This will be the last chapter like this, the next ones are going to be longer, improved, and in Google Docs for easier reading. By the way, any suggestions for names are always appreciated. ==================== IX. A Conclusion ==================== The City had walls of stone and metal, unremarkable in their look, remarkable in their stature and effectiveness. Black marks and shallow craters peppered the walls, proving their effectiveness. There was something about them I enjoyed, whether it be their size or damage they went through; I felt like I could relate to them. I know what they were, they were beaten and broken, but still standing. They had no choice but to stand, it was what they were born for, and all they knew how to do. Thus, they are the silent Guardian of the City; unappreciated and forgotten. But still, they do not fall, they know if they do that the City would fall. I give the wall a silent approval of its actions and thanks for all that it has done. Beyond and inside the walls was a massive city with a diameter of many miles. Right in the center of it was a tower built upon a hill, but still so far from touching the Traveler. It seemed as if the city was tiered. The outskirts of the city held the poor and the dirt of the society. They were, in a sense, imperfect. They couldn't become Guardians because they couldn't hold a gun, didn't have powers, didn't carry a legacy. They were simple humans trying to get along with their day, nothing more, nothing less. They wouldn't become anything but a small background feature in Humanity's story. This next level we're at, I guess the second tier, was the slightly higher classed Humans. If you were and Awoken, Exo, or a "special" Human; it appears like you went here. Awoken and Exo are inherently better than most "simple" humans, and it shows here. The Awoken are the entertainers and objects you stare at because of their beauty. When it becomes like that, they aren't even truly a sentient being anymore. The Exo, a combination from full robots to cybernetic humans, appears to do the grunt work of this place. They do the heavy lifting, construction jobs, and any other physical labor job. They can, assumingly, communicate by radio or some other signal; thus, it is easy for them to coordinate. Then there are Humans. The Humans here are...unremarkable. They had no redeeming features. Some were slightly more affluent and showed it in their garb, others were less affluent and wore common clothing. The rich wore long, flowing garments and robes; the "normal" ones wore pants and shirts and the like. Whether they had something to actually give to Humanity was a different topic altogether. Thus, we reach the third tier. Tall and sleek buildings without a hint of rust or dents anywhere. This is where most Guardians choose to stay, and where the Academy is. Anyone here appears to be an exceptional member of society. There are a few "normal" ones here and there, but most have special abilities from the Traveler. Everyone here has something to give back to Humanity, or already has. All the Awoken here are exceptionally beautiful, and powerful. The Exo here were made and bred only for combat, like the warriors of ages past. The Humans here are stout defenders of the City, with a determination unmatched by those of the other races. Even the Exo. So what was I? I look around, and there are nothing but stares. Stares of astonishment, confusion, and general wonderment seemed to mirror my own thoughts. I wasn't an Exo, that was [i]something[/i] I could figure out. However, I seemed to have features of the other two races. As we reached the elevator, I decide to ask Dax, "Exactly what race am I?" His head turned and looked down at me, studied my features. From the pale skin, to the black and white hair, to the eyes which glow in the shadows. "Well, you're unusual, I'll tell you that." A slight chuckle escaped both our lips, I knew he meant no illness in those words. We step onto the elevator and press the button to the highest floor. "You appear to have a codominance of genes from both Awoken and Humans. Possibly a mutation. This is shown most clearly through your hair, it has streaks of black and white rather than being grey. Your eyes is also codominance. Your eye colour, yellowish, is unusual in [i]any[/i] race. However, your eyes don't glow except in the shadows, showing the Awoken side of you." The door begins to open, so he looks forward, but keeps talking. "Your skin is pale, but not blue or white like the Awoken. Thus, this is an example of incomplete dominance. There's no full completely dominant gene in you. Instead, it's more like mixing white and red to create the colour pink. Whereas codominance, it's a co-existance between the two. Imagine red water and white oil. They don't mix." I nodded in understanding. "Biologically, you're impossible." He seemed to get a good laugh out of that, and a smile blessed my own features. As we walked towards the New Monarchy section of the Tower, our foot steps clanked with every step. I adorned the handed down cape, and wore it as proud as I could. However, we were still stopped at the door by a Titan and a Warlock. They both wore pure white and red gear. I scanned the area whilst Dax spoke to them. A slight disrepency in my vision made me turn to a balcony; more like a sniper perch than anything. A Hunter. The Hunter turned off the cloaking, his cover blown. The Hunter laid the butt of the gun to the floor, but stayed crouched. The two guards then allowed us passage through the door into presumably the throne room. As I passed them, I read the shoulder insignia. [i]Queen's Vermilion[/i]. As we passed into the throne room, I took a look at the surroundings. It was generally quite modest. Large, indeed; but the furnishings in the room were generally quite normal. There were large aquariums which spanned the border of the entire room. The carpet was now an aqua blue colour, just as how the steel was like cobalt. Everything was blue, or some shade of it. Blue. "Why is everything blue?" I poked at the carpet with the toe of my greaves to emphasize my point. "Well, believe it or not, the Queen dislikes the colour red." "Ah, I see." It took a little to sink in, "Wait. What." "[i]That[/i] is one thing I don't have the answer to." The only thought in my mind was that that was absolutely absurd. However, it didn't seem like the Queen was here at the moment. I looked toward Dax and it appeared he noticed it also. "Odd, I'll talk to the Academy's principal, wait here." Thus I waited. I waited, and waited, and waited. Patiently. I waited to enter the academy, I waited to enter training, and I waited until I finished training. I simply waited. There was nothing more to it. And through all the waiting, I've become much more silent and calculating. I've been called cold and unfeeling, I've always been left alone. In the mock battles, I still waited. Waited to be chosen for a team, but never was. So I took up position and set up traps, and waited. Until they walked into my sights and became paralyzed by the mock rounds we shot. I was a lone wolf, and I know what they say about lone wolves. They will die alone. Would it be so different from right now? I'm a ghost with a beating heart. After the matches, I would wait for the ridicule and slander from the classmates I defeated. I knew combat. They knew words on paper and drills. I know human emotion, they know standard procedure. It was always too easy. Much too easy to defeat them, but easier to utterly destroy them. Thus, I made the waiting become longer. No one was able to shorten it. Not the voices, and surely not my "companions". Dax already graduated from the Academy, so there was no one here. Dax. I haven't seen him in a while. I wonder what he's doing, what he's done since that day in the Tower. But it didn't matter. Now what do I wait for? I wait for the morning, I wait for the last mock battle, I wait for graduation,. I wait...for something to happen.