo followed up by smashing his forehead into the Vandal's skull; the impact powerful enough to send shards of bone into the alien's brain, killing it instantly.

The corpse dropped. Saint aimed his pistol and fired. Three Fallen around him dropping dead from having their brains blown out the backs of their skulls. The gun clicked again, but did not fire. Out of ammo. Saint growled, tossing his gun to the ground.

One Captain dropped down and ran towards the Titan. It used its second pair of arms to draw two Shock Pistols and fired them off immediately. Saint summoned a barrier in front of himself, shielding him from the shots. He ran through it towards the Captain. The larger Fallen swung its two swords down on Saint, that was when the Titan blocked the strike with a shield of pure void energy.

*SENTINEL SHIELD*

Saint knocked the Captain back several feet. He tossed the shoes at his alien foe. The flying weapon slicing clean through its neck, lobbing the Captain's head clean off its shoulders.

That wasn't the end though. Another Vandal zoomed in on the purple Titan, keeping low to the ground. It swung its sword across Saint's chest, slashing him with all its strength. Not even a scratch on his armored chaste. The Vandal growled. It raised its leg and hit Saint with a powerful kick. He didn't budge. It was like hitting a wall. Sain, unimpressed, Lu ched the Vandal square in the face, breaking all the bones in it and sending the Fallen flying into a group of Dregs.

Four Shanks flew in from high above. They fired off quick shots of electric energy from their mounted guns. Saint dodged them effortlessly before jumping up into the air and grabbing hold of one robot, then tossed it at another. They both blew up upon contact. Saint landed with a loud thud. He noticed two more Shanks in front of him, so he took one in each hand. One more Vandal was standing behind them. It charged with a spear in hand. That was when Saint smashed the two Shanks together with the Vandal's head in between, crushing everything as a result.

His face was drenched in oil and purple blood, but he was not done. Not by a mile. Another Captain appeared and rammed a Shock Dagger into Saint's shoulder from behind. The giant Exo slowly turned around, his eyes burning with hatred. The Captain started to tremble at the sight. Saint quickly grabbed hold of the Captain's upper set of arms and planted his right foot firmly against its torso for support. With one mighty pull, the Captain's arms were ripped right off its body with a bloody tearing sound.

Saint then proceeded to beat the Captain to death with its own arms until nothing remained but a heap of purple meat. The Titan looked up. There was a lone Dreg ahead of him, cowering in terror. Saint dropped the appendages and marched towards the inspection. The Dreg cried out. It fired off shots from its Shock Pistol. Round bouncing off Saint's reinforced armor, like flies off a windshield. The Dreg was now trembling in fear. It tired to run away, but Saint had grabbed hold of its hair, pulling it towards him. He spun the Dreg around. Tears were running down its face as it stared its would-be killer in the face.

It looked as though it was about to plead for mercy. The mercy it refused to show the endless bodies of children it massacred.

Saint yelled out. He took both sides of the Dreg's head into his hands. With every ounce of his strength, he pulled, and pulled, and pulled at both sides of the Dreg's face. Flesh tearing, bones splitting apart, blood spewing onto the Exo's face like a hose. With a blood curdling scream, Saint ripped the Dreg in two, right down the middle. Blood and organs spilling onto the ground in a heap of gore.

The other Fallen backed away in fright, now realizing just what they were up against. Saint turned to the now fearful aliens, panting from sheer anger.

"COME ON! FIGHT ME!" He howled. "I WILL TEAR YOU ALL APART, LIMB BY LIMB, WITH MY BARE HANDS!"

Four Servitors descended from above. They all fired blasts of purple energy at the Guardian below. With one arm, Saint knocked them all away as though they were nothing. He picked up one of the spears on the ground and lobbed it at one of the Servitors. The blade pierced right through the robot's body, killing it instantly. Saint then jumped towards another one, where he smashed both fists down on its spherical frame. The force decimating its internal hardware and causing the machine to power down. That wasn't all. Saint picked the dead robot up off the ground with both arms and threw it over to a group of Vandals. The resulting explosion killing all the Fallen in the area in a fiery blast.

Hands reached towards his hip, Saint drew a large combat knife. He approached a Captain to his right and grabbed the alien by the throat. Saint stabbed, sliced, cleaved the blade into the flesh of the Fallen. Blood sprayed from each wound. Saint carved his foe up like a Christmas ham on a platter.

Turning his head upward, he noticed a Servitor was charging up an energy blast. Saint grabbed the body of the dead Fallen the moment the Servitor fired its attack. The corpse intercepted the blast, shielding Saint from its energy. Saint drew the knife out of his meat shield, he threw the night straight at the Servitor. The blade sank into its optic, causing a power fluctuation within its internal hardware and causing a full shutdown. The robot fell to the ground, dead as disco.

A lightning fast shot zoomed past Saint's face. He turned to his six. Three Marauders, armed with Wire Rifles. They tried to shoot him from a distance. Useless. Saint drew four Scatter Grenades from his belt which he lobbed at the Marauders. Upon reaching the snipers, the explosives detonated and released smaller explosives, resulting in an unrelenting series of Void explosions.

Saint was done. He was nowhere NEAR done. These monsters would pay for what they've done. All of them. Down to the last one.

"Not yet… I am not done yet..! I will slaughter you! THERE WILL NOT BE ANY OF YOU LEFT WHEN I AM DONE!"

