I apologize for the delay in posting this, as I have been rather busy lately. I would just like to quickly thank everyone who reads, comments, and enjoys this story! Your support means a lot, and I greatly appreciate your enthusiasm! So, from me to you, enjoy! Lemme know what you think! -LR AUTHOR’S NOTE- My attention has been brought to a very crucial issue in the storyline. It is imperative to understand the difference between our “young” Guardians and those found in the game. Both exist in the story, but the “Original” Guardians, such as the one you and I play as, were long dead before the Traveler’s Ghosts found them. They were reanimated by the Light and are thus nothing BUT Light; this makes them nearly immune to certain effects of the Darkness, i.e. they cannot be “Taken” by Oryx; they would have to relinquish their Light before being able to, but doing so would kill them. Thus any “Original” Guardian would die before being Taken. However, our “young” Guardians such as Michas are not born from Light; rather, they are selected from it. Our young protagonists (or antagonists) were seen as an experiment run by the Consensus; what if, what if we could take normal people and make them susceptible to Light? And thus our young Klaeda and Norid-2 and Michas were born into the Light, along with generations before them. They are not living simply because the Light wills them to, but instead they lived as is until the Light chose them. This makes them more susceptible, should they choose to denounce what little Light they have, to any form of persuasion or manipulation from the Darkness. For example…what if a “second-generation” Guardian renounced his protection from the Light and met a Darkness-controlling manifest such as Oryx who had the power to Take living things? And without the protection of the Light, he was not immune to being Taken? ———————————————————————————— “He didn’t make it.” Silence. Not a word spoken from Klaeda or Norid-2. But the Titan wasn't going to wait for them to ask. “Well, let’s get moving,” Michas said in a commanding manner. “We don’t want to get stuck here when the Taken find us.” With that, Michas set out. His Fireteam quietly followed. Without Paetos, the others felt rather lost; they had no idea what to expect from their voyage into the Black Garden. Nevertheless, they continued. They had a mission to complete. The Garden was beautiful. Lush plants grew like weeds and the air was very calm. Yet still…it felt wrong. Like this place should not exist. Something was off. Perhaps it was the timeless machinery that intertwined with the greenery. Or maybe it was the slight chill sent down the spine that caused a sense of unease; the Guardians did not belong here. They kept going. Michas seemed much angrier since they arrived. Norid-2 got to thinking that maybe…just maybe…Paetos didn’t make it because Michas didn’t let him. He could sense animosity between the two, and the air was disturbingly tense when Paetos tried to talk to Michas. “Michas?” Norid-2 began to inquire. But as soon as the Titan turned around the air grew tingly. Started to get darker, heavier. Vex. Sure enough, about a dozen Goblins materialized in the area. Without hesitation, the squad opened fire, targeting the glowing cores of the Vex. They executed flawlessly; it was beautiful. However, this worked against them because once the machines were put down, another wave appeared, but with much more menacing troops. The Vex were on them. Two dozen Goblins, at least six Hobgoblins, two Minotaurs, and a Hydra. All blocking the way deeper into the Garden. “There’s too many,” whispered Klaeda. “We need to fall back,” said Michas. “Gotta establish a secure vantage. Everyone check your ammo reserves; this is gonna be a long day.” But they all knew it was futile. A group of three full-Light Guardians could take this, but three ragtag fresh-faced second-gen recruits? Not possible. Nevertheless, they set up. Prepared for the onslaught of Vex. Each took up a position behind a wall and aimed down the sights. Just as the wave of death approached, the air grew dark again. But this time, it was…different. Colder. Depressing. Not Vex. Which could only mean… “Taken.” Then the orbs appeared. One, two, three, seven, fourteen, twenty-six… “Oh my…” commented Klaeda in a hushed tone. The orbs exploded. Taken emerged from every corner of the gigantic room and attacked the Vex. The machines turned their attention from the Guardians towards the new threat. But it was useless. Even though the Taken had yet to notice the Guardians, it wouldn’t be long; the Vex were mercilessly slaughtered. Those who didn’t die from the Taken were sucked up by some black goo. Maybe that’s how the Taken form, thought Michas. They get pulled into…something. Or somewhere. Then, it was over. The Taken had wiped out an entire Vex platoon in a minute flat. But they had yet to discover the younglings. Until… The air grew dark again. This time, the Guardians knew it was over. But this Dark air felt different. Ancient. Powerful. Godly. No orbs exploded into Taken enemies. Rather, the air swirled and drew into one location and took up the shape of…something. It was huge. It looked like a variant of a Hive Knight, but something told Michas this was no ordinary Knight. He was right. A voice boomed from across the room. Shook the Guardians to their very bones. [i][b]“LIGHT! THERE IS LIGHT HERE! GIVE ME YOUR WILL!” [/b][/i] “I think they found us,” said Norid-2. Suddenly, the Taken began to advance on the Guardians’ positions. The giant figure appeared directly over them and loomed down. Klaeda and Norid-2 slowly retreated, shooting at the Taken as they approached. But Michas… He stood there. Looked up at the figure. Couldn’t move. “Michas, come on! We have to go!” yelled Klaeda over the sounds of gunfire and advancing feet. But he did not move. The figure spoke again. Loud. Painfully loud. [i][b]“I AM ORYX, TAKER OF WILL. YOUR WILL IS NO LONGER YOUR OWN. YOU BELONG TO ME NOW.”[/b][/i] Michas began to shake. His gun slowly fell from his grasp, hit the ground. Oryx laughed, a horrible sound that would haunt the remaining Fireteam as long as they lived. Then something unprecedented happened. Michas began to lift off the ground. The shaking began to get worse. Whether from fear or something else. Then, it happened. In a swirl of black, Michas began to rotate and shrink and in a flash of bright white light he disappeared. Another laugh, and Oryx vanished as well. Michas was…Taken? Shouldn’t that be impossible? thought Norid-2. Wide-eyed with fear, the others fled the area, all while firing into the wall of Taken. This could not happen. Not him. Why? Klaeda decided it was a lost cause. She sent a message over every comm channel she could think of. They needed help. “If anyone can hear this, we need help. We’re under heavy fire in the Black Garden. Taken everywhere. Please send help.” A pause, then she continued. “And…and another thing…a Guardian was Taken. Michas Damengar. By something called Oryx. Please help us. We won’t last much lon…”