The Cosmodrome, once a bastion of human ingenuity, had long since crumbled into ruin. The wind howled through rusted metal husks, and the scent of decay and ozone lingered in the air. The Ghost hesitated, his tiny form hovering cautiously over the barren expanse. He hated coming here. Too many bad memories. Too many dangers lurking in the shadows.

But none of that mattered now. After centuries of searching, he had finally found him. His warrior. His protector. The one he was made to resurrect.

He zipped lower, scanning the remains with a pulse of light. Time was running out—the Fallen were near. He gathered his Light, focusing it on the lifeless body before him. A radiant burst erupted from the ground, briefly illuminating the desolation.

The Ghost watched as the body began to rebuild, sinew knitting together, pale blue skin forming over muscle. Glowing orange eyes blinked open, and dark hair framed a youthful face etched with geometric markings on his cheeks. Clothing materialised over the figure as the resurrection completed, and then silence fell once more.

The Ghost hovered closer. "Guardian…" he called gently, his voice reverent. "Eyes up, Guardian."

The figure stirred, groaning as he propped himself up on an elbow. "What the hell…" he muttered groggily, blinking at his surroundings. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Over here, Guardian." The Ghost floated into view.

The man screamed, scrambling backwards. "AHHHH! What is that?!" He swatted wildly at the air, nearly toppling over. "Who put a haunted golf ball in my face?! What's going on?!"

"Calm down!" the Ghost replied, dodging a flailing hand. "I'm your Ghost. I brought you back."

"Brought me back?" The man stopped mid-swat, narrowing his glowing eyes.

"Wait… are you telling me I'm a zombie?"

"No!" The Ghost sputtered indignantly. "You're a Guardian—a protector of humanity! I've resurrected you to fight back the Darkness."

The man paused, letting that sink in, before squinting suspiciously. "Guardian, huh? Do I at least get a cool cape?"

The Ghost sighed. "We don't have time for this. Fallen are coming. We need to move—now."

The man stretched, groaning again as he stood. "Alright, fine. But if I'm doing this whole 'saviour of humanity' thing, I'm gonna need coffee. Or a shotgun. Or both."

The Ghost zipped toward the crumbling remains of a nearby structure, his small form glowing faintly in the gloom. "We don't have time to waste. Fallen scavengers are already closing in on this area. If they find us…"

Kyle followed, stumbling slightly as his legs remembered how to function. "Wait, wait, wait. Fallen scavengers? Is that like… raccoons? Because I gotta tell you, I'm not afraid of raccoons."

"Not raccoons. Aliens," the Ghost clarified, his tone exasperated.

Kyle froze mid-step. "Aliens?! You couldn't have led with that? What do they want?"

"To kill you, mostly."

"Ah. Great. Love that for me."

The Ghost ignored the sarcasm. "There's a weapon cache nearby. You'll need it if you want to survive."

Kyle perked up, cracking his knuckles. "Oh, I like weapons. Big fan. Lead the way, Casper."

"It's Ghost."

"Sure, Casper."

The Ghost sighed and floated ahead, scanning for the nearest intact crate. They crossed the rusted expanse of the Cosmodrome, stepping over twisted metal and shattered concrete. The wind howled, carrying distant echoes of alien chatter.

"There," the Ghost said, illuminating a half-buried crate with a beam of Light. "Open it. Quickly."

Kyle knelt and pried the crate open. Inside lay a battered but functional auto rifle. He lifted it, inspecting the weapon with a practised eye.

"Not bad," he muttered. "Better than a pointy stick. But, uh, any chance we can upgrade to something a little more 'boom'?"

"Just use it," the Ghost snapped.

A guttural shriek cut through the air, freezing them both.

"What was that?" Kyle whispered, clutching the rifle tightly.

The Ghost scanned the horizon. "Fallen. They've found us. Get ready."

Kyle smirked, shouldering the rifle. "Ready? Oh, buddy, I was born ready." He paused. "Well, I guess technically I was re-born ready, but you get the point."

The Ghost floated to his shoulder. "Try not to get yourself killed. Again."

Kyle chuckled as he aimed the advancing shapes. "No promises."

The Fallen appeared, skittering through the wreckage, their glowing eyes glinting in the dim light. One of them screeched, raising its weapon.

Kyle grinned. "Let's dance, you space goblins."

He pulled the trigger.

The rifle barked to life in Kyle's hands, spitting a stream of bullets that tore into the nearest Fallen. A Dreg staggered back, its twin blades clattering to the ground as it crumpled.

"Ha! That's one down!" Kyle yelled, swivelling to the next target.