It wasn't long before more Fallen arrived, armed with Null Cannons. They encircled Saint, keeping a wide berth from his reach. The cannons charged up to deliver the most destructive shots possible. Saint needed to switch to defence, and fast. The Titan focused his Light, he spread out his arms and generated a large dome of void energy.

WARD OF DAWN*

The cannons fired, colliding with the barrier. The explosions rattled Saint's mechanical body, forcing him onto one knee. Void on void was a bad matchup for him. His shield was weaker against matching energy. The bombardments just kept coming and coming. The Fallen would stop at nothing until Saint was dust.

Saint couldn't withstand this forever. The Ward of Dawn can only last so long. Was this it? Was this where he meets his final death?

"Damnit..! DAMNIT!"

He was trapped like a rat, and the cat was about to pounce. Saint could already feel his barrier starting to give. This was the end…

Or so he thought.

One of the Null Captain's heads just exploded out of the blue, purple blood erupting from the body. More Captains soon followed. Heads were exploding left and right. The scatter patterns indicated a shotgun blast. A void shield flew by, cutting clean through Fallen bodies like butter.

Saint raised his head in shock at the sudden surprise attack. Somebody had arrived to fight. But who?

A figure dove down from the sky above, landing onto the ground and breaking the foundation on impact. It was another Titan, a woman from their figure, dawned in a black, silver, and red suit of armor with an orange holographic sash. Her face is concealed by a helmet of the same color as the armor. A red and white stripe tan gown her right arm, while her left arm had some sort of holographic gauntlet around it. There was an insignia on the armor's chest plate.

N7.

Saint's shield finally faded. He looked up at his mysterious savior in both shock and awe. The woman looked to Saint. In her hand, a silver and gold shotgun.

"On your feet, soldier." She ordered.

Saint stuttered. He rose back up off the ground. The woman approached him. She handed him something in her other hand. Saint's helmet. The male Titan took hold of his helm. He saw that there was now a small dent in the upper left side of it.

"We're not out of this yet."

More Fallen were on their way from the sound of it. The woman ejected the empty shell from her weapon, while Saint summoned his shield. This battle was far from over.

"The name's Jane Doe, by the way. Ready for round two?"

The battle was long and hard, but it was won in favor of the Titans. Hundreds of bloodied Fallen bodies littered the area. Scorch marks painted the stone walls around them. It looked like a warzone.

Saint was bent over a small pond. He cupped water into his hand, splashing the contents into his face to wash off the blood. The Exo huffed loudly after. The fight was exhausting. Saint stood back up and turned to Jane on his left.

"Thank you for the assist, Guardian. Another minute and they would have eaten my Ghost." He said to his fellow Titan. "Fallen are monsters."

"Some are." Jane responded, holding her gun over her shoulder. "Are you fit to fight, Titan?"

Saint wasn't sure how to respond to that. On one hand, he was furious, wanting nothing more than to rip through more Fallen and bathe in their blood. On the other hand, he felt broken, ashamed. It was his job to ensure the safety of this colony, and he failed his duties. So many people, dead. Because he failed.

"I was supposed to protect these people…"

Saint looked down at his helmet on the ground. His metal face tried its best to mimic a look of anger. In his rage, Saint kicked his helmet several feet away.

"I should be dead!" He frustratedly said, raising his voice.

"You're stronger than you think." Jane argued.

Saint's head hung low. "Not strong enough…"

It was obvious his spirit was fractured. He couldn't keep going like this. Jane approached the larger Titan. She presented him with her weapon.

"Here. Take this."

"What is this?" Saint asked, taking hold of the shotgun.

"The Perfect Paradox. I built it out of spare parts, Light, and sheer will to aid you." Jane replied.

Saint inspected the weapon, finding himself in marvel of it. Despite being forged from scraps, the shotgun's craftsmanship, design, it was all masterful. There was an engraving on the side of the body. The Roman numerals for fourteen.

"It's beautiful."

Doe smiled beneath her helmet, though she knew for a fact that simply giving Saint a new toy wasn't enough to fully ignite the fire in his artificial heart. He needed a new sense of hope. Something to fight for. And she knew just what to do.

"I probably shouldn't be showing you this, but when has that ever stopped me? Edith!"

A Ghost appeared by Jane's side. It shined a light from its center optic. The light emitted a large holographic display before Jane and Saint. The delectation was of a large city, surrounded by a massive, enclosing wall, with the Traveler hovering right above it. Saint gazed at the display in amazement, utterly speechless.

"This is the Last Safe City of humanity… Hundreds of years from now."

Time travel.

Saint always believed that to be nothing but make believe, until he laid eyes on what the Vex were capable of, that is. Regardless of that, Saint was immensely grateful, to both Jane and his fiery phoenix. Had it not been for them navigating through the Corridors of Time to find where he was trapped in the Infinite Forest on Mercury, our lovable Titan would not be here to see them both again.

A feeling of nostalgia washed over him as he thought back to that fateful day at Zephyr Station. Saint was rather surprised when Osiris told him how Jane, the woman who inspired him to become the Guardian he was today, was the one who idolized him.

Funny how things turn out.

Since the day they met each other, Saint and Jane both swore they would make it their duties to follow the other's example.

Even now, they both still try…

Wassup, everyone! Hope you all liked this chapter. So Shepard ended up having a thing going on with Cayde, AND ended up looking up to Saint as Garrus did with her! I bet that would explain her new 'devil may care' and 'headbutt first, not bother to ask questions later' attitude. Those metal heads can be very influential.

Well, until next time! Don't forget to follow me on Bluesky!

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