[spoiler]Disclaimer: This post is Fanficiton, which is allowed in #Lore as declared by dmg04, link here: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/249545832?sort=0&page=0&path=1. If you wish to no longer see any of my posts, please block the tags #Fanfiction or #ringer7. By doing so you will never again see any Fanfiction from me in the future. You can also simply mute my profile if that’s prefered although I am also a poster of lore, like this research into the language of the Fallen: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/250753120/0/0 so you may miss some lore. Feedback and constructive criticism are always appreciated, so please feel free to share some! Cheers![/spoiler] "[i]No one knew what had happened to the Traveler. No one understood what had happened to the world. But they heard the whispered call.[/i]" — Ghost Fragment: The Dark Age It as a dark time on Earth, and a darker time still for humanity. Earth, and the myriad conglomerates and nations that made up her people, had fallen. No one could tell you want had hit the Earth and its colonies, but every living being left could tell you of the horrors that followed after. In those days London fell to the Devils and humanity learned to fear the houses of the dreaded Eliksni. In those days a thousands kings rose and fell and the legacy of heroes fell to ego and greed. But it was in those days that the ghosts first found their wards, and they were hopeful. Hopeful that their newly risen warriors would be strong enough to bring the world out of the darkness that had fallen over it... [b]---EARTH---EASTERN-EUROPEAN-WASTE-ZONE---DARK-AGE---[/b] A small object flitted through the sky with abandon. They were a ghost, and inside they felt the urge to wander, and perhaps, someday, find the one to share their light with. She did not have a name, but having one didn't seem very important to her when she travelled alone. However, one day, she thought, it would be oh so nice to have a name all to her very own. The ghost floated carefree through the forests of Europe with hardly any thought for personal safety. She had not seen any Fallen around these parts, nor any warlords, and so she felt there was no reason not to take advantage of the lovely view around her. And lovely it was, for it was autumn, and the trees had shed the green day of summer for the orange gloaming of fall. Her sensors told her that the air was pleasant, something about Autumn felt special to the ghost. It was a time where the sweat and heat of the world blew away on zephers, and it was beautiful. As she flew, the ghost imagined that the she could dance, like she had seen many humans do before in small villages. She could imagine how great it must be to be able to actually run, to not be a strange floating metal thing among the wonderfully interesting humans. [i]Oh well[/i], she thought, at least she got to help the humans. To an outside viewer, the ghost would have rather looked quite drunk, as she flew back and forth in erratic patterns. She flew through the leaves of trees, and through bushes' branches, but most of all through the piles of fallen leaves on the forest floor. While rushing "head" first through one such pile of leaves, the ghost unexpectedly rammed right into something metal. With a loud [i]clang![/i] she fell dazed to the ground. "Oooh! Who leaves a...a whatever that was in the middle of a forest?" She nudged the leaves over to the side so that she could inspect what it was that had caused her pain. Underneath the pile was a hand. It was made of a metal alloy and upon scanning it, she found it was very complexly made. She had never seen exo before now, and this new discovery was extraordinary to the ghost. For a long while she worked at uncovering more and more of the strange metal person beneath the dirt. She hardly wondered why it had been left there, after all, the world had ended, everything was left in the dirt. At long last she revealed the exo's face, which was rusted and black from combat and weather's wear. She tilted slightly, inspecting the face. She liked him. It reminded her of herself, a machine but also distinctly human. Too bad it was dead, maybe they could have been friends. Too bad... She felt an odd tug as she quietly watched the exo. Could she? Was it the Traveler's plan to be able to bring even these, whatever these robots were, to life as well? She hoped so, and she determined to try. Exos have always been the rarest of the races of mankind, but in those early days you would be lucky to see a normal human, let alone an exo. Nevertheless, there were doubtless exos and exo guardians out in the wilds, though the ghost had not heard of them. Then, in a way she did not fully understand, her light shone out and entered inside the dug up robot. Slowly the lights in its eyes came ablaze, and the muscles of the exo began to move. It had worked! "Oh! You're actually alive!" The ghost's chipper voice welcomed the risen to the world of the living. The exo looked around groggily unsure of what was going on. "I...am?" The exo said slowly, surprised as well. "Oh gosh, oh traveler, I found you! I actually found you! What am I doing?" She shook herself and floated right into the exo's face. "Hello! Uh, I'm your ghost, and you're not dead, and you're going to travel with me now!" "Oh." Said the risen simply, wholly unsure how to take it all. "Don't worry, I'll help you figure things out, I promise." This she said with less excitement and more sincerity. The exo, even with their newly re-awakened sense, noticed the gesture of help and the offer of friendship and gave a small smile. "Now, I wonder if you have a name?" The exo stood up wobbily and looked down at himself. His clothes were torn, but they appeared to have been some sort of combat armor, and as such they had a name emblazoned on them: [i]Ringer-7[/i]. "What about that?" Asked the risen, pointing to the name. "Ring-er. Seven. A bit clunky if you ask me, but if that's your name that's your name. Actually, it's not so bad." "Ringer" tried to take a step forward, but being unused to living once more he stumbled and began to fall. The ghost rushed over quickly and shoved with all her might to keep him standing. "Don't worry, I'll steady you." "Thank you." The ghost hovered over her ward's shoulder for a bit, thinking about what all the two of them could accomplish together with his second chance at life. "You know..." The risen looked up at her. "What is it, little friend?" "I didn't really think getting my...partner would be like this. " "If it's any consolation, I had no idea anything would be like anything. If that makes sense." Ringer offered. "It doesn't. But, it feels like my job is finished, and yet that it's just beginning. Now my mission is to protect you, no matter the cost. " "If you'll be protecting me, then I'll do the same for you. You kept me steady when I would have fallen, I'm afraid that I may fall quite a lot now." The ghost bobbed up and down as the risen sat down in the autumn leaves. "...Ringer?" "Yes?" "Can I have a name?" "You mean you don't have one?" The ghost shook her head no. "Uh-unh, I guess I never needed one. Till this day. " The risen and his ghost sat silently for some time before he spoke again. "I don't know much, and what I do know I have no idea how I know it, but...one thing I do know is that your name is Stedi. Because you steadied me." The risen nodded in satisfaction at his choice of name and looked out over the fall forest. "Stedi? Hm, I like it." Stedi looked out over the forests as well, beside her friend. If she could she would have been smiling. "We have a long road ahead, Ringer." Ringer did not look over, but nodded. "I guess so. What's on the road?" "Oh, I'll tell you tomorrow." The sun's light came down through the tinted leaves and fell upon the pair as they stared at the entrancing world around them. "I don't know what's on this road ahead of us," Ringer said finally. "But it's a beautiful beginning." ---- /Dive into the Trenches?/ https://www.bungie.net/en/Groups/Post?groupId=3422633&postId=249426639&sort=0&page=0