"Focus!" Casper snapped, zipping overhead. "There are more coming!"

As if on cue, a trio of Vandals vaulted over a rusted shipping container, their weapons crackling with energy. Kyle ducked as a burst of arc bolts sizzled past his head.

"Alright, Plan B!" he announced, tossing the rifle aside.

"Plan B?!" Casper squawked. "What's Plan B?!"

Kyle charged forward with a wild grin. "Fists, baby!"

He leapt at the closest Vandal, his glowing eyes blazing with adrenaline. His fist connected with the alien's helmet, the impact sending a deafening CRACK through the air. The Vandal's head snapped back unnaturally before it crumpled to the ground.

Casper hovered nearby, watching in stunned silence as Kyle turned to the next enemy. "You're punching them?"

Kyle ducked under a swipe from a Dreg and countered with an uppercut that sent its head flying. "Hell yeah, I'm punching them! Have you ever seen anyone punch aliens before?!"

Casper blinked. "You're a Titan. That… makes sense."

Kyle whipped around to face the last Vandal, who hesitated, its weapon trembling in its claws. Kyle cracked his knuckles. "You've got two choices, buddy: run or join your pals on the floor. Either way, my fists are getting a workout."

The Vandal shrieked, raising its rifle.

"Wrong choice."

Kyle lunged, grabbing the rifle mid-fire and ripping it from the alien's grasp. He planted a foot against its chest and shoved it, sending it sprawling into a pile of debris. Before it could recover, he slammed the rifle into its head like a makeshift club.

As the battlefield quieted, Kyle stood amidst the chaos, panting slightly. His glowing orange eyes scanned the wreckage. "And that, Casper, is how you deal with space goblins."

Casper floated closer, his tone somewhere between awe and disbelief. "You just punched your way through an entire squad of Fallen."

Kyle shrugged, brushing dust from his shoulders. "What can I say? Guns are cool, but fists? Fists are personal."

Casper was silent for a moment before muttering, "Definitely a Titan."

Kyle leaned against a rusted beam, catching his breath as Casper floated nearby. The Ghost scanned the area, his beam of Light flickering over debris and shadows.

"We should keep moving," Casper urged. "That wasn't the entire group. Reinforcements will be here soon."

"Relax, Casper," Kyle said, waving him off. "I've got plenty of punches left. Besides, I think I saw something shiny over there."

He pointed toward a half-buried storage crate, its metal edges weathered but intact.

"Shiny?" Casper asked, his tone sceptical.

Kyle grinned. "Yeah, and shiny usually means loot."

The Ghost sighed but followed as Kyle approached the crate. With a grunt, Kyle pried it open, revealing a neatly packed set of armour. Dark grey plating gleamed under Casper's light, the pieces rugged and imposing. A matching helmet rested on top, its visor a sleek, opaque black.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Kyle exclaimed, pulling out the chestpiece. "Custom fit for yours truly."

Casper floated closer, scanning the gear. "Uncommon Titan armour. Basic, but sturdy. It'll offer decent protection."

Kyle was already pulling the chest plate over his head. "Decent protection? Buddy, I look like a walking tank!"

As he donned the rest of the pieces, Casper couldn't help but notice how easily Kyle moved in the heavy plating. The armour clanked and hissed as it locked into place, but Kyle adjusted it with the ease of someone who'd worn similar gear before.

"I could get used to this," Kyle said, flexing his arms. "How's it look? Intimidating? Heroic?"

"Like a Titan," Casper replied simply.

"Damn right."

Kyle was about to shut the crate when something else caught his eye. He reached in and pulled out… a baseball bat.

Casper tilted slightly as if raising an eyebrow. "A bat?"

Kyle held it up, inspecting the weapon. It was scarred and dented, but still solid. He gave it an experimental swing, grinning as it whooshed through the air.

"Oh, this is perfect," he said. "Fists are great, but this? This adds flair."

"Flair?" Casper asked, incredulous.

Kyle rested the bat on his shoulder, the glow of his orange eyes peeking through the helmet. "Think about it: what's scarier than a guy in full armour? A guy in full armour with a bat."

Casper sighed. "You're impossible."

"And yet, here I am. Come on, Casper, let's find some more space goblins. This bat needs a test run."

Kyle surveyed the field, a grin spreading across his face as he scanned the Fallen that littered the open area. He'd never been one to shy away from a fight, but this was different. The big guy in the back—the Walker—was a definite no-go.

"You know what? I've got a better idea," Kyle muttered, cracking his knuckles.

He glanced at Casper, who was hovering with a confused expression. "What are you doing?" the Ghost asked, eyeing Kyle as he began to creep forward, his heavy armour surprisingly light on his feet.

"Shh. Watch this," Kyle said with a grin, crouching low as he snuck up behind the first Fallen Dreg.

With a swift, practised motion, Kyle grabbed the Dreg by the neck and executed a quick Judo-style neck strike. The Dreg crumpled to the ground silently, the impact barely a whisper in the air.

Casper blinked, looking at the unconscious Fallen. "How did you—what was that?"

"Judo, my dude," Kyle said, his voice low. "Learned it back when I used to—well, never mind. Just keep watching."

Kyle moved from one Fallen to the next with fluid grace, dispatching them with precise neck strikes—no guns, no explosions, just one well-placed hit after another. Each Dreg fell without a sound, their bodies slumping to the ground like ragdolls. Vandals and Shanks followed suit, none the wiser to the giant Titan moving through their ranks.

Finally, Kyle reached the Walker.

"Alright, time for the real trick," Kyle whispered.

He grabbed the closest Fallen by the arm, slinging the body over his shoulder like a ragged sack. He adjusted his grip and began walking backwards toward the Walker, using the Fallen as a shield. The Fallen's lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead as Kyle strutted casually through the group of enemies.

The Fallen didn't react. They didn't even look twice. They saw one of their own—nothing more, nothing less.

Kyle flashed a victorious grin at Casper. "See? Perfect. Not even a shot fired."

The Walker's massive form loomed ahead, but the Fallen in the group didn't so much as flinch as Kyle continued to backpedal.

When he reached the jump ship, Kyle casually tossed the body aside, climbing into the cockpit with a satisfied smirk.

"Nice and smooth," Kyle said, settling into the pilot's seat. "I could teach a class in this."

Casper, still hovering nearby, watched with something between awe and disbelief. "You just did that."

"You bet I did," Kyle replied, starting the ship's engines. "Sometimes, it's not about brute strength. It's about finesse. And maybe a little bit of flair."

Kyle sat in the pilot's seat, the ship's controls before him looking surprisingly intuitive. With a few flicks of switches and a bit of button mashing, he managed to get the engines humming, the faint vibrations rumbling beneath his feet.

"Alright, let's make this ship flightworthy before we get noticed," Kyle muttered, tapping a few more controls. He cast a glance over at Casper, who was floating nearby, scanning the area. "Keep an eye out for any latecomers. You know, the ones who like to shoot first and ask questions later."

"Right," Casper said, his voice deadpan. "You're one to talk, considering how many people you've punched without a second thought."

Kyle flashed a grin. "It's called 'preemptive self-defence.' You should try it sometime."

The ship suddenly shuddered beneath them as the thrusters roared to life. Kyle gave the controls a few more nudges, and with a smooth lift-off, the ship hovered a few feet above the ground.

"Perfect," Kyle said, his voice brimming with satisfaction. "We're in business."

"Uh, Kyle…" Casper began, his tone anxious. "I think we have a problem."

Kyle glanced out of the cockpit window and saw it. A Fallen Archon—massive, towering, and seething with rage—stormed toward them.

The Archon's voice rang out in guttural, angry tones. "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!"

"Well, that's… lovely," Kyle muttered, the edges of his grin barely wavering. "Guess we've got a fan club."

The Archon's fiery eyes locked onto the ship as it began to ascend, its engines humming louder as it climbed higher.

"No time for this!" Kyle shouted, punching the throttle. "Hold on, Casper!"

With a sudden lurch, the ship shot upwards, the Archon's furious shouts echoing in the distance as the ship ascended into the sky. Kyle's eyes darted around, scanning for any potential obstacles or incoming threats.

Casper, still floating beside him, watched the chaos below. "We're in the clear... for now," he said, relaxing slightly.

"Good," Kyle said, giving the ship a sharp turn. "Now let's get out of here before our friend gets any more ideas."

As the ship soared higher, the Cosmodrome's dusty horizon faded away, replaced by the glowing orange glow of the Traveler far in the distance. Kyle set the course for the Last City with easy confidence, the hum of the ship's engines providing a soothing backdrop to the wild journey ahead.

"We've got a long way to go,"

Kyle said, a grin still tugging at his lips. "But hey, at least we're on our way. And who knows? Maybe we'll meet a few more 'fans' along the way."

Casper chuckled nervously. "As long as they don't have more than two eyes and arms, I think we'll be okay."

Kyle threw a wink at the Ghost. "Don't worry, Casper. I've got this. Titan's got a way with things. We'll make it to the Last City before you can say 'This thing is falling apart.'